《Reincarnated in the game world》 Ch. 0.1 - Vol.1 illustration Volume 1 cover (Zephyr, Lana, Hannah) From left to right - Zephyr, Hannah, Sierra, Ester, Lana and apparently Sachineko-sama) Marie-senpai S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. SIERRA Guild establishment celebration Ch. 0.2 - Vol.2 Illustration Volume 2 cover (Cat ear - Karua and behing her Rika) S?a?ch* Th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Ch. 0.3 - Vol.3 Illustration Volume 3 cover - Sierra Cecilia S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Celestine Philis-sensei Ch. 0.4 - Vol.4 Illustration V5 Cover -- Quite small resolution since its not out yet S?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Ch. 86.5 - Academy’s information Terminal – Public bulletin board 4 670. Nameless 3rd year WarriorHey, hey, did you all see yesterday''s news!!? Those ?Brawny Warrior? are up once again! 671. Nameless 2nd year Magician The first-year one, right? I saw that a while ago. 672. Nameless 2nd year Adventurer I was also surprised when I heard five of those ?Brawny Warrior? have formed a party, and now, there''s now even a first-years-only ?Brawny Warrior? guild. The news has already spread around like wildfire. 673. Nameless 3rd year Warrior Holy, S-So much was going on? I didn''t even notice anything. 674. Nameless 2nd year Priest So what? There''s nothing to fret over missing some news only. 675. Nameless 2nd year Adventurer But speaking of them, any follow-up news? 676. Nameless 3rd year Supporter Yeah, in short, the group of those give ?Brawny Warrior? rejected the invitation of B-rank guild ?Muscles are strongest? and created their own guild after that. You should have a look at the crowd rushing at the door of Musculars to interview them after getting the wind of news. Muscular''s leader is a bit hot-headed but he''s quite an understandable person. He made sure to reply truthfully/ Except that a lot of those bunch return back with trauma. 677. Nameless 3rd year Warrior Just what in the world had happened!? 678. Nameless 2nd year Adventurer Ah, you mean that famous hospitality of muscles...... 679. Nameless 3rd year Warrior Muscle hospitality?! 680. Nameless 2nd year Priest Stop this instant. Please keep this topic 100 feet apart from me (shiver). 681. Nameless 3rd year Warrior N-no way, you were one of the receptionists of that muscle hospitality!? 682. Nameless 2nd year Priest What, no. It''s not anything like that. 683. Nameless 3rd year Warrior Then explain why you''re shivering! 684. Nameless 2nd year Magician Say, Supporter-senpai. You also think it is all because they see ?Eden? as a rival? 685. Nameless 3rd year Supporter This is most likely the case. ?Eden? was after all now an unprecedented guild housing the strongest job holders, ?Brave?, ?Saintess? and many others. I heard they had no rival, but it seemed like the task has been shouldered by those first-year''s guild, ?Machos?. 686. Nameless 2nd year Magician Hmm, I think that name is definitely referencing the Musculars. 687. Nameless 2nd year Priest Good, or else I would have seriously felt compelled to screw open their mind and see if their mind is being hijacked by something else. 688. Nameless 3rd year Supporter By the way, musculars is but their alias, the correct name of B-rank guild is ?Muscles are the Strongest?. It''s just easy to spell the former. 689. Nameless 2nd year Magician The names are getting so confusing. 690. Nameless 3rd year Supporter Anyway, leaving the naming aside, they are surely grabbing attention. Let''s look over them for now. . . . . . 789. Nameless 3rd year Investigator Breaking news guys! I have absolutely breaking news in my hand! 790. Nameless 2nd year Axman What? Did something happen again? But I have yet to get any words in my School Handbook. 791. t3 Is it about girls!? 792. Nameless 3rd year Investigator Like hell I would tell you if it was over girls. Anyway, the news is that the ?Rescue Committee? has just received a rescue call. The dream guild of first-year, ?Machos?, composed only of ?Brawny Warriors?, has faced a wipeout in the Beginner-mid dungeon. 793. Nameless 2nd year Priest What!? Wipeout!? 794. Nameless 2nd year Adventurer Hold the helllll out! Are you for real!? 795. Nameless 3rd year Investigator ?Rescue Committee? has just left to secure them. According to ?Machos? report, ''their muscles are unhurt.'' 796. Nameless 3rd year Warrior Muscles are unhurt... What a helluva way to report. It''s hard to tell if they eat the dust or not. 797. Nameless 2nd year Adventurer Then they''re most likely waiting for rescue. Either way, it''s a blessing that nothing unfortunate happened. Speaking of, those first-years haven''t yet started their classes, right? 798. Nameless 3rd year Pharmacist They should have been informed by the instructor that tagged along with them to ?Beginner Dungeon?. I mean, it''s not a joking matter to receive the attack without blessing. I am sure their instructor must have throughly drilled them about it. 799. Nameless 3rd year Investigator That''s right. Plus, the first-years had lived without a job''s blessings until now as well. Well, us seniors are more or less desensitised about even life-threatening incidents with the blessing, but first-years should still have their survival sense working at its finest. 800. Nameless 2nd year Axman I see, I more or less understood the report. Nevertheless, I am surprised they have already reached the pedestal of the Beg-mid dungeon. Man, aren''t this year''s freshmen advancing at breaknecking speed? 801. Nameless 2nd year Priest Well, they have created their guild just yesterday,, and one of the conditions to officially form is that their leader must have cleared Beg-mid dungeon at least. In that case, they should have cleared one of the Beg-mid dungeon considering they have already establish ?Machos.? Yet, they face a wipeout. There''s no way they lose in firepower, then what had actually become their bane is the question. 802. Nameless 3rd year Investigator It''s ?Fatty-Ghost?. 803. Nameless 2nd year Priest !? The bane of muscles!? 804. Nameless 2nd year Adventurer Oh, right! There is indeed ?Fatty Ghost? in one of the Beg-mid dungeons! I remember it as well since I had to face so much trouble clearing it. 805. Nameless 2nd year Magician Yup, no surprise then why Mister Muscle-man suddenly dropped out altogether. If only they know the name wasn''t given just to make it cool. Still, I didn''t expect even that fabled party would have a wall they can''t surmount. 806. Nameless first-year Jobless Err, excuse me, Senpai! I am actually curious about everyone''s conversation, wasn''t being wiped out supposed to be an awful accident?! You also mentioned the rescue team has left and all. 807. Nameless 3rd year Supporter Allow me to explain. 808. Nameless 3rd year Investigator Heh, so you appeared now huh. Fine, take over. 809. Nameless 3rd year Supporter Umu. I believe you should have received the words during ?Beginner Dungeon? as well, so basically you would be blessed with a HP barrier once you acquired a job. There''s no other reason than this as to how we could withstand the onslaught of those colossal, barbaric or fierce monsters. When this barrier is completely depleted, reaching 0 HP, we call this situation incapacitated. Falling into such a situation would completely remove a monster''s hostility from you and as long as you can scooch away to a safe area, you will no longer be in life-threatening danger. However, escaping out of the dungeon would become a monumental task in that case. So there''s a function in your School Handbook called ?Rescue Call?, by tapping on it, the ?Rescue Committee? team waiting on the surface would swiftly come to rescue you. 810. Nameless first-year Jobless Woah, so that''s what it was! Thank you very much for the concise explanation! 811. Nameless 3rd year Supporter Umu. Just in case, and the thing you should never forget, is that attacking monsters in Incapacitated state is the greatest of taboos. An absolute. An iron-clad law. Remember it. 812. Nameless 2nd year Priest You know, you also have yet to get a job, right? Now try to imagine the result of picking a fight with a monster in that case. Monster would be like "What the hell, weren''t you completely trashed just now!? Why are you attacking now!!?" Can you imagine the hate you would gather? The moment you try that would be the day flowers will be offered in your name. Never ever try that. 813. Nameless first-year Jobless U-Understood! Thank you again! 814. Nameless 3rd year Investigator Ahaha, yet your thunder was stolen at the end. 815. Nameless 3rd year Supporter Argh, grrrrrr. . . . . . 122. Nameless 2nd year Salesperson Sorry to change the subject but...Brave-kun is taking a girl to dinner. 123. Nameless 2nd year Alchemist Clang! EXPLAIN! IN! DETAILS! S?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. 124. Nameless 2nd year Priest What in tarnation! Where''s that place! 125. Nameless 2nd year Alchemist Argh, and they have already logged out. Did they come here to rub salt on my wound before running! Either way, I am going out to search. Let''s see if the tip is credible or not! 126. Nameless 2nd year Priest Maybe it''s to lock the source of information. 127. Nameless 2nd year Swordsman Yo. What kind of storm has brewed here!? 128. Nameless 2nd year Alchemist Shut up and come with me to search! Our Brave-kun is going to become the prey of a thieving cat at this rate! 129. Nameless 2nd year Swordsman Huh, but isn''t it too already!? ?Eden?... did it ring a bell? Brave-kun now already has his guild! 130. Nameless 3rd year Investigator It''s a restaurant so there''s no need to guess where it might be. Let''s go. 131. Nameless 2nd year Alchemist Woohoo, Investigator-senpai! I know you would be with us! 132. Nameless 2nd year Swordsman La-La-La~... I missed some messages, it seems. . . . . . 167. Nameless 3rd year Pharmacist Holy moly, what a rush of crowd. 