Chapter 261 Orc The Queen Hanako
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ora!”
I swung my Adamantite Machete down toward the approaching Orc.
The creature tried to block with its crude iron cleaver, but the blade snapped with a sharp crack, and my Machete buried itself deep into its skull.
With a pathetic, dying grunt, the Orc crumpled to its knees. I kicked it aside, ripped my Machete free, and leveled my left arm at a fresh group of Orcs visible in the distance.
’Fire Shell’
With a thunderous boom, the projectile tore through the lead Orc’s gut, striking the one directly behind it before erupting in a shower of gore.
Shrapnel—splinters of gear and bone—sprayed outward, impaling the limbs of the Orcs running alongside it.
I followed up with a volley of ice lances. They pierced the chests of three trailing Orcs and an Orc Wizard, flash-freezing their upper bodies instantly.
Feli charged in to mop up the stragglers, finishing off the Orcs brought down by the blast.
Seeing the path clear, I turned my gaze toward two more groups of Orcs closing in from the side passageway—perfectly bunched up for a second strike.
’Lightning’
A bolt of electricity arced from my arm, connecting with the lead Orc before chain-jumping through the rest. Eight of them were seized by the current, their bodies cooking as they locked up mid-stride.
Four left.
”Princess! Go!” I shouted, my voice calm and authoritative.
”Ahn-ahn!” Lucy chirped, her tone bouncing with high-energy excitement.
At Sheena’s command, Lunaria and Lucy were unleashed.
Lunaria waded into the survivors, her blue-black Adamantite blade carving a path. Lucy was equally efficient; she used her heavy Black Steel knife to slit the throats of the paralyzed Orcs, ending them in a single, fluid motion.
Meanwhile, Sayaka and Karen handled the reinforcements spawning from the rear, while Sheena systematically swept up the remaining stragglers.
”Is the job finished?” I asked, my tone professional and procedural.
I waited for the Mana Capacity readings to settle. Seeing no more signatures, I glanced over at Sanada, whose sensor range far exceeded mine.
”Yeah, there aren’t any more Mana Capacity readings to be found,” Sanada replied, her voice steady and neutral.
”Right. Let’s grab the Magic Stones and head back. My Mana Capacity is running low as well,” I noted, my speech clipped and concise.
Everyone nodded, and we began scouring the floor for the spoils.
Whew… the encounter rate near the castle is no joke.1 Getting swarmed by thirty enemies at a time? It’s like clearing a continuous village street.
Still, it’s a sign of how far we’ve come.
Sanada hit C-Rank the day before yesterday, and Leticia followed suit this morning. Our familiars have upgraded to Black Steel gear, and everyone has picked up some high-tier magic.
Even the other guild members are steadily taking down the 10th Floor Area Guardians.
Ever since Kurokawa pulled off his successful raid two days ago, it’s been a domino effect.
Yes, Kurokawa’s team cleared the 10th Floor without a scratch.
When the rest of the guild—and the Karate Club—found out, they demanded to know how. The secret? Apparently, every tester and every Soul-less Doll learned Fireball and opened the fight with a coordinated, massive volley.
They channeled the enemy with Earth Walls into a V-shape, then just spammed magic into the bottleneck.
The fodder Goblins were wiped out instantly, and the various Stratum Guardians guarding the King were left crippled.
Then, the Soul-less Doll Ria finished the job with a barrage of Ice Lances, leaving only the King and his Assassin alive.
Before the King could react, Kurokawa’s team teamed up with the Assassin Akakage to take down the enemy flanker, while the Kobold Kaiser, Maru, tanked the charging Goblin King head-on.
The rest of the team, decked out in full Black Iron gear, swarmed the beast and beat it into the ground.
They’d clearly adapted the bottleneck strategy I used in the villages, but executing it to a flawless finish on the first attempt? That was impressive.
So that was the “secret plan” Kurokawa was bragging about.
Talk about “pay-to-win” at its finest. I finally understood why they’d hoarded all that quest loot and even borrowed 90,000 DP from me.
They bought a mountain of Magic Tomes, they’ve got eight D-Rank combatants, and they’re equipped with the best gear the 10th Floor has to offer. Of course, they came out unscathed.
It’s a strategy most parties—who are still struggling to afford food—could never dream of replicating.
Still, the opening volley was a solid lesson. Most of the others have started taking out loans from the Guild to buy their own Magic Tomes. I even chipped in some DP from the Guild’s reserve for Coach Sayama. I’ll make sure to collect that back later, with interest.
Today, Coach Sayama and the last of the Baseball Club members are making their attempt.
No reports of major injuries yet, but that’s probably just because they’re too terrified of Sheena’s “special training” to complain.
As long as nobody dies, I’m happy.
After them, it’s just Gozaru, the Upstart Federation, and the Kendo Club. They should all be done within a week.
