Chapter 3: Let’s Go Observe the Elective Classes! First Stop: the Gathering Division!
The National Dungeon Exploration Support Academy — Main Campus is commonly known simply as a Dungeon Academy — Main Campus.
Boys who attend the main campus are, by default, full of pride.
In the world of <DanKatsu>, once you turn sixteen, you must choose a Job and study it — attending a school for three full years is mandatory.
Meaning: which academy you get into becomes a major status symbol.
A graduate of Dungeon Academy Main — that title alone commands respect. The pinnacle of academic prestige.
And so, this academy, with twenty thousand students enrolled, is absurdly competitive.
The Kingdom of Shiyatna boasts the largest number of dungeons anywhere, and the quality of education here is top-tier. Every year, they produce elite graduates; it’s widely regarded as the best academy in the nation. To enroll at the main campus, you’ll need talent or connections.
Naturally, students who do make it in tend to let it get to their heads. "I am one of the chosen." A common childish delusion.
…Well, that arrogance usually gets crushed within the first month. During the job measurements, for example.
But if someone has made it this far without ever tasting failure, that inflated pride and sharp little nose can grow to ridiculous heights. Especially the boys.
The girls aren’t nearly as bad, though. Maybe it’s due to the nature of <DanKatsu>, where girls are more likely to receive powerful Jobs, so boys with top-tier Jobs end up rare goods — high-value collectibles. And so they actually start believing they’re special.
Plus, our class ratio is nineteen girls to eleven boys.
And so, the tragic(?) disaster during the introductions happened.
Sorry, Saturn. Just remember: there’s always someone higher. Cheer up, man.
Anyway, after all that chaos, the long homeroom finally came to a close. A short break followed.
Lana immediately came over to my desk.
"Zephyrus, well said! That was entertaining!"
The princess casually spoke like she’d just watched some premium entertainment — and I swear the four guys in front of me turned even grayer. Must be my imagination.
After delivering that line, Lana returned to Ester and Shizu. Pretty sure she meant to praise me…? So, my four fellow classmates — live strong.… Even though I was the one who sank you.
"Lord Zephyrus, shall we be off?"
"Yeah. I want to visit as many places as possible."
Celestan came to get me, so I stood up. Time to head out and observe the elective classes.
As explained during homeroom, <DanKatsu> curriculum features electives.
Every Friday is Elective Day. Six periods — build your own schedule, push toward your future dreams.
And today is Friday, May 3rd. First-year students are allowed to freely observe the upperclassmen’s electives, so Celestan and I plan to tour as many as we can. I came here for real <DanKatsu>, after all, might as well enjoy the learning to the fullest.
"Where shall we begin?"
"Anywhere near the main building that isn’t the Combat Division. I want to check out both practical and lecture-type classes evenly."
"As you wish."
I left the classroom with Celestan. Everyone else had their own places they wanted to visit, so we’re splitting up. Time is limited, after all. Honestly, I doubt I’ll get through everything in one day.
As for the Combat Division electives, we’ll learn most of that in the regular curriculum anyway, so it can wait.
Our first stop: the building housing the Dungeon Exploration Department: Gathering Division.
Here, they mainly teach gathering. Gathering refers to collecting plants, logging, excavation, fishing, etc. Anything you can bring back without engaging in combat.
The Combat Division covers some related topics, but they mostly focus on monster drops. For natural and resource-type materials, the Gathering Division goes far deeper. Which dungeons allow gathering, how much things sell for, what they’re used for, where the demand is — all that good stuff.
The two divisions actually work closely. All Gathering students get to use a discounted <Bracelet of 『Guest』> provided by the academy, so they often accompany Combat parties into dungeons. Conversely, Combat students sometimes commission Gathering students to collect specific materials.
Combat escorts Gathering deeper into the dungeon, Gathering pays the escort fee by supplying a portion of the collected materials. A mutually beneficial partnership — good practice for the future.
We observed several electives from this department… but unfortunately, none of them really grabbed me.
My <DanKatsu> knowledge is too deep. I already know all of this.
Curse my knowledge— Actually, no. My knowledge is glorious. But still.
