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Over the Infinite Chapter 18 Part 1

 

Volume 2 Episode 5 “The Five Trials”

 

-1-

In the afternoon of the day we were to meet the Dungeon Master.

Only a few days had passed since the editorial meeting, but it had been decided that the video of our trial dungeon run would be publicly released. Talk about quick editing.

As far as this video is concerned, whether it’s free or paid doesn’t matter to us because it was bought by the guild. However, it seems it will be distributed for free, except for the hidden stages.

Moreover, the first four floors are available for free to everyone, including non-adventurers. The fifth floor is only available to adventurers who have debuted. The hidden stage, in addition, is a paid service recommended for those over 20 years old.

It’s a 20-and-up recommendation, but the issue is gore, not erotic content. Well, there was that bit with the cat-eared girl eating something like that, after all.

Furthermore, a special program with commentary will be broadcasted to coincide with this release. Quite the luxurious treatment.

On a channel specifically for debuted adventurers—which is usually quite expensive—we two were specially allowed to watch it for free. Just for a month, though.

Yuki and I, along with Philos and Gowen, are waiting in a room for the special program to start. It’s my room, by the way.

We’ve even prepared snacks and drinks, so we’re all set.

I had thought of inviting Lilika too, because it’s a bit awkward to have only men in the room, but since she hasn’t cleared it yet, she’s not allowed to watch it.

She would likely suffer from recognition inhibition, so it can’t be helped.

The cat-eared girl fled without even being invited. Well, even if they don’t broadcast what was done to her, she must have her own thoughts about it.

「It’s incredible, isn’t it? I’ve been in this town for quite a while, but I still have no clue how this system works, 」 Philos remarked, watching a TV commercial for a new brand of refreshing water. A cute girl in a swimsuit is featured.

As for the TV’s inner workings, I didn’t even understand them in my previous life, so I don’t think much has changed.

By the way, this TV is a rental from the dormitory. It’s just over 1,000 yen per month, which is pretty cheap. I plan to keep renting it this month. The big screen is nice.

「So, what was the editing meeting like? 」

「It was in a big conference room. Yuki, the cat-eared girl, and I were surrounded by a professional-looking group. We discussed what scenes could be cut. The original footage is long, so it was a lengthy process. Honestly, it’s not something I want to do multiple times. 」

「While Chitta-san and I were too nervous to answer properly, Tsuna was calm throughout. 」

「Haha, was something like that. 」

Well, they’re not really big shots or anything, so it’s normal, right? 

「Are you guys going to publicize your own runs? Even if special broadcasts like this are rare, I hear some newbies upload videos on their own sites. 」

That’s self-promotion for you.

When looking for party members, having actual footage helps, so it’s not a bad idea.

Lower-ranked adventurers often upload videos to their blogs. It’s usually just clips where they look good, though.

「We thought about it when we heard that, but the timing isn’t right. You guys overshadowed us. 」

「Ah, sorry, though saying that feels weird. I guess that’s a way to think about it. 」

Philos and his team should have been able to make a solid impression, given that they cleared the trial dungeon in half a month. But the timing really was bad. Comparisons are inevitable.

「By the way, No alcohol? Why do you only drink juice? 」

「You can’t help it. It’s illegal to drink under 20, and you need to show your card to purchase alcohol. Tsuna had a tough time with the age restriction just the other day, and it’s not like we’re some deadbeat dads drinking in the daytime. 」

「About the age restriction, Gowen can buy it for us, right? Philos said he’s 19, but Gowen is an adult, isn’t he? 」

Gowen shakes his head. C’mon, speak already.

If he says something like “Panda,” I’ll punch him.

「I’m still not used to being an adult at 20 years old, but Gowen is only 17. 」

Seriously. Seeing the person himself makes me feel awkward.

It’s amazing that he’s only 17 with that build and appearance. He’s only two years older than me. Still, he is older.

「Also, I can’t hold liquor. I vomit easily, so I don’t like it.

Outside, my fellow knights gather for drinking parties, but I’ve been forced to drink and have a bad impression of it. I prefer juice or something. 」

「Is that so?」

People who can’t drink probably don’t leave a good impression. Asking such a person to buy drinks is cruel.

More importantly, today’s visitors are older, and furthermore, our seniors despite making our debut at the same time. Having them run errands is way too harsh. They can’t even buy anything in the first place.

「In exchange, I’ve cooked a lot of food. With so many ingredients available, I couldn’t help but cook a variety. 」

Yuki seems to have prepared food in his room for this gathering.

It’s quite a lot, and it can’t fit on the small table, but with four guys here, we should be able to finish it. I’m a big eater, and Gowen has that build, too.

