Chapter 24: Showdown

Why has it come to this? I have no idea.

"Die."

Right now, I'm standing in the upper floors of the Shibuya Dungeon, with Ikemen-kun brimming with murderous intent in front of me. Even though he threatened me with death before class, he didn't do anything afterward, so I thought it was all talk. But when I entered the dungeon as promised with Asakawa-san, he ambushed me.

Explorers are generally prohibited from using magic outside of dungeons, as it can lead to charges of assault or attempted murder. And while intentionally trying to kill someone in a dungeon is obviously a crime, there are no surveillance cameras here, and if you use flashy magic, it's hard to distinguish it from monster damage.

It's said that some people have actually used dungeons to commit murder. However, since every entry and exit is logged by showing your Explorer card, anyone with a personal grudge can be easily caught. So, I think the stories about dungeon murders are probably just rumors.

"You should probably just run and report this."

"Yeah, I'll call it in right away."

Despite the chaos, there are police officers who are qualified explorers, and they handle these kinds of cases inside dungeons. They're part of a police force made up of people who have explorer licenses and a certain level of skill, and they respond to reports of incidents within the dungeon.

"Uh… what was the number to report a dungeon incident again?"

"Wasn't it 220 or something?"

"I'll kill you!"

Whoa, just as I was about to make the call, he suddenly rushed at me with a punch.

I hadn't noticed, but there were two girls and two boys, part of Ikemen-kun's entourage, standing around. If they get caught doing this, they could get expelled or even arrested. Why would they stick by him in such a situation? S~eaʀᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I pushed Asakawa-san back and caught Ikemen-kun's fist, twisting his arm behind him.

"Gah!?"

"Calm down, Kuri…hara-kun."

"I'll kill you."

I got your name right this time!

He started flailing his other arm, so I grabbed that one too and pinned him to the ground of the dungeon. His face was bright red with anger.

"Die!"

Lightning crackled from Ikemen-kun's hand, so I let go and backed away. A punch could still be dismissed as fooling around, but using magic crosses the line into a serious incident. I'll respond accordingly.

He started laughing and activating his magic, causing his body to crackle with electricity. Is he powering up his physical abilities or something?

"If it weren't for you, I would've been the top at school!"

"Being the best explorer doesn't make you the best at school."

"Shut up!"

Scary. His movements are a bit faster now, but to me, who was born with enhanced reflexes due to my magic power, he still looks slow. I pride myself on being able to track supersonic speeds with my eyes. And compared to my grandma, who's much faster, this is nothing.

I dodged his reckless punch and carefully struck him in the side to avoid breaking any bones. He went flying into a wall, but I'm pretty sure he's just bruised, nothing serious.

"Why… why can't I…"

"What?"

"You… you're just a tool-using weakling…"

Where's he getting that from? But at least he's realized the difference in our abilities after just one hit. That's the mark of someone who's reached C-rank—they understand when they're outmatched.

By the way, while Shikigami magic is powerful and versatile, I'm actually better at fighting with my own body. More specifically, I'm good at fighting alongside the Shikigami I summon. I don't really enjoy standing back and watching the battle from afar.

"What are you doing, Shunsuke?"

"…Are you recording this?"

"N-no, this is just…"

One of Ikemen-kun's male entourage members was pointing his phone at us, and when I asked, he stammered. Judging by his reaction… probably a live stream?

If it is a live stream, that's a bit of a hassle… I don't want any unnecessary trouble since I'm an EX-rank explorer. I don't want to be seen as someone who bullies weaker people.

"Eep!"

When I shifted my gaze from Ikemen-kun to his friend, the guy panicked and backed away. I wasn't even glaring that hard.

"S-screw this… I'm not done with you… I'll never accept this!"

"Do you understand the difference between us now?"

He seems to grasp the difference, yet he's still trying to fight. If this goes on, I'm really going to end up breaking a few bones.

"Hey, Tsukasa-kun."

"What is it?"

"Can't you restrain him somehow?"

Restrain… does she mean with magic or a Shikigami?

"I'm good at killing, but I'm really bad at capturing people alive. I'm not skilled with that kind of delicate work."

"…I'll do it then."

"I'm sorry."

I'm really sorry. Because I've had so little interaction with people, I'm not used to this kind of thing. I've never needed to capture a monster alive, and it's easier to just fight alongside my Shikigami. I've never learned how to use those kinds of stalling spells. I probably could if I studied from scratch, though.

"Aaaaaargh!"

The crackling from Ikemen-kun's body intensified as he charged at me again, even faster than before. But I can still easily keep up by enhancing my physical abilities with magic.

I tripped him, grabbed his neck, and flung him into the dungeon wall. He made a sound like a crushed frog and slumped against the wall.

"…My hand feels tingly."

"Well, you did grab lightning with your bare hands."

"My clothes are insulated, so it's fine."

When I touched his neck, I realized Ikemen-kun's crackling was his magic power converted into electricity. He's probably using it to forcibly enhance his physical abilities, which explains the speed boost.

My outfit isn't as heavy as the armor most explorers wear, but it's made from materials obtained from deep-dungeon monsters, so it's insulated and fire-resistant. I'm fine, but producing that much electricity must be taxing on Ikemen-kun.

"So, how long are you planning to keep filming?"

"Eek!"

When I glared at him, he tried to run, so I summoned Hashihime to block the passage. He immediately collapsed on the spot. Now, I guess we just wait for the police to arrive.