168. Nameless 2nd year Alchemist It''s the magic of Investigator-senpai''s word after all. But there''s no doubt, where there''s a crowd, there is Brave-kun for sure. Ah, found him~. 169. Nameless 3rd year Pharmacist I wonder who''s the cat-folk next to him? She seems to be from first-year, I don''t think I have seen her around. 170. Nameless 3rd year Investigator According to my investigation, she seemed to be a prospective candidate for Brave''s guild ?Eden?. This time, it seems initiative is taken by that cat-folk girl, something like wanting to sell herself. 171. Nameless 2nd year Alchemist Hold on! I didn''t hear about it! What happened to the blood pact we all swear!! 172. Nameless 3rd year Pharmacist Calm down, Alchemist-chan. Do you forget, it was only taken by us, seniors? That girl seems to be a freshman. 173. Nameless 2nd year Alchemist No, no, there''s no way those Imperial Guards would stay quiet when their apple of eye Her Highness is in that guild as well! No wait, are you saying she passed all that stringent requirement!? 174. Nameless Imperial Guard 1 We have to say, it was embarrassing to us as well to lose so badly. 175. Nameless Imperial Guard 2 I never thought I would be seeing that legendary lucky perve---... I mean, rom-com scenarios live in my life. Truly, one could never expect what the world throws at you. 176. Nameless Imperial Guard 3 Had it been the usual solicitation, we would have snuff her out. Alas, she really hadn''t put up any guard around her. There''s no way we can intrude in that, for you must recall, we are nothing but the denizen of darkness. 177. Nameless Imperial Guard Extremist We have weeded out any and all foolish people whoever so desire to step into the paradise of our Dear Princess, one that doesn''t know the immensity of heaven and earth if you ask me. On other times, we had thoroughly explained and preached them before releasing as well, but if this is the will of Her Highness, we are no one to hinder her scenery. All that we seek is a blissful and sonorous school life for our Dear Princess. Destroying ?Eden? is out of question. 178. Nameless Imperial Guard 3 Besides, the guild would be stuck in limbo without any more members as well. We don''t plan to be that stingy and astringent, all that we seek is the smiling face of our Dear Princess. 179. Nameless 2nd year Alchemist Grrrrr. 180. Nameless 3rd year Pharmacist Ah, Brave-kun and catgirl have entered ?Marvellous?. Speaking of which, the curry there is truly marvellous, and my favourite. Vol. 2 - Ch. 161 - A Fight With a Mid Class Rare Boss! "Jigagagaga!!" (Monster voice)"Hurray! We have a rare boss to grab!" It''s boss round 2!! The effect splendidly piled up this time when I used [Rare Monster Summoning Flute (Boss only)]. The monster this time was a doll wearing an exorcist costume, with long white hair extending till it''s waist, a kabuki face1, riding a segway with a fan on it''s each hand. The rare boss of , the . Well, the probability of summoning it is 70%, after all. I swear for a moment I felt as if had turned into a rare boss and beckoned me, saying "Let''s have a rematch", but it must''ve been my imagination. Yeah, it should be so. "Move as we have discussed earlier! And pay attention to the stray bullets lest you get hit by them, their magic power is extremely high! Especially you, Hannah, evade even if you have to roll down!" "I know!" Due to the effect of , Hannah''s RES status has changed back to its default value. I fear even a light strike would be enough to shave off her HP to a dangerous level. I have reinforced her defense as much as I can, but if I''m being honest, it''s barely enough to prevent the worst case scenario. "JijijijiÒ»Ò»Ò»" "!" Sierra made a move first, pulling the aggro who began to move towards her. is the enhanced version of . A skill to firmly pull the enemy''s aggro towards herself during the combat. The turns toward Sierra, opens her fan and waves it towards her. "Ji, jijigaÒ»" As soon as it waved the fan, three magic balls fired from the tip. It was a light attribute magic, the . A mid-grade low rank magic. "Don''t avoid it!" Earlier in our strategy meeting, we had decided to first check what kind of damage a mid rank boss can rack on Sierra without using any of her skill. She''s completely devoid of any buff support right now as I didn''t ask for Lana to cast . Considering it''s just the beginning, requirements were ripe. The magic clashes against Sierra''s in multi-hit. "...... I see. It''s certainly impactful." Sierra might have muttered it only to herself but I was able to hear it just as well. It seems the attack strength holds quite the punch, enough to push back Sierra slightly. Though her HP didn''t seem to be affected at all. Oh-ho, as expected of our Bastion Sierra. "Should we act now, Sierra?" "Ah, yes. I''ve made you wait, Your Highness Lana." "Let''s go then! and !" "Let''s go! Let''s chase after him. Support is up to you, Hannah. Ester, let''s go!" "Ok! I''ll do my best!" "Leave it to me!" "Jigaaa!" Ester and I dashed off in the opposite directions. The strategy was simpleÒ» literally corner the boss to the wall. The ''s movement speed is high due to her riding on a segway and it''s also hard to approach her because of the setting "the more you try to approach, the more the boss will distance itself". However, there''s also a tactic to reverse its pattern and drive the marionette to the wall by purposely distancing yourself until you get her to the desired position. It''s a recommended strategy, since it''s not tough to drive her into one place as long as two people cooperate. The only problem was you''ll be more exposed to its attack, so it''s necessary to tank on his attacks. "Jigaaa!" "Evade! There''s no need to face it head on, Sierra!" "I know---- !" As we tried to corner her, the fired AoE light balls, a ranged type attack magic, <32 Consecutive Light Balls>. We focused on avoiding while following stray bullets dealt by Sierra. Rana''s RES value is devilishly high so I don''t need to worry about her, but Hannah needed to be kept an eye on. is a defense skill focused on swift interruption. Sierra, being agile at aiming, quickly interrupted the oncoming attacks and protected her. The who was seemingly disgusted by our continuous advances while avoiding the attacks, retreated back even more and once again swung down its fan. "Jijijijigagagagaga---!!" The magic this time was a full area burst magic, . It was an inescapable wide AoE attack without any gaps, so the only thing we can do is try to endure this wave if attacked. "Ester, quick! Take the defense stance! Avoid being knocked down at any cost! !" "Got it!" "Sierra, support!" "." Induction cover is a range guided defense. It belongs to the skill on the upper tree of . It''s an outstanding skill which pulls all the attacks towards the caster and defends allies from attacks. As for the price, the damage the caster receives will be multiplied but some of it will be cut, since it''s a defensive skill. attack was rapidly gathered towards Sierra, to the point that it didn''t even reach the rear guard. Reliable Sierra, as always. An optimum skill was chosen! Though Ester and I still received slight damage, being out of the range of Sierra''s as we''re chasing down the marionette, the damages were reduced plenty thanks to her outstanding defensive power, and we weren''t affected that much. "I''m going to heal now, ! !" "I''m backing you up! !" Lana''s is a mid-grade continuous AoE healing magic. It should be able to heal the damage we received in ten seconds or so. Hannah''s leaped towards the , who stopped its attacks temporarily to avoid it. "Can you move, Ester?" "Yes, I''m all right." "Okay, let''s go!" Ester continues to move forward without backing down despite the massive damage she took earlier. Tagging will change if we back down now. It would be impossible to get support at our position and we would have to start from zero again, even though we are finally driving the boss into the corner. We resumed our advances under Lana''s healing, and after dealing with various attacks, we finally managed to corner him. "Jijiga!?" Caught off handed, the fell down after colliding into the wall. Now''s the opportunity! "Magic group, commence long range attack immediately! !" "! ! ! !"3 "! ! ! !" "Jijigaga!?" The incessant magic downpour finally managed to deal massive damage to the . "Sierra, Ester!" "Understood!" "I will not let it escape. !" Ester and I shut off its escape route, while Sierra uses a defense skill from quick interruption to move and pin the down from front. She was able to catch up quickly as the rear guard gradually advanced. She broke out in a dash as soon as the fell down to the ground and we managed to surround her safely. Now it''s my turn to end this. "Jijiji!?" "!" The marionette tried to invoke the full area burst spell as a last resort, which was the standard pattern used by the when being surrounded. I had informed Sierra beforehand to use as soon as the marionette was surrounded. Everything went as planned, and the full area burst spell was pulled through by Sierra, leaving the full of gaps. "Now. , !" "! !" "Jigaaa!?" The second unique skill of [Brave]?; . I have only used it once in the battle but the buff it provided was tremendous. There couldn''t be any better chance than now to use it. "Wah! Hang on, Sierra, I''m going to heal you !" Sierra, who pulled the full burst spell, was almost shaved half of her HP. Lana, who was surprised to see that, immediately healed her by using high rank recovery magic. I don''t need to worry about them, it seems. The development afterwards was just a one sided massacre. Without the mobility of a segway, the corner driven was forced into an intense battle where we surrounded it to not let it escape, held him down to that position, even if it meant taking some damage and thoroughly continued to give her damage. The tactic was based on the ''s inability to use close range attacks or attacks with knockback effects by which we could have forcefully made a break with. When the effect of ended, the ''s HP dropped to critical level, and a familiar red effect emitted from the fans she was holding. "Incoming attack from above! Pay attention!" What came to my mind was the in game, the [Puppeteer Style: Giant Bamboo Ax Beheader]. It was the scene of giant axes dropping down like a meteor I had seen multiple times on screen. Though it''s quite hard to imagine from my current position. "Everyone, move as planned!" "Jigaaaa!!" It was the final killer technique of the , and also its last resort. S~?