DanKatsu Volume 2, Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Warmly Welcoming Laboratory! Let’s Raise the Standard of Reality.

"Professor Phyllis, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to give our guild members a lesson."

"Hehe, it’s no trouble at all. I was curious about Zephyrus-kun and your guild anyway."

It was the afternoon of the day we’d all leveled up to 6 through the Slime Pop Marathon. When I submitted the application for the <Beginner Dungeon> at the staff office, Professor Phyllis immediately agreed.

And just a few dozen minutes later, we were set to receive a lesson from her.

She kindly explained that, since few students take the <Beginner Dungeon> at this time of year, it was no problem—and her quick response really impressed me.

"To be honest, during this period we always have teachers on standby so that first-years can take the ><Beginner Dungeon> whenever they’re ready. After all, there are seven thousand first-years at this school, remember?"

I nodded in agreement at Professor Phyllis’s explanation.

That made sense. No wonder the system was so efficient—dungeons only allow five people at a time, after all.

Managing seven thousand students would be an incredible challenge.

I guess we really were lucky to get our early start this season.

"Phyllis-san—ah, no, while you’re here at the academy it’s Professor Phyllis. Congratulations on your appointment as a lecturer in the Dungeon Exploration Department."

"Lady Lana, thank you. And congratulations to you as well on enrolling in the academy."

"Thank you."

"Hehe, this brings back memories, doesn’t it?"

"It really does. You used to tutor me a lot when I was little, but to think you’d actually become a teacher—it feels a little strange."

"Indeed. I’d love to see just how much progress Lady Lana has made with her studies."

"T-that’s, um… w-well, just watch and see!"

"Hehe, I look forward to it."

So Lana and Professor Phyllis knew each other from childhood.

From their conversation, I could easily picture little Lana struggling with her studies, patiently tutored by the diligent Professor Phyllis.

"Lady Phyllis, it’s Ester. Do you still remember me?"

"Of course. You were the little knight assigned to Lady Lana’s guard. I remember you well. But Ester, at the academy, you should call me Professor Phyllis."

"Yes. Forgive me. I’m honored that you remember me. Professor Phyllis, I look forward to your guidance today."

"You don’t need to be so formal. Students should act like students—relax your shoulders a little."

"Y-yes. I’ll do my best."

So Ester knew her as well.

Given her family’s status, it wasn’t surprising, though Professor Phyllis was right—Ester could stand to ease up a little.

But Professor Phyllis was apparently a marquis’s daughter, so for Ester, a knight’s daughter, that gap might feel intimidating.

Finally, Sierra stepped forward.

"Professor Phyllis, thank you for agreeing to our sudden request today."

"It’s quite all right. As I said, I was on standby anyway. If anything, I’m glad to finally have my turn. I look forward to working with you as well, Sierra."

"And I with you, Professor."

So Sierra also knew her beforehand.

Professor Phyllis certainly seemed well-connected.

Though… Sierra’s tone was oddly formal. Or maybe it was more like she was keeping business and personal matters separate. Perhaps the two of them were actually pretty close.

I shot a glance at Sierra from the side.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just thought your equipment suits you."

"I see. Thanks."

I brushed it off casually, but Sierra lowered her gaze to her own gear and smiled, clearly pleased.

She was wearing armor based on a white-and-purple theme. With various protectors and guards layered together, it didn’t really look like heavy armor at all—more stylish than anything.

In <DanKatsu>, many of the stronger jobs were for girls, and their gear tended to be cute.

Armor usually gives off a bulky image, but in <DanKatsu>, it was different. Sierra’s was sleek, almost elegant.

Her weapon, though, carried some real weight.

A one-handed mace. Pretty standard. Smaller than the two-handed mace Hanna used.

But the real highlight of a 【Shield Princess】 was the great shield. Hers was a kite shield, big enough to cover seventy percent of her body. It was decorated with all sorts of crest-like designs—probably related to the Marguirite family. Looked pretty cool.

Her appearance, combined with Sierra’s natural beauty, made the armor suit her perfectly. I’d said it as a way to dodge suspicion, but honestly, I really meant it.

She was clearly putting a lot of effort into this.

