Early TNG Vol. 23 Chapter 2 Part 3

Full title: THE NEW GATE

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Canon

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At the faint tremor, Shin awoke once more. Turning his gaze, he saw Schnee rising from the bed.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Returning her greeting, Shin sat up as well. His sleep had been short, yet he felt no drowsiness.

When he sat on the bed and gazed intently at Schnee, she noticed his stare and sent him a reproachful look.

“Shin. It’s not proper to watch a woman while she changes.”

“I know, but stopping isn’t exactly a strength of men.”

“Honestly. You’re hopeless.”

With an exasperated smile, Schnee continued dressing.

Back in Erkunt, when they had lived alone together, something similar had happened, so she seemed to think nothing of it now.

Once she finished changing, she urged Shin to make himself ready as well.

Just as Shin stepped down from the bed, Schnee approached with a smile.

“Just to be clear, you know who the only one you’re allowed to look at is, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

Her smile softened slightly at his answer. Whether that had been her idea of a joke, a warning, or perhaps both, Shin wasn’t certain.

Still, he concluded it didn’t matter; there was no chance of finding himself in the same situation with anyone else.

“Let’s get breakfast started.”

“Any requests?”

“I feel like Japanese food, but judging from the inn’s menu on the island, Retoneka probably isn’t used to it. Let’s go with Western style today.”

“Understood.”

They moved to the kitchen and began preparing breakfast under Schnee’s direction.

Shin handled the simple tasks: grilling bread and putting together salad. He could cook simple meals himself, but Schnee’s food was always far superior.

Before long, Tiera and Retoneka arrived, followed shortly after by Milt, who looked a little stiff but otherwise normal.

𑁋

After the meal, Shin taught everyone how to use the water bikes.

As a precaution against monsters, he planned to freeze the surrounding sea into a ring, creating something like a temporary pool.

They could also use monster-repelling items, which prevented weaker creatures from approaching. But the true purpose of the ice ring was different: it would shatter if something too powerful drew near, acting as an alarm.

To avoid affecting the local ecosystem with their magic, they moved to a place with fewer living things.

“…Hey, Shin. Isn’t there something out there on the water?”

“On the water?”

Following the direction Tiera pointed, Shin squinted.

The distance was too great, so he used 【Far Sight】 and instantly wrenched the rudder hard.

The vessel skidded across the surface in a drift, sliding over the waves.

Aided by magic devices, the ship performed a sudden maneuver no ordinary vessel could—and yet, being no ordinary vessel, it did not capsize.

The interior, however, shook violently.

Unprepared, Tiera and Retoneka tumbled across the floor until Kagerou and Yuzuha steadied them. Schnee and Milt, unperturbed, caught anything fragile before it could fall.

Still swaying slightly, Milt called out to Shin.

“Whoa, Shin—what’s going on?”

“Starboard side. Look out there.”

“Starboard? Let’s see… eh!? What is that doing here!?”

Recognizing the figure ahead, Milt couldn’t hide her shock.

“So it really is what I think, huh?”

“Yeah, if it weren’t, I don’t know what else it could be.”

Schnee, though silent, had changed expression the same way. Shin’s prediction had been confirmed, though he wasn’t entirely pleased.

If memory served, there was no danger.

But… why now?

“Kuuh.”

“Th-Thank you…”

With Yuzuha’s help, Retoneka managed to stand. Shin quickly offered an apology.

“Sorry, Retoneka. Looks like we won’t be getting back today. Can you contact Druk?”

“There’s an emergency relay device the Black Faction uses. It should reach the island without issue.”

Catching on to the trouble from Shin’s expression, Retoneka drew a white sphere about four cemels across from her pouch.

Once activated, it would transform into a bird and carry a letter to its registered destination. A magic carrier pigeon, essentially.

“One-way only, huh. Depending on what happens, we might not even be able to send it.”

“What exactly is happening?”

“Think of it as getting pulled into a spontaneously generated dungeon. See that glowing rabbit out there on the waves? The golden one?”

“I can’t tell if it’s a rabbit, but I can see the light.”

Without a skill, it was too far to make out its form. Still, it gleamed so brightly under the sun that its presence was unmistakable.

“That’s a Divine Beast.”

“A Divine Beast!? Then something’s going to happen again!?”

“If my memory’s right, the island won’t be affected. Calm yourself.”

He reassured Retoneka, who was clearly rattled.

“That one is special. It has its own dungeon.”

“It… owns a dungeon?”

Retoneka gave him a baffled look.

Normally, no being could “own” a dungeon. Some monsters ruled over areas containing one, but they didn’t create it themselves.

“Yeah. It can make a dungeon appear wherever it wants and even configure the interior however it likes.”

“But… dungeons can’t be controlled.”

“Normally, no. This one’s an exception, one of the very few Divine Beasts with a private dungeon. It should be friendly toward people, but still…”

Shin didn’t speak in absolutes; what he knew came only from the game.

So far, no Divine Beast had shown a different temperament than in the past, but caution was always wise.

“Are we going to engage? It still seems distant.”

“If we were going to, I’d rather send Retoneka home first. But once you’re in range of that light, you can’t escape. There’s no telling what you’ll run into it, though…”

This was essentially a forced event. Its spawn points weren’t fixed—purely random. Encountering it over the sea wasn’t strange.

But happening now of all times, it felt like too much of a coincidence. Shin groaned.

“First Armaiz, then Nuva… and now this? Almost feels like it’s chasing us.”

