Chapter 322: Training inside and out

Thanks to Alan D. ($150) for sponsoring this chapter too!

The Hero Preparatory School managed a single Dungeon for practical training.

The Dungeons entrance was on the schools grounds in other words, inside the capital of Orbaume. It was originally outside the city, but as...o...b..ume developed and grew, it expanded beyond where the Dungeons entrance was.

Its difficulty was C-cla.s.s, and only Rank 2 and 3 monsters appeared on the upper floors the perfect difficulty for students at the Hero Preparatory School to do practical training.

There was also a great deal of variation in the interior environments of the Dungeon stone ruins were the most common one, but there were also caves, forests, deserts, and swamps. This allowed the students to gain all kinds of experience.

On top of that, monsters sp.a.w.ned at a higher rate than ordinary Dungeons, which made it even more suited for practical training. Even if dozens of students hunted the monsters inside every day, it would never run out.

Because it was only C-cla.s.s, even in the unlikely event that a monster stampede were to occur, the teachers at the Hero Preparatory School would be able to contain it, so there was no risk to the public safety of Orbaume.

Todays objective is for you to experience a Dungeon. Not to clear it. Dont forget that, Dandolip said as a word of caution to the students. Many of you have never experienced a Dungeon before. I can understand that youre anxious and excited. However! What youre about to experience is not an adventure into the unknown. People have known everything there is to know about this place for centuries. Many adventurers step into this place as if its just another ordinary day, hunt the monsters theyre looking for, harvest their materials, and return home safely. The purpose of this training is to make you capable of doing the same.

Many lost their lives by getting carried away because they were careless and overconfident in their own abilities. Others lost their lives because their anxiety and fear caused them to panic.

Dandolip or rather, Randolf, believed that it was the duty of Adventurers Schools to prevent as many of those tragedies as possible.

To begin with, the word adventurer isnt an accurate word for it. Adventurers are more like hunters or exterminators that are specialized in dealing with monsters. Most of them are laborers that earn their keep by hunting known monsters in known hunting grounds, then bringing back their materials to sell. But there are too many fools who die because they misunderstand their own profession. Adventuring should only be done by those who still want to do it after cultivating the skills and experience they need.

These complaint-like thoughts ran through Randolfs mind, but he knew that speaking them out loud would only serve to dampen the students eagerness. In fact, it could even have the opposite effect, causing those who were strongly compet.i.tive to act recklessly in defiance.

You can go on adventures into the unknown as much as you like after youve acquired the skills and experience you need and graduate from this school, Randolf said. The Storm of Tyranny, a party of S-cla.s.s adventurers from the Amid Empire, reached the legendary Demon Continent and returned to tell the tale. The Five-colored Blades from our own nation defeated a Pure-breed Vampire, and even now, they are surveying Aldas Dungeon of Trials. And the one over there, Va

Vandalieu was fiercely shaking his head.

Err, you have long lives ahead of you. Think of now as the time for you to develop your strength for the future! Randolf said, concluding with words that he didnt really believe.

Other than Vandalieu, the students had a bright look in their eyes. Even the pompous children of nasty n.o.ble families were adorable at times like this.

The Storm of Tyranny have apparently attacked a duke of the Amid Empire, as well as a Church of Alda, so its possible that their Guild members.h.i.+ps have been revoked. And the youngsters of the Five-colored Blades didnt look much like heroes to me Well, theres no need to tell them what they dont need to know. Still, are you

that

opposed to me mentioning you by name?

Randolf thought, looking at Vandalieu.

Listen up, Randolf said. First, divide yourselves into the parties you decided beforehand, come and get your commission, then enter the Dungeon in turns. Each commission has its own task, and once youve finished it, go to the instructor who will be waiting by the stairs that descend from the third floor to the fourth floor. And then your practical training for today will be complete.

After that, Randolf gave a brief explanation of the rules such as not interfering with other parties and not settling personal grudges here. And then the first party entered the Dungeon.

See you later, Van! said Pauvina.

She, Reinhardt, and the rest of their party entered the Dungeon before Vandalieu. The task written on the commission they had drawn was to pick medicinal herbs that grew on the second floor.

Pain, who was sitting on Pauvinas head like a hair ornament, gave a small squeak.