Sadly, the Gathering Division doesn’t seem like it can satisfy my hunger for new <DanKatsu> info.
No helping it, I'll try a different place.
The next closest was the Dungeon Exploration Department: Survey Division in the same building, but… that one’s a bit meh. The Survey Division is basically a gathering place for scout-type Jobs. They specialize in investigating dungeons, spotting abnormalities, and acting as scouts when paired with Combat Division parties. But for me, there’s nothing in a dungeon that needs investigating — so that’s a pass.
Which means the next closest… is the Trap Removal Division. Now that is something I’m genuinely excited about.
"Alright, let’s head to the Trap Removal Division next."
"As you wish. Lord Zephyrus, you look like you’re having fun."
"Oh? Do I? Well, yeah, that checks out. You should enjoy yourself too, Celestan. You don’t need to force yourself to follow my interests, you know?"
"No, I’m just not the type to enjoy classes."
"Fair enough. I get that classes aren’t always fun. But there is such a thing as ‘the one who enjoys it wins.’ If you have fun, you’ll learn faster too."
"I shall carve that into my heart."
The whole point of this elective tour is to find classes you actually enjoy, but man, Celestan is stiff.
Well, finding a class that grabs his interest could be fun in itself.
While we’re chatting, someone suddenly calls out to us.
"U-Um, excuse me… could I talk to you for a moment?"
"Hm?"
We turn around and see a rather petite male student. Probably male, no, was he a male student? They’re wearing pants like me and Celestan, but the face… small features, kind of feminine. Honestly, he’d probably look better in a skirt. He gives off a tiny, timid woodland creature vibe.
"I, uh.... heard you say you’re going to the Trap Removal Division. If it’s okay… could I go with you? I’m also interested in their elective classes…"
I see, so he’d overheard us and decided to approach us.
If he’s here, that means he’s a Gathering Division student?
"S-So… how about it?"
"Ahh, sure, why not? What about you, Celestan?"
"I have no objections. Whatever you wish, Lord Zephyrus."
Since he’d worked up the courage to approach us, there’s no reason to refuse.
But upon hearing Celestan call me Lord, the boy(?) freezes, and his eyes go wide.
"W-Wait—Lord!? Are you, by any chance, a noble!? I’ve been so rude!!"
"No, no, no, wrong. I’m just a normal village-born guy. Totally not a noble. So talk normally, alright?"
He looked a second away from dropping into a full dogeza, so I quickly waved him off. Hmm, Hanna reacted like this, too… is this how commoners usually treat nobles?
"B-But he called you ‘Lord’, so—wait, huh?"
"Anyway! Time is limited, so let’s hurry to the Trap Removal Division."
"Ah—w-wait, please!"
He’s clearly confused, but when I briskly changed the topic and started walking, he followed right behind us like a loyal puppy.
And so, the three of us, me, Celestan, and the Gathering student, headed toward the Trap Removal Division.
On the way, during introductions, when he(?) learned that I’m a 【Hero】, he let out a scream. That was funny.
"Ahahaha! You don’t have to freak out that much!"
"O-Of course I have to!! 【Hero】 are the shining stars of our era! Getting to speak with someone not just above the clouds, but practically a celestial being—how could I not be terrified!?"
Hou. Calling a 【Hero】 a celestial being, huh? A fitting turn of phrase. Incidentally, all my dungeon gear is from the Sky Series, you know.
The three of us headed toward the Trap Removal Division.
On the way, we exchanged introductions, and his reaction to mine was priceless. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
It seems that to ordinary students, a 【Hero】 is seen as some distant, unreachable existence.
Hanna probably dealt with similar treatment yesterday… I kinda wish I could’ve seen that.
"Speaking of which, why were you in the Gathering Division? When you said 【Hero】, I imagined you’d be attending some high-class lessons meant for noble elites."
"That’s a misunderstanding. My Job is 【Hero】, sure, but that doesn’t mean my job is being a hero full-time. I was checking out the Gathering Division simply because I was interested. Even though that option disappeared on me."
"I-I see. The Job and the actual occupation are separate… My apologies."