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. With the addition of rage mode due to the boss HP reaching critical points, the power of this skill has risen even further. The front lines would collapse if any of us got hit by it and at worst, we could be wiped out by an all-out attack. fans turned into eight giant axes which revolved around itself as the center and then poured down incessantly one after another. However this attack has a weak point, which is its narrow attack range due to its straight arc shaped attack pattern. In other words, this can be avoided by taking a roundabout route. Hence, "!" "" "!" Ester and I immediately opted for agile skills used as emergency maneuvers. The split and corner strategy was successful precisely because I knew about its attack method. The has stepped forward a little to initiate attacks again. I immediately dashed in an arc, avoiding the attacks. Fortunately, Ester didn''t lag behind either. While Sierra simply withstood the onslaught of the attacks by using another defensive skill, , which offers unusually high magic resistance. "Now, !" "Jigagagaga!?" My follow up two hit attack, splendidly scored a critical hit, which has a high chance to occur when the boss has just finished using a unique skill, putting it in a stunned state. "Now or never. Commence all out attack!" At my cue, everyone released their strongest and . "Ji, gaga...... ga..." Finally, the ''s HP fell down to zero and soundlessly vanished with a huge effect. As expected, a mid-class boss was incomparable to your ordinary joe. Vol. 2 - Ch. 162 - Treasure chest time! A man must sometimes act prudent! "You guys did your best!""Thanks for all your hard work too! Hey hey, the fight was so thrilling, no?" "Oh, I understand that feeling. Nothing can beat the feeling of getting stronger!" Everyone gathered as the fight was over and with a rushed greeting, Lana and I exchanged our impressions from the battle. We managed to defeat the . To be honest, I didn''t expect our strategy to go as planned without a hitch. Even with it being the first battle, we were able to snatch a victory with a splendidly executed strategy. I''m sure it''s because of our current members that it went so well. "Sierra''s defense was also perfect. I wouldn''t have been able to corner the marionette down while constantly worrying about the rear guard without your defense. It was a breeze with you surrounding and locking the boss down." "The idea just suddenly came to me! I felt like It would go well if I did it!" She was so strong that it didn''t feel like enough, no matter how many countermeasures you come up with. It was really exciting when we managed to do it right. The boss was nothing like the beginner bosses we had dealt with, overwhelming power and a series of tension filled events really drops me in a euphoric feeling once we manage to defeat him. That''s why fighting with strong enemies is fun. "The this time was a very troubled and formidable enemy that possessed various types of magic. It was simply impossible to stop it''s barrage of attacks but it was also thrilling to have such a tense fight when you''re prepared to suffer a certain amount of damage. That really riled me up." I expected nothing less from a rare boss! Basically, bosses in the can be separated into two groups; ''serious bosses'' and ''gag bosses''. Gag types are understandably the ones like , , , and so on. Not only their appearance but even their attacks are like they were created to troll others. Although they aren''t exactly weak, they''re still troll monsters. It''s impossible for them to make your blood boil with excitement. In contrast to them, ''serious bosses'' are strong and thrilling. And since most rare bosses are classified as ''serious bosses'', it''s easy for the situation to develop into a blood boiling one. After all, they can even use . Not to say rare bosses'' status are usually one level higher compared to their counterpart bosses which makes me doubt myself sometimes, thinking I''m going to lose. Which at the same time, fueled my desire for thrilling battles even more. I really, really love rare bosses. They are excellent in both the battle and drops. "Oops, I almost forgot. What about the drops?" I immediately turned my attention to my surroundings as soon as I recalled this, and my eyes found three people, including Hannah, standing before a treasure chest. "Zephyr-kun, let''s open it quickly!" "They''re so fast!? Lana, hurry up or they might open it first!" S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "What the! I''ll never allow it!!" "Hurry up and move if you don''t want them to open it before you." "Roger!" Both Lana and I, who were still in the hots after the soul stirring battle, immediately regained our calmness at Sierra''s remark. Nevertheless, isn''t she in a good mood? Maybe the battle this time also excited her. For this reason, her voice seems more gentle than usual. I inwardly made up my mind to ask her opinion on how today''s battle went. "Ohh, so it''s a Silver chest this time. It''s regrettable we didn''t get a blessing this time. What a shame." Rare bosses do not drop Wooden chests, two Silver chests are the minimum guaranteed drops. Well, a Silver chest is rare enough, but it''s still hard to not miss the charms of a Golden chest. I want a Golden chest!! However, if one recalls our luck this far, it seems inevitable. We have fought three rare boss and our luck was as followed : ---- Two gold treasure chests. after the fight with 2nd battle form. ---- Two gold treasure chests. I guess there''s time we should let rest. I may actually doubt my luck if I had gotten another gold chest instead. Let''s try to save up on luck. Who knows if there''s something important waiting for me in the not so distant future where I urgently need to use it. The treasure chests were opened as my heart was palpitating, and inside it was the and the . Ohh, the is a jackpot! It''s an accessory equipment with the effect of [Increase Light Attribute Strength +4] that belongs to the same group as Hannah''s . It will surely enhance Lana''s strength! Let''s give it to her. As for the ...... It''ll be dumped in the warehouse. "Interesting. The new equipment is extremely good!" I know right, this is a hit! When I was also equipping a new , it...... Wait!? What about my !? I''m not equipping them! When I carefully recall, I remember I have requested Marie-senpai for . I should have to take them later! "That''s all for now, it''s time for a rematch with a rare boss! Let''s aim for the jackpot again!" " "Let''s aim for it!!" " When I said that to them, Lana and Hannah raised their fist up in excitement. Both of you, I''m so moved. "But the whistle can be used only one more time right? I hope it''s a hit...... " Sierra said in a worried tone. The probability of success is 70%, after all. It''s a probability that will naturally make you uneasy about the final use of it. But, that''s not a problem. "Rest assured, I have one more" "What did you say!" I was satisfied when Sierra unusually stared at me like her eyes were daggers. I consider it a success that the secret has been kept so far until now. Fuhaha. "We can repeat it as many times as I want. By the way, it''s also one of my personal belongings I acquired in my solo battles." "Fine.Though, I''m surprised you can defeat a rare boss solo." Said Sierra as she looked towards the wall where the was. There are many super strong monsters among rare bosses. You only have destruction awaiting you if you''ve formed a party with superficial strength. And to solos such monsters is unthinkable. That''s another matter if I have a terrifically high level, but my level is still low. "Well, that''s because I''m a hero." "Your reply kind of gave out nostalgic vibes." Sierra chuckled as she whispered slightly in response to my reply. I couldn''t help but be attracted when the usually cool Sierra laughs like this. The so-called gap moe. Afterwards, we once again charged into the boss room after using the flute. And what awaits there was...... the . Damn, it''s a miss! Ester-sensei, we will be relying on you! "Bibibi...... " Vol. 2 - Ch. 163 - The End of the grind for rare boss and getting lucked out "Haaa¡­ .""Jiga... gaga...... ga¡­" The HP was quickly brought down to 0 from Ester''s strong stab coiling around with light attributes. Four times. Leaving the first try, I blew the second flute a total of 4 times. Although the first time was a miss, I successfully managed to spawn a rare boss three times and currently, we are butchering the for the fourth time. Speaking of which, I was wondering what would happen if the monster''s segway were to be destroyed in the 2nd round. What if we didn''t even need to drive it to the wall and by smashing apart it''s only means of transport, the boss might just be a sitting duck for us to bash one-sidedly? Or so I had expected but for some reason, we couldn''t destroy the segway. What kind of force is working behind it? I guess it might just be normal given it was impossible to destroy a segway when I was playing the game either. I was a bit, no, considerably looking forward to seeing if it''s possible to defeat the ''s segway in the real . What action will the take then when it''s destroyed? I was hoping that it could be destroyed, even though I knew, just why the hell can''t it be destroyed! My intellectual thirst for the is surging. "What