Konbini Ossan Volume 3 Chapter 25 — The Emergency Uncovered

Since the Steel Giant Golem was taken down in an instant, the rest of the fight was easy.

I blew up small clusters of golems with minor self-detonations, while the three in the rear sniped the rest one by one with magic.

When their numbers thinned, we used the chance for training. I let Joan-kun and Arisa take the vanguard, practicing coordination with the rear guard.

The two of them swung their clubs, knocking golems off their feet one after another.

As soon as a golem toppled, the rear unit poured concentrated fire on it.

By the time it was finished, the vanguard had already brought down the next one. The loop repeated endlessly.

During that mechanical rhythm of battle, I noticed something—Arisa’s skill, «Calculator».

It was clear that its high processing power could be applied to more than just numbers.

Arisa dodged every strike with uncanny precision, as if she were predicting the future, and knocked down golems with the most rational efficiency.

It wasn’t random or whichever target was closest.

Whether it was a fleeing golem, an advancing one, or one raising its weapon to strike, she always picked the one most likely to fall easily and be hit cleanly by magic fire.

For someone with no combat experience to display such ability could only be the effect of her skill.

That also meant «Calculator» included an enhancement of perception.

A normal high school girl couldn’t possibly observe combat information so coolly without assistance.

With the skill’s support, Arisa collected the information and derived the optimal solution from it.

There was proof of this.

Sometimes Rosa’s spell failed, leaving a golem alive. In those moments, the creature either stood back up or crawled toward the nearest enemy — Arisa.

Trusting that the golem would be finished off, she occasionally got caught off guard by attacks from behind.

She must have known the possibility existed, but since she couldn’t visually confirm the signs, she couldn’t time her response.

That’s why she kept glancing behind her in battle. And whenever a golem lunged at her from the rear, she reacted with startled surprise.

From this, it was clear: «Calculator» only processed what could be observed. It was not foresight, but calculation.

Attacks from the front could be read with precision, while those from behind could not.

In other words, «Calculator» analyzed information obtained and derived correct answers. Its range wasn’t limited to math or simple computation.

That was the most reasonable conclusion.

If so, its future potential was exciting. «Calculator» was close to an ideal skill. With it, many of the plans I’d considered might actually become possible.

While I was lost in thought, the battle ended. Every last Steel Plate Golem had ceased movement. The total — sixty-eight.

We had already secured a great deal of steel, but more was always welcome.

Thanks to my high stats, my «Iron Blood» skill still had plenty of capacity. I gathered up every last plate.

“Hey, old man.”

Arisa approached me and spoke in a small voice.

“I noticed something strange.”

“Hmm. Tell me.”

“From the looks of it, the number of ore veins we’ve found doesn’t match the number of golems that have appeared.”

I immediately understood what she meant.

Ore veins were the byproduct of golem generation. Which meant the more veins, the more numerous or powerful the golems.

And the number of veins we had discovered was far too high.

It was unlikely we had just stumbled on them by chance. More likely, the entire dungeon produced veins at that frequency.

That would mean the number and quality of golems was unnatural.

If veins were appearing in such excess, then golems should be spawning in overwhelming numbers.

Yet we’d only faced one Steel Giant Golem and sixty-eight Steel Plate Golems. Far too few.

If the balance were normal, there should have been an outbreak, even abnormal growth. But the frequency of encounters had been suspiciously low.

Too many inconsistencies overlapped. And from these, it wasn’t hard to imagine a sinister possibility.

Suppose it was the work of the Demon King’s operatives. To strike at humanity, they sabotaged a resource hub — the dungeon.

Unable to destroy it outright, they instead rendered it unusable.

They corralled and managed its monsters, forcing unnatural growth, stockpiling them in hidden depths.

Then, when the time was right, they would release them all at once.

The excessive ore veins. The lack of monsters. The appearances of both a Mithril Plate Golem and a Steel Giant Golem.

All of it made sense under that theory.

Of course, I wasn’t ready to take such a conspiracy at face value. Still, the current state was strange enough that something deliberate seemed likely.

Best to err on the side of caution.

(E/N: an English phrase that means "to be especially careful rather than taking a risk or making a mistake".)

“For safety’s sake, we should return now.”

When I said this, Arisa nodded. I couldn’t drag the kids deeper into the dungeon any further.

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E/N:

The mystery deepens, the plot thickens but Arisa-chan ain't stupid no more! Stay tuned! (4/5 chapter)

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