Chapter 198: |
Dungeon Stampede 2.0 Departure
When I woke up, I was on top of the gymnasium, and the scenery was dyed gray with rain.
"Egetsu-san… Are you awake?"
"Oh, I'm feeling great after the morning shower."
My face was soaked from the rain.
But I smiled at Serai-san, saying, "It's nothing to get wet in the rain." It seemed to reassure her, as she hurriedly returned to the slime tent, avoiding getting wet.
"Did you all sleep well?"
"Mmm, yeah! I slept like a log!"
"Yes. I thought I just fell asleep, and it was already morning."
"But it's raining…"
"Yeah, this complicates things…"
Agreeing with Serai-san as she looked up at the dark sky. Yeah… rain. This is troublesome.
Rain drastically narrows down our detection range. Visibility worsens, and it's hard to hear surrounding sounds over the rain. While I could compensate for it with Aura Sight, constantly doing so would drain my mental strength.
Furthermore, my skill set is very vulnerable to rain.
The power of Acid diminishes in the rain, and slimy goo doesn't work well either. Salt is still usable, but techniques like Salt Blast would significantly lose their effectiveness in the rain.
"…Ugh."
But seeing Ruu looking worried about her parents, it hurts…
‘I calculated that we would at least reach this school even in the worst-case scenario,' but according to the plan, we were supposed to reach Ruka's father's workplace by yesterday.
"Let's discuss our future while having breakfast for now."
…..
So it was 9 a.m.
After the discussion, despite the rain, we decided to move out. Both Ina-san and Sekai-san agreed to the movement, considering Ruka's severe worry about her parents. Despite both having families far away, their strength in not showing it was admirable. So, I must protect them with all I have.
And, before departure, we exchanged greetings with the heavy machine fighters.
"Alright, Heavy Machine Leader, we're counting on you with the school."
"Yeah, you guys from the Goldbugs, take care too."
The heavy machine fighters and I were friendly enough to call each other by nicknames. And from our conversation last night, I gathered that ‘as parents themselves, they weren't the kind to engage in unsavory activities at school', so I trusted them to handle things.
"Are you really leaving in this rain…? Be careful not to get into any skirmishes, Machi."
"Thanks for the advice. You too, make sure you don't cry like a baby if bugs come buzzing around."
It's… well, Serai-san and Shark were both comforting each other and teasing at the same time. Well, that's just how they roll.
…..
However, by 10:30 a.m., we were back at Shark Girls High School.
Before departure, we took a tour around the school to reduce Shark's burden even a little. While clearing out monsters we encountered around, the female students peeking out from the school windows cheered, ‘Wow! Big sis is cool!' With such encouragement, we continued our journey northward.
…That was the plan, but then we stumbled upon a dungeon.
And not just any dungeon, but one barely a kilometer away from the school. Upon checking inside, it was a freshly made dungeon generated during the stampede, with hardly any monsters. The few that were there were smaller than the slimes in our fridge dungeon, just squirming around.
So, I thought.
The heavy machine fighters wouldn't get stronger by just defeating monsters as they are now. But if I bring them to this freshly made dungeon, they could acquire stats and become stronger. Yeah, this is good. With heavy machines, leveling up would be easier. So, I returned to the school with this plan in mind.
"Hmm? What's up, buddy? Did you decide to cancel because of the rain?"
Returning to school, the heavy machine fighters, who were given the caretaker's room as a resting place, were lounging there. Upon seeing me return so quickly after leaving, they seemed to think it was because of the weather.
"No, I found a relatively safe dungeon nearby. I came to call you guys since you can surely acquire stats by entering it."
"I see, that's great! Hey, did you all hear!?"
Hearing this, the heavy machine fighters got excited.
"Yeah! We can get stronger too!"
"Alright! Hey, let's hurry up and go!"
And so, as we made our way from the caretaker's room to the front entrance lined with shoe lockers, a young woman who seemed to be a teacher hurriedly approached us.
"Um! Could I join in on that conversation just now!?"
"Oh? It's you."
Isn't this the female teacher who almost got carried away by goblins during the previous attack?
"I'm Manane, a teacher at this school. I can't let only the students face danger! Please, allow us to join you!"
"Um… Nice to meet you, Manane-sensei. I'm Egetsu."
Whoa… I was Sandra when I last came to this school. Phew, that was close, I almost mentioned that incident. But this Manane-sensei…
‘Students facing danger' probably refers to Shark and Aikido girl. Even though she was almost abducted by goblins in the past and even wet herself in fear, she still cares about the students… She's truly a great teacher.
"Understood, that's fine."
As we talked, male teachers A and B also asked to join. Yeah, they're good teachers too. But I don't remember their names. They didn't even acknowledge me when we first met.
Anyway, as we headed towards the back gate, the only entrance and exit currently, about twenty girls in tracksuits were waiting for me for some reason.
"""Please take us to the dungeon too!"""
(What!?)
I looked at Serai-san and the others who were waiting there, not understanding the situation. They sighed and shrugged. But when Shark stepped forward and started explaining, the situation became clear.
"If we're going to the dungeon, then take these girls with us. They're all in sports clubs, so they can move pretty well."
"What? So you're planning to create a squad of dungeon adventurers with these girls!?"
"That's!? It's dangerous! You can't do that!"
When I confirmed this, Manane-sensei stepped forward in protest.
"But, Sensei! In reality, we're short on manpower. Even though the teachers are going to the dungeon too, it's still not enough!"
Manane-sensei desperately tried to stop the students. But what Shark said made sense.
There are many monsters, and they're aggressive. So, it's understandable that Shark wants to expand our fighting force a bit.
"But even so…!"
"Well, well, Manane-sensei. What Shark… no, Ruri-kun says makes sense. And even if we don't fight, it's not a bad idea to acquire stats, don't you think?"
She must have been burdened with these thoughts for a while.
Seeing Manane-sensei on the verge of tears as she talked to Shark, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. So, I placed my hand on her shoulder and infused her with some soothing Aura Power to calm her down.
Then, the girls who had gathered there started cheering, and the eyes of male teachers A and B sharpened instantly. Huh? Could these two also…?
(Oh, I see… Well then, let's have a little fun.)
Let me explain! I never forget even the slightest grudge. I still remember being completely ignored yesterday. So, here I go.
"In times like these, Manane-sensei, we should all join hands as humans, not as students or teachers, and face difficulties together, shouldn't we?"
With a firm expression, I spoke idealistically, showing off as I shook Manane-sensei's hand.
Then the girls started squealing even louder, and the eyes of male teachers A and B became even sharper. Hehehe, what's wrong with you guys? Seems like steam's about to burst out of your heads.
"Uh, um…!? Y-yes, you're right. And… for some reason, when I'm next to you, my anxiety seems to melt away, and my heart feels lighter… Oh, no! I mean, this is just…!"
She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly blushed and hastily pulled her hand away, embarrassed…
Seeing that reaction, Serai-san, who keenly sensed my intention, grinned mischievously. And Nina-san, who was good at psychological warfare, had a veteran judge-like expression, saying, ‘Well, I guess that's passable.' Amidst all this, Ruu, who couldn't understand my intentions at all, suddenly covered her mouth in surprise and looked flustered. And when Shark was pestered right in front of her eyes, she was staring at her dumbfoundedly, her mouth wide open like an idiot.
"""Well then, let's all head to the dungeon together!"""
Hehehe, how about that?
I've also become quite adept at dealing with beautiful college girls. I'm not the same as before, getting nervous just receiving a change from a female cashier!
