Chapter 6: At Last, the <Karakuri Carriage> Is Complete! The Interior Is Huge!
The first place I headed after returning wasn’t the usual Marie-senpai’s shop, but rather the taciturn senior, Gant-senpai’s metalworking store.
Today was Sunday. Normally, that meant the auction was being held, but I’d already left that to Celestan.
From our previous dungeon runs, we’d picked up some dud drops from <Gold Chests>, so I had him choose two to put up for auction.
Besides, our guild had just ranked up from F to E, which meant we could put up one more item for sale. Twice the sales, baby!
Fuahaha!
—Anyway, that aside.
The last time I delivered materials from <Onmyoji Taro> to Gant-senpai was Thursday evening.
Three days have passed since then, and now it’s evening once again.
He told me the commission would be done in three days, so by now it should be finished. Man, I can hardly wait.
With excitement bubbling in my chest, I hurried along, and before I knew it, I was already at his shop.
By the way, the girls always hit the showers as soon as we return, so we split up back at ShouDan.
So here I was, entering the store alone.
"Gant-senpai, are you here—?!"
"Come outside."
Whoa, what’s with the sudden intensity? A fight? …Nah, not a fight.
The voice belonged to Gant-senpai.
He emerged from the shadows inside, arms crossed, a headband tied around his head. I’ve been seeing a lot of headbands today, huh.
As I was thinking that, he brushed past me and walked outside. That was just like him—taciturn and all business. A silent "follow me." Honestly, it was kinda cool. Naturally, I went after him.
We arrived at the open space next to the shop. Basically, a parking spot for carriages.
"This is the finished product."
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing, Gant-senpai!"
There it was, standing in all its glory—the completed, top-class <Karakuri Carriage>.
It was a luxurious carriage built with a generous amount of rare boss <Onmyoji Taro>’s materials, plus nearly all of the <Takewari Taro> materials I’d handed over. And of course, a horse came with it, as expected.
Most likely, Marie-senpai and her crew at the <Design & Paint Custom Shop> had a hand in this too, because the carriage looked completely different from the one I knew from the game.
How should I put it? The whole thing was just… gorgeous. Brilliant patterns in gold, silver, and red made it sparkle with extravagance.
They must’ve designed it with the idea of a princess riding in it. Thanks a ton, Marie-senpai.
I’ll be sure to stop by later and give my thanks properly.
As for the horses pulling the carriage—well, they were 100% mechanical. Lifeless constructs, but whether it was some kind of magic element or tsukumogami effect, they could actually run.
There were two of them, clad in dazzling horse armor that made them look insanely powerful.
Honestly, if one of these things charged at you using a skill, the sheer terror alone would probably kill you.
You’d get flattened and reincarnated on the spot. …Actually, considering monsters really do revive after respawning, maybe that’s not so far-fetched.
Anyway, appraisal time.
Checking the abilities before delivery was part of the deal.
By the way, I lent my <Medra> appraisal item from <Eden> to Sierra’s group, so I didn’t have it with me. In its place, Gant-senpai silently handed me a <Know-It-All>. Classic him.
───────────
<Karakuri Carriage (Highest Grade): ATK 60. Seating Capacity: 7>
<『Tent Lv1』, 『Item Box Lv3』, 『Spatial Expansion Lv3』>
───────────
Whoa.
Pretty much what I’d expected overall—but the attack power was 60?!
For reference, the strongest Beginner-Level Dungeon drop, the <Battleaxe of Takewari’s Rage>, only had 56 ATK.
Even axes, which usually have high attack power, couldn’t compare.
In other words, this was in a whole different league—something drops could never reach. That’s the might of crafted gear. And man, the amount of work poured into this thing was insane.
That said, since <Mounts> are treated as <Accessories>, their ATK doesn’t stack with weapons. Weapons are weapons, mounts are mounts, and their damage is calculated separately. No combining. Same deal as dual-wielding.
Otherwise, one person’s attack power would get utterly ridiculous.
I’ll go over the other skills later.
"I’m blown away, Gant-senpai—no, our silent genius! This is amazing! Deliver it right away!"
"…Two million mirus."
"Eh? That cheap? Seriously? With performance like this, even if I did bring the materials, I expected way more."
