Chapter 178 Rhapsody of Glory ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Day 67 of the Tester Life – Afternoon. Test Dungeon, 4th Floor – Guild: “The Road to Glory”.
”Well? Did you find them?” Manda asked.
”No luck, Manda-san¹,” the guild member reported. “I’ve checked with the other parties, but no one’s caught a glimpse of those scroungers.”
Manda Seiji scowled. “That’s impossible… was there a leaker? No, that can’t be it.”
He had only gathered the guild this morning to announce the raid. There was no way those bottom-feeders could have known.
”Keep looking,” Manda ordered. “Check the 3rd floor as well. They might have gotten cold feet and moved their hunting grounds to avoid us.”
”Understood. My party and one other will head down to the 3rd,” the recruit replied before scurrying off.
Manda watched them go. Where the hell were they hiding? He had recruited five full parties using the promise of cash and corporate job placements as bait. He finally had the numbers to crush those beggars.
”Seiji, what’s the move? If we don’t find them soon, they’re going to sign with Nightmare²,” Murakami said, his face twisting in bitterness as he rubbed the stump where his thumb used to be.
”I know. Worst case scenario, we hit them in the Teleportation Room,” Manda answered.
He didn’t want to start a fight there; it would piss off the other guilds. But if he let today slip by, those scroungers might officially join the Guard’s guild. He had to prevent that at any cost. He had spent the morning confirming through his contacts that the beggars hadn’t officially signed with Nightmare yet. They were still “considering” the offer.
What a bunch of idiots, Manda thought. To keep a top-tier guild like Nightmare waiting – the ego on them. If they had just said yes immediately, even with his new numbers, he couldn’t have touched them. The Guard’s familiars were higher rank than the 5th-floor Area Guardian.
But those fools had dodged the question. They were probably trying to play hard-to-get to drive up their price. Anyone with eyes could see they were just being recruited as pack mules or meat shields out of pity.
Manda touched the scar on his cheek. It was a permanent mark of his loss of face, a wound that even a Grade 4 Potion couldn’t fully heal. He hadn’t forgotten how they had set him up.
”Tons of people saw them in the Teleportation Room this morning,” Hotta piped up. “If we can’t find them, maybe they already joined Nightmare and moved ahead? If that’s the case, let’s just take out the Guard too. We kill him, and we save Karen-chan.”
”Shut the hell up, Hotta!” Mimura roared. “You think we can take on a monster like the Guard?”
”But Mimura-kun, you said before that twenty of us could win. We have almost forty now!” Hotta argued.
”Maybe if it was just the Guard! But did you see those familiars? Nightmare has over seventy members. We’d get slaughtered, you delusional brat!” Mimura barked.
”We could just ambush them when they step off the Teleportation Array,” Hotta countered, his voice trembling. “We just surround them and end it.”
”And why,” Murakami spat, “is this idiot assuming the rest of Nightmare wouldn’t notice us camping the room? Use your brain.”
Manda snapped his fingers for silence. “Hotta, seriously, stay quiet. You didn’t even fight back then. You just shivered in a corner. This is our revenge. Don’t touch it.”
While they had been bleeding in that melee, Hotta had been curled in a ball behind a dirt wall. He was a pain, but his family’s political clout would be useful later.
”Regardless, they’re in the dungeon,” Manda continued. “We’re searching the 3rd floor, so we’ll find them soon. They couldn’t move thirty people ahead without someone noticing.”
”True,” Murakami agreed.
”Tch. I just want to kill those bastards so I can go home and blow some steam off with a Doll³,” Mimura muttered.
”Maybe I’ll borrow yours today, Seiji,” Murakami added with a smirk.
”Go ahead,” Manda replied. “If you’re fine with that older one, she’s all yours.”
Manda preferred the younger ones anyway. A silent, blonde puppet in her mid-twenties who wasn’t even a virgin was just a glorified tool to him. Between Murakami, Mimura, and Manda, they all had Soul-less Dolls, though only Mimura’s was actually young.
”I saw a cute one among the new recruits’ Dolls; maybe I’ll take that one instead,” Manda mused. “Since we can’t use the ‘wall-butt’⁴ girls anymore, the men will just have to share.”
Mimura’s Doll was young, but she was already worn out. Mimura bragged about how much he could fit inside her; Manda wished he’d think about the others who had to use the property.
”Ugh… why don’t I get a Doll?” Hotta whined.
Because you’re a pathetic loser, Manda thought, though he didn’t say it. The other members had probably just cheaped out on the lowest tier service.
* * *
”Dammit! Where are they?!” Murakami slammed his fist down as evening approached.
They had been looking all day. They weren’t on the 4th, and they weren’t on the 3rd. There was no way they were still farming Horn Rabbits on the 2nd floor.
”Seiji-kun, what’s the plan? Do we stake out the Teleportation Room?” Mimura asked.
Manda thought for a second before nodding. “Yeah. If we wait until tomorrow, they might officially join Nightmare. We’re finishing this in the Teleportation Room tonight.”
He wasn’t going to let those scroungers get ahead of him. The thought of them being protected by a major guild while he was stuck here was unbearable.
”Fine by me,” Murakami grunted.
”It’s almost 7:00 PM,” Mimura said, standing up. “Let’s get the guys together and set the trap before they try to sneak back to the surface.”
”Let’s go. Move fast,” Manda ordered.
They headed for the Teleportation Array, intent on ending it.
—
Summary:
The ‘Road to Glory’ guild, led by the arrogant Manda Seiji, spends the day unsuccessfully hunting the ‘beggars’ (the protagonist’s group) for revenge. They realize the protagonist’s group hasn’t officially joined the powerful Nightmare guild yet, giving them a narrow window to attack. Frustrated by the lack of discovery, Manda decides to stage an ambush at the Teleportation Room before the day ends.
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Trivia:
- The antagonists are all sons of powerful elite figures (politicians, chairmen, executives).
- Manda’s scar is permanent because even a high-grade potion couldn’t fix it.
- The ‘Soul-less Dolls’ are shared among party leaders as a resource.
- Hotta is the only one uninjured because he hid during the previous battle.
- The ‘Wall-Butt’ service is currently unavailable to them.
- The time is already approaching 7:00 PM at the end of the chapter
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Character Insight:
Manda’s motivation is driven by a deep sense of lost ‘face’ and entitlement. He views the ‘Dolls’ and the other guild members as transactional tools rather than people. His hatred for the protagonist is compounded by the fact that ‘nobodies’ are being scouted by top-tier guilds while he, an elite, is struggling.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author uses highly derogatory terms like ‘kojiki’ (beggar/bum) to emphasize the antagonist’s classist worldview.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Seiji – Former professional soccer striker who played for overseas clubs a decade ago. Divorced with children. Currently working as a teacher/coach in the dungeon. 32 years old.
• Murakami – A core member of Manda/Seiji (Soccer Coach)’s guild. He is missing a thumb and an ear from a previous incident with the Guard. He seeks violent revenge.
• 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.
• Mimura – Seiji’s accomplice, proposes the ‘monster train’ strategy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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