Tokyo’s Third Dungeon — commonly called the Wolf Dungeon.
By now, it was no longer a particularly dangerous dungeon, but at the time of its appearance, it had claimed many lives. It had emerged right when the Japanese government had begun to alienate the Awakeners, and so, it carried a rather bloodstained history.
Well, that too was now a tale of the past. The area had since been rebuilt around the dungeon, and people had begun returning little by little.
In fact, the area near the gate was now fitted with a spacious plaza and parking lot, where even armored vehicles could be seen.
“Ah—t-the Headquarters!? Thank you for your service!”
“Yes, thank you. I’m acting as escort for this young lady today.”
“Please take care!”
Seeing all the personnel at the gate checkpoint rise and bow deeply, it was clear that the Japan Headquarters held considerable authority... although—
“This is Tokyo, aye?”
“The Japan Headquarters and Tokyo Branch are separate, you see. Also—pay is different too.”
When Yasuno emphasized “very different,” Inari gave a slow nod. Pay was important—it was only natural.
“Well, the Headquarters is technically in charge of overseeing all the branches, so the job content is quite different... but since it wouldn’t do for us to seem too high and mighty, we still handle some regular duties just like the branches.”
“Thou speaketh rather plainly, dost thou not...?”
“I was instructed to relay things honestly to you, Miss Kogami. It was said that no harm would come of it... or so I was told.”
“Ahh, that must’ve been Secretary Aoyama.”
“Yes. That person terrifies me.”
Whether he was terrifying or not, Inari thought to herself, that man read me quite well in that short conversation.
“Well, ‘tis true—I’ve no intent to meddle in the affairs of the fleeting world…”
So long as no harm came her way, Inari had no interest in involving herself. Matters like social inequality among humans were far too cumbersome to concern herself with.
“Well then, let us set aside such matters for now. Shall we be off?”
“Yes, let us proceed!”
As they nodded to one another and stepped through the dungeon gate—Inari’s reaction went beyond surprise and straight into exasperation.
“What in the world...?”
Before them stretched a wide-open field. The sun shone bright in the sky, clouds drifting lazily by. Grass swayed gently across the landscape, dotted here and there with trees. The scent of the grass was unmistakably real. Were it not for the gate standing behind her, even Inari might have been momentarily fooled into thinking she had left the dungeon entirely.
“This is the Wolf Dungeon. As far as the eye can see, a vast grassland. The condition to clear it is the defeat of the boss: the ‘Grey Wolf.’ Until that is accomplished... wolves shall endlessly spawn. And as time passes, their numbers increase.”
“Mm... I see.”
“Which means the key point here is how well the magic dealer is protected—”
“Then mayhap we should proceed thusly, hmm?”
As Inari flicked her finger, a foxfire shot forth and blew away a wolf that had already begun its approach, leaving behind a magic stone as it vanished.
[Level Up! You are now Level 2!]
“Oho, my level hath risen! I had worried somewhat, what with it not increasing last time.”
“You—you're amazing! But the wolves—”
“—do gather in packs, dost they not?”
Several more foxfires formed at Inari’s fingertips, and she hurled them in succession, blasting away three wolves in rapid fire.
“Wha—what!? Firing so many spells, without even a chant!?”
“Ah yes, I did declare I could do all things, did I not? In that case... mm.”
As if waiting for an opening, another wolf pounced at Inari—only to be repelled by the barrier of light she’d erected.
“Gyahn!?”
“A b-barrier!? That’s at least intermediate-tier magic!”
“Let us away, Kogetsu. This shall be thy true first sortie alongside me.”
With every graceful arc traced by the blade, another wolf was cleanly cleaved in two and vanished. But it was not just the fox-blade—Kogetsu—that was formidable. Yasuno realized that the secret lay in that mysterious, dance-like swordplay.
When such skill was paired with a blade imbued with divine might, no mere wolf could hope to stand against it.
Combined with the earlier fire magic, the barrier, and now her sword techniques—Yasuno hadn’t even seen her healing abilities, yet she found herself instinctively trusting that Inari could do that as well. The spectacle before her was simply overwhelming.
“Ha ha ha! Delightful indeed! My level doth rise and rise!”
Truly, there were no enemies here. It felt as though this field had been prepared as a stage, crafted solely for Inari to dance upon.
But then, something dashed toward her, swinging an arm. The blow missed as Inari leapt nimbly away—but seeing the attacker, Inari blinked in surprise.
“Oh? What manner of creature art thou?”
“Eh!? A Werewolf!? That shouldn’t spawn in this dungeon...! C-could it be... a Unique Monster!?”
“Yu-nī-ku, thou sayest?”
“Please be careful! That one is on a whole other level compared to the wolves!”
“Ho... then I suppose I must brace myself in earnest, mustn’t I?”