"…Doesn’t matter."
"Alright then, I’ll take your word for it!"
I tapped my student handbook and settled the payment.
Man, Gant-senpai is generous. Normally, something like this would easily fetch triple the price.
For him to let us have it at just this amount—I could only bow my head in gratitude.
Now, time to let Ester equip it. With this, dungeon travel would be a breeze!
By the way, the payment was covered by guild funds. Naturally, a <Karakuri Carriage> like this would become a shared guild asset.
After that, I stowed the carriage and horses into a <Item Bag (Capacity: Large)>.
I knew from the game that you could fit it since it counted as equipment, but seeing it happen in reality was a whole different experience. Watching that massive thing get sucked right in—I couldn’t believe my eyes. I triple-checked the bag just to be sure.
It was properly stored, and I could take it out again, too.
"Thanks for everything! If I need anything else, I’ll come to you again."
"...Yeah."
With the delivery complete, I thanked Gant-senpai and headed to my next stop: Marie-senpai.
The moment I showed her the rare boss <Debubu Special> materials from today’s haul, she let out a delighted scream.
Monday.
Dungeon Week had ended.
And with only two days left before May, the first-years I passed by all looked tense and on edge.
May 1st—The Fated Day. Also known as: The Deadline.
It was the day when every new student underwent their second—and final—Job Measurement.
Unlike the entrance exam’s initial test, which allowed for "Pending," this one was absolute. That day, you had to awaken to a Job.
If you didn’t, you were forcibly locked into the 【Beginner】 Job.
The 【Beginner】 job was nicknamed "The Eternal Novice" and "The One Left Behind."
Stats: SUP 8. Skills: 0. The only Unique Skill they learned was 『Run Away』. It wasn’t just underwhelming—it was tragic.
The only way out was to grind 【Beginner】 up to Lv15 and then burn a rare <Basic Job Change Ticket>—a hellish path.
That’s why, in this world, nobody risks the Deadline. Even if it was a low-ranking job, everyone made sure to have something by then.
Here’s the translation in light novel style:
Maybe the reason people in this world are so wary of Job Changes is because of that dreaded 【Beginner】 job.
That said, it doesn’t concern us anymore—we’ve already secured our Jobs. Which means for <Eden>, it’s business as usual. In other words, another day, another dungeon attack.
But before that, now that all of our members are finally gathered, let me introduce the last two.
"Good morning, Lord Zephyrus. I apologize for being unable to attend last time due to sudden business. From today onward, I look forward to working with you."
"Looking forward to it, desu!"
In the guild room stood two attendants dressed in outfits you didn’t see every day.
The first to greet us politely was Shizu, clad in a long Victorian maid dress. Her Job was 【Battlefield Maid】.
She was tall—close to Cheria’s height—and her figure rivaled even Ester’s, making it a little hard to know where to look. Especially around the chest area.
In the "Branch Family" category, women wore ribbons and men wore bow ties as their symbols. For Shizu, that red ribbon was her charm point—and it had a way of drawing the eyes downward, whether I liked it or not. I’d need to be careful.
Her hair was a soft brown, her eyes the same color, and the maid's headband sitting on top of her head suited her perfectly.
Next up, cheerfully introducing herself with a foreign-sounding accent, was Pamela. She wore a bright pink ninja outfit and her Job was 【Kunoichi】. She was a little shorter than Kalua, with a slender frame.
Her hair and eyes were golden, giving her an incredibly charming look. Lulu, our stuffed-animal lover, almost reacted to her on the spot—that’s how cute she was. The foreign intonation in her voice made her even more endearing.
She didn’t have the slightest intention of being stealthy despite being a ninja, but that was part of her charm. These days, people call that kind of ninja a "NINJA."
These two were the last members to join <Eden>. Interestingly, both had already achieved high-ranking Jobs before I ever started teaching them, and their Job Levels were already at 10.
When I interviewed them, they had only been Level 2. In the ten days since then, they must’ve spent every spare moment grinding up to 10. Hard workers, both of them.
"Don’t worry about the other day. Lana already explained the situation to me. From today, I’ll be counting on you."
"Yes! (Desu!)"
A good, solid reply.
Since it was a good opportunity, I decided to ask Pamela something I’d been curious about.
