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High School Hack and Slash Chapter 42 Part 1

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Pasifista

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Gōten no Zakurosan

　Now then, the supplementary lessons were supposed to be an overnight stay, so first of all, after stuffing a change of underwear and toiletries into it, I carry my bag on my shoulder.

I take a leisurely walk through the morning academy toward the gathering place, the gymnasium.

It’s been a while since the last time I acted on my own, so to be honest, it’s a bit refreshing.

Last night, I ended up getting stuck with giving Shizuka, who had ended up falling into the dark side, mental care, constantly accompanying her in order to pacify her.

Because of that, I was not able to do equipment preparations, but well, I leave my armor in the Item Box, so there’s no problem on this side.

Unlike in games, carrying around equipment with considerable weight nets you a heavy burden.

In the dungeon, you spend more time exploring than fighting.

If you wear out your physical strength carrying heavy stuff, you will not be able to exhibit your abilities during the essential battle.

It seems that in some high-ranked parties, in addition to the attacker and tank role, they seem to also include a member who specialize in carrying luggage called porter.

Now that I think about it, it’s like Yuki-chan fills this role in our party.

Just in case, it would not look good to be empty-handed, so I have my usual backpack with me.

My attire is also my usual blazer uniform outfit, so it’s not too different from how I usually go to school.

It’s only a matter of course, but the other students are on test break, so the school route being so empty feels lonely.

It’s by no means because I slept in.

Well, I won’t deny that I overslept a little bit, as no one was there when I woke up in Saki and Natsumi’s room.

Couldn’t someone have woken me up, such a thought didn’t not cross my mind.

I wonder if it was Shizuka’s plan to keep me from going.

Unjust suspicion aside, while doing some exercise to help digest the breakfast I had fully subjugated, I arrived at the gymnasium in a leisurely manner.

It is inevitable that I end up arriving late.

It is important not to panic.

I nonchalantly stick to the wall of the gymnasium and take a peek on the situation inside.

A fair amount of buzzing and presence of people.

It seems that roughly about three hundred students who require supplementary lessons have gathered here.

Talk about convenient.

Like this, even if I stealthily sneak in and join them, no one would notice.

Peeking at the situation inside through the lower window of the gym, with a hot cup of coffee in my hand, I calculate the timing for joining them.

*Buzz* At the students’ voices, which are similar to a scream, I pop my face on the window and unwrap the hot sandwich I have prepared for a between-meal snack.

It hasn’t gone completely cold yet, and the melty cheese is just nice.

It appears that they are currently announcing the contents of the assignment.

Looks like I am not as late as I thought.

The supplementary lessons content of the dungeon practice is compulsory participation in 『raid quests』, it seems.

There’s no goal to achieve, and to pass just by participating in it, isn’t that simply child’s play?

Well, at the moment, I’m falling into danger of failing due to not participating, though.

As I lick the ice cream stick for cleansing my palate, I observe the situation in the gym.

Incidentally, this emerald green and chocolate chip that seems bad for your body has a chemical scent to it and tastes good.

Looking Cross with Midori-sensei, who is showing a pained look on her face as she turns her face away from the gathered students.

For better or worse, I raise the hand that is holding the canned coffee, sending a signal that I am properly participating.

Her face seems to be twitching, but I’m planning to stealthily join them, so I’d like her to rest assured.

As I peel off the package of my second ice cream stick, I look at the state of the students who require supplementary lessons.

All of them are clad in serious dungeon diving gear and are carrying bulging backpacks.

Dressed like I am going for a walk, the out of place feeling I sense is terrific.

Everyone seems to be headed for Rashomon en masse, and as they moderately scatter, groups are promptly starting to form.

Now then, as I’m pondering about by what means I should join them while biting into the cone part, a group of students I’m familiar with is gathering together as they anxiously scurrying around.

It seems that apparently, Mikan-senpai and the others had also received failing marks for their dungeon practice.

Come to think of it, yesterday, Shizuka stickily clung to me even after returning to Asagi-sou, so I had no chance to talk to them.

