Volume 6 Chapter 8 Sword-Hammer Cave Unique Variant
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
People say the passing grade threshold becomes somewhat lax during the third term’s practical training.
The reason is simple: the training period is too short. It is not realistic to expect students to defeat a floor boss in only two months of field operation.
The surface layers of the Sword-Hammer Cave go up to the 20th floor. It is difficult to even reach the boss’s floor with two dungeon training sessions per week. If you can pass the halfway point, the 10th floor, you will secure a passing grade.
By early February, we had progressed to the 7th floor. If we maintain this pace, I am confident we can clear the 10th floor before grades are finalized.
As is typical in dungeons, the deeper you go, the more variety and number of Aberrations increase. We have also become accustomed to fighting multiple types of Aberrations in the Sword-Hammer Cave.
Moving in two lines of three on either side of the central waterway, the enemies that appeared before us were crickets and bats. Unlike the noisy crickets, bats fly in silence. They do not let you sense their presence, flying at high speeds as if melting into the darkness. The bats were a struggle until we adjusted to them.
It is troublesome how they target the Snow flies, attempting to cut off our light source. If ambushed from the ceiling’s blind spot, the insects take damage.
After trying Asari’s defensive Silicic Armor, instant kills via area-of-effect attack sorcery, and rapid-fire individual attack sorcery, we settled on a counter-measure: a “reverse-thinking” approach involving increased light output from the Snow flies and target guidance, followed by Risa’s terminal ballistics observation fire.
The simplest method would be to obstruct their movement with Asari’s wall and finish them while they are stopped, but Asari has a different role.
”Mitsuki, follow Risa’s lead.”
”Gotcha.”
To support the member on the other side of the waterway, Mitsuki sprints across the water.
With leg strength enhanced by Oni-fication sorcery, jumping across the waterway is possible. But Mitsuki prefers keeping her feet on the ground during chaotic fights. She crosses to the opposite shore by stepping on the crystal footholds Asari creates above the water.
While Mitsuki knocks down a cricket leaping at Risa’s back with her Kanabo, the bats are all dealt with by Risa’s Magic Bullet.
”As I thought, the hit rate when the Snow flies and Risa-san team up is incredible~”
”I mean, it’s impressive how well you can hit flying Aberrations.”
I catch a cricket leaping at us with my hand and crush it.
”Thanks~”
”You’re welcome.”
With Rei’s ability, my defense is not a concern. Even if it is a bat, as long as it launches an attack, I can detect it.
”Not just Risa-san, but Yurina-san too; her movements have changed recently.”
In the direction of Asari’s gaze, Yurina leaps through a swarm of crickets, dodging attacks, setting her sword at the projected landing point, and slicing them apart by using the opponent’s own speed.
It is a technique you could call a “placement slash.” She has mastered handling Aberrations that rush in as a group.
”The power of her Severing Sorcery has increased, so there’s no need to swing the sword as widely.”
While we shared thoughts from across the shore, the extermination was complete.
We have enough breathing room for small talk during battle.
What appears at the fork in the road are newts and newt-mimics. Newts are weak to physical strikes and scatter poison when defeated, while newt-mimics are immune to physical strikes. Their resistances differ completely, yet their appearance and how they appear are exactly the same. It is annoying.
The combination of Aberrations is not that troublesome as an enemy. Attacks other than physical strikes work on both, and newt-mimics just nullify damage. If Mitsuki hits them with her Kanabo, they are blown away. Once the distance opens up, Risa or I can snipe them, and that is the end.
In terms of combat, there is no problem.
The difficult part is the encounter rate and the dungeon’s size. Practice time is spent purely on walking, and only then do we manage to break through a single layer.
We are progressing smoothly without issues. Still, the Komoda group is ahead of us. That means they likely finish battles faster and move by running instead of walking. Their physical stamina is remarkable.
