16. Rank Up to Swordsman

 When I placed my hand on the granite stone of the Oracle, text appeared.

『Rank up from Samurai Swordsman to Swordsman? YES/NO』

"Alright, it worked! Of course, YES, YES, YEEES!"

I ranked up from 'Samurai Swordsman' to 'Swordsman' and gained new power.

It was the same rank as Kumiko's 'Chunin', and my abilities also increased. With this, even if she approached me while hiding, I should be able to see through it if I paid attention.

Checking my current rank and ranking up my job could only be done at the Oracle, so just doing this made returning to the city worthwhile.

Of course, I also checked my rank parameters.

『Shinjo Wataru　Age: 16　Job: Swordsman　Fighter Rank: Expert　Acrobat Rank: Adept　Priest Rank: Artisan　Magician Rank: Adept』

All my ranks were developing in a balanced way. Almost exactly as planned.

I did think that it took so much desperate fighting to finally reach Expert rank, but it wasn't bad since that was considered a full-fledged level.

It would be boring if I reached the level cap so quickly anyway.

Now that I could fight as a proper swordsman, this was just the beginning.

Rather, I was excited at the thought of still being able to become stronger.

Well, I could only say that because I felt I wasn't losing out to Kumiko.

I didn't care about anyone else, but in the world of Genoria, I wanted to be the strongest swordsman.

If I hadn't been able to rank up my job, I would have dashed back into the labyrinth and not returned for another week.

As I said before, if the goal was just to clear the game, you could brute-force your way through by using up characters who had developed their specialties to Expert rank and overwhelming with numbers.

I think there were over a hundred students in this city.

If a hundred people became Magician Experts and kept firing Fireballs, they could probably break through with sheer force.

By the time they reached the ending, there probably wouldn't be ten survivors, but clearing was clearing.

Even if I added the condition of clearing properly without anyone dying, going with a party that had an average of Expert rank and had developed their specialties to Middle Master would probably be safe.

If the goal was just to clear, there was no need to raise the rank to the highest level.

However, the true essence of Genoria was to become unnecessarily strong, regardless of clearing, and to train your character to their limits.

"Watashi will check too, masu ne."

Following me, Wooser placed her hand on the granite stone of the Oracle.

"Ah, Watashi also ranked up from 'Martial Artist' to 'Kenpo Master', desu!"

Since she had already said she was a Lower Master, I was a little curious about how strong Wooser was.

I peeked at Wooser's data displayed on the granite stone.

『Aliceidia　Age: 15　Job: Kenpo Master　Fighter Rank: Lower Master　Acrobat Rank: Adept　Priest Rank: Apprentice　Magician Rank: Novice』

Wooser was quite biased towards physical abilities. This happened when you moved in a party and only did what you were good at.

It was clear at a glance that she was a muscle-brain who hardly used magic.

Martial Artist was a mid-level job specializing in the front lines, but 'Kenpo Master' was, rank-wise, on the same level as Kumiko's 'Chunin' and my 'Swordsman'.

It was a usable job if you mastered it, and she seemed to have accumulated considerable combat experience as a front-line fighter.

　　　　※※※

After ranking up at the Oracle, the next stop was the shops.

First, I went around the weapon shop and the armor shop. I wanted to buy hardened leather armor, but I also wanted to exchange unnecessary jewels for gold coins to give to Seki and the others.

"By the way, Wooser, are you okay with that equipment? Shouldn't you buy some equipment?"

I understood why she didn't need a weapon since she was a martial artist, but what about her armor being an apron dress?

Wasn't it reckless to go all the way to the sixth floor with that? I wanted to say that's probably why you almost got wiped out.

Since I had plenty of gold coins, I could afford to buy some light equipment for Wooser.

Indeed, there was a perverted way to play where you trained martial artists and ninjas to the extreme and walked around the lowest floors stark naked.

But while I was playing the adventure as a game, I didn't think that was the case for Wooser.

Heavy armor, gauntlets, knee pads, and cloaks would ruin the advantages of a martial artist, but a chest guard or hardened leather armor that allowed freedom of movement in the arms and legs should increase safety.

"My husband, the armor here doesn't fit watashi, desu. My chest size is..."

Wooser blushed and looked down shyly.

Indeed, now that she mentioned it, Wooser was petite but had unusually large breasts. With that, even a martial artist's uniform wouldn't fit her, let alone armor.

The custom-made apron dress was probably one of the few pieces of equipment that fit Wooser's figure. She was a victim of the extreme exaggeration common in old games.

If they were going to make it realistic anyway, they should have put a little more thought into the characters.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize."

"Ah, but this apron dress is equipment for Rabitta Rabbit warriors, desu yo. It's made of strong magical cloth, so it's strong, desu."

I questioned the rabbit tribe's sense of tailoring an apron dress specifically for close combat, but since there seemed to be no practical issues, I decided to leave it alone.

