Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 09

Worldwide ED... 

For some reason, Shouko-san seems to be in a constant state of anxiety and crisis over my every move. With a heavy sigh, she lays it on me.

"Kashiwagi-sama. When a normal person's protectee tries to climb into a beast's cage, the guard's job is to persuade them not to. And if that fails—it is only natural for the guard to suffer any number of physical ailments, such as stress-induced headaches, dizziness, or gastrointestinal distress. Are we clear?"

...Hmm. I mean, I guess I see what she's getting at. But I'm not trying to enter a beast's cage, or some safari park full of wild animals. It's just... a "slightly weird, but normal high school"...

"For your information, high school girls—especially girls who attend a 'Labyrinth Department,' a place that's like some post-apocalyptic, 'might-makes-right' world... are, in fact, more dangerous than beasts like elephants or hippos."

...The Labyrinth Department is way more intense than I thought. Also, the fact that her comparison wasn't the "obviously ferocious" carnivores like tigers or lions, but elephants and hippos—beasts that maxed out their stats in 'charging power' and 'vitality'—gives this a weird sense of reality. ...Of course, it's not like that's going to change my mind.

Why am I so hung up on a "dungeon" now, when I was completely useless in the other world? Well... The photos of the girls in the Labyrinth Department... they're way hotter than the students at other schools! ...That's the public reason, anyway.

Look, I was technically a "summoned Hero" in that other world, right? Even if it was for a laughably short time, like some summer resort job. But I was summoned against my will, just to be used by God knows who... That alone is enough to piss me off, isn't it? At the time, I was an emotional wreck. From the others' perspective, I was just a guy rampaging against small-fry monsters.

It's not that the other heroes were bragging about their power or mocking me. But... in a way... that made it worse. As someone who was summoned just like them, it was... frustrating. Getting that "you're unfit for combat" notice... getting cut from the team... it pissed me off.

Of course, I value my life. I'm not stupid enough to go on a suicide charge just to die in vain. So, I chose a life that suited me. But... still. If I had one more chance, if someone had said, "Come with us!"... ...Of course, I wouldn't have gone. I don't want to die.

"Long-winded and not making any sense?" Too bad! I didn't even realize I had all these negative feelings until now!

But... if I can do it in a low-stakes, free environment, not in that high-pressure situation... Being an "adventurer"... no, an "explorer," in this world... It doesn't sound half bad. At the very least, I have some sense of how to fight, some mental preparedness, which is more than a total newbie. Besides, I really, really don't think I can work a normal job at this point.

You know what? Screw it, I'll be blunt. Why was I the only one who had to live such a boring-ass life after getting sent to another world?! I wanted to be OP without even trying! (Note: They actually did try, in their own way.) I wanted to be the center of attention! I wanted girls fawning all over me, just like them!!

...So here I am, with my desire for the spotlight completely overloaded, though whether that's "positive" or "negative" is anyone's guess. While Shouko-san radiates an aura of "I object to this from the bottom of my heart," I start researching this country's—or rather, this world's—"Labyrinths."

The first "Dungeon" on Earth was confirmed in the first half of the 19th century—in 1825. In world history, that's just before the American Civil War, a little after Napoleon was exiled, and in Japan... just before the great Tenpo Famine?

The location is disputed, but it's generally accepted to be Salisbury, in the UK. ...Where the hell is that? Oh, apparently it's famous for Stonehenge. The "dispute" is because, around 1990, a "certain country" started insisting:

"Our nation was the first to discover dungeons! In fact, the murals in our ancient ruins clearly show—blah blah blah— And this recently discovered, historically priceless document proves—yada yada yada—"

...Or so they claim. Is there seriously any benefit to being recognized for that? ...Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. Back to the dungeons.

So, these dungeons (apparently preceded by earthquakes) were discovered all over the world. And "if there's a hole, you... want to enter it." A certain number of people felt that way.

• In some countries, the military was dispatched to investigate just days after discovery.

• Inside, they found unidentified "hostile organisms."

• Firearms were ineffective... leading to massive casualties.

This vicious cycle repeated. ...Wait, what? That's news to me. Guns don't work on dungeon monsters?! The ones in the other world got shot with arrows just fine... Ah, so bows are effective here. And guns do work on monsters that come out of the dungeon. ...What kind of logic is that?

There was a bunch of other stuff, but none of it seemed relevant to me, so I'll skip it. I don't really care about some war that happened in another country before I was born. So, what is relevant? ...This insane gender ratio.

Apparently, the male birth rate plummeted after the dungeons appeared. At first, everyone just thought: "Duh, we sent all our soldiers into these 'unknown battlefields' and they died. Of course there are fewer men."

But ten, then twenty years passed... and the higher-ups finally noticed. "...Wait. The birth rate itself is down. Fewer boys are being born."

And it wasn't just the birth rate that changed. For some reason, male libido also visibly declined.

One sex becomes rarer and rarer... ...and to top it off, their reproductive drive starts failing. This looks... exactly like some external force trying to drive humanity to extinction.

By the 20th century, leaders in every country were panicking over this global crisis—though, of course, they were only thinking about their own countries. At one point, the continental nations were on the brink of a "World War" over "securing the dwindling supply of males." Thankfully, at the last second... "Is it really a good idea to start a war that will kill even more people right now?" ...most countries regained their senses.

Meanwhile, our very own Japan—for better or worse, a homogenous nation-state. Even as it moved from the Warring States to the "Great Peace," its people were still a "Great Buddha-faced combat race." By some luck, while other nations were evolving from flintlocks to muskets to percussion caps... Japan was still a "crazy group... exceptionally skilled at swinging blades."

So while other countries were:

• "Enter dungeon" ->

• "Fight monster" ->

• "Fweeeh... our guns don't work..."

...Japan coincidentally possessed the most effective means of hunting monsters. (...That said, there were still plenty of "I'm going to find a strong opponent!" types, so the death rate was still pretty high.)

When Japan was informed by Europe of the "declining male birth rate" and the "necessity of culling dungeon monsters," it immediately began training female-centric "Explorers." The nation united to tackle the labyrinths. I mean, when you look at old photos of female farmers from back then... they seriously look like they could punch out an orc.

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