Evil Avalon

Chapter 114-Players' Meeting

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

In the dimly lit 20th-floor gate room, four people sit facing each other across a table. There are various things they want to discuss, such as how to act at school events, how to deal with outside clans like Sorel, and how to cooperate in leveling up. These aren't urgent problems at the moment, but they're all important challenges that can't be avoided. Originally, it was planned that I, Lisa, and sometimes Satsuki would handle these issues together as a team of three, but if we can enlist Arthur's help, it would significantly reduce the difficulty of dealing with them. Therefore, we need to find a way to overcome the "Demon's Constraint" that limits our movements to specific floors.

"If we want to gather information about the Demon's Constraint, it's best to ask another demon like Furufuru," I say. "So I asked her, but..."

"Did you find a way to do something about it?" Arthur interrupts excitedly, leaning forward over the table, his large curly horns trembling with anticipation.

Demons are a strange and unusual race that have appeared in DunEx. They look almost human except for their large, curly horns, so it's tempting to think of them as allies, but their behavior patterns and ways of thinking are vastly different from those of humans. Some are friendly towards adventurers, while others are disasters that can't communicate with them and simply mow down everything in their path with demons at their command. Even the friendly Furufuru is unknown why she runs that empty shop, or when she started it.

In short, trying to understand demons is pointless, as they operate on completely different values and algorithms from humans. Moreover, their physical abilities are vastly different from those of humans.

In terms of abilities, they have over twice the INT intelligence, VIT endurance, and MP magical power of adventurers of the same level, making their combat abilities extremely high in both close combat and magic battles. They also have a unique mental structure that makes them immune to psychic attacks.

However, while demons are incomprehensible and powerful cheats, they have some major limitations, one of which is an unbelievable restriction on their movements. Even Furufuru, another demon, is only allowed to move on a few floors besides that old woman's shop, and she sends adventurers on quests as a way to get around this. Even with Arthur's player knowledge, this movement restriction is a fatal shackle that cannot be broken.

"If you've found a way to remove this shackle, tell us now," Arthur urges me, but unfortunately, there is no easy solution in this world.

"Unfortunately, as long as you remain a demon, you won't be able to have your movement restrictions lifted," I said.

"Huh? ...But that can't be the end, right?"

Arthur didn't seem intimidating at all with his childlike appearance, though he sent a threatening look my way after giving me hope. However, I hadn't told him about it just to tease him, so I wanted him to calm down.

"As long as you're a demon... that's what they say. So you just have to quit being a demon. However, there seem to be various disadvantages that come with that," I replied.

In DunEx, demons were guardians of the dungeon, and the constraints placed upon them seemed to be related to that. If Arthur quit being a demon, it was uncertain what would happen to the 38th floor where he was stationed, and he would lose all the benefits of being a demon, such as his high stats and unique skills.

"The 38th floor? If I can leave the dungeon, I don't care about that house. It was just full of junk anyway. It hurts to have lower stats, but I can overlook that. But can I really do that?"

"I asked Furufuru several times, but she said her memory was vague and she couldn't remember."

I had never heard of magic that would allow someone to be reincarnated into a different race, not just demons, while playing games. Was it really possible? Were there any precedents? That was the important question I had been questioning Furufuru about. However, all she had to say was, "I think there was something like that... or maybe not. But if you bring me 'that,' maybe I'll remember."

"That" referred to Furufuru's request quest, but I think it's impossible to collect 1,000 of them," Satsuki said.

"You're really doubting me," Furufuru replied.

If we were going to collect 1,000, it would take almost half a year even if we did it every day. However, if Arthur could leave the dungeon, it would be an immeasurable benefit to us, so it was worth a try.

"But I'm glad! I thought I was going to live in this dungeon forever. If I can go outside, I want to go to the adventurer school too," Arthur said.

"It's not confirmed yet. Besides, even if you can enroll in school, it won't be until next year," I replied.

"Next year... Kano might also enroll, and we might become classmates. But it looks like Class E will be in trouble," Arthur said.

It was natural for players who had exhausted DunEx to want to attend adventurer school. They might be able to do it next year, but before that, they had to figure out how to get Arthur's identity registered... or what to do if Kano and Arthur became classmates. I was starting to get worried.

"Until then, I guess we'll have to act together with Arachne. Let's do our best," I said.

"Umm...the spider Arachne's body is small and plain, so I don't know how much I can do," Arthur replied.

"Normally, when adventurers come across the Spider Arthur, they mistake it for a monster and attack it, so it would have been better if it were a humanoid summon monster. I wonder if the Elemental or Angel type could do that. Either way, it's tough to acquire the skill.

There are a fair number of humanoid summon monsters, but they are all powerful ones that can only be obtained by the highest level jobs. However, the spider Arachne that Arthur uses is not a normal type, but rather a level 70 monster and the highest species of Arachne, the "Arachne Monarch." Nevertheless, for some reason, it has been weakened and reduced in size. Although it is inconvenient, there is no choice but to rely on that spider for a while.

