Nightcore - White Rabbit by Egypt Central

POV Anna

A few days have passed since the festival and the lack of activity left a bitter taste in my mouth. There are no big distractions to focus on, just the old boring school life and my worries. Worries that we are being delusional, that we have lost not only Mari's helpers but a person too. Worries that things are turning out to be too much for us to handle.

"Mayumi: Anna, stop spacing out and start taking. You'll have to do it sooner or later."

There is also this little annoyance right in front of me. Mayumi has asked to talk, and I didn't see a reason to refuse something so simple, until she brought up the topic for discussion.

'It's one thing after another. Haaa... This situation was already discussed with everyone, so I'll follow the script.'

"Anna: How many are pushing for answers?"

"Mayumi: Hmm.. pushing is a strong word, but I'd say around 10 girls are serious. You should have noticed that a lot more are curious and have taken the wait and see approach. Admittedly, some believe that the use of illicit substances is at play. Only those that don't know shit, mind you."

I can see her distaste for those unfounded accusations from a mile away and I agree wholeheartedly.

'Yeah, that's a bad assumption to make without any evidence. I'd beat them to a bloody pulp myself if someone said it to my face.'

I reassure her that none of us are using any sort of drugs to enhance physical performance. It is actually the truth, so I can proclaim it loudly and with confidence. Though as expected, I can't give a direct answer to her questions, not right now anyway.

"Anna: I will admit that we weren't exactly low-key."

She actually snorted at me! Followed by a list of incidents when someone from our group acted out of the ordinary. Some of those "incidents" I hadn't heard anything about.

'Yumi! Tai! Those two miscreants! How do they manage to find the time for causing trouble in the first place? If I get the chance, I'll change Tai's ninja class to a prankster! That would be a more fitting description for her antics!'

The evidence is both damning and embarrassing to hear, making me wish to knock some sense into those two. Meiko hasn't been very discreet either and Risa was throwing around killing intent like it was on summer sale. I'm forced to blush upon hearing all of that and surrender to her.

"Anna: Alright already, you've made your point! Try keeping that prankster out of trouble yourself! I can't be glued to her hip 24/7! Haa... This isn't the best time for an explanation."

I stand to refill our tea and mentally prepare myself for what comes next.

"You've heard stories about people that have dedicated their lives to meditation, self-improvement and religious stuff, claiming that they have found something special? Something that propelled them to great heights? ... The short of it is that they are somewhat right, but that special something is very, very, very lacking around our planet. What we have access to is a place where that energy is abundant. Abundant enough to coalesce into soulless monsters that kill anything living in sight."

As I say the last words, I push my mana outward, igniting everything that I can keep under control. The resulting mixture of raw mana, skills and a drop of bloodlust is potent enough to crack our teacups and have Mayumi visibly struggling to breathe.

"This isn't the best time for an explanation because we haven't recovered after suffering casualties. Seeing your comrades die so that you can live isn't something that classroom lesson can prepare you for."

I pull back my mana into a stable circulation. This type of exercise is helpful training for big moves that require a lot of mana and do widespread damage. Totally inadequate for precise control, as evident by my cracked cups. I tried to keep everything under control, but now I can only lament the loss of my favourite cup while Mayumi takes a moment to pull herself together.

"Mayumi: Haaa.. haa... You have wings... Haa.. Had wings, for a moment. ... I'll be damned... didn't expect this... to be honest. ... Is it like the Isekai thing that the boys all dream about?"

It's obvious that she wanted to ask about the dangers and chose otherwise upon seeing my mood. I'm relieved that she decided to focus on the light-hearted aspects for now. She has good character and was the person I've suggested we get on our side first.

"Anna: More sci-fi in my opinion, you know that saying: any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

We take a minute to settle down again. I can tell that Mayumi is thinking deeply about the bare minimum that I'm allowed to disclose. She must have reached a conclusion and went for a direct question soon after.

"Mayumi: So? What's your game plan? If you aren't keeping your silence to the end, then that means you all have made a decision?"

"Anna: It would have been better to keep the information an absolute secret, but.. well... you have already pointed out how that turned out. `Sigh. In a month, we will hold a test for those who want to get involved. An extensive lecture on why things need to be kept on the down-low will be included. A full list of benefits and the consequences is prepared too, last I checked it was five pages long."

"Mayumi: I see. Just to add a bit of safety margin, I'll talk to the girls during this time. We know most of them quite well from the past two years, but you never truly know a person's deep down inner self. Not even ourselves. ... Then, which one of you is the Monk? I don't believe that anyone was wearing any monk-type clothes."

We delve into some light discussions about game like scenarios: where it's similar and where it can catastrophically fail you. I didn't know that she was into games before moving on to kick ass in real life.

'I think... I may have welcomed an avid gamer to our group. How did this not come up during the last two years? We were in the same class for the whole first year!'

