Chapter 83

In conclusion, forming groups among those who wanted to was a success. All three of my friends and I scored excellent grades, so we could choose each other as team members.

After entering the second week of October, we conducted an orientation in preparation for the experiential learning.

First-year students gathered in the auditorium, and our familiar instructor stepped forward in front of the screen.

“Nice to meet you, first-year newbies. I assume everyone did their best on the exam. Did you enjoy your lunch?”

“Yes!”

“Originally, this would be the responsibility of another teacher, but since the person in charge is out in the field, I have no choice but to take over. No objections?”

With a small sigh, Frederick picked up the microphone and opened his mouth again.

“From now on, I will explain about the experiential learning. During this month of October, you will enter the Chloris Great Forest with your assigned teammates and complete several given tasks. The types of tasks are…”

Just as I was attentively listening to the explanation, the instructor suddenly pointed at me.

“Now, what do you think is the most important thing in dungeon exploration? Take a guess. Since you’re the top student, you should be able to answer this well.”

All eyes were focused on me. I felt extremely nervous. Why is he mentioning that I’m the top student!

I hesitated for a moment before managing to spit out one word.

“…Preparation?”

“What kind of preparation?”

“Uh… knowing and understanding the enemy?”

Not knowing what to say, I blurted out whatever came to mind, but the instructor nodded in satisfaction.

“Right, you got half of it right. What I’m going to explain from now on is just that. You need to understand the characteristics of the otherworldly areas in the dungeon and the properties of the monsters you will encounter there.”

He slowly explained about the characteristics, terrain, and vegetation of the dungeon through a presentation. Up to this point, I knew what he was talking about. It’s a jungle terrain, divided into several terraces along a gentle slope. Mostly low-level monsters inhabit it, but there are also mid-level monsters. It’s hot…

“Some of you may have already experienced combat, but there are also those who haven’t. There are many important factors in a fight: experience, skills, and strategy. Each has its own way of utilizing those.”

As the lights slowly dimmed, the auditorium plunged into darkness.

“What’s important is how you impose your way upon your enemies and avoid being baited into their methods. The war history between humanity and the monsters is also similar. I’m not a historian, so I can’t explain in detail, but the essence of this fight can be summarized as ‘how well do you impose your fighting style onto your opponent?’”

The projector turned on, and the screen brightened.

“So, with that in mind, I will show you a brief clip of the brave warriors who faced monsters during the first interdimensional invasion, long before you were born. Pay close attention.”

Before the video started, a warning message appeared.

[This video contains stimulating content, so please watch with caution.]

I focused, thinking it would be just another typical educational video, but a black-and-white film that looked like it was recorded ages ago appeared.

“Almost a century ago, during the first interdimensional invasion war. At that time, there were no self-propelled artillery or super medium tanks. No hypersonic missiles or exoskeleton equipment. The alloy equipment and relic weapons you carry were mere dreams. This is something I heard from my seniors.”

The rough black-and-white photographs depicted soldiers fighting against monsters in trenches.

“Some call this era the dawn of Awakened Ones and magic, while others see it as the starting point of the Ether crisis.”

The instructor cleared his throat.

“I don’t know much about that part, but one thing I know is that without the sacrifices of the early Awakened Ones and countless nameless heroes, neither I nor you would be here. So don’t just watch for fun; approach it with a sense of reverence.”

“What’s up with this classic film?”

“Looks like it’s a historical footage.”

As the video began, I saw soldiers in old military uniforms on the black-and-white screen.

That rough appearance brought to mind a moment from Earth’s history: the end of World War I.

“It was just a minor mention in the game, but this is real.”

“I didn’t think the first invasion was so long ago!”

“I’m not showing this for your entertainment. It contains hints about what to be careful of in the dungeon you’ll be visiting. Now it starts. Focus!”

The blurry focus sharpened as the video began. The camera panned to show a dark wave approaching from beyond the horizon.

Even at a low resolution, I could quickly tell it was a horde of monsters.

The camera shifted to a closer view. There were barriers of barbed wire and sharp stakes piled in front.

–TatataTatang!

The machine guns set up in the trenches rained bullets as soldiers fired their rifles. Even through the blurry footage, I could vividly feel the desperate emotions on their faces.

