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Over the Infinite Chapter 19 Part 1

 

Volume 2 Episode 6 “Zero Break”

 

-1-

To tell the truth, I had set my expectations quite high for the rookie match.

I don’t know the specifics of how the automatic quest generation system works, but since they declared that the difficulty level would be high, I didn’t think it would be a simple hurdle to clear.

I also thought time was on our side. We’re cutting it close with just under a month left, but that’s still a reasonable period. We don’t have to worry about running out of food within the day like during the trial.

Moreover, the mechanics of the dungeon worked in our favor. While there are time limits on each floor, you can gain a practically endless period for training if you push your limits within each floor.

If we could fulfill the premise that the dungeon is conquerable, then we could continue to advance. And the further we go, the longer our training time would likely become.

The problem was that you can’t train as a party on floors lower than the tenth, but Yuki and I had already cleared that.

But maybe, even after meeting those conditions, this was the highest difficulty setting.

The opponent announced by the Dungeon Master was someone whose name existed far beyond my imagination and at an incredibly high level.

That day, the adventurer rank Crow told me was B+. I still don’t know what the ‘+’ means, but it must be higher than a regular B rank.

It’s obvious, but B is below A. There’s nothing higher. That means it’s just a step away from the current highest rank.

The only B ranker I know is the drunk old man I saw during the trial.

To be honest, I couldn’t visualize defeating him. Adding a ‘+’ probably means she’s even stronger.

We’re likely to be promoted to F before the next dungeon challenge, but right now we’re G rank. I don’t claim that rank is everything but think about how many ranks lie between us.

「The hurdle’s set way too high,」 I muttered, sitting down on the bed without paying Yuki any mind, after hanging up the phone.

「What’s the matter」

Yuki seemed pretty carefree. He might be excited that a third member might join us.

「It’s from the Dungeon Master. They’ve decided on our opponent. 」

「Oh? Who is it? You seem to know them. 」

「You know them too. 」

「Wait, is it actually the old lizard guy? 」

If it were, there might’ve been hope.

No offense to the old lizard man, he’s part of the 50th-floor clear group. From the 30th floor on, the difficulty level supposedly spikes, but I don’t think he’s out of our league. Or at least, I want to believe that.

If he’s still stuck there, it means the old man has some sort of weakness, which could be an exploitable gap.

But Arshelia is several leagues and layers above that. She’s the sort of opponent adventurers aspire to be and set as their life’s goal.

「It’s not the old man. It would’ve been better if it were. 」

「Wait, what? Don’t tell me it’s Bacchus we met at the dungeon entrance. He’s B rank. 」

「She’s higher than that… is Arshelia.”

「What? 」

「Arshelia Growentina. The (Crimson Knight) of the (Meteor Knights) is going to be our opponent. 」

Silence fell.

「No, no, no, no. What kind of rookie match is this? We’re the rookies here. She’s a frontline ace! 」

Of course, it’s shocking. Seriously, what kind of rookie match is this?

「Have you looked into her? I only know her nickname and that she’s B+ rank from what Kuro told me. 」

「Well, she’s someone I had dinner with, so I’ve also watched her videos. She’s a beautiful woman and seems cute, but during combat, she’s on a completely different level. 」

When I hear the word “monster”, I recall of the lizard monster Gwuar I saw in the video yesterday, but he’s probably not talking about something at that level.

「From the video I’ve watched, I don’t think she was even serious, but even so, she’d wipe us out in seconds.」

Wipe out? Not even burnt to a crisp, but wiped out? What kind of situation is that? It makes me afraid to watch the videos.

「Probably, any damage we deal wouldn’t even be noticed. She’d obliterate us with just her basic stats… And if she uses that ((Meteor Strike))… 」

Ah, that’s the bonus for the fastest trial clear that I heard about at the dinner party.

