Chapter 34 Special Reward ③
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
…… Test Life Day 13 – Test Dungeon 1st Floor – My Room – Sanada Yakumo……
”Phew, finally back,” I said.
Leaving the 6th floor, I had returned to the 1st floor via the teleportation Magic Circle¹. I traversed the teleportation room—deserted at this late hour—and exited the dungeon.
At the Great Plaza entrance, Oida was busy collecting Magic Stones². I hurried past, catching glimpses of students reluctantly surrendering their hard-earned spoils.
Oida shot me a lingering look as if he wanted to ask something, but I simply ignored him. I assumed the man just wanted to squeeze out the location of the 2nd-floor Guardian Room.
They really should just abandon that shut-in group and explore for themselves; it’s a hell of a lot of thankless work staying up so late.
Having finally reached My Room, I flicked on the desk light, stripped off my gear, and sank onto the bed to catch my breath.
Man, I’m genuinely wiped out.
Checking the clock, it was already 20:00.
Since the morning, I had cleared two Monster Houses⁸ before charging headlong into the 4th-floor Guardian battle. Then, finding myself stranded on the 5th floor with no way back, I had downed my solitary Grade 4 Mana Capacity³ Recovery Potion, waited for my strength to return, and plunged into the Territory Guardian⁹ battle.
It had been a relentless whirlwind of events.
Physically, I had plenty of stamina to spare, but mentally, I was utterly drained.
However, after this came the reward rush.
Suppressing an involuntary grin, I shed my guard uniform and stepped into the shower. Afterward, while nursing the dregs of a sports drink, I grabbed my rucksack and Magic Pouch⁶ and pulled up to the desk.
”Now then, let’s see just how much of a subjugation reward I managed to net,” I muttered to myself.
The Magic Pouch and the 1st-Class Slave Exchange Ticket⁷ were substantial enough on their own, but that was that and this was this.
I had the 4th-floor Guardian subjugation reward plus my first Territory Guardian reward to look forward to. While it was possible the Territory Guardian reward was limited to a Pearl Treasure Chest, based on the established pattern, I should receive some DP⁴ as well. At the very least, it should be deposited as the 5th-floor Guardian subjugation reward.
Touching the Magic Crystal⁵ with palpable anticipation, the main screen flickered to life.
’Shop’
’Magic Stone ・ Item Buyback’
’Appraisal’
Checking the bell icon in the top right of the screen, a ‘5’ was displayed prominently next to it.
”Yes! There are DP rewards too!” I said.
Seeing five separate notifications, I felt certain there was a Territory Guardian reward and tapped the bell icon.
<As a first-time 4th-floor Guardian subjugation reward, 50,000 DP (1/1) is granted. Do you accept? (Yes/No)>
<As a first-time 5th-floor Territory Guardian subjugation reward, 200,000 DP (1/1) is granted. Do you accept? (Yes/No)>
<As a special reward for being the first among all testers to subjugate a Territory Guardian, 200,000 DP (1/1) is granted. Do you accept? (Yes/No)>
<As a special reward for being the 1st group to subjugate the 5th-floor Territory Guardian, a 1st-Class Slave Exchange Ticket has been distributed in a Pearl Casket.>
<As a special reward for being the 1st group to subjugate the 5th-floor Territory Guardian, a Magic Pouch (1/3 groups) has been distributed in a Pearl Casket.>
”Ohhh! This is incredible!” I exclaimed.
The 4th-floor Guardian reward was precisely what I expected, but I never dreamed defeating a Territory Guardian would net me 200,000 DP. Furthermore, the exact same amount was issued as a bonus for being the first tester to ever secure a kill.
”So the Pearl Casket was a special reward after all. Hm? What’s this ‘1/3 groups’ listed for the Magic Pouch?” I asked.
Ah, since it says ‘1st group special reward,’ it must mean only the first three groups to clear the floor receive a Magic Pouch. However, while the 1st-Class Slave Exchange Ticket also carries the ‘1st group special reward’ tag, there’s no indication of how many groups can claim it.
There are only fifteen 1st-class slaves in total, so it’s impossible for everyone to get one. In that case, it’s safer to assume it’s a reward reserved strictly for the very first group. If that holds true, there’s a possibility the 2nd group onwards might receive 2nd-class or 3rd-class tickets instead.
It probably means only the one who subjugates it first enjoys a more luxurious reward than the rest. This, too, is the early-adopter advantage—the pioneer’s profit—attained only by those who shoulder the risk and push forward.
Though the wooden treasure chests were nothing but junk.
Actually, between the leather boots, trousers, and vests, not to mention the gauntlets, greaves, clubs, and shields, my room was becoming quite cluttered. I wanted to liquidate them soon… but it looked like that might take a bit longer.
”Even so, I didn’t think the 5th-floor boss was officially called a ‘Territory Guardian,’” I said.
I had just coined that name on a whim. Was it possible the system was converting terms into Japanese specifically for me to make them easier to grasp?
”Well, whatever. But 450,000 DP just from subjugation rewards… For now, I’ll settle the Magic Stones too,” I decided.
To finalize my current assets, I converted today’s spoils into currency.
The result: 173 F+ rank Magic Stones for 15,570 DP.
5 E-rank Magic Stones from Kobolds, Soldiers, and Goblins for 1,000 DP.
Finally, a Kobold King Magic Stone at E+ rank for 600 DP.
The total came to 17,170 DP.
Since I had fought primarily in a Monster House today, there were fewer Magic Stones than usual. Adding the copper coins salvaged from treasure chests, which totaled 1,300 DP, that made 18,470 DP.
