Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: The Warrior Enjoys a Fun Time
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I parted ways with the dream demon and headed deeper into the private room.
Inside, a skeleton dressed in a neat suit was seated at a table, reviewing various documents.
But... was that really a skeleton?
The power it possessed was no joke.
This must be the branch manager, Kari an's master and superior.
Soon, the branch manager sitting before me spoke first.
"It's a first for us to meet face-to-face like this, rather than communicating through my disciple. Nice to meet you. I am Alterion."
"Likewise, nice to meet you. I'm Balrak."
After a simple greeting, the two of us sat facing each other.
I had a ton of questions.
But the branch manager in front of me was an insane workaholic!
It was obvious that wasting his time would tank his favorability.
So, I kept the conversation going by responding lightly to his small talk.
"...So, what do you think of my disciple Kari an?"
"I think he's the best friend I've ever made in my life."
"Thank you for looking favorably on him despite his sloppy tendencies."
"No big deal. But you just called him your disciple, and I heard you were the one who taught that guy. Is that right?"
"Sigh... At first, he was truly unreliable..."
Though it was a highly condensed version of the past, Kari an...
He'd botched spells and burned grimoires.
He'd snuck a peek at a forbidden book and nearly got devoured by a monster that popped out of it.
And more besides.
He'd been way more of a disaster than I'd imagined!
Not everyone starts out competent, after all.
"If you need anything, tell my disciple right away. He'll handle most things for you."
"Hahaha! I'm already in his debt plenty, so no worries!"
"Understood. By the way... I have a question. May I ask?"
"Of course."
"What do you think of 'battle'?"
"To me, struggle is life itself."
"Life..."
The branch manager pondered my words deeply before posing a follow-up question.
"I heard from my disciple that you, Balrak, stepped onto the path of struggle following your master's dying words. But now you have countless options. Do you really need to cling to those words?"
It was a sharp question.
Sure, I was living by the old man's words— that a warrior dies in battle without leaving a single regret.
Life in the dungeon had gotten way more comfortable now, so there was no real need to tie myself to combat.
But!
"It's true the old man gave me a push on the back. But now, I'm fighting not because of his words, but because I truly want to."
"Even if that path offers nothing, and is clearly going to be rough?"
"I have to walk it anyway. If we're splitting hairs... well, Alterion, if you're a man, you'd get it, right? Doesn't a real man have to chase the goal of being the best in some field at least once? And the best death, too."
In my previous life, I was bogged down by relationships, society, money, and all that crap, never living the way I wanted.
I didn't want this second life to be the same.
Plus, I had the power and connections to pioneer my chosen path—no reason to backslide.
"Kukukuku, can't argue with that. I too had that passion briefly when I became like this, all for the sake of truth... And thank you. Thanks to you, I've been able to rethink things."
"You weren't this hardworking before?"
"You could say that."
The branch manager gazed up at the ceiling, lost in old memories for a moment.
"Balrak, have you ever been the highest star?"
"Sorry, no."
"Have you ever had your pockets overflowing?"
"...Yeah."
"No matter the being, once they feel at ease, they stop."
"No way... You got complacent with your life back then?"
"Bitterly, yes."
Once you taste satisfaction, you settle into reality and live like a hamster on a wheel.
But the branch manager here had it even worse, apparently.
"As you know, I'm a mage. Or in other words, a scholar."
"If a scholar is satisfied... that means they stopped studying and exploring new things."
"Foolishly, yes. A true scholar can't endure without endlessly pursuing truth as long as they draw breath. Stop thinking, and a scholar dies. So you could say the old me truly died once."
"And now?"
"Thanks to you, I'm constantly trying to think."
"That's good enough. You've improved in the end."
The branch manager must've gotten motivated seeing my passion in everything.
No matter how strong, capable, or smart a being is, life's the same for everyone.
After that, since we seemed to click, the branch manager and I chatted comfortably.
In the midst of it, I heard something intriguing.
"We might face an external attack during this gathering?"
"Unfortunately, there are those who hate seeing us bond like this."
"Who thinks that?"
"Balrak, haven't you already met such a being?"
Someone who hates dungeon bosses bonding... and I'd already met them?
Who could that be... Huh?
"You mean the Demon King?"
"More precisely, the administrators."
"Ah..."
Thinking about it, with bosses not dying and gathering like this, it must irk the AIs or gods.
So they send dungeon admins like the Demon King to crack down.
"But don't worry. No matter what they throw at us, we'll win without a scratch."
"You've prepared everything?"
"If we hadn't, we wouldn't have planned such a big event."
Damn, this branch manager is too competent.
Administrators, huh...
"By the way... if those administrators attack this place, can I go out and fight them?"
"You?"
"Honestly, I'd love to clash with them once!"
"You really want to... Hmm..."
The branch manager thought for a moment, then nodded.
"If battle breaks out, I'll set up a stage for you. Just jump in comfortably."
"Ooooh!! Thank you!"
"No problem. That said... it's been quite a while. There are plenty of others here who want to meet you, so I can't monopolize you forever."
Time flew by already?
I was curious what my little brothers were up to.
Plus, hogging the branch manager's time any longer felt wrong, so it was time to go.
Before parting, I asked if there were any must-see spots in the grand banquet hall.
