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Volume 6 Chapter 139

Haruto and the Four Heroes (4/7)
One year has passed since『my』transfer to this world. The activities of the monsters had become noticeably more intense. Despite the escalating danger, no other heroes had been summoned to this world apart from『me』.
The Demon Lord had already been resurrected, and the havoc caused by monsters was increasing. There have been several confirmed cases of Stampedes, in which demons swarm into the area and attack villages and towns.
Although a full-fledged Stampede had yet to occur, the situation was far from relaxed, and one could not afford to be careless.
In the midst of these circumstances, Tina and 『I』 arrived at a dungeon located in the beastmen’s country of Vestier with the purpose of leveling up. While we were eager to defeat the Demon Lord as quickly as possible, 『my』 current power wasn’t sufficient.
Sarion wasn’t accompanying us this time. In a world where every nation feared the impact of the monsters, it was impractical for the country to have someone as powerful as Sarion roaming freely. Therefore, he had been assigned the duty of guarding the Alheim capital.
Before entering the dungeon, 『my』 level was 70, and Tina’s was 55. And this dungeon was said to be created by the God of Creation for the purpose of training heroes.
Several dungeons like this exist in this world. Particularly, this specific dungeon within the ruins was tailored for training low-level heroes, making it the perfect place for Tina and『me』to level up.
With each floor, the monster levels gradually increases, and if we progressed smoothly, we would likely surpass level 100 by the time we cleared it..
By the way—- if someone below level 100 from this world attempted to enter this dungeon, they wouldn’t be granted access.
I knew this from the inscription on the stone tablet at the entrance of the dungeon. While the Vestier soldiers guided us to this dungeon, they couldn’t decipher the characters on the tablet.
It truly seemed like an exclusive dungeon for heroes.
Since the dungeon’s purpose was to strengthen heroes, I believed we could clear it safely even without Sarion.
And in case of an emergency, we had a・way・out. And so Tina and『I』stepped into the ruins’ dungeon.

　──＊＊＊──

Without any trouble, we defeated the boss on the first floor. Despite it being the first floor, numerous rare items were scattered throughout.
While this dungeon was meant to train low-level heroes, most heroes probably received higher levels from the Creator God before coming to this world.
As a result, high-level heroes couldn’t enter this dungeon. Furthermore, ordinary adventurers were also barred, so since its creation, the items had remained untouched.
All the rare items were ours to take.
Upon touching the stone tablet that would lead me to the next floor, after clearing the first floor, 『I』 was teleported to a room with four pedestals. Tina, however, didn’t accompany me to this room.

I assumed that being・from・another・world was the condition for entering this room.
Feeling anxious about being separated from Tina, I tried to use my weak magic detection to locate her, but I couldn’t sense anything beyond the room.
There was no exit from the room.
I considered that picking up the items on the pedestals might trigger a way out, so I held them.
However, nothing happened.
For the time being, I placed the items I held on one pedestal.
Though I was worried about Tina, her level seemed to increase easily due to her blessing of 『Bloodline of Heroes』. By the time we cleared the first floor, her level had reached 58.
The monsters on the first floor were around level 30, so the second floor probably wouldn’t have excessively powerful monsters. Besides, Tina was clever and wouldn’t lose her composure just because she got separated from me.
Thinking this, 『I』 also managed to calm down.
First, I checked the items I had. There might be a clue to leaving the room.
On the pedestals in this room, there was a single leaf, a bag made of hemp-like cloth, a handy short sword, and a book.
I couldn’t read the title or content of the book at all. Since the goal was to clear the dungeon, I judged that an unreadable book would only be a hindrance and left it behind.
Although I didn’t understand the significance of the leaf, it was compact, so I decided to put it in my pocket for now. I could have Tina look at it later.
I packed the short sword and the hemp bag with items into the bag I had been using to carry items until now. However, they didn’t seem to serve as clues for leaving the room.
Afterward, I casually touched the wall, and one particular side became passable. Since I couldn’t do anything else, I gathered my courage and jumped through the wall.
「Haruto-sama!」
Tina was right on the other side of the wall, and as soon as she noticed 『me』, she hugged me. She must have been worried, as her eyes were slightly teary. Nonetheless, I was relieved to confirm Tina’s safety.
After Tina had calmed down, she examined the items. The leaf turned out to be a super rare item called the World Tree Leaf.
As for the short sword, we couldn’t determine its purpose, but the hemp bag was a storage bag. It could hold as many items as one wanted, and the weight of the contents was no longer felt. It was the highest rarity among storage bags, capable of maintaining the condition of the items when they were placed inside.
Truly, this dungeon created by the Creator God was on a different level when it came to the bonus items. That being said, I wondered if the book I left behind was also something extremely valuable. But since I couldn’t return to that room, I decided to let it go and proceeded forward.
I was certain that there were plenty of rare items ahead. With excitement in our hearts, Tina and 『I』 resumed conquering the dungeon.

──＊＊＊──

With the exception of the transition from the first floor to the second floor, I was not sent to the bonus room. We continued to level up smoothly and kept storing every rare item we found in the storage bag while pushing forward in conquering the dungeon.
At present, both 『I』 and Tina are engaged in a fierce battle with the dungeon’s final boss—- the Red Dragon.
A dragon as the last boss……
Dragons are classified as the highest level of danger—- S-rank monsters. This particular Red Dragon in front of 『me』 and Tina possesses power on par with legendary creatures from each elemental category.
By the time we had reached this point, 『I』 was at level 105, and Tina at level 98. However, even with our combined levels, we stood no chance against the Red Dragon on our own.
It is said that defeating a dragon requires a minimum level of 150. While 『I』 and Tina surpass that requirement when our levels are combined, it won’t matter unless our coordination is perfect.
Up until now, even when facing enemies of a higher level, we managed to defeat them with Tina’s invaluable assistance. However, this time, the disparity in strength is on a completely different level.
There’s no other option but to use・that.
「Tina! Let・me・protect・you!」
「Y-Yes!」
Following the predetermined signal, Tina distanced herself from the Red Dragon and moved behind me.
Then, she sheathed her sword.
Putting away her weapon when facing such a formidable enemy might seem like a suicidal move, but it was all part of our plan.
In that moment, when I firmly realized that I needed to protect Tina, my stats increased dramatically—-
The Guardian skill was activated.
All my stats doubled.
「Sorry, but I’ll have to cheat a little」
And thus, 『I』 defeated the Red Dragon.
Thanks to the Guardian skill, my stats reached the equivalent of level 210, making the Red Dragon no match for『me』.
—-This is how 『I』 and Tina successfully cleared the ruins’ dungeon.