"Hey, Wataru-kun. Why are you trying to buy hardened leather armor when you're wearing steel armor?"

"This armor is heavy and doesn't suit my fighting style, so I'm thinking of giving it to Seki."

"Then I'll give you my chainmail. It's lighter, and it's more durable than hardened leather armor, right?"

"That's true, but what about Kumiko's equipment?"

"I have another chainmail, so if you don't mind the one I'm wearing, I'll give it to you."

"Hmm..."

Kumiko had sharp intuition, so she probably noticed me looking at her equipment with a greedy expression.

However, I had no reason to accept charity from Kumiko. While I was hesitating, Kumiko put her arm around my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

"You don't have to hold back. After all, what's mine is yours, right?"

"What do you mean..."

"The reason I have so many items is because there were so many unopened treasure chests when I was chasing after you up to the fourth floor."

"I see, so they were originally things I had left behind. In that case, I'll take them as my share."

I decided to honestly wear the chainmail that Kumiko had taken off. It was much better performance than hardened leather armor.

Seeing me like that, for some reason, Wooser looked displeased, and Kumiko chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Because... well, can you feel the warmth of my skin?"

Well, it was Kumiko's hand-me-down after all.

Since it was the chainmail she had been wearing until just now, the warmth of her skin and a faint scent remained.

"It's too late for that. I don't care about such things."

"That's right, it's too late for us."

"This woman is irritating, masu. Stay away from my husband, flat-chest!"

"Oh, are you going to try something, useless rabbit?"

When Wooser tried to touch Kumiko, who was clinging to me, she was repelled.

This was what happened in the city when you attacked with hostile intent.

I was already starting to learn that it was useless to try and mediate their quarrels.

I consciously shut out the noise of Kumiko and Wooser arguing and focused on shopping.

Since I had obtained chainmail, I should just buy new hardened leather knee pads, a cloak, leather boots, and gloves.

Like Kumiko, I was the type who prioritized ease of movement, so this level of equipment was enough for armor.

"Alright, now that shopping is done, Kumiko. Where is Seki?"

"If he's his usual self, he's probably training at the blacksmith's."

Hmm, just as I thought, he was training every day.

It wasn't to the extent of training in the depths of the dungeon, but if he was serious, he should have improved considerably. I was looking forward to seeing my friend's growth after so long.

What if his warrior rank had increased so much that Seki's body had become super muscular?

I wouldn't like that very much.

"My husband, over here!"

"What is it?"

While walking and thinking about such things, I was suddenly pulled by the arm by Wooser.

"Do humans do breeding activities outside, desu ka?"

"Eh..."

What Wooser was looking at was the park.

It was just an area with some greenery in a small plaza, but it was soothing to the eyes.

There was a spring in the center of the park. Just like in the dungeon, only fresh water was available for free.

It could be said to be an important spot supporting the lifeline.

That place had an unusually pink atmosphere and had become a lifeline in a different sense.

Couples, couples, couples... Not just on benches, but also on sheets spread out on the grass, couples were all over each other.

If they were just hugging and kissing, it would be cute.

They were revealing each other's clothes and passionately entwined, and there were even shameless people who might have been "doing it."

From the depths of the thickets overgrown with tall weeds, sweet voices that weren't clear whether they were saying "no" or "yes," like "Nooo," "Yesss," and desperate shouts could be heard.

Oh come on...

"What's this, hey Kumiko?"

"It's just as the little rabbit there says. Everyone has built-up stress, and when there's a life-threatening crisis, humans probably want to reproduce. Many ordinary students don't have enough gold coins to rent an inn because there's a shortage."

So, they couldn't afford the expensive inn fees to get intimate, so they were breeding in the park?

At this rate, the city's population, which had been steadily decreasing, might increase in ten months.

"Haa haa, breeding outside is wrong... Ah, how indecent in front of everyone. So that shameful thing is how humans reproduce, desu ne."

She pretended to dislike it, but pink heart marks were floating in Wooser's moist azure eyes. I didn't know if she was doing it on purpose or unconsciously, but she had been pressing my arm tightly against her large breasts since a while ago.

Come to think of it, the Rabitta Rabbit tribe was said to be a species with such a strong reproductive drive that they almost caused the world to perish due to overpopulation.

It was a toxic sight for Wooser, so I wanted to hurry past, but there was one thing that bothered me.

A sign that read 'Use Prohibited Without Student Council Permission' was erected at the spring in the park, which was an infinite water source.

"Kumiko, what is the student council?"

"It's an organization that Vice-President Nanami created in the city. Some people oppose it, but officially, everyone in the city is supposed to be participating. It's a mutual aid organization that manages the park everyone uses and the gold coins earned from adventures so that they are distributed equally to everyone."

