Dungeon Refrigerator 131.1

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It was well past midnight, approaching 0:00. After various events, I finally arrived at Ruka's apartment. Well, various events are just that—various events. Specifically, after retrieving Pixie V and returning to the university, the situation had taken a sudden turn.

No, the university wasn't overrun by a horde of monsters, and it didn't turn into an unimaginable disaster. However, the information obtained from the phone after I left apparently exceeded my expectations. 

Ruu, overly worried about her parents living together, turned into a chirpy mess. Even the usually calm Nina-san was shocked by the absurd market crash, turning pale and falling silent.

The only one who didn't lose composure was Serai-san, with her unwavering personality. After discussing our future plans, it was decided that due to Ruu's insistence and her desire to protect her parents, they would come to my place. Nina-san and Sekai-san lived separately from their parents, making it impractical for them to go home individually in this situation.

So, we all walked about 2 kilometers together and headed to a flashy discount store open late at night.

The reason for going to the discount store was to get transportation – my bike couldn't accommodate 4 people. It might be possible if we stuck them on with slime, but that circus-like stunt was out of the question.

In the chaotic city, with monsters causing confusion, traffic jams, and abandoned vehicles blocking roads everywhere, the key to the swift movement was not just the bike's mobility. But also the ability to use the bike as needed.

In other words, it was possible to move quickly due to the combination of speed and power.

After reaching the discount store, we bought bicycles and nylon ropes for hanging laundry. I drove my bike with Ruu behind me, Serai-san took charge of driving the bicycle while towing us with the rope, and Nina-san, who had become quite silent, sat behind her. We moved for almost two hours, slowly but steadily.

Well, you might think it's strange that a discount store was open at a time like this, but it was the opposite. People chased by monsters had flocked to the open discount store, trapping the staff in a situation where they couldn't close. Seeing this on the way to the university, I thought, "If we need transportation, we can buy bikes there."

After clearing the monsters surrounding the discount store and saying, "Excuse me, I'd like to buy a bike lined up over there," to the staff who had evacuated, their eyes were wide open.

While processing the purchase of bicycles at the discount store, there was a little commotion. This was not the first time; there was a minor incident when I was leaving the university.

To the onlookers, I probably seemed quite strong. I had indeed defeated monsters and freely moved around. To those unable to fight monsters, I must have appeared overwhelmingly strong. 

Moreover, now I was adorned with the shining holy salt clothing, making me even more conspicuous.

And what happens when "Help us, protect us from the monsters!" folks gather? Of course, there are no resources to cater to their needs. If I got asked by every individual, "Can you take me home for a bit?" or "Could you pass through this area?" it would be endless.

And if I happened to help even one person, someone would inevitably say, "Why is he okay, and I'm not?" Then resentment and complaints would follow, and someone might even bring up a sense of justice, saying, "In times like these, we should help each other!"

Yeah, but I know. I know you guys were cursing and complaining about the police and the Self-Defense Force, saying, "What are they doing?" with Dungeon Power-enhanced super hearing.

[In times like these, we should help each other!]

Oh, really? I'd like to ask, "Why didn't you do that before I arrived?" If, hypothetically, I said, "Let's all cooperate and fight the monsters," how would that turn out? Most people would give me looks like, "Huh? What are you talking about?", and I'd almost certainly be branded as an agitator.

Because what they're looking for is a convenient existence that will protect them for free, not someone who will fight alongside them. Yes, the ordinary people in this world are not inherently good, and the masses tend to be like that.

So, I simply respond with, "I'm sorry, but I can't fulfill your request." Furthermore, if someone with charisma millions of times greater than mine, like a professional baseball player, were here and jovially killed monsters with a bat, saying, "Let's fight together!" some might actually try to join in.

But even then, if they got injured, someone would say, "It's your fault I got hurt. Take responsibility!" 

Yes, sadly, that's the true nature of people, and there were various incidents on our journey here.

.....