The Earth-san Has Leveled Up!

Chapter 10



2-2. Aozora Training Dojo 2

Day 3.

Two college-aged women joined Sasara and began running alongside her.

They said they were running for beauty and health. Having seen Meiko’s group running daily, they wanted to get closer. They were social butterflies incarnate.

Their arrival revealed something astonishing, Sasara had no idea that Meiko was a Dungeon Returner. Only after the women praised Meiko did Sasara finally find out.

“Is that true!? Meiko-san, you’re amazing!”

“Well, yeah, of course!”

Meiko gloated. She loved being praised.

When it was time for sword training, an event unfolded.

“Meiko-oneesama!”

The girl leading a group of six young girls called out to Meiko.

“O-Onee-sama!?”

“Meiko-oneesama! Please let us join your sword training!”

Listening to their story, Meiko learned that her over-the-top pose from her Dungeon Returner days had captivated these girls, who were starting sixth grade this spring.

For the record, they were the same age as her little sister, but in a different school district. This riverside path lay at the boundary between elementary and middle school districts.

“We’re beginners, though?”

“Even so, it’s better than doing nothing! Our dads just lie around saying, ‘Leave it to the police or the military’, but in today’s world, we need to protect ourselves! Adults don’t get it!”

At this, Meiko nodded sagely, feeling a sense of camaraderie. Her own father was the same type.

Just as Meiko was about to deliver some wise words, Sasara spoke up first.

“That’s the spirit! The desire to be strong is a truly admirable lady-like virtue! Stick close to Meiko-san, everyone!”

“Yes! But, um, who are you…?”

“I am Sasagasa Sasara, Meiko-san’s f-f-friend!”

Sasara emphasized the “friend” part, puffing out her chest with pride.

“Understood, Sasara-oneesama!”

“Sasara-oneesama… Hm, hmph!”

Being called “onee-sama” by elementary school girls made Sasara beam with a “not bad at all” expression.

And so, the training group grew.

During all this, Meiko froze with a slightly upward gaze and her mouth half-open, trying to look important.

However, one thing didn’t sit right with her.

For some reason, four of the six elementary school girls were taller and had bigger chests than she did.

Damn it, damn it!

“No overexerting! Take care of your chores at home! Only those who can follow these rules can join!”

Meiko inwardly wept, pounding the ground with her fists, but outwardly welcomed the girls to the training in a tough “big sister” tone.

Thus, the number of local elementary school girls gathering for sword training grew.

Meiko and Sasara led the group, swinging wooden sticks they had bought from the 100-yen store.

It wasn’t play; everyone seemed surprisingly serious.

Incidentally, there were quite a few elementary school girls bigger in “various ways” than Meiko, which made her tremble with frustration.

――――――

《Excerpt from a Certain Forum》

465, Anonymous Observer

U-Update…!

466, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

What happened!?

467, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Just this morning, weren’t there more sporty midriff-baring women joining the running!?

468, Anonymous Observer

During sword practice, six elementary school girls joined in!

Of those, four are future big-breasted candidates!

469, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Jump!

470, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Jump!

471, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Oh yeah, I haven’t visited Grandma’s house in Kazami Town lately. Maybe I’ll stay over tonight?

472, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

>471 Is your grandma living in an internet café?

473, Anonymous Observer

Waaaah, they’re all shouting “Ei! Ei!” together while practicing swings (*´ω`).

H-Help me…!

474, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Stop it, lol. You’ll make me report this for real.

475, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

What? I already reported it seriously, though.

476, Anonymous Observer

Stop it, seriously (;´Д`).

――――――

Day 4

A skinny man, mustering all his courage, joined the running. He vomited after 1 km and went home.

One of the college women said to him,

“If you’re a man, come back tomorrow. You must!”

Hearing her words, the man paused briefly before staggering away without looking back.

His retreating figure was drenched in melancholy. On the riverside running course, his back was on display for what felt like an eternity—a living hell.

Meiko panicked at the sports drama unfolding, while Sasara crossed her arms, nodding approvingly.

During sword training, the number of elementary school girls grew.

There were even some middle school girls joining in.

The group stretched, did strength training, and began sword practice.

Meiko had bought a large supply of protective plastic goggles the day before, funded by the one million yen she received from the government.

She distributed the goggles to everyone to prevent eye injuries. Thankfully, there were enough for the newcomers.

“1! 2! 1! 2!”

““““Ei! Ei! Ei! Ei!””””

The young girls’ spirited voices echoed under the open sky.

Though none of them knew real sword techniques, they swung their wooden sticks like it was more than just child’s play.

Their eyes, visible beneath the goggles, were filled with determination.

Suddenly, an old man appeared before them.

“Why do you swing swords, young ladies?”

“To protect ourselves and those we care about!”

Before Meiko or Sasara could respond, a serious elementary school girl answered promptly. This was the one who called Meiko “onee-sama”.

Meiko flustered, while Sasara nodded approvingly.

“Hohoho, youthful and naive, but that’s fine. Do you wish for strength?”

“Yes!”

“Then I shall train you.”

“No thanks!”

Girls are cautious of unknown men! That applies to old men too.

The girls’ surprising rejection left the old man dejected.

Meiko quickly intervened, stopping the girl’s decisive leadership.

“Gramps, do you know actual sword techniques?”

“Hmm, I do. You must be the young lady who returned from that strange vortex?”

“Yep.”

“You’re imagining those wooden sticks as sabers brought back from that vortex, aren’t you?”

“Yep.”

“Even though they lack knuckle guards… Let me show you.”

The old man picked up a spare stick and displayed a sharp, fluid motion that belied his age. His swift strike revealed a gleam beneath his thick white eyebrows.

To the amateur group, his masterful moves were nothing short of astonishing.