By the way, Lana was wearing a silver-white dress. Her weapon was a magical talisman.

It didn’t feel like "equipment" at all.

It was gorgeous, and no doubt properly enchanted gear—but no matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like something you’d wear into a dungeon.

Well, I guess that’s the kind of stylistic choice only a game world can pull off.

With greetings to Professor Phyllis finished, the others headed off to the ShouDan.

Since Hanna and I had already passed it, we split up here.

"Alright, see you guys later."

"Good luck, everyone. We’ll be waiting."

Hanna and I waved them off as the four of them headed toward the dungeon.

"…You think they’ll pass?"

"There’s no way they won’t. It’s designed to be impossible to fail."

I mean, how would you even fail a <Beginner Dungeon>?

Even back in the game days, failing wasn’t an option. It’s a tutorial—rigged so you’re guaranteed to pass. No need to worry.

"…So, we’ve got some time to kill now."

"It’s only one o’clock. Everyone else is still in class, and it’s kind of a weird time to dive into another dungeon, huh?"

"Yeah. And Marie-senpai, who’s supposed to handle our item appraisals, probably isn’t at the guild yet either. …Oh, I know. I’ll head over to the research tower."

"The research tower?"

The research tower is exactly what it sounds like—the building where all the researchers are. You could just call it the institute.

At the entrance ceremony, the white-coated researchers had told us we were welcome anytime.

Up until now, I’d been too busy to stop by, but this seemed like the perfect chance.

"What about you, Hanna?"

"Um, would it be bad if I came along too?"

"Nah, not at all. But it’s probably not going to be very interesting."

"That’s fine. You’ve been spending all your time with Lady Lana and the others lately, you know? I think you could afford to give your childhood friend a little more attention."

"O-oh. My bad."

Her slightly sulky tone was so cute it left me tongue-tied.

We used to spend all our time together, and now suddenly I’d been focusing on other people—no wonder she feels a little lonely.

I really should’ve been more considerate toward my tiny childhood friend.

"…Alright, let’s go together."

"Yeah!"

"Yayaya! 【Hero-kun】, at last you’ve arrived! I’ve been waiting, waiting, WAITING for you!!"

"Ah, excuse us for intruding."

"Pardon our intrusion…"

"No intrusion at all, no, not in the slightest! Relax, both of you. Sorry, I can’t even offer you tea here, ha-ha-ha!"

We had just arrived at the research tower.

After a short wait, we were shown to a reception room—where an older man with way too much energy greeted us. Behind him, white-coated researchers were lined up, but none of them stepped forward.

"Ah, forgive me for not introducing myself! I am Miston, the director of this institute! And let me tell you, there’s no man more handsome in this entire research tower than me!"

To my surprise, this loud old guy was the director—the top of the entire research organization.

He had a rugged, square face that reminded me of the blacksmith back in the <Nameless Beginner’s Village>. The "handsome" bit had to be a joke.

"Right… I’m—"

"No need! You’re the first-year, Zephyrus-shi, right? Of course, I know you. And that’s Miss Hanna. Not a single person in this tower doesn’t know your names!"

So much for introductions.

But really, even Hanna was well-known? That surprised me.

"More than that, your guild <Eden> is the hottest topic in the entire academy! A guild with a 【Hero】, a 【Saint】, a 【Shield Princess】, a 【Princess Knight】, and an 【Alchemist】? Unheard of!"

So, apparently all of our guild’s info had already spread around.

But wait—Ester only just became a 【Princess Knight】 this morning. How did they already know?

Sure, we’re required to report our job and level before entering a dungeon, but still… that was only a little while ago.

"Truth be told, I’d love to throw a grand welcome for all of <Eden>’s members, with every researcher here attending. Zephyrus-shi, won’t you bring everyone by next time?"

"Well, that depends on the research institute’s efforts, doesn’t it? I’ll ask, but this is an important time for us too. If they think the institute can’t produce results, they won’t bother cooperating."

"Ha! Harsh, but fair! Trust from the princesses won’t come free. We’ll have to earn it with real achievements!"

"And I’ll help with that. After all, it benefits me too. That’s why I came today."

