Chapter 174 Recruitment
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
…Day 66 of the Trial, Morning. Grand Plaza. S-Rank: Sanada Yakumo…
”So,” I said, leaning against a stone pillar, “is there an actual reason you lot are refusing to join, or are you just being difficult?”
Personally, I didn’t give a damn if they joined or not, provided they didn’t turn into enemies. But I was curious – what could possibly be big enough to make them turn down a plea from Leticia? They practically worshipped her like a little sister.
”Ugh… well… the truth is, we were ‘mentored’ by Manda’s crew a while back, methinks,” the leader, stammered. “We managed to turn the tables on them, but Manda and his lackeys ended up with some pretty nasty scars because of us.”
”I heard about that,” I replied. “Instructor Sheena¹ was actually impressed by your grit.”
If I recalled correctly, they’d lured Manda’s group into a bottleneck and sealed it with Earth Wall² magic, letting the environment do the dirty work. Manda had a chunk of his cheek ripped out; even a Grade 3 Potion couldn’t wipe the scar away. Some of his goons had lost fingers or ears to the dungeon’s denizens during the chaos.
”I-Instructor Sheena… she praised us?!” the leader gasped.
”For real?!” another shouted.
”Whoa, the Demon Instructor actually acknowledged us?!”
The Upstarts³ looked like they’d just seen a miracle.
”Don’t get ahead of yourselves,” Sheena interjected, her voice cutting through their excitement like a blade. “I simply thought you did a decent job for a bunch of dung beetles. I suppose you’ve graduated to ‘useful pests’ at this point.”
”That sounds about right, methinks…” the leader sighed, his shoulders slumping.
”Yeah, that’s the Ma’am we know,” another muttered.
”Ah… getting insulted by her after all this time…” one of the men whispered, a strange flush creeping up his neck. “My backside is starting to tingle. Wait, why am I getting a hard-on? What is wrong with me?”
Despite Sheena’s frigid words, their faces were lit up. They were clearly thrilled to be recognized by her in any capacity. I decided to ignore the one guy who was clearly discovering a new fetish in the middle of the plaza.
”Anyway,” I continued, “what’s the deal with Manda? You fought them off, gathered the other former shut-ins, and started your own guild. Didn’t they take the hint?”
”Hardly, methinks,” the leader said. “Every time we cross paths, Manda and his boys look at us like they want to skin us alive.”
”Yeah, they’re definitely nursing a grudge,” a man named Nezu added. “If it comes down to it, I’m ready to finish what we started. This time, I’m ready to make sure a Kobold eats Manda’s fingers to match mine.”
”Captain, we’re ready for this to turn into a bloodbath,” another member said firmly. “They’re recruiting, too. They’re going to make a move.”
”They started this guild called ‘Road to Glory’⁴ or whatever. They already outnumber us,” Nezu explained.
”And they won’t try to lure monsters onto us this time. They’re coming for us directly.”
”Manda’s whole crew finally made it to the 4th Floor where we explore, so it’s only a matter of time.”
”And that is the problem, methinks. We owe you, Tsukigase, and Yuki a massive debt. We can’t go dragging you into our mess.”
”I see,” I said, pausing to study them.
I had to admit, I was impressed. These guys used to do nothing but beg and whine, but now they had the eyes of men who’d accepted the cost of survival. This was the result of their constant friction with the Trust Funders⁵ on the 3rd Floor. They’d clearly sat down as a group and decided that, at worst, they were going to have to kill or be killed.
It’s because they’re cowards that they aren’t optimistic. And because they aren’t optimistic, they plan for the worst-case scenario. These are the kind of people who actually get stronger.
If you asked me who I’d rather have at my back – the Kendo Club, the Archery Club, or these guys – I’d pick the Upstarts every time. There’s a certain kind of strength you only find in people who’ve crawled their way up from rock bottom.
I glanced at Sheena. Her expression had softened just a fraction. She felt it, too.
”I get the history with ‘Glory-whatever,’” I said. “And yeah, if you’re both on the 4th Floor, a collision is inevitable. But that’s exactly why you should join us.”
”Huh? But Captain, we don’t want to be a burden!” the leader cried.
”That’s my point. Join us, and I’ll give you the maps and strategies for the 4th Floor Guardian and the 5th Floor Area Guardian. Get your asses to the 6th Floor immediately. The Trust Funders won’t be able to touch you there.”
The group went silent for a heartbeat.
”Wait, for real?! We can actually make it to the 6th?!”