「Considering it’s a technique that’s even in her Clan’s name, it must be really powerful.」

「There’s no escape from that. Even if Tsuna tries to dodge it with his weird movements, it’s impossible. I’ll give you the videos later. Actually, we should watch all we can, including the older ones… I wonder if Cloche would have them. After all, she is the opponent’s sister; would she not show them to us? 」

「Nah, I doubt that’s an issue. She even said it would be childish to decline if Arshelia requested. …Well, it really was childish. But she’d probably lend them to us if we ask. I haven’t quite grasped her personality yet, so I don’t know how much she’ll cooperate. 」

Whether we watch videos or brainstorm strategies, it feels like a hopeless endeavor. Is this a scripted losing event? Even after overcoming enhanced Minotaurs and the cat girl with only half-lost battles, this feels impossible.

「The hope is that the system has determined this isn’t an impossible quest. Do you think that’s true? Are we being deceived? 」

「No idea, but… it’s useless to complain. We have to do what we need to do. There’s no time to watch videos before meeting with Sarges, was it? 」

「True, we’re part of the same rookie match team, so it’s better if we strategize together.」

「Then, let’s start with the interviews. We’re kind of stuck with each other now, no matter how awkward it gets. 」

「Y-yeah, it’d be nice if isn’t a scary person.」

I assume with the (Martial Artist) class, it would fall under the (Fighter) tree, but the only image that comes to mind is a tough one. I haven’t asked, but I have a feeling those two old men with bunny ears fall into such a class.

I won’t know until I meet them, so let’s put some spirit into this and proceed with the interviews.

 

-2-

「Nice to meet you, I’m Sarges. I’ve watched your video. 」

What appeared before us as we energetically headed to the meeting space in the hall was a tall man in a suit, with a somewhat slender build—quite different from what we had imagined.

He somewhat resembles a bespectacled sadist you’d see wrestling somewhere, but he’s not wearing glasses. Also, I don’t sense the beastly nature in his eyes that seemed to hunt prey.

Overall, he felt extremely calm, like a genuinely good person—rather uncharacteristic of an adventurer.

However, despite his slender frame, he seemed to have a certain robustness, as if he were in his prime. Given that he’s cleared the 30th floor within a year of his debut, it’s probably not for show.

At least, just by looking at him, there doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Though it’s an interview for an equal teammate, since we are the ones inviting, we prepare beverages.

Yuki brought drinks from the first floor, and as we talked while he entered the meeting space, we couldn’t find any issues. Just who is this guy?

The meeting space had a table for six, basically a conference room. It even had a whiteboard and a projector.

We sat across from each other and began our discussion.

 

「Once again, I’m Sarges. Nice to meet you. 」

「I’m Yuki. I just debuted this month. 」

「Likewise, I’m Tsuna Watanabe.」

「Watanabe?」

It seems he felt a sense of incongruity hearing a different name than what was introduced in the video, so we explain.

「I see, you got such a bonus, huh? Quite interesting. 」

「Uh, why do you want to team up with us, Sarges-san?」

「You can drop the “san.” Although our ages differ, we’re more or less contemporaries. 」

「Sorry, how old are you?」

「I’m twenty-two. I wasn’t born in the labyrinth city, so I moved here in my twenties to become an adventurer. 」

He seems younger than he looks. I thought he was in his late twenties. Maybe it’s because he dresses neatly and has a clean hairstyle.

「I considered joining your team because, as I wrote in the email, I saw your video from yesterday.」

「The one broadcasted on the specialized TV channel?」

「Yes, that one. I also watched the video distributed later, and even the hidden stage in the paid video. I was amazed; I couldn’t believe such rookies exist. 」

We seem to have left quite a good impression.

「If it’s fine to drop honorifics, can we use casual language? You’re older, so you can do as you like. 」

「Casual is fine. But my way of speaking is a bit habitual, so I’ll keep it this way. 」

「To be honest, we’re in a bit of a bind right now. So, I’d like you to listen to what we have to say and then decide. 」