WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Dungeon Gallery's Terrifying Newbie ◈
Chapter 37: Helper (3)
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I stared silently at the monitor.
In the end, the intruders chose to press on.
After that, it was just like when Julius came through.
The disciplinary committee head confiscated all their belongings, and now they were quietly holding their breath inside a classroom.
Honestly, I thought they would all get wiped out in the hallway.
But Denrid, was it?
This world had a place called an Academy, something similar to a modern school.
Maybe Denrid had graduated from one, or maybe Denrid was just quick on the uptake.
The person who looked like a mage evacuated the party into a classroom as soon as the bell rang.
What a shame.
"Hmm."
How should I put this? The Helper was that guy named Max.
The one with the hulking body and vicious face. Yeah, that bastard who looked like a bandit.
Still, Denrid looked more dangerous than Max.
My dungeon was more vulnerable to brainy types than muscleheads.
I couldn't turn Denrid into a babbling idiot like Yuben, either.
After all, Denrid had a powerful escort named Max with him.
I couldn't carelessly head to Area 2.
I only had one life.
For now, I planned to put as much faith in my Minions and traps as possible.
Anyway, Denrid was busily writing something in the classroom.
I was taking screenshots to upload to the Gallery.
An intruder had entered, so I had to post a live report.
As a Dungeon Gallery user, I couldn't resist an easy featured-post cheat code.
humanluvr: Newbieee!
└ newbie: Huh??
└ humanluvr: What's the situation right now??
└ newbie: Look at this.
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【Dreamland Area 2 Exploration Log - 1】
【Written by Denrid】
For information regarding the entrance, refer to former Jericho Baron Yuben's Dungeon Walkthrough.
Once you board the device, you first spawn in Area 2.
I assume there is another device in Area 2 as well.
Area 2 resembles an Academy...
It is extremely large and has up to eighty floors. There are also staircases leading to the upper floors.
It would likely take around an hour to explore an entire floor.
Various rooms branch off from straight hallways.
The rooms that take up the most space seem to be classrooms.
I am not sure why. There are probably rooms with other names as well.
The Faceless Girl mentioned a place called the Faculty Office.
You encounter the Faceless Girl when you enter Area 2.
Even if you do not wish to meet her, the encounter is inevitable. She seems to know our location.
The Faceless Girl demands all your belongings the moment you meet her.
If you stall instead of handing them over, she breaks your arm.
I have not confirmed this myself, but I believe she may kill you if you refuse to give up your belongings.
It is not impossible to retrieve your belongings.
She said you can get them back by visiting the room called the Faculty Office after class ends.
The problem is that she confiscates all food and drinking water as well.
There does not seem to be a proper way to resupply in Area 2.
Finding the Faculty Office as quickly as possible is crucial. It would be difficult to last even three days without water.
The most important thing to watch out for is time.
When you hear music, stop whatever you are doing and enter a classroom immediately.
It means class is about to begin.
Classes last a total of forty minutes.
Everything except the classrooms is swallowed by darkness.
I tore off a piece of clothing and held it out into the pitch-black hallway. It vanished without a trace.
Once class ends, you are given a ten-minute break.
You can explore freely during that time.
So far, I have not encountered any other Minions.
I have not encountered the Faceless Girl again, either.
Exploration summary.
1. Hand over your belongings to the Faceless Girl without resistance.
2. Go into a classroom during class, and do not confuse it with break time.
3. Find the Faculty Office as quickly as possible.
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golemking: Oh... I thought Yuben was pretty clever last time... Is this another strategist-type showing up?? They ran straight into the classroom, so they must be pretty quick on the uptake too??
└ dip: But that bastard has one fatal weakness.
└ dip: Personally, I think he's below the lord because of it LOL.
└ golemking: What is it??
└ golemking: Now you've got me curious for no reason??
└ dip: He lacks the psychopath streak needed to sacrifice anyone for his goal. Agree?
└ golemking: Agreed.
Well, they had only just begun.
Let's watch for now.
* * *
Dreamland Area 2.
Class 1-32.
Max's party was catching their breath inside a classroom, avoiding the dark hallway.
The fact that they were here meant they had boarded the elevator at the entrance.