happened to you Zephyr-kun! It''s so bizarre you''re not excited by a Golden chest! Hurry up and open it!" "Whaaat!? A Golden chest!?" My excitement gauze immediately broke its roof the moment I heard Hannah saying that we struck gold. Fu~ seems like all the luck stacked up until now has been used up. (Did we even have such luck?) A rare boss has finally given us a Golden chest. You can even hope for excellent items, and as for whether it will betray my expectations... chances are almost nonexistent. The 3 we have defeated until now has only given the minimum guarantees of two Silver chests. I was just thinking it''s about time for us to get a Golden chest, and it wouldn''t be strange for to take place either. The numbers are... 2. Not perfect. That''s a bit of a let down. "Well, who''s going to open it this time?" "Me, me!" Only three people came forward excitedly. I turned to look at the other two members. "Can you stop looking at us as if we¡¯re some sort of strange entity! There''s nothing strange with us." It seems that Sierra was offended by my gaze. Had I made such a strange expression? Or maybe I did. "Don''t think we¡¯re as obsessed with them. Let the three decide." "You can''t, Ester! It''s a Golden chest, you know. I can''t put it into words but I feel like there''s something good. Maybe we¡¯re going to strike gold this time. My heart is pounding in excitement! It would be a waste if you didn''t experience this." That''s how valuable a Golden chest is. For a princess to use words like this was a waste. "She''s right, Ester. Nothing can beat the feeling of opening a Golden chest. It would be outrageous of me to ignore someone who hasn''t come in contact with such divine feelings." "Ester, you don''t need to hesitate. It''s a Golden chest." "Sigh, even Hannah-chan is pushing at it, fine fine, I¡¯ll do it." Ester finally nodded at Hannah''s magic words, "it''s a Golden chest". As expected of the charm of the golden chest, it even manages to fascinate Ester. In the end, Ester and I were given the honor of opening the Golden chest after deciding between ourselves. It''s been a while since I¡¯ve opened a Golden chest. I don''t even recall when was the last time I opened one...... "This is the first time you¡¯re opening a Golden chest in front of everyone. I feel like you''re holding yourself back." "Huh?" It was true, as I fumble around at my memories after Sierra''s remark. s?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I haven''t opened Golden chests at all, except during the and It''s only today that I''m opening it with everyone for the first time.. "Exactly, we all thought you''re purposely acting like that so that we could open the chests." Ester, who was standing in front of the Golden chest nodded. What a thing to say. It seems everyone misunderstood that I was holding back on opening them. Apparently, that''s one of the reasons why Sierra or Ester didn¡¯t volunteer to open it either. Especially Ester, her state of mind was like it would be unethical to open a Golden chest when the guild master is not opening or something like that. Seriously, even I would have wanted to open it if I could! Well, it''s pointless to brood on the past. I will show them by opening more and more Golden chests!! Let''s pray first! Please let our prayers be reached to! Let our item be a jackpot! "Please let us hit the jackpot...... !" Ester first offers her prayers to and opens the chest. "This is... it should be the vehicle Segway that the was riding on?" "Ohhhhhh!" Hannah, Lana and I simultaneously raised our excited voices as soon as we saw Ester take out that thing from the Golden chest. And then everyone''s gaze gathered on me, hinting at me to quickly explain. "Its official name is the , popularly known as . It''s an all purpose movement item, unlike the accessory equipment that a rides on. If you were to ask what''s the difference between them, one is an item while the other is a piece of equipment. can only be used for movement by one person. It¡¯ll be damaged in the dungeon when it receives an attack so it can only be used for personal use. You also can''t attack while you¡¯re riding it." I paused for a moment. These were the disadvantages of it. Next are its advantages, "The special ability of lies in its movement speed. At its full speed, it will take no time to go from one end of the academy to the other end. It''s a very convenient device that will make your tiring commuting life in the academy a pleasurable one." In short, it''s a bike. That sounds vague, but it''s quite useful. Speeding up is an indispensable part of the game, as how it was in . In certain games, the more the story progresses, the faster you move, altering from walking to dash and dash to bike. 2x, 3x speeds are becoming a norm in the game recently. It¡¯s such a norm, that the game would prioritize speed to the point of even turning a blind eye to contradictions or bugs. Such as, being so fast you can''t hear what someone else is saying. You can''t hold a conversation with the members of your party, and so on. Such were usual in games nowadays. That''s how indispensable the quick means for travel was. wasn''t the type of one tap movement game, you would have to properly control your character to the destination, that''s why I was really delighted to have the option to speed up. In fact, even if we didn''t gain vehicle items like , I already had a proper plan B prepared. Although that would be a bit expensive. "So it''s a hit!?" "Yup." Despite saying that, is just a one person vehicle. In the game, the player just has to control their character to ride on it.I wonder how it will be handled in this reality...... Whatever, that''s a topic for another time. Right now, I have to focus on my Golden chest. ", , heed my prayer and bestow me some luck please!" (For god''s sake, can''t you see you have already been blessed) Click I opened the treasure chest and in there lies¡­¡­ a single fan. "A rare boss weapon!" Lana who peeked in from the side exclaimed. As she has said, it was one of the fans that the boss, the has used as a weapon, the . ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Demon Vanquishing Sacred Fan : Attack power 8, Magical power 48 ¡¸Divine fall lv8¡¹¡¸Divine pillar lv5¡¹¡¸Force lv2¡¹(T/N : the word here used is saint, but I have changed it to divine) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A weapon prioritizing level over status. It''s undoubtedly one of the top class weapons in the beginner level dungeons. The magic it offers might only be mid rank, but in addition to the sacred attribute magic and offensive magic, its resistance buff is outstanding. Weapons like this are definitely the biggest jackpots! Both Hannah and Lana can equip it, which will give a tremendous boost to their strength. But which one should it be handed to? Vol. 2 - Ch. 164 - Hannah’s Consultation ? the Path to the Future "Zephyr-kun. There''s something I want to talk about, do you have time?""Yup. What''s the matter?" On Friday, the day after our battle with the was over and all the materials were delivered to Gantt-senpai. Hannah came to visit me today. It''s rare for Hannah to visit and consult, thoughI have an inkling why. Most likely, it''s about the . I''m sure she must have come to talk about that pool or mountain or whatever you call it of magic stones she has produced but had trouble finding a place to store them afterwards. "It''s about the mid-grade dungeon we¡¯ll be diving in." And, I was wrong. Strange. It ranks quite high up in the list of important matters...... But it seems she didn''t visit to talk about this. Well, let''s hear her out till the end first. "I only know mid-rank and low-rank , I can¡¯t match with Lana-sama at all, even in the boss battle yesterday, I couldn''t do more than scratch the boss. The boss was a mid grade low level dungeon boss right? Not to say, Sierra-san has to protect me all the timeÒ»Ò»" "Ohh~. It seems so." I made an adequate quip to Hannah''s talk which was surging like turbulent waves. It¡¯s rare for her to do this. Her venting seems to have been bottled up for quite some time. In summary, "So you want to say that with your current strength, it would be difficult traversing the mid-grade dungeon with us?" "That''s right, I wonder if you have any solution, Zephyr-kun" I guess she has taken quite a toll from yesterday''s battle, being unable to do anything. It''s true she could only do so much as keeping herself safe in that battle and be protected. The cause is apparent as well. The frontline members with me in it has become quite strong, which in reverse inevitably makes Hannah a weak link. In short, she is no longer able to keep her pace in battle. To begin with, it''s impossible for an alchemist to keep pace with combat job holders. Nevertheless, she was somehow able to keep up till thanks to and but the unnoticeable gap before was now suddenly turned into a chasm with the unlocking of the 3rd order tree of our group. The difference between the battle front and production department has become much more apparent since the tree was unlocked. The difference didn''t come out that much since there''s a bit of in status. Until then, you can also freely assign your SUP to a certain point but with the release of the 2nd tree and then the 3rd tree, the jobs would clearly begin to show their expertise in their respective area. Hannah has already finished her 3rd stage tree and her job as has started to show its brilliance. It''s the same for us, battlefront members, too. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Our party member''s job is just too remarkable for a production job holder to follow after using all means possible. Our jobs ranks best among best, as everyone''s job boasts more than 20 SUP. If it was a similar mid rank job like , it might have been possible to do something with makeshift, somehow, but it''s impossible for her to follow through with this large difference. And even in the future, the chasm will just continue to widen even more. I stretched my neck and concluded my opinion. "To talk about options, there are many available, but I guess they are not what you¡¯re looking for." The first and quickest option available for Hannah to follow through naturally is a . She will be able to continue dungeon diving with us if she takes on a combat job. Since Hannah is a , she wouldn''t be able to get a job higher than a high rank low class job but Hannah¡¯s still satisfied with it. It''s just all the hardship she has gone through until now, to raise her job level will go down the drain with her level reset to 0. If possible, I would like to avoid this option.. The next option is to become a porter who uses a . She would be able to accompany us, but this means being unable to participate in the fight which is opposite of what she wants. I¡¯ve finished explaining all that, but Hannah still held a long face. "So it''s difficult after all... " "Well, one would usually choose a combat job if they wanted to capture a dungeon." "I see, I knew it would be so. I''m sorry for wasting your time." "But it''s too early for you to give up, Hannah" "......Huh?" For there aren''t just those options to choose from. Or rather, this method is my favorite. The final method is to upgrade the equipment again and take her to dungeon diving with us by loading with her equipment. I had been thinking about this way for so long. Hannah just looks like a typical magical girl from her outward appearance, but only because of the drop and she actually doesn''t hold a magic job. It¡¯s just a forced imitation which of course is incomparable to the actual job. That''s why there¡¯s a need to search for an alternative method which could allow her to fight as an . The preparation for that is also in order now that Hannah has unlocked the 3rd stage tree of and has a . The only problem is the procurement of materials, which I have already prepared in advance. Now is the time to use the piled up materials I didn''t sell precisely for this moment. The great reformation of Hannah is finally going to see the light. Though there are still things to do. "Hannah, you have to make as many items of this recipe as you can." Saying that, I handed a bunch of bulky bundles of recipes to her. The bundle of recipes are about the items, which shows the true worth of an . Vol. 2 - Ch. 165 - Hannah’s Road to Survival without giving up on Alchemist! "Recipes for ? What''s more, there¡¯s so many of them... When did you buy them, Zephyr-kun!?""Yesterday." To be precise, it was through the intermediation of the item guild of Mary-senpai whom I have requested to repair the . The partner guild was someone expertising in dealing with explosives. The items in the game are so abstruse in so many ways that you can set up a specialized guild for each division, not to count abysmal varieties. For example, there is a guild specializing in and there is also a guild specializing in . The tasks of each division are different and it''s necessary to have considerable information about which item comes to which division. One can also request for a production guild to work as an intermediary. Because their connections spread far and wide. So, although I asked Mari-senpai for the repair of the , it actually comes from the expertise of the guild. But now you may be wondering how is the repair of a flute connected to explosives? The reason being, lots of bombs tended to be the item with a limited number of usage so the or the and so on have lots of repair skills on that kind. Well, I could have asked for a to restore it, but since I was in need of recipes, I requested them. By the way, an in the is generally categorised in attack items. There are items that look like disposable dynamite, but skyrocket-like ¡Á¡Á launcher types are in the mainstream. What''s more is that they instead imitate the wand like design over the typical canon type so even if it''s called bomb, you will not be able to able make a head or tail out of it. For example, the is also classified as an . Flutes are also the same. In short, any wand with finite usage isn''t an equipment but an item. That being the case, Mary-senpai and I visited the guild after hunting down the 20 times, after the to repair the flute. A one time usage repair cost is 500,000 mir, so the total cost for repairing it 8 times is 4 million mir. It¡¯s quite a hefty price but not as bad by taking the value of rare boss drops. The profit isn''t that much from beginner-mid grade dungeons, however it began to rise considerably from intermediate bosses. It was at that time I bought the recipes. "Amazing." Hannah, who listened to my explanation muttered out with her mouth half opened . "Now isn''t the time to space out, Hannah. The academy doesn''t buy recipes so these aren''t available in the academy''s grand library. One can only try to gather them from other sources. There''s only one thing to do now." The is like a jack of all trades job which can manufacture items from various divisions. , , , and so on. An alchemist''s forte is to make anything as long as there''s a recipe to make it through . Recipes of I have brought this time are also the kind of recipe which can be made by . Incidentally, doesn''t seems to have any either who can make use of them, so it was a steal deal to get them in cheap prices. Also, I''m glad the guild name isn''t another gag. "Including the you made from last time, it will dramatically raise your attack types. If you are unable to rely on magic, increase your RES and as long as we strengthen your defense, I can guarantee you would be able to fight the intermediate dungeons somehow. If the enemy is a physical damage dealer, use . If the enemy is a magic only user, bombard them with your explosives and poisons. With high RES, you should be able to manage." As I began to explain to Hannah about her future direction, she took out a notepad from who knows where and fervently began to take notes. I wonder if it''s the influence of Sierra. "The main task is to reinforce your defense and item production. You should just focus on recipes. If we get any good defense equipment, it will turn to you and the higher grade the dungeon is, the better your defense can be strengthened." "O-okay. But... Wouldn''t that be expensive?" S?a??h the N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Relax, there are items I know you can make, which can be sold for a high price when money becomes an issue. You have to work hard for this. Materials can be gathered from the dungeons too." "I will! I¡¯ll work hard!" Hannah clenched both her hands and showed her burning determination. As long as the path is shown, I''m sure she will work hard. After all, it''s not an easy feat to stay together for so long while being a production job holder. Even in the , she would be on top if we make a ranking who has more guts. It''s because of Hannah''s unwavering determination that I am constantly thinking about methods to make her wish come true. "I¡¯m going to give it a go." "Wait, Hannah. Aren''t you forgetting about today''s event?" "Eh?" Hannah tilted her head in confusion when I stopped her as she was just about to return with the recipes in one hand. Geez, she really forgot about it "Sigh, I should¡¯ve reminded everyone yesterday. Today''s the day of the E rank guild examination." Vol. 2 - Ch. 166 - Raising the curtains on the E-rank exam! .A compulsory test for guilds to raise their rank for the first time. Prerequisites: Complete clearance of guild master''s beginner dungeonF-rank guild5 or more guild members3 or more members registered should have combat and production jobsMultiple registered members'' job levels are at Lv 40 or higher. To summarise the prerequisite; the F-rank guild we have formed until now was just a novice play, and the real thing begins at E-rank. One can take it as unlocking the 3rd order tree, as it is the watershed moment for jobs where they truly begin to shine. Intermediate dungeons can only be cleared after you have mastered your job. And the test''s contents are the in the arena. If you want to raise your guild rank, guild battles are inevitable, and only after winning can you rank up your guild. In another sense, you wouldn''t be able to go for job hunts if you don''t perform satisfactorily in the guild battles. How strict. The guild battle of the Ranking Competition features starts to appear at D-rank, but in fact, there is an opportunity to experience guild battles outside of the Ranking Competition. The information about them is available after the guild becomes an E-rank and that''s why the guild battle format is used in the E-rank exam. "I''m so excited about the guild battle." Hannah said in exuberance, recalling the scene of the guild battle Hannah had gone to watch before. "I know. It''s also my first guild battle, so I''m looking forward to it" . A battle royal type format where multiple groups fight each other. Being one of the main contents of , the number of people that have fallen to its charm isn''t something to scoff at. I was also one of them. Dungeons alone are interesting but guild battles are twice as fun! It''s one of the reasons behind ''s mega popularity. I arrived at the guild with Hannah. Everyone was already present by the time I entered as I had notified them before in the guild chat. I wouldn''t have known what to do if others had also forgotten. "You''re finally here, Zephyr!" Sitting in front of the , Lana turned around with her face brimming with joy. "Good morning, Zephyr-dono." Although Ester''s words were the same as before, I could feel her tone was a bit brighter than usual. "Good morning. It appears that everyone is here." "Good morning, everyone." Currently, the guild has eight members. I raised my hand in greeting to the other 6 members. Hannah also bowed politely. It''s strange that when a loli like her makes such a gesture, it really looks moe. After exchanging greetings with Sierra, Celeste, Karua and Rika, I gave