Chapter 130 Settlement
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Tester Life: Day 46, 11:00 AM
11th Floor: The High Road
Sanada Yakumo
”Grph!”
Two Orcs were closing in fast. I stayed low, sprinting beneath the horizontal arc of the lead brute’s club. As we crossed paths, my machete bit deep into its thigh, the blade singing through muscle and gristle.
I didn’t stop to watch it fall. The second Orc was already on me, its eyes crimson with primal rage despite the arrow buried in its gut.
”You persistent bastard! [Impact!]” I yelled.
I caught its overhead swing on my buckler. The moment wood met metal, I triggered the skill. A kinetic shockwave surged through the shield, snapping the Orc’s club back and sending the brute reeling. I followed the momentum, bringing the machete down in a silver arc that severed its reaching arm at the elbow.
”Gyaaaaa-ugh!” the Orc shrieked, collapsing.
I drove the machete into its other thigh, pinning it to the dirt to ensure it stayed down.
”Two Green Wolves, right flank!” Sheena warned from the rear.
Sanae swapped to her standard shortbow in a blurred motion, sighting the treeline, while Karen leveled her magic gun.
Awooooooo!
Rock stepped up, his massive frame drawing their focus. The wolves lunged from the brush, shadows of fur and bared teeth.
Snap-snap! Pop-pop!
The instant they broke cover, two magic bolts caught the lead wolf mid-air, shredding its hide. Simultaneously, an arrow sprouted from the second wolf’s ribs. Rock met their dying momentum with his tower shield, slamming them into the dirt before pinning the thrashing survivor under his heavy boot.
Sanae was there in a flash, her combat knife finding the soft gap in its neck. A moment later, Sheena and I finished off the pinned Orcs. The air grew heavy with the smell of ozone and iron as the bodies dissolved into a foul black mist.
”The heavy bow is a beast, but if you don’t hit a vital, it won’t stop them,” I muttered, watching the mist dissipate.
Sanae frowned, retrieving her spent arrows. “I didn’t expect it to keep coming with a hole in its stomach,” she said. “It’s… frustrating.”
”They’re tougher than they look,” I replied.
Earlier this morning, a well-placed shot from Sanae had dropped an Orc instantly. But even with [Physical Reinforcement] active, a gut shot wasn’t enough to kill. They had a terrifying reservoir of spite. Still, a machete to the throat tended to solve most problems, regardless of how ‘tough’ they were.
We’d been on the 11th floor for about an hour. Getting here meant walking through the teleportation hub, where the other testers had been whispering and eyeing me with that same suspicious look they’d had since yesterday.
Every ten minutes like clockwork, we’d hit a pack of Orcs or Green Wolves. I was using the time to run combat drills. We’d confirmed that Karen’s magic gun, when loaded with E-rank stones, could barely pierce Orc hide – it was strictly for crowd control. However, when she loaded an actual Orc-rank Magic Stone, the thing became a hand-cannon, capable of blowing a monster’s head clean off.
The trade-off was the cost. Using Orc stones to kill Orcs meant our profit margins were non-existent.
”For now, we save the big stones for emergencies,” I told the group. “Karen, use the Wolf stones to keep them off us. Sanae, once you rank up and your base stats climb, that heavy bow is going to be our primary dealer. Until then, we do this the hard way.”
I needed to power-level Sanae so she could draw that bow without burning through her Mana Capacity. Until then, it was up to Lady Sayaka’s magic and my blade.
”Is it just me, or is this floor just one long hallway?” I asked, looking over at Sheena.
Sanae, Lucy, and Karen were busy harvesting the Magic Stones from the remains. We’d been walking for over an hour, and the road hadn’t branched once. It was just a wide, dusty path curving gently through the trees.
”Yes,” Sheena agreed. “The woods and brush are impassable after a few meters. It’s like the dungeon is forcing us to stay on the path.”
