DanKatsu Volume 1, Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Princess Strikes! Oh, but thanks — I’m good.

"You there! I’ll allow you to join the guild I’m about to create!"

It’s not just upperclassmen who come trying to recruit me.

The day after my first dungeon dive, while I was out shopping alone, a super cute girl suddenly started talking to me.

She skipped all the small talk and went straight into recruiting me for a guild — and not even a real one yet, just one she’s planning to make. I looked at the beautiful girl standing in front of me.

She had short, shining silver hair and bold, ocean-blue eyes full of determination. She wore the academy’s white uniform with a navy skirt, and her collar had a blue embroidery mark that signified she was a first-year student.

But what stood out the most was the <Silver Tiara> resting on her head.

That tiara meant only one thing: this girl was "Royalty".

Ah, I get it now. That explains the entitled attitude.

In <DanKatsu>, when creating parties or guilds, recruiting members was part of the system.

You could scout people with existing jobs based on their job, or even scout those without jobs and train them into rare jobs from scratch.

And it wasn’t just "jobs" you could scout — you could also scout based on *Race*.

"Royalty" was one of the special races you could scout. Princes wore a <Small Golden Crown>, and princesses wore a <Silver Tiara> as their symbol.

However, recruiting royalty was tough. In the game, you need a "Fame" stat of over 200 to even try. And since everyone starts with 0 fame, it was something you could only do later in the game.

Hmm? Does that mean my Fame stat has already hit 200?

I’m indeed pretty famous now for getting the 【Hero】 job, but in the game, that alone didn’t raise your Fame that high...

While I was silently puzzling over that, the princess seemed irritated by my lack of response and snapped at me.

"Hey, are you even listening!? I said I’m letting you join my guild! Your answer should be either Yes or Of course!!"

Whoa! That’s some top-tier power play.

A classic spoiled princess. Honestly, I don’t hate the type.

Though I guess that’s only because we’re in the world of <DanKatsu>.

Still, since I’ve got this golden opportunity, I’ll go ahead and turn her down.

"My answer is... NO."

"Whaaat!?"

I gave a little pause for dramatic effect, and then dropped the "no." She let out a cry of shock, clearly not expecting to be rejected.

Yeah... this is kind of fun.

Nice reaction, your highness.

"Sorry, but I plan on forming my own guild, so I’m not planning on joining anyone else’s."

"Wha-wha-what?! How dare you! I’m offering you the honor of joining my guild, and you turn me down!?"

The princess trembled with rage.

Unfortunately for her, I’m a proud Japanese man who knows how to say no.

Well, normally, a commoner would grovel before someone of her status, especially when turning them down might mean consequences.

But this is the world of <DanKatsu>.

A merit-based society built on levels and skills. No matter how much power someone holds, a first-year princess is definitely lower level than me.

Actually, there’s no job better than 【Hero】, so there’s no way some newbie first-year can flex on me, especially when I’ve already got a head start.

If she wants to boss me around without offering anything in return, she’d better have the level to back it up.

That’s just common sense in the world of <DanKatsu>.

So let’s ask her straight.

"I’m Zephyrus, a 【Hero】, level 10. And you, Your Highness?"

"Guh… nnngh…"

She couldn’t even respond. She can only groan.

Yeah, sounds like she hasn’t even gotten her job yet.

No job means still a kid.

Even if she’s royalty, a jobless (aka a kid) bossing around a job-holder (aka an adult) they just met? That’s not how it works.

Especially not here at the Dungeon Academy.

"If you want me to follow your orders, then get a proper high-ranking job and raise your level first."

"Wha—wha—WHAT!?"

"Royalty" can take on unique jobs exclusive to them.

Like 【Princess】 or 【Prince】—they’re pretty famous. Very strong support-type roles. Among the lower-rank jobs, they’re considered upper-middle tier, I’d say.

The fact that scouting royalty requires 200+ Fame shows how powerful their potential jobs are. But the catch is that unlocking those jobs also requires fulfilling hard conditions.

She probably wants a higher-tier job than just 【Princess】, but can’t meet the requirements yet. Hence the frustration. If it were just 【Princess】, she could’ve gotten it by now.

"R-remember this! When I do get a high-tier job and you come begging to join my guild, it’ll be too late!"

"No, seriously, I already said I’m making my own guild. I was never planning to join yours."

"T-That’s not allowed! You will join my guild. It’s already decided!"

"Which is it now?"

Wait, I thought she was being sour… maybe she's tsundere?

She’s a fun princess. Bossy, but not in a way that makes you hate her. Actually, I don’t hate her at all.

I might even… kinda like her.

"I-I’ll be back! Next time, make sure you say either ‘yes’ or ‘of course,’ got it!?"

"Sure, you do your best, too."

"Hmph! Just you wait!"

And with some classic tsundere energy, she stomped off.

…Oh crap, I just realized. I never even got her name.

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