”The wall… I mean, that would be a huge help, but…”
”B-But Manda and his crew might catch up…”
”Nezu-chi, wouldn’t it be better if we just got stronger than them before they had the chance?” the leader asked.
”I mean, yeah, but the only reason we even made it to the 4th was because Yuki and the others gave us the info,” Nezu replied. “Relying on them even more feels…”
the leader was thinking fast; I could see his eyes darting. The others were clearly tempted by the prospect of using the Wall-Grind⁶ – the power-leveling strategy – but they were genuinely worried about dragging us into their war.
Sure, they got to the 4th Floor with our help. No doubt about that. But they were the ones staying alive there, grinding day and night while everyone else rested. They were so desperate to catch up that they hadn’t even realized they were all E-Rank or higher now. They’d already surpassed the average tester, but they were still acting like the runts of the litter.
”We’ve already got 74 members,” I pointed out. “If your group joins, we’ll be over a hundred. That’s a third of all the testers. Nobody is going to be stupid enough to pick a fight with a group that big – not even the Trust Funders.”
”T-That is a fair point, methinks, but…”
”San-chan, look… I want to pay those guys back too, but if we can avoid a war, we should,” one member argued.
”But man, I want that wall,” another whispered. “I’ve seen the videos…”
”I’m hooked,” a third confessed. “Watching the clips doesn’t give me the same rush anymore. I need to be there.”
”It’s honestly painful,” Nezu admitted.
They were still wavering. They didn’t want to feel like they were using us as a shield. Honestly, that’s exactly why I wanted them. I looked over at Leticia. She caught my drift instantly. She gave me a tiny, mischievous smirk, then immediately pivoted into a ‘damsel in distress’ act, her eyes welling up.
”I… I believed in you guys,” she whimpered. “I waited so long for my big brothers to come and rescue me… but you never came. I thought you’d finally save me this time…”
”Guh-hack!!”
The entire Upstart squad clutched their chests and collapsed as if they’d been sniped.
Well, of course they did. They’d spent a month hiding in the plaza while Leticia was stuck in the dungeon. That guilt was their kryptonite. Leticia had told me they’d been sending her sweets almost every single day since the gift system went live. That was their way of apologizing for being too weak to rescue her.
Then, Sheena decided to go for the throat. She drew her rapier with a lethal shring.
”Why are you wallowing?” she barked. “A woman you claim to care about is asking for your protection. Are you going to fail her a second time? If you’re that pathetic, you’re worth less than dung beetles. Maybe I should just put you out of your misery right now.”
”Eek?! W-We’re in! We’ll join, methinks!” the leader screamed. “It would be our honor!”
”I-I was going to say yes anyway!” Nezu shouted. “We’re going to protect the Princess for real this time!”
”M-Me too!”
”Do we get Nightmare⁷ badges or something? I want one now!”
”Alright! Let’s do this for Leticia-chan!”
”Ah… ah… I want Sheena-san to stab me in the butt…” the masochist moaned. “Wait, do I? Is that what I want? What is this feeling…?”
The 180-degree turn was instantaneous. They scrambled to their feet, shouting their loyalty while clutching their backsides. I ignored the one who was clearly discovering a new fetish.
”You should have just said that from the start,” Sheena huffed. “Hmph. I suppose you’ve at least reached the level of ‘monkeys’ now.”
”Yay! We’re all going to be together again! I’m so happy!” Leticia cheered.
”Princess…” the leader whispered.
”So precious…” Nezu added.
”Why were we even hesitating? We swore to protect that smile.”
”Exactly. Debt, trouble… none of that is an excuse to let Leticia-chan down.”
”We really are pathetic. Guard Captain, thank you for taking care of our Princess.”
”Wait… am I actually disappointed that Sheena-san didn’t stab me?” the odd one out muttered. “No, that’s impossible…”
Leticia’s joy was infectious, and the guys finally seemed to find their resolve. As for the last guy… he was a lost cause.
”Guard-dono, we’re in, methinks,” the leader said. “But we need to talk to the rest of our guild first. Please, give us a little time.”
”Take all the time you need,” I said. “Tell you what… I’ll give you the Guardian info as a down payment. Use that to convince your crew, then go clear the floor tonight or tomorrow. Treat it like an entrance exam. If the whole guild makes it to the 6th Floor, you’re officially in. And since some of your people might be nervous, I’ll even lend you Rock.”
”You’d lend us your familiar?! F-For real, methinks?!”
”Whoa! That Kobold is stronger than the Area Guardian, right?!”
