Chapter 34
“You work fast, big bro. You’ve already made it to the fifth floor of 〈Jungle〉? And you even brought back all the required materials. That’s perfect work—I’m impressed.”
“Yeah. Feel free to praise me even more. I plan to clear 〈Tropical Forest Dungeon〉 by the end of today.”
The morning after Hannah and I first challenged a lower-tier beginner 〈Shocker〉, I visited 〈Patch Seal Sticker〉, where Marie-senpai worked, to deliver the items for that quest.
Today was my first day off since coming to the academy. It was Saturday.
For me, since I could skip classes, every day felt like a day off. But Marie-senpai had classes like normal, so she usually wasn’t at the guild in the mornings. On her days off, though, she apparently spent most mornings at the guild, so I’d shown up first thing to deliver the quest items.
I’d only completed about one-sixth of the quest’s deliveries so far, but I planned to bring things in regularly and report my progress. I could’ve waited and delivered everything at once, but I could only carry so much, so I planned to make frequent deliveries after each dungeon trip and keep as much space free as possible.
“You really are amazing. The 【Hero】 Job is something else... Normally, even in a lower-tier beginner 〈Shocker〉, you’d form a five-person party, explore for a week, and only then challenge the boss.”
Well, that was probably true for a dungeon you’d never explored before.
But I was the man known as a database for having explored every corner of 〈Dan-Katsu〉.
I knew every route by heart, so I never got lost. I always took the most efficient path, and I knew everything there was to know about the monsters. That was why I could make progress so quickly.
Well, 【Hero】 was an excellent Job, and the overwhelming power of the 〈Sky Series〉 played a big part, too!
“What should I do with the materials besides the ones for the quest?”
“We want quite a few of those materials, too. Would you mind if I talked it over with the guild members? I’m sure some of them want materials for themselves, not just the guild.”
“Sure. But I’m meeting someone now, so I’ll leave the materials here. Tell me how much you’ll offer when I get back from the dungeon. I’ll take back anything you don’t want.”
“Got it. Then I’ll make sure to offer you a good price, so you’ll bring us plenty more materials.”
“Sounds good. Make sure you offer as much as you can.”
Once we’d agreed on the details, I shook hands with Marie-senpai.
Having connections at other guilds made these kinds of negotiations easier, which was convenient.
Since I didn’t have a guild hall of my own yet, finding somewhere to store materials was a problem. Being able to use another guild as a temporary storage space worked out well for me, too.
Still, some guilds would skim a little off the top if you left your materials with them and went off to a dungeon. Someone as sharp as Marie-senpai, though, was trustworthy.
She understood that, too, so she’d probably sweeten the offer a little. She’d lose out if we fell out, too—and she’d lose more than I would.
After inviting Hannah, I headed for 〈Dungeon Gate: Novice Rank〉, commonly known as the First Dungeon. A few students were scattered around the entrance.
“Oh, right, today’s a day off, isn’t it? I think this is the first time I’ve seen other students here.”
It seemed Hannah had forgotten it was a day off, too. She blinked in surprise at the other students.
I know how you feel. When every day feels like a day off, you lose track of what day it is.
The other groups were probably all upperclassmen. They looked like they had a decent amount of gear.
Most of the students seemed to be heading for upper-tier beginner 〈Shokko〉 dungeons.
There weren’t any parties or guilds heading for lower-tier beginner 〈Shocker〉 dungeons. Looks like we’d have the place to ourselves again today.
As I looked around, Hannah tugged on my sleeve.
“Hey, Zephyrus-kun.”
“Hmm?”
“Look over there.”
Hannah pointed toward six unbearably sweaty masses of muscle.
“You are the chosen Best Muscles! Go use those muscles to sweep the monsters away! Don’t worry, your instructor will be watching closely, so go test those muscles of yours!”
“Yes, Instructor!”
I felt my cheeks twitch so violently they wouldn’t relax.
It looked like one instructor and five students were about to challenge the 〈Beginner Dungeon〉.
They must’ve been taking that test. The instructor was psyching them up (?)
The instructor leading them was Instructor Davidef, who’d taught me, too.
But the problem was that, for some reason, everyone—including the instructor—was shirtless.
And all five students were musclebound, too. They looked like a whole group of 【Muscle Warriors】.
Talk about overbearing.
“You’ve been chosen by 【Muscle Warrior】! Congratulations—you’ve got a powerful Job!”
That’s not something to congratulate them for!
I couldn’t help objecting in my head.
If I kept watching this unbearably overbearing group, I had a feeling something even more outrageous would come out of their mouths.
I took Hannah by the hand and hurried into 〈Tropical Forest Dungeon〉 to get away from them.
“That was amazing. I mean… in so many ways…”
“Yeah, I completely agree. I’m scared my classmates are going to end up just like Instructor Davidef…”
Classmates like Instructor Davidef… Yeah, no thanks.
Thinking about the class assignments and lessons coming up in a month left me feeling a little glum.