the signal to start the meeting Immediately. "As I have informed in the guild chat, our guild, will be taking the exam to raise ranks into E¡¯s today." "Hurray! Our guild is going to be a rank E one! What do you think we should prepare for the celebrations, Sierra?" "Hmm, let''s get Lana-sama''s favorite 100% apple juice." "Great!" "Great is not! Don''t be so quick to rejoice. We haven''t even participated in the test yet. Or rather, I was in the middle of explaining." "Geez, you''re such a bummer, Zephyr. It would be too late to prepare after passing it. Do you know how tiring it would be to arrange everything at the last moment?" It should be the custom of her home, the royal palace, right? However, the only ones who are having doubts at Lana''s word are me, Hannah and Karua. Apparently, it''s a normal custom for aristocrats, including Celestine. Karua tilts her neck slightly looking clueless and question marks written on her face. Quite a contrastive difference of feeling. Well whatever, let''s continue. "Guild battles will not be exactly as high profile as the one we have seen before. It''s only a test that caters to beginners. You will be given proper details by the instructor there." Actually, it''s a bit tutorial-ish. The deal is sealed as long as you have sufficient ability. Because if you fail in the game, the instructor will correct your mistakes. Though, it''s a bit different in reality. "The number of participants is 5 people. First, you will be given instructions by the instructor about the guild battles rule, system and basic tactics. To make sure you have properly understood everything, we will be given the task to in an opponent-less match. In the end, we will play a mock battle of with the instructor." Opponent-less , also known as , is a system where anyone can practice matches like protect the castle, to quickly eliminate the monsters or capture the giant castle efficiently and so on as long as you pay the Mir. "I-it''s quite tough, isn''t it? Aren''t we just going to lose when we go up against an instructor...... ?" "It''s not what you think it is." Hearing about the details of the exam, which was more than what she had anticipated, Lana was feeling a little uneasy. The reason why the exams have so many variations is because the ranking competition that will begin at D-rank will be commenced in an arena, where various companies and businessmen are invited from all over. In other words, they charge a spectator fee. That''s why there is so much variable content. If the content is boring, the academy will become no more than an ordinary school in others'' mouths. There are also many factors from the academy¡¯s side. Though saying that, it''s the same for the students. No one will come to scout them if they give a bad result. In other words, both the academy and the students take the seriously, each for their own interests. I explained, summarizing all the above details. "For these reasons, the academy will go easy on starting to bring up the student''s motivation and fighting spirit. It would benefit no one if instructors really goes all out against the students." "W-what a vivid reason. But I understand" Although she still wore a bit of a strained expression, Lana nodded to my explanation. "So Zephyr-kun, have you already decided on the members?" "Mmn. We have also reached Lv20 and unlocked our 2nd order tree. I''m sure we¡¯ll be helpful." Rika with a serious look asked and Karua with drowsy eyes added, "Unfortunately, it''s still not enough. As mentioned, the minimum prerequisite for the E-rank exam is Lv40. Even the intermediate lower level dungeons need you to be a bare minimum of Lv40 at your job, so you¡¯ll be a spectator for this exam." "I see. I mean, roger." ¡°Ah¡­, a let down", said Karua after yawning. "Celestial too, I''m sorry." "Please, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m still stuck at Lv6. Either way, I would just be a hindrance to everyone." "Well, if we become an E-ranked, I''m planning to train everyone until you guys reach Lv40. But until then, please bear with me. Now, the five members who will be taking place in this test are me, Hannah, Lana, Ester and Sierra." S?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Yay!" "So it''s our usual team, understood." "I will do my very best to prevent slowing the others down." "Me too. But it''s my first time taking part in it, so can you properly explain to us about the guild battles?" "Of course, leave it to me." After a brief session, everyone headed to arena No.7. That''s where we promised to meet Philis-sensei today. The procedure for the E-rank exam of was completed yesterday. Now, let''s demonstrate our efforts. Vol. 2 - Ch. 167 - - Training in Arena No.7 Arena No.7 is one of the seven guild battle exclusive dungeons, which the academy takes pride in.Incidentally, the guild battle we watched last time was in arena No.1, Arena No.1 is the largest and arena No.7 is the smallest. The size should be understandable from the fact that no more than 10 people can take part in it. Normally, it''s used in production guild''s guild battles. In that arena were three instructors. One of them is Philis-sensei, while the other two are a pair of male and female instructors near their 40''s. Both of them were standing a few steps behind, so I guess Philis-sensei is the one in the lead today. I had planned to come a bit earlier than the appointed time but it seems we still left them to wait for a while. We quickly walked up to her and greeted her. "Good morning Philis-sensei. As the representative of , we will be in your care for today" "Good morning everyone. You''re welcome, and do your best today." Philis-sensei returns the greeting with a refreshing smile. And then, her eyes stopped on one of the members. "Oh my, Rika-chan is also here." "Ane-sama, can you please spare me with ¡®-chan¡¯ in the academy. Also, we¡¯re in the middle of exams. So please refrain from whispering." "It''s so disheartening to see my little sister so strict with her onee-chan." Should I say I hit the mark, as it appears Rika and Philis-sensei are sisters. Their looks and the vibe they give is just so similar, I had considered this possibility. I heard their jobs are also of the category. As for the deposition, I feel like Philis-sensei has a more lax character. "Rika''s onee-chan?" "Yeah. She''s the one I was talking about who''s working here as an instructor." "What a surprise." "Fufu, it seems there are new faces here, so let me introduce myself again. I''m Philis. Call me Philis-sensei, okay?" "Philis-sensei... " "Yes, what''s your name?" "Karua. Rika and I are a duo." "Oh my!" Only Karua was the one among us who wasn''t acquainted with Philis-sensei, so the conversation seems to become livelier. "Ahem, Ane-sama.." As expected, when the conversation goes past the introduction and becomes your usual chit-chat, Rika quickly brings them to the track. "Oh-oh. Let''s have a private chat next time, Karua-san. I will tell you more about Rika-chan at that time" "Hnn. I understand." "You don''t have to, Karua." I guess both of them have become good friends after being in a two person party for so long. Gehh, I''m envious. I should also deepen our friendship once the exam is over. S?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Well then, let me introduce you to the instructors who will be in charge of the guild, E-rank exam today, Ladvena-sensei and Mukai-sensei. Both of them are full time instructors of the combat department major. "Nice to meet you, boys and girls" The instructors who were standing behind Philis-sensei greeted us after she introduced them. The female instructor is Ladvena-sensei and male instructor is Makui-sensei. I think they are quite the veterans, judging from how Philis-sensei introduced them. "By Ladvena-sensei...... You mean that ?" "You know Sierra?" My interest was immediately piqued up at the chuni-like word. "Know? In fact, she''s a well renowned person. It is really surprising how you have so much extensive knowledge yet strangely have a gap where you don''t know about commonplace details." Oops. It seems she is quite a famous instructor in this world where only I don''t know. too, has not detailed down to the individual''s valor. So of course I would be clueless about the person who hasn''t appeared. Moreover, unlike the game , dungeon captures haven''t progressed that much in this real life and there''s also a big discrepancy about the famous names who were quite active in them. To this date, I still have yet to come across a name of a character from my game time. If I really meet one, I will definitely want a signature. By the way, it was something I heard later but it seems the chuni-like words are equivalent to a medal bestowed to someone when they accomplish a great achievement. I wonder if I would also be called by those two names in the future? "I''m just an assistant this time. Philis, you can proceed." "Yes, understood!" Ohh, the lax looking Philis-sensei immediately turned sharp just at the single remark of hers. , a capable individual befitting of her chuni name. Between, it seems that Sierra doesn''t know about the other instructor, Makui-sensei. I''m sorry, Makui-sensei. You didn¡¯t make the cut. We then received the lesson from Philis-sensei. As I mentioned before, we will learn the rules, system, and basic tactics of guild battles with practical experience. And then, "Let''s practice then. You wouldn''t be able to move as you want if your body doesn''t experience it." The appearance of the venue changes at the same time as Philis-sensei finishes explaining. This... should be the diamond field. It has the fewest number of squares of all the fields, making it suitable for guild battles with a small number of students. Even the number of giant castles are only 3. It''s really fresh and amusing to see fields changing shape at such visual speed. It seems that Makui-sensei is manipulating fields. After gazing at the amazing transformation for