Volume 5 Chapter 3 About The Dungeon Practice
A few days after moving in.
There are still many investigations left, but the academy has reopened.
The whereabouts of the kidnapped students are currently under investigation.
The cult organization 'Goddess Holy Church' has been designated as an 'S-Class Dangerous Organization' by the Galatinne Kingdom. A large bounty has been placed on them.
Freelance mercenaries and combat adventurers have also started to move.
Elk walks down the academy hallway alongside Nickes, talking.
"Bounty, huh..."
"Yeah. Dangerous designation, and it's S-Class too... man, this is bad."
What does 'S-Class' or 'dangerous designation' mean? Elk finds it hard to ask.
Nickes waves his hand with a grin.
"If you want to know something, just ask Yatto or Gambo. See ya!"
"O-Okay..."
Nickes heads to the commerce department classroom.
Elk goes to his own classroom.
In the classroom, his classmates are chatting happily. When Elk enters, the conversation stops for a moment, but they quickly look away.
"Sigh..."
Since classes resumed, it has been like this.
Fear. Curiosity. Don't touch it. That kind of atmosphere is felt.
Elk sits next to Yato, who is reading a book.
"Hey."
"...Hmm."
Elk's seat is next to Yato.
Just because they are in the same dorm doesn't mean everyone gets along.
Especially Yato, who gets up early to have Mamma make her lunch and goes to the academy alone, earlier than anyone else.
The reason is early morning training. She didn't explain it in detail.
Elk sits down and looks at Gambo.
Gambo is sitting a little away from Elk's seat.
He's not really doing anything. Just yawning absentmindedly and shaking his chair.
Elk asked Yato.
"Hey, Yato. I heard that the 'Goddess Holy Church' became an 'S-Class Dangerous Organization'."
"I know."
"So, S-Class and Dangerous Designation..."
"It's a danger level. There are only 3 S-Class levels. And now the 'Goddess Holy Church' is the 4th one."
"I-I see."
She was blunt.
But she explained it properly.
Thinking about it, S-Class is a level, and Dangerous Designation means it's labeled as a dangerous organization. Elk decided to stop asking random questions and think for himself.
Just as he renewed his determination, the bell rang, and their homeroom teacher, Shakariki, walked in.
"Okay, okay! Let's start the class! Sit down, sit down... Oh, right! Before we begin, I have an announcement. Because of the student kidnapping incident, the number of students in each class has become quite uneven, so we will be reorganizing the classes... And in the new class, we will have 'Dungeon Practice.' Oh, do you need an explanation for Dungeon Practice? ...You do, right?"
Shakariki laughed, "Ahaha"... It was definitely a hassle for him, Elk thought.
Then, he pretended to cough.
"Dungeon Practice is where you learn what to do in a dungeon with veteran adventurers of B-Class or higher. You'll learn about treasure hunting, fighting magic beasts, and how to spot dungeon traps... Hehe. It might be scary at first, but you'll have fun once you get used to it, okay?"
"""""..."""""
The students gulped.
Some were nervous, while others clearly wore confident smiles.
Then, one student raised their hand.
"Teacher, which dungeon are we talking about?"
"That's a good question. In team battles, we had the 'Forest Dungeon,' but in the practical training, we will enter the 'Maze Dungeon.' Oh, but don't worry, even though it's called a maze, it's a dungeon where the danger level is low because the investigation is complete. If you die, you can come back to life. Well, it's not as perfect as Lady Nightingale's resurrection, though. For example, you might lose half your lifespan instead of just coming back, or you might have to give up some of your organs as a price for your life... Lady Nightingale is special. Normally, if you use resurrection-level magic or skills, you have to pay some kind of 'cost'... Ah, I got off track. Hahaha."
"...Hahaha."
The student who asked the question sat down.
Shakariki smiled brightly.
"The new class will be announced soon. Hahaha. It's quite rare to have a new class less than 3 months after starting school... Oh, that's inappropriate, inappropriate. Now, let's begin the lesson."
Shakariki opened the textbook, and the class started.
* * *
That night.
Elk was relaxing on the sofa in the lounge, asking Emma, who was sitting across from him.
"Hey, Emma, does the commerce department have class changes or anything?"
"No. The commerce department is special. Well, it seems that the students who were kidnapped mostly had combat skills."
"I see... So it's only the Skill Department."
Emma was knitting.
What was she making? Looking closely, it seemed like a black mask.
Elk felt a strange sense of unease.
"Um, Emma... what is that?"
"Is this it? Hehe... Mr. Elk's new mask. 'Scarecrow'... I'll make it a cool eye patch mask!"
"...Thank you."
Elk couldn't think of a response.
He was called 'Scarecrow' among the new students.
His pose with both hands raised horizontally looked like a 'black scarecrow' or a 'crow with its wings spread.' Plus, he was rumored to be an amazing assassin, a Yamato country assassin.
It seemed to have pressed a strange switch inside Emma.
"Mr. Elk. Mr. Nickes arranged a lot of things, and it looks like I can attach a new weapon to the combat suit's blade. Please look forward to it!"
"...Thank you."
Nickes wasn't there. Only Elk and Emma were in the lounge.
Then, the door to the large bath opened.
"Ahh..."
"That was a nice bath!!"
It was Yato and Fine.
Both were fresh from the bath. Fine was in a tank top and shorts, looking casual. Yato was wearing a 'yukata,' which is a traditional sleepwear from Yamato country.
Trying not to look at the oddly attractive duo, Elk used telekinesis to float a water pitcher and pour water into a cup.
He brought it to his mouth and drank.
Then, Fine popped her head over Elk's shoulder from behind.
"Hey, Elk!!"
"Whoa!?"
Elk was surprised by Fine's sudden appearance.
Moreover, Fine's chest was touching Elk's shoulder.
It felt strangely soft, as if she wasn't wearing any underwear.
"W-what, what is it???"
"Why are you so flustered? By the way, did you hear about the class change?"
"Ah, yeah. But you're too close..."
"Hmph..."
Emma puffed her cheeks slightly.
Fine didn't seem to care and kept slapping Elk's shoulder.
"Isn't it fine? So, about the class change, I hope we can be in the same one!!"
"Yeah, I hope so."
"It's kind of random, but of course, I want Merry and Yato to be with us too!!"
"Right."
Yato replied casually. Before Elk knew it, she had a cup in her hand and was drinking water.
Fine seemed hungry for conversation, so the talk continued.
"I'm really looking forward to the dungeon practice!!"
"I'm looking forward to it too, Fine. I wonder what the dungeon will be like..."
"--There are interesting places, but also boring ones."
"Huh? Yato, do you know? I don't know anything about it."
"I knew a little from before."
Yato replied casually and went back to her room.
Elk also moved away from Fine to grab his bath supplies. Fine sat on the sofa where Elk had been and started chatting with Emma.
Elk took his bath supplies and headed to the bathhouse.
"Dungeon practice, huh. Oh, but before that, the class change... I wonder if Gambo and Yato will be separated from me."
That's what Elk was thinking.
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