The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

I woke up.

In stereotypical stories, it's always the kiss of a fated partner that wakes the protagonist from a long slumber.

So I wasn't surprised to find my mouth covered when I woke up.

Even if it was my fated partner—Punisuke's tentacle stuck in my mouth.

"Mmph! Mmmmph!"

"Ah~ Master woke up~ That's great~!"

"Puwah! Ah~ I was scared! I thought I was going to drown!"

No matter how much I love Punisuke, who I wouldn't hurt even if it got in my eye, I learned that it's painful when it gets in my mouth.

Anyway, I looked around while catching my breath.

It seemed to be a dimly lit room inside a dungeon.

There was a broken device nearby.

An absurd number of monster materials scattered all over the place.

Seori sleeping next to me, almost naked.

And the remains of the "Punisuke Summoning Board" lying near her hand.

"...The lowest level of the dungeon, huh."

I pretty much understood the situation.

I took out a spare robe from my item box and covered Seori's body while assessing the situation. She must have escaped here with me while I was asleep. I'm really grateful.

I stroke Seori's hair as she breathes softly in her sleep.

"Thank you."

"Mm..."

Seori stirred, as if she heard me even in her dream.

"Was I called by Dragon Big Sis~?"

"Punisuke, didn't you fight together?"

"Yes~ When I arrived, Big Sis was already asleep~"

So she must have remembered the Punisuke summoning board just before losing consciousness.

Although Seori was sleeping deeply, she didn't seem to be injured. She must be tired after fighting so many monsters. Let's let her rest for a while.

"So, what were you feeding me, Punisuke?"

"My body~ It makes you feel better~"

"Eh?"

Seriously?

I thought it was some kind of food, but Punisuke's body?

As I was surprised, Punisuke trembled slightly.

"Was it no good~? I thought since I'm a monster too, eating me would make you feel better~..."

"N-No, it made me feel better! Thanks to Punisuke, I'm super energetic!"

"Yay! I'm glad~ I did my best~"

Punisuke jumps at me saying that. I pat it.

My name is Ruruk. I'm a useless owner who can't scold his cute familiar...

By the way, I'm also normally hungry.

Probably, subjectively, about a whole day has passed since I lost consciousness.

I took out some preserved bread and fruit water from my item box and ate. It soaks into my stomach.

"How long has it been since Punisuke came?"

"Not that long~ I've only defeated a few monsters~"

Punisuke said, sounding a bit unsatisfied. Not just Elenora, but Punisuke is quite battle-loving too.

Curious about what kind of monsters appeared, I looked around at the fallen materials.

I can't use "Eye of Illusion" so I can't appraise them, but B-rank materials seem to be densely scattered on the floor. Here and there, some materials that might be from A-rank monsters were mixed in.

Seori, you did well to survive so many consecutive battles.

Although I can't see the status, her level and skills must have increased. She probably wasn't using breath skills, so maybe she acquired some close combat skills.

For now, having satisfied my hunger, I stand up to check my limbs.

There are no wounds left, so they must have given me a Sugo Ball. The empty bottle of Sugo Balls that Seori had was rolling nearby.

"All limbs intact. I can't use mystical arts, but I can still fight."

I move my body lightly to confirm.

Probably, what Saturn stole was my mystical arts proficiency.

When I checked my own status without using "Eye of Illusion" for the first time in a while, the "Calm and Collected" Senpai was safe, so not all skills had disappeared.

I can still see spiritual elements, but the fact that they won't listen to me is proof of that.

I hold up my mithril dagger to check. Escaping from this dungeon without mystical arts—and probably having to defeat Saturn. ...I might have to deal with Nagi too.

"Just 'Calm and Collected' and weapons, huh... It's a nostalgic feeling."

As I mutter this while seriously reviewing my combat forms with just the dagger, Punisuke said dissatisfiedly.

"Master has me~"

"That's right. But you see, Punisuke is a familiar, so you'll fight separately, right? We can coordinate, but I'm still me."

"That's not true~ I can be Master's strength too~"

It seems my words were unsatisfactory.

Punisuke got on top of my head and started to transform.

"If I do this, I can protect Master~"

"Wha- S-Slime Armor!?"

Punisuke covered my entire body like knight's armor.

Indeed, with Punisuke's "Elasticity Manipulation," it could demonstrate durability far superior to ordinary iron. A versatile familiar that's good for both joint combat and wearing.

But I never imagined wearing a slime.

Between this and feeding itself to me, Punisuke really isn't bound by common sense.

"...Master, is this no good~?"

"No, it's good, Punisuke. You did well! This is easy to move in and fight in."

It looks a bit like a slime warrior, which is a bit questionable, but the functionality isn't bad.

It fits well and is easy to move in.

Just then, a B-rank monster, a Bloody Serpent, appeared. Time for a test drive.

