chapter_0187

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
187

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
187

The first thing I checked
after the morning meeting, where I was granted full authority, was
whether anyone had ever cleared the Menestail Dungeon before.

If we could use the system
there and go straight to the 46th floor, we could get ready for the
showdown with Karia immediately.

Count Georg, of course, had
reached the end of the dungeon. Benedict also mentioned that he had
reached the end of the dungeon in the past.

“I have never attempted
the Menestail Dungeon.”

The problem was Johan.

Having spent his entire life
serving as a cleric of the Church, he had no reason to venture into
such a perilous dungeon.

It wasn’t a significant issue,
though. Given the collective strength present here, it was hardly a
problem.

Each individual here was
worthy of being called a hero. How difficult could it be to conquer
Menestail Dungeon?

It was merely a chore.

So, I suggested that we break
through to the 46th floor in one day, rest, and then face Karia the
next day.

We began discussing how to
proceed with the dungeon strategy, but the meeting ended before
lunch.

The reason was simple.

Anything that could pose a
problem in the Menestail Dungeon could be dealt with using the
abilities of these three.

The intense heat of the
dungeon could be neutralised with Count Georg’s magic.

Thanks to that, I never felt
the heat once while traversing with them.

The various monsters in the
dungeon were too scared to approach because of the killing intent
Benedict exuded. 10th Floor of Menestail Dungeon.

Previously, when Karl,
Alsatine, and I worked together, we resolved matters by shooting
arrows at the core. But today was different.

We did nothing.

Because Benedict firmly
assured us that we needed to do nothing.

Benedict, watching from the
front as the golem formed around its core, relaxed his shoulders with
a hearty laugh.

“Sir Benedict, what about
the buffs?”

“They’re unnecessary, Bishop
Johan. Why would we need such things for handling this?”

Finally, after the golem
completed its form and landed from the air, it demonstrated its
presence by shaking the cavern with its weight.

Then, it spotted Benedict
standing at the front and raised its massive arm.

It was a punch.

Just a simple punch, nothing
special.

If an ordinary person had
moved their hand like that, onlookers might have chuckled.

But the owner of that fist was
a golem.

A golem with overwhelming
size, weight, and strength.

Its simple punch turned into a
catastrophe due to its powerful stats.

Anyone would think it
contained enough force to be tough to block.

However, Benedict, who had to
take it, remained relaxed.

He didn’t use magic.

He didn’t receive any buffs.

He didn’t even draw his sword.

He simply stretched his arm
back to brace himself against the golem’s punch.

To anyone watching, it seemed
almost crazy.

No matter how big Benedict
might be, he’s still classified as a human.

How could he possibly
withstand the punch of a giant whose fist alone could crush him?

The scene was like a praying
mantis trying to block a carriage. Despite Benedict’s imposing
figure, the outcome appeared inevitable.

However, Benedict directly
defied the notion of ‘common sense.’

BANG!

As the golem’s and Benedict’s
fists collided, a shockwave sent my hair flying.

Through the chaos, I witnessed
an astonishing sight.

The golem’s arm was
trembling.

The punch meant to showcase
its inherent superiority had been stopped.

Diverting my gaze, I looked
towards the other side.

In the shadow of the golem’s
fist, Benedict’s face was visible.

Even while bearing the weight
with his own arm, his face still carried a smile.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

As Benedict, who had been
effortlessly enduring the weight, exerted more strength into his arm,
cracks began spreading out from where his fist met the golem’s. They
expanded swiftly, like cracks on a frozen lake in early winter.

Finally, a foreboding sound
echoed out, and the golem’s arm lost its original shape and
crumbled.

“Too soft! Did you really
think this was enough?”

The golem, devoid of intellect
or soul and thus immune to pain, thrust its remaining arm toward
Benedict.

But the outcome was the same
this time as well.

The giant’s arm couldn’t
overcome the human’s fist and crumbled.

“Shall we end this?”

Watching the falling debris,
Benedict spoke and leaped upward.

Despite the thunderous sound
of his heavy armour with each step, he seemed as light as a feather
as he ascended, using the falling stones as his stepping stones.

Before long, he reached the
golem’s head. From this precarious position with no foothold, he
aimed a punch at the golem’s core.

KABOOM!

After a deafening noise, as if
a bomb had exploded, I saw the golem’s centre cleanly hollowed out,
making me wonder if anything had ever been there.

Benedict landed on the ground
before the collapsing golem, stirring up dust. He then turned towards
me and proudly puffed out his chest.

The way he kept glancing at me
made it obvious that he wanted to hear; Dad, you’re amazing!

But Benedict had it wrong.

The truly cool thing would be
to act indifferent as if nothing happened after doing something like
that.

Expressing am I cool or what?

This makes me less inclined to
praise him.

This natural sense of
rebelliousness—is this also the effect of the [Mesugaki] skill? Or
am I just an evil bastard?

After considering it for a
while, I concluded it was both.

Alright. Let’s ignore him.

‘I know, and I’m ignoring
him on purpose.’

‘It’s not that, but… hmm.’

