High School Hack and Slash Chapter 98 Part 2
Wiping Sena’s ass, which was readily released and quivering her hips with wobbly legs, with a handkerchief, Kotarou pushed it into the hole as it was in place of a plug.
「Ah… Hya, Kotarouu. Let me get you off.」
「Do endure it as is. And I will give you a reward later.」
In front of them, a door at the end of the passage was opened.
In the isolated zone, which was usually designated as a no-entry area, there existed the storage place for sealing-subject (inspect) items.
The compartment set up in the depth of the『Tartarus Colosseum』 was locked tightly with multiple heavy check gates.
The Tartarus Colosseum, the ruins of another world (raid area) that『advent』 to the present realm, continued to generate a faint dungeon space even today.
If magic items were left in the present realm where the miasma had dried up, no matter how powerful of a magic item it might be, the miasma would eventually volatilize and it would end up being reduced to『mere matter』.
Therefore, it was perfect to serve as a storage place for magic items.
「Phwee, this guy is amazing.」
「It’s just like a treasure house (Treasure Chest), isn’t it?」
The class-based test of skill competition was held on the second and third days of the school festival.
After all the matches were over, the victors of each category were invited to the storage room altogether.
Although their party members were accompanying them to sightsee, the only ones allowed to take items out of the storage area were the victors only.
However, even if they were only looking at them, the legion of items sealed in the concert hall-like grand hall was worth seeing.
The legion of items – which were randomly piled, lined up, and left as they were – were giving rise to a goosebumps-inducing pressure.
A black sword that was oozing an ominous aura.
A gigantic ax that was difficult to even lift.
A snake-jointed sword where pieces of iron scraps were linked together by a wire.
A tatari katana with a rusted and decaying blade dripping with fresh blood.
A lance with a wriggling azure dragon carved on the shaft.
A war hammer where a hilt simply sprouted out of a roughly hewn block of rock.
Various types of high ranked magic items, which might make one want to say something about them, had been arranged.
These were also the heritage that the students of the academy had been excavating from the dungeons for generations.
「Now, please choose the magic item you like. It doesn’t matter even if it’s an item that the rightful chooser cannot use, but the item you can take out is limited to only one.」
The reason why not only the victors but also party members were allowed to accompany them was because the higher the rank of the magic item, the more『compatibility』 issues there were.
Even if there was no clear ego like one in sentient armament (intelligent gear), the compatibility between the user and the item would emerge remarkably.
The ones acting as advisors were the members of the duel committee.
To begin with, the isolation zone where the sealing-subject items were kept was under their management.
「There are no items that are extremely dangerous, but I guess items that don’t carry a penalty factor are the safest bet.」
At the words of the duel committee member who was wearing a white dubious hood, Shiho, who was about to reach for a shield that had a devilish face engraved on it, stiffened.
「… Could it be that cursed items are also in the mix?」
「That is, of course. Though, the higher the rank of the magic item, the more psychic substances it possesses, so in that sense, I guess you could say that all of them are in cursed state.」
Not only Kazuto’s party, but also the groups of other victors who had already arrived were being guided around the storage facility.
Each was accompanied by a duel committee member as an advisor-cum-guardian, much like a tourist being led around a museum or art gallery.
There was also a group that was restlessly frolicking about, and the committee member in charge, who was playing the role of teacher leading the group, was limp and exhausted.
Yuina, who was following behind Takeshi, looked around their surroundings restlessly with curious eyes.
Among the groups who were checking the items and discussing them with their fellow club members with a serious look on their faces, the group that was going kyakya and frolicking about was clearly out of place.
「Hmmm, then could you present to us your recommended items?」
「That’s a good question. However, what kind of items do you wish for?」
At the words of Kotarou, the committee member in charge, who nodded his head with a triumphant look on his face, asked.
「Of course, it has to be the strongest weapon, right?」
「What? You really are a stupid gorilla, aren’t you? To begin with, it’s Kazuto who’s getting the item, so there’s no point in you being the one to choose it, right?」
「Now now, you too, Sena-chan, calm down.」
「The strongest weapon, I don’t know if you can call it as such, but we have a divine sword that is said to have sealed the boss of this『Tartarus Colosseum』. Yes, the one who descended along with the advent of another world (raid area) in the past— the evil god Tartarus.」
The conquest of a raid that materialized in the present realm didn’t allow them to receive the support of the undead system by Rashomon.
The damage at the time, where they conquered high-difficulty raids with the premise of utilizing zombie attack tactics, could be easily guessed.
「Though, it seemed to be quite chaotic at that time, so although it was said that they were unable to defeat it and had no choice but seal it, whether the evil god Tartarus really existed or not, or where the divine sword used to seal it was located, or where it was sealed, were not known.」
It was the『Evil god (Tartaus) that’s waiting for its resurrection in the colosseum』, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the academy.
The committee member in charge floated a smile behind their hood at them as they gulped down as if overawed.
Even if it was an academy legend that you didn’t believe in personally, by scaring them a little, they would listen to you obediently.
That aside.
At the end of Yuina’s gaze, the group that was frolicking around was reaching out their hands here and there and making the committee member leading them scream.
Even from Yuina’s point of view, it was to the point where she wanted to tell them to act with a bit more prudence.
「E, err, does that so-called evil god really exist?」
「Heh, hehehe. No matter who they are, if it’s us, we’ll be able to beat them all, right?」
「Evil god, is it…? I can’t seem to sense such a powerful presence, though.」
Breathing out a sigh, Kazuto shook his head.
His『Hero』 class’ super senses had certainly captured an ominous undulation from the depths of the earth.
However, it was nowhere near as intense as the mysterious super-chill he felt in the classroom.
Kazuto did not trust this sensation very much.
In fact, even now, he even felt a presence as if there was a mysterious super being that was giving rise to super chills in his proximity, more intense than the ominous undulation he felt from underground.
「Come to think of it, it seems that it was the『Hero』 class holder of that time who sealed the『Evil God Tartarus』 with the divine sword. The weapons that fall under the category called『Sacred Treasure (Divine Gear)』 such as the divine sword choose their own users. Unless you have the required attribute value to wield the item, you won’t be able to even touch it.」
「… Ah.」
Yuina, whose mumbling leaked out in an unintentional manner, wound up witnessing the noisy group ending up pulling out a huge sword that had been stuck in the floor.
With multiple layers of chains twining around it, it was a sword that looked like it had been heavily sealed up.
Giving a sidelong glance to that side’s guide-san, who became akin to The Scream by Munch, the two Craftsman-ish students who were accompanying them proceeded to appraise the sword.
「… Oh my, is it an earthquake?」
「Do you also hear something like a roar?」
Sena and Shiho tilted their heads.
The colosseum itself shook with a small vibration, and a roar-like vindictiveness echoed from the depths of the earth.
That aside.
The divine sword, which was judged to be a miss in their appraisal, was then readily stuck back in its original place.
*Mu* Groaning at the unexpected sense of resistance, the boy forcefully put his strength into his arms and pushed in the sword deeply.
When the sword, which had originally been stuck only at the tip, was buried up to the hilt, it felt as though the colosseum shook grandly for once.
As a groan that was akin to a death throes scream echoed from the depths of the earth, both the shaking and the groaning faded away.
RELEASE RATE
High School Hack and Slash
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 70 hours
Tftc