a while, monsters who are going to protect the castle are also arranged and preparation is complete. "We will begin with first so everyone can participate freely. Though please remember that monsters around the forts are in the range of Lv5~10 while monsters around the giant castle has Lv30 monsters matching its difficulty" After the explanation of Phillis-sensei was over, our training began. "Everyone come here, it''s time for a strategy meeting!" All the members of , albeit looking perplexed, still gathered quickly at the sudden meeting. The aim was simple, to assign groups. "As I have said before, it''s basically to move in a group of two or more in the guild battles. Let''s first split into groups quickly" You need to charge the castle to secure it. And the two man cell is to advance efficiently. The pairs that were formed are Hannah & Sierra, Lana & Ester, Karua & Rika and Celestine with me. Only my pair with Celestine has a considerably high level difference but there''s not any problem since he''s with me. Beside, I also want Celestine to learn more. We quickly parted our ways and I aimed at one of the forts safeguarded by the monsters. "!" "Sssh!?" The snake-like monster that tried to mount a sneak attack at Celestine''s waist was blown into smithereens by his punch. "What a packed punch. It''s amazing how far you have blown it to" "Thank you for the compliment" , a high ranking job belonging to the category, can also use ''s skill. So, Celestine is a combat butler. Butler''s bat is a battle bat. If one ask, what does it do?...... I don''t know. But, I''m sure it must be a word referring to something about a butler. (¡ùAll of the above assumptions are wrong) The Lv of his job is low but the things he can do will increase once it is raised to 40. I guess I may have to show him the ropes just like Ester. I take a look at my other members. Being the founding members of our guild, Lana and others have a high level so monsters defending the fort are just small fries to them. For now they are practicing how to move from fort to fort efficiently in as much little time as possible. It''s like a marathon baton passing technique. It will be fatal if they make a blunder here so the other four are also practicing enthusiastically. Rika seems to be perplexed by Karua¡¯s speed. After all, Karua presently boasts the highest speed among all of . Rika, however, on the other hand seems to be at her wits end from being unable to catch up with her at all. We continued our training with such feeling and it finally ended when the giant castle and the two forts were taken down. Everyone returned back to their position in front of Philis-sensei. "Let''s begin the actual exam. Members are upto 5 students and 3 instructors, and I¡¯ve already explained the rules earlier. In addition to that, an item that bans instructors from attacking the base will be added. Time limit is 30 minutes." "Yes, thank you" Finally, time for the actual , but before that, it''s strategy meeting again. Vol. 2 - Ch. 168 - The Guide to Victory, Zephyr Style Format : Participants : Students (5) vs instructors (3) Stage : Diamond field In a diamond field that was already small to begin with, a castle and two forts are laid out in a baseball game like format with the giant castle in the first base and the other two forts in 2nd and 3rd base respectively. The stage formed a miniature version of a nine sided-polygon field. Participating members are at the base placed in the middle of the home base and third base. Our group gathers at the west side (white) base while the instructors group are assembled at the East side (Red) respectively. The members participating are me, Hannah, Lana, Sierra and Ester who have already crossed the Lv40 mark. Unfortunately, Rika, Celestine and Karua still have a long way to go, so they were moved to seats near the base and are acting as spectators. I hope we will be able to participate together in the next D-rank exam. "The distance is really something." Ester whispers out while gazing at the opponent castle. I hadn''t exactly felt the distance in game but now that I''m experiencing it in reality, it''s really just as Ester has said. "I can''t say it for sure given how the distance between the fort¡¯s changed from arena to arena but it¡¯s around 500m apart." After all, this is a dungeon. It''s as wide as Olympic venues. With the vastness of the area, it''s quite often the spectators watch the match through the help of an item or live coverage. Therefore, the spectators'' seats are placed in key points such as in front of the giant castle or the base. Incidentally, the price of the seat they are sitting on is the most expensive one. Though, it''s free of charge this time. "500m, we would be thoroughly exhausted if we have to run across this distance" "Rest assured, one''s stamina increases each time you raise your AGI. Isn''t it evident from how you didn''t even get that much tired from dungeon exploration, Lana?" "...... Ahh, now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, that seems to be the case." This is also a blessing of having status. Status gives you the blessing of improving your physical ability. Though it''s a mystery why Hannah, who hasn''t put a single point in her agility, didn''t get tired...... She sure is a tough girl. "If everyone''s doubts are cleared, shall we start a strategy meeting?" "No questions. You can start." Sierra nodded as everyone¡¯s representative. "Good. The format this time is with advantage of numbers favoring our side, so this game is practically in our bag" "Really? But instructors aren''t easy to defeat." "Valid question. However, it''s fine as long as you don''t initiate a fight with them. Have you wondered why Philis-sensei added the rule of instructors being banned from attacking the base? So that we don''t unnecessarily start a PvP. In fact, no one needs to work their brain to know what would be the outcome if they attacked our base but with that rule, as long as we steadily earn points while avoiding them, since we have the advantage in numbers, it would be our win. This game is all about who can make more moves.'''' Because we have more people to score the points. There''s no reason to play a game of daredevil uprightly when we know it would be a fool''s errand to fight them. This is one of the tactics. This game is all about the point system. Even if there''s a disparity between the strength, there''s no problem as long as you avoid them. And this in fact, is one of the test perimeters. The exam will result in instant failure if any foolhardy students recklessly initiate a PvP against the instructors saying something like "Give me some pointers, sensei". Please fix your foolhardy mindset first. "Now let me show you the road to victory, Zephyr¡¯s style. The first way to win is to capture 2 castles of the opponent¡¯s. It wouldn''t be wrong to say that''s the only available route. So, the victory is almost set in stone if we capture the castle in the north and west. Then, the opponent wouldn''t have any choice but to re-capture them again." The group who takes down a castle will receive 2000P. Even if the castle is captured in reverse, the opponent team will receive 2000P but we will not lose the points earned and will result in a draw. Let''s hypothesize that we secure two castles and the teachers team secure one again, the points will be 4000 vs 2000 respectively. In addition, forts are even more of an advantage point because we have more people and can take a much larger number of them. By simple calculation, if we gain 500P, the opponent will only be able to earn 300P. Then, the difference will become 4500P vs 2300P. And that difference will just continue to rise. To get out of this deadlock, the instructors group can only opt to capture two of our castles. Then, the situation will reverse with 4500P vs 6300P. At that point, the number of castles will have would be 0 and 3. However, if we were able to take down one of their castles, our points would be 6500 and we could maintain the deadlock. will have one castle while instructors 2. Our win would be secured with just having 1 castle in our bag. Isn''t it amazing? There''s no more than three instructors, so they don''t have enough manpower to defend even if they capture all three. Because if they really divide themselves in three to safeguard castles, the empty base would be left vulnerable. After all, students aren''t banned from attacking their base. All of the castles will belong to the side who has taken it down and there''s 2 min buffer time before the opponent group can initiate an attack. So, the opponent would be unable to do anything if we did it when the time was about to run out. In contrast to the harsh conditions for instructors where they have to take down their castle and they wouldn''t be able to win unless they protect them all, the difference is overwhelming for us who can win just by holding down one castle. This is the terrifying aspect of having a large number of people. "Then the central north castle is the key point of this strategy, right?" "Just as Ester has said, victory is practically ours as long as we take it down." "Hmm. I understand." The first step you take is more important than anything in the . The first move is to take down the central north castle with everything we¡¯ve got. It''s startling how victory would be almost decided with that, but that''s also what makes it interesting. "Here''s how we''re going to split our strategy. The one who has the highest AGI among all of us is me, followed by Ester. We will be taking the lead and aiming for the castle" "Okay." "Hannah, Lana and Sierra follow after us as soon as possible. After all, the HP of the castle is huge. I believe you may have felt it in the mock battle but it''s not something one or two people can take down in a short time." One of the rules of being the castle will belong to whoever that brings down its HP to 0. As an example, even if our group has taken down 99% of the castle HP, the castle will belong to the opponent side if it''s there attack which brings it down to 0. I absolutely want to avoid this happening. For this reason, I hope to take down the castle in the shortest amount of time possible when the opponent still has yet to catch up with us. The strategy is simple. Taking advantage of our speed, Ester and I will make a monster free road for other members to catch up with us quickly and will immediately take down the castle with the all out attack from everyone''s help. I explained the specific strategy to them. "Does anyone have any doubts?" "I don''t have any!" "No." "As Zephyr-dono wishes" "I will do my best!" Everyone''s eyes were burning with fighting spirit. That''s great, everyone is excited. S?