Destroying that golem with
bare hands isn’t impossible.

Although the 10th Floor boss
Menestail is a gimmick-type boss, its specifications are absurdly
sturdy for being just a 10th Floor boss.

When a user with overwhelming
specs shows up, it’s destined to be destroyed.

However, this doesn’t negate
how impressive Benedict is.

Ignoring the gimmick and
smashing a golem requires a character with at least a minimum level
of 100 in the game’s terms.

Considering Benedict
overwhelmed the golem without even using his full power, we must
acknowledge he’s much stronger.

He’s like an NPC appearing in
the late stages of the game.

He shouldn’t be appearing at
this point in the storyline! It’s unbalanced, seriously!

Hey, Armadi. How about making
Benedict an Apostle instead of me?

Wouldn’t that be better?

Instead of a bratty Mesugaki
kid with nothing going for her other than being cute, wouldn’t a
reliable and cool middle-aged knight be a better choice?

…Hmm.

No response at all.

I guess it won’t work?

Well, that’s because our
sloppy Armadi is a pedophile, a sadist, and a masochist—what a
pervert.

Damn it. If the damn pathetic
trash God’s inclinations were a bit more normal, I wouldn’t have to
suffer like this!

While I secretly curse the
crazy perverted God, Benedict silently approaches and looks at me
with piteous eyes.

Ugh. This is so awkward.

Okay, okay. You want me to
praise you, right?

‘Wow! Benedict! You’re
truly amazing! You tore that golem apart!’

“What? You want to hear
you’re amazing just for smashing that tin can, you fool?”

No, hey! If you’re going to
praise, do it properly, you damn [Mesugaki] skill!

With those condescending
words, Benedict’s spirit seemed to deflate.

Ah, damn it. Fine. You want me
to do it myself, right?

Okay, fine! I’ll do it!

“Well, it was a little cool.
For a pathetic Papa♡, that is.”

After desperately racking my
brain to come up with a compliment that wouldn’t translate wrong,
Benedict’s face brightened up as soon as I said it.

“Right? This Papa was cool,
wasn’t he?”

I tried to think about
something else to ignore Benedict, who seemed to have forgotten we
were in a dungeon and was making a fuss.

Let me think of the shortest
route.

A boss fight? With such
formidable strength assembled, would that even be a concern?

Any gimmicks or tricks would
just be obliterated by the sheer force at our disposal.

Just like that golem earlier!

This wasn’t just a carry
service.

Comparing them to a bus
service would be an insult to these people.

More like a train, no, an
airplane.

I was merely a passenger on
this airplane, and they were the pilots guiding it.

However, I did have one
complaint.

The ride quality on this
airplane was terrible.

Not metaphorically,
physically.

“Alright, Lucy. Let’s get
going. We have a long way to go, so we need to move quickly.”

While I was lost in thought,
Benedict, who had just finished making a fuss, lifted me up and
seated me on his shoulders.

Right. Just like how I used to
carry others on my shoulders during my past Academy Dungeon
expeditions, now Benedict was carrying me for this dungeon strategy.

I hadn’t intended for things
to be like this from the beginning.

I had trained all this time,
so I thought I could keep up on my own two feet.

But soon enough, I realised
how arrogant that thought was.

Not only was my physical
condition not the best, but the other individuals here were simply on
another level that I couldn’t match.

So, involuntarily becoming a
burden, I had to be carried on Benedict’s shoulders.

No matter how hard I thought
about it, this was the most efficient method, so there was no choice.

Hanging here while descending
deeper into the dungeon, I realised a new emotion.

It’s called empathy, right?

When I was carrying others, I
didn’t understand, but now that I was the one being carried, I could
feel their struggle.

I’m sorry! Bisi! Phoebe!

If a similar situation arises
next time, I’ll be more considerate of you both!

“Alright then, let’s go,
Lucy!”

Uwaaa.

Someone, please save meee.

It only took us 6 hours to
reach the 46th floor of Menestail Dungeon.

Even this showed their
monstrous capabilities, as they were being considerate and pacing
themselves for me.

Benedict was still going
strong,

Bishop Johan seemed to be
enjoying proper exercise after a long time, and Count Georg,
experienced in dungeon strategies, didn’t show any signs of struggle
either.

“Alright. Let’s go back
and rest.”

Hearing Benedict’s
declaration, I cheered inwardly.

Finally, this hellish march is
over!

Oh man, this was definitely
the toughest dungeon attack I’ve ever done.

If I were in better condition,
I could have handled it better.

But it’s okay. Since we’re
going back to the accommodations soon, I can rest comfortably.

Tomorrow, we just need to
focus on Karia, so there is really no need to rush…

Ding.

A notification sound from the
system rang out.

Just as I was about to lift my
head to check it,

Benedict, who was in front of
me, suddenly swung his arm.

Huh? What’s going on?

Before I could grasp the
situation, the sound of an impact brushed past my ears, and I saw the
figure of a woman wielding a crossed dagger being pushed back.

Karia’s emotionless eyes
passed over Benedict and fixed on me.

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