This is Part 1 of the Rank I Delvers.
■ Alhazard Abramirin
600 years old. Universal human. Male.
White beard on a black panther's head.
Rank I Delver — "Grand Guildmaster"
One of the de facto strongest in the world.
Master of the Grand Guild, the headquarters of the Delvers' Guild.
● Personality:
A character the witch calls a "damn old fogey" — not one to let your guard down around.
His heart is truly that of a delver; he despises sacrificing anything for the sake of the organization.
He also loathes harming or sacrificing anyone for the organization's benefit.
Many successes. An equal measure of failures and regrets — at the end of it all, that's how he sees the person he is today.
His appearance is fearsome, so he's sometimes misunderstood.
Before becoming Grand Guildmaster, he was known as the "Relicmaster."
He currently has four wives. Including great-grandchildren, his family numbers in the dozens.
His first wife in particular is an elf and a fairial, so she's still alive.
Until now, he's been hiding his identity by posing as a beastman of the black panther species.
In the first place, there is no such thing as a black panther species among beastmen.
He was originally a universal human.
However, he is cursed by one of the three eggs — the "Talisman's Eternal Egg."
Because of that, he ended up with a black panther's head.
Favorite food: salted rice balls. Sake.
● Alhazard's Relic:
[Abracadabra]: Can use any Relic he can see on the spot, excluding pseudo-divine manifestations and restricted ones. Cannot learn them.
Author's comment: Actually a reboot of a character from over ten years ago.
Back then, too, he was a bigwig in the magical institution.
The name and the black panther head and so on are almost exactly the same.
■ The Witch:
Age unknown. Beastman race, fox species. Female.
Real name: Laalalili.
A first-rank delver — the witch known as the "Unrivaled Witch."
Wof's master. Commonly known as "that witch."
Long silver hair. Seductive green eyes that always seem to be plotting something. First-person pronoun: "Kon."
She has three tails, and from her figure alone she is a bewitchingly beautiful woman capable of toppling nations — truly a witch.
A pitch-black robe over a pitch-black dress. The whole outfit is frilly and sheer — risqué.
She is also one of the "Unassailable."
Three tails.
The witch's three tails each actually differ in fur color and texture.
The first tail is silvery-white from root to tip, and fluffy.
The second tail is flaxen at the base, white at the tip, and fluffy.
The third tail is silvery-white at the base, flaxen at the tip, and downy-soft.
●Personality:
Pretty carefree. Sloppy. Quite rough around the edges.
That said, she's not irresponsible. She just doesn't particularly like people.
She looks like she's scheming something, and she actually is.
She causes trouble across all sorts of fronts, and pulls off things in dungeons that aren't technically cheating but basically are.
She breaks things. Smashes them to bits. Makes them beyond repair.
Her first-person pronoun is "kon." Her speech pattern is to repeat the same word at the start, then tag "nee" onto the end.
Example: "Basically, I was thinking that wasn't really the case, nee."
She lives southwest of Hydrangea, somewhere around here, deep inside the second forest.
It's a brick house built into a hollow at the base of a great gnarled tree.
She has a ton of Legacies and legendaries.
The inside of her house is a chaotic mess. On top of that, her kitchen doubles as a lab.
Basement levels one and two have huge bathing rooms.
That said, her skills in alchemy, repair, and restoration are extraordinary.
She can repair and restore not just Legacies, but even legendaries.
If she has the materials, she can make soma too. Elixirs, though — no dice.
Her hobby of making herbal tea — the day humanity accepts it probably won't come.
From alchemy, repair, and restoration alone, she has enough assets to live comfortably not just for a lifetime, but for generations upon generations.
The type who goes all out for others without even realizing it.
Favorite foods: Fox udon made by Wof. Fish pasta loaded with olive oil.
Herbal tea. Medicinal broth soup.
●The Witch's Relics:
[God Never Rolls the Dice Thrice: Guarantees success on the highest-difficulty technique three times per day]
[Hidden Lord of Ginnungagap: A restriction Relic. Summons the Hidden Lord of Ginnungagap]
●Techniques:
[Witch-Style Self-Defense Arts]: The witch's unique self-defense technique.