As the discussion about the constraints of the Majin comes to a close, I take a break and drink the tea that Satsuki has given me, feeling relieved. After finishing all the cookies on the paper plate, Lisa brings out a green-colored roll cake. She cuts it up and puts it on the paper plate, so I put it in my mouth without hesitation, and the pleasant aroma of matcha envelops my nasal cavity.

"Mmm, this is delicious. I'll have another! So, how's school these days?"

With matcha cream all around his mouth, Arthur cheerfully asks about the state of affairs at school as he orders another helping.

"The class battle is over, and the next student council election is about to begin. I think Seri-san is likely to win, but there have been some unexpected developments that have left me perplexed."

"Souta was being watched by the student council, wasn't he? Probably because of the Ninja Red club."

"I think it's probably because of the Ninja Red club. It's related to Kunoichi Red."

I don't think Kunoichi Red is being treated as an enemy, although there may be some suspicious movements. Even Kirara,  didn't come into contact with me unnecessarily or reveal my information in the student council room. The reason for the summons is still unknown, so it's a concern.

"Are the Eight Dragons and Kunoichi Red already in action? Sounds interesting! Ah, if only I had enrolled and run for student council president."

He flaps his feet impatiently, eager to enroll quickly. It's frustrating that he can't interfere with school events. However, at this point, there is a discrepancy between the game story and reality, with Kunoichi Red getting involved and the second swordsmanship club attacking. I'm still unsure whether my knowledge of the game will continue to be useful.

"It's not a good situation if everyone in the class isn't able to level up as they want. Even if only Akagi-kun and the others were leveling up..."

 "Why don't they just power-level and get it over with... Wait, didn't you say you taught them about Gate?"

"Yeah, that's right. So even if they do power-level, they can only do it on weekends."

Since it takes half a day just to get to the hunting ground without being able to use the gate, they can't level up during weekdays when they have school. If Akagi and his friends can't level up enough, they may fail in various school events that will happen in the future. In the game, even if they cannot advance to the second year, it would lead to a bad ending.

"So, does that mean the E-class might collapse? That's a problem."

"W-what? The class is going to collapse?"

"Several classmates may stop coming to school or be forced to drop out on their own..."

Arthur casually mentions the power word "E-class collapse" while nibbling on the freshly cut roll cake. Even though it's a bad ending, it doesn't mean anyone will die just because the class collapses. However, Satsuki, who has affection for her classmates and wants to work hard together, looks troubled by the idea of the class collapsing.

As for me, I want to prevent Kaworu's withdrawal, who is working hard, and if Hanano and Arthur come to school next year, I want to act like a senior and enjoy school life together. If possible, I plan to avoid the class collapsing.

"There are several turning points to stop the class from collapsing, but the summer vacation where we can spend a long time in the dungeon is the decisive moment."

"I think we'll be okay until winter if we can level up to about level 10."

"We also have to work hard to support them."

While progress with E-class is not smooth, there is nothing fatal at this stage, and I think we can make a comeback if everyone can level up during the summer vacation. While the fact that we were attacked by the second kendo club and summoned to the student council conference room is a problem, there is nothing I can do about it publicly. we have to continue supporting everyone in class E while watching the situation in the future.

"I see. By the way, I want to know who else is playing the game?"

"So far, the only one we know is Tsukishima."

"Tsukishima? Who's that?"

"Um that person. So, Lisa, have you found out anything since then?""

Arthur is curious if there are other players so he watches his face and data from the arm terminal's database. Tsukishima is seen sometimes with Lisa, who is known to be a player, but that's because he asked her to gather information for him. Tsukishima also casually talks and invites Lisa to play or eat, but he seems to have no ulterior motive for now.

"Seems like he's not diving into the dungeon as usual~. He always play in the bustling city outside. However, it seems like his level is going up smoothly."

"He's eveling up without diving into the dungeon. Could it be that he's using summoning magic?"

"Summoning magic? Can he really do that?"

After hearing Lisa's story, Arthur speculated that he was leveling up by sending summoned monsters to charge individually. Satsuki was surprised with her eyes wide open, wondering if it was really possible to do something so easy. Although I had considered the summoning magic theory before, I was doubtful if it was really possible.

"Arthur. Even if you send summoned monsters alone to level up in the dungeon, won't they disappear if the summoner is not nearby? Even if they don't disappear, won't you run out of MP if you continue to summon for hours at a low level?"

Dungeon Explorer's summoned monsters automatically return to the summoner when they move away a certain distance, so it was impossible to charge individually on different floors. Also, even if he was boosting his MP with legendary equipment, it would still run out quickly at low levels with no decent equipment. Without solving these two problems, the summoning magic theory would not hold up.

"Um, over here, even if you're far away, summoned monsters won't disappear if they have loyalty to the summoner. My summoned Arachne Chappy is very fond of me, so even if I order her to go to a different floor, she won't disappear. Also, if you call them when you don't have enough level, they should be in a weakened state, and the MP cost of the summoning is also greatly reduced."

