am-books Chapter 418
Chapter 418
Day 97 – Afternoon, Dungeon, 81FIs it wrong to look for a way to kill time in the Dungeon? (Roll roll)
「So boooring~.」
(Nod-Nod, Nod Nod, Jiggle-Jiggle)
Because, we’ve got nothing to do.
「Break through the right wing and surround them!」 「「「「Jaa!」」」」 「Form a shield wall, push forward!」 「「「「Jaa!」」」」 「Switch to bows, aim for the center.」 「「「「Got it」」」」 「Prepare for a charge, any (bleep) who can’t keep up will be turned into (bleep) by the (bleep)!」 「「「「Yes, ma’am!」」」」 「Right flank secured!」 「We’ve broken through the center!」 「Rear guard, rapid fire! We’ll overwhelm them with numbers!」 「Prepare for melee, trample them!」 「「「「「Jaa!」」」」」 (*Chatter*)
The puppies are crying, and now even their barks have been silenced.
「Split up and secure the magic stones. Anyone injured, report to the medics.」
「There’s a ton of good ones, huh? Maybe the lower floors are more profitable?」
「But it’s taking time, so on an hourly rate it’s kind of the same?」
「Normally you’d have to factor in weapon wear-and-tear, but ours don’t break.」
「Armor doesn’t even get scratched. Only arrows get used up, so no real expenses?」
Even if it’s pricey upfront, high-grade gear doesn’t wear out, and more importantly, it doesn’t break. Ultimately, it lasts longer, and in terms of cost-effectiveness, it reduces ongoing costs and upkeep, so it’s actually cheaper. And weapons that don’t break protect your life. In other words, getting ripped off is actually a good thing!
「Everyone gather up, let’s do a quick debrief.」 「「「「Okay!」」」」 「Issue for discussion: was it really necessary to split the rear guard?」 「Ahh, we were holding them off fine.」 「But when they got distracted by arrows from above, the charge was way easier.」 「Plus having a second line makes it easier to fall back if needed.」 「With Arianna-san and the others up front, we had the numbers anyway.」 「Wouldn’t it have been better to break through the right and flank them from the back?」 「Eh~, worst case we’d get cut off.」 「Pincher attack or crossfire?」 「We’re using swords, it’s the same thing, isn’t it?」 「Half-encirclement makes cornering them easier.」 「True that.」 「Any other points?」 「「「「We’re more worried about the instructors’ giant board game battle!」」」」 「「「「「Yeah! What’s up with that!」」」」 「Seriously, 『move back 100 spaces』? Just how big is this board?!」 「And what are the rules for when the pieces battle?」 「What do terms like 『interception』 and 『breakthrough』 even mean?!」 「They were doing pincher moves and crossfire in a board game?」 「What’s this 『Jump』 thing? Why are the pieces flying around?!」 「And what happens when a 『trap』 activates?!」 「「「「It’s too distracting! We can’t focus on the fight! Please stop the board game!」」」」
See? They’re bored. Seems schoolgirls don’t quite appreciate SLG-style board games, even though it’s this heated dice-based board game where you dash around the map, ambushing enemies, blocking paths, sometimes cooperating and sometimes betraying each other using every strategic option imaginable, they are somehow dissatisfied? It’s fun, you know? Great for killing time, but it takes forever, and we are in the middle of a long combat, so we can’t stop now? If there’s a flaw, it’s that it always devolves into a dogpile near the goal, and in the ensuing pursuit battles the goal keeps getting farther away, so we can’t quite finish. But that’s also why it’s great for killing time. Yeah, it’s pretty intense..
I got scolded?
