Ultraman: I am really just a human.

Chapter 293 Nijukuga Boss

"They're out!"

The ruins of Mount Kuro in Nagano Prefecture.

The knight cadets gathered outside the cordon, watching closely alongside the police responsible for maintaining order as the white mist shrouded the ruins.

As the mist churned, Ryota Murai and Kurokuga gradually appeared before everyone, their lingering battle aura exceptionally strong, as if the air itself were about to burst into flames.

The group of bounty hunters who had been watching the spectacle all retreated in horror.

"The boss has escaped!"

"Wait, this is... a Level 5 Knight?"

"What terrifying power!"

Are there any level 5 knights participating this time?

"call!"

Before anyone could think too much, Kuroko collapsed to the ground and lost his transformation after stepping out of the ruins' area.

"It's Murai!"

"Help! Save them!"

"Was it a success or a failure?"

The trainees rushed forward and helped the police lift Ryota Murai onto a stretcher.

This time, the time-space dungeon that appeared in the ruins is "Kuuga," and several teams have already failed to challenge it.

The cadet team also participated in this operation.

Although only 5 people can enter at the same time, the Gurongi are monsters from a long time ago, and as level 4 knights, they should be able to clear the level easily.

At first, things went very smoothly; the Gurongi were killing each other without the Gurongi even having to lift a finger.

But no one expected to encounter a monstrous boss that would slaughter them halfway through, forcing them to quit early, with only Ryota Murai remaining in the instance.

"The fact that this dungeon was able to force Murai to reveal his Black Kuuga form means it's more dangerous than we've seen."

Sakurai Keikazu glanced at the ancient ruins that had returned to calm in a deep voice.

Ryota Murai's condition reminded him of his past experiences training on the front lines in Hokkaido.

The dungeon boss has probably reached a level comparable to a level 6 knight.

"I'm fine."

Murai Ryota forced a smile at his companions. He looked disheveled, but his injuries were not very serious. He was just in a weakened state after the outburst.

"At least this time I can finally face that guy."

Before entering the instance, he had wondered if he might encounter Daguba.

His goal from the beginning was not to clear the game, but to get rid of the inner demon that prevented him from transforming in front of Daguba.

Having the courage to face Cuba is more important than simply passing through customs.

Although he almost died at the hands of Daguba, he was promoted to a level 5 knight as a result.

In this turbulent new era of knights, a level 5 knight already represents peak combat power.

Because relying solely on resources makes it almost impossible to cross the final step, apart from the early batch who advanced on their own, all those who subsequently became level 5 knights found an opportunity in the dungeon world.

……

"Murai Ryota is at level 5?"

Knight School.

Kondo Isami, who was having a meal at the restaurant, elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth when he suddenly heard the noisy shouts of the students next door. He was momentarily stunned, and his mind went blank.

What's going on?

Are young people these days so unreasonable?

"It's true, the Skynet rankings have been updated, and the new rankings directly display names!"

The students' discussions reached Kondo Isami's ears, and then someone mentioned the newly appeared time-space instance at Kurogaku.

"Many people are preparing to take on the challenge, especially the knights stuck at level 5..."

Once he came to his senses, Kondo Isami gradually became restless and began scrolling through the Skynet page on his phone without changing his expression.

Natsukawa (?), Shinji Kaminaga (W), Kotaro Minami (RX), Ryota Murai (Kurokuga), Tobi (01), Michinaga Gasai (Hakubuchi), Konan (Larc Crossbow Knight)

The new Knight Rankings are now based on the users who have undergone transformations, making them much clearer and simpler than before.

but……

Where did all those knights go?

Who is Xia Chuan?

After repeatedly checking the information and confirming that there were no problems, Kondo Isami's mind was still full of questions.

It's impossible for so many knights to be transformed by the same person, right?

"How is that possible?"

Speechless, Kondo Isami shook his head and stared at the second-place "Shinji Kaminaga" with a grim expression.

"Kaminaga actually surpassed Kotaro-san, W... When did the new dungeon appear?"

The memory issue caused quite a stir, but Foundation X did not disclose any information about the W instance and never invited any other knights.

Kondo Isami didn't think much of it, but was puzzled by the ranking order.

Perhaps it's because they weren't ranked according to ability?

If Ryota Murai can be ranked in the middle, then the ranking criteria are definitely not based on ability.

"How did you arrange this list?" the students asked, puzzled.

"Fei must be the captain of that Team 01, right? Although his character isn't great, his skills are still very strong. It's amazing that he was surpassed by Murai Ryota."

"That's alright, shouldn't everyone on the list be a Level 5 Knight? Why isn't Instructor Kondo on the list?"