Summoned monsters in this world have something like a loyalty parameter, and one won't even be able to "possess" them without it being high. Also, if anyone uses summoning magic in a weakened state due to low level, it becomes a debuff state where the combat ability is greatly reduced, but the MP cost also decreases in the same way.

This kind of information seems different from the game's specifications, so it's not clear until one actually uses summoning magic and experience it for oneself. However, if Arthur's theory is true, the credibility of the summoning magic theory will greatly increase.

The only problem now is...

"But, the sightings of summoned monsters diving solo haven't been reported, have they? Are there summoned monsters that can't be noticed or become invisible?"

"Although there are summon monsters that reduce the cognitive ability of the surroundings, it's probably impossible to pass through places like the first floor, where adventurers are crowded, without being noticed by anyone."

"If they're humanoid, they can probably disguise themselves by wearing armor. I think that Tsukishima guy has applied such a disguise though."

Satsuki pointed out that if summon monsters walked on the first floor of the dungeon, it would cause a big uproar. Some of them are giant summon monsters like dragons and divine beasts, so it is easy to imagine that panic would ensue if they were in the crowd. However, as Arthur says, if they're humanoid, it's possible to pass by wearing armor.

"Well, even if we let him hunt solo, he can probably only reach around level 20. Summon monsters are usually weaker than their summoners. But hey, what kind of guy is Tsukishima? Isn't he the kind of guy you can call here?"

I think it's difficult to reach level 20 in the first place... Is he planning to form a party soon? But I'm curious about how he's going to deal with that, as I don't see any indication that he's nurturing any of his classmates.

"He's a guy who says he wants to rule the whole world. He doesn't seem to have any cooperation skills... he seems to dislike group activities."

"He's an ambitious guy who doesn't seem to be good at teamwork. I don't hate that type, but it's hard to see him as a teammate, right?"

As someone who came to this world with game knowledge, it's not normal to live peacefully without using that knowledge. Unless you're an extremely incompetent person who can't recognize the enormous potential, or someone who has burned out on everything in their original world, having ambition is a matter of course, and it can be said to be evidence of having a healthy mind.

So just having ambition isn't a reason not to have someone as a teammate. There are plenty of things that need to be dealt with by cooperating, and I'm even eager to reach out to him.

What bothers me about Tsukishima-kun is that he only sees the people around him as "NPCs." I can't expose important family members to such a person, and even if we form a party, I can't see the future I want to achieve. I'm asking Lisa to persuade Tsukishima-kun to change his way of thinking, but the lack of progress is also a frustrating problem.

"He said he's going to start moving at school soon. I don't know what he's planning to do, so I'm going to keep an eye on him... but even if I understand it, it's difficult to stop him, right?"

"We're not even ready to fight in the E-class yet..."

"If we get on the radar of the upper-class students now, there won't be anyone who can fight them, right?"

 Even nobles close to level 20 might show up if we cause a full-scale war with the upper class by picking fights everywhere. If we're unlucky, even the Eight Dragons might move. Even if Tsukishima can stand up against them, the classmates will be crushed just by being hit by their aura at this point. What the hell is he thinking?

If he's going to act, I wish he would at least wait until next year, but he might not be the type to listen to what Lisa says. We already have enough problems without adding new ones. I didn't plan to talk deeply about it today, as it was just supposed to be a get-together. Now, what should I do?

As I sighed and drank tea to moisten my throat, the wall pattern suddenly lit up, illuminating the wall in purple. Someone had activated the gate, though I already knew who it was.

"Ta-da! We've arrived!"

"Souta, I brought plenty of worm food today too."

"Heave-ho! We have so much that Arthur and the young ladies can join us too, right?"

First, Hanano jumped out with her twin tails swaying, followed by my parents carrying a large leather bag on their backs. The heavy atmosphere lightened up with the appearance of the cheerful Narumi family.

My mother's "worm food" refers to the rotten flesh that the undead drop. Worms love it. Thanks to the Narumi family going worm hunting every day by closing their shop early, their level has been steadily increasing, and their parents are close to level 20. It's about time to start considering their advanced jobs.

"Hanano-chan! Did you come to see me--"

"Satsuki-ne! Lisa-ne! I missed you guys!"

As he tried to embrace Hanano with enthusiasm upon seeing her, Arthur was dodged by her, who had already hugged Satsuki and Lisa. I couldn't come up with a better plan right now, so let's end the discussion here and deepen our friendships through worm hunting.

Fortunately, leveling up has been going smoothly for us. No matter what situation may arise or who our opponents may be in this world, I will protect only my family, even if I have to die trying. I don't know about the Eight Dragons or the Sorrell family, but I'll crush them if they come at us.

TL Note- Sorry for the delayed chapter..there was no electricity  that day...Souta finally manning up.

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