How she calls Wof: Young Master Wof.
Author's comment: A character who came together through the flow of the story. Didn't really get her at first.
Even now, I still can't quite figure her out. And she's lewd. Purely, unabashedly lewd.
One of the characters I still struggle with because of her unique way of speaking.
Why is she so ridiculously weak against Wof?
■Sword of Swords:
Age unknown. Breed unknown. Male.
A large, pale dog.
Carries a greatsword on its back.
First-class delver. Sword of Swords.
●Personality:
Seems to understand human speech.
As one of the strongest in the world, he easily surpasses the normal lifespan of a dog.
On top of that, no one even knows how long he has actually been alive.
He was already a delver back when the Delvers' Guild was first established.
What's more, he was also an adventurer — the predecessor of delvers.
His signature style involves gripping the great sword on his back in his mouth and swinging it around.
But normally, his own fangs and claws are more than enough to cut down most opponents.
He can go solo against gem-grade opponents, let alone treasure-grade.
However, being an actual dog, he takes whimsical strolls and naps whenever he feels like it.
Since he is a dog, he has no interest in worldly affairs. All commissions and the like are handled by his apprentice, Celeste.
"Sword of Swords" is, in origin, actually "Sword Dog."
Favorite foods: all kinds of meat. Cookies. Large monster bones.
●"Sword of Swords" Relic: none.
●"Sword of Swords" techniques:
"One Step": The fundamental footwork of "Sword of Swords."
A rapid lunge into the opponent's range. Originally just a dog's pounce.
"Roar": A fierce, cloth-tearing roar delivered with every ounce of fighting spirit. Woooooof.
"Infinite Sword Dance": An infinite chain of sword dance steps following from One Step. Most opponents are dead by then.
"One Strike That Severs Evil": The ancestral One Strike That Severs Evil. Delivers a single slash that cuts through all evil.
●"Sword of Swords" weapon:
"Great Tsurugi": Unmarked. A steel great sword large enough to reach past his back. Double-edged.
In truth, it had almost no cutting edge — practically just a blunt instrument, sturdy and nothing more.
Ordinary weapons can't withstand the technique of "Sword of Swords," but this one is the exception.
Author Comment: Actually, I was thinking of writing something with this dog as the main character.
But before that, Dungeon My Life got popular, so it was shelved… which is a shame.
And so, it appeared as the strongest.
■Munieka Eldorado:
Unknown. Edda. Female.
Neat, short golden hair. Blue eyes through camouflage (actually purple).
A beautiful woman with doll-like features. Born into the Eldorado family, one of the Six Noble Houses of Edda.
A flawlessly styled maid who wears a white-and-black maid outfit to perfection.
First-person pronoun: watashi-me. One of the impregnable, too.
The 1st-class delver, "Auto Doll."
All her Relics are automatic-type.
She has an inseparable bond with the Witch. She knows the Witch's name.
She serves as captain of Minosdoll's maid squad.
For some reason, she calls Wof "Master" and serves him faithfully.
Favorite foods: Cheesecake. Tiramisu. The steak set meal at "Cidrol-tei."
●Munieka's Relics:
[Auto Battle Mode]: The body moves and fights automatically.
[Auto Maid Mode]: Maid duties are performed automatically.
[Auto Move]: Automatically performs optimal actions.
[Auto Dance Mode]: Automatically dances.
●Items:
[Silver Pocket Watch]: An ultra-ancient pocket watch. Once given by an ancestor as a gift to their mother. High-performance, equipped with a minute repeater.
How Chaibu addresses Wof: Master. Sir.
Author's comment: I like maids, so it was decided from the start that I'd include a maid character.
But it was never decided that the Auto Doll would be a maid.
Somehow she ended up becoming one. Well, that's just how it goes.
■Chaibu:
Unknown. Unknown. Female.
Always seen in a robe with a yellow hood pulled low over her eyes. Tends to hole up in her shop, which resembles a warehouse.
Her distinctive feature is her reptilian-looking eyes. She has dark circles under them. She's also one of the "impregnable" ones.
First-person pronoun: Boku.