Come to think of it, it's strange that so many monsters are coming even after a whole day. The dungeon master Saturn must be manipulating something.

"Alright Punisuke, can you do gun mode?"

"Yes~"

The armor undulated, and two guns were generated as if attached to my hands.

There's even a trigger. The barrels are quite longer than a handgun, but this looks cool like a railgun. If only it wasn't made of slime material but metallic, it would be perfect, but I guess I can't ask for that much.

"Okay, let's go, battle experiment!"

I fire the slime guns at the Bloody Serpent.

Since losing badly to Hotaru, Punisuke had been improving its gun mode. The bullets that were previously fired only with repulsive force now had increased speed and power due to the spiral structure inside the barrel.

Even with rubber-like bullets, at maximum power, they should be able to penetrate a Bloody Serpent's body.

"JURA!?"

The silent gun quietly pierces through the Bloody Serpent.

Body, neck, fangs, eyeballs—all penetrated.

Finally, I shot through its crown to finish it off, and it turned into materials.

Alright, this feels good.

A little while after the Bloody Serpent fell, the next monster—a Berserk Grizzly—appeared. It's a bear monster that's in a berserk state from the start.

As soon as it entered the room, it spotted us and charged. Ferocious, never stopping until death, huge and fast. Simple, overwhelming violence.

"Okay Punisuke—whip mode."

"Understood~"

This time, whips are generated in both of my hands.

This is a new mode that we packed with ideas after discussing with Punisuke during this quest. At first, we tried swords and spears, but when we thought about utilizing Punisuke's characteristics, it somehow ended up becoming a whip.

This mode was originally intended for Punisuke to operate by itself, but in this state where we're combined, it's certainly more precise if I wield it.

After all, this mode uses one more skill than the gun mode's "Transform," "Elasticity Manipulation," and "Enlargement." Even for the dexterous Punisuke, the aim might be a bit off.

"Here we go, Punisuke... 'Scorching Whip'!"

"Yes~"

The semi-transparent whip turns a burning crimson.

The whip, using Punisuke's "Temperature Control" skill to the fullest, cut through the air leaving a red flash.

Whack!

It hit the charging Berserk Grizzly right in the face, making it recoil.

Being struck by a high-temperature heat whip at supersonic speed, the surface temperature of the whip increased even further, resulting in more than just a burn.

The Berserk Grizzly's face was caved in, its skin melted.

Even a monster in a berserk state seems to have enough survival instinct to roll around in pain.

I readied the other whip and,

"'Ice Blade'!"

"Yes~"

The whip on the opposite side struck, drawing a white trajectory.

The whip that hit the Berserk Grizzly's neck sliced through its thick neck as if cutting through ice.

By freezing its own body to make it sharply pointed, it increased the killing power that was previously lacking, creating a blade-like whip.

This was an attack form only possible because of Punisuke.

"The feel is better than expected. I never thought I'd be the one using it though."

"Was I useful~?"

"Yeah. With this, we might even be able to beat Nagi."

Punisuke, who had slaughtered the monster in no time, happily rubbed against my cheek.

After that, as monsters kept attacking relentlessly, I tried various movements also as a motion check.

The dungeon's monster generation must consume resources, so it can't be infinite.

"Hmm... should we move on soon. It would be troublesome if the transfer device is repaired."

After spending some time, Seori's complexion seemed better, so I decided to wake her up.

She must be hungry too.

"Seori, wake up. It's morning."

"Mm..."

"If you don't wake up, I'll kiss you."

"..."

Seori rolled over and faced upward.

She remained still with her eyes closed.

I observed her face intently.

Staring, staring. Waiting for her to move.

"...Gulp."

"You're awake, aren't you? Chop!"

"Ouch!"

Seori sat up, holding her forehead.

"T-That's mean, Master..."

"It's your fault for pretending to be asleep."

"B-But... you said you'd kiss me..."

"You're quite a pervert, aren't you?"

A new attribute has been added to the useless dragon princess. There are too many now, I can't remember them all.

Well anyway, that's beside the point.

I put my hands on the ground and bowed deeply.

"Thank you so much! You protected me until you were battered. I'm truly grateful."

"Eh, w-well, I only did what was natural, so, um..."

"Seori worked so hard to this extent. Don't be modest."

"H-How does Master know? Are there scars left on me?"

"No, well, look at your clothes."

What I pointed to was the chuunibyou-style dress skirt lying on the floor, no longer retaining its original shape.

Seori finally realized that she was naked except for the robe I had put on her, and her face turned bright red. She curled up like a caterpillar.

"Eep!"

"Well, you must have fought that desperately, right? If you made it back safely, make one or two selfish requests. I'll grant anything I can do."

"...R-Really?"

"Yeah. I promise."

I have to do at least that much, or I'd be failing as a master.

Next, I took out a black cloth from my item box.

