HBWnovel Chapter 434
Chapter 434
Day 100 – Late Daytime, Dungeon, 69FSplitting into two groups in the morning, the plan was to clear the dungeons down to the 69th floor, then regroup and attack each dungeon from the 70th floor with both teams. Things had been going smoothly for us, but when we met up with Shimazaki-san’s tamed group and the Sport Clubs’ girls, they were kind of behind the schedule, although not actually struggling.
「Alright then, let’s crush this Dungeon!」
「「「「Yeah!」」」」
The reason for the delay was in this being a maze-type dungeon, which we hadn’t seen in a while. Regular adventurers prefer maze-style Dungeons because they can pick monsters off there one by one making them easier to clear, so we usually get assigned the floor-type or mixed-type Dungeons. We’re strong in large-scale battles on open floor layouts, but that doesn’t mean we’re bad at small party fights. It just takes time if we don’t have enough people.
「Shariceres-san and Meriel-san, you will frontline for the culture club group. Angelica-san and Nephertiri-san, assist and guide Arianna-san’s team.」
「「「Got it (Nod-Nod)」」」
What makes maze-types dangerous are narrow passages and poor visibility, but we’ve all got 『Presence Detection LvMAX』. Using『Search』 alongside it, we sweep through the maze, eliminating enemies one by one. Switch weapons for close-quarters combat, and we are perfectly prepared. 「Next corner, three. Ready?」
「I’ll take the right.」 「Then I’ll go center.」 「Umm~ I’ll just go wherever?」 「I’ll use Shield Bash to stop the enemy!」
Just as Haruka-kun had predicted long ago, once you pass Lv100, not only your stats, but your skill effects become dramatically stronger. Even if the enemy uses 『Stealth』or『Presence Suppression』 we still can find and destroy them.
「Next corner, four to the left, three straight ahead… but the Athletic Team’s up ahead. Let’s go left.」
「「「Roger~」」」
Treasure chests found in dungeons’ hidden rooms, and Dungeon Master drops. Constantly picking up epic-tier weapons and then fusing them with mythical material which is mithril through alchemy, and then casually slapping on powerful effects using the secret techniques said to be known only to the best blacksmiths. He provides them to us at bargain prices, but every piece is a legendary Artifact-tier gear. With weapons that slice through monsters dwelling on the deepest floors like butter, and perfectly custom-designed armor, anything less than a total victory isn’t acceptable.
「Alright!」 「Ah, must be nice to be you, getting Kotetsu-chan to yourself.」 「For six-sword style you’d need even more swords.」 「But didn’t you say you can still add more?」 「I can, but the controls are too much.」 「Buuut if you ask nicely, he might forge you another katana~?」 「「「Handmade!」」」
Everyone had already gathered at the rendezvous point, and it looked like Arianna-san’s group had just arrived too. It’s great that they’re motivated, but the pace is way too high.
「Thanks for waiting, but don’t rush too much. If you get hurt again, that overprotective worrywart’s going to slap us with another floor restriction, so safety first, alright?」
「「「「Got it, we’ll be fine.」」」」
Next up is the 70th floor and a floor boss. We swap to group battle gear, head down the stairs, and immediately shift into formation for the encounter. It’s foolish to try to hold our ground against a bear. Bait, surround, strike, retreat, trap it, and strike again. Avoid fighting it head on, and attack from the flanks. Hunt it without fighting, just gradually cut it down without trading blows. Even if it’s an opponent we could overwhelm with brute force in a head-on clash, we still kill it while keeping an overwhelming advantage.
According to Haruka-kun, 「Just because you got stronger doesn’t mean you have to become a barbarian, you know? That kind of progression leads to the final stage, the Idiots. Yep. That’s beyond saving.」 Also, 「Minimizing damage while maximizing destruction is a method derived from the many painful experiences of us regular false-accusation victims. It’s what I call Professional Victim Combat Strategy.」 He says all this with a completely straight face, like he’s not the culprit. He always insists on some nonsense like being the poor, unfortunate survivor of a monster massacre, while standing atop a mountain of bodies.