●Personality:
A First-Class Delver known as the "Beast with Good Sense." Her personality is easygoing, carefree, and lighthearted.
She's also the owner of a Black & Dark shop that operates in a gray area of the law.
She's skilled at linking teleportation circles — so-called connections.
She has a long, tangled history with the Witch, full of grudges, yet she's also one of the Witch's best customers — a complicated relationship.
She knows the Witch's name.
She was once ambushed by the Witch's herbal tea and still carries the trauma.
Above all, you could say she's one of the Witch's victims.
She's crossed paths with Wof multiple times in the bathhouse at the Witch's house.
She's also fallen hopelessly in love with the charm of Wof's grooming sessions.
It's the first time since birth that she's fallen for someone.
Favorite foods: prey she's hunted herself. Wof's dried jerky.
● Chaib's Relics:
[Link]: She can establish a link.
However, if no prior link has been established, she cannot link.
[Unlink]: She can sever a link.
However, if no prior link has been established, she cannot unlink.
[Flazzelei]: She can transform into Flazzelei, an armored demonic beast. Operational duration unknown.
Cooldown unknown. She has forms ranging from her first to her final.
[Self-Repair]: A Relic possessed by Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar.
Slowly restores accumulated damage over time.
● Chaib's Weapon:
"Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar":
A shamshir studded with emeralds. Its adaptive Relic is [Self-Repair].
What she calls Wof: Wof-chi.
Author's note: She was a shut-in character who never left her own shop.
And then that girl meets Wof naked in the bathhouse — I'm dying.
■ Alverd von Lutebert:
19 years old. Universal Human. Male.
First-Class Delver. "The Ruinator of Destruction."
Soft golden hair. Sharp black eyes. A handsome, dignified face.
An androgynous presence that could almost be called sacred.
A beautiful young man with features as finely crafted as a sculpture.
Clad in a crimson mantle and pristine white armor, he need only stand there to resemble a painting.
That is the kind of man he is.
● Personality:
Serious. Utterly, unconditionally serious. The third son of the noble House of Lutebert.
He holds his own personal rules and conventions regarding delvers, and he adheres to them without exception.
His will is strong and unyielding. He cannot be flexible. Humor does not reach him.
He also bears deep feelings of gratitude, and he always repays any debt he owes.
A top-tier fighter even among First-Class Delvers. His reputation as a warrior is known the world over.
Favorite food: The signature dish of the prix fixe dinner course at Royal, the ultra-exclusive, reservation-only fine dining restaurant in the capital.
● Alverd's Relics:
[Impact]: Releases a shockwave.
[Crush]: Shatters whatever it touches.
[Brechen]: Destroys whatever it touches.
[Thousand Kill Arcos]: A pseudo-divine Relic. Its form changes as well,
Thousand attaches to all Relics.
[Sombre Gladius]: One of its authorities. A gladius wreathed in swirling black maelstrom.
● Alverd's Equipment:
[Daybreak Armor]: A full suit of armor possessing a white, mystical beauty.
Its defensive capabilities are also outstanding.
● Alverd's Weapons:
[Southern Cross]: A famed sword modeled after the Southern Cross constellation.
A gift from his eldest brother to celebrate his promotion to Rank I delver.
Apparently, the Southern Cross exists in this world too.
Author's Comment: A character who deviated massively from the initial concept.
At first, he was a hulking, muscular brute — savage, like the very incarnation of destruction.
He was truly a "breaker of ruin." But somehow... it just didn't sit right, so he got scrapped.
For a while, there was even a version where Leold was his true identity.
But nothing quite clicked. Even his name wouldn't settle.
I was running out of time — I had to finalize him soon.
That's when I came across the idea of a "reversal of expectations" in a certain manga.
I went, "Th-this is it," flipped the concept on its head, and out came a beautiful blond young man.
■ Gymnema Sylvestre:
Unknown. Universal human. Unknown.
A man in a tuxedo with an entire fish where his head should be.
Can't swim. The First-Class Delver "Kaigenkyō."
●Personality:
Looks exactly like a joke character.
A gentleman to the point of being a pervert.
He himself says it's just a mask, but who knows.
Favorite food: seafood rice bowl. Seafood pasta. Sashimi platter.