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Good, then let''s do it!" "Roger!" Vol. 2 - Ch. 169 - The battle begins! "What a bunch of high spirit kidskids. It''s an excellent guild.""Yeah." So muttered Ladvena, as she looks at everything happening in the white castle where guild is, through a monocle-like item which grants the user farsight. And the one who nodded in reply is Philis, a newly appointed instructor in the combat department major from this year onwards. The usually gentle and lazy Philis in fact is indebted to Ladvena. Which isn''t surprising, as Ladvena was the homeroom teacher of Philia for the whole three years, when she was a student. Philis has been very much looked after by her, so Ladvena is close to a mentor to her. And what kind of trick fate has played, Philis is now working in the same workplace as her. It has been close to one month but Philis still doesn''t look accustomed to it. "The in the rumors and the Princess. Others don''t seem to be weak either. It''s really a miraculous guild to be qualified to take the E-rank promotion exam in less than one month''s time." Ladvena puts away the monocle while saying that. Although she sounds amazed, her tone is still gentle. She is really delighted to see a guild with a promising future appearing. Philis doesn''t look up to as her mentor for nothing. She has a strong teacher temperament who loves to aid and guide the students to correct their path. "Well, Philis. You''re the leader this time. So we will just follow what you say" "It''s really hard to determine how to move." In the end, is a bit different from other guilds. The E-rank exam is just a checkpoint. It''s like a ceremony where they guide the students, and sometimes give them a push. In this exam, what is required from the instructors is to determine if students are being foolhardy or have they learned anything so far from dungeons. They will teach them again if they haven''t learned it, and once they have passed this hurdle, they will guide them through the . Thus, the E-rank exam is a test which helps students consolidate their abilities and motivation. That being said, neither of them knows how to guide such an out of norm guild. Hence, the reason why Philis is having a headache. "We are here to correct the mistakes if any problem arises. What Philis ought to do is follow what your feeling says. Who knows if the normal way turns out to be the best way to teach them about guild battles. By all means, that guild seems to be flourishing on its own under the leadership of the . Even if you can''t show them the way, I have a hunch that they are capable of learning on their own. So I think it would be futile to teach them through any special means." Time is nearing, however, she still hasn''t prepared any strategy. "It''s about time to commence the test. Are preparations ready, Makui-sensei?" Ladvena turns back and asks the male instructor, Makui, who nods and gives a thumbs up. He''s quite an untalkative person. However, his knowledge in practicals is incomparable and relied on by the students. Just, he''s untalkative. "Come on leader, let''s not make our dear students wait. Hurry up and decide" "Okay. Then, let''s take the central part first. In the meantime, we will change our course depending on how the opponent moves. Ladvena-sensei and I will be a two person group and Makui-sensei, please capture the forts and secure a route to the eastern castle" The central region, to describe in shogi''s terms, is a strategic point. As long as they can take it under their control, it will become a key point for them to allow capturing forts, castles, bases and they can even defend them smoothly. Usually, instructors wouldn''t go as far as to capture the central region right from the beginning, but the opponent they are dealing with is an anomaly. Regardless of the victory of defeat, Philis'' thinking is to capture it first so that she can respond to any occurence. Honestly speaking, it''s a bit unpalatable to win like this but just as Ladvena has said, the best way to teach them is to simulate a true guild battle scenario. S?a?ch* Th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Central, is it? Well, this is also fun on its own. Okay, let''s go." "Yes. Then, Makui-sensei, take care of eastern side please" Receiving the approval of Ladvena, Philis gives out the instruction. Makui nodded in silence as usual, did something in the tablet terminal and soon, a gargantuan screen appeared above the mid space of the dungeon. A countdown timer displays on it. The exam will begin when it turns 0. "It seems the other side has also began their preparation" Ladvena used the monocle to once again check the situation in base , and also confirmed that the students can properly see the screen. There''s no referee this time so buzzer would be the signal for start. It wouldn''t be any good if they can''t see the countdown so it''s another duty of instructors to ascertain it. Then, a buzz echoed from the screen as the cue to the beginning when the countdown reaches 0. Guild battle starts! "Oh!" "What!?" The instructors were instantly flabbergasted at the movement of the and the who unhesitatingly dashed out of their base. They didn''t look like a newbie guild who''s taking a guild battle for the first time, but a veteran team who has gone through multiple guild battles. Ladvena was taken aback in surprise while Philis yelped in astonished voice. "Oh, the other side also seems to be aiming for the central region. Philis, what action will you take now?" "Huh? I mean no, we can''t change our strategy at this point. Let''s move as we have discussed earlier." "Understood. Though, these kids surely are quick for already being at the 2nd square. We will be overtook if we make a blunder, so be careful, Philis" The was unthinkably quick in action and it was a surprise for them. The instructors also defeated the monsters around the castle and proceeded while taking control of the forts, yet they couldn''t put much of a gap even though they were taking them at considerable speed. Just when Philis thought they would end up encountering each other in the central region, the opponent side abruptly changed their course and advanced towards the northern region. "Hmm. We can''t be like that." "So their goal was northern castle all along" "What are you going to do? Chase them or secure the central region?" The castles are hard to take down with their high resistance. Unlike the forts, monsters are also considerably strong with Lv30. With their abilities, they would surely be able to catch up with them but it would be a different case if they decide to take the central region. What''s more, "Rear guard also on their trails" As Ladvena said, the opponent team''s rearguard is already chasing after the two members who left first through the white painted square. And because white painted area is still under the protection period, they are unable to stop them either. If they leave the central region and pursue them to the northern square, it would be possible to secure the strategic location later. But, it''s also unknown if they will be able to occupy it even if they fight for it. Opponents have five members while they are only two, not to say she''s not confident in stealing the last hit to take down the castle either. In that case, they are better off securing the central square is what Philis thought. Not realizing that it''s a completely meaningless action. "Continue as planned!" "Good grief, Phillis. You still have a long way to go" As a veteran, Ladvena could predict what¡¯ll happen afterwards, but Philis can''t. The choice becomes the key to pushing the instructor group into a dilemma. Ultimately, the instructor group secured the strategic point while the continues to advance in a straight line and managed to capture the northern castle. Philis group lagged behind in the point difference but it was soon turned into a deadlock by the points earned by Makui-sensei by taking down the eastern castle. Philis'' group then wanted to take down western castle but since the was close to it, it instead fell into their hands. With this, all of the main castles have fallen down. From there should be the commencing of a PvP battle while racing for the forts and Philis¡¯ group who boasts an overwhelming difference in Lv can challenge the students from the rule perspective but then, it would deviate from the true meaning of the E-rank exam. So what Philis group can only do is to take down other forts while defending the castles they have already acquired. The central square was secured, and the Philis group expanded their camp greatly in the central region. This should have been a significant strategic advantage. But the instead focused on acquiring the forts outside of the central area, like a ring. It seems as if they don''t care about any strategic point etc and aimed for any square they can get their hands on, thus the point difference against the Philis¡¯ group was unilaterally widening. Not to say the time left is only 8 minutes. Philis group made a comeback by turning over two of the castles of the . But wait, "What? Aren''t we going to lose at this rate?" Philis was surprised, as the screen in the mid air displays,