”If we have him, even our lower-level guys won’t be afraid to pull the trigger!”
”This is better than a guest character in a JRPG!”
”Man, I wish we could have borrowed Sheena-san instead…” the masochist blurted out. “Wait! Why did I say that out loud?!”
Leticia and Karen walked over as the guys were celebrating.
”Hey, Yakumo… why didn’t you just let them join right now, methinks?” Leticia asked, teasingly mimicking their speech.
”Yeah,” Karen added. “Wouldn’t it be easier to keep that Manda guy away if they were officially part of Nightmare?”
”Maybe,” I said. “It would act as a deterrent for a while. But these guys call themselves ‘The Upstarts’ for a reason. Every tester knows their history, and they know it too. They don’t have any confidence. If I just hand them a membership, they’ll always feel like they don’t belong. I’m giving them a chance to earn it. That’s what the exam is for.”
Until a month ago, these guys were begging for scraps. No matter how much they’d improved, that shadow still hung over them. They probably had to listen to people whispering about how they only made it this far because of handouts from me and Yuki.
They didn’t want to bring their drama to us – that much was true. But deeper down, they didn’t think they were worthy of standing on the same level as the top conquest guild. They only made the leap because they wanted to protect Leticia. I knew some of the other former shut-ins would still be dragging their feet.
So, I’m giving them a win. They need to know they can do this. Most of their guild only just reached the 4th Floor, so they’d definitely be terrified of a boss fight. That’s where Rock⁸ comes in.
I’d tell Rock not to actually fight. Just letting out a roar is enough to paralyze any Kobold below Guardian level. With the minions out of the way, the Upstarts can focus entirely on the boss. The monster house on the way will be a total cakewalk.
At least, those are the reasons I gave them.
The real reason is that I’m using them as bait. That’s why I gave them two days. If the Trust Funders really have a death wish, they’ll try to move on the Upstarts while they think they’re vulnerable. If they attack now, I’ll crush them. If they don’t, then maybe the grudge isn’t as bad as I thought. Either way, it’s up to them.
It’s always better to finish a fight while your enemy is still weak. Besides, they’re Leticia’s friends. Helping them out a little is the least I can do.
”Was it really that hard for them?” Leticia asked. She’d probably heard some of the stories from Karen and Sheena.
”Yeah. At first, they were too paralyzed by fear to even stand,” I said. “But they pulled themselves together. They crawled out of the dirt because they wanted to save you. They even came to me and begged me to buy you if anyone else tried to, just to keep you safe. You’re loved, Leticia.”
”I see… hehe, well, I am pretty great.”
She was clearly touched that they’d been looking out for her, even if she tried to hide it with a smug little grin. She was so damn cute I couldn’t help but pat her head. She leaned into it, wrapping her arms around mine and looking up with a look of pure bliss.
Karen and Ayaka just stood there, watching us with warm smiles.
—
Summary:
Yakumo recruits the ‘Gozaru’ squad (The Upstarts) into his guild, Nightmare. He uses Leticia’s emotional influence and Sheena’s harsh motivation to force their decision. However, Yakumo is secretly using the recruitment as bait to flush out and destroy the antagonistic ‘Trust Funders’ guild.
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Trivia:
- The Upstarts were formerly the ‘shut-in’ group who stayed in the plaza out of fear.
- Manda and his crew (Trust Funders) have physical scars (missing fingers/ears) from their last encounter with the Upstarts.
- The Upstarts have actually reached E-Rank, meaning they’ve caught up to the average tester without realizing it.
- Yakumo is lending them Rock (the Kobold) specifically to use his roar to paralyze lesser monsters.
- The ‘Wall-Grind’ refers to the power-leveling method Yakumo previously discovered
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Character Insight:
Yakumo shows a pragmatic, almost Machiavellian side by using his friends as bait, but justifies it as protecting them from future threats. The Upstarts demonstrate significant character growth, moving from cowardice to a resolve born of protecting Leticia.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Gozaru’ speech pattern (degozaru) is a common trope for ‘chunibyo’ or archaic samurai-wannabe characters in Japanese media, often used to denote social awkwardness or a chosen persona.
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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.
• Leticia – French exchange student, animation major 1st year, silver hair, small stature, slim, large breasts, 13 years old.
• 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.
• Nezu – A pragmatic 3rd‑year Animation Department student and the underdogs’ rear guard, Nezu serves as the group’s archer and strategist, balancing his cautious nature with determined effort born from countless early‑morning practices.
• 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.
• 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
• 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.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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