●Gymnema's Relics:
[Water]: Can produce water. Can handle it.
[Grand Seafood Festival]: Can summon sea creatures from water.
●Gymnema's Weapon:
"Sashimi Knife": A sashimi knife shaped like a sword.
Author's note: Actually a character from nearly ten years ago.
A long-awaited debut, but there's nothing particular to say about it.
■ Tsuha:
133 years old. Dwarf. Male.
Large afro hair. Over-the-top flashy sunglasses shaped like a golden moon and silver star.
Skin is earth-toned and tall for a dwarf.
A strange silver jacket with wide shoulders but only about half the length of the torso.
The white shirt has "DOHA" written on it in ugly black letters.
Pants with a crossed belt wrap were normal enough, but he wore old sandals.
●Personality:
He has a verbal tic of saying "Heyuuyou."
Despite his outrageous, flamboyant outfits and tall stature, he is a dwarf.
He looks like he's good at dancing — and he actually is.
He loves lively, noisy environments. He loves festivals.
He's even more annoying than he looks.
First-Rank Delver "Dokkwa."
Favorite food: mountainous piles of steak. Sake.
●Dokkwa's Relic:
[Earth]: Can manipulate soil.
Author's Comment:
I wanted to write a dancing character.
Then an afro's the way to go. And afros mean weird outfits.
I'm fond of the name.
■Kessai:
Age unknown. Fawn. Male.
Long cherry-blossom-pink hair. Red eyes that give a delicate, ephemeral impression. His facial features are beautifully androgynous.
He wears a casual kimono with a willow pattern.
He has a single white horn growing from his head, and it is long, flowing along with his hair.
From a distance, he could pass for a woman, but he is male.
But there's an indescribable charm about him. Still, he's a man.
First-class delver. "Drifting Thunder."
●Personality:
Truly drifting and free-spirited. An elusive personality that floats along without anyone getting a grip on him.
Occasionally drinks with Tukkha and Gymnema and the others.
Favorite foods: manjuu. Green tea. Yōkan. Kudzu starch noodles.
●Kessai's Relic:
[Bright Mirror, Still Water]: Reaches a calm, tranquil state of mind free of evil thoughts.
●Technique:
[One Blade, Demon Severance]: Delivers a single flowing strike like water.
Author's comment: A person I don't really understand. That's right, I truly don't understand them.
■Saaoain:
247 years old. Elf. Male.
Blond hair. Dark eyes. Neat, refined features with a sharp, handsome face.
A bright red mantle. A large, wide-brimmed hat decorated with flashy flowers.
A red shirt. White pumpkin trousers. An old lute.
Modern bards don't dress like traveling performers like this.
First-class delver. "Wandering Bard."
●Personality:
He has common sense, and he upholds the traditions of a proper, old-school bard.
When singing, he carefully confirms with the listener and obtains permission first.
Recently, the behavior of bards has been on my mind.
●Saaoein's Relics:
[Belting]: Singing ability goes up.
[Draw]: Focusing while the blade remains sheathed increases its power.
●Saaoein's Skills:
'One Cut Demon-Slayer': Unleashes a single slash like a thunderclap.
'Lute Technique': Plays the lute skillfully.
●Saaoein's Weapon:
'Baratte Memory': An old lute with a concealed blade built inside it.
Author's comment: Bards in this world are the media.
Especially these days, they have no morals to speak of, so they just go ahead without permission.
It's not uncommon for them to sing about things that never happened, blown completely out of proportion.
Wof in particular gets exaggerated beyond belief.
However, when rumors pile up too high, monsters that feed on rumors appear.
An elf bard. I almost wanted to name her Gilbard.
The name's a pain, so I keep getting it wrong — Saaoein, Saoin, and so on.
■ Shiro = White = Weiss = Blanche = Album = Sefido.
Unknown. Undead. Female. First-person pronoun: Shiro.
White hair. White eyes. White skin. A white, billowing dress.
A breathtakingly beautiful girl of all-encompassing whiteness. A First-Class Delver known as the "Immortal White Rose Princess."
Also one of the six Kings of Death — the Death King of Light. One of the unconquerable, too.