”A field-type that’s actually a corridor. Classic,” I sighed. I’d sent my summon, Saizou, to scout the treeline, but he’d hit those invisible walls every time.
”Usually, field dungeons are vast plains or forests,” Sheena noted, her expression guarded. “The Queen might be playing games with us again. A gimmick, perhaps? Kill enough Orcs and the Guardian triggers?”
”Great. Just what I needed. Paranoia,” I muttered.
”Gyoi!” Saizou’s voice chirped from up ahead.
I sharpened my gaze, looking toward the bend in the road. “New pack?” I asked.
”No,” Sheena said, tilting her head. “I don’t hear footsteps. He found something.”
”A chest, maybe?” I felt a flicker of hope. We hadn’t found a single drop on this floor yet. Even a crappy wooden chest would be a welcome sight at this point.
We caught up to Saizou near a break in the trees. It wasn’t a fork in the road – it was a narrow, hidden trail.
”A branch?” Lady Sayaka asked, her voice skeptical.
”Too narrow for a main path,” I noted. The High Road was five meters wide; this was barely two. “Maybe a side-quest area? Like those hidden rooms in the caves.”
”Which means there’s likely a hoard at the end,” I said, grinning. “Let’s check it out.”
We moved into the woods in a single file, following a trail that zigzagged wildly for thirty meters before opening into a clearing.
”A monster house… no, a settlement,” I whispered.
”I count six in the open,” Sheena added.
”Uwah, that’s a lot of them,” Karen squeaked.
The clearing was a rough circle of felled trees, dominated by a cluster of crude, leaning shacks. Half a dozen Orcs were patrolling the center, clubs resting on their shoulders.
”There are more inside the huts,” I observed.
”Total count… maybe ten?” Sheena estimated.
”Sounds about right. What do you think? Do we hit it?” I asked the group.
In this dungeon, “gimmicks” usually meant “loot.” If this was a field-version of a Monster House, we couldn’t just walk away.
”We have the advantage of a surprise attack,” Sheena said. “We can thin them out before they even realize we’re here.”
”No wolves,” I noted. “We’ll use Rock as the anchor. Sanae, Lady Sayaka, start the party from long range. Sheena, you’re on rear-guard for the girls. I don’t want any surprises coming out of the huts behind us.”
”Understood. I’ll stay with Lady Sayaka,” Sheena replied.
”Alright, listen up,” I told the rest of the team. “We move to the edge of the clearing. Rock, you’re the wall. Karen, this is a target-rich environment – don’t be stingy. Load the Orc stones and aim for the head. If they breach the line, drop a Fire Wall and fall back to Sheena.”
”You got it! Watch me nail these headshots!” Karen beamed.
”I’ll keep [Physical Reinforcement] active,” Sanae added, her grip tightening on her bow. “I’m not letting any of them reach us.”
”Then let’s get to work,” I said.
We crept back to the path, moving into position behind Rock’s shield. It was time for our first real raid on this floor.
—
Summary:
Yakumo and his party explore the 11th floor, finding it to be a linear high road blocked by invisible walls. They engage in tactical drills against Orcs and Green Wolves to test weapon efficacy and resource management. The chapter concludes as they discover a hidden Orc settlement, which Yakumo identifies as a likely ‘Monster House’ containing loot.
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Trivia:
- The ‘invisible walls’ prevent exploring the forest, making the floor linear.
- Karen’s magic gun requires stones of the same rank as the enemy to be lethal.
- The party is currently ‘power-leveling’ Sanae so she can use her heavy bow without draining mana.
- Yakumo is being watched suspiciously by other testers in the hub
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Character Insight:
Yakumo demonstrates growth as a leader by prioritizing long-term resource efficiency over easy kills. Sanae shows frustration with her current physical limitations, fueling her motivation to rank up.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Monster House’ is a common trope in mystery dungeon games where a room/area is packed with enemies but yields high rewards.
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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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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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