With him there, there wasnt even the smallest chance of something going wrong.

See you later, said Vandalieu.

He was still on his own. It wasnt as if parties couldnt change their members once they were decided, but Vandalieu had declined to join any of his cla.s.smates parties, as he had decided to belong to Elizabeths party.

Incidentally, the rule that new students could only form parties with students in their own cla.s.ses for their first month was something the school had put in place to prevent students being left on their own or parties being formed with a poor balance of abilities.

If uppercla.s.smen were allowed to form parties with any newcomers, many students would try to rely on the uppercla.s.smen or the capable students in their own grade, while the uppercla.s.smen would try to pick out the newcomers that were more capable.

It would not be good if the parties formed by the ones left after that process were to end up being only students who wanted to be frontline fighters, or only students who wanted to be mages.

Thus, the school forced new students to form parties within the limits of their own cla.s.s. Of course, these parties that were formed under these restrictions sometimes disbanded because of clashes in personality between the members.

But by the time this generally happened, a month would have already pa.s.sed, and the students could simply form new parties.

There were some adventurers who worked with the same party members for their entire lives, but there were also others who began frequently joining and leaving parties when they were a student and continued that later in life.

There was no small number of adventurers who did that in order to find a party that was right for them.

But in any case, it was unusual for a student to remain alone even during the practical training. It was normal for them to at least join a party temporarily, just for the practical training.

Sensei, our commission says, Gather thirty Magic Stones, but we dont think well be able to do it. What should we do? another student in Vandalieus grade asked.

I think you should work together with another party, said Vandalieu. Maybe you can help people whose commissions dont ask for Magic Stones, and take their Magic Stones in exchange. Or you could even trade the other materials you harvest for Magic Stones.

Are we allowed to do that?!

I dont think theres a problem with it. The rules only prohibit us from interfering with each other; working together isnt prohibited The Adventurers Guild encourages adventurers to help each other out, after all.

Despite being on his own, Vandalieu was answering questions and giving advice to the other students in his grade. Having gained the respect of the other students to whom he had previously given advice during training, he was now being treated like one of the teachers.

Sensei, you cant do that. Youre right, of course, but we need to let the students figure that kind of thing out on their own, said one of the teachers.

Im sorry, Harbinger-sensei. But Im a student, you know? Vandalieu reminded him.

Ah, youre right. You got me there, Sensei! Harbinger said with a cheerful laugh.

Harbinger was the instructor that had put up a fight against Vandalieu until the very end during his first day of school. Even after that, despite the fact that the students had been a.s.signed to self-study, Harbinger had asked Vandalieu to serve as a practice battle opponent for all of them, including himself.

Incidentally, the other instructors didnt treat Vandalieu as a student, either. The instructors of Pauvinas cla.s.s were also lenient in this regard. They knew he would speak like a teacher, but they didnt pay much attention to it and treated him as a student in name only.

As Vandalieu answered the questions of the students that approached him, his own turn came.

Our commission is defeating the Stone Golems inhabiting the second floor and transporting all of their materials back. Quite the difficult task, said Vandalieu.

Pete gave a questioning hiss.

Pete, the materials harvested from Stone Golems are the rocks that their bodies are made of. Van-sama is saying that it is quite difficult because it is a troublesome task to carry hundreds of kilograms of rock while fighting against monsters, said Eleanora.

Is it reeeally? said Eisen.

For ordinary adventurers, its a difficult task. For

ordinary adventurers

, Eleanora repeated for emphasis.

Its as Eleanora says. It would be troublesome if I get carried away and end up a.s.signed with extra tasks, so lets put on a wow, this is really difficult face, said Vandalieu.

Vandalieus solo party consisted of Eisen, as well as Pete, who had shrunk himself to the size of an ordinary Great Centipede, both of whom had previously been registered at the Tamers Guild. There was also Eleanora, who had been registered at the Tamers Guild just the other day. And finally, he also had a couple of Undead from Silkies grounds with him.

When he registered Eleanora, the Guild Master of the Tamers Guild, Orlock, had asked: Youre sure that you want to register this young lady as a familiar?

In response, Vandalieu had asked, Do you not mind a Vampire walking around the city unregistered?

With that, Orlock had grimaced and authorized Eleanoras registration.