Every member of the Komoda group has a strong physique. I suspect their mana reserves are high enough that they do not run out of mana during exploration even with constant body enhancement. For us, we decided to focus on steady clearing rather than obsessing over speed like the Komoda group. There is no need to push ourselves. As long as we pass this term, that is all that matters.
”It’s a staircase.”
Just as Yurina said, a rock wall came into view.
Today was smooth. Even after changing floors, we had time left.
”What should we do~?”
”Since we’re here, let’s explore a side path. Was the end of that side passage a dead end?”
Asari, meeting my gaze, answers.
”Yes. It’s said that if you’re lucky, you might find magic tools dropped there. Sometimes a Unique Variant will appear.”
”What about the Unique Variant here?”
”It’s a Mantis Swordsman. A mantis over 3 meters tall; it is a lower-ranked species of the famous Head-Hunting Mantis. Its scythe-handling is said to be on par with a veteran swordsman. Unlike the higher-ranked species, it does not use instant-death attacks.”
Hearing Asari’s words, I saw Yurina react.
I suppose she wants to try fighting it as a swordsman. I interpreted it as a clash between the berserker side within Yurina and the Strong-Female side (Shoji’s group members) that respects my will.
”Well, even if it appears, we can manage it if we all deal with it together. Let’s go.”
”””””Yes!”””””
The first fork on the 8th floor. We choose the path where the waterway is narrowest among the three diverging roads.
The waterway is about 5 meters wide on the correct route, but only about 3 meters wide here. If we use body enhancement, we can leap to the opposite shore easily.
About 100 meters in, I heard a plip, plip sound of water. It was a very small sound compared to the water flowing in the waterway. For some reason, I could hear a sound that should not have been audible.
”This is…”
”Looks like the Unique Variant has appeared~”
Beyond the passage illuminated by the Snow flies, there is a wide, dead-end space like a plaza. In the center, a single mantis stands still. It faces away, not moving, so I can only see its back. It does not react to us. It is the type of Aberration that acts only when you enter its detection area.
”What should we do~?”
”We’re doing it. Don’t push yourselves. Especially you, Yurina. It would be foolish to waste an Escape ball in a place like this.”
”Of course.”
After making my point, Asari shares the enemy’s information with everyone. I am grateful we can have a strategy meeting with time to spare.
Once we finished preparations and entered the plaza, the mantis started to move.
With a sway… the mantis turns around.
Its head is that of a giant, transformed mantis. I could see something dripping from its compound eyes, antennae, and wriggling mouth. It was bodily fluid, like drool. It regards us as food. A sense of repulsion that appeals to instinct makes my spine chill.
The scythes on both hands are completely different from an insect mantis’s. They look like giant, distorted blades. They reflect the Snow flies’ light and give off a metallic sheen. The description “two-sword-wielding insect swordsman” fits the overall impression.
The mantis, having turned around by moving its four legs, comes toward us in silence.
Its movement speed is much faster than the first impression from its appearance.
First, I kill the enemy’s momentum with Asari’s crystal Defensive Sorcery.
The mantis swings its right scythe heavily, trying to destroy the wall that suddenly appeared. A single slash carved a wound into the crystal barrier. It is not a piercing wound, but the groove’s depth is clearly deeper than the one from the werewolf’s claws the other day. Due to the dungeon trait of “slash effectiveness,” Asari’s Crystal Wall will not last for multiple hits.
”……”
The mantis, having stopped in the posture of finishing its swing, tilted only its head while the part below the neck remained still. It is a gesture that, if it were a person, would surely be accompanied by words like “Huh? That’s strange?”
Well, whatever. The mantis tries to slash the Crystal Wall with its left scythe, intending for another hit. Naturally, while it should have had the same outcome, Asari deliberately lowered the strength of the Defensive Sorcery to make it break.
It is a countermeasure according to our pre-battle strategy.
When a Mantis Swordsman has its slashes blocked by a shield in succession, its fighting style changes.