"By the way, Pamela, are you a foreigner? Your way of speaking is pretty unique."
As far as I knew, the game <DanKatsu> only featured the Kingdom of Shiyatna. No other countries existed. Which made me wonder—where exactly was Pamela from?
"This is personality-desu."
Pamela puffed out her chest proudly, and I nearly collapsed.
So it was just an act?
Well… roleplaying a character wasn’t unusual in a game. Plenty of people immersed themselves in their roles.
Guess it was fine.
"I see. Anyway, starting today, <Eden> will be heading out for another dungeon attack. Can you both come along?"
"Of course. Leveling our Jobs is something we’d welcome. Celestan already briefed us thoroughly about <Eden>’s activities, so rest assured—we’ll have no trouble keeping up."
"I welcome it too-desu! I’ll power up fast so I can protect Princess Lana-desu!"
Satisfied with their answers, I nodded and turned to Lana.
"Good kids, aren’t they?"
"They’re certainly unique… Anyway, since everyone’s finally gathered, I’d love to throw a welcome party, but with only three days before classes at the academy start, our time is limited. We’ve got just three full days left to dive dungeons, so let’s raise our levels as much as we can!"
When I declared that, Sierra stepped forward.
"In that case, I’ll announce the party assignments."
Last night, when I stopped by Marie-senpai’s place, Sierra happened to return at the same time. We’d used the chance to work out today’s arrangements.
Now, with a memo in hand, our submaster Sierra divided the twelve of us into three parties:
Party 1: Zephyrus, Ester, Shizu, Pamela
Target: Beginner Lower (Shocker) <Tropical Forest Dungeon>
Party 2: Hanna, Sierra, Celestan, Lulu, Cheria
Target: Beginner Lower (Shocker) <Stone Bridge Abandoned Mine>
Party 3: Lana, Kalua, Rika
Target: Beginner Upper (Shokko) <Tsukumo Bamboo Grove>
"Any questions so far?"
"May I?"
Shizu raised her hand gracefully.
"You’re saying Lady Lana will be tackling a Beginner Upper-tier Dungeon, but she doesn’t have an escort. Isn’t that dangerous?"
"No problem. It’s only three of them, and they won’t be taking on the boss. Their goal is to sweep the shallow layers and raise Kalua and Rika to Job Level 30. Besides, Lana is a 【Saint Lv50】. Monsters at Level 25 don’t even come close to being a threat."
After farming <Onmyoji Taro> and <Takewari Taro>, the five of us vanguard members had all hit Job Level 50. With that gap in levels, being taken out by normal monsters was basically impossible.
"I see…"
"Of course, dungeons always carry a bit of danger, but it’s safe to say they won’t be knocked out. After all, Lana’s a 【Saint】."
"I agree with this arrangement! Honestly, the Beginner Lower-tier dungeons are too weak. I don’t even get the chance to do anything—it’s boring! I’d rather fight monsters with some bite to them. At least Beginner Mid-tier!"
Shizu’s concern as a bodyguard was understandable, but the truth was Lana was absurdly strong. At this point, no ordinary monsters in Beginner dungeons could stand against her.
Besides, Kalua and Rika were critically short on a healer. Charging into a Beginner Upper-tier Dungeon without one would be reckless. Status effects like <Poison> or a single trap could knock them out easily. Not to mention the cost of items. That’s why I wanted Lana to go with them.
"I understand. Forgive me for overstepping."
After hearing Lana’s reasoning, Shizu stepped back. Good thing it didn’t turn into an argument. She seemed to be a rather flexible maid.
"Well, once Shizu and Pamela power-level enough to party with Lana, then the two—no, the three of you—can protect Lana together."
"Yes. I understand. Lord Zephyrus, I’ll be in your care."
"Count on it. In fact, I’ve got a secret plan prepared for this very power-leveling. Ester."
I turned toward Ester with what must’ve been a very smug grin.
At once, she straightened up like a soldier.
"Yes!"
"The <Mount> we talked about is finished. With this, our dungeon runs will be much faster. So, today’s goal is to clear all the Beginner Lower-tier Dungeons for Shizu and Pamela. The key to everyone’s level-up in <Eden> rests with you, Ester. It’ll be busy, but I’m counting on you!"