They are quite far away, so I can’t see their academic year badge, but the students who require supplementary lessons aren’t limited to first-year students only, as there are quite a number of upperclassmen too.

The Interface display also has so many overlapping display in it, making it hard to see, but those with 『Debauchee (NEET)』 branching classes are numerous.

Those with non-combat classes such as 『Craftsman』 and 『Officer』 stand out too, but they seem to be few in number to begin with.

At any rate, there are three raid quests presented to us.

『Gashadokuro Castle (Castle of the Hungry Skulls)』

『Tuileries Destiny Garden』

『Gōten no Zakurosan (Roaring Heaven Pomegranate Mt.)』

『Gashadokuro Castle』 seems to be a recently discovered raid area.

『Tuileries Destiny Garden』 has been confirmed in a foreign dungeon in the past, and was apparently conquered at the time too.

『Gōten no Zakurosan』 is some sorts of raid to be sealed that has been passed down in the academy since ancient times, and seems to have been chosen for the purpose of land reclamation due to it is showing signs of activation.

I see, I don’t get what that means at all.

To begin with, I don’t know about this 『raid quest』 whatnot, so it’s difficult to empathize with my fellow brethren who are showing despairing looks on their faces.

The students who are beginning to move out of the gym following the teachers’ lead are becoming quick paced.

I also travel alongside them, walking outside the corridor passage.

I wanted to greet Mikan-senpai and the others, but they ended up getting lost in the crowd.

I have no other choice, so I nonchalantly sneak into the academy grounds through the restroom window and nonchalantly join the stream moving down the corridor in groups.

The group is scrambling down the stairs leading to Rashomon, but I think they should nurture composure a bit more in their hearts.

Or rather, it’s jammed.

Sure enough, the huge underground cavern where Rahomon is located comes to be jam-packed with students taking supplementary lessons.

From the leading order, it appears that the ones standing in the lead come to be the upperclassmen.

A group of muscle macho janitor-like old men are keeping back and sorting the students who are trying to squeeze their way to the front from behind.

It seems that the participant division of the quests is done through the lackadaisical fixed number first come, first served method.

It looks like the first one is Skull Castle, followed by Destiny Garden, and then Zakurosan at the end.

I guess that the first raid quest is probably the most popular one.

If we are able to some extent freely choose which quest to participate in, I’d surely like to go together with Mikan-senpai and the others.

The first group that has been sorted lines up in front of the leftmost gate, which I have never seen open before.

There are five doors of Rashomon.

The one used during the very first dungeon dive was the 『Beginning Realm Gate』 on the rightmost.

The ones used for regular dungeon dives are the three central gates.

The one that’s opened this time seems to be the door called the 『End Realm Gate』 on the most left end.

Given the fact that it’s a gate exclusively used for raid quests, it probably also has the function that allows you to fix the exit to a designated area.

Upon getting actually opened, the depth of the gate is different from the general ones, as it comes to remain distorted like a twisted vortex.

The students – showing faces like that of dead people, in spite of them crowding and scrambling for it – dive into the gate one after another.

Visually, they are like the dead that are judged by Lord Yama in hell, but it looks as if they are being led to the six paths of the abyss.

As expected, the transfer gate seems to be left open, and the first unit enters as if they were sucked in.

I want to look for Mikan-senpai and the others, but the waiting group is still crowded with masses of people.

Well, starting with Mikan-senpai, the leader, the other Senpais are also full of girls with poor outlines, so I think they’ll probably end up in the last group toward 『Zakurosan』 raid quest.

I give up on my futile efforts, stifle a slight yawn and decide to wait for my turn absentmindedly.

◇ ◇ ◇

――The labyrinth of Perforation Realm 『YGGDRASILL』, singular sub-realm『Gōten no Zakurosan』――

――Type『Royalty』, ※ Space-Time Pressure Difference『one : nine』――

――※Option Intercept 『Military Warfare Style (Raid Mode)』 Adjustment――

――※Model 『Purgatory』――

――※Confine 『72 hours/648 hours』――

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