Only I know that this world will end – 103 | Sousaku – 創作

Interval

"The time it takes for the cities in this world to be transformed into dungeons from another world. Yes, it is possible."

At those words, Nao became serious and fell silent, and Arthur also nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Hmm. So, strengthening monsters was just a process of turning them into dungeon monsters, along with the inversion rate, right?"

Akira let out a sigh in response to Arthur.

"……I guess that's the case. But that doesn't mean that what we have to do is any different from before. Whether the cities are replaced by dungeons from another world or not, in the end, if the boss monsters that have appeared in this world are not defeated, the inversion of the world will progress and the monsters will become stronger. While I'm aware that the city has become a dungeon, I don't think we need to think about it too hard right now."
"……Certainly, that's true. Ichijou, is there anything else you've found out through the analysis?”

Nao nodded in agreement with Akira's words.
Hearing this, Akira once again used Analysis on the Werewolf and muttered as he stared at the screen.

"Aside from that…… That's right, I think the Magical Element is higher in boss monsters than in ordinary monsters."
"Magical Element?”

Nao tilted her head slightly at those words.
Akira then remembered that he had not told Nao about the Magical Element.

"Come to think of it, I haven't told you yet. This is something that you can see if you raise the level of Analysis and Appraisal. Nao-san and Arthur also have it, we humans have a Magical Element rate of 0%. On the other hand, this guy―― the werewolf's Magical Element ratio is 17%, which is quite a difference compared to the monsters and humans. ……Also, it seems that Magical Elements are also contained in weapons, and my weapons ― the axes and iron sword I took from the monsters― also contained a few percent of Magical Elements."
"Does my gun also have that…… Magical Element?”
"Ah…… No, come to think of it, it didn't. The Magical Element content of the gun you have, Nao-san, is also 0%."
"Hmm, I see. In other words, it seems that it's okay to think that the Magical Elements are only found in the so-called other world."

Arthur, who had been listening to Akira's talk with Nao, said.

"Is there any chance that our Magical Element ratio will increase?”

Nao muttered as she looked down at the werewolf.
Akira shook his head in response to these words.

"I can't say for certain about that…… If I look into Magical Elements a bit more, I might be able to figure it out…… but I don't have time to look into it right now."

Akira picked up the werewolf's head and body.

"What do you intend to do?”

Nao talked to Akira, who was holding the body of the werewolf.

"When I was fighting the Minotaur, the body disappeared, so there was nothing I could do, but since it is the boss's body, I thought I could use it for something. You know, there was someone at Karube's place who had the 『dismantling』 skill. If we get that person to dismantle it, we should be able to get hold of some decent materials, right?”

When she was told this, Nao probably realized who he was referring to.

"Oh, you mean Kashiwaba-san."

When she spoke the person's name quietly, her eyes fell on the body of the werewolf with the broken neck that Akira was holding ―― and in particular, on the dark blood dripping from the wound onto the ground.

"I understand your way of thinking, but…… I don't think it's a good idea to carry it like that. At least put it in a bag or something."

The smell of blood must have been disturbing. Nao said this while scrunching up her nose.

Akira, after agreeing with Nao's words, lightly searched around and looked for something he could carry it with. On the way, he found a boutique in a corner of a multi-tenant building and threw off his hospital gown, which was in tatters and changed into new clothes.
Akira met up with Nao, who had changed her clothes in the same way, and, holding a garbage bag from inside the store, they managed to stuff the werewolf's corpse into it. With that, Akira and the others returned to the apartment they had been using as a resting place.

After Akira had recovered his wounds with 『Auto Regen』 enough to be able to fight monsters, the group left the apartment used for resting.

It was just past midnight.

In the past, this would be the time when the global turnover rate would increase to 3%, but this time it was different. The progress of the world inversion rate, which had decreased due to the defeat of the werewolf, had stopped its movement, remaining in the 2% range even though the date had changed.

"Hmm. Maybe we're just at the point where we're balancing the progress now."

On the way to the place where Arthur was going to take Akira to meet another companion with a unique skill, he was explaining his theory about the progress of the reversal rate that had stopped counting.

"By you guys defeating the werewolf, the speed of the world reversal rate must have slowed down even more, right? Up until now, the rate has increased by 1% every time the date changes, but let's say that it will now increase by 1% at midnight tomorrow. In that case, the current rate of reversal ― 2.88% ― is a little too high at the moment. So, in order to balance the numbers, the progression of the reversal rate has stopped for the time being. ……So to speak, we're in the middle of an interval right now."
"An interval, huh?"

It was Nao who murmured those words.
In place of Akira, who had his hands full with the body bag containing the werewolf and the axe, Nao was holding the “Iron Sword of the Pig-headed Demon” in her hands, which she was now able to lift thanks to her increased level of physical strengthening.

"If that's true, I guess we should defeat the boss while we still can."
"I agree. But it's not that easy."

Akira, who had been walking behind Arthur, muttered to himself at those words.
When a certain numerical value is reached, the monsters that have appeared in this world are strengthened. The progression of the inversion rate is related to the difficulty of surviving in this world, and it is one of the issues that all of humanity must solve by any means necessary.
However, the decrease in progress that occurred over the course of these three days was only two times. This was also the result of Ichijou Akira, a man who repeated the past by dying, somehow being able to grasp it, and conversely speaking, if Ichijou Akira had not been there, there was a possibility that humanity would still not have been able to defeat a boss.

(During this grace period, we have to somehow get ready……)

He didn't mean to sound like he was trying to save the world with his own hands.
However, considering the current situation where the monsters will continue to strengthen unless the bosses are defeated, it was also true that there was no other choice but to take action.
With Nao―― Together with the people close to him, he must defeat the bosses that have taken over the dungeonized cities in order to survive in this world.
To that end, he intended to use the new power he discovered by defeating the werewolf ―the scenario― to increase the number of his comrades who could fight the bosses on equal terms.
That was Akira Ichijou's immediate goal.

(That said, I still don't know the conditions under which the scenario is triggered. Nao-san said that the condition was whether or not they had the will to fight alongside me, but…… Even that is vague in the end. That's why I need the help of this person, who has a naturally unique skill, and the people they associate with…… First, we have to see if we can cooperate well with them.)

Akira murmured to himself as he gazed at Arthur's back.