"Y-yes! Leave it to me!"
That was why I grouped up with Ester today.
I’d guide us along the shortest routes, and Ester would blast through. That way, we’d reach the boss rooms in no time. Farm them, and leveling would be easy.
Yep. The high-speed leveling system was coming together nicely. Fuhaha!
After the guild finished sorting into parties, I passed along my usual "Ultimate Growth Strategy" lecture to Shizu and Pamela.
After a quick glance at Ester, the two immediately agreed to adopt it. Luckily, unlike Celestan, they hadn’t invested their SP in anything that would hold them back.
From there, we fine-tuned the notes, adjusting the strategy a little to fit their skills and compatibility.
Meanwhile, Lana’s team departed for their Beginner Upper-tier dungeon, while Sierra’s group headed for another Beginner Lower-tier.
Once our preparations were done, we’d set out too.
And so, it was time to move.
I took Ester, along with our new members Shizu and Pamela, and headed into one of the Beginner Lower-tier dungeons: the <Tropical Forest Dungeon>.
Both had already cleared the <Beginner Dungeon>, but this was their first time stepping into a Beginner Lower-tier. They seemed a little restless, trailing behind. I slowed the pace a little, walking them calmly through the gate.
As usual, I explained things along the way—mental preparedness for encounters, how to handle different monsters, that sort of thing.
When we reached a larger chamber, I finally pulled it out from my Item Bag (Capacity: Large)>: the <Karakuri Carriage>.
"T-this is… quite the extravagant carriage, isn’t it?"
"Whoa! S-so this is what we’ll be blasting through the dungeon in, desu!?"
"I’d heard stories from Sir Zephyrus, but this far surpasses what I imagined. I don’t have much experience handling carriages… I’m worried I might scratch it."
The sudden appearance of the gorgeously ornate <Karakuri Carriage> left everyone stunned.
Shizu looked the most shocked. Pamela’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at it, while Ester fretted over damaging its glossy finish.
"Don’t worry about that, Ester. This carriage was built to crush monsters. In fact, smash away."
"N-no, that wouldn’t be proper. Are you truly suggesting we charge straight into things with this? It’s not the same as mounted assaults on horseback—ramming monsters with a carriage feels…"
"Exactly. Smash right through them."
"…I see. Then I suppose I’d better get used to it."
I gave her a thumbs-up, and she let out what sounded suspiciously like a sigh.
Relax. <DanKatsu>’s vehicle-type equipment is indestructible. They don’t flip over, and no matter how hard you crash them, the passengers inside remain perfectly fine.
All impact damage is absorbed by the rider’s HP. In this case, that meant Ester’s HP would shoulder all the ramming damage. Basically, the more she crashed, the faster her HP would drain.
…Yeah. I’d better make sure she carried plenty of potions.
While I stepped aside to inspect the carriage, I noticed Shizu and Pamela moving closer to Ester. Without stopping my work, I pricked up my ears to listen.
"Ester, Lord Zephyrus seems like… quite the spirited fellow. Is he always like this?"
"He’s more playful than I expected-desu."
"Fufu. That’s true. He always seems to be having fun. Doesn’t he suit Lady Lana well?"
"On that matter, I have yet to acknowledge him. Even if he is a 【Hero】, should he ever darken Lady Lana’s smile, I’ll see he pays for it."
"Shizu, that’s a bit extreme-desu. You should just scold him normally if needed-desu."
"Yes. I think handling it gently would work better."
"That’s exactly why I can’t approve of him yet. If things go ‘smoothly,’ that would be the real problem."
…What on earth are they talking about?
That word 【Hero】 kept popping up here and there, and I had a feeling they were talking about me—but with Ester facing the other way, I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. What exactly would be a "problem" if I settled down?
I felt kind of bad about interrupting, but since it seemed to be about me anyway, I figured it was fine to butt in.
"Hey, Ester—what are you talking about over there?"
"No, nothing. Just our own little chat. I’ll come over to you now."
"Really? Then, Shizu, Pamela—you two come as well. The inside of this carriage is pretty amazing."
…Guess it’s supposed to be a secret.
Well, I haven’t really had many conversations with Shizu and Pamela yet. There are probably things they’d find easier to talk about without me around. I should just work on building more of a connection with them.