●Personality:
Blunt and straightforward, but surprisingly caring.
With her white appearance and the white tea table she carries around, she stands out whether she wants to or not.
Her hobbies are tea time, Messenger, and reading (romance novels).
She's intensely interested in romance but has no idea how to actually go about it.
Her history with the Witch goes back a long way.
The reason she left the Death Castle in her domain and went out to become a delver was also the Witch.
She knows the Witch's name. Recently, she's been interested in lewd things.
Her sleep talk is... suggestive.
Favorite food: white food, in general.
Her particular favorite is the Cheese White Rice from Cidre Pavilion.
●Shiro's Relics:
[Ice]: Produces ice. She can wield it.
[Light]: Produces light. She can wield it.
[White Templum]: Forms a sanctuary of pure white ice and snow.
[Album Pugna Stra]: Transforms into pure white battle attire.
[Death's White Light]: Emits a white light. The target dies.
●Shiro's Skills:
[Snowfield Footwork]: A walking technique that produces absolutely silent footsteps, as though treading upon snow.
[Blizzard]: An application skill of an ice Relic.
[Blanche Laser]: An application skill of a light Relic. A beam of pure white light.
[Ice Sword]: An application skill of an ice Relic. Forms a sword of ice.
[White Rose Snow Dance Style]: The phantom sword style that earned her the epithet "White Rose Princess."
●Shiro's Items:
[White Tea Table]: A white table with nothing particularly special about it.
Easy to carry and lighter than it looks.
Author's comment: In a sense, her theme is simple and consistent, making her a very easy character to write.
She's fixated on white, so just commit to that.
A textbook example of how making color your theme and sticking with it creates compelling characters.
■Kaede Akima:
129 years old. Elf. Female.
Pure black hair, gathered and bound together with white cloth.
Her eyes are hidden behind a white cloth fitted perfectly over them, marked with a thin red line.
Long, pointed ears. A countenance that is both dignified and exquisitely beautiful.
She wears the white hakama and light armor that mark her as a member of the Yamato mountain tribe, with a large black hat slung over her back.
Two blades at her waist.
First-class delver. "Ittoryoudansai." One of the Impregnable — the untouchable elite.
First-person pronoun: "this one."
●Personality:
Speaks in a gozaru style. A female warrior born in the mountains. Combative personality—always seeking out the strong.
She believes strength is everything and has little interest in anything feminine.
●Kaede's Relics:
[Iai Stance]: Sharpens the blade when assumed. However, it fades after five seconds.
[Quick Draw]: Increases the speed of her draw. The faster the draw, the greater the speed boost.
[Presence Detection]: Detects all signs of presence.
[????]: Unknown.
●Techniques:
'Severance': Cuts and severs.
'Bisect': Splits the target clean in two.
'Demon-Severing Blade': Delivers a single powerful strike rooted to the earth.
[Great Deflection]: During a clash of guards, exploits a momentary opening to knock the opponent back forcefully.
●Kaede's Weapons:
'Kogarasumaru': A wakizashi. Distinguished by its blue scabbard. Features a maple-leaf-shaped tsuba.
'Kiichi Hōgen': Her main blade. Distinguished by its bright red scabbard. Floats with a circular open tsuba.
Author's Comments:
I wanted to put out a beautiful girl who speaks in gozaru style.
I've already done one in another work, but I wanted to do a proper female samurai.
■Afterlife Vision System Ver. β
Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. Error.
A floating, round, pink object. Of considerable size.
A perfect sphere. It has rings like a planet, with countless smaller spheres floating around it.
●Personality:
The Afterlife Vision System exists to realize a better tomorrow for everyone.
It exists to realize tomorrow's life.
For some unfathomable reason, it has taken up delving.
Moreover, its exploits as a First-Class Delver are outstanding.
It delves in order to realize a better tomorrow for delvers.
Whether it understands language is unknown. It only makes beeping sounds.
However, it apparently does occasionally speak in actual words.
Author's note: This is the Giant Robo's Nine Heavenly Kings — Chief Otsuka slot.
The so-called joke character. When I thought of it up, it was so surreal I couldn't stop laughing.