Chapter 132 The Thief and the Grind
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
……Tester Life: Day 46, Evening | 11th Floor, Orc Settlement | Sanada Yakumo……
”Are you serious? It’s not even a guaranteed drop?”
We’d finished our lunch break and pushed another three kilometers down the main road when we stumbled upon a second settlement. There was no way we were passing it up. We’d charged in, grinning and swapping guesses about what kind of loot would be waiting for us this time.
But after clearing out about eleven Orcs – mostly thanks to the long-range support from Sanae and Karen – we’d turned every single shack inside out. Nothing. Not a single treasure chest.
Who the hell said these settlements were a gold mine? “Guaranteed drop,” my ass!
Sure, the numbers are lower than a Monster House, but Orcs are heavy hitters once they close the distance. They’re tough, mean, and a total pain to put down. You’d think they’d at least be worth a copper chest for the trouble.
”Lucy!” Karen screamed.
”What is it?” I asked, sprinting toward her.
I was moping inside one of the shacks when Karen’s shout brought me back to reality. In the middle of the clearing, Lucy was doubled over, her entire body pulsing with a rhythmic, obsidian glow. It looked like the XP from those final kills had finally pushed her over the edge. She was evolving ¹.
”It’s okay, Karen-chan,” Sayaka said, stepping in to calm her down. “Lucy is just evolving.”
”Evolving?” Karen asked, her eyes wide. “Wait, is she gonna get all huge and buff like Rock?”
Sayaka held Karen back while Sanae stood with her arms crossed, glancing back and forth between Rock’s massive frame and the glowing girl. After a few tense moments, the black light died down, and Lucy stood up.
”Ah…” Lucy let out a soft, airy breath.
”Whoa! She grew!” Karen exclaimed.
”She’s definitely taller,” Sanae noted. “What is she now, maybe 140 centimeters?”
”Are her arms and legs… thicker?” Sayaka asked.
”Hmm. Sanae’s right,” I said, stepping closer. “She’s sturdier now. But her face is as cute as ever.”
Lucy had gained about twenty centimeters in height, and her limbs looked leaner, more powerful. She looked fast. Thankfully, she hadn’t lost her doll-like features. It looked like she was avoiding the “Rock route” of becoming a pure wall of muscle.
Sheena stepped up beside me, her eyes analytical. “A Kobold Thief ², perhaps?”
”A Thief, huh? She definitely looks like she could move. It seems the build I was aiming for worked out.”
A rogue type. It made sense; I’d been loading her up with gear and weapons designed for agility. Rock had turned into a muscular Defender because I’d handed him a shield, so this tracked. That put Lucy at E-Rank. With Rock and Saizou at D-Rank, my team of familiars was starting to look pretty formidable.
”Alright, listen up! No chest here, so we’re moving out!” I called out to the group. Lucy was currently busy striking poses in front of Rock – probably bragging about her new look – while Karen and Sayaka were busy fussing over her.
”Wait, really? No chest at all?” Karen pouted.
”Yeah. Looks like the RNG is screwing us today,” I replied.
”Even after all that fighting? Well… at least Lucy got stronger, so I guess it wasn’t a total wash!”
”Exactly,” Sayaka agreed. “It wasn’t for nothing.”
”Man, I was really looking forward to seeing what was inside,” Sanae grumbled, her face mirroring my own frustration.
Karen and Sayaka were quick to bounce back, but Sanae and I were still feeling the sting of the wasted effort.
”There’s probably another settlement ahead,” I said, trying to rally the team. “Next time, we’re getting that chest and the next scrap of paper.”
”Damn right,” Sanae said, cracking her knuckles. “I think I’ve got enough juice for one more Physical Reinforcement ³. Next one’s on me.”
”And I’m gonna keep blasting ’em!” Karen added.
I gave them a weary smile and led the way out of the settlement, back toward the main road.
* * *
”Tch. Another bust.”
Three kilometers further down the road, we hit a third settlement. We raided it, we cleared it, and we found… absolutely nothing. Again.
”Hieee… this is basically working for free…” Karen groaned.
