Original subtitles

You might win an extra item!

I adjusted the transfer circle

so that you can only travel between here and the Clearflow Lake stratum.

Don't worry, I set it so monsters can't use it.

Good work, Hulemy.

Well done.

Oh, look at all the hard work. I'm impressed.

Once things settle down here, we might as well go back to the Clearflow Lake stratum.

We're done patrolling.

Looks like there are no remnants in the village.

I'm so tired.

Captain! Why am I paired up with this pervert?!

Good grief, I haven't used any illusion magic.

Where is this pervert of whom you speak?

Because somebody has to stand watch.

Bear with it.

Oh, pay it no mind.

It's a gentleman's job to protect a frail lady.

C-Calm down, Shui.

How can I be calm?!

He keeps digging shoes out of collapsed houses,

and his nose twitches as he tries to smell them!

It's utterly gross!

She seems to be emotionally unstable, the poor thing.

Smell this!

This is high-level combat, but the reason they're fighting is tragic.

Hey, Boxxo. You got some time after this?

Y-ea.

That's good.

I thought I'd have you stop by the Menagerie of Fools' base.

E? H-ere?

Yeah, it's in the Origin stratum.

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon

On the outside, a rectangular steel box.

Hidden within is a human soul!

In a world of wonder, I go to and fro on the back of my partner Lammis!

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon

I am Boxxo! Hello there!

That means "yes"!

Sweet Temptation

I'm surprised that the Menagerie of Fools has its base in the Origin stratum.

Boxxo, Lammis, Hulemy.

There's something that it's about time we told you.

Yes. It would be... best if they knew.

Did a shadow just cross Filmina's face?

I think the mood's shifted for the red/white twins, too.

Is something going on?

That's enough messing around, you two!

Just give me a minute!

I think I can put one right through his head.

My, my. I haven't used any mental manipulation magic,

and yet I'm hearing things.

Sorry, Boxxo.

We'll wait for those fools to settle down,

and then you can all come to our base.

Hello there.

It's news to me that the Menagerie of Fools' base is in the Origin stratum.

We didn't want it to stand out.

How long have you been a member, Shui?

Less than two years, still.

Does that mean Hevee has been in it longer?

Yes, I am her senior.

But then, we do not bother with troublesome vertical hierarchy in the Menagerie.

If we did, I would have to show respect to Aka and Shiro for being my seniors.

That's a surprise. Aren't those twins younger than you?

Yes, Hulemy.

They are, but the first members of the Menagerie of Fools

were Captain Kerioyl, Vice Captain Filmina, Aka, and Shiro.

Those four.

Oh yeah? I didn't know that.

It's the first time Shui's heard it, too?

Come to think of it, those four often disappear all at once,

and they work together a lot.

If you're curious, why not ask them about it later?

Wa-t-s u-p?

Oh, sorry, Master Boxxo.

Hearing all that reminded me of something I've been wondering about.

Y-ea.

It's something I sense about Aka's and Shiro's presence...

No, never mind.

I shouldn't go around speculating about these things.

After hearing only that much, now I'm really curious.

Um...

This is the menagerie's base.

It sure has nice ventilation.

Oh, that's not it.

It's beyond this hidden door.

Come on down, everyone.

Hey.

Sit wherever you like.

Boxxo, would you mind dispensing drinks for everyone?

Hello there.

Kocha Kadan

Welcome to the Menagerie of Fools' hideout.

We've gathered you here today for one reason.

We figured we'd tell you our objective.

First, a quick review.

Do you remember how you can have a wish granted if you master this dungeon?

"I shall grant thee a single wish for reaching the lowest stratum.

Offer the proof that thou hast subdued a mighty stratum lord."

I believe that's how the legend goes.

Yeah, and there was a team that actually reached the bottom stratum

of a dungeon in a land to the southwest.

I hear they actually had their wishes granted,

and that's apparently when the dungeon ceased to exist.

Huh? That means...

If somebody gets a wish granted, the Clearflow Lake stratum will be gone?!

Yeah, that's right.

What happens to the people inside a dungeon when it goes away?

Seems they get forcefully ejected outside it.

Don't worry, nobody ends up getting destroyed along with the dungeon.

Good, the residents won't get caught up in it.

So, yeah.

The vice captain and I thought we'd reveal our wish.

Sorry to keep it from you for so long.

What?! There's a door there?!

Come this way.

Huh?

What's that?

What in the world?

It's faint, but I sense a presence.

He must not be dead.

This... is Filmina's and my child.

Huh? What'd he say?

This boy is our son.

Um, I can't keep up.

Huh? Why isn't anyone having much of a reaction?

I thought there'd be shouts of surprise here.

What?!

You two are married?!

That's what I was waiting for, Lammis!

I did think they were quarrelsome yet close,

but I had no idea they were married with a child.

What's more, their child is asleep inside a crystal.

It'd be much more unnatural not to be surprised.

Sorry to keep it a secret.

It's been nearly twenty years since we got married.

That it has, dear.

And so, Aka and Shiro are our kids, too.

Ehhhh?!

I'm surprised you never caught on.

Sorry to keep it quiet.

