Chapter 77: A Beach Date, An Aquarium, and Sapporo’s Final Mission

As the pain from the blows subsided, I returned to the dojo, only to be surrounded by people bombarding me with questions.

"How did you get so strong?"

"How can someone so young have this much power?"

"I watch your streams all the time!"

The truth is, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer for how to become strong. Everyone's path is different, so honestly, they should be asking the master—my grandmother, rather than me.

I was born with an unusually high amount of magic compared to others. My grandmother taught me how to use it effectively, and eventually, I became an EX-level explorer through my mastery of shikigami arts and necromancy. So, most of what I can teach is just what my grandmother taught me. I don't have as much personal experience as they might think. The path I walked isn't easily replicated by others.

What worked for me might not necessarily work for anyone else.

"There's no shortcut to getting strong. This kid was just born strong."

"No, that's not true—"

"Shut up... This one just didn't know how to use the talent he was born with. As for you lot, you're lacking in talent to begin with, so you better make up for it through hard work."

Apparently, in my grandmother's eyes, I'm just some wild child with great physical abilities who learned modern combat techniques. It seems like the older folks around us accepted that reasoning, but the younger generation looked less convinced. My grandmother didn't say anything else, though, as she continued to sit there, overseeing the entire dojo with an air of authority. S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I still wasn't sure why I was invited to the dojo today, but since my match with my grandmother was over, I might as well offer to spar with anyone who wants to test themselves. After all, it's part of the training for them to experience sparring against a high-level opponent.

In the end, I spent the entire day sparring with those who volunteered. Halfway through, I ditched the wooden sword and just sparred barehanded. But honestly, there wasn't anyone who made me feel like I needed to put in much effort. That's probably for the best—if there had been, it would've been a whole different story.

Still, there were a few people whose movements noticeably improved while sparring with me. Those explorers might eventually become top-tier if they continue training. They've got potential, that much is clear.

"Hmm?"

As I was being driven home from the dojo, I noticed a message on my phone. I had a few, but the only person who sends me proper messages is Asagawa.

[Summer break is almost over, huh?]

[I realized I haven't been to the beach this year.]

[You've been in dungeons the whole time, right?]

Ugh… how do I respond to this? I know what she's getting at. She's inviting me to go to the beach with her, right? It's still incredibly hot, even at the end of August, so there's nothing wrong with going to the beach. The real issue is... can I actually go to the beach with Asagawa?

I mean, can I really pull off that kind of extroverted activity? Me... going to the beach with Asagawa?

[Just the two of us, by the way.]

That's unnecessary information. But then again, it would be even worse if she invited a bunch of classmates. I'd end up being the odd one out, awkwardly standing around while they chatted away. I've never had friends, but I imagine that's how it would go.

"How should I reply..."

Maybe I should just decline from the start? If I'm going to regret it afterward, I might as well explain why I can't go and politely decline. That way, I wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable.

[If you're not into the beach, we can go somewhere else, like the aquarium?]

[Let's go to the aquarium then.]

[You really don't like it, huh? That made me laugh.]

Phew... I managed to downgrade this to a normal outing. Did I, though? Isn't the aquarium a classic date spot? Did she set me up?

No, I'm overthinking it. Jumping to conclusions and letting my thoughts spiral like this is one of those bad habits introverts have.

[So, an aquarium date it is.]

Wait... maybe I've been played.

Ah, well. An aquarium, huh? The last time I went was on a school trip back in elementary school. It's not exactly a place I'd visit on my own. It's not that I dislike aquariums, but who goes there alone just to look at fish?

After replying to Asagawa, thinking I was done, I received another message. Did she forget to mention something?

[Heyyy, Tsukkun!]

[Please be brief.]

[If it's something trivial, I'm going to ignore it.]

I like to get ahead of things.

I really don't enjoy messaging with this person. She tends to go on and on without any real substance.

[What do you even think of me?]

[This is about the next mission.]

The next mission?

I haven't heard about any upcoming missions, though... What's this about?

[I'm not aware of any mission.]

[Really? There's talk of making a final push to conquer the Sapporo Dungeon.]

[And apparently, they're planning to mobilize all EX-ranked explorers.]

Huh? Are they serious?

Japan, despite being a dungeon superpower, has never conquered another dungeon since Jinguji Kaede cleared the Takayama Dungeon. Compared to other dungeon superpowers, Japan hasn't been very aggressive about dungeon conquests, partly due to a lack of manpower.

It seems like the government wants to finally conquer one to show they're making progress. And it makes sense they'd choose Sapporo Dungeon since it's one of the more advanced ones in terms of exploration.

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[Got it.]

[I'll check with Shinanome for the details.]

[Not me?]

[I'd rather ask Aizawa than you.]

[That's so mean! Tsukkun? Tsukkun??]

Alright, that's enough. She may remember important things, but she never remembers the details. I'll ask someone else.

But if this Sapporo Dungeon thing is real, it could be a huge deal. Conquering the Sapporo Dungeon would be humanity's first successful conquest of a dungeon with deep layers in a long time. This could be Jinguji Kaede's last mission as an active explorer.

Guess I'd better prepare.