Challengers*4
I tested the conditions under which my Dungeon Power wouldn’t activate, and managed to create a few situations where it simply wouldn’t work.
The first time was at the very beginning, when Lisas pinned me to the ground. At that point, I couldn’t use Dungeon Power at all.
The second time was when I asked Lisas to “grab my arm like you’re trying to kill me.” In exchange for a great deal of stress on his part, the test showed the same result: no Dungeon Power whatsoever.
… Then came the third time. I asked Mishisia to do the same thing. When she pinned me down, I again couldn’t use it at all.
But the fourth time was different. This time I asked Mishisia, “Grab my arm like you’re trying to kill me!” Unlike with Lisas, right up until the moment she touched me, I could still use Dungeon Power—though it was harder than usual.
Yeah, this fourth test is the tricky one. Turns out, this whole “can’t use Dungeon Power” problem isn’t a simple on/off switch. The results vary along a kind of gradient.
… From this much, it’s pretty clear the key is “hostility.”
So, I asked Lisas to point a sword at me, and sure enough, I couldn’t use Dungeon Power at all. That was the fifth test.
Next, Mishisia drew her bowstring tight and aimed right at my face—not with a sword, but with her bow. Same result: I couldn’t use Dungeon Power. That was the sixth test.
… After that, when Lisas just held a sword some distance away, nothing changed. But when I asked him, “Please, really try to kill me!” the Dungeon Power became much harder to use. That was the seventh test.
And now, for the eighth test, I asked Mishisia, “Okay, this time aim at me like you’re about to shoot an arrow from a distance.” What I figured out was: “Dungeon Power feels harder to activate.”
“If Lisas is holding a sword fifty meters away, Dungeon Power is only slightly harder to use, but basically works fine.”
“Because I recognize it’s you, maybe?”
“Ahh… so if you weren’t aware of Asuma-sama’s presence, even while holding a sword fifty meters away, it might not matter at all…”
So, with that ninth test concluded, we talked it over.
… At least so far, it seems clear: when I’m put in checkmate, I can’t use Dungeon Power.
That’s probably it. The system that determines “a hostile opponent” really comes down to whether I’m in actual danger or not.
… As for how exactly “my danger” is judged—it seems to come down to “mana.”
See, when I use Dungeon Power, I’m also combining it with mana. I became a dungeon master, and that lets me manipulate magic into Dungeon Power.
But when an attack is aimed at me, the mana of whoever’s trying to kill me interferes with mine. That’s apparently what’s happening.
… I don’t really understand the mechanism. Not at all. But that’s what Mishisia told me. In this world, when two sources of mana collide head-on, they interfere, and the weaker one sometimes just fails to become magic at all.
Mishisia said, “That’s why I can’t use tree-planting magic without permission.” Lisas nodded too, saying, “When comrades fight together, if they don’t get along, their combat power goes down.” Guess that’s just how it is. What the heck is with that! This fantasy stuff is too complicated for me!
Anyway, putting my lack of comprehension aside… When I asked Lisas for more details, he said, “Even just swinging a sword, sometimes mana rides along with it. I basically always add magic to my strikes. It makes them stronger.”
… So even though I don’t really get fantasy, in this world, moving your body also means moving mana. Probably. And that boosts attack power by ignoring physical laws…
And when that force is directed at me, it interferes with my Dungeon Power.
Turns out my Dungeon Power is extremely weak to interference… Just a little disruption and I can’t use it at all. In other words, it’s a power completely unsuited for real-time combat!
“Yeah… So maybe, against an attack that isn’t aimed at me, I could still use it…”
“Um, but, Asuma-sama, I think it’d be hard to test that. Maybe we could try it during hide-and-seek?”
“If it’s interference from mana that’s the issue, then if a wide-area spell is used, wouldn’t you still be affected, even if you weren’t recognized…?”
Makes sense. So if a full-area magic attack comes, even if I’m not the target, I’d still be blocked.
That means it’s not just “direct hostility” but rather “any situation where I could be harmed” that shuts me down…
Well, my ability’s already strong enough as it is. A restriction like this might be fair.
Dungeons are probably supposed to defend against intruders, not be used in direct combat anyway.
… Even if I do admire Mishisia shooting arrows all over the place, or Lisas swinging his sword around, it can’t be helped. Right tool for the right job.
But my testing’s not over yet.
“Wait! Could it be that it’s not only when mana or hostility is directed at me, but also when someone’s attention is fixed on the dungeon wall I’m trying to break down that I can’t use it!? Aahhh! This needs more testing! Sorry, please stick with me!”
“Sure! Okay then, if it’s about attention not being on Asuma-sama… Lisas and I can wander around inside the dungeon, staring at walls and suddenly drawing our bows, and while we’re doing that, Asuma-sama can experiment, okay?”
“Yeah! Thanks, Mishisia! You’re the best! You get it so fast!”
… So while I still don’t know every detail, I figured out quite a lot. For now, I’ve got to learn the rules of Dungeon Power bit by bit.
“Maybe training could change things?”
“It might. Fighters on the battlefield do gradually get used to magical interference.”
If that’s true, I’ll just have to take it slow.