「GugugaaaAAAaaaaaahhh!」 「Take this!」 「Gaaahh!」 「Hyaah!」 「Daaah!」 「Gyawuu!」 「Haaah!」 「Wah, wait!」 「Gggghh!」 「Eat this!」 「This?」 「This?」 「THIS!」 「This?!」 「Hiyah!」 「Yaaah!」 「Diie!」 「GwaaaGaaGwagagagaaaaAAAH♪」 「「「Hah!」」」
Yeeah, any chance you could not fight with that kind of energy like you’re about to take over the world? And don’t ride Bear-san either, okay? I mean, some may classify him as a mount, but let’s just take it down properly, alright? It really feels like everyone’s been way too influenced by a certain self-proclaimed human Highschool Boy of questionable character. And just like that, Bear-san collapsed as if exhausted from dancing, turning into a mana stone. And such a satisfied look on its face, as if saying it had no regrets. HEY!
We once again split up and continue clearing the 70s floors. In combat, it’s possible we’ll be forced to fight separately, and it’s highly possible that Arianna-san’s group would end up isolated. Maze-type Dungeons are a headache, but they might be good training grounds for fighting in small units.
Beautiful demons of war, merciless like devils, more brutal than ogres. They are overwhelming. Shimazaki-san’s team (the Bitches) is on a rampage, slaughtering monsters with savage, unrivaled ferocity.
They’ve long since passed Lv110, and ever since it was revealed that experience distribution with the master had reversed, they’ve been killing as many monsters as possible, ravenously hunting for XP, believing that XP will reach Haruka-kun, although calling it repayment doesn’t quite fit the overall brutality of their activities. They’re outright genociding the monsters. Yet their blood-stained faces look proud and strikingly beautiful. But still…
「Shimazaki-san’s group is too fast. Arianna-san’s team is supposed to be training and leveling up, so you can’t just take everything.」
「「「「Ah, sorry. We kinda got carried away! Sorry.」」」」
Then there’s the two teams sitting at both extreme ends of the spectrum, martial athletic clubs’ team, sharpening their techniques like warriors, and the culture clubs group, weaving precise strategies to entrap and annihilate with calculated precision. By the way, pairing them up results in an incredibly well-matched team, but the fights tend to drag on.
Swordsmanship flowing elegantly like poetry in motion, blades dancing in bloom. It looks like an elegant demonstration to kill time, but it’s so advanced that it actually can’t be used as a reference. All you can do is admire the sheer beauty of it.
Angelica-san clad in white silver armor, and Nephertiri-san wearing faintly gold nearly silver one, when the two of them stand side by side, it transforms the battlefield into a quiet world of destruction. But when Haruka-kun is between them, it’s not the world but common sense that gets destroyed.
The embodiment of beauty and the pinnacle of martial prowess. Everyone can’t help but be awestruck by them anew as if witnessing goddesses walking the mortal realm. When Haruka-kun is around, they follow him like affectionate puppies, playing and sticking to him with smiles like clingy cats. But when he’s not there, even though they’re still smiling, there is something awe inspiring about them. That violent beauty and fearsome presence almost swallows you whole. It’s so far beyond normal, so stunning, that you feel compelled to revere them.
「「「They’re just amazing! I mean, seriously, they’re so good we can’t even learn anything from them aside from the fact that they are amazing!」」」
Before the battle with the floor boss on the 80th floor, we take a short break, taking off our chest armor for ventilation. Some are even lifting the tops and fanning themselves like that. If Haruka-kun was here definitely would’ve been overjoyed, but at this rate, they might just do this with him present without realizing it, so it’s probably a good idea to give them a bit of a warning. The new armor is outstanding in every way, but because it’s not breathing, prolonged combat can cause heat exhaustion. Our levels are high enough that it’s not a concern, but we should always aim to keep the optimal physical condition.