He had seemed reluctant to put a collar on Eleanora, who simply looked like a young woman to him. But that reluctance had vanished with Vandalieu pointing out that Eleanora couldnt walk around unregistered, and Eleanoras angry outburst of, Are you saying that I am unworthy of being Van-samas servant?!

A beautiful red-haired woman, a beautiful plant-like woman with several branches growing from her back, a centipede with sparks flying from its horns, a gardener wielding a large pair of scissors that looked like they could cut a human in half, and a chef armed with an enormous butchers knife.

Despite being accompanied by these, Vandalieu claimed to be solo.

No matter how one thought about it, it was an excessive gathering of fighting forces.

But one of the objectives of this practical training was to allow students to experience completing a commission in a Dungeon, so the rule was to allow students who were tamers to bring their familiars with them.

Its our turn. Lets go, Vandalieu said.

Naturally, Vandalieu and his companions didnt struggle, nor did they break any rules. They defeated the Stone Golems on the second floor, divided up their remains equally to carry back, then cleared the third floor. They helped any students in trouble on the way, and completed their commission.

He did, however, send Chipuras and the other light-attribute Ghosts, as well as a single stealth-specialized Demon King Familiar, down the stairs to the fourth floor.

In order to make future practical training easier, find out every floors structure, what monsters live on it, and the distribution of harvestable plants and minerals! Vandalieu-samas Labyrinth Creation isnt perfect when it comes to unknown parts! said Chipuras.

Be quiet, so that youre not noticed by the monsters or the other students, Berkert! said Daroak.

I-I wont be noticed, Im not here, Im not here, Im not here? Who am I?! Berkert shouted in confusion.

Berkert, dont think about anything difficult. Lets just play hide and seek. The seekers are everyone in the Dungeon except us, said the Demon King Familiar.

Yeah! Im going to play hide and seeeeek! Berkert screeched.

And so, Vandalieu learned the layout of the entirety of the Dungeon that was being managed by the Hero Preparatory School.

Meanwhile, Vandalieu was also conducting training in one of his Inner Worlds.

A Rock Golem a humanoid monster made of rock approached with a groan that sounded like boulders being rubbed against each other.

Ulrika raised a throwing knife and threw it at the Rock Golem with all her strength.

The knife flew at the speed of a bullet and found its mark, piercing straight through the Rock Golems torso and creating a hole in its body.

The Rock Golem groaned in shock, but Ulrika was just as surprised.

Impossible! The knife pierced straight through the rock?! she exclaimed.

Why are you so surprised? Youre the one who threw it, said Mari.

I mean, its rock! A knife, thrown by a person, pierced it! Its normal to be surprised, isnt it?!

Seriously? Weve already been told that the laws of physics are different here, havent we?

Ulrika was half-panicking at her successful attack, and Mari stepped forward to take her place. She used Metamorph to transform her slender hand into an enormous fist covered in a hard carapace, then used that to strike the Golem.

The Golem groaned again as cracks formed from where Maris fist landed, traveling across its entire body. A moment later, the entire Golem crumbled into pieces.

Hmm, this really is amazing. I know I made my fist very hard, but to think that I can use it to break boulders to pieces without even using magic Mari murmured.

In the end, Ulrika and Mari were both surprised.

Kanako gave them a nod. I think thats just how it is. Rock Golems are Rank 4. Ulrika, your throwing Skill is Level 5, and Mari, your Unarmed Fighting Technique is Level 5 as well. You both have high Attribute Values, too. So its nothing to be surprised about, she told them.

It looks like youre completely used to how things work over here, said Ulrika.

I think Im going to need a little more time to get used to it, said Mari.

It seemed that the two of them still werent accustomed to what was extremely ordinary in this world.

I wonder what this worlds physics are really like? said Ulrika.

I think this worlds laws of physics are considerably different to Earth or Origin. It would be physically impossible for hundred-meter-tall Colossi and Elder Dragons to exist on Earth, after all. And to begin with, were in a world inside a persons body. Its best not to think about the complicated details, said Kanako.

Youre right about that, Ulrika and Mari agreed simultaneously as they looked up at the sky.

The sky beyond the white clouds was a pulsating, flesh-colored ceiling. The place they were in now served as proof enough that the laws of physics here were very different to those of Earth or Origin.