I don’t really get how he interpreted it, but somehow I managed to get away with that explanation.
He’s probably just a straightforward kind of kid. Since he’d calmed down, we continued introductions.
"And this guy is my attendant, Celestan, a 【Butler】."
"I am Celestan. A pleasure to meet you."
"And you are?"
"Ah, right! I’m Mona, a 【Farmer】. People often mistake me for a girl, but I’m a guy."
Ahh, so that’s a sensitive point. Well, even his voice is androgynous. He’d make a really convincing girl if he dressed the part…
"Cool, nice to meet you. Since you’re a 【Farmer】, that means you are in the Gathering Division, right?"
In the world of <DanKatsu>, all resources come from dungeon materials. So being a 【Farmer】 doesn’t mean "agriculture" — it’s classified as a gathering-type Job. They specialize in gathering: improving drop quality and quantity, speeding up gathering point recovery, detecting gathering points, etc. 【Farmers】 can obtain rare materials that combat Jobs can’t touch, and there are spots only 【Farmers】 can harvest from. By the way, they’re a mid-ranking Job.
Also, they’re technically part of the Exploration Department too, so they do know some ways to fight monsters.
"Yes. I actually wanted a combat Job, but physically and mentally, I’m not really suited for fighting."
"Yeahhhh, I figured."
I answered honestly from the heart. Mona looks like someone a stiff breeze could blow away.
"So why choose the Trap Removal elective?"
"I thought that if I had a trap disarming skills would make gathering resources more efficient."
The Trap Removal Division mainly ventures into dungeons, disabling traps, and bringing them back. Dungeon traps are valuable resources. Moreover, they're more like items than raw materials, which makes them worth a lot. Disarm the trap and profit from it? A double win. That’s what the Trap Removal Division is all about.
Since even damage-floor traps can be recovered in <DanKatsu>, Mona’s probably after those collectible trap-type resources.
"But I only got my Job two days ago, so I’m still Lv.0. A total newbie. I don’t even have a dedicated partner yet, but I plan to work hard!"
For reference, a "dedicated partner" is a contract formed between a gatherer and a guild or party, and it's treated separately from guild membership.
With one of those, Gathering students can regularly accompany their contracted party into dungeons. It’s their stable source of income and a big chance to level up.
Well, only excellent students get those deals, though.
Without a dedicated contract, they take a gathering request from the academy or join temporary parties looking for members. Those pay poorly, and competition is fierce.
That’s why students in the Gathering Division aim first and foremost to secure a dedicated partner.
"So that’s how it is. Nice, Mona."
Seeing Mona filled with motivation and a clear goal, and charging straight toward it—that really fires me up inside.
I like people who work hard toward something, or at least try their best. It makes me want to help them out, and I want them to be rewarded for their efforts.
So, I figured I’d lend him a hand. Call it fate bringing us together.
"Well, I can’t promise to take you as a full-time member just yet… but if you keep working hard, I wouldn’t mind taking you along on some of my expeditions."
"Eh—really!?"
"Yeah. If you’re serious about trying, that is. Right, Celestan?"
"Of course. I have no objections. You may do as you wish, Lord Zephyrus."
"Wow! Thank you so much! I’ll work super hard! I’ll seriously give it everything I’ve got! P-please take care of me!"
As soon as I invited him, Mona practically dove into a bow—almost head-butting the ground.
This is still a public walkway, though, so I stop him with my hand.
"Hey, hey, no need to prostrate yourself. Just give me your contact ID for now."
"Y-yes! Um, but… I still don’t really understand how to use the Student Notebook. Could you maybe teach me?"
"Hahaha! You’ve got a rough road ahead, huh?"
Apparently, Mona is from Gathering Division, Class 9. That’s pretty far from being considered elite.
He even asked me multiple times if someone like him is really okay, but I nodded firmly.
Alright, prepare yourself. I’m gonna train you up so well that even Class 1 won’t stand a chance.
Now I've got myself an excellent gatherer!
I’d also like to contract a lumber expert, a 【Collimer (コリマー)】, a 【Miner】 for excavation, and maybe a 【Fisher】 too.