However, the monsters approached the trenches despite all attempts to fight back. The soldiers resisted desperately.

“Is that how they fought without being Awakened?”

The scene changed, and a shabby-looking tank rushed forward. Soldiers holding submachine guns advanced alongside. As the tank rolled forward, spewing fire, monsters fell or fled.

The scene kept changing.

A cavalry unit charging with spears attached to bombs against a monster the size of a house.

A tank firing at a squid-shaped monster.

Biplanes engaging in air combat against a giant flying monster.

Everything was new to me.

“Ugh, unbelievable. They fought monsters with such outdated weaponry?”

“Impressive.”

Watching the old soldiers in the video, I couldn’t help but be in awe. Even today, professionally trained modern Awakened Ones can die if they let their guard down. Yet these ordinary people fought against monsters stronger than humans with antiquated weapons—what an incredible tribute.

The scene changed once more.

I saw soldiers engaged in battle on a plain. As soldiers fired, hexagonal grids overlapped like tiles in front of the monsters, creating a semi-transparent barrier.

The barrier gleamed and shimmered with colorful light as it caught the rays.

The monsters soon retreated behind the barrier to reorganize and pressed forward again. Bullets of all sizes struck the barrier, erupting white sparks as they rebounded.

Giant monsters wrapped in the semi-transparent barrier continued to advance. Bombs rained down like a torrential downpour, yet the barrier deflected them like rubber balls.

“Isn’t that the barrier?”

“Seems like it.”

The instructor paused the video, pointed at me again, and asked.

“Now, I’ll ask one more question. What do you call that barrier that the monsters are using in the video?”

This time, I answered without hesitation because I knew it well.

“High-Speed Motion Barrier.”

The instructor nodded and turned around.

“Right, it’s one of the malicious techniques the monsters first displayed to obstruct existing military strategies. In the Battle of Novaastia, where the High-Speed Motion Barrier first appeared, 30,000 soldiers were slaughtered in a single day by the monster’s attack. The town was eroded and swallowed, and what remains now is the dungeon.”

He slowly continued explaining.

“You’ve probably heard about it, but that barrier deflects anything moving at a certain speed or above. To strike enemies hiding behind it from a distance without magical power, you’d have to unleash tremendous firepower, or resort to low-speed projectile weapons. If you choose the former, you’d need to mobilize artillery battalion-level firepower just to breach a barrier the size of a person. Alternatively, you could engage in close combat, but…”

Fundamentally, the physical bodies of monsters are sturdier than those of ordinary organisms, making them almost immune to disease and resistant to most toxins. What’s more, an Ether Protection envelops every part of their bodies, mitigating shock and reducing damage from all types of attacks. They won’t die from just one bullet.

Seeing all this, humanity must have thought the following:

“If one shot doesn’t work, we’ll just hit them more!”

And as humanity prepared to unleash a torrent of firepower from all kinds of creativity, the monsters countered with the High-Speed Motion Barrier.

This barrier, whose principle has yet to be elucidated, is closer to a filter than a ‘barrier.’ The moment it activates, it blocks or deflects anything trying to pass through it at high speed without magical power. High-powered beams and electricity are also blocked. Even attacks infused with magical power may be deflected if they exceed a speed threshold. Yet, it allows some necessary air and light to pass through, making it seem like a magical ability.

Due to its performance, humanity desired it as well, but I’ve heard they could only imperfectly mimic it with magic.

There are several ways to counter it. Setting aside the option of unleashing crazy amounts of gunfire, you could either go behind the barrier to eliminate the user or pierce through it with magical attacks.

The video continued. Behind the barrier, monster-sized beings fired magical projectiles or threw fireballs. Soldiers charging with bayonets fell to the attacks. Soldiers who bravely surged forward with rifles were tossed aside by the monsters.

“That’s just unreasonable? That’s totally cheating.”

Even just watching it felt utterly unfair. Monsters that don’t die from a bullet or two force humans into close combat.

“It’s better to deal rapid and powerful attacks to pierce through Ether Protection, but such attacks are blocked by the barrier. Slow attacks that are piercing-level have a hard time breaching the Ether Protection.