So, as a shared topic, I decided to show them the interior of the carriage.
"This is… spacious. Did the interior expand somehow?"
"Yeah. That’s thanks to the 『Tent』 and 『Spatial Expansion』 effects. It makes the inside roomier than it looks, big enough to actually live in here. Honestly, this is my first time seeing it too, and it’s pretty impressive."
I nodded at Ester’s question, then explained.
The enchantments 『Tent』 and 『Spatial Expansion』 turn the carriage into a kind of mobile lodging. The space inside stretches just enough for everyone to sleep comfortably, even though it looks like a normal carriage from the outside. In reality, the interior was wide enough to fit all seven of us with room to spare.
"What’s this over here?"
"A box, desu? Can we look inside, desu?"
"That’s a 『Item Box』. It’s level 3, so it can hold a pretty decent amount. For now though, it’s empty."
As expected of a maid, Shizu was the first to hop in and start checking everything—the feel of the seats, the gaps between fittings, even under the chairs. Probably making sure there weren’t any hidden dangers. That’s when she found the <Item Box>, so I gave them the rundown.
It was actually my first time seeing one too, so I joined them in checking it out.
"Wow! My whole arm goes right in, desu!"
"Oh, wait—that’s allowed? Let me try too."
"Go ahead, desu! It’s really fun, desu."
"Ohhh! It feels like I could fall in completely—this is actually kind of thrilling."
Pamela plunged her hand into the <Item Box> and seemed delighted, so I immediately joined in. Unlike the <Item Bag>, where your hand hits the bottom right away, the box just swallows your arm deeper and deeper. No bottom in sight. The opening was wide too, so it really felt like I might tumble inside myself. Weirdly fun, honestly.
"Living creatures shouldn’t go in, though. If you try, it should reject you and push you back out."
"Ah, right. It just spits you out, huh? Though, trying it once might be worth the experience…"
"…I’d recommend against it. More than anything, it’d look ridiculous."
"If it’d look lame, then yeah, better not."
I remembered that <DanKatsu> had that exact setting. The difference was that, in the game, it was just a bit of flavor text—you couldn’t actually try it. The devil on my shoulder was whispering to give it a go, but with Shizu flat-out saying it would be uncool, I shelved the idea.
I’m willing to go pretty far for the sake of fun, but not to the point of looking uncool in front of the girls. Well, depends on the time and place.
After we’d had our fill of messing around, it was time to get moving.
"Ester, ready? Take it slow at first. Don’t worry—your『Vehicle Control Lv.5』 skill will guide you through the basics. You’ll get the hang of it fast. Once you’re comfortable, then you can start charging monsters."
"Understood. I’ll do my best."
Ester climbed into the driver’s seat, and I sat beside her.
Since this was just the warm-up run, Shizu and Pamela were assigned to handle monster hunting nearby while Ester got used to driving.
With a pull of the reins, the <Mount> finally came to life.
After some trial runs and practice, we moved on to the next step.
"Hey, Ester—there’s an <Aral> over there. Think you can take it?"
"Leave it to me! 『Accel Drive』!"
"Pugyuu!?"
The koala-like monster, <Aral>, vanished in a flash of light, obliterated by extreme overkill.
The culprit was the charging attack of the <Karakuri Carriage>, triggered with an accel-type skill, under Ester’s control.
It had been about thirty minutes since she’d started driving.
Now that she was getting used to it, I’d let her try fighting monsters—or rather, running them down. To call it combat would be generous. It was more like mowing the field clean. One hit, guaranteed kill.
I’d only suggested it on a whim, but damn, this was actually fun.
The monsters were like trash before us! Fuhaha!
Ester too seemed to be getting hooked on accel skills—her driving was improving at an alarming pace.
As I thought, having fun really makes people grow!
"Ester, keep it up! Wipe out those monsters! Even if we don’t get EXP or drops, it’s still worth it!"
"Sir Zephyrus, this is quite entertaining! 『Drive Turn』!"
"Haha, right?"
Oh, there goes another two <Arals>, vanishing in a flash of light.
At this point, Ester didn’t even need my instructions anymore—she was taking the initiative to mow monsters down herself. Mm-hmm, good signs. That’s some excellent driving. I kinda want to try it myself.