”Muu. All those Orcs and all we got were some lousy Magic Stones?” Sheena muttered.
”Maybe it’s just different from the Monster Houses,” Sayaka sighed.
Even Sheena and the others were starting to look dejected. Rock and Lucy were even mimicking the girls, dropping their shoulders in a theatrical display of disappointment. Are you two actually upset, or just following the vibe?
Speaking of Lucy, I’d been letting her use a basic iron dagger, but as a “promotion” gift, I handed over the large black iron knife that had dropped from Arashiyama. She started thumping her tail against the ground with a heavy thwack-thwack-thwack. She was so hyped she actually tried to test the blade against Rock’s shield. I’m pretty sure they were just playing, but it was a scary display of her new speed.
”Here’s the deal,” I said, looking at the map. “The chests must be a percentage drop. They want us to hit every settlement and farm them until we collect all those scraps of paper.”
”With a settlement every three kilometers and no side paths, that seems the most logical conclusion,” Sheena added.
”So it’s a gacha grind ⁴…” I muttered.
Clear the road, hit the node, pray for the drop. It was a classic gaming gimmick. Now it was just a matter of figuring out the drop rate, and the only way to do that was to keep pulling the lever.
”Gah! I hate grinding in games!” Karen groaned. “I always get so tilted when the items don’t drop.”
”I’ve never really played games,” Sayaka said. “Is it really that bad?”
”It’s the worst! You do the same thing over and over, and the one thing you actually want never shows up! It’s just a massive time sink!”
”Fufu, that sounds like a nightmare for someone as impatient as you, Karen-chan,” Sayaka teased.
”I didn’t mind it back in the day,” I chimed in, “but that was when it was just a game. Doing it for real… man, it really starts to grate on your nerves.”
I’d spent entire nights doing nothing but tapping a screen to farm materials before. Usually, I’d just get fed up and open my wallet to buy my way out of the grind. But out here, you have to walk the miles, risk your life, and do the dirty work yourself.
”I’ve never heard of a dungeon with a mechanic like this,” Sheena said, tilting her head.
”The Queen probably pulled this straight from an Earth game,” I said. “I’m convinced she did some serious market research before she built this place.”
Between the Shop, the party functions, and the room settings, the fingerprints of a gamer were all over this dungeon.
”Now that you mention it, the Shop and party settings are almost identical to the games in the living room,” Sayaka noted.
”Exactly. And if we want to move forward, we have to play by her rules. Still, it’s already 4:00 PM. I can’t believe there hasn’t been a single fork in the road this whole time.”
The sky was already beginning to bruise. Most field-type dungeons had a day-night cycle, which meant this place was going to be pitch black soon. We’d covered about ten kilometers total, but between the combat and the breaks, it had taken us seven hours – six if you don’t count lunch. We were only moving at a crawl of about 1.6 kilometers per hour.
Normally, I’d use a junction as a milestone to head back, but with this straight shot of a road, there was nowhere to stop. I’d messed up. I should have bought some camping gear or a magic tent. Was that why the 10th-floor reward was a magic tent? To prepare us for this specific grind?
”Whatever. We’re going back with the Medal of Return ⁵ today, even if it means walking this whole way again tomorrow,” I said. “We’ve got time for one more settlement before it gets too dark. Let’s make it count.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. We moved out, pushing through the fatigue to hit the next settlement.
This time, since Sanae was tapped out on Mana, Sayaka and I just went full artillery, carpet-bombing the clearing with magic. For the Orcs that tried to vanish into the woods, Saizou hunted them from the canopy, poisoning them from above. Once they were staggering and delirious, Lucy darted in, her new black iron knife blurring as she hamstrung them, leaving them for Karen to finish off.
Once the dust settled, we hit the shacks.
”Yes! We got one!” I shouted.
In the largest hut, a copper chest was waiting for us. Two chests out of four settlements. A 50% drop rate? I could live with that.
”Yay! Can I open it? Can I?” Karen was practically vibrating.
”Go for it,” I replied.
She flipped the lid. Inside was a Grade 4 Potion, a Mana Recovery Potion, a small leather pouch, and another scrap of paper.