Now that youve been convinced, shall we move on to the next one? said Kanako. Van, bring out the next one, please!

Yes, yes. Get up, the Vandalieu of this Inner World commanded, creating another Rock Golem and sending it towards Ulrika and Mari.

Next is Helix Strike! shouted Ulrika, throwing another knife, this time with a Throwing Technique martial skill.

As the Rock Golem groaned and approached with lumbering footsteps, it was struck by a knife that was rotating rapidly, and a large hole was made in its torso.

The Rock Golem crumbled with a thundering noise, and Ulrika stared at it, dumbfounded.

Impossible The power is on another level. All I did was use a martial skill No, I suppose this is the power of martial skills? Or is it because Ive become a Dark Human? Ulrika wondered.

Theres no incantation needed, and it only takes a small amount of Mana, but produces this much power. Is there really a demand for mages in this world? Mari asked.

Martial skills could be used without an incantation, at the cost of just a small amount of Mana, as long as certain conditions were met such as using the weapon needed to activate the Skills effects.

Mari wondered if there was a need for magic at all, given that martial skills existed.

Kanako gave her a wry smile. You only feel that way because youre strong, she said. Normal people cant use Helix Strike with that much force Well, being able to use Helix Strike is proof that Ulrika isnt an ordinary person. And becoming a Dark Human alone wont make you that strong. Its true that the Strengthened Muscles Skill increases your strength, but you need to gain more experience though it seems that youve acquired the Superhuman Strength Skill instead for some reason, Mari.

Unlike the reincarnated individuals that had been reincarnated in Lambda so far, Ulrika and Maris Statuses had not been adjusted by Rodcorte.

That was why they had some differences, such as their skill with firearms being Artillery Technique rather than Archery.

But because they had received Vandalieus guidance and divine protection, their Attribute Values and the Levels of their Skills were far higher than those of the people of Lambda.

Thus, it was inevitable that their martial skills had extraordinary power.

Todays training was for them to get accustomed to their new bodies, as they were now Dark Humans, and to get used to using martial skills, which didnt exist in Origin.

Now then, shall we make it something more like a real battle? Ill have the two of you change Jobs at least once today! We cant lip sync in this world, so we need the stamina to sing while were dancing, said Kanako.

Wha?! Have you changed our objective?! Ulrika exclaimed.

Ulrika The truth is, Ive been having a hard time recently, trying to persuade a certain person, so Ive got a lot of stress built up, said Kanako.

Thats not good! But what does that have to do with us?! Ulrika protested.

Vandalieu, Kanako is irrationally taking out her stress on us, said Mari, tattling on Kanako.

But the result didnt change.

Well, the two of you

do

need training, and when your physical capabilities improve as a result, itll become an important a.s.set for you both, the Vandalieu of this Inner World said.

With that, he used Golem Creation to combine a countless number of boulders into dozens of Rock Golems.

The newly-created Rock Golems roared as they moved with surprisingly good coordination, surrounding Ulrika and Mari.

Come! Defeat this army of rocks and take a step towards being an idol! said Kanako.

Ugh, I think your definition of idol is completely different from mine! said Ulrika.

I agreed to take lessons, but I didnt expect them to be like this. Ah, I want to hurry this up so I can see Mama, said Mari.

Ulrika took out more throwing knives and Mari used Metamorph to give herself crab-like pincers and the legs of a beast as the two of them engaged the Golems in battle.

To tell the truth, I agree with you, but it would be sad if you couldnt use the transformation equipment that I took the time to make for you, so please do your best, Vandalieu said. Well, Ill need a little more time for your equipment, since Im having trouble with making Deeanas equipment.

For now, he was thinking of giving them general purpose transformation equipment and equipment armor that could be worn over it once they were done with this training.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, Bokor, Yukijoro, and Gabriel were steadily getting through their physical combat training. The three of them had never received combat training before, and they were unable to use any magic other than their limited death-attribute spells, so it had been decided that it was too early for them to do training that was similar to real battles.

And some distance away from them, Hiros.h.i.+ and Mei were being trained by Banda.

Get em, everyone! said Mei.

