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Looking Back at the Past Two Weeks! So Many Events!
Monday arrived, and with it, the start of another week of school. We're already halfway through October, and it feels like just yesterday we were getting into the swing of things.
The last two weeks were quite a rollercoaster. It kicked off with exams, followed by a class reshuffle. In the beginning, it was all about breaking the ice and getting to know our new classmates. Now, everyone's settled in, and we're all on pretty good terms.
Over in the «New Grade», things were still a bit chaotic which had our new recruits swamped. Despite that, they always show up for guild get-togethers and training. They're like sponges, soaking up everything Tabasa-senpai and I taught them, and they're growing nicely, especially with their SP re-allocations after the level reset.
The new members were expected to unlock their third-order skill trees this week. I am so looking forward to it!
Meanwhile, we've been tackling the int-high dungeons. We're pushing hard to reach the advanced-low dungeons, and so far, we've earned two «Conqueror's Mark» and cleared half of two dungeons. I've got a good feeling we'll have all five dungeons cleared by the end of the month.
As for the other guild members, everyone outside of the new recruits and the production team had made it into the intermediate-mid dungeons. It seemed like Rina and Rika are leading the charge, pulling everyone else into the intermediate-high dungeons.
Another big plus was that most of the combat-oriented guild members, excluding the new recruits, Aegis, and Tabasa-senpai, were all in the same class. This made information sharing a breeze. We used to gather in the guild room specifically for that, but now we could simply form parties in the classroom and head straight to the dungeons. That's a game-changer.
Of course, it was a bittersweet feeling since this meant we'd less time to spend in our new guild house, but our chase comes first, so it's alright, I guess. On top of that, forming parties in the classroom has led to some interesting developments. For reference—
"Hmm, we're short on a tank."
"Lacritta and Tomoyo both went with the other party, didn't they?"
"You two seem to be in a bind, Reglam, Mert."
"Lamba?"
"Would you mind if I pitched in as a tank, if you're okay with it?"
"Are you serious? That would be a huge help!"
"Of course. In turn, and If it's not too much to ask, could Sedan and Keel join us too? I hear their guild is swamped with recruiting new talent, so they do not have enough to form a party."
"No problem at all. We'd be happy to have them."
"It's settled then!"
On the other side, the group of super-rare species, boys classmates—Mert, Reglam, Lamda, Keel, and Sedan—joined hands to team up, transcending guild boundaries, to challenge a dungeon as a class party.
This kind of temporary party formation among classmates was becoming a common sight. It was a simple aftermath of the current recruitment frenzy for students in the New Grade, with all the guilds being stretched thin.
The new students had transitioned from mid-tier or low-tier jobs to high-tier jobs, which everyone aspired to. They used to be stuck in E-rank and D-rank, but now they could aim for something much higher. This had led to a flurry of guild defections and transfers among the new students, with many guilds actively recruiting. Some guilds were even advertising guild tours and trial memberships, almost like school clubs.
Naturally, top-tier guilds like S-rank «King Absolute», Lamda's guild, have been inundated with applications without even needing to advertise. While the upperclassmen were busy sifting through them, first-year students like Lamda, Sedan, and Keel found themselves short of members to form parties.
Even in «Eden,» we're facing a shortage of tanks and healers until our New Grade members mature. It's a classic case of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," where our interests align perfectly with our classmates.
Hmm? ...Was I not going to be invited? Indeed, it was already common knowledge that I was acting alongside a fixed member party in our chase for the advanced dungeon. Yeah, so I am definitely not feeling lonely to not get an invitation for a boys party!
Just to me, but it did sting a bit.
Speaking of the healers and tanks, our Class-1, unsurprisingly, was overflowing with attackers, making tanks quite a rare commodity. Tomoyo and Lacritta were practically celebrities in our class. Even though Tomoyo was only a recent recruit, and the only one among them to be in Class 1, she'd already completely blended in with the «Eden» members.
I wish I could blend in that easily too.
Anyway, I rambled on a bit, but after a week since the class reshuffle, the class atmosphere was filled with pleasantness. Just as I was basking in that, our homeroom teacher, Phyllis-sensei, announced an event during homeroom that's sure to bring us even closer.
"Everyone, the school festival is coming up in November! It's a big, three-day event for the entire academy. Class-1 is also in the order to host an event or performance. It's a great opportunity to get even closer to your new classmates.”
She announced it cutely, bringing her fist to her face and puffing out her cheeks.
As a fresh-faced teacher, she must have participated as a student just last year. She's practically radiating excitement, clearly ready to relive her own memories. It's quite endearing to see her so nostalgic.
"And with only a month left until the school festival, this will be our preparation period. We'll be deciding what Class 1 wants to do during homeroom. Class leader, please come to the front."
Class leader, that's me. I stepped forward as Phyllis-sensei instructed.
"Zephyr-kun, please lead your classmates."
"Of course! I'll give it my all!"
Naturally, I'm going all out for the school festival too! I'm going to enjoy it
to the fullest!
Back in the game, the school festival's events were a big deal. Despite the downside of dungeons being sealed for the three days of the festival, there were exclusive items and equipment only available during this period, as well as specific conditions for certain job advancements that could only be met then, making it an important timeframe for job change!
For instance, you couldn't unlock the "Gambler" job unless you won first place in a major event held during the school festival. If you missed it, you'd have to wait a whole year, so I used to reload my saves repeatedly until I won. I wonder what it would be like in the real world...?
There were also certain events that only by participating in them could unlock «Rouge Jobs». It was a once-a-year opportunity as well. This group includes jobs like Thief, Assassin, and Avenger. I haven't seen anyone take on these jobs here in reality yet. Was it because job transfer was a taboo until now, or simply because people were reluctant to acquire "rough" jobs?
These jobs, which belonged to the «No Category» group and could only be acquired at special timing, were incredibly powerful. They have some of the amazing abilities for PvP counter, scouting, and so on. To be honest, I was a little tempted.
With so many important events packed into the school festival, and my first participation in reality, I couldn't help but wonder what the best course of action was. But one thing was certain—excitment was palpable!
First, we brainstormed ideas for what Class-1 wanted to do, and then I asked everyone to come up with one idea as homework. With that, we called it a day.
As I was about to leave, Lamda called out to me.
"Zephyr, I have something to tell you, if you have a moment?"
"Of course. What's up?"
When I asked, he glanced at Lana nervously and whispered, "It's a message from Prince Yuri. The guild «King Absolute» has reached the 40th floor of Rank-1 «The Fallen Forest After the Storm» advanced-low dungeon."
"What?! Wow!"
It's been about a month since I spoke with Prince Yuri. So «King Absolute» had steadily made progress, huh.
I can't afford to be complacent either!
[Arc 12 - End] (T/N - It was originally arc 13 but I somehow missed it and now it is just there.)
T/N - Hello, everyone. Due to occasional api issue, which leads to readers unable to read until the access is manually granted, we have begun to update the series on Patreon as well. It's simply to save readers the hassle if anyone is experiencing. Of course, the site will be getting update too.