Today’s net earnings were 468,470 DP. Factoring in the original balance of 270,000 DP, I was sitting on over 730,000 DP.
”Haha, I just cleared 4.6 million yen in a single day,” I laughed.
Well, that level of income was only possible because I was solo. If this were a 6-person party, it would dwindle to about 75,000 DP per head.
”Since I’m at it, should I upgrade my gear?” I asked myself.
I had no complaints about the Machete, but the surface of the Small Iron Shield was completely battered and dented.
”I believe the Small Black Iron Shield was… 30,000 DP. Should I go for it?”
I had grown accustomed to the fighting style involving a small shield. If my current one shattered in the heat of battle, I might sustain a nasty injury. There was no guarantee it would drop from the next treasure chest, and even though it was a steep price, I should invest now.
”I should also stock up on Grade 4 Mana Capacity Recovery Potions,” I added.
Having used one, I knew exactly how potent they were. There was also the risk of being unable to return if I hit a floor without a teleportation array again. Next time, it might be a trap that strands me.
I purchased the Small Black Iron Shield for 30,000 DP and the Grade 4 Mana Capacity Recovery Potion for 10,000 DP.
The flagstone Magic Circle glowed, and a Grade 4 Mana Capacity Recovery Potion materialized on the stone, while a diamond-shaped black small shield appeared at my feet.
”Oh, it’s probably heavy, but thanks to the bracelet I can swing it without an issue. Plus, this looks a hell of a lot cooler,” I said.
I strapped the Small Black Iron Shield to my left arm and gave it a test swing; thanks to the Bracelet of Power¹², I could brandish it without feeling any weight. I felt like I wasn’t really utilizing it as a shield anymore, but since I’d been doing nothing but bashing skulls with my shield lately, it couldn’t be helped.
By the way, when I checked the gray leather armor I obtained today, it was identified as Gray Wolf Leather Armor and was retailing for 30,000 DP. I had no idea how formidable a Gray Wolf was, but since it cost 30,000 DP, it had to be a high-quality piece.
”Ah, also, I need to examine that round stone,” I reminded myself.
I recalled the red Magic Stone with a Kobold floating inside that I had scavenged when I crushed the second Monster House. I retrieved it from my rucksack pocket and placed it on the flagstone.
Tapping ‘Appraisal¹⁰,’ I selected ‘Item Appraisal’ from the menu. The results were then displayed.
…………………………
Name: Mana Sealing Crystal¹¹
A specialized stone containing a sealed monster. It drops with an exceptionally low probability.
Sealed Monster: Kobold
Usage: By channeling Mana Capacity and throwing the crystal, the sealed monster will manifest. The creature is bound by slavery magic and will obey the person who manifested it with absolute loyalty. If the monster is near death, it will be forcibly recalled into the Mana Sealing Crystal, but if it dies instantly, it will vanish.
…………………………
”Is this Pokém*n?” I asked.
Scanning the item description, I was immediately reminded of characters that materialize when you throw a capsule.
”But absolute obedience… this could be useful,” I muttered.
I was operating solo. In the future, if the number of goblins increased and variants using projectiles appeared, I might find myself unable to manage the crowd. In a situation like that, having a meat shield who could soak up damage or distract a few of them would make combat significantly easier.
”Maybe I’ll have it carry that iron shield I picked up today and act as my vanguard,” I thought.
I happened to have a shield I had no other use for. Since it was roughly a meter tall, a Kobold wielding it could hide the majority of its body. By using the shielded Kobold as a decoy, I could pick off enemies with hit-and-run tactics. Such a strategy would become viable.
Moreover, provided it returned to the crystal before dying—unless it was an instant kill—the risk of losing the asset was low.
”Well, I’ll try it out the day after tomorrow,” I decided.
I chose not to manifest it here, opting instead to test it when I reached the 6th floor. To be perfectly honest, now that I was back in my room, the last thing I wanted to see was a Kobold’s face.
”Now then, shall we move on to the main event?” I said.
I retrieved the gold ticket from the Magic Pouch and settled into the chair in front of the Magic Crystal. In order to claim my 1st-class slave, I opened the slave catalog.
—
Summary:
Yakumo returns to his room on the 1st floor after a grueling day of exploration. He checks his notifications and discovers he has earned a massive 450,000 DP in rewards for defeating a Territory Guardian. After upgrading his shield and purchasing a high-grade potion, he examines a rare ‘Mana Sealing Crystal’ drop. Finally, he prepares to use his gold ticket to select a 1st-class slave from the catalog.
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Character Insight:
Yakumo demonstrates a highly pragmatic and ‘gamer-centric’ mindset, calculating his earnings and weighing the risks of exploration against ‘early-adopter’ rewards. His decision to treat the sealed Kobold as a ‘meat shield’ decoy reflects a detachment that prioritizes survival and efficiency over companionship. He is motivated by the tangible growth of his assets, finding satisfaction in his million-yen-equivalent daily earnings.
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Behind the Scene:
The author uses a ‘Test Dungeon’ setting to incorporate game-like mechanics such as DP (Dungeon Points) and gacha-style rewards like the 1st-Class Slave Ticket. The inclusion of the ‘Mana Sealing Crystal’ is a clear homage to monster-collecting genres, which the protagonist himself acknowledges.
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T/L:
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.
• Oida – A PE teacher with a large build and a plain, non-intimidating face. He was formerly an Olympic developmental athlete for Judo. He uses a greatsword in the dungeon and wears tattered jerseys.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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