I’ll have Mona introduce me to some people later.
"So this is the Trap Removal Division?"
"Yeah. Pretty shocking when you first see this training area, right? This Training Ground."
Mona stands there with his eyes and mouth wide open, gawking at the Dungeon Exploration Department: Trap Removal Division training ground.
How do I describe it…? It’s a pretty unique building. In one word: an obstacle course.
Unlike the wide-open, nothing-special training space for the Combat Division, this place is a trap-filled athletic facility where you can try out all kinds of mock traps.
The appearance is just as weird, a circus-tent-like building covered in splashy colors and random patterns that have zero consistency.
Elective classes here focus on detecting, disarming, and then claiming traps from among the countless ones installed inside. The upperclassmen should be training in there right now — I mean, you can hear the screams. Mona jumps a little at that.
Rumor has it that every trap ever discovered is set up in this place.
"Alright, let’s go in."
"Th-the atmosphere is kinda overwhelming…"
"You’ll be fine. Even if you trigger a trap, your HP will take the damage."
"Uh… my HP is still at the starter value…"
Chatting like that, I drag a trembling Mona along with Celestan and head inside.
Inside, it’s even bigger than a gymnasium.
Various traps come into view, with upperclassmen struggling desperately to disarm them right in front of us.
Basically, traps can be disarmed with skills, but if you want to take them home, you need enough DEX, skills, technique, and usually the right items too. It’s actually pretty challenging. But the payout is great.
Since the students here right now are upperclassmen taking the elective course, none of the real specialists are present. Maybe that’s why so many of them are getting caught in traps all over the place. Honestly, it’s kinda funny.
There are other first-years observing like us, and some are even doing hands-on trial exercises.
Ah, someone just got caught in a trap. I see a first-year guy in the distance, buried under a bunch of spiky chestnuts. Oh, looks like he was rescued safely.
"Ahh, awawa… this looks really difficult!?"
"You’ll be fine. If your DEX is high enough, disarming traps is easy."
"U-uh… my DEX is also still at the starting value…"
Well, mine’s not that high either.
As a 【Hero】, I have the 『Intuition』 skill that lets me detect traps, but I don’t have a trap-disarming skill. So I have to either avoid them or break them using items.
In the game, the success rate depended on skill level, DEX, and other factors. Like the classic: "Chance to disarm: 60%." And if you failed at either disarming or destroying it—boom, the trap activated.
If you successfully disarm a trap, you can take it with you. So I’d really like to learn the procedures and techniques for doing it. In real life, there should be extra bonuses for actual technique, right? Like, even with a low skill level, you can still disarm something if you’re good enough.
I’d love to know if, in the future, I can disarm traps using just items.
By the way, traps start appearing in Beginner Upper-tier dungeons.
They show up more often in Intermediate-level Dungeons, and they increase in number the higher the dungeon difficulty goes.
Treasure chests begin sprouting in dead ends, starting from Intermediate-level Dungeons—treated similarly to gathering spots. Sometimes those sprouted chests have traps installed, so having someone who can disarm or destroy traps is super useful.
Up until now, we’ve pretty much just destroyed or ignored every trap we found.
I should really learn how to disarm them properly.
Of course… if you fail to disarm one, you’re sacrificing your own body. Boom.
As I thought that, wandering around, I made eye contact with a male instructor.
He gives a big grin and calls out to us.
"You first-years over there, want to give it a try?"
Looks like he’s a teacher in the Trap Removal Division.
Hmm, since he's offering, it was perfect timing. I wanted to try anyway. So the three of us accept his invitation.
"""Looking forward to your instruction."""
"Good! I’m Gais. Remember: Instructor Gais, the Nice Guy."
Seems he’s got a sense of humor. Can’t exactly confirm whether he’s actually a nice guy, though.
"Alright, let’s start with this one. Any experience disarming traps?"
Instructor Gais points at a classic arrow-shooting booby trap.
A rope is stretched across the trigger, and arrows are set to fire when it’s disturbed.