According to Sheena, clearing a Goblin King in four months is incredibly fast—especially considering they started with one rank less Mana Capacity than the native inhabitants.
Local adventurers apparently take nearly a year to reach that level. Then again, they have to deal with wandering monsters outside the dungeons and take up odd jobs for cash.
For us, camping in the dungeon and grinding seems to balance it out.
Kurokawa’s reward for the Area Guardian was a 4th Rank Slave Exchange Ticket and a 5th Rank Slave Exchange Ticket. And apparently, a 5th Grade Magic Tent. Looks like the rewards for the 6th through 10th clearings are the same. That adds up to about 150,000 DP in loot.
He’s selling the tickets to the guild members at a 20% discount.
I’d told everyone to look into buying a slave, but Kurokawa’s team doesn’t have a place to keep them. It’s one thing if it’s a girl like Sayaka, but a non-combatant? That’d be a liability. Besides, I don’t think they’re interested in buying anyone just yet. They won’t until the girls like Roa start developing their own personalities.
As I was ruminating over the last few days, I saw Hanako, who’d been waiting at the entrance, suddenly double over.
”Huh? Hanako? Wait—” I called out, my voice neutral.
”Whoa! Is that a Rank Up!?” Karen exclaimed, her tone bursting with bubbly, idol-like energy.
”Ooh~! So exciting!” Leticia added, her voice filled with pure, moe-style delight.
”Ahn-ahn!” Lucy chirped, bouncing around.
”Bow-wow!” Feli barked happily.
Sanada rushed over to check on her as black mist started erupting from Hanako’s body. Karen, Leticia, and the familiars were practically vibrating with excitement.
”Going to D+ Rank, huh? I guess she’s been getting more kills than I thought,” I remarked in a neutral tone.
”Only on the defenseless Orcs, though,” Sheena noted, her voice clipped and concise.
True. Since I only equipped her with Greatshields and a waist dagger, she’s really only been cleaning up the finishing blows. But with the sheer number of encounters… I guess a rank-up isn’t that surprising. Especially with Leticia hitting C-Rank.
”She isn’t going to unlock some weird ability like ‘Range increase when stark naked,’ is she?” I asked, keeping my voice level.
”That sounds entirely too plausible,” Sheena sighed, her military tone remaining rigid. “That sow is a total pervert.”
Sanada watched over Hanako with genuine concern, while Karen and the familiars waited with starry eyes to see the transformation. I stood with Sheena, dreading the result, while Sayaka just giggled at the scene.
As the anticipation reached its peak, the black mist began to clear.
””Ooh!”” the group cheered.
And no wonder. Hanako was now over two meters tall, and her frame was noticeably bulkier. Her presence alone was enough to be intimidating.
”Buhi, buhi,” Hanako grunted, her voice strange and unknown.
…Though that presence was immediately undermined when she pulled a pack of extra-spicy senbei from her bag and started munching on them like she hadn’t a care in the world.
”She really doesn’t care at all, does she?” I said, maintaining my neutral standard tone.
”That’s our Hanako, alright,” I muttered.
”Kukuku, so true to character,” Sayaka added, her standard tone light and amused.
”Hey, hey, Hanako, did you learn any new abilities?” Karen asked, her idol-style energy shining through.
”Stronger?” Leticia inquired in her standard, gentle tone.
”Buhi? Buhi… buhi-buhi!” Hanako replied, her dialect remaining cryptic.
Karen and Leticia prodded her for details. Hanako thought for a second, then nodded.
”Really!? What kind?” Karen squealed.
”Can you show us here?” Leticia asked sweetly.
”Buhi-buhi… buhiiin♡” Hanako let out, her sound distinct and unusual.
She sighed as if to say you’re lucky you’re cute, tucked her senbei away, and stood up to let out a roar, her chest heaving rhythmically.
In that instant, Rock and Saizou, who’d been watching with complete indifference from the wall, started to glow.
A bright, neon pink.
”Wait—what? Charm? Is that Charm?” I asked, my voice betraying a hint of confusion.
”Wow, Rock and Saizou just got hit by Hanako,” Karen said, her moe-style excitement peaking.
”No, no, no… Charm? From Hanako? Saizou, Rock, is that what it is?” I pressed, keeping my neutral, investigative tone.
I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think she was capable of something like Charm. I had to check with the two of them.
”…” Rock stayed silent.
”Wuff…” Saizou groaned.
Both of them wore looks of pure disgust and shook their heads.
”Not it? Alright. Then what’s with the pink light?” I asked, my neutral standard American speech continuing.
I let out a sigh of relief. As I asked, they started looking over their own glowing bodies.
”…Gyagya!?” they shrieked in their unique dialect.
”Wuff!?” they echoed.
They jumped, then suddenly seemed to notice something.