Now it makes sense that Aka and Shiro's presence

seemed similar to the captain's and vice captain's.

You're not surprised, Hevee?

I've never seen you lose your cool, and I was kind of looking forward to it.

Sorry to betray your expectations.

I had vaguely picked up on it already.

You really are crafty.

Oh, so that means you two are that boy's big brothers?

Nope.

He's the oldest.

You see, we're triplets.

Well, we might as well tell you about our sleeping son before we tell you our wishes.

Hulemy, I bet you know what this crystal is.

Probably a crystal coffin?

Correct as expected.

What's that?

They're magic items that were created long ago.

I hear when someone enters one, their time stops indefinitely and they don't age.

He has a negative blessing, as it turns out.

Negative blessing?

As you know, blessings are super powers one is granted by a good god.

Lammis has the Blessing of Might, and I guess Boxxo has his barrier.

And so, a negative blessing is a worthless power bestowed by an evil god.

Thanks to that, he couldn't even manage everyday life.

We couldn't bear to watch him get worse by the day,

so we decided to have him stay asleep here until we could find a way to help him.

So, time has stood still for him and he's remained the same age.

Of the triplets, two of them had no problems,

but he alone ended up with a negative blessing.

As for what it is...

It's the Blessing of Decay.

An utterly horrid blessing, where not only does anything he touch rot,

but his own body would gradually decay as well.

To make matters worse, he was born with the Blessing of Hyper-Recovery.

He feels the pain of his body continuously decaying,

all while it regenerates due to Hyper-Recovery,

and he must go on doing so until the day he dies.

But why did he get a negative blessing?

We once all but wiped out a certain team of hunters,

and to get revenge they used an ancient cursed item to give him the negative blessing.

Despite that, it took me a while to realize he'd been saddled with Blessing of Decay.

By the time I figured it out, he could hardly even get around due to the pain.

Great parenting, huh?

After hearing all this, even an idiot would know what their wish is.

Our wish is to get rid of his negative blessing.

We're prepared to do anything for that.

This crystal coffin's likely to be effective for another year to two at most, maybe less.

We don't have much time.

This is what we wanted to discuss.

Would you defect with us over to the Netherlord's side?

Reborn as a Vending Machine,I Now Wander the Dungeon

Boxxo.

Would you defect over to the Netherlord's side?

Captain, that's messed up!

He's the one who tried to kill us all!

What a dumb—

If I could exchange everyone's lives to do away with my son's pain,

I'd gladly offer them up!

Family is what's most important to me!

Hey Captain, about this defection thing.

How would you even do it?

The commander who was on this stratum seems willing to arrange it.

On the Netherlord's orders, she was planning on contacting us in the first place.

That figures.

We want to conquer the strata and get our wish granted.

He wants us to get through to the final stratum,

so he can take full control over the dungeon.

Our interests happen to coincide.

There's no guarantee the Netherlord would honor his side of the bargain.

I'm aware of that.

But look, how long would it take to defeat him and get the dungeon back to normal?

We don't have time to do this the slow way!

Even if we know it's a trap,

it's the only thing we can cling to!

Aren't there any of you who'd be willing to come with us?

We know the situation now, but our answer to that question is obvious.

So much for negotiation.

That's too bad.

Y-ea, too bad.

You're the one we wanted the most, Boxxo.

Boxxo will always stay with me!

I'm not handing him over to anyone!

Part of a clergyman's duty is to lead allies from folly back to a righteous path.

Perhaps a poke from my weapon will bring you back to your senses.

Or kill us.

It's not like we're gonna go around killing anyone.

We're just going to use the Netherlord so we can conquer the dungeon!

He's probably thinking the same thing.

He'll throw your group to the wolves once he's done with you.

Now what? Lammis doesn't have full control of her Blessing of Might.

It's too dangerous for her to fight them under those conditions.

I know!

S-oo-i an-d S-i-s, co-m h-ea-r.

Thanks for the save, Boxxo.

Wait a minute! Is "Sis" supposed to be me?!

There's gotta be another option!

S-or-ry.

I'll have to think of a more appropriate moniker.

Great, looks like there's no avoiding a fight.

So let's do this, boys!

You got it, Pops!

Yeah, you're good at close combat, too!

Only barely good enough, though.

Hey, I'm here, too!

Whoa, that's scary!

One hit would be lethal!

Don't worry, Aka.

If you die, I'll go on dates with the girls you've tried to pick up.

I didn't want to fight, but it's on!

I want to jump in too, but the room's so small, I'd hit my own people.

I guess I'll just have to count on the efforts of Mishuel and Hevee.

Don't tell me you're slowing down, Hevee?

I didn't expect your blades to be poisoned.

The poison won't kill you.

It'll just cause sharp pain all over...

Hold on, does it not hurt?

I used my blessing to temporarily relieve the pain.

A blessing that relieves pain?

Yes, the illusions and mind meddling are not magic.

They're the power of the Blessing of Sensory Manipulation.

I've never heard of a blessing like that.

Hulemy, perhaps you have heard of it?

Yeah. As blessings go, I hear it's about as rare as Boxxo's barrier.