Ahh, moments like this really make me want to try being a 【Knight】. In the game, it was always the player controlling things! Damn it, Ester looks like she’s having the time of her life!
Just as I was thinking that, my student handbook chimed with a little ping.
"Oh, a message from Shizu. Guess it’s about time to head back?"
"Yes… I suppose so. I’ve had enough practice for now. Let’s return."
Ester’s reply was unusually hesitant. Aha—don’t tell me you don’t actually want to stop?
"Relax, Ester. You’ll get your fill today—I’ll let you drive till you’re sick of it."
"!! Yes! I’m looking forward to it!"
Ester answered with a beaming smile, and the carriage picked up speed.
No need to rush that much, I thought—but I totally get it. Fun is justice!
We passed by groups of first-years along the way, their eyes wide as saucers watching us zoom past, but I ignored them and guided the carriage back to where we’d split with Shizu and Pamela. The number of first-years down here had increased a lot. Were they all in high-ranking jobs?
Well, high-ranking jobs are only going to keep multiplying from here on out. The academy and the lab people seem to be pushing full throttle on this. Even if what they’re doing looks basically like a Slime Pop Marathon (Arena-style).
"Welcome back."
Shizu greeted us with an elegant bow as we arrived. The motion was so graceful that it was dazzling. Do all maids and butlers, including Celestan, train themselves to polish their etiquette this much? The level’s just too high.
Meanwhile, Pamela just waved enthusiastically. Honestly, that made me feel more at ease.
"Yeah, we’re back. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No worries, desu! We’ve been enjoying the dungeon ourselves, desu!"
"That’s what I like to hear. The first rule of dungeon diving is to have fun, after all. Alright, everyone on board. Ester, take us to the boss room."
"Leave it to me!"
Monster-mowing time was over.
Beginner Low-tier mobs barely gave any EXP, their drops were worth next to nothing, and the materials had little value.
Time to skip ahead, smash three bosses, and guide them straight to the Beginner Mid-tier.
Once Shizu and Pamela climbed aboard, Ester cracked the reins and the carriage set off.
"This is more comfortable than I imagined."
"Desu! You’d never think we were inside a dungeon, desu."
I could hear their impressions from the back seats. There was a little window between the driver’s bench and the carriage interior, so I joined in on the conversation.
"Exactly. For some reason, dungeons have perfectly flat ground and wide roads, so you can run a carriage through them with no problem. Of course, it wouldn’t feel this smooth in a shoddy carriage—but this <Karakuri Carriage> is top-grade, built from a <Golden Chest> recipe. Even if you crash into something, the impact gets almost entirely nullified. It’s insanely comfortable."
"So that’s the power of <Mount>… incredible."
"Hooh. It’s nothing like the carriages we usually ride in, desu."
Pamela was right. The <Karakuri Carriage> was equipment, while things like segways or normal carriages were just items. That’s the difference.
Since this was equipment, its rider's HP absorbed all the shocks, making the ride infinitely smoother.
Items, on the other hand, bounced the impact back to the users, and if monsters attacked, they couldn’t be tanked on their behalf—so items were prone to breaking.
In exchange, equipment required you to be in a matching job to equip, while items could be used by anyone regardless of job.
"Anyway, I’ve got a lot of things to explain along the way, so just listen up, alright? …Ester, follow my directions for the route. Drive safe."
"Understood."
The first half of that was aimed at the carriage interior, the second half at Ester.
Shizu and Pamela still lacked combat experience. If they just power-leveled to 20 without proper training, who knew what kind of problems might pop up. I’d need to make that clear to them.
If we power-leveled, level 20 would come in no time, and the next skill tree would unlock before they’d even gotten used to the current skills. That could lead to some pretty awkward fighting styles.
On top of that, I wanted to talk about the guild’s future plans, goals, policies—plenty of things to go over.
So, as we traveled, I explained all of that while the carriage rolled on at a good pace.
Bumping monsters out of the way, swerving to avoid people, and ignoring the gawking first-years as they scrambled to clear a path.
There was some commotion behind us, but I didn’t bother checking.
Without stopping once, our carriage thundered on, and before noon, we’d reached the safe zone at the very bottom.
Man, carriages are fast!
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