"What are you writing so intently?"
"I'm writing down everything we've learned so far."
"Where did you get a notebook and pen?"
"They were in the desk drawer. There were some strange books too. Luka, is your arm feeling any better?"
"There was nothing in my desk."
Max ultimately could not use the Escape Scroll.
It was extremely important to Max to seize the Magic Stone through Max's own strength and show it to Sinclair, proving Max was right.
And it was not as if the Escape Scroll itself had disappeared forever.
If they found the place called the Faculty Office, they could retrieve it whenever they wanted.
Dreamland was brutal, but honest.
Based on the patterns it had shown so far, there had to be a way forward.
"Well, as long as I don't move, it's fine... It hurts, but I can bear it."
Luka's injury was the problem.
The Faceless Girl had attacked her.
And it had been quite horrific.
They broke a mop handle and tore some clothing to make a temporary splint.
Thankfully, it was not life-threatening.
Still, there was no avoiding the disadvantage it would cause during their future exploration.
'If only there were a Healing Potion...'
Not just the Escape Scroll.
Being unable to use any of their belongings was a huge problem.
"Tch, healing magic is impossible too, right?"
"I'm not a Dark Mage. How could I use it...?"
Max crossed his arms and looked at the clock.
10:10
Twenty minutes until they could resume their exploration.
We were currently on the first floor.
This Academy had eighty floors, and each was quite large.
'It would be more efficient to split up and search.'
Max felt his mouth go dry.
He was already thirsty.
Max should have drunk their fill before boarding the device.
Regret was meaningless.
Think only of the future. Of a bright future where I kill the Dungeon Master and obtain the Magic Stone.
"Everyone, gather around. We need to discuss how we'll explore from here."
Max raised the question of how they should explore.
The party had to decide whether to move together or split up.
"Moving together would be safer, but it would take longer to search. Splitting up would be faster, but less safe. We might miss information too. Before that, Denrid, there's something I want to ask. How many people can you use Communication Magic with at once?"
"Regrettably, one person is the limit."
Max thought about it.
If someone went off alone and died, they would have no way of knowing why that person died or what rule had killed them.
"Let's divide into two groups. I'll take Luka and explore. You and I will keep a communication link open and talk in real time."
"Then Jack and I will go together."
It was a successful compromise.
Everyone agreed.
Denrid brought out a map of the first floor.
It was only an outline, hardly enough to call a map.
Denrid drew a circle around the classroom where the party was currently located.
Then Denrid divided the map neatly in half.
The left side was marked as Area A and the right side as Area B.
"Then let's do this. Max and Luka will explore A, while Jack and I explore B. We'll investigate like this until we find anything unusual."
Everyone nodded.
And so, the exploration continued.
They stayed in classrooms during class.
They investigated the hallways during breaks.
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12:10
『♪─♪─♪』
『Ding-dong-daeng─♪dong-ding─♪』
『Ding-dong-daeng... daeng... daeng....』
They finished exploring the first floor.
They found nothing.
"Let's go to the second floor now."
"You all checked thoroughly, right?"
"I even left marks inside the classrooms just in case. Don't worry."
"Mm."
The party headed to the second floor.
Then Max asked Denrid, "Anything unusual? Like I said over the communication link, Luka and I didn't find anything."
"Jack turned out to be more interesting than I expected. I never imagined he had been quiet all this time not because he was a slum knife fighter, but because he was shy."
"Don't spread rumors."
"That does qualify as something unusual."
Max looked at the clock.
12:19
"Let's stay together during this break. There isn't much time left anyway, and we can talk for a mid-exploration check."
"Sounds good. How is Luka's arm?"
"It hurts."
The party entered a classroom.
In truth, they had nothing to discuss for a mid-exploration check.
They had not discovered any information at all.
So they chatted about this and that.
Stories about the past, followed by trivial small talk.
But.
12:25
Even after fifteen minutes had passed, there was no melody, and the hallway had not darkened.
"That's strange. Wait a moment."
Max took a stick out of a locker.
Max opened the door and waved the stick around in the hallway, but it did not vanish.
Just in case, Max tested it with a piece of clothing too. The result was the same.
"More than ten minutes have clearly passed... This is strange."