"Excellent! Thank you, Zephyrus-shi! You are the beacon of hope for our institute! Whatever support you need, we won’t hold back!"

Director Miston and I shook hands firmly, sealing the deal.

The reason I’ve been so readily accepted here is partly thanks to the job list shown back at the entrance ceremony—but more than that, it’s because this research institute, to be blunt, hasn’t really produced much in the way of results.

Back in the game days of <DanKatsu>, everyone started at age sixteen, so finding the conditions to unlock jobs was comparatively easy.

Well, even then, it still took massive amounts of time and effort from dedicated volunteer players—but we did manage to discover them all. I even chipped in myself.

But in real <DanKatsu>, actions taken before the age of sixteen are also counted, which means there’s a ton of uncertainty about what kind of behavior actually leads to what.

And it’s normal not to remember much about your childhood anyway.

Plus, the <Dragon Statue> won’t display your job list until you actually turn sixteen, so there’s no way to check ahead of time.

Naturally, the difficulty is on a completely different level compared to the game.

That said, I’m sure the player volunteers would’ve found everything regardless.

Because of that, though, the institute has been struggling to justify its existence in the academy.

The headmaster has been trying to help them produce some kind of results, introducing them to students who awakened into rare or powerful jobs—like me—and otherwise giving them support.

But… so far, it hasn’t amounted to much.

That’s a problem.

As my guild grows, the tougher the dungeons become, the harder it’ll be for low- or mid-rank jobs to keep up. The same goes for joke jobs. (Not that I’m saying they can’t keep up, mind you.)

Which means we’ll need as many high-ranking jobholders as possible. The more, the better.

I thought about personally guiding people, but the guild rank of <Eden> is still F. That caps us at only ten members. At the highest rank, S, you can field fifty. And I fully intend to reach S-rank in the near future. When that happens, I want to fill our roster with as many high-ranking jobs as possible.

But that’s not something you can achieve in just a month. And in a month’s time, every student will have already received their job.

I could tell them, "I’ll come recruit you once we hit S-rank, so wait for me~"… but I’d rather not do that if I can avoid it.

So instead, I decided to spread as many hints as possible about the paths to higher-rank jobs, making them widely known.

After that, the diligent and talented students will naturally rise to those jobs on their own.

And when they do, I’ll just go and poach them. Fuhaha.

That’s why I want the research institute to help get the word out and raise awareness.

Besides, considering they already knew about Ester’s 【Princess Knight】 this morning, they clearly have their own ways of handling information.

"Alright then, let’s start by talking about the possible causes for unlocking jobs like 【Great Swordmaster】, 【Archmage】, and 【Priest】."

"Ooohhh!! Going straight for the big ones, huh! By all means, please! Oh, and—there are still several jobs that remain undiscovered. Could I ask for those later, too?"

"That’s fine. But you’d better advertise them properly."

"Leave it to me!"

Director Miston spread out a report sheet, and like clockwork, all the researchers lined up behind him did the exact same thing in unison. Well-trained, indeed.

The moment I started talking, they began scribbling notes at lightning speed.

Hopefully, this will help increase the number of high-ranking job holders.

There’s always the last-resort option of job changing, but I’d rather not lean on that. So I’ll put my hopes on the institute for now.

On the way back, Hanna finally let out the thoughts she’d been bottling up.

"They were… amazing people."

Apparently, she’d been so overwhelmed she ran out of vocabulary.

"Yeah, I completely agree. Though honestly, they were exactly what I’d pictured researchers to be like."

"Really?"

I mean, they just latch onto whatever they want to know and won’t let go.

Their level of obsession was insane. The ones waiting in the back probably got a stern warning from the director to hold themselves back; otherwise, it would’ve turned into pure chaos.

Their bloodshot eyes were that intense.

Of course, my hints were pretty specific, too.

I looked over their past research notes, and all they really had were statistical guesses like, "Maybe people who kept doing this or that were more likely to manifest."

So I taught them more efficient methods. No need to repeat the same nightmare a million times.

That efficiency-focused approach seemed like a total revelation to them. One by one, the scales just kept falling from their eyes. They leaned in closer and closer, until eventually I was surrounded in a tight circle of researchers, all holding paper and pens, determined not to miss a single word I said. The sheer intensity was actually kind of likable.