The riverside was filled with an air of awe.

The mysterious old man became their master.

Meiko began calling him “Sensei”, as it sounded cool to her.

The once-rejecting elementary school girl apologized sincerely and soon became the most diligent disciple. She even seemed closer to Sensei than Meiko.

――――――

《Excerpt from a Certain Forum》

777, Anonymous Observer

A new development!

778, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

>777 gt

779, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

You didn’t get it. What happened?

780, Anonymous Observer

An old guy showed up and took the mentor role!

781, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Wait, are we talking about thin books now?

782, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Serious question, does this need to be reported?

783, Anonymous Observer

Uh, I’m not sure.

784, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

What do you mean by “not sure”?

785, Anonymous Observer

Well, I was watching from my room, and the old guy made eye contact with me.

Even though I was 300 meters away, with the curtains almost closed, he stared straight at me.

786, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

What the—!?

787, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Is this some kind of master?

788, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Honestly, I’m more creeped out by you than the old guy.

789, Anonymous Observer

This is kind of scary. I’ll observe more carefully.

790, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

You’re still stalking them, huh? LOL

――――――――

Day 5.

The man from yesterday showed up again for a run. But he puked and gave up after just one kilometer.

The college girl cheered him on, and he trudged home, clutching his side.

“He’ll get stronger.”

Watching his retreating figure with a meaningful gaze, Meiko spoke knowingly.

Sasara chimed in, agreeing with a “Yes, indeed.”

During sword training, a high school girl started joining in.

At this point, the group dynamic made it awkward for any boys to join, leaving the mysterious old man as the lone authority figure.

The addition of high school girls also sent enthusiasts of high school girls on the forum into a frenzy.

By Day 6, the buzz had grown, and inspired by the girls, local housewives and retired elders started training with Meiko.

They didn’t want to join the running group, so they stayed behind with Sasara, the two college girls, and the guy who always left after one kilometer. Afterward, they did stretches and strength training together.

By Day 7, the women from the local shopping district started bringing lunch.

They set up a food station at the finish line of the run, where lunch was also served after sword training.

That day, five middle school boys joined for the first time. But the number of girls kept increasing even more.

Fueled by the energy of spring break, the event grew to the scale of a minor community festival.

The old man demonstrated mysterious teaching skills, and the students’ sword practice started to look pretty polished.

However, his focus wasn’t on the sword techniques themselves.

He emphasized dodging, footwork, and escape tactics instead.

This was because it was unlikely that the girls could defeat monsters on their own.

Thus, it was more practical to teach them to buy time until adults arrived.

The reasoning made sense, so it was widely accepted.

Even those who looked bored at first started taking it seriously after seeing Meiko and Sasara diligently practicing their dodging skills.

The elderly participants, unsure about their own skills, asked the younger ones for advice and gradually learned how to use them. Their expressions were entirely those of doting grandparents.

Meiko also shared her knowledge from the dungeon, carefully avoiding sensitive topics.

She had been specifically warned by Baba not to talk about anything related to karma.

However, when younger girls expressed anxiety about their low karma, they would form circles and discuss ways to improve it together.

Thus, an aozora training dojo emerged, attracting girls from elementary school to retirees and even some housewives.

The number of participants grew so large that a permit from the local government became necessary. Fortunately, someone responsible took care of the paperwork.

Meanwhile, boys slowly started joining in.

―――――

《Excerpt from a Certain Forum》

215, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

I joined Meiko-taso’s open-air training dojo!

It’s amazing—I haven’t felt this pure in years!

By the way, I’m from out of town!

216, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

Out of town, LOL

217, Anonymous Meiko Cultist

Ugh, why must the ocean separate me from this holy land…?!

218, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

You’re from the countryside, huh? LOL

219, Anonymous Meiko Cultist

How dare you! Shikoku isn’t the countryside!

220, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

But seriously, this town is incredible.

Maybe because of the dungeon, everyone’s really serious about training. I was shocked.

221, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

It’s been less than two weeks since the dungeon appeared, right?

How did it get to this point?

222, Anonymous Meiko Cultist

Because it’s a sacred land where the guiding goddess lives.

223, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

>222 is crazy, but not entirely wrong.

I heard Meiko-chan was the one who started the training.

224, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

What’s with that little kid? LOL

She’s awesome—keep it up!

225, Anonymous Meiko Cultist

Maybe I should just move there.

226, Anonymous Dungeon Traveler

You’re serious, huh? (;^ω^)

―――――

Meiko concluded the full-day training sessions on Day 9.

The next day marked the start of school.

Even so, she continued morning practice and found time for sword and skill training.

Throughout the nine days, Meiko had her stats measured by the Professor to track her progress.

The results were impressive enough to excite the Professor.

Initially, her abilities were below average for a third-year middle school student.

But after nine days of diligent training, she reached a level where she could easily excel in school sports clubs. Though not yet top-tier, she had made remarkable progress.

During these evaluations, she grew close to the Professor, to the point where they could casually grab ramen together.

She even became friendlier with him than with Baba, her assigned officer.

She also gained information about the dungeon through her visits to the Self-Defense Force base.

Although civilians weren’t supposed to know certain details yet, Meiko’s insights often provided valuable feedback, making her a kind of informal advisor.

Her [Synthesis Enhancement] skill also proved useful.

Self-Defense Force members would bring their dungeon-acquired weapons for her to enhance at a bargain price—just 1,000 yen per session.

She became something of a beloved mascot at the base.

Thus, Meiko wrapped up her spring break and entered high school.

This open-air training dojo began spreading rapidly across Japan.

The primary reason? Most participants were young girls, and they eagerly posted photos of their training sessions on social media.

“Training now”, they captioned.

Soon, an incident would arise that would propel this phenomenon to even greater heights.


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