I'm sorry I don't have enough tailoring skills to make a dress skirt, but I've studied the structure of dragon species' hunting clothes. You never know when it might be necessary.

"Wait a bit. I can't use alchemy, so I'll just cut and sew..."

Even so, it's a simple hunting garment. In about ten minutes, a loose black ethnic costume was completed.

I made it while adjusting for Seori's size, so there's no problem with the fit.

"I-Is it strange...?"

"No. It suits you."

The eyepatch that didn't suit her in the robe doesn't look out of place anymore. I intentionally made the sleeves and hem hang down thinly, giving it a dark familiar-like atmosphere.

Seori seemed satisfied too.

After that, I fed Seori, whose stomach had growled loudly, some preserved soup and bread. She must have been quite hungry, as she ate as much as Elenora usually does.

"...Well then. Shall we go?"

"Y-Yes, my lord."

"Yes~"

Seori clutching my arm in fear, and Punisuke jumping onto my head in high spirits.

I don't know the structure of this dungeon, but Saturn himself is the dungeon master. I don't think he'll let us clear it straightforwardly.

He's said to have subordinates in the hundreds, so there's a possibility of ambushes too.

Just as there didn't seem to be any monsters nearby, we left the room and walked down the corridor.

Of course, while properly mapping.

"By the way, Seori, how did you escape from that place?"

"Hmph. I, who demonstrated my true power, broke through the wall, carried you, and gracefully soared into the sky."

"...Could it be that you were able to transform into a dragon?"

"That's right."

I see.

So you tried to escape through the desert... and ended up in the lowest level of this dungeon.

"Couldn't you have just flown away in the sky?"

"I am the one who inherited the blood of the Dragon King. I wouldn't do something as petty as fleeing from a small magical being."

"You couldn't escape, could you? So you had no choice but to use the transfer device to escape here."

"...That's right."

He can manipulate all the sand within his sight, after all.

Even if you're a dragon species... or rather, because you're a dragon species, he wouldn't let you escape easily.

"You did well to survive in the dungeon. How did you fight?"

"Hmph. Behold, Master, my ultimate form!"

"Eh... Whoa! Only your arms are dragon-like!"

Seori covered her arms with dragon scales.

I feel like something other than magic power is leaking from Seori.

The atmosphere is completely different from usual, emitting an intimidating aura that even makes me straighten my back.

Without "Eye of Illusion," I can only sense it with my skin, but there was definitely something there that raised Seori's status enough to win consecutive battles against B-rank monsters.

"What kind of state is this? A skill?"

"This is... hmph, the awakening of my wave."

"You don't know yourself, huh. Okay."

It seems to be a pattern that manifested without self-awareness.

Well, if she can use it freely, there's no problem. Let's have her do some battle experiments later. She should be reliable as a fighting force, given that she could slaughter so many B-rank monsters.

In fact, she's probably stronger than I am now.

"But Master. I too have been constrained by that cursed magical being. A lifelong disgrace."

"What was sealed?"

"'Dragon Slayer Burst Shot'... I will surely break this seal."

I see.

I ponder.

The fact that he deliberately sealed just one skill probably means that Saturn was wary of "Dragon Slayer Burst Shot." That place was technically the dungeon's boss room. If he saw a power capable of destroying its walls, it's a natural decision. I would seal it too.

"By the way, what about your breath when you transformed into a dragon?"

"That foolish magical being did not have the capacity to seal my true power."

"Oh, that's good news."

So only "Dragon Slayer Burst Shot" was sealed.

That means he didn't know about the breath attack of the same power. He must know by now, but it's quite reassuring to have this card up our sleeve.

Depending on the situation, we might be able to win with just one of Seori's breath attacks.

"Still, having to transform into a dragon to use breath attacks is a disadvantage..."

"Hmph. Let's blow away that magical being along with his castle."

"Wait, wait. There's no need to go that far... Ah!"

I clapped my hands.

"Seori, let's go back a bit."

"Eh?"

I pulled Seori's hand and went back the way we came.

When we returned to the initial room, I pointed at the transfer device in the corner of the room.

"Hey Seori, you broke this, right?"

"I-I'm sorry..."

"No, I'm not angry. When you broke it, what state was it in?"

"I smashed it with my tail, breaking it to pieces..."

To pieces, huh.

However, currently, the transfer device seemed to be about 80% repaired. Although parts were still missing, if it had returned to this state from being in pieces in just a day, it's only a matter of time before it's perfectly restored.

Saturn probably thinks we're progressing through the dungeon while escaping. Even if he's the dungeon master, I don't think he can pinpoint our exact location. If he was certain we were here, he'd send monsters directly instead of having them patrol.

Therefore, when the transfer device is fixed, he'll likely send pursuers after us. To stab us in the back, assuming we're exploring towards the upper floors.

...If that's the case.

I grinned as I began to formulate a plan.