Its slash power seems to jump up, as if to say, “Don’t rely on such armor, let’s enjoy a sword fight!” Perhaps it would slice through even Asari’s full-strength Crystal Wall easily.
I intend to fight in that state eventually. However, I want to keep the risk to a minimum for the first attempt.
Yurina and Mitsuki circle around the crumbling wall and attack from both sides.
The mantis dodges Mitsuki’s Kanabo while catching Yurina’s blade. Severing Sorcery and the scythe collide, and a sound like metal scraping against metal rings from the scythe. The scythe is making the sound. It means Severing Sorcery exceeds it in pure strength.
In contrast to Yurina, who stopped for the blade lock, Mitsuki immediately starts a follow-up attack. She aims for the legs, which are disproportionately thin for supporting such a huge body. At the same time, Chifumi and Risa launch long-range attacks.
Mitsuki’s blow is a leg sweep. She succeeds in forcing one leg off the ground. Considering the visual weight difference with the Kanabo, I predicted the leg would snap cleanly, but as expected of an Aberration, its durability is not what it looks like.
The mantis balances on the remaining three legs and maintains its posture.
Risa’s sniping aimed at its head was dodged, and Chifumi’s debris shot aimed at its abdomen was sliced in mid-air by the scythe not locked in struggle with Yurina.
”Dammit!”
Against the further follow-up attack, swung with the intent to take another leg, the mantis spread its wings wide to receive it. Even the thin, soft inner wings a real mantis has are, for this Aberration, weapons like sharp, flexible razors.
That said, it seems it was too much to block a Kanabo with thin wings, and part of the wing chipped with a snap sound.
The mantis vibrates its wings. Perhaps as an expression of discomfort. Judging this as an opportunity, Yurina moves.
Against a blade flash aimed at the root of the large arm—the joint—while deflecting the scythe with minimal movement, the mantis tries to stop her by pulling its upper body back significantly and receiving it with the scythe.
At almost the same moment, Risa’s sniping, the second shot, strikes its head.
’!’
Its head is knocked back significantly, and part of its compound eyes is missing. Not missing the moment the mantis’s gaze shifted away from her, Yurina activates Severing Sorcery. She sliced off its right scythe, aiming for the joint.
’!!’
The match is all but decided.
Perhaps because it wanted to take Yurina with it, the mantis launches an attack with its left scythe.
Yurina does not push her luck, focuses on evasion, and steps back. Against the mantis, which steps forward as if to chase, everyone else unleashes concentrated fire.
Chifumi froze the mantis’s leg tips, pinning them to the cave floor, and Mitsuki smashed the mantis’s belly in a single, crushing stroke from above. Instead of my usual Shock Magic, I used the spell to launch three crystal stakes created by Asari.
The stakes spun like drills, carving away the mantis’s head, chest, and parts of its legs, tearing a massive hole.
I missed my intended target. My accuracy still needs improvement.
’…! …!!’
Deprived of its vitals, the mantis lost its strength and collapsed onto the floor. The motionless mantis dissolved into smoke. All that remained was a severed sickle.
”That’s a drop item from a part break,” Asari remarked, looking at the sickle Yurina had picked up. It was quite heavy1.
I had finally obtained the item I wanted.
”If I turn this in, will it increase the number of blades available for purchase?”
”Yes. With this, Yurina-san will also be able to switch to elemental weapons.”
She probably thinks she is keeping a straight face, but Yurina cannot hide how excited she is. This is the perfect moment to praise her. I patted her head to celebrate our successful mission.
”Well done, Yurina.”
”I did it!”
”We’re leaving the dungeon for today. From now on, whenever we have spare time, we’ll explore the side paths at forks like today. Is everyone okay with that?”
After confirming everyone nodded, I used a Return Slip to escape.
We finished processing the drop items and stepped outside the building.
A microbus driven by Onigahara-san’s aunt was waiting in the parking lot. Once we loaded our equipment and prepared to head home, we had free time until the Komoda group emerged.