It looks simple enough, but I’ve never disarmed a trap before, so I shake my head. Mona does the same. Celestan, for some reason, doesn’t shake his head. Wait—he’s actually disarmed traps before!?
"If I can’t even disarm a trap, I’ll never be a proper butler."
"That’s the first time I’ve heard that standard."
As expected of <DanKatsu>, it had deep game mechanics. Though, well, this is probably just Celestan’s personal quirk.
By the way, Celestan has put his SP into 【Court Etiquette】, so his DEX has been raised to a decent level.
If he has the proper tools, he should be able to disarm traps. He might even make a great locksmith someday.
"Alright, I’ll go first!"
Mona is the first challenger. If he disarms it successfully, he gets the rope, the mechanism, and the arrows. It’s apparently as basic as it gets, but for him, it could become a valuable source of income, so he’s fired up.
"Here, take this. These are your tools. I’ll show you how to use them."
Instructor Gais hands him a flower-patterned set of trap tools called <Flower’s Seven Tools>.
"…Um, Instructor Gais, why flowers?"
"Because they looked like they’d suit you?"
"…I-I see. Thank you very much…"
However, the moment he receives the cute, girly tools, Mona’s excitement plummets. He stares at them like he’s not sure how to feel. Maybe he has complicated feelings about girly things.
Instructor Gais doesn’t seem to have any ill intent, so Mona quietly accepts them with a bow.
"Alright then, I’ll teach you the basics. You two—listen closely, too."
And so, our hands-on trap training begins.
"Ahh, I failed again…"
"Well, your stats are still at the starting values, Mona. You’ve got a long road ahead."
After the initial booby trap, we got to try a few more types. Instructor Gais is actually a great teacher—every time we say, "I want to try that one," he lets us. Trap disarming is surprisingly fun.
Right now, Mona’s fingers slipped and triggered the trap. A plushie shaped like a metal ball poof dropped onto his head. Thankfully, these are all mock traps, so no damage. But if it had been a real metal ball, he’d be out cold.
I give him some encouragement. He’ll get there.
"Zephyrus-san and Celestan-san are doing great—success every time. But I keep failing. Maybe I just don’t have any talent…"
"No, you disarmed the first booby trap, didn’t you?"
"No, that was just removing the arrow already set there. Anyone can do that, so it doesn’t count."
"You’re pretty driven for someone who thinks they lack talent, Mona."
Mona doesn’t let failure break his spirit. He keeps striving forward. If he continues like this, he’ll definitely improve. First step: let’s level up.
"I did it."
"Amazing, first-year. Even some second-years can’t handle a trap like that."
Celestan just disarmed a trap that usually appears in Intermediate Mid-tier dungeons.
Instructor Gais looks genuinely stunned.
Seriously, what is up with Celestan? Real-life butlers are terrifying.
As for me, I tried a few traps from Intermediate low-tier dungeons, and surprisingly, I managed to disarm all of them.
My DEX isn’t even close to 50 yet, but maybe thanks to 『Intuition』, I just kind of knew what to adjust—like "ah, pull this part a bit and…"—and it worked. When did I become such a genius? Real-world ability is awesome!
After trying so many different types, we wrap up the lesson. Man, what a valuable experience.
Mona wants to stay and practice in the Trap Removal Division a bit longer, so we part ways here.
"Alright, Mona, see you later. Oh, here, read this when you get a chance."
"What is this?"
"My recommended 【Farmer】 build guide."
What I handed Mona was my usual memo. The difference this time was that it wasn’t a "strongest-build-ever" guide, just a recommended way to raise the job.
It’s not some ultimate end-goal roadmap meant for guild members—just a "Hey, raising it like this is a good idea" kind of guide. But if he raised the job carelessly, he might end up with something irreversible, so I figured I should give it to him.
After all, Mona is still Level 0, completely untouched. If he trains properly from here, he should easily surpass the Gathering Division, Class 1.
"Haeh?"
Mona tilted his head and made such a cute sound. Seriously… is Mona really a boy?
Well, that part is definitely curious… but there’s still a ton of Divisions I want to check out.
I promised I’d contact Mona again later and left the Trap Removal Division.