"Yeah, there really isn't a mentor like Kondo!"

"..."

Kondo Isami's cheek twitched.

Xiao Nan was inexplicably on the list, but why wasn't he the only one missing?

He is also a level 5 knight, and has experienced more dungeons than others.

……

Comprehensive training hall.

Xia Chuan overheard the students' discussions along the way, and only learned the detailed information about the Jiulangyue instance when Rose arrived.

Based on the information revealed by the challenger, it seems to be an ancient timeline dungeon from "Kuuga".

As for whether it has anything to do with the ancient dungeon he cleared, it's unclear at the moment.

"I think I can replace Baluba in the dungeon," the Rose Woman said, still maintaining her aloof demeanor. "Want me to help you clear the dungeon?"

"Need not……"

"Mr. Kotaro is out!"

A gasp suddenly rang out in the training hall, and the trainees all looked toward the large SkyNet screen in the center.

"RX should be able to clear the dungeon, right?"

"It's hard to say. This dungeon is very strange. Everyone who went in was inexplicably slaughtered by the dungeon boss in the middle of the dungeon, including the Grongi. Although it is a Grongi dungeon, the boss's strength is too exaggerated. There is obviously a gap in strength."

"Yes, it's said that the boss is at the level of a level 6 knight."

"Even among Rank 6 knights, there's a difference, right? According to the Alliance, only those with a limit break value of 1000 are truly Rank 6. Mr. Kotaro can be considered the strongest knight in the world! Even in dungeons, he's no exception!"

"I've heard that Mr. Kotaro has developed many new abilities for RX, making it almost as powerful as a dungeon god..."

"Didn't they say the dungeon deity must be at least level 7?"

"Rank doesn't completely represent strength; 1000 breakthrough points is equivalent to 10 level 5 knights!"

"I admit that 1000 limit-breaking value is impressive, but how was the calculation of 10 level 5 knights determined? Currently, only Mr. Kotaro possesses limit-breaking value..."

"Stop arguing! You bunch of level 2 and 3 knights. No matter how powerful Mr. Kotaro is, it has nothing to do with you. Go and advance to level 4 first!"

A voice, seemingly coming from nowhere, suddenly poured cold water on the trainees.

"You guys are much luckier now. As long as you have enough resources, you can become a level 4 knight. If you can't even reach level 4, you might as well go back to the countryside and raise pigs!"

Several level 3 mage knights looked ashamed: "What level are you?"

Level 1.

"Whoosh!"

A halo of energy emanated from the ruins on the screen, and the next moment, RX's tall figure appeared at the entrance of the passage.

SkyNet displays specific data in real time.

"I beat the game!"

"90% synchronization rate... As expected of Mr. Kotaro!"

Amidst the envious and admiring gazes of the crowd, the reporters at the scene of Kurogaku first surrounded Minami Kotaro as he deactivated his transformation.

Even though he has become a middle-aged man due to special circumstances, Kotaro Minami's handsomeness has not diminished much. Instead, he has gained a reassuring maturity and composure.

To date, Kotaro Minami remains the only knight who has safely returned to reality after experiencing the "demon incident".

He broke through the limits with his own abilities and upgraded the Knight System from Black to RX.

The first level 6 knight.

Undisputed number one within the Skynet, he can achieve victory no matter what knight system is used. He has taught countless knights both positive and negative lessons and is regarded as a spiritual mentor by almost all knights.

The only thing lacking is probably the achievement of clearing the dungeon.

"I knew it! If he can clear the Black dungeon, how could the Kuuga dungeon possibly stop Mr. Kotaro?"

"I heard that when Mr. Kotaro was caught up in the Black Dungeon, it was his 18th birthday. He spent more than 20 years inside the dungeon and finally came out at the age of 40..."

"That's amazing. It's not easy to imagine. Most importantly, it's Kotaro's perseverance."

"Yes, what are the difficulties we've gone through if we just think of Mr. Kotaro?"

"Come on," a Level 1 knight said with a glance, "Mr. Kotaro starts as a Level 5 knight, what are you talking about?"

"..."

Xia Chuan, standing behind the crowd, was also watching the Skynet screen.

Even he had to admit that Minami Kotaro was indeed very capable.

He reached a limit break value of 1000 around the time he cleared the Agito dungeon. I remember that RX's limit break value was only 300 at the time, and he could only be instantly killed by the pseudo-Black God.

Reaching 1000 in such a short time, I wonder what Minami Kotaro went through in his exclusive RX dungeon, and how much of his RX power he can unleash.

"Mr. Kotaro," a reporter with long, wavy hair rushed up to Minami Kotaro, "could you share your experience in clearing the dungeon? I heard the dungeon boss is equivalent to a level 6 knight."