"You must've met Siren before coming here, right? Why not meet him again? There's an arena in the banquet hall—I recommend heading there."
"There's a place like that here?!"
So I could spar with that Quad guy?!
No time to waste!
I jolted up.
"Nice meeting you, branch manager! Catch you later!"
"Have a good time, Balrak."
Alright~ Now that I've met the one I had to, I rushed to the arena while exchanging quick greetings with others along the way.
**************
After Balrak parted with Alterion and roamed the banquet hall freely, he met many bosses.
Among them...
"Heeeung..."
"Hewk..."
"Huut..."
"Hm?"
"Lord Balrak, just ignore them. These ones get like that whenever they see a strong man."
A lamia, with a snake's lower body and a human woman's upper body.
A harpy, with bird-like arms and legs but a human body and face.
Sirens with fish tails, and so on.
All-female races who turned wobbly the moment they saw Balrak.
Still, as dungeon bosses and queens of their species, they mustered superhuman patience to barely build some rapport with Balrak.
Once he was gone, they hurried off somewhere.
Having sent those off to their happy times and met various others, Balrak arrived at the arena with light steps.
"Ooooooh!!!!"
This arena was a dream space for Balrak.
A massive area!
Clean floors and rest zones!
Each sparring spot had powerful magic barriers.
And a top-tier clinic at a glance!
It had everything.
"Ahh... This is exactly what you'd ca—"
"Huh? Big bro!"
"Little bro! You're here too!"
"Hahaha, Siren told us about this place. Did you have a good talk with Kari an's master?"
"Really solid guy!"
"Hearing that makes me wanna meet him too. Anyway, big bro, here to loosen up?"
After Balrak left, Ferguson and Orek had bonded with various beings thanks to Siren.
Then they'd come to the arena to test each other's skills.
"I can hold my own against most folks now, but couldn't lay a hand on Siren."
"Oho, you've sparred with the brag already, huh. What about second bro?"
"He hit his opponent too hard with a kick and sent them to the clinic."
"Huh? What happened?"
"Basically... his sparring partner passed out from Ferguson bro's kick."
"So second bro's not getting outclassed by the strong ones around anymore!"
Balrak was deeply satisfied that his little brothers weren't falling behind the local bosses.
As the brothers chatted, a four-armed figure approached from afar.
"Lord Balrak!"
"Ooooh! Qu... Ahem. Siren! Good to see you again!"
"Hahaha! You're here too, Lord Balrak, so you must be itching for a fight?"
"Of course!"
"Then..."
The men exchanged glances.
They quietly moved to an empty sparring area.
Everyone sparring stopped at once, crowding to watch the two.
"My god! A match between War Emperor Siren and Champion!"
"Maybe we'll get inspiration to reach the next realm from this!"
"Don't overthink—just watch. Chances like this are rare."
And so, the spar between 94th floor boss War Emperor Siren and 1st floor boss Warrior Balrak was about to begin.
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In the arena, the two warriors faced off.
When holding an official match like this, it was only right to declare who you were.
Balrak opened his mouth.
"I am the warrior Balrak."
"........."
Seeing Balrak call himself simply a warrior, Siren grinned.
"I am the warrior Siren."
"Hmm? From the murmurs, I hear you have the title War Emperor?"
"That's just what others call me."
"...Fair enough."
Balrak nodded as Siren called himself merely a warrior too.
The two warriors began drawing their weapons.
"You use a variety too?"
"With four arms..."
"Nice! Perfect!"
Delighted his opponent was a weapon master like him, Balrak drew four weapons from his subspace bracelet, just like Siren.
Greatswords, spears, axes, and hammers each—no ranged weapons, so he nodded again.
"Little bro! You signal the start!"
"Me? Hmm... How about I toss a Deep Coin in the air? Start when it hits the ground."
Orek pulled a Deep Coin from his pocket, and the entire arena fell silent.
He flicked it into the air, and it spun wildly.
The moment it hit the floor—
Kwaaaaaang!!!
The two clashed, cracking the arena's barrier.
After one exchange, they separated, then charged again.
Balrak's greatsword slashed down, cleaving air. Siren's four arms moved in sync.
His right-hand spear blocked the sword as his left-hand axe swung at Balrak's side.
But Balrak willed his hammer to parry the axe.
Kwadududuk!!
Their weapons sparked and screeched.
The two swung endlessly like a storm.
The barrier around them cracked deeper from the shockwaves.
"I figured constant pressure like this would tangle your arms, but you're moving so fluidly!"
"You're impressive too, Lord Balrak!"
Even mid-bantering, their stances didn't falter.
Balrak's greatsword sliced left; Siren's mace met it head-on.
The rebound sent Balrak's spear low, but Siren casually deflected it with his sword.
Then the four weapons clashed in infinite trajectories, filling the air with metal clashes and impacts. Cheers erupted.
But the arena wasn't built for their level.
Finally, Balrak's two-handed upward greatsword slash met Siren's four-handed downward spear thrust, shattering the magic barrier.
Kwaaaaaang!!
In under five minutes of exchanges, Siren and Balrak felt a bit of regret but shook hands, grinning at the good fight.
The shockwave and boom from the clash swept up the spectators, knocking them all out.
"Tsk tsk tsk, their grit is lacking."
"Tell me about it!"
"Hahahahaha!!"