"Ah!"
As if Denrid had only just remembered, Denrid clapped his hands.
"Now that I think about it, there was lunchtime."
"Lunchtime?"
"Ahem. I was the only one in the party who attended an Academy...."
Denrid was the only Academy graduate in the party.
For the sake of companions who had never had the opportunity to learn, Denrid needed to briefly explain lunchtime.
"Even students who study have to eat. At my Academy, students were given an hour for meals. We usually called it lunchtime."
"You need an hour to eat? Five minutes is enough."
"Sitting at a desk and studying is the hardest thing there is."
"I agree. So you're saying it's lunchtime now? We can probably explore freely, like during breaks?"
Denrid nodded.
"Still, just in case... Be prepared to enter a classroom at any time. At least while the music is playing, the hallways do not turn dark."
The party nodded.
There was no reason not to move.
The exploration continued.
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During lunchtime, the party searched both the second and third floors.
They found neither the Faculty Office nor anything unusual, but it was considerable progress.
The fourth floor now lay before them.
13:00
『♪─♪─♪』
『Ding-dong-daeng─♪dong-ding─♪』
『Ding-dong-daeng... daeng... daeng....』
Before the music began playing, Max and Luka had already entered a classroom.
"I wish lunchtime were a little longer. What a shame."
Max did not bother responding.
Max was not particularly fond of small talk to begin with.
And Max was not close to Luka at all.
"So why did you split up with Sinclair? I heard a Blessed One's party was almost always fixed."
"......"
"I'm not trying to force you to answer. You look a little frustrated. It feels better to tell someone what's bothering you. We probably won't see each other again once we clear this dungeon anyway. Do whatever makes you comfortable."
Max rubbed a furrowed brow.
Then, in an irritated voice, Max said to Luka, "Don't overstep your bounds."
"...What?"
"Just because we're in the same dungeon doesn't mean we're equals...."
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Creak.
The classroom door opened.
For a moment, silence fell.
Of course, it was not because of their tense exchange from moments earlier.
Max's face stiffened.
Luka's did too.
Step.
Step.
From the darkness where they could not see an inch ahead, something calmly walked into the classroom.
It resembled a person.
Like the girl, it had no face. It had eight arms.
Dressed in a stylish suit, the thing stood before the blackboard and spoke to the two in a bright, energetic voice.
"Quiet, everyone! Quiet! The bell rang ages ago, so why are you chatting so loudly? Teacher's here, so sit down in your seats."
Max took a deep breath.
Then Max quietly reported the situation through the communication link.
"I found something unusual. I encountered a Minion in classroom 3-300. It has no face, like the girl..."
"Max."
Max's body flinched.
How did it know my name?
The thing that called itself a teacher walked toward Max with long strides.
"Max."
"......"
Max was a Helper.
As a core member during high-difficulty Dungeon Raids, Max had fought countless battles.
Normally, Max should have killed that bastard who was approaching without fear.
Even without a sword, Max could have torn off a Troll's head and killed it in an instant.
But why could Max not move?
Maybe Max instinctively understood.
"Max. Teacher is calling you."
The being before Max was something beyond the bounds of Max's common sense.
Yuben's Dungeon Walkthrough contained the following words.
A dungeon that needed neither swords nor magic.
Perhaps a dungeon where everything Max had trained for throughout their life was useless.
"Can't you hear my voice? Do you think I'm ridiculous too? Do you think my class isn't fun either? Do you think my class itself has no meaning? Do you think what I'm saying is wrong too? I studied my whole life for you, to teach you, and I give my all every moment as a teacher at this school! But students these days are full of nothing but complaints! Reporting teachers all day long! Acting so damn arrogant, saying it's their life and nobody should interfere! Are you one of those bad students too?"
Max swallowed hard.
Against his will, Max shook his head.
"This is a warning."
At those words, a crack rang out.
Max's right arm broke in an instant.
-Max? Max?
Max could not answer Denrid's Communication Magic.
Max's only choice was to swallow both the pain and the scream, enduring in silence.
According to Denrid, ill-tempered Academy professors often told students who did not focus in class to go out into the hallway.
Max's gaze naturally turned toward the hallway drowned in darkness.
Footnotes:
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