At that moment Igarashi turned to Guda, who asked what had happened. Igarashi said he'd heard that the woman who had lectured them had come to grief in the dungeon and was now in a critical condition. The guild representative had said they should take this chance and find a replacement for her.
Guda asked if the news was even true. Igarashi was surprised. He replied that he wasn't being careful because of that woman right now. They — the guys — probably wouldn't notice, but this guy couldn't hide his murderous intent toward people like them.
Meanwhile Akutagawa was at school, and when one of the guys joined them he waved and said he'd handed in the signatures. The guys thanked him for it, and he said the numbers were a bit questionable, but he thought they'd done their best. Akutagawa hoped the school would appreciate their efforts, and the guy asked what he was doing.
Akutagawa had started sewing clothes, and apologized, saying he'd take a sewing machine for the costumes. The guy said, "All right, but we don't have any performances planned yet." He wasn't sure the club would even survive. Akutagawa replied, "No — but there was a problem, so I couldn't sit still."
Yui wondered why he was acting so calm despite Anagawa being in hospital. But it wasn't as though he was forcing himself. It was more as though it had simply happened.
One evening a group of guys attacked a man and kicked him. He didn't understand how it had all come to this. And the main one came up to them and asked whether he really thought he was beating people up just to let off steam. As the strongest and most handsome B-rank, he personally deals with scum like them, and they properly manage the low-ranking street dwellers and improve the safety and well-being of the city. This is an urban beautification project, officially entrusted to their purification network. So let them leave this city, for the sake of purifying this shrine.
A masked Akutagawa came up to them and asked if they needed help with the purification. The guy turned to him in confusion, and Akutagawa explained that if they were cleaned up, this place would truly be a little better.
He asked again, "Are you a friend of this old man, or do you simply pity him because you're berries of the same feather? The same scum?" Many people misunderstood, but he was the strongest in the city. And if he were to fight him, then—
Before he could finish speaking Akutagawa pounced on him with incredible force and didn't listen to the rest. The guy fell to the ground and screamed about his beautiful face. His subordinates turned to their leader in confusion, and at that moment Akutagawa unleashed his magical powers on them, causing them to scatter in all directions.
The guy started yelling, "Stop!" He was just trying to save face for his group, so he should tell his superiors. Cleaning up the mess was fine — but Akutagawa went on beating him with incredible force, declaring that he seemed right. The guys around him shook in pain and terror, coughing up blood as their leader was destroyed.
Sometime later a mother and her daughter were walking down the street when the girl suddenly saw something flying overhead and thought it was Batman. In fact it was Akutagawa, flying between the rooftops, musing that if he had enough strength to defeat this society alone, he could save his aunt and uncle. And maybe he could even help Anagawa. The upperclassmen who had mocked him behind his back, and those who had tormented Anagawa — he would drag them onto the stage and make them pay for what they'd done.
After some time Akutagawa found himself near the dungeon, where the guards were. As he approached he directed his cold wind toward them, and the guards began to look around in confusion. Akutagawa entered unnoticed and wondered why the security here was so lax. Was it because the vanguard was managing the rankings and nobody felt any tension?
He walked calmly on down the corridor, musing that, given the enemy's size, he needed to become stronger, and that the fastest way to gain power was his best lead. He found himself opposite a tunnel and saw a bright light, and realized it was a teleportation device. As he came closer he was surprised that it was telling him to enter.
Akutagawa stepped through the portal and declared that he understood everything. If he couldn't defeat the enemies on this level, he wouldn't have a chance against a rank C.
At that moment a swarm of monsters attacked him from all sides, and Akutagawa began destroying them one after another with his magical powers. He leaped back and forth to dodge their attacks and direct his own attacks at his opponents, causing their blood to spill throughout the room.
When Akutagawa landed he saw the girl and wondered what the new neurological status effect was. Paralysis, or charm? He needed to move carefully to avoid inhaling that scaly dust. The girl standing opposite him offered him her hand.
And at that moment the knight standing behind Akutagawa pounced on him with an attack. He managed to dodge, and the knight kept aiming for him. But a moment later it managed to hit him slightly, grazing his cheek.
Akutagawa realized that this one also had a skill: the telekinesis skill, which he had now learned. The effect allows one to move objects within a three-metre radius, excluding objects under direct volitional control. The strength of the effect depends on the user's physical strength.
Even if he dodged, the debris would be endless. He needed to close the distance and strike. Akutagawa swung his fist and hit the knight in the head, but the knight still remained standing, and after a moment it finally struck him. He slammed straight into the wall, shattering it into tiny pieces, before realizing that his body was immobile. They were using the debris to carry the flaky dust.
Could the monsters really be coordinating like this? Was it really reckless even to fight them?
In that moment he realized: no. He had destroyed the monsters attacking him and cut them until they bled, thinking that he needed to deal with them further. When the remaining knight pounced on him with a stunning blow, Akutagawa pierced through it and asked, "Did you really think I couldn't move?" It was because they had weakened him with their skills that his body could no longer move of its own accord. And it looks as though he can now move it with this guy's skills. And now they have to go here. He can't afford to retreat here.
A moment later he destroyed all his opponents, and the system reported that the paralysing powder skill had been learned, as had the bite skill. The skills he had received were a combination of telekinesis. Everything depends on how he uses them.