She is a good person, a bit more enthusiastic than I initially thought, but a good person nonetheless. I'm forced to answer most of her questions with a "I don't know", because I really don't know how or why anything works, just that it does. This turned into a very long Q&A session and at one point, I debated with myself if using mana to shoo her away will cause her to ask even more questions instead of leaving my room.

'Please become a reliable person again! I can't deal with another loose cannon like Tai.'

Sin Shake Sin - Can't Go To Hell

POV Mari

"Mari: The quality hasn't improved?"

"Juliana: No. As I've detailed in my reports, I don't have the perception, or skills, or whatever to make the high-grade potions. It was somewhat doable with supervision, mostly because I didn't need to make everything myself."

`Sigh. I continue to take inventory of our supplies. The losses of that day are felt with everything from a simple craving for snacks to expedition management. Our safety margin has decreased with the absence of new high-grade potions being made. They were one of the reasons that I have survived that dreadful poison in the first place.

'In hindsight, Kate was correct that we needed another person capable of fulfilling the supporting role.'

"Juliana: What are your thoughts on the respawned boss dinosaur? Are we going to pummel it to mish?"

"Mari: That... Hmm... Yes, I think that most of us want to get payback for last time. We should bring Haruka with us to have a solid safety net and to let her get to the next level."

I'll be lying if said that I wasn't interested in sending an arrow through that thing's head. With our improvements since we had that pathetic battle with it, I have a hunch that it will go down even before each of us has the chance to deliver a serious, all-out attack. Upon my mentioning of payback, Juliana has that feral look in her eyes, screaming for violence and destruction.

"We will bring it up during today's meeting."

The discussion is finished there, and we carry on with taking the inventory. I need to be completely certain that we have replaced all the lost supplies and have everything that may be needed at the ready.

'Were those basilisks also boss monsters or were they something else?'

The boss monster has respawned after around 25-30 days. We were preoccupied and haven't checked that area all that often, so the exact number of days is unclear. Not to mention that the perpetually frozen floor is popular with none of us and was mainly visited only twice a week for gathering supplies.

As long as we have someone constantly watching the sky, we could safely traverse the fourth floor. However, Father has been adamant in voicing his disapproval, and I don't feel that the time is right for us to go back to lengthy expeditions either.

'We haven't exhausted our potential to its limit. There is plenty we could improve upon for another month at the very least.'

This is a line playing on everyone's mind. The drive for self-improvement calling out to us. The whispers of defeat stroking the flames even more. ...We accepted it wholeheartedly. Focusing all of our free time on training.

'Our supplies aren't lacking anything at the moment. I'd say that there is surplus of spare items for emergency situations.'

With all the construction and renovation going on, it was easy to get everything delivered here without anyone's notice. At the end of my inspection, I've confirmed that we are fully stocked on everything and that we can continue delving as soon as we deem it fit to do so.

.. .

That evening, we have gathered together for a meeting. Both Anna and I have given notice that an important topic will be brought to everyone's attention. Feeling that my information will get a heated response, I ask to speak up last.

"Anna: Kuhum! I'll start by apologizing to everyone on behalf of Tai and Yumi...and Meiko. Sorry, we've got students seriously asking questions about our abilities."

'That was unavoidable, considering all the attention we were getting.'

Meiko has a clueless look on her face, asking how she was involved in this. Sometimes, she can be cutely oblivious about how much she stands out. We postpone that particular explanation for later and continue with the matter at hand.

"We'll have Mayumi keeping things secret for the next month, while also checking how trustworthy the girls are. It would be best for us to do the same. ... Are we going ahead with the new club idea?"

"Kate: Yes. Having strong ties to more people will reduce the risks posed by the new members. It may sound bad, but we will operate as a secret sisterhood from that point onwards. History has plenty of examples of how not to do things, I believe that we can make this work for as long as we play our cards right and test each individual."

This is one of the scenarios that we have planned for, so there is no real surprise or tension. Moreover, there is obvious relief that we have a whole month to prepare. We iron out a few details while we are at it and slowly move to the last topic for the day. I cut straight to the heart of the news.

"Mari: The third-floor boss has respawned."

The response is a unanimous leaking of bloodlust and tightening of fists. No-one is afraid of that oversized mushroom-dinosaur, there is only eagerness to go for round two.

"Risa: I'll cut it, I've promised to cut off its limbs."

"Meiko: I'll beat it into the ground with its own tail."

"Tai: Will the scales remain if we peel them off while it's still alive? We should collect plenty of samples."

"Kate: It's not exactly animal abuse, but let us not go overboard. A few dozen scales while it's alive and a dozen when it's dead will suffice, we do need new samples."

'As I feared, they are out for blood.'

"Mari: We will take this chance to get Haruka leveled up and...a few helpers that want to replace the fallen."

This pourer cold water over their heads and allowed us to get back on track. Right now, it is time for cold and calculated assessment of the situation, and not for hot-blooded promises of violence. 

Comparing our schedules and personal plans gives us a decently good number of options but upon further consideration we have decided to take another week to conduct more experiments in the dungeon.