There was still time before our promised meeting. I left everyone waiting in the bus and went outside to catch the breeze.
The dungeon management building also serves as the dam’s administrative office. There is a small observation area around the dam. I walked through the tiny park, which had nothing more than a bench and a cutout photo board.
Since there are no houses around the dungeon management building deep in the mountains, there were no lights in the surrounding area now that the sun had set. The wind was cold. It was a cloudless, crescent-moon night. As I leaned against the fence, watching the slender moon reflected in the dam lake, Risa approached from behind.
”The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”
”Yeah, it is.”
Risa seemed surprised by my immediate reply and stepped up beside me.
”Did you notice?”
”Of course. Who do you think guided Risa here?”
”I suppose that’s true.”
Beyond Risa’s gaze, several Snow flies were glowing faintly. Two that I had originally brought with me and two that had been lighting Risa’s path were flying together.
From the parking lot to here, there are no streetlights.
To move through the pitch-black darkness, both Risa and I used the Snow flies as flashlights. Risa had brought the two I had left outside the microbus entrance to serve as lanterns.
”……”
”……”
We stood in silence, watching the dam lake surface.
Plop. I heard a sound like a fish jumping. The girl standing next to me seemed to hesitate, trying to bring something up. After waiting, Risa finally spoke.
”Hey…”
”Hm?”
”I was wondering if I could stay over for a few days in a row. Is that okay…?”
That is rare.
Staying over for consecutive nights is usually limited to weekends and holidays. A request on a weekday is unusual.
”I don’t mind. Have you talked to Chifumi and the others about it?”
”Yeah. I’ve already gotten their approval.”
”I see, then it’s fine. Did something happen?”
”Sort of… That person is coming here. It’s an emergency evacuation measure.”
”That person?”
”Mother.”
Mother, that woman with the intense personality who lives in District 5?
What could have happened?
”It seems she has made it impossible to stay in District 5. Well, after pulling a stunt like that… She has been ordered to stay at the main house in the 13th District under house arrest until the situation settles.”
”Aren’t there villas in other districts?”
”There are. Eventually, she’ll go to one of those, but for now, she is being accepted at the main house. Apparently, the villas outside
—
Summary:
Shoji and his group continue their dungeon training in the Sword-Hammer Cave, demonstrating improved coordination against local Aberrations. They successfully identify and engage a Mantis Swordsman, a Unique Variant monster, in a dead-end plaza. The battle intensifies as the group executes a pre-planned strategy to neutralize the variant’s high-damage slash attacks.
The party successfully clears a dungeon segment, securing a valuable sickle drop item from a mantis encounter. Following the raid, Risa reveals that she will be staying over for an extended period due to family complications involving Mother. The scene concludes with the party preparing to depart as the Komoda group finishes their own rapid dungeon run.
—
Trivia:
1 The third term of practical training is notoriously lax due to the short duration of the program.
2 The Sword-Hammer Cave has 20 total layers, with the halfway point (10th floor) being the benchmark for a passing grade.
3 Komoda group is outperforming Shoji’s group by running instead of walking and possessing high mana reserves for constant body enhancement.
4 The Mantis Swordsman is a lower-ranked species of the Head-Hunting Mantis that does not utilize instant-death attacks.
5 Asari’s defensive sorcery is specifically designed to be breakable under controlled conditions to manipulate the AI-like behavior patterns of Unique Variants.
6 The dungeon management building doubles as a dam administration office, which explains its isolated, mountainous location.
7 Risa and the protagonist use magical Snow flies as makeshift flashlights to navigate the unlit paths between the parking lot and the observation area.
8 Mother is described as a high-status individual whose recent controversial actions have led to house arrest in the 13th District.
9 The term bed-yakuza is used by Risa as a playful, self-deprecating endearment regarding her dedication to the protagonist’s desires.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• B – A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S’s group.