You're okay with me explaining it, Hevee?

Sure, I do not mind.

This blessing lets you control someone's senses, such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste.

Looks like it can also control the sensation of pain.

Wait a minute!

Can it get rid of my son's pain?

Unfortunately, I cannot use its analgesic effect on other people.

Oh.

I apologize for not meeting your expectations.

This is such a pain.

I wish you'd hold back more!

You'd get away if I did.

Filmina! Aka! Shiro!

Right!

Yeah!

Okay!

Here goes!

What? Are they about to try something?

What's going on?!

He was fine just a moment ago!

Hevee!

I don't know what he did to Hevee,

but whatever they try, I'll repel it all with my barrier!

Hevee's not the only one who's been hiding what he can do!

Wha? But I didn't turn it off!

This is the spell Filmina used in battle against the crocodile fiends!

I never thought I'd have to use the secret weapon I was saving for the Netherlord.

Master Boxxo! Everyone!

I will give chase immediately!

Don't do it.

We don't know what the captain's power does, so chasing him alone is too dangerous!

First let's see to Hevee!

They really got us. I suppose he's not the captain for nothing.

How can you be so calm?!

Were you putting on an act so they could get away?!

Perish the thought.

I was immobilized by severe pain until a moment ago.

Right now, I'm simply once again using my blessing to relieve the sensation.

A blessing that can turn off Sensory Manipulation, and also Boxxo's barrier...

The captain's eyes were glowing red back there.

I saw them, too. They were bright red.

Y-ea. Y-ea.

In that case, what comes to mind is the Blessing of Eye-Breach.

It's practically a legend, and it lets you negate other blessings.

The captain's Blessing of Eye-Breach means serious trouble for me.

If I can't use my barrier or Telekinesis, I'm nothing but a convenient vending machine.

Oh, right. For a vending machine, I suppose that's fine.

We need to report this to the director.

Shall we return to the village for now?

Yeah, let's do that.

They took off and left their son behind.

They must think we won't harm him.

He has done nothing wrong, after all.

To get right to the point, I put Kerioyl and the others on the wanted list.

To think they would betray us...

It would seem I was "naïve."

Sorry.

I wish they had talked it over with us too, before making up their minds.

The vice captain's circumstances probably had something to do with it.

She isn't good at asking for help.

I still wish they'd talked to us!

Yes. Me, too.

The way they left their precious son behind

might be our fool captain's way of sending a message.

If only they hadn't felt backed into a corner...

I should probably feel angry that they've done something so treacherous,

but I just can't bring myself to.

Well, if we believe what Kerioyl said,

they'll likely go to the final stratum and begin conquering it.

How do you suppose they mean to travel between strata?

Good question.

The Netherlord might have some magic item for moving between strata.

Or they could simply use the transfer circles that are deep within each stratum.

Oh right, there's a stratum lord in the depths of each stratum.

A transfer circle appears if you defeat it.

However, I doubt we have to worry about them conquering the dungeon anytime soon.

What do you mean?

The four of them are not powerful enough alone.

If they mean to outmaneuver the Netherlord, they'll need trustworthy comrades.

Which means, they'll likely try to win someone over, or recruit acquaintances.

The two remaining Menagerie members!

Those two are oddballs.

If the captain can cajole or bribe them, they could very well end up aiding him.

Yeah, we can't rule that out.

If Hevee calls them oddballs, what exactly are they like?

Which means that while we're restoring the peace on each stratum,

we should try to be the first to make contact with the remaining members,

and win them over to our side.

There you have it.

But while the two of them should be somewhere inside the dungeon,

I don't know which stratum they are on.

It had been my responsibility to locate them, but I was shut up inside the prison.

In the middle of an important mission, he was detained for acts of perversion.

In any case, we're in a bind right now.

We can't freely travel between strata.

Then let's go back to Clearflow Lake stratum.

Restoration has only just begun. There's a long list of things to do.

He's right. Let's all go back to Clearflow Lake stratum!

Too many different things happened on this stratum.

And it's sure been a crazy time to be a vending machine.

Here I am, doing something as important as crushing the Netherlord's ambitions.

It would make sense if I were in the role of the legendary hero.

But I'm a vending machine.

Even so, my body might be inorganic, but my heart is human.

I want to save everyone.

A lot's happened, but let's fight on together, Boxxo.

Hello there.

Well, I don't know how much I can manage as a vending machine,

but I'll devote all my electricity to keeping her and myself together!

All right, I'm activating it.

Has it been tampered with?!

Wh-What?!

Everyone get away from the transfer circle!

Except I can't move!

Boxxo! Boxxo!

Where am I?

Did I get sent to some other stratum by myself?

Based on what Hulemy was shouting,

something must have gone wrong with the transfer circle.

I wonder if everyone's okay.

And I'm concerned about Lammis.

Oh, I'd better move, or I'll be in the way if someone else transfers.

So, now what?

Should I find a way to open the door and go out, or wait here instead?

Hulemy! Director Bear!

Lammis!

Where's Lammis?!

Next Time: The Animals and the Girl

You might win an extra item!

I look forward to your next use.