Nanami Shuichi had apparently turned the student council into the city's management organization so that everyone would always keep in mind that they were students of Yurin Academy until the day they could all return to Japan and cooperate with each other.

By the way, since Kumiko was also a student council officer, she apparently received treatment befitting a high-ranking member.

"Hmm, the student council, huh."

Listening to it, the ideals themselves sounded very correct.

As expected of the upright Nanami Shuichi, I thought, but...

"Wataru-kun, you think it's suspicious, don't you?"

"Don't read my mind, Kumiko."

The fact that they were deliberately managing a park that should be accessible to everyone smelled fishy.

While I was pondering, Wooser had somehow moved in front of me.

Slowly lifting the frilly skirt of her blue apron dress,

Wooser murmured to me with moist eyes.

"My husband, if this is the human way of breeding, I am terribly embarrassed, but I am willing to try my best, masu."

"Wooser, doing it outdoors is a special kind of play, not the human way."

"Be a little more modest, you perverted rabbit!"

Kumiko spat out at Wooser. Well, yeah, but don't you, the virgin bitch, say that.

Before Kumiko and Wooser could start arguing again, I hurried towards the blacksmith where Seki was.

Looking closely at the city, it was full of couples getting intimate without a care for other people's eyes.

And even I, who prided myself on being hardcore, saw a bunny bitch to my right and a virgin bitch to my left.

Ahhh, were there only bitchy women in this world?

Seki was my only solace.

　　　　　※※※

"Yo, Seki. Have you gotten any stronger?"

"Ah, Shinjo-kun. Long time no see!"

When I went to the blacksmith, Seki was swinging a scramasax at a steel wall.

He had apparently been diligently continuing his combat training against the blacksmith's wall. The chipped and tattered blade told the story of Seki's hard work.

When he saw my face, Seki waved his hand happily.

I showed my appreciation for Seki's efforts by handing him a towel.

"Looks like you're working hard."

"Huuuh, thank you, Shinjo-kun."

Seki happily wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel I had given him.

A sweet and sour fragrance, indescribable, rose from his sweat-drenched bluish hair and skin.

Seki's slender and supplely trained body had gained a sharper impression.

But strangely, his loveliness had also increased.

Seki's slender shoulders, and the shirt clinging to his skin with sweat, faintly revealed the pink tips of his slightly swollen chest.

The sight was so alluring that it made my chest ache, but was it really okay for me to keep watching like this?

No, there shouldn't be any problem since we were both guys, but damn... it was like a lie, but he was a boy. This world was definitely wrong.

No wonder even God would die and the world would perish.

Was this what it meant to curse your own birth? There was no point in lamenting what couldn't be helped.

I handed Seki the bag of gold coins along with the entire set of steel armor I had been wearing.

"Thanks for everything, even such magnificent armor... Are you okay with your equipment, Shinjo-kun?"

"I got chainmail from Kumiko. The steel armor is too rough for Seki to wear, but it's irreplaceable for saving your life. Oh yeah, take this too."

"A ring... for me?"

I had casually offered the ring with the red jewel along with the equipment, but Seki seemed a little bewildered.

An awkward silence fell... eh, why this atmosphere? Even though it was a ring, it didn't have any deep meaning.

"No, it's not like that. This is a magic item. It's called the 'Ring of Warning', a convenient accessory that vibrates when danger approaches!"

"Oh, I see... thank you!"

Seeing me explain hastily, Seki laughed as if to smooth over the strange atmosphere and accepted the ring I offered with both hands while thanking me.

For a moment, the touch of our hands felt somehow embarrassing.

"Hey, what's with you guys getting all cozy?"

"We're not!"

We weren't at all, and what Kumiko was saying made no sense!

Kumiko, with a glare, held out her hand towards me.

"What do you want?"

"You have a ring for me too, right? Give it to me."

Even if I did, I wouldn't want to give it to her.

...Or could I not say that? I had just received the chainmail after all.

"Ah, please give one to watashi, your wife, too!"

"Wooser too? Hold on a second."

I rummaged through my rucksack and handed Kumiko a pendant of protection and Wooser a charm of evasion.

It was just because of Seki, but I was glad I had somehow put these accessories for them in my luggage.

"It's not a ring..."

"It's not a ring, desu..."

Don't be greedy, you two.

You should be grateful that you're getting presents as a bonus because of Seki.

"Ahahaha, that's so like Shinjo-kun."

"I don't really understand what 'like me' means though."

Seki looked at the sullen faces of Kumiko and Wooser and chuckled for a while, not sure what was so funny.

Even when he heard that I had taken a rabbit as my wife, Seki didn't bat an eye, which was impressive.

And he looked at Wooser and Kumiko, who were arguing about whose present was better, with an amazed expression.

Perhaps intending to help me out, Seki changed the subject.

