Chapter 97

As for the first floor, Kano-san used her Light Magic – the technique that produces a rainbow bridge and various other things from it – to effortlessly eliminate the enemies and finish the job.

She's strong. Really strong. Absolutely strong. What was that rainbow, anyway? It was so flashy and so powerful. It was scary...

"My *Light Magic* is a skill that uses rainbows as its main element. Depending on the person, it can vary... for example, it could be lasers, beams, or simply blinding light, among other things."

"Even with the same skill name?"

"Magic-type skills are like that. Even with the same name, the actual form changes based on the user's... what would you call it? Their innate qualities, I suppose."

These words came from Kano-san, the user herself. As we descended to the next floor, she explained the rainbow from just now.

Even though it uses rainbows as its main element, it has incredible power. I thought, "Is this what rainbows are like?" and I was certainly surprised.

The light rays it emits are powerful, and they can take various shapes, making it versatile. Most importantly, Kano-san herself isn't restricted in her movements, so she can use the rainbow to attack wildly while using other means to attack or defend. No, that's cheating.

"I don't think I can match her, no, really."

"Is that so? I'm not planning to fight you, but in a close combat, I wouldn't stand a chance. And there's also long-range attacks, right? Like that shockwave. Since it can be released with a single action, it's powerful enough to rival my rainbow."

"Shockwave... Now that you mention it, Yamagata-kun had a video showing something like that. It did seem convenient."

Suzuyama-san said this. Right, this person had watched Kano-san's Savior Channel.

That means, of course, they know a certain extent of my exploration. Still, is the shockwave more intense than that rainbow? No way, the impact is on a whole different level.

"Releasing a single punch from a distance, that simple action has the power of a killing blow. It's a terrifying thing, indeed."

"Besides, for technical skills, you need to declare the skill name first, and then the technique name... If you can achieve the same effect with a single, silent action, it's certainly more efficient."

"The only downside is that the power itself is still relatively low... But even at a level below 200, it's a skill you can use. You should have confidence, Kōhei-kun."

I had been thinking only about raw power, but this exchange made me nod in agreement. The speed and the setup before releasing a skill—when you consider these factors, my shockwave isn't bad at all. And technical skills use voice recognition, something I learned for the first time...

With my eyes opened, we moved to the next floor. The second floor is to be handled by Suzuyama-san.

His combat style is, surprisingly, a gun. He holds a revolver with a casual air and enters the room with ease.

"Gi—"

"Too slow."

Suddenly, the gun spits fire. *Bam, bam, bam*—a short, sharp burst of shots.

Three shots. Each one hit the monster, a bipedal creature known as a Sai-man, in the head, chest, and waist, all along the midline.

Fast. And those aren't ordinary bullets, either.

"Are the bullets made from monster materials?"

"Even the gun itself. Just like the bullets, they're made from corundum, obtained from the A-rank monster, the Corundum Bird. Otherwise, a gun wouldn't be effective against monsters."

Suzuyama-san blew the smoke from the gun's barrel. Despite his calm and almost plain appearance, his movements were wildly aggressive. I see, so he was quite rebellious in his student days.

But indeed, he uses monster materials. Not just the bullets, but the gun itself. That's why it can penetrate monsters, unlike ordinary guns.

Modern weapons like guns and cannons are generally ineffective against monsters. The exact reason is unknown, but while they can cause injuries, they rarely deal fatal damage.

The only exception is using bullets made from the minerals dropped by monsters, which can function as normal weapons.

Experiments conducted a few decades after the start of the Great Dungeon era showed that even with machine guns, large-caliber bazookas, and panzerfausts, only E-rank monsters could be defeated, and higher-ranked monsters were left almost unscathed.

Incidentally, the same principle applies to explorers. The higher the level, the less damage they take from bullets, partly due to their superior physical abilities, but also because those with defensive skills can withstand them without a scratch. It's a terrifying thought when you think about it.

"Since monster materials can make guns effective, what's the reasoning behind it?"

"Who knows? One theory is that the materials themselves have a special effect on monsters, but weapons like spears and swords made from these materials don't show particularly special power. It's a mysterious thing."

Suzuyama-san shrugged, seemingly uninterested, despite his words.

Hmm, I don't know, it's quite... cool.

Choosing a gun, which is a minority choice in the exploration business, and the casual, matter-of-fact way he draws, fires, and puts away the gun—it's so nonchalant.

There are explorers like this, too...

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14th place in the overall weekly ranking and 5th place in the monthly ranking.

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