”What? Did your physical stats change?” I asked, keeping my inquiry professional.
”Gyoi,” Saizou replied.
”Wuff!” Rock chimed in.
”I see,” Sheena said, her voice remaining procedural. “It appears Hanako’s new ability is like the one King-species use to buff their subordinates. It seems she’s evolved into an Orc Queen.”
”Ah, the one the Goblin King had. Wait, Rock is one thing, but Saizou is the same rank as her. Doesn’t that ability usually only work on subordinates of a lower rank?” I asked, analytical and precise.
Buffing an equal would be broken.
”It’s likely she can only buff males, but in exchange, the rank restriction is lifted,” Sheena speculated, her tone concise and military.
”That makes sense…” I noted, my speech neutral.
I looked over—Lucy and Feli weren’t glowing. That explained it. A male-only buff? That felt extremely “Hanako.”
”Ahn-ahn!” Lucy whined.
”Bow-wow!” Feli barked.
”Buhiii!” Hanako grunted.
Lucy and Feli, finally realizing they weren’t getting a buff, started gnawing on Hanako. She just looked down, gesturing as if to say, can’t help it!
”Well, you’re getting stronger, so be grateful, Saizou, Rock,” I said, my tone neutral and firm.
They’d already hit their species’ rank limit, so any boost was a welcome one as the dungeon got tougher.
”…Gyoi,” Saizou grumbled.
”Wuff…” Rock sighed.
They still looked miserable.
”Pfft… I can’t blame them,” Sheena laughed, her normally rigid tone softening into a rare, casual chuckle.
I’d be just as annoyed. Being turned into a neon-pink beacon by Hanako? I would have told her in no uncertain terms to keep her distance.
”Oh! Her tail’s healed up!” Leticia cheered.
”Buhi-buhi♡” Hanako giggled.
Leticia had been about to patch up the bite wound Feli left on Hanako’s backside, but the injury was already knitting itself shut.
”She learned a healing ability too?” I asked, keeping my tone objective.
”Likely Regeneration. It’s not as potent as a Troll’s, but it should handle minor injuries over time,” Sheena explained, her procedural tone returning.
”Nice. That’ll save Leticia some mana,” I noted, my speech neutral.
”She might also have a King’s Roar-type skill,” Sheena added, her tone clipped.
”Buhi-buhi!” Hanako boasted.
Hanako beamed. That was a bullseye.
”So she can paralyze lower-rank monsters with a shout?” I asked, keeping my tone strictly professional.
With the Orcs on this floor being E+ Rank, that meant one roar would lock them all down.
Plus, if the Goblin King’s trait was a 1.2x boost to subordinates, having Saizou and Rock gain that—even if it’s male-only—is low-key overpowered.
Damn it. It’s frustrating, but this is incredibly useful.
There was no way I could keep Hanako stashed away on an isolated island now.
I looked at Saizou and Rock. They were still glowing neon pink, faces etched with total defeat.
I shared the feeling.
I just prayed that if she used that roar, she wouldn’t do any of her creepy poses while she did it.
—
Summary:
The party clears a swarming encounter on the 14th Stratum and discusses the tactics used by other guild groups to conquer the 10th floor. Hanako the Orc unexpectedly Rank Ups into an Orc Queen after receiving combat experience from finishing blows. This evolution grants her an ability to buff male familiars and regenerate wounds, leading to a comedic situation where her familiars are forced into glowing neon pink.
—
Trivia:
The encounter rate near the castle is significantly higher than other areas.
Kurokawa’s team used a V-shaped Earth Wall bottleneck strategy for the 10th floor.
Magic Tomes are being mass-purchased by guild members via loans to speed up progression.
Hanako’s Rank Up was earned primarily through finishing off Orcs, not fair combat.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Feli – A large, green, exceptionally intelligent wolf-girl canine companion and Leticia’s obedient familiar. This E+-ranked, evolving party member is a swift, lethal combatant who accompanies Lunaria on the battlefield, finishes off incapacitated foes, and playfully nips at Hanako. Deeply loyal to Yakumo, she is an affectionate, playful pet who provides emotional support to other summons.
• Lucy – A 170cm, slender-muscular canine kobold Rogue Queen serving as Saizou’s scout and Karen’s familiar. Featuring a cute, bratty face, whiskers, and wagging tail, this former thief acts like a mischievous little sister, protecting allies on the front line alongside Hanako and Lunaria. She wields a massive black-iron knife, shrugs off traps, and stays behind to collect Magic Stones and coins.
• Lunaria – The Princess, a silver wolf-kin Great War survivor with a doll-like, regal appearance, is a fierce combatant wielding dual swords with beast-ki reflexes. Under Yakumo’s strict control, she strikes down dungeon monsters before rapidly retreating to sniff his scent. Though displaying a soulless demeanor, she is slowly recovering her ego and gaining power through an evolving bond with Sheena.