「Frontline, spread out. Push them back!」 「「「「Jaa!」」」」 「20% of the enemies are paralyzed.」 「Arianna-san, take the left.」 「Understood!」 「Center’s too open, pull back, pull back」…
「Damn, landed on a mine! (Roll roll) Crap, my piece’s HP down 50%, and movement speed halved!」 (Jiggle-Jiggle~) 「My turn! You’re not getting away! This is payback for earlier!」 「Wait, if you attack here, Armored Pres-san’s gonna head straight for the goal!」 「Ah! Trap activated… 『Move to G74』?! This is the worst!」 (Jiggle-Jiggle) 「If that spot’s blocked, the detour’s way too long, we’ll have to fight. Let’s settle this honorably!」 (Bounce-Bounce!) 「Time for a sneak attack from behind! Just the way I love it!」 「Ugh, I’m trapped! Where’s the Jump space?!」 「Gahh! Slime-san, how could you betray me?! Et tu, Slime-san?!」 (Jiggle-Jiggle-Jiggle) 「Ahh, again?! A pitfall… to K-40…?」 「Mine now! I jump 6 spaces, taking the lead!」 「Tch!」 (Bounce!) …
「「「「We told you to stop because it’s distracting! It just sounds way too fun! Why does the board game sound more exciting than combat in a dungeon?!」」」」
Just when it was getting good, the battle seemed to have ended. I was finally about to escape from Dancing Girl-san and Slime-san’s encirclement route and move into position to block Armored Pres-san’s path, but we ran out of time. But still, if we let Dancing Girl-san go free, she’ll escape. The issue is what Slime-san will do, but Slime-san has a poker face and is impossible to read! Yeah, it’s always round, you know?
They’re obviously angry, but it’s just soo boring. Even Nietzsche once said, 『I’m so bored I could tie up the gods and drown them』 or something to that effect, it’s that boring. I mean, you’ve got this in the bag, right? So there’s no reason for the instructors to intervene. Hence, we’re bored out of our minds and would be happy to beat the Old Fart (god) till he’s dead, but since he’s not here, we are playing sugoroku. It’s finally my turn, so I really want to get on with it, you know?
Because if we don’t hurry, it’s probably gonna be the end soon. I’m pretty sure this dungeon is only a few floors over 80. A Dungeon that goes past floor 90 usually has some mentally exhausting gimmicks, and there’s no sign of that here. Judging from the layout and structure, it’s probably not that deep. If it were a 90+ floors Dungeon, the monsters would have more quirks and things wouldn’t be this straightforward. And a full 100-floor Dungeon is on another dimension entirely. A Dungeon Emperor-san awaiting the very bottom is another level of wonderfulness, which I now get to enjoy every night? Thank you very much? Sincerely yours?
「Well, I watched the training and yeah, you’ve really gotten stronger. As expected, those over-Lv100, those 『Over-sans』 are amazing, but if I call them『oba-san』 instead, they give you this wicked glare?」
「I’m trying. Really… trying to be strong. With all my… heart.」
「You become stronger because you have a reason to. Because your feelings… are strong.」
(Bounce-Bounce)
「You’re trying to spin this as something heartwarming, but those three were beating you into the ground during training, so it’s hard to gauge your strength, you know? Even if you’ve gotten stronger, seeing you knocked out with (X_X) eyes in a pile doesn’t exactly make it feel real. Yeah, they were totally pummeling you, weren’t they?」
(Whistle-Whistle♪, Whistle Whistle♪, Wounce-Wounce~♪)
N-no way, a triple-whistle harmony? They went with Verdi’s Triumphal March from the opera Aida?! I mean, yeah, Aida does suit Dancing Girl-san, but isn’t the Triumphal March a bit too grand to be used to cover something up? Yeah, they are super smug and have zero remorse. If anything, it feels like a proud declaration of 『Damn right we did』, that’s awful!
To the majestic melody of the triumphant march, the girls made their return, as true victors. They have that Flat Gaze however? Wait, even the Sister Girls have learned to do that! Is that a skill after all?
「What with this sudden epic BGM during the combat? I ended up charging in without thinking!」
「「「Yeah, yeah!」」」
「And why did the snakes turn into a trumpets and start an orchestra?!」
「「「Seriously, seriously!」」」
「Then Nephertiri-san started doing classical ballet, and even the monsters were moved and started clapping!」
「「「Yeah, made them really hard to kill?!」」」
The wolfmen,『Werewolf Lv81』, who tearfully gave a standing ovation, clapped their hands while howling 『Uwoooon!』 were all cut down from behind. Pretty cruel? Well, I doubt they were moved by the opera. More likely, they were excited by Dancer-san’s seductive dance, her exposed skin, her glamorous costume, and the dazzling, sensual poses she struck. Yeah, I get it. I really do. But if I say that out loud, I’ll probably get slashed from behind too! That’s scary?
part 2 in a few hours