Chapter 81 The Triumphant Return
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
…… Tester Life: Night of Day 32. Floor 1, Teleportation Room. Sanada Yakumo ……
I led the shut-in brigade through the teleportation array. As we materialized in the Floor 1 staging area, the other testers in the room let out a collective gasp.
The students who had watched my standoff with the shut-ins earlier that morning looked like they’d seen a ghost. They clearly hadn’t expected these guys to push far enough to unlock teleportation in a single day.
To be honest, I hadn’t expected them to bag a Guardian on their first run either. It just proved how effective Sheena’s spartan hell-dive really was. Of course, the “Gozaru” crew looked like they’d been put through a woodchipper.
Their blazers were shredded and matted with dungeon filth; blood was visibly seeping through the seats of their trousers. Every inch of exposed skin—hands, necks, faces—was a mess of angry scrapes and jagged cuts.
The crowd stared at them, then turned their eyes on me. Some looked like they’d had a sudden epiphany; others just scowled with deep-seated suspicion.
What’s with the looks? Like I’m some thug who forced them into the meat grinder? Give me a break. I wasn’t the one who broke them.
I stepped off the platform, ignoring the silent accusations. Immediately, Oida and his inner circle came rushing over from the corner.
”Gu—Guard! What the hell is the meaning of this!?” Oida stammered, his voice cracking. “How on earth did you get them to enter the dungeon!?”
”How?” I let out a sharp, mocking snort. “Simple. I gave them weapons, gave them armor, and told them to choose: fight or die.”
Oida gaped at me, his face twisted in disbelief.
”Bullshit! These are cowards! We spent weeks trying to move them and they wouldn’t budge! There’s no way they’d pick up a sword just because you told them to!” Oida shouted.
”Well, you’re not entirely wrong,” I said, leaning back. “Technically, it was Tsukigase Sayaka. She got down on her hands and knees and begged them to save the other girls. If a man sees a girl do that and doesn’t feel a fire in his gut, he isn’t a man at all. Right, boys?”
”One simply does not refuse a request of that magnitude—degozaru,” Sanada’s student, the one they called Gozaru, replied firmly.
”Yeah, if I’d chickened out after that, I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror,” another boy added.
”I’m just… really grateful to Tsukigase-san for giving us that final push,” a third boy muttered, looking at the floor.
The group chimed in one by one, their eyes filled with a new, raw respect for the girl. Sayaka, meanwhile, was beet-red, waving her hands frantically. “No, really! I was just moved by your courage, senpai!”
As she bowed in modesty, her breasts—hidden beneath her cloak—shifted heavily. I need to get back and ravish her soon.
”This is… I don’t believe it…” Oida stammered. Kume, Miyata, and the rest of the coaching staff—including Sayama—stood there, rendered speechless.
”That’s the reality of it,” I said. “And starting tomorrow, the rest of the shut-ins will be showing up here too. I’ve already handed them the maps for Floor 2. You ‘teachers’ better watch your backs, or your students might just leave you in the dust.”
I wondered what it felt like—being overtaken by the very people you’d deemed worthless and abandoned.
”What!?” Oida’s voice climbed an octave. “The rest of them? Every single one is in the dungeon!?”
”Yeah. Five parties, all deployed. I had Yuki and the baseball guys like Wakamiya show them how to kill. Did you really think I’d just bring this one group?”
”Impossible! All thirty-three of them!? That’s insane! And where did the gear come from? These kids didn’t have a single DP to their names!”
”I liquidated my hoard,” I said, feeling a surge of petty satisfaction. “I’d been sitting on quite a stockpile. It’s actually nice to have the extra space in my room now. Very refreshing.”
And now I have enough floor space to actually use the service room. Maybe I’ll buy a rug.
”You were hoarding gear this whole time!?” Oida shrieked. “Then why didn’t you provide it to us!? We wouldn’t have had to cut them loose if we had those resources!”
”Because I don’t owe you a damn thing, you bottom-feeder! I warned you at the start, didn’t I? I told you to set a deadline for your support. I assumed you’d be smart enough to pool the tax from the Magic Stones and buy them equipment on their final day. But no—you ignored me. You kept them as pets until the second things got difficult, then you threw them out. Penniless, unarmed, and right when food prices are hitting the ceiling. You don’t get to lecture me, you piece of shit.”
”Guh… guuuuh…” Oida let out a strangled sound, his face turning a sickly shade of purple. He was vibrating with rage, his fingernails digging so deep into his palms I thought he’d draw blood. Kume looked like he wanted to incinerate me with his eyes alone. The other coaches looked away, faces tight with shame. Only Coach Sayama remained still, eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought.
Actually, looking at the coaches, they were looking pretty ragged themselves. Sayama had a nasty scar on his cheek that a Potion clearly hadn’t fixed—looks like Kobold claws. Must have happened recently.
Sayama finally opened his eyes. He looked directly at me, his expression strangely clear.
”Sanada-san. Thank you,” he said, bowing deeply. “Thank you for saving the students, and for leading them so they can fight.”
He sounded… relieved. I wondered what had shifted in his head.
”I just did what any responsible adult should have done,” I replied, shrugging as I shot a pointed look at Oida. “I’d hate to get roasted by the tabloid vultures back on the surface for ‘abandoning children’ once we get out of here.”