「The food looks pretty good too… Man, you’ve got a surprisingly high “girl power.”」

「It’s not a waste. …Oh, it’s time. 」

Meanwhile, the program starts.

It seems to be a show that introduces footage of adventurers while providing commentary. Today it’s a special one-hour edition, but normally it’s a 30-minute program.

Of course, they don’t use the entire two-hour video slot.

『Good evening, everyone in front of the TV. We were supposed to introduce footage from the Serpent Dragon battle conquered by (War Arms) five years ago, but we’ve had a sudden change in plans.

As always, I’m your host Nogard, and our commentator is Bikini, but today we have a special guest: guild staff member Gobtaro. 』

『No, thank you, this is nerve-wracking.』

『Come on, Gobtaro, you were hosting this show just a little while ago, weren’t you?』

Somehow, a familiar-looking goblin has appeared. Well, they all look the same to me, anyway.

「Guild staff actually do this kind of work, huh. Gobtaro has helped us out at the guild a few times. 」

「He just mentioned that he used to host the show.」

「Speaking of which, shouldn’t we be invited as special guests for a show like this?」

You want to be on it? I can only imagine you getting nervous and messing up.

The program is not too formal, and after a light introduction of the guests, they start explaining about the trial dungeons.

As for adventurers, it’s common knowledge, and this program is only viewable by debuted adventurers, so it’s really the bare minimum.

Next, they introduce us challengers.

On the studio’s large screen, our faces and full-body images are displayed, along with information about our skills.

These are the five skills that were listed on the card at that time, not the ones currently displayed. Bacchus’s story was also mentioned.

『It seems they’ve trained hard; all the slots in their rookie cards are filled. Did they use them in training centers beforehand? It’s quite rare to see every slot filled. 』

『It’s not entirely uncommon these days. What’s amazing about them is not that the slots are filled, but that they came from outside the labyrinth city on that very day. 』

『Wait, so they acquired more than five skills on their own, without support from the labyrinth city? They must be famous outside. 』

『I don’t know about their history outside; it’s confidential. But they could have been active on some battlefield, and it wouldn’t be strange. 』

They seem to be making vague statements.

「What’s the real deal? I haven’t heard your names when I was a knight in the royal capital. 」

「I’m the son of a merchant and have little combat experience.」

「I was treated almost like a slave at a bar.」

「He, huh…」

It seems that it was beyond Philos’ imagination. He seems puzzled.

『Both agreed to disclose their skill information, but Tsuna-san’s last skill remains confidential, doesn’t it?』

『Ah, the individual himself had a strong request to keep it confidential. So, the guild also made it undisclosed. 』

『I see, in other words, this skill could be the key to today’s feat. Intriguing. 』

『That’s not the case though.』

Of the five skills I have, the fifth one is in mosaics. It’s unnecessarily indecent, but according to the host, it sparks curiosity as if it’s some amazing skill.

In reality, it isn’t the key to the strategy or anything.

「You have some incredible skill, huh?」

「Eh, well, yeah.」

Yuki, who knows about it, gives a wry smile. It’s fine even if it’s hidden. It’s embarrassing.

I’d show it if there was no other choice, but I hate this public exposure.

Next is the introduction of the companions. A familiar cat’s ears are featured in the image.

『I’ve met her a few times as well. She belonged to the mid-tier (Beast Ear Parade), right? 』

『It’s a clan that’s been making steady progress. They’re still intermediate, but the top two have pretty good combat sense. 』

『(Beast Ear Parade) is known for having all members be beast-people, and using quirky sentence endings, right?』

『Yes. It’s one thing for girls like her to say “meow,” but it’s quite impactful when the top two rabbit-people are saying “pyon” or “usa.”』

『I remember partying up with them back in my active days, they are this clan’s…』

『A bit hard for regular people to accept. They’re both bald old men. 』

While the introduction is supposed to be about the cat-eared girl, the story about their clan leaders is much more striking.

I heard about the leaders, but two bald rabbit-men?

What kind of clan is this? She was still normal, though.

「Chitta-san’s clan sounds quite interesting, isn’t it?」

「Bald middle-aged men with rabbit ears saying “usa” and “pyon” is intense.」

「Children would cry if they saw them.」

It’s a terrible image. I absolutely don’t want to meet them.

Because of this guy, the image of Eliza-chan in my mind was overwritten by a bald head. It’s a big damage.

Besides, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to compete if those two cornered me.

“Two sunglass-wearing bald rabbit-men appear,” I’d have no choice but to “run.”

The companion introduction that hardly touched on the cat-eared girl is over, and the video presentation begins.

We’re shown fighting alone, just broadcast as-is.