"How was the trap-disarming class, Lord Zephyrus?"
"I’m super satisfied. Honestly, I’m already tempted to pick it! At least it’s on the shortlist."
You can take up to six elective classes. Trap Disarm takes up two slots, so choosing it right away would leave me with just four. For now, it’s just a candidate—gotta look at everything before deciding.
"Alright! Let’s keep this going!"
"I shall accompany you."
Just as declared, Celestan and I kept touring.
We went to the Production Department, where we tried making weapons, armor, and items. Then to the Business Department, where we changed into suits and tried out reception desk work.
At the Production Department, the gap in our DEX stats was brutal—I got absolutely crushed by Celestan.
Even though we were crafting basic beginner gear from <Bracelet Lv1>-tier materials, for some reason, Celestan kept producing several high-quality items.
Meanwhile, I only made standard quality stuff. I didn’t fail a single craft, though—someone praise me, please.
In the Business Department, our suit looks somewhat put us in the spotlight.
When the two of us said, "Welcome, milady," at the same time… girls just kind of drifted over like moths to a flame.
Even the girls who were supposed to be doing the trial class with us somehow joined the queue.
What is this? Is this the power of the Hero at work!?
"H-Hey, look at them. They’re seriously good."
"Right? They’re so cool… I wanna dance with them."
"Ahh, they’re healing my soul. Who are those guys?"
"What? You don’t know? They’re famous!"
"Huh? Wh-Who are they?"
"It’s hard to tell without their usual gear, but those are the 【Hero】 Zephyrus—Guildmaster of <Eden>—and the greatest young butler, Celestan the <Smiling Butler>!"
"W-What did you say!? Ah! Now that I look carefully—it IS the 【Hero】-kun and the <Smiling Butler>! T-This isn’t what it looks like! I just couldn’t resist the power of suits!"
"Hehehe. What a casual fan."
The girls getting all worked up like that was… pretty memorable.
Yeah… Business Department is a pass. I feel like that’s definitely the right call.
After that, we kept going around the different Departments in order. Sometimes we ran into Lana, Ester, and the other attendants and joined them for the trial classes. Other times, we’d run into Sierra and Lulu and take classes with them. It honestly felt like a school festival — a really fun day.
We still hadn’t checked out everything, but since it was nearly after-school hours, we headed back to the Combat Division.
We can save the rest for next week.
That’s when I suddenly remembered…
Come to think of it, I never ran into Hanna. I kept bumping into other Combat Division members, but Hanna was nowhere to be seen. Where could she—
BOOOOM!!
A massive explosion echoed from the direction of the training grounds.
The huge blast instantly snapped my attention over there.
"What happened!??
"Ahh, I get it. Celestan, no need to stay on high alert."
I held him back — he’d already moved to protect me in an instant.
I recognized that explosion sound. With Celestan in tow, I headed for the training grounds.
BOOM! BOOM! BOBOBOOM!!
Before we even got close, more blasts kept going off. Eventually, we arrived.
"Yep. Knew it. Hanna was the source."
Standing in the center of the roaring explosions was someone I knew all too well — Hanna.
"Zephyrus-kun? Waaah, I finally found you, Zephyrus-kun! Where have you been? I came to the Combat Division, and nobody was here! I was so lonely!"
"No, I mean… Combat Division electives aren’t part of the visit schedule…"
Apparently, Hanna had been taking the Combat Division elective classes. Looking around, I saw shredded targets scattered everywhere — some were scorched. Looks like Hanna’s new weapon skills are coming along nicely.
By the way, the targets are like dungeon walls — they regenerate automatically. Oh, look, they’ve already grown back. That was fast. So that’s why we never crossed paths — Hanna was taking electives in the Combat Division.
Anyway, I told her I wasn’t planning on taking any Combat Division electives.
"Eh!? You’re not taking Combat Division electives!?"
"Nah. I’ll learn all that normally anyway. No point wasting elective slots."
"Gaann."
Hanna collapsed dramatically to her knees at this unexpected development.
It wasn’t the most graceful ending… but thus ended today’s elective tour.
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