"Right, I was going to ask you when you got back, Shinjo-kun. This place isn't Earth after all, is it?"

"I think so, but What about the moon?"

Seki squinted his eyes at the large full moon that floated faintly in the blue sky and sighed.

It was obvious that it wasn't Earth, since they were in a game world.

"Because it's a full moon even during the day, which is physically impossible, right?"

"Eh?"

I didn't quite understand what Seki was saying.

"Umm... well, the moon shines by reflecting the sun's light, right?"

"Ah, that's right!"

I finally realized what he meant. It was middle school level science, let alone high school.

The moon shines by reflecting the sun's light. When a full moon is out, the sun has to be on the opposite side of the moon.

It's impossible for a 'full moon to appear' at the same time as the sun is out during the day.

The moon in Genoria wasn't the moon we knew, nor was it a satellite that shone by reflecting the sun's light.

"I'm glad you understand, Shinjo-kun. Even when I talked about how strange the moon was, everyone was just saying they wanted to clear the game and go home, and they weren't interested in the structure of this world."

"Not everyone probably doesn't have the energy to think about such things."

Seki, probably because he was in the math club, was out of place in F class in a different way than I was.

It wasn't a bad thing, but he had a slightly detached air. It was no wonder that no one would listen to him when he talked about the moon while everyone was desperately trying to survive.

"To break through the current situation, I think we need to start by confirming what this place is. Everyone says it's a game world, but I wonder if it's okay to just stop thinking there. For example, that satellite is shining on its own, right?"

The moon that Seki pointed at was full and in the same position as it was ten days ago.

That moon had been in that position all along and was shining on its own. Was it really just a satellite?

"A moon that shines on its own, huh. According to this game's setting, mana comes from the moon on the wind."

"So, what even is a game world in the first place? I can't honestly accept that. We were just taking a class in the classroom, and we didn't do anything that would put us in a game world."

"You mean there wasn't a triggering event?"

Seki nodded strongly at that.

I see, I understood what he was trying to say. Seki was talking about the cause and effect of things.

Seki couldn't accept that gamers like me and that mop-head guy were defining it as a game world just because it was similar.

If we had entered a game world, there should have been some cause. The fact that there wasn't any cause meant that the "game world" theory wasn't complete.

"This city is convenient. They even sell telescopes. So, I tried observing the celestial bodies, and there were some constellations that were similar to the ones we know. Of course, the positions of the celestial bodies were quite different from Earth, so the possibility that this place is somewhere on Earth was eliminated. This might be a planet in the same universe as Earth, but different. Or, it might be a parallel world where the positions of the celestial bodies are similar."

Seki continued to talk as if a dam had burst, then took a deep breath as if he was tired.

He said that no one other than me would listen to such a story.

Everyone was desperate to survive and only looking at their feet.

Even though I was looking up at the sky like Seki, I hadn't noticed that the full moon was strange at all.

No, probably only Seki would notice such a thing.

In the midst of this abnormal situation, he was probably the only oddball who would notice the strangeness of the full moon being out and think about measuring the positions of the celestial bodies.

Seki even brought out experimental tools for pendulums and happily told me that the gravitational acceleration was different from Earth's.

The reason I liked Seki was because he taught me things I would never have thought of and showed me a completely different view.

"Don't stop thinking" to break through the current situation... He was right.

We were accepting strange things as normal because it was a game world, but what even is a game world if you think about it carefully?

It was true that the dungeon here was very similar to the game Genocide Reality, which was released in 1989.

But it was too hasty to conclude that we had entered the game because of that.

I stared at the rabbit-eared girl smiling next to me.

When I observed her closely, she started fidgeting with her slender fingers. *Piko piko*, her rabbit ears were extending and shrinking.

"What is it, staring at me so intently...? I'm happy that my husband is looking at me, but it's a little embarrassing unless we're alone."

Was this a non-player character?

To me, Wooser looked like a human. No, there probably weren't any humans with rabbit ears, but she was an intelligent life form that moved with her own will.

Could I think of Wooser as just an artificial intelligence program pretending to be a human?

It was exactly the proposition of a 'philosophical zombie', and there was no end to it if you started thinking about it, but my intuition told me that Wooser was a human living just like us.

"So, you were here, Shinjo Wataru-kun!"

While we were discussing what this world was, Nanami Shuichi's group had caught up with us.

They said that they had been looking for us in a hurry after the skirmish in the dungeon.

Geez, we had been found by troublesome people.

It was fun talking to Seki, but I didn't really want to talk to Nanami's group.

"Shinjo Wataru-kun. Please, I want you to tell us about her!"

"What exactly do you want to know?"

Was it walkthrough information?

I had taken all the rare items on the upper floors, but well, I could tell them that much.

"No, what we want to hear about is that girl over there."

Nanami Shuichi pointed at Wooser.