At her command, her horde of Undead began attacking the Stone Golems and Wood Golems that were being used for their training. The chimeric beasts created by Rikudous experiments, which were now Undead, stopped the Golems from advancing, while the president Ghosts attacked at long range using Poltergeist abilities. On top of that, the Undead experimental subjects were using limited death-attribute magic and physical attacks, slowly chipping away at the Golems numbers.

Meanwhile, Hiros.h.i.+ had already finished defeating his Golems with his magic.

Banda, I want to try fighting a dinosaur, he said.

Hiros.h.i.+, its too early for you to be fighting dinosaurs, said Banda. Ill make a dinosaur-shaped Golem for you, so youll have to make do with that for now.

There were two reasons Vandalieu had limited the enemies used in todays training to Golems that he had created. One was because fighting against beast-type or demi-human monsters would be too much for Ulrika. And the other was because he wanted to provide a good education for Hiros.h.i.+ and Mei.

In Lambda, it was fine to kill monsters in order to eat their meat and harvest their materials. But Hiros.h.i.+ and Mei were still children. Allowing them to kill living creatures themselves and get used to the sight and smell of flesh and blood flying through the air would be questionable education.

However, because Vandalieu had failed to devour Rikudous soul, he didnt feel at ease with just keeping them safe in this greenhouse-like environment with their strength remaining the same.

That was why he was having them train against inorganic Golems.

Yeah, okay. But I want to be able to defeat them before Mom and Dad get here so I can show them my progress, said Hiros.h.i.+.

Then Ill show you around the museum in Talosheim sometime. There are lots of dinosaur bones or rather, Undead that were made using them, said Banda. We got some Twin-headed Tyrannosauruses and Satan Ammonites last year, too, and theres a corner where you can touch a trilobite.

Seriously?! Im pretty sure Twin-headed and Satan and whatever only exist in this world, but I wanna see a trilobite!

It seemed that the museum with Undead made from the dinosaur corpses Vandalieu had received for his third birthday had continued to expand since then.

And so, Vandalieu conducted training sessions both inside and outside his body.

Name

: Ulrika Scaccio

Race

: Dark Human

Age

: 35 years old

t.i.tle

:

Job

: Thief

Level

: 7

Job history

: Apprentice Mage, Apprentice Warrior

Pa.s.sive skills

:

Mental Corruption: Level 3

Self-Strengthening: Guidance: Level 1

Night Vision

Strengthened Muscles: Level 1

Rapid Regeneration: Level 1

Status Effect Resistance: Level 1

Augmented Mana: Level 1

Active skills

:

Housework: Level 1

Wind-Attribute Magic: Level 5

Mana Control: Level 6

Artillery Technique: Level 4

Dagger Technique: Level 6

Throwing Technique: Level 5

Silent Steps: Level 2

Lockpicking: Level 1

Trap: Level 5

Familiar Spirit Demonfall: Level 1

Chant Revocation: Level 1

Unique Skills

:

Echo: Level 6

Vandalieus Divine Protection

Name

: Mari

Race

: Dark Human

Age

: 35 years old

t.i.tle

: Black Maria

Job

: Death-Attribute Mage

Level

: 70

Job history

: Apprentice Warrior, Unarmed Fighter

Pa.s.sive skills

:

Mental Corruption: Level 10

Self-Strengthening: Mama: Level 10

Rapid Regeneration: Level 5

Night Vision

Superhuman Strength: Level 1

Status Effect Resistance: Level 1

Self-Strengthening: Guidance: Level 3

Gorging: Level 1

Active skills

:

Housework: Level 3

Mana Control: Level 7

Artillery Technique: Level 3

Dagger Technique: Level 6

Unarmed Fighting Technique: Level 6

Silent Steps: Level 5

Surpa.s.s Limits: Level 5

Etiquette: Level 3

Dancing: Level 1

Death-Attribute Magic: Level 4

Unique Skills

:

Metamorph: Level 10

Vandalieus Divine Protection

Skill explanation:

Gorging

As the Skills name suggests, it is a Skill that allows the user to gorge themselves on food. When the user intakes food beyond their daily requirements, they store the excess nutrients and calories up to a certain amount, then consume them when they need to in order to avoid starvation.

The amount of nutrients and calories that can be stored increases with the Skills Level. It is generally not a Skill that can be acquired by humans, but there is the occasional rare individual who does acquire this Skill.