There has been a breakthrough in keeping the dungeon from eating our things. Accidental and barely noticeable, but tangible progress that can be expanded upon. Perhaps we may really take those scales back with us instead of the dungeon breaking them down into mana.

... .. .

"Haruka: Uuuu... I don't like this freezing cold."

"Juliana: You'll get used to it in a minute once we start moving."

It's night time back on Earth, so some of us aren't fully awake. By the time we get to the boss monster any sleepiness will definitely disappear. 

This little "walk" is a better option than jumping straight into the fight from the floor below, or so we decided. At the very least, we don't have to suffer through the snowstorm.

"Caw. CAW caw."

'Two groups close to our positions.'

We have gotten better at communicating, not as good as he could, but I can understand the main point perfectly fine without any clarification. I forward the information, and we pick off the apple monsters even before they get close.

"Haruka: I honestly hoped to never see those things again. They are not ugly per se, however the way they move just screams giant spider to me."

"Yumi: They are easier to squash than the little spiders, though I wouldn't want to have bugs this bit anywhere near our house."

Thanks to our increased abilities we can move much easier over this snow. All except Haruka, who hasn't been training for engaging in combat. A snow sled remedies that problem and also holds the loot we inevitably gather along the way.

'Good thing Father had added this to our delivery. I didn't deem it necessary for us and forgot to account for anyone untrained like Haruka.'

.. .

POV Haruka

"Haruka: IT'S HUGE! That's an actual dinosaur sized monster! Are you certain that you all can take it down? You know that I can't fight, right?"

'It's the size of small a building! It looks damn intimidating with all those spikes and armour.'

"Mari: Hmm... Maybe it will last one hit? I don't think that it will be standing after the second one."

'Like hell it will!! That thing is massive! It could crush us into meat paste by stepping once! ONCE!'

I should have stayed home. They didn't even bring any rockets or anything! Fighting this monster is a bad idea, and I can't stay silent about it.

"Mari: Begin."

'Oh...' I didn't make it in time to make them retreat, or say anything really. I can only watch as the girls start this uneven battle.

Most of them rush in, covering over 200 m in a matter of seconds.

I watch as Risa, Meiko and Yumi increase their speed and confront the monstrosity from the front...

`CRASH!!

...And the largest beast I've seen in my life fell like a sack of rise. I haven't been able to tell what the hell happened in that second. I can only see the aftermath of their confrontation.

Two of its legs and the tail have been completely severed. A loud `Thud noise made its head crash into the ground, with the rest of the body following behind shortly. This display of brutally has left me rooted in place, trying to make sense of the scene before me.

'They... How are they doing this? ...What kind of nightmarish monsters are they facing below this floor? ...What the hell can almost kill these super-humans?'

I don't have an illusion that I'll survive anything that can put a scratch on any of them. The best I can do is being able to heal them back up and give it my all to talk them out of doing stupid thing.

'...I need to read all those reports more carefully to understand what the hell is going on. It feels like my common sense is lagging behind.'

I almost feel sorry for the monster. It has been completely cut and crushed into pieces. Some of the girls gather the scales and bring them over to us.

"Haruka: Mmm..what are you doing?"

Mari and Miss Juliana are holding the scales for a few seconds, then putting them down into a separate pile.

"Mari: I guess that you haven't read that report yet. In short, we are pumping our mana into these so that the dungeon doesn't deconstruct them together with the rest of the monster. ... It needs practice and delicate control. The two of us use the smallest weapons and have trained fine control the most. I've noticed that my arrows last a bit longer before being digested by the dungeon if I pump them full of my mana. A week of experiments has given us some better data points."

'I really should be reading those things more seriously. Even if it's written to be as boring as possible.'

The papers written by Mari are very detailed and full of references to other reports. When you sit down and take your time with it, everything becomes clear and easy to follow. On the other hand, looking at a separate paper without knowing the previous ones confused me to no end. Reading a student's coursework is easier than figuring out all the jargon they use to describe these alien phenomenon.

'Oooh! MMMMmmm! This... tingling..mmmm. Ok... Mmmm.. Why does it have to feel this good? Haaa... I've leveled up.'

I didn't want to look at the dying monster, choosing to turn around and talk instead. It died at some point, and we've got the experience a few minutes later.

"Mari: It worked. All the parts that we have left untouched are gone, and the ones we did inject with our mana are intact. No deviation with the data gathered from the normal monsters."

"Haruka: I feel that my mana capacity has increased."

'Yeah, that sounds much better than "I feel horny from the level up". Tch, stop with that knowing grin.'

Miss Juliana gives me a subtle look, daring me to rephrase that sentence. I ignore it and let my body cool down for a minute.

'`Sigh. I'll need to do more practice and improve my own skills.'

The rest of the delve is finished in a few minutes. I easily climb down a rope from a cold, slippery cave to a tropical island. This could have been a tourist destination save for all the killer monsters.