"Their combat strength is indeed about the same, but..."

Minami Kotaro's expression was subtle.

For him now, the ancient dungeon's Dagu is a threat, but not too great, and he doesn't have much experience in clearing it.

If I really had to say...

"If you quickly pass through the Gurongi battlefield, you should be able to encounter two dungeon bosses fighting each other. If you're not strong enough, you can try to intervene at the right time. If you intervene too early, you'll face two bosses; if you intervene too late, you'll be killed by Daguba," Minami Kotaro said uncertainly.

"That simple?"

The reporter was visibly taken aback, followed by a deluge of complaints.

The trainees were all greatly stimulated.

"Where is it simple? The lack of strength is only relative to Mr. Kotaro, isn't it?"

"Who knows when the right time will come?"

"No matter what, at least there's a possibility of clearing the game..."

"I did not complete the dungeon."

Minami Kotaro shook his head, interrupting the discussion.

"To be precise, this wasn't the first time I cleared it, and I only cleared part of it. There's a second level to this dungeon."

"A second layer?"

Another uproar erupted at the scene.

The second level of dungeon is familiar to everyone; it happened in the Kabuto dungeon before.

"There's a third boss to go, and this time I'm going to form a knight squad to explore it," Kotaro Minami said to the camera. "The other four slots are mainly for helping knights who need to advance."

The Kuuga dungeon is no longer of any significance to him; he gets nothing but points, but it's perfect for training other knights.

It is, after all, a level 6 dungeon.

……

"Inviting me?"

School training hall.

Just as Natsukawa was about to leave, he suddenly received a call from Principal Tamura.

Despite being ranked lower, Minami Kotaro's team didn't react negatively; instead, they reserved a spot for him in a dungeon.

"You're practically a veteran Level 5 knight," Tamura earnestly advised. "You can't miss this opportunity; you might even be able to advance to Level 6..."

"Please decline for me," Xia Chuan glanced back at the Skynet screen, "I appreciate Mr. Kotaro's kindness, but I have other slots available for other instances."

Although it would take time for Foundation X to unlock the Oz dungeon, he still didn't want to join Kotaro Minami's team.

After all, he had already cleared the Kuuga instance once, and the second instance was probably in the modern timeline, so there was no point in clearing it again.

He has basically discovered everything that I could discover.

Unless it's possible to directly increase the limit break value like in the W dungeon, it will do more harm than good for him...

"Whoosh!"

During the call, Xia Chuan suddenly paused slightly.

He also obtained information about the second level of the dungeon, but unlike Minami Kotaro, he seemed to be the third boss.

We need to accept the challenge as the master of the world.

Things don't seem to be as simple as Minami Kotaro made them out to be.

"What's wrong, Kaminaga?" Tamura asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing, I might need to ask for a day off."

Xia Chuan's mind quickly returned to calm.

Connecting to other time-space instances isn't easy; the Fujiwara Foundation was able to enter the W world largely because of the power of the Decade Belt.

The reappearance of the Kuuga instance is likely related to the Alliance and Consortium X.

While there are many types of dungeons, the main dungeons are still rare, and most of the ones that have appeared so far have been cleared by him.

However, the Lord of the World... he didn't seem to feel anything special.

Its only privilege is probably a certain degree of interference authority before it withdraws; it doesn't qualify it as a world ruler at all.

"Are you asking for leave?" Tamura's expression was strange. "You're asking for leave again? New trainees need to be met at least once..."

"Maybe next time."

Xia Chuan pondered for a moment before hanging up the phone and continuing to check the information in the second layer of the copy.

Regardless of whether the status of the world's ruler is beneficial or not, he certainly wouldn't give it up, much less give it to those aliens.

Putting everything else aside, the traces he left in those worlds are actually quite easy to find if you really want to investigate.

Fortunately, now we only need to face RX.

RX is indeed powerful in terms of setting, but putting aside Minami Kotaro's performance, which of his many Rider Systems is not powerful?

"Whoosh!"

Xia Chuan picked up a blank Knight card with the RX outline printed on it.

He previously sought the Decade belt because it made acquiring Knight cards easier.

Compared to clearing each dungeon one by one, Decade is definitely simpler, as you can directly turn Knights into cards or copy them from a Knight deck.

The shuttle's prototype is the Decade belt, and its upgrades seem to follow the Decade route, also featuring a Knight deck.

Although there is only the main rider card at present, RX happens to be the main rider, and an exceptionally powerful one at that.

He wouldn't consider turning the RX directly into a card, but copying it is worth a try.

This Kuuga instance is the perfect opportunity to test this out. If successful, the shuttle can be used as a Decade belt.

(End of this chapter)