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• M – A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• Asari – A tall, long-haired, curvy Kasakura honor student with glasses and Risa’s future host. Timid yet witty, this analytical strategist provides key defensive support for Minoru’s squad and Shoji’s group using crystal barriers, armor, stakes, and dungeon research. Polite but emotionally reactive, she is close to Mari and Nagase, and serves as Minoru’s devoted, pampered partner.
• Risa – A tall, slender Naruse student with twin-tails and a fashionable, well-endowed physique, this wealthy lady is bold, sharp-tongued, and expressive. Momono and Anri’s sister, she faces family drama while staying at the Tatemiya estate. An Onibara practitioner in Shoji and Minoru’s groups, she excels in ranged combat using magic firearms and Snow flies, while guiding Yurina and distrusting Komoda.
• R – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• Mitsuki – A tall, short-haired, dark-skinned Oni girl with a massive, muscular build, this haughty yet shy transfer student is a wealthy Sumo member and assassin candidate. Koki’s sister and Minoru’s clingy childhood friend, she aids Minoru, Ryota, and Shoji’s teams. This dungeon explorer manages logistics, wields a sword or Kanabo, and uses Oni-fication sorcery to enhance mobility for crushing downward strikes.
• K – A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N’s protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• Rei – A subjugated electric ray Aberration residing in Minoru’s shadow and a dedicated group member. It acts as a combat radar, detecting atmospheric shifts and sorcery for tactical warnings. Loyal to allies but hostile and fearful toward new members, its ability provides defensive support to both Tatemiya and Shoji.
• Yurina – A stoic, black-haired Plain-folk student wearing an apron, cat ears, a collar, and tail. A disciplined Kendo vanguard and skilled swordswoman in Shoji’s group, she uses a katana, iaijutsu, and Severing Sorcery to handle swarms. Risa’s sister and temporary host, Chifumi’s protector, and Anri’s trainee, she collects drop items, switches to elemental weapons, and is fiercely devoted to Lord Minoru.
• Yuri – A cheerful and energetic first-year student at Higashi High who is a classmate of Shibuya and an acquaintance of Kibe Yurina from their middle school days. A girl known for being aggressive toward Hayato and displaying overt favoritism.
• N – A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• Komoda – An eccentric, polite male classmate and sorcerer from the influential Michinori family’s Komoda house. This pragmatic leader commands a Sword-Hammer Cave squad known for exceptionally fast dungeon speed-runs that outperform Shoji’s group. While hiding mechanics for house prestige, he coordinates travel, exchanges intel, interacts with Ryota’s group, and pursues an alliance with Minoru.
• Mantis Swordsman – A mantis-type Unique Variant and lower-ranked species of the Head-Hunting Mantis, standing over 3 meters tall and wielding two giant scythes.
• Shoji – A serious, pragmatic silver werewolf beastman and top-ranked 5th District sorcerer in a white uniform. This ancient clan student and strategist leads a dungeon exploration squad with Ryota and Komoda while associating with Kotoha. He tracks scents, uses magic pistols, and seals dungeons via Anri/Risa’s lineage. Observant and focused on survival, he shares intelligence to conquer the Tower Dungeon.
• Chifumi – Minoru’s beautiful, kimono-clad childhood friend, partner, and lead witch. The visiting mother’s daughter and member of Shoji’s group, this tactical explorer manages admin for Minoru and Ryota’s teams. Wielding immense Mana, she uses ice, binding, and debris-based long-range magic to freeze enemies. This helpful older sister figure loves cooking and fiercely protects Minoru.
• Onigahara – An older woman of disciplined austerity, she is a stern mentor from the influential Onigahara sorcerer family and the aunt of a party member. Fiercely preserving her lineage’s legacy of strength, she maintains close, hierarchical bonds with dojo students, manages logistics, and drives the family microbus to transport Minoru’s group to and from dungeon training.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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