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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Among the legends passed down in the world of ‘Planetarium’ were tales of an ancient civilization that once ruled the continent.
In an era when the Star Gods were far more intertwined with human lives than they are now, a nation named Asteros prospered under their celestial blessings.
The remnants of this civilization, which met an unknown end, were scattered across the continent.
Among them were structures, partially functional even today due to powerful magic, known as “dungeons.”
As befitting the legacy of a once-great power, these ancient facilities were filled with guardians, traps, and, of course, treasures.
“So, let’s go loot a dungeon.”
“…”
Regret stared at me, speechless, then sighed.
“You’re not going to listen even if I say no, are you?”
“You need new equipment. And we might find other useful stuff while we’re at it.”
“You make it sound like we’re going grocery shopping.”
“It’s better than grocery shopping. We get free stuff.”
Regret crossed her arms.
“What about the academy?”
“I have those professor rewards from last time. I can skip a few days of classes with my share.”
Did I care about wasting the rewards? Not really.
Professor Neville Briggs could teach me some useful inscription techniques, but honestly, a new skill wouldn’t make much of a difference to my current fighting style.
Dungeon raiding, on the other hand, offered exponential gains.
Given the choice between a reward worth 5 points and one worth 1 to 50 points, the latter was the obvious choice.
Regret finally nodded, and I started looking for other candidates.
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Fiore Midas
“I’m sorry, Oppa. It sounds fun, but the Support department has a mandatory intensive training program for the next few weeks. I can’t afford to fall behind.”
“Intensive training?”
“Professor Lorraine said we’ll be experimenting with various techniques beyond basic healing, like buffs, mana sharing, and stuff, to discover our specialties.”
“I see…can’t be helped then.”
Just as Combat students specialized in different weapons like swords, spears, and bows, and Magic students specialized in different elements, Support students also branched into different specialties as they advanced.
Some focused purely on healing, while others utilized White Light’s unique properties to enhance themselves and their allies, though not as effectively as Crimson Light’s reinforcement.
It was like transitioning from a basic class to an advanced class.
As important as dungeon diving was, I couldn’t ask Fiore to skip this training.
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Pino
“Hey Pino, I was wondering—”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“Fiore told me everything. Does the word ‘dungeon’ sound like a walk in the park to you? It’s been less than a week since I almost died in that insane group project, and now you want me to risk my life again? No way.”
“You didn’t almost die. The bracelet absorbed the damage.”
“Then why don’t you try falling from the sky and breaking your neck?!”
“M-money! I’ll pay you handsomely!”
“Get away from me, you money-grubbing fiend!”
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Lavaul
“Lavaul, I have a great opportunity for you.”
“I apologize, Lord Chrom. Sage-nim lectured me extensively about not falling for your schemes. Please find someone else.”
“You should make your own decisions, not just follow Pino’s lead.”
“…Sage-nim said, ‘It was nice of you to save me from the ambush, but did you have to throw me so high? I felt like a sack of potatoes. What if you used me as a projectile? What’s the point of dodging a blade if you’re just going to get thrown to my death?’”
“…”
“Anyway, I’m afraid she’ll haunt my dreams if I disobey, so please excuse me.”
“Uh, r-right. Good luck.”
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Crow Vein’s friend
“Hey, Chrom Midas. Congrats on winning. Looking for Crow?”
“Thanks. Do you know where he is?”
“He’s been running off to the mountains after class every day, holed up somewhere. Haven’t been able to talk to him.”
“Why the mountains?”
“He said he’s training to avenge his loss. Said he won’t come back until he masters a secret technique.”
“…While still making curfew and attending classes?”
“He doesn’t want to be beaten to death by Professor Istal.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
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The Academy Infirmary’s Medical Report posted on Lotto’s door
[Due to poor physical condition and emotional instability, it is recommended that the patient refrain from overly stimulating or mentally taxing activities.]
“…”
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“I’ve spent so much money on them! And now they’re all betraying me?!”
Regret, watching my outburst, quietly commented,
“Maybe trying to buy friends with money wasn’t such a great idea in the first place.”
Ouch, that stings.
Damn it, should I lower my expectations for the dungeon?
I had originally planned to target a specific dungeon, one that played a significant role in the original story.
It was a location targeted by “Star,” one of the three main antagonist organizations in ‘Planetarium’, the one most closely associated with the Star Gods.
Securing it before they did would give me a huge advantage in a certain scenario that would unfold in about six months.
But I was short on manpower.
