Seeker 78

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Chapter 78. Limit Break Event

"Wow, you guys are already at level 20. That's fast. Just a few days ago, you were single-digit leveled kids."

That was the first thing oyaji-san said to me when I entered the armory and asked him about it.

I cut to the chase as oyaji-san stroked his chin and looked happy.

"So, about the [Limit Break]. There's something called a 'limit-breaking event,' isn't there?"

"Oh, [Limit Break], you know. You shouldn't expect that."

"That's what I hear, but I'm still curious. I'm still curious, so I wanted to know more about it."

"Haha, well, there you go. You guys are getting close to the ceiling now. Okay, I'll tell you what I know."

Oyaji-san agreed to explain.

He suggested that we sit at a guest table because it'll be a long conversation, and he also graciously made us some tea.

We were a little uncomfortable because we had no reason to get entertained, but since it was so kind of him, we gratefully accepted the tea.

When the oyaji-san took his seat, he sipped the tea and began to speak.

"First of all, I'm going to start by saying that for seekers who have awakened in recent years, there's almost no chance of [Limit Break]. Do you know why this is?"

"No. I read on the Internet that you need to be lucky enough to win a billion dollars in the lottery to pull it, or something like that. Nothing concrete."

"I see. That may be an exaggeration, but it's not far off the mark. After all, the [Limit Break Event] in every dungeon in Japan, or the world, is probably already almost completely taken up.

"Taken up...?"

Oyaji-san nodded at my reply and told me the truth of the matter.

About 30 years ago, dungeons and seekers were born simultaneously all over the world.

Naturally, seekers who were born at the beginning of the dungeons became the pioneers of dungeon exploration.

They explored untouched, unexplored dungeons with no information available.

Dungeon exploring at that time was far more dangerous than exploring dungeons today, where information is better prepared, but it also had its fruits.

In the unexplored areas of each dungeon, special events called 'events' occurred on rare occasions.

For example, one might encounter a powerful monster that one wouldn't normally encounter, a jar containing a mysterious liquid that increased one's ability when drunk, or a squirrel-like creature that jumped out of the grass and stole your Return Pearl.

There were also treasure chests in the unexplored dungeon that weren't dropped by monsters, but placed in the dungeon.

It's like the one in the small hall we visited for our dungeon fairy-related business.

Among the many such events, the most important was the "limit-breaking event.

[Limit Break Event], generally appears in every dungeon after the 9th floor.

These events gave seekers, who reached level 25, a chance to raise their level even further.

The content, scale, and degree of level-up vary widely.

For example, oyaji-san told us about one of the [Limit Break Event] he had experienced.

"The worst breakthrough event I ever experienced was when I got trapped in a mysterious dungeon that I don't know where it is."

"You got trapped?"

"Yes. I was exploring the dungeon, when suddenly, in a dead-end hall, a magic circle appeared at my feet. I found myself in a dungeon I had never seen before. I couldn't find a way out, the magic circle was only one way, and there was no trace of me where it had sent me. Return Pearl wasn't responding as it should have."

"What..? What happened then?"

"I had no choice, so I started exploring the dungeon and soon found a place to live. There was a bed there, a mysterious item that would produce food if you put a magic stone in it, cooking utensils, etc. And then I got the instructions. Welcome to the [Limit Break Event]. Clear the special dungeon consisting of 4 floors. The deadline is 30 days. If you fail to clear the dungeon within the deadline, you will get buried to death in the collapsing dungeon.

"""Hooooh......""""

The three of us who were listening to the story, Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and me, gasped.

If we had not heard it from my father, we would have suspected a lie first and foremost.

It was so ridiculous that even if we had heard it from oyaji-san, we would have thought he was playing a joke on us.

But speaking of ridiculous, we have met Dungeon Fairies and witnessed a phenomenon in which trees and the earth moved to create a passageway.

No matter what ridiculousness we encountered now, the boundary between reality and illusion gets blurred to the point where we thought such a thing could happen.

"No, I seriously thought I'll die at that time. While I was in that dungeon, even though I was over level 25, my level went up, but whatever, the monsters there were so strong. When I defeated the boss of the 4th floor just on the last day and returned to the dead-end hall of the original dungeon, I was deeply glad that I was alive."

Oyaji-san who said that had a somewhat nostalgic look in his eyes for the past.

Incidentally, many other events push one's limits, such as simply fighting a boss enemy or doing a specified amount of exercise (push-ups, sit-ups, running, etc.) that raises one's level.

Moreover, the details of these events can only be determined by the testimonies of those who have encountered them, so even if they're lying, we'll never know what they're really like.

It's said that stories of eyebrow-raising [Limit Break Event] often fly around among the seekers.

"Anyway, that's why. I'm talking about the fact that you can't usually find a [Limit Break Event]limit-breaking event in a dungeon that has already been explored. If a new dungeon is found in any country, as soon as the information gets out, seekers from all over the world will rush to the dungeon, and there will be a huge rush."

"......It's a hard world out there. By the way, how many levels are you at, oyaji-san?"

"Me? I'm at level 46. I must be one of the ten best seekers in Japan."

"Level 46. ....... Now that you mention it, you were a great guy, weren't you, oyaji-san?"

"Haha, well. But now I'm just an old man in a weapons shop. So, what are you going to buy for me today?"

Oyaji-san said and grinned.