”Whoa… look at these silver coins! How much are these worth?”
”No idea. First time seeing silver. If a copper is 10 DP ⁶ and a large copper is 100… maybe 500 DP each?”
A copper chest usually holds about 20k to 30k DP worth of loot. We already had two 10k potions, so the coins were likely worth a total of 10,000 DP.
”Wait, there are twenty of them! That’s 10,000 DP! That’s like a hundred thousand yen! We’re rich!” Karen cheered.
”Don’t count your chickens yet. We’ll check the exact value back at the room. More importantly…”
I picked up the scrap of paper. It had a single, elongated ‘正’ character ⁷ written on it – a tally mark. I laid it out next to the first scrap on the floor, but they didn’t line up. There was definitely a piece missing in the middle.
”Clear as mud. I’ll run an Appraisal back home.”
”Good idea,” Sheena agreed. “An Item Appraisal might reveal the hidden properties.”
”Well, at least we ended the day on a win. Let’s get out of here.”
I shoved the loot into my Magic Pouch and gathered the group. The light was fading fast; in an hour, we’d be blind. I recalled Rock and the others into their Magic Sealing Crystals and held out my arms.
”Right arm is mine!” Karen shouted, latching on.
”Then I’ll take the left,” Sayaka said, hugging my other side.
”Hey! Then I’m taking the back!” Sanae yelled, jumping onto my shoulders.
Sheena stepped into the small space left in front of me, leaning into my chest and tilting her head up with a soft, expectant look. “Then I shall take the front, if you don’t mind. Master… a kiss, if you would be so kind.”
”Wait, what?! Sheena, you sneak! Swap with me!” Sanae barked from behind.
I ignored Sanae’s protests. I leaned down, meeting Sheena’s lips for a long, lingering moment, and activated the Medal of Return. As the mana surged, the dark forest vanished, and we were pulled back to the safety of My Room.
—
Summary:
Yakumo and his party spend the day ‘grinding’ through Orc settlements on the 11th floor, frustrated by low treasure chest drop rates. During the raids, the familiar Lucy evolves into a faster, sturdier ‘Thief’ class. The chapter ends with the group collecting a rare scrap of paper and returning to their room, where Sheena claims a kiss from Yakumo.
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Trivia:
- The scrap of paper contains the character ‘正’ which is a Japanese tally mark.
- The party is moving at a slow pace of 1.6km/h due to combat and looting.
- Yakumo suspects the dungeon Queen is basing the floor’s mechanics on Earth-based social games.
- Lucy’s evolution was influenced by the agility-based gear Yakumo provided.
- The silver coins found are estimated to be worth 500 DP each, a significant step up from copper
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Character Insight:
Yakumo displays the typical fatigue of a completionist gamer, while Sheena shows increased assertiveness in her romantic feelings, successfully navigating the harem dynamic to get a private moment.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author uses ‘Shūkai’ (grinding/looping), a common term in gacha games like Fate/Grand Order or Granblue Fantasy, to frame the narrative’s tension.
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TL Notes:
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.
• Karen – An international student from America who often runs to school late with bread in her mouth. Considered a ‘main target’ by the protagonist. Voice acting major, huge breasts, same height as Sana.
• Sanae – She struggles with the sexual training and often shows frustration. Vice-captain of the Archery Club. Described as tall with a model-like build and sharp features. She has approximately C-cup breasts and is ranked as a 1st Rank Slave. She is Sayaka’s best friend. Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Lucy – A female Kobold familiar resembling an American Eskimo Dog. Now, she evolves into a Kobold Thief. Her height increases to approximately 140cm, her limbs become sturdier/leaner, and she retains a cute face. She wags her tail when happy.
• 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.
• Rock – A male Kobold summoned from a Magic Sealing Crystal. He has grey fur, round eyes, and a face resembling a Shiba Inu. He wears a leather jacket and a pilot’s cap
• 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. Now, her ego is back.
• Saizou – A newly summoned Goblin. Intelligent with a small horn on his forehead and jagged teeth. Wears ninja-style clothing (shinobifuku) and uses poison daggers/knives.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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