Mm, yes. They were good people. Gave me the same vibes as <DanKatsu> players.

"Well, this should help boost the number of high-ranking jobs. And with the final evaluation in May as the deadline, the institute will have no choice but to revise their lesson plans in a hurry."

Three weeks left. For the institute—and the academy—it’s going to be hell.

But I want them to pull through.

As for me, I’ll leave it in their hands and focus on building up the guild. Ideally, I’d like five more members.

"Hmm. But won’t this mean more rivals show up—are you okay with that?"

"On the contrary, bring ’em on. This academy’s standard is lower than I expected. At this rate, I’ll breeze straight up to S-rank. That’d be boring, right?"

"Don’t ‘right?’ me like I’m supposed to agree… Ugh. I can’t tell if I want to know where all that confidence comes from, or if I should be scared of it…"

"Well, since you’re in my guild now, Hanna, I don’t intend to let you go hungry."

Sure, the overall level of the academy will probably rise, but the stuff I leaked to the research institute was only for general-purpose jobs—the common categories.

In other words, just the bottom tiers of the high-ranking jobs. If someone wants mid-high tier or above, they need to have the right racial category.

If I started explaining the racial category requirements too, it’d never end. Plus, it’d be way too specific, and people would wonder how the hell I even know that.

Besides, everyone already knows that some jobs only manifest for royals or nobility. From there, they can figure it out themselves.

We <DunKatsu> players had to grind it out with no hints from the developers, after all.

Well, the game did sprinkle little hints all over the place, but we never got any direct advice.

Leaving the research tower, we headed toward C-Street.

At this time of day, Marie-senpai should be done with class and over at the guild.

"Is Marie-senpai around?"

"Ah, welcome, mister. I’ve been waitin’."

"Hello, Marie-senpai."

"Hanna-han, welcome too."

Recently, Marie-senpai had been a bit down, but now she seemed back to her usual cheerful self.

When she greeted Hanna, I thought I saw her face twitch a little, but… probably just my imagination.

"Congrats on forming your guild, mister!"

"Yeah, thanks. So that story’s already made the rounds, huh?"

"Of course! You’re the hottest topic among first-years right now. You’ve got the princess, a genius from a knightly house, and the count’s daughter from the Marguerite family with you. No way that wouldn’t spread. Plus, word is you really did clear the Beginner Mid-tier dungeon in a single day, just like you said. News of your guild forming spread instantly after that."

"Figures. Then I don’t need to explain. The guild’s name is <Eden>. Looking forward to working with you, Marie-senpai."

"Same here."

We shook hands—her tiny hand against mine.

With this, <Eden>’s members would probably get some nice perks here.

"So, about those materials I asked you to buy. Are they ready?"

"’Course they are. Here, the appraisal sheet."

I took the memo as usual and looked over the contents.

This time, she even bought up the Beginner Low-tier materials I’d been stockpiling since no one would take them before, so the amount was higher than usual—4.1 million miru.

Split with Hanna, that’s 2.05 million each. My total funds now come to 3.85 million.

"Prices dropped a bit, huh?"

"Only a little. Y’know that muscle party? Heard they’ve been wreakin’ havoc in the Beginner Low-tier dungeon. Market’s startin’ to get flooded."

"Got it. Guess we just made it under the wire. Good thing we profited big before the crash."

That’s the privilege of getting a head start. The buy-up price for Beginner Low-tier materials is only going to keep falling from here.

Good thing we’d already moved on to Beginner Mid-tier before that happened.

Those who start Beginner Low-tier now are gonna struggle financially and fall behind in moving up.

Gear alone takes a ton of money, especially for commoners with no family support.

Having that one-step lead over the pack is a massive advantage.

After that, we had the materials from yesterday’s <Wild Grass Plains Dungeon> appraised. When Marie-senpai saw them, she freaked out—

"Th-this is a rare boss drop!? Mister, what on earth!?"

I brushed it off with, "Fuhahaha! That’s the power of a 【Hero】!" trying to look cool.

Gotta say, it felt damn good.

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