Chapter 53

Watching the Redcap and Stamp Boar vanish while leaving behind their magic stones, Inari let out a long breath.

"Good grief, how fierce this is... To think they would mount beasts and charge. If it is like this from the start, this shall indeed be a troublesome task."

Compared even to the dungeons she had encountered so far, Inari could feel that Tokyo First Dungeon’s difficulty was on a different level altogether. The monsters were far stronger, the traps far deadlier. Frankly, with the level of skill she'd seen from Awakeners thus far, she doubted any of them could clear this dungeon.

Even for Inari herself, if asked whether she could clear it easily... The answer would have to be: "Difficult."

“The simplest way to rescue the Echigo girl would be to clear this dungeon before she perishes... But that is not very realistic. Meaning I must search steadily and carefully.”

Still, there was something strange. She hadn’t seen a single corpse.

Which would suggest that no one had died yet…

"If so, then there is hope yet... Perhaps Awakeners are stronger than I had thought."

Even as she said it aloud, Inari already sensed otherwise. Something didn’t add up.

The Tokyo First Dungeon was filled with a malice—a thick, foreign malevolence not present in any other dungeon she had encountered.

It wasn’t certain, but... Perhaps the dungeon's difficulty was unnaturally heightened specifically against her?

The thought crossed her mind.

Defeating another group of Redcaps, Inari advanced—

—and then let out a surprised yelp as a pit suddenly opened beneath her feet.

"Nngh, gah!"

Grabbing onto the pit’s edge, she saw a Redcap appear above, grinning wickedly as it brought a knife down at her hand.

In a split-second decision, Inari kicked off the pit’s wall, somersaulting upwards into a handstand motion—and then, without missing a beat, she hooked her foot around the stunned Redcap’s neck and smashed it face-first into the floor.

Yes—accidentally pulling off a perfect Frankensteiner.

While the Redcap convulsed on the ground, Inari rose unsteadily and kicked it straight into the pit.

"Whew… That was surprising. But, now I am certain."

Looking up toward the ceiling, she pointed at a spot overhead—the source of the vile, gloating gaze she had felt earlier.

"I know not who thou art… But thou art watching me, art thou not?"

There was a ripple of shock from the unseen watcher.

Even though Inari’s physical sight revealed nothing, she could sense it clearly.

She knew this type of trick.

"A farsight technique, eh? Thou art skilled indeed… However, if thou wouldst gaze upon another, thou must also be prepared to be gazed upon in turn."

Inari’s Divine Power—the force so vast the System itself was forced to classify it separately—could trace the flow of power back to its source.

Following the trail—

She saw a man in a black robe, who clicked his tongue in irritation and waved his hand.

With a sharp crackle, the vision was forcibly severed.

"Hmm… Human? Nay, something feels... off. Surely, that cannot be the System itself..."

"Goodness me… From another world, no less. What a grand mess this hath become."

Still—if that was the case, then the path forward was clearer than expected.

Because the location she had glimpsed—was not far from here.

"Even if the matter is vast, The path to resolution is surprisingly near. Now then… Somewhere on this floor, thou art lurking. Let us see how swiftly I may corner thee."

Distorting the dungeon or whatever they were up to—Inari highly doubted they could sustain such tremendous power indefinitely.

There were surely limits. And that farsight spell earlier—it had not been from very far away.

Which meant: the so-called Apostle of the Bearer of Endless Agony and Delight had to be somewhere on this very floor.

"Giiiiiieeeee!"
"Gyeeeeeeee!"
"Gyaaaaaaah!"

A swarm of Redcaps charged toward Inari—some riding Stamp Boars.

It was a massive horde. For ordinary humans, facing them would have been suicide.

But Inari was different.

She calmly drew her Kogetsu in bow form, slowly pulling back the string.

"How simple-minded thou art. Thy foolishness is almost endearing. But, alas… too easy."

She loosed a single arrow.

It detonated among the Redcaps—obliterating them all.

Simple.

Much easier than destroying a Dungeon Gate.

And almost certainly, the Apostle was not far away.

"Tch. Seems more troublesome than I had thought… But, ah well. I’ve already stuck my nose into this."

Saying so, Inari stepped deeper into the dungeon.

There was no hesitation in her stride.