I needed someone on par with Pino or Crow, even if not as strong as Regret…
“What’s wrong? Having trouble finding people?”
A surprisingly boisterous voice, coming from a petite girl.
Akasha, a long-haired girl with a greatsword as tall as herself strapped to her back, waved at me.
“Fiore said you might need some help with a dungeon. She told me to talk to you and Regret. Need some extra hands?”
I was relieved, but also confused.
“Thanks, but you’re a Support student too, right? Shouldn’t you be in that intensive training?”
That was the reason I hadn’t approached her, despite her being one of the participants in my shopping spree extravaganza and a proven asset as the youngest paladin in the temple.
“It’s fine. Fiore and the others are still figuring things out, but I’ve already found my style.”
She tapped the hilt of her massive greatsword.
Unlike most Support students, who wore light clothing for ease of healing and carried little more than a staff or a dagger, Akasha was clad in armor and wielded a weapon that would make even a Combat student envious.
Not that I was complaining.
Considering our destination, her presence was a godsend.
Good job, Fiore. I’ll make sure to return the favor.
“So, it’s just the three of us?”
Regret asked.
I shook my head.
While this was enough firepower, I wanted more.
Strictly speaking, I didn’t have any personal relationship with him.
Our connection was purely based on my knowledge of the game.
But I had a safety net now.
It wouldn’t hurt to try.
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If someone you’d never spoken to, never had a friendly interaction with, and even fought against, suddenly approached you with a job offer, you’d probably think,
‘What’s his angle?’
And Chase, a Combat student at the academy and a hunter from the remote region known as the Black Mountains, was no exception.
“…So, you want to hire me for a dungeon raid?”
“Exactly. I’ll pay you well. What do you say?”
‘What should I say? What the hell?’
Chase was baffled.
What kind of thought process led to this conclusion?
What did this boy even know about him?
“Why me? There are plenty of skilled students. And if you can’t find anyone suitable, you can always hire mercenaries outside the academy.”
It was a perfectly reasonable question, and Chrom Midas answered calmly,
“Finding someone better than a hunter from the Black Mountains, with extensive knowledge of traps, experience fighting monsters, and considerable combat skills, would be difficult.”
‘…So, he did his homework. He didn’t just pick me at random.’
Chase decided to hear him out.
“Which dungeon are you targeting? You know that dungeons of a certain size and value are controlled by the state, right? Raiding smaller dungeons isn’t very profitable.”
Chrom’s answer was a single word.
“New.”
Chase’s eyes sharpened.
Chrom was claiming to know the location of an undiscovered dungeon.
“Did you find a treasure map? I’d rather not waste my time on a wild goose chase.”
“Don’t underestimate a nouveau riche family. We have better intel than the nobles when it comes to making money.”
It wasn’t the Midas family’s intel, but Chrom’s own knowledge from the game, but Chase didn’t know that.
Hesitation flickered in his eyes.
A new dungeon was like an unopened treasure chest, promising untold riches.
But it also came with significant risks.
One couldn’t enter unprepared—
‘…But with this team, it might be possible.’
This party included Regret, who had fought two of Princess Lyla’s teammates while simultaneously deflecting his own arrows.
And the fact that they were officially sanctioned by the academy was a significant safety net.
He doubted this hellhole of a school would send a rescue party, but if a student went missing on an officially approved expedition, Chrom Midas would be held responsible.
It was a safeguard against the common mercenary practice of eliminating partners after finding the treasure.
Feeling the scales tip in favor of accepting, Chase asked,
“What’s the pay?”
“One-sixth of the treasure.”
“One-sixth for four people? We don’t even know how much treasure there is.”
“I’m the only one who knows the location. That has to be factored in.”
Chase considered the offer.
Even a mid-tier dungeon would yield a decent profit…
“How about this?”
Chrom offered.
“I’ll give you one-fifth of the treasure and one gold coin upfront. But I get all the Cubes.”
“Cubes? Are you serious?”
“I’m a lucky guy.”
Chase struggled to hide his amusement.
He didn’t care about those useless Cubes.
And even if the dungeon turned out to be a bust, one gold coin was enough to support a single person for ten months.
It was a win-win situation for him.
“Alright, I’m in.”
“Let’s make some money, Hunter.”
As they shook hands, both wearing satisfied smiles, Regret thought,
‘Another victim of his scams.’
Chrom often complained about his “damn father,” but the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
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[T/N: Regret is basically that loyal wife who knows all her husband’s dirty little secrets… and still has his back, lol]
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Best Waifu! A Waifu with Kaifu