Slow-moving grenades or rockets can easily be dodged or intercepted. If you try to use a tank to crush them or go for boulders, it would only work in limited circumstances.”

An arrow struck a monster hiding behind the barrier, causing an explosion. As the camera turned, soldiers with bows and crossbows appeared, with large, round objects tied to their arrows.

“One reason why the first hunters used bows was precisely because of the barrier. The barrier stopped projectiles traveling at bullet speed, but allowed slower arrows or slingshots to pass through. People initially fired poisoned arrows or bombs. They also had methods of throwing grenades into the barrier.”

Saying this, Frederick pulled out a small crossbow he had slung over his back, releasing magical power. The arrow glowed white with magical energy.

“Of course, once the use of magical power became popular, people began to shoot arrows and bolts imbued with magic. That too cannot deflect magical attacks like Ether Protection. The tradition of hunters using bows and crossbows started from humanity’s struggle to counter that barrier.”

The magical energy on the arrow dissipated. The auditorium lights came back on, and the instructor began to speak to the students with his booming voice.

“I mentioned that there are hints related to the dungeon in this video. What do you think they are?”

Irene raised her hand to answer.

“I think it’s the barrier.”

“That’s correct. Monsters capable of deploying barriers reside in the Chloris Great Forest. Furthermore, just like in the video, they move intelligently.

Ah, but there’s no need to be scared. The Chloris dungeon is not a lucrative place. In other words, the number of monsters is quite low, and they’re all weaklings. Most importantly, instructors and hunters are on standby at the site. In the event of a crisis, they’re ready to deploy for rescue within five minutes.”

As the instructor continued speaking, he looked at the students with a wicked smile.

“So, if I see kids bringing firearms during the experiential learning, I’ll consider it a sign that you weren’t focused during orientation and I won’t let it slide. Understood?”

One student raised their hand with a question.

“Instructor! If speed is the issue, can’t we just use subsonic rounds?”

The instructor looked at the student with an expression of disbelief and frustration.

“Do you think nobody has ever thought of that? You might as well throw bombs, you fool.”

Frederick clicked his tongue.

I focused on the instructor as he began explaining the dungeon in earnest.

Most of it was basic stuff. Don’t get sidetracked, stay hydrated. Managing your stamina is important. Always use magical attacks against the barrier. Even when using magic, it’s easy to be deflected when attacking the barrier, so don’t move too quickly, and so on…

“A week from now, we’ll meet again here. That’s all for today.”

Now that our teams were decided, it was time to prepare a bit.

The experiential learning began a week later. There was training to do and much to check.

“Is the bag okay? Is it safe?”

“I checked again today. No one’s come near it.”

Currently, the Violets had entered the Novaastia Canyon for the last weapon test. To strengthen our abilities, we needed to play in bigger waters than this. Sure, there are places that can earn more money than here when difficulty is set aside.

“That place shouldn’t be raided, right?”

“Not at all. The area where that ruins are located can only be accessed by activating a special gimmick.”

From the responses I got, it seemed the owners of the dungeon were unaware of it. If they had been, it would have been left in the main story.

We looked around us.

“I knew it from the entrance, but it’s hard to believe this was once a city where people lived.”

“That’s how dungeons are, right?”

As the instructor mentioned, the Novaastia Canyon used to be the great city of a country, even before the invasion. However, during the war, it was eroded into the interdimensional space and disappeared, later reappearing as a dungeon.

It’s not just the Rustroom; a considerable portion of the continents in this Trist planet has already been eroded into the interdimensional, disappearing into another dimension or turning into dungeons.

Had the Federal Army built walls and mobilized troops to fend off the monsters’ onslaught and sent hunters from their clans to smash down the gates and halt expansion, the world would have been doomed long ago.

Well, it doesn’t seem like this world is about to end right now. There’s a scholarship officer, after all.

So, for now, I should focus on what I need to do. I need to bring my friends here as soon as possible.

I decided who I would give the bag to.

“Let’s give the bag to Daphne!”

“Right, it’ll help with her support abilities. She can carry around a ton of medical supplies…”

We wandered around the dungeon slowly, pondering how to plan our next moves. It’s busy, busy.