Sayama nodded solemnly. “You’re right. No matter the reason, we abandoned them. I expect to be held properly accountable when we return. Everyone… I am truly sorry.”
He turned to the Gozaru-Megane group and bowed again. Seeing the writing on the wall, Oida and the others followed suit, though their eyes remained fixed on Sayama with pure, unadulterated venom.
Look at them. Hating him for being the only one with a spine.
They were hopeless. If they were real teachers, they’d be thanking me and begging forgiveness like Sayama. Instead, they just felt belittled. To them, I wasn’t a savior; I was a nuisance who’d proven them wrong. They never cared about the students. They were just checking boxes of “duty” until they could find an excuse to hoard more power.
”Please, don’t! We were the ones causing trouble for you teachers—degozaru!” Gozaru-Megane cried out.
”He’s right,” another boy added. “Especially you, Sayama-san. You used to go out and hunt Horn Rabbits alone after your shifts just to share the stones with us! If you bow to us, it only makes us feel more pathetic!”
”Yeah, Coach Sayama was the only one who never gave up on us. Please, stand up,” another urged.
I blinked. So he had been doing that. Was it because I’d goaded him after kicking Oida’s ass? He seemed like the type to take a challenge like that to heart.
Noble. But a suicidal move in the world of adults.
Sure enough, Oida’s glare was practically radioactive now. Sayama had done the one thing a coward can’t forgive: he’d acted with integrity.
”Thank you, everyone,” Sayama said, his voice steady. “I have no right to say this, but I pray for your safety in the depths. Teachers… let’s move.”
”…Fine,” Oida spat.
As they turned to leave, I stepped forward. “Hold it, Oida.”
I could see the gears turning in Oida’s head. If I let him leave like this, Sayama wouldn’t make it through the night.
”What now, Guard? I’m not thanking you,” Oida muttered.
”I don’t want your thanks. I want you to listen very carefully. Sayama did what you couldn’t. He did it for the students. If you try to take your petty grudge out on him…” I let a wave of cold, sharp killing intent wash over the room. “I will kill you. Understood?”
Oida’s eyes darted away. He let out a massive, theatrical click of his tongue and stomped off toward the exit. He’d definitely been planning to “discipline” the traitorous coach. Thugs like Oida always go for the person they think they can beat.
With the coaches gone, the atmosphere shifted. Students who were likely the group’s classmates began to swarm them. They were teasing them, poking at their ruined clothes, but they were all smiling. They’d been worried, but the hierarchy of the camp hadn’t let them show it until now.
Now, things were different. The Gozaru gang weren’t “charity cases” anymore. Being in this room was proof that they were players. They’d climbed back up to the same stage.
I left them to their reunion, heading back toward the Great Plaza.
When I arrived, Yuki and the others were already there, divvying up the loot. They’d stayed out late too. The other shut-ins were there, looking battered but wearing wide, triumphant grins.
I thanked Yuki’s team for their help. Every party had bagged at least sixty kills. They finally had the confidence to handle Horn Rabbits on their own.
”We checked the numbers,” Yuki said, pulling me aside. “They only earned enough for basic breakfast sets, so our group and the baseball guys are covering their meals for tomorrow.”
”You sure about that?” I asked.
”Yeah. It’s not a big hit for us anymore, and we’re sending them to the Guardian tomorrow anyway. Once they clear that, they’ll be self-sufficient. Besides,” Yuki smiled, a bit of that same pragmatism I liked showing through, “think of it as an investment. If we’re ever in a bind later, maybe they’ll remember who fed them today.”
”Heh. Fair enough,” I replied.
The shut-ins would probably prefer it that way. They’d just learned the hard way that “free” help is often the most expensive kind.
They were going to be fine.
Now, though… I’d spent enough time playing mentor. Tomorrow, it was time to put my foot on the gas and tear through Floor 8.
Notes:
• Yakumo – A 25-year-old human male. He has facial scars, stab wounds, and gunshot scars from his time in a war zone. He works as a school guard.
• Sana – Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Sheena – Beastman Soul-less Doll with rabbit ears and a large chest. Flawless face, approx 165cm height, F or G cup, narrow waist, large hips, and a fluffy tail longer than a rabbit’s.
• Oida – A PE teacher with a large build and a plain, non-intimidating face. He was formerly an Olympic developmental athlete for Judo. He uses a greatsword in the dungeon and wears tattered jerseys.
• Sayaka – The academy’s premier beauty and a member of the swimming club. Currently classified as a Rank 1 Slave. She is seventeen years old and a virgin. E-cup. She has blue, short, boyish hair. Her best friend is Sanae.
• Miyata – Mathematics teacher who uses a spear. Described as having noticeable dandruff.
• Sayama – Baseball club coach in his thirties, former professional pitcher with a history of injuries. Pragmatic and anxious about his family and career stability.
• Kume – An English teacher, suspicious of Sanada. Slicked-back hair, wears a shady expression.
• Wakamiya – Captain of the baseball club.
• Yuki – A third-year high school student and leader of the Battle Sports Club. He is a national champion in medieval-style combat using swords and spears. He has a severe sister complex. He has hawk-like eyes and a polite but determined demeanor.
• Gozaru-Megane – Leader of the animation department students; 170cm tall, formerly chubby, now medium build due to dungeon diet. Wear glasses.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply