High School Hack and Slash Chapter 100 Part 2
―― labyrinth of Perforation Realm 『YGGDRASILL』, attached branch realm 『Yomotsu Hirasaka』 ――
――The『tenth』 stratum, 『uncharted』 domain――
『Cavalry Beast (Patriot)』
It was a skill that could only be acquired by the second step class of the『Fighter』 branching, the『Knight』 class derivation.
It fell under the category of unique class-specific skill similar to the『Armed Golem』 of the Craftsman branching.
In the case of『Cavalry Beast (Patriot)』, by means of forming『Contract (Engagement)』 with a specific type of monsters, it became possible to summon the monster as an employed subject.
Unlike Armed Golem, which manifested your own avatar, there was a need to procure the monster you wished to form a contract with.
In order to form a『contract』, the subject’s monster card was needed.
However, unlike the『Realize』 of the『Officer』 branching, it was not just a matter of summoning and manipulating the monster.
A ceremony to make the monster accept the『naming』 and recognize you as its master was required.
When it came to a『Knight』, they were able to turn a horse-type monster into a cavalry beast.
If it was its superior classes such as『Holy Knight (Paladin)』 or『Beast Knight』, they’d obtain the aptitude for superior monsters such as Pegasus and Griffon, and if it was a『War Maiden (Valkyrie)』, they’d obtain the aptitude even for rare monsters such as unicorn.
Among these, 『Dragoon』 class holder possessed an aptitude for dragonkind.
As opposed to partners that supported your mobility like other classes of Knight branching, they would be a weapon endowed with fearsome power.
However, the difficulty in obtaining the cards of these dragonkind, which were powerful monsters, served as a clear difference between the hyper dragon knight and the phony dragon knight.
The place where such dragonkind-type monsters were located in large number was the 10th stratum of the dungeon, 『Dragon Garden Jungle』.
The stratum, where the dungeon switched from a labyrinth type to an open field type and dragon type monsters were infesting it in a large number, was considered a perilous pass where a combat method that was different from the one thus far would be necessary.
Bulldozing it by forming a small party of combat classes was ineffective, and unless you coordinated with a larger number of people with varying types of classes, you wouldn’t be able to make progress in your conquest.
Such was what was written in the academy’s instruction manual.
As a matter of fact, the difficulty level in the in-map areas where the routes were well maintained was drastically decreasing.
The『Dragon Garden Jungle』, which was dotted with powerful monsters specimens, was not a stratum that was very popular as a hunting ground.
This was because the style of hunting large numbers of weak monsters allowed you to earn a large amount of EXP in a safe manner.
Recently, however, the biological organs (drop items) of various monsters had been traded at high prices, so the figures of hunting parties had come to be visible even in the『Dragon Garden Jungle』.
Most of the monsters that infested the charted in-map areas were bipedal dragons called『Running Dragon (Raptor)』, which resembled ostriches.
They were ferocious carnivorous dragons with sharp fangs, about two meters in size.
Other that these, there were also cases where four-legged dragons called『Scaled Dragon (Saurus)』, which were one size larger, charged at you.
Each of these dragonkind also possessed long-range wide-area attack method called『Dragon Breath』, which was their characteristic, making them opponent with a high degree of difficulty.
However, unlike the in-map areas, the uncharted areas, where the miasma concentration was high and on top of that condensed due to cannibalism, were turning into dens of superior specimens that had grown all the way to the level limit of the stratum’s control value.
『Rock Dinosaur』 and『Colorless Swallowing Dragon (Chameleon Gulper)』 which boasted huge bodies that could swallow scaled dragons in a single gulp, and in the sky, 『Kōryū (Flood Dragon)』 was flying, flapping its wings.
Furthermore, superior dragons that had evolved into various types were roaming about.
In a sense, this was the most severe danger zone among the open field stratums.
Otoha, who could be said to be the representative of phony dragon knights, had come there in search of a partner.
「Nah, it’s impossible, no? I’ll simply die, won’t I?」
「What are you saying at this late of the game?」
The party members were three in number.
They were Otoha the『Dragon Knight』, Shizuka the『Miko』, and then Touma the『Warrior』.
There might be some disguises or subclass fraud at play here, but that was how they were shown on the status screen of their student handbooks.
Miharu and Natsumi, done acting as coordinate navigators, had already gone back to serve as Saki’s chaperones.
「B, but, you see… Monster cards are not something that drop easily… The drop probability is said to be 0.02%, you know?」
「Otoha-senpai. It not dropping are the words of liars. It’s because they give up on the way out that it doesn’t drop.」
「No, Shizuka-chan. That’s not a line to be said with a sober, straight face, okay.」
Even if they showed a sober, straight face, it was a line uttered by those with cloudy eyes.
「Fully understood. The point is, we just have to hunt them until it drops, right?」
「Yes. As expected of you, Touma-san.」
「But, you know, what’s impossible is impossible. To begin with, monster cards are not rare items that’ll drop just because you’re looking of it, in fact, none have dropped up until now.」
*Haa* Heaving out a sigh, Shizuka directed a pitiful gaze at the desperate Otoha.
「That’s why you end up being labeled with a nickname such as『Maiden of Poverty (No-dropper)』, Otoha-senpai. When it comes to such things, you have to draw the flow with a belief that it’ll definitely drop, that you’ll snatch it, or rather, that you’ll make it so that they’ll offer what you want to you. If you give up from the beginning, the things that should be dropping would not be dropping, after all.」
「I, I see. It’s such a surprising spiritual theory, but somehow or other, I’ve come to feel that that’s the case!」
「That’s the way. Well then, let’s get going.」
Feeling let down by the all-too-easy brainwashing, Shizuka urged Touma, who cracked and snapped his fingers.
◇ ◇ ◇
The『stratum control value』, which was set per stratum of the dungeon, was the permissible limit value (level cup) for the concentration of miasma filling the stratum space.
In the case where the『branch realm』 to which the dungeon was connected was a world with low concentration of miasma.
The reason why the bodies of miasma concentration (monsters) rose in rank (leveled up) step-by-step matching the depth of the stratum was because miasma flowed from the deeper stratum into the branch realm and got decompressed.
In order for the dungeon『challenger』 to take in miasma ≪EXP≫ and level up to a higher rank, there was a need to throw themselves into an environment with higher miasma pressure.
In the class change system, the barrier of base level 100, which allowed you to have a class change to the fourth step class, lied in a realm that couldn’t be reached without breaking through the 20th stratum『New World (Genesis World)』.
This was the『right to challenge』 the dungeon’s core domain that awaited beyond the 』branch realm』.
Even in the uncharted domain environment that was overflowing with miasma, the law of permissible limits value (level cap) was still in effect.
Monsters that had reached such a limit level had the tendency to strengthen their fleshes and gigantify themselves, in exchange for being unable to raise their level.
It was a phenomenon called extreme gigantification.
Of course, there were species-bound limits, but the latent capacity of the dragonkind surpassed that of other monsters.
「BAGAAAAAH!」
The jaws of the dragon, scattering drool and sporting multiple layers of fangs, chewed up a rock.
The height of the『Strong Hammer Beast Dragon (Embolotherium)』, a superior evolved specimen of the four-legged『Scaled Dragon (Saurus)』, exceeded four meters.
It was truly a huge body that was akin to a small mountain.
「Sha, haa!」
The rugged pole weapon that Touma was holding.
If it were to be classified, it would be a blunt halberd, but it crushed the scales, tore the flesh, and sent the neck of the giant dragon flying.
This dungeon-produced weapon, which was designated as a sealing-target item, was not endowed with any special abilities.
It was something that was stored in the academy’s isolation zone as a type of unanalyzable (unknown) item.
Even if they were impossible to analyze, items were judged to have no usefulness or danger were collectively referred to as『Garbage』.
The only special features identified in the academy’s examination were its hardness, which was probably stepping into the indestructible realm, as well as a conjecture that it might be the bone of some creature.
If it was a sturdy material, it obtained value by that fact itself, but if it was impossible to process, it was meaningless.
It was a new equipment that was gifted by Saki to Touma, who would end up destroying anything on the level of common magic items just by normally using it.
「Once again, only crystal, is it…?」
The huge corpse that was being reduced to miasma took more time proportional to its size.
However, they could tell at a glance whether there were any drop items or not.
Shizuka, holding her temples, let out a deep, deep sigh.
「Usually, some kind of material item should have dropped, though.」
「Wh, what is it? You want to say that it’s my fault? Shizuka-chan, you can just say it frankly, you know?」
Yes, the drop item rate of monsters that had reached the stratum limit value was high.
At the highest, it would trigger a 100 times materialization rate that of the in-map area.
When it came to material items, the number would be some kind of drop appearing almost each time.
Such was supposed to be the case.
RELEASE RATE
High School Hack and Slash
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 70 hours
Tftc