• Sheena – A 165cm rabbit-kin, former Soul-less Doll, and slave subordinate, this blunt, mischievous maid is Yakumo’s loyal, sharp-tongued “second wife” and tactical advisor. A rapier-wielding former Flash-Step Decapitator, she coordinates subordinate commands and records videos on her smartphone. Highly analytical in magic, history, and dungeons, she sadistically mentors Lunaria while monitoring threats.
• Sayaka – A seventeen-year-old Rank-1 slave, C-Rank mage, and the academy’s top beauty. Specializing in fire, ice, wind, and water elemental spells, she assists with dousing flames. As Yakumo’s devoted caretaker, she manages his gear and training within the dungeon. A refined mediator for Sanada’s group—balancing Lunaria and Sheena—she remains a supportive party manager despite his relentless demands.
• Karen – An energetic American animation major and soldier’s daughter, Karen is a busty, loyal member of Sanada’s circle who explores dungeons in Yakumo’s party. She wields defensive walls and a dual-slot rapid-fire Magic Gun, laughing hysterically at Hanako’s suggestive taunts but turning volatile if her familiar is harmed. She helps plan loot-heavy moves but is hostile to the Voice Actors Hunter Guild. Associated with the protagonist, she once forced him to read a ninja manga after pulling a silver capsule from a bronze Gacha.
• Sanada – Sanada Yakumo, a scarred veteran carrying his family name, ruthlessly commands the 14th Stratum as the leader of the Nightmare Guild. A pragmatic, ego-driven strategist with a battle-torn appearance reflecting his endurance, he utilizes dimensional magic to manage his succubus-infested dungeon and a complex harem of students, familiars, and relationships with authority and precision.
• Sana – Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Leticia – Leticia-chan is a short, elegant Holy Maiden in a cloak with a blunt, stoic exterior hiding her vulnerability. A high-energy resident of Yakumo’s household and Sanada’s companion, she forms a rearguard duo with Karen. This rare barrier and light magic user fiercely competes for intimacy, happily throwing herself into Sheena’s chest and doting on their familiars.
• Kurokawa – A scarred, D-Rank high school student and leader of a fugitive group of betrayed outcasts, he bears Ogre Ninja burn scars. Formerly of the Road to Glory guild and hunted by White Knights, his mind is twisted by a quest for revenge regarding his soulless doll, Roa. Yet, after consuming an Oblivion Potion, he now displays absolute, tearful loyalty to the protagonist.
• Ria – A high school-aged, blonde, soulless doll of soccer club leader Yusa Hayato. She is a D-Rank female magic user who provides the primary magical firepower for Kurokawa’s party.
• Akakage – A newly acquired Goblin tamed monster belonging to Kurokawa’s group that is currently stuck at the Goblin Assassin rank.
• Maru – A tamed Kobold monster belonging to Jin (Kurokawa) that wields a pair of Greatshields and successfully ranked up into a Kobold Kaiser.
• Sayama – Baseball club coach in his thirties, former professional pitcher with a history of injuries. Pragmatic and anxious about his family and career stability.
• Toda – A 2nd-year student and member of the soccer club party who possesses a Soul-less Doll and a Black Iron spear.
• Roa – Kurokawa’s 20-year-old girlfriend and partner to Jin is a tall, slender D+ Rank swordsman and former soldier. She has shoulder-length red hair, striking legs, a cursed crotch tattoo, and is completely hopeless at cooking. Once a skilled combatant, an Oblivion Potion has now left her hollow-eyed, amnesiac, and reduced to a Soul-less Doll with D+ Mana Capacity.
• Hanako – A D-Rank homunculus Orc Woman General, party member, and Sanada’s stoic tamer subordinate. Serving as a frontline defender, she wears full black iron armor that opens at the chest to expose massive pink breasts and has a pig tail she wags during provocative routines. Wielding twin greatshields, her masochistic combat style focuses on absorbing projectiles to safeguard allies as a durable meat wall.
• Saizou – An E-rank monster party member, this taciturn yet highly polite male goblin vanguard wears ninja garb, featuring a small horn and jagged teeth. Armed with poison daggers and a bow, this stealthy fighter cleans up ranged attackers by dashing across rooftops. He loyally excels at scouting, trap-disarming, managing quarters, acting as Lucy’s master, and serving as Sanae’s dedicated training partner.
• Rock – A grey-furred, Shiba-Inu-eyed male Kobold from the Magic Sealing Crystal who wears a leather jacket and pilot’s cap. As a lazy yet reliable older-brother figure, this frontline defender wields a greatshield and short-spear to anchor formations and break charges, but also acts as a silent party member who assists with combat operations and guards the backline spellcasters on higher floors.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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