Milt shot him a narrow-eyed look.

“I can’t even deny that this time. Random encounters mean it can appear anywhere.”

Because it wasn’t bound to a location, it could pop up at any time, anywhere.

Other field spawns had restrictions, but this one ranged from the ocean depths to the skies above.

“Shin, I think it’s done waiting.”

Schnee, who had been keeping vigilant watch, called out.

“So our prep time’s up, huh. Retoneka, Tiera—take these. Whether they help is luck, but better to have them.”

From his item box, Shin tossed them palm-sized cases filled with item cards. A “deck.”

“What’s about to happen?”

Tiera looked uneasy. Shin motioned toward the Divine Beast.

“Better to experience than explain. Look—it’s coming.”

The light radiating from the Divine Beast stretched toward them. Though it carried no hostility, Shin raised barriers just in case.

“W-Wait, Shin!”

“Stay calm.”

Tiera clung to him as the wave of brilliance closed in.

Shielding her, Shin let the light swallow them whole.

“…So far, just as expected.”

He shut his eyes against the searing glare.

A few seconds later—

“Eh, what…?”

“What is this place?”

When the light faded, Tiera and Retoneka opened their eyes to a bewildering scene.

The vast ocean had vanished, replaced by enormous roulette wheels, dice tables, and poker sets.

Shin knew this landscape well. But for the two of them, it was utterly alien. Their shock was natural.

The ship had been transported indoors. Normally it would have toppled without support, but here it floated steadily.

Curious, Shin glanced down.

“So, with a ship, it places you in a pool.”

The vessel bobbed atop a transparent pool, a gangplank already extended for disembarkation.

“Let’s head outside.”

With Schnee and Milt calm, and Tiera and Retoneka still overwhelmed, Shin led the way.

Kagerou and Yuzuha barely reacted; it was just another change of scenery to them.

As they descended the steps, glowing arrows appeared in the air ahead.

“Right, I remember this.”

“Which means, the first one has to be that.”

Both Milt and Shin, who had experienced this event sequence during the game, knew what was coming next.

Since they couldn’t progress otherwise, they brushed off Tiera and Retoneka’s request for an explanation with a simple, “It’s faster to see it for yourselves,” and moved forward.

After a few minutes of following the glowing arrows, a gaudy stage appeared before them.

It looked as though a show was about to begin. Only the center remained oddly dark.

Knowing the reason, Shin probed the area for a presence, but at that point, nothing was there.

“Ah, a warning—there’s about to be a loud noise. Brace yourselves.”

Tiera panicked at Shin’s words, unsure how exactly one was supposed to “brace” for something like that.

“Ehh!? Even if you say brace for it!”

And right on cue, a rolling drumbeat thundered through the hall.

Startled by the volume, Retoneka tensed up, but Shin soothed her.

“Weapons out?”

“No, not yet. I don’t expect trouble, but if there is, I’ll block it.”

He didn’t know how far this would diverge from the game. Even without hostility, there were plenty of ways to attack. Shin readied himself just in case.

The drumroll built to a climax and stopped.

In that moment, the darkened center of the stage flipped to dazzling brightness under a spotlight.

Standing there was a radiant golden bunny girl.

Her long hair gleamed with the same golden luster as her rabbit ears.

Her breathtaking beauty was matched only by her exaggeratedly voluptuous figure, clad in a shimmering golden bunny suit.

The instant she appeared, Shin felt a faint, prickling current crawl across his skin.

Though her form was that of a bunny girl, the atmosphere made it clear she was no mere human. Having faced several Divine Beasts before, Shin recognized that subtle leak of divine intimidation.

Those golden eyes fixed on them, and her small lips curled into a smile.

“Laaadies and gentlemeeen!! Welcome to my dungeon!!”

It was a declaration of extravagant welcome. Beautiful though her voice was, the sheer volume made Shin’s ears ring. Tiera and Retoneka covered theirs reflexively.

The mysterious allure of her appearance quickly melted into an open, carefree grin.

Seeing that, Shin grew certain: this much hadn’t changed.

“Hello there, lucky adventurers! Hope you have a great time today!”

After her trademark greeting, familiar to those who knew, the bunny girl descended the stage and walked toward them.

At that moment, 【Analyze】 automatically activated, trying to expose her true form.

(This could be a problem.)

Shin quickly forced his mana into motion, attempting to cancel the skill before it completed.

He had always let it auto-activate, so whether he could actually cancel it was a gamble.

But the attempt succeeded;【Analyze】 dissipated before fully triggering.

Just as Shin breathed a sigh of relief, the bunny girl looked straight at him.

“Oh my, you’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”

Even though the menu screen and his action weren’t visible to anyone else, she reacted as if she knew exactly what he’d done.

She leaned close enough for her spilling cleavage to nearly brush him, smiling provocatively as she met his gaze head-on.

For several tense seconds, Shin stared back into her golden eyes, pupils narrowed ever so slightly.

Then she drew back with a deepened smile and put some space between them.

“There’s so much I’d love to talk about, but first I should explain this place. Though… looks like it’s not your first time, is it, mister?”

“No, but I’ve got companions who are new. I’d appreciate an explanation.”

“Got it. Ladies, listen closely—I’ll only explain this once.”

So the system even logged prior encounters. She seemed to know that Shin, Schnee, and Milt had all experienced this before.

The bunny girl winked, raising her right hand as if balancing a tray. A moment later, a one-mel-tall holographic projection appeared above her palm.

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