Chapter 5: Ah, <Lucky Cat-sama>, Thank You For The Wonderful Drops.
"Ahh, <Lucky Cat-sama>! Once again, thank you for today’s amazing drops! Here, an offering of meat. I even bought the expensive kind!"
Inside the guild room, I prayed to the divine figure enshrined upon the little altar: the <Lucky Cat-sama>.
Today had been the first challenge of the <Tropical Jungle Dungeon> for the three <Princess Jobs>.
Which meant, of course, no farming runs.
After all, grinding would just ruin the afterglow of their first clear.
But whether it was beginner’s luck, or the blessing of the <Lucky Cat-sama>, they scored some incredible rare drops from a single <Silver Chest>.
Treasure chests come in three tiers: <Wooden>, <Silver>, and <Gold>.
In gacha terms, that’s <Common>, <Rare>, and <Special>.
Of course, even among <Rares>, quality varies wildly. Sometimes you even find one that surpasses <Special>—like the <Bracelet of 『Guest』>.
And this time, what they got was definitely among the higher end of <Rare>. No doubt this was the work of the Lucky Cat-sama’s 『Luck』.
On top of that, the boss itself dropped three copies of its rarest loot, the <Large Bear Anteater Pelt>.
Three! When I had to grind forever just to get one!
Insane. Absolutely insane.
This has to be the <Lucky Cat-sama>’s blessing! No mistake about it!
Which is why I was currently making an offering at the altar.
"Come on, you all pray too. Give thanks to the <Lucky Cat-sama>, and wish for even greater blessings next time."
"You’re so blinded by greed! Show some genuine gratitude, will you?"
"The <Lucky Cat-sama> is really cute though… but, we’re not allowed to pet it?"
"Correct. According to Zephyrus-kun, touching it is absolutely forbidden."
"Oh, give me a break. Let them pet it a little, won’t you?"
Ester and Hanna, who both loved cute things, gazed longingly at the <Lucky Cat-sama>. But such a thing was unthinkable.
We <DanKatsu> players pray, revere, and worship it. That is the natural order.
Because it’s the <Lucky Cat-sama>, after all.
And yet, there are always a few who don’t understand that.
Sierra, for instance. Even though she knows perfectly well that her buffed 『Luck』 is the <Lucky Cat-sama>’s blessing, she just casually picked it up.
"Wha—!?"
"There’s no need to restrain yourself. It’s just a plushie. If you want to adore it, then do so."
"Is… is that really alright?"
"Sorry, Zephyrus-kun."
Unbelievable.
Unable to resist its super-cute, social-media-bait plushie design, the three of them kidnapped the <Lucky Cat-sama>.
Now the <Lucky Cat-sama> sat in the hands of three high school girls (the 16-year-olds). Ah, no, Lana just joined in—make that four.
Wait… what?
I was supposed to be lamenting, but now I’m suddenly envious of the <Lucky Cat-sama>…
Is it just me, or does the <Lucky Cat-sama>’s face look like it’s melting in bliss? (※It’s just your imagination.)
While I wrestled with these new, confusing feelings toward the <Lucky Cat-sama>, a ping suddenly came from my pocket—my student handbook.
"Huh?"
The Academy’s student handbook wasn’t just for rules, campus cash, and basic stuff—it also doubled as a communication device.
Access to the school message boards was the most common use, but it also pushed news and important announcements.
And sometimes, when something big happened on campus, it would make this little alert sound, urging you to check.
It was rare—actually, this was the first time it had ever drawn attention to itself—so not just me, but the other four all pulled out their notebooks with confused looks.
Apparently, this was a broadcast to the entire student body.
Might as well take a look.
"Ohhh. This is big."
"Hey, don’t just nod to yourself—tell the rest of us already!"
"Hm?"
My startled reaction drew everyone’s eyes.
Somehow, it felt like they were all waiting on me.
"Uh, can’t you check it yourself?"
"Well, the thing is… I don’t really know how."
Sierra averted her gaze slightly as she admitted it.
Ah, right.
Back in my world, I was used to this sort of operation thanks to smartphones and stuff, but here in this world, these devices weren’t common. They were restricted to use in the Academy only.
In other words, since it’s only been about ten days since the girls enrolled, they probably weren’t familiar with the controls yet.
"I see. Got it. Then I’ll just—wait a sec."
"Zephyrus-kun?"
"I was thinking… since we’ve got the chance, why not go and see it in person?"
"What do you mean?"
Ester asked on behalf of everyone as I got up from my chair.
I answered her question with a grin.
"The guild battle’s about to start. And this time, it’s apparently an A-rank guild going up against one of the S-rank guilds."
The scene shifted to a certain building.
It was one of the facilities where guild battles were held.
The name: <Dungeon Guild Battle – Grand Arena>. Commonly known as just the Arena.
The facility itself looked like something straight out of a game—no, the whole building screamed game-like.
Inside the Arena, everything was a dungeon.
Like the electronic student handbook, this too was based on an ancient artifact technique. A so-called dungeon-making system—a facility that could generate artificial dungeons.
Not only could monsters be placed freely, but various gimmicks and fields—called dungeon objects—could also be created, making guild battles insanely exciting. It was big entertainment, held under the eyes of a huge audience.
Since the venue was massive, countless monitors had been set up everywhere. The place was overflowing with the spirit of entertainment.
This was Dungeon Academy’s… no, <DanKatsu>’s ultimate main event!
And today, a certain guild-versus-guild match was set to take place here at the Arena.
The breaking news bulletin read:
A-Rank Guild <Thousand Blades Fracal> VS S-Rank Guild <King Absolute>
To be held at First Arena, starting 16:00.
That’s what it said.
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