I don’t have the guts to go to the front lines in a grade-schooler’s body, but I’ll train a little at a time when I can…
… And so, thanks to the tests with Mishisia and Lisas, I’ve roughly figured out my Dungeon Power’s restrictions. Maybe not all of them, but most.
First: “I can’t activate it when the enemy is touching me.”
That one’s definite. But if the person isn’t focused on me—for example, if Lisas, with no hostility, is holding me while practicing sword swings with his other hand—I can still use it.
But if he turns that sword on Mishisia, I suddenly can’t use Dungeon Power. Apparently because the mana in “Lisas’s attack on Mishisia” interferes with my Dungeon Power.
Second: “Even if I’m not being touched, if the enemy is focused on me, especially aiming an attack at me, I can’t activate it.”
… Mishisia’s arrows are a perfect example. An arrow isn’t pressed against me; there’s space between us. But if it’s aimed at me, I can’t use Dungeon Power.
… And the further away Mishisia is, the more usable Dungeon Power becomes. Though it still feels a bit harder to use.
Third: “Even if someone isn’t aware of me, if they’re touching or focusing on what I’m trying to decompose/absorb/reconstruct, I can’t act on it.”
That goes for walls and stones. Like, if Mishisia is sitting beside me, staring at a pebble in front of her, I can’t absorb it.
If Lisas is standing nearby, I can’t absorb the ground, ceiling, or walls around him either.
And I couldn’t reconstruct things in ways that would directly affect him—for example, summoning a spear through his body.
Though apparently, with training, it might become possible against allies… So that’s worth exploring.
Anyway, the point is… I learned that “Dungeon Power is extremely weak against other magic interference,” that “physical attacks in this world also carry mana,” and that “training might let me overcome it.”
Phew. Even just knowing this much makes a big difference. I’m grateful to both of them for helping.
Now then.
With the restrictions on decomposition/absorption/reconstruction figured out… there’s something I need to do.
“Let’s change the path layout. Since someone’s already cleared the dungeon once…”
Yep. Time for remodeling.
“Our dungeon’s all about the maze. Gotta switch up the paths…”
“Sounds tough…”
“And I’ve got to do it while adventurers aren’t around…”
“Restrictions make it hard, huh…”
So I started changing up the dungeon.
Shifting branch points, changing connections, blocking passages, creating detours…
Now that I know I can decompose/absorb/reconstruct from a bit of a distance, I used that to remodel aggressively.
Still, the fine details are easier to do by looking and touching directly. Maybe that’s another thing I’ll get better at with training.
By the next evening, the remodeling was done.
The “Dungeon Entrance Restaurant,” newly built to meet adventurer demand, was crowded with adventurers busily exchanging information.
“All the maps we painstakingly made are useless now!”
“I’ve heard dungeons can change paths, but this fast!?”
“Sure, it’s nice there are no monsters, but this maze is brutal…”
… Basically, they were all sharing the same info: “The dungeon layout’s changed!”
They compared maps, shared notes on new passages. Adventurers actually help each other more than I thought.
If we can get known as “that maze dungeon that changes paths sometimes,” then even folks who aren’t great fighters but want to earn a little cash will come. That’ll keep the village economy running.
Perfect. Keep it up, everyone!
… And so, three weeks of dungeon operation passed.
The days got warmer and warmer—it turned out it was summer. I love summer in this world! Please stay like this forever! Warm enough that “it’s hot, you sweat in the sun,” but not more! Thank you!
And the Panis Village was buzzing like never before.
Another group cleared the dungeon. They too brought back flowers, fruit, and leaves of the Jewel Tree, delighted with their haul.
Apparently, “Jewel Tree Fruit” is valued as the finest perfume bottle, thanks to its delicate craftsmanship and rare crystal-like beauty. The first party’s haul was rumored to have been presented to some princess or noble.
“Jewel Tree Flowers” are exquisite crystal carvings in their own right, highly valued. As for the “Jewel Tree Leaves,” they’re beautiful, full of mana, and as large as gemstones—so they fetched high prices too.
So now, many parties aiming to be the third conquerors have gathered, bringing the village to life.
And finally, the rumors about a “World Tree” have died out. Even if it’s not that, the unique and bizarre tree in the dungeon is rare enough to make news.
For most adventurers, it doesn’t matter whether the money-maker is a World Tree or a Jewel Tree. So no more people coming to Panis saying, “This is where the World Tree is, right!?” Our victory in rumor control!
But… with more people, some troubling ones have shown up too.
“… Asuma-sama. Let’s take a detour.”
“Huh? Okay.”
One day, as I was walking with Mishisia near the dungeon entrance, she gently pulled me aside, turning down a side street for no apparent reason. It actually led us away from the restaurant we’d been heading for.
“Mishisia, what’s up?”
“You’ll see in a moment.”
She walked briskly, a little tense, as if nothing was happening. After a few dozen steps—
“… We should be safe now.”
She glanced back, then exhaled in relief. What’s going on?
“Sorry, Asuma-sama. Um… there was someone I really didn’t want to run into. And I didn’t want you to, either…”
“Huh?”
As I tilted my head, Mishisia spoke haltingly.
“… It was someone from the Church.”
What do you think about this chapter?
