Chapter 238:

Dungeon Stampede 2.0 Intense Struggles

The heavy machinery fighters were out picking Dokudami for making tinctures.

Experience counts, but among the baby boomers, some were simply lucky to ride the wave of rapid economic growth, mistaking it for their own prowess, and ended up as nothing but boastful, incompetent middle-aged men.

However, the heavy machinery fighters were a cut above the rest and showed it brilliantly.

[Heeyo! Heeyo! Chichichichi…!]

Under the clear, sunny sky, I joined them for a tea break.

The spot was outdoors, right behind the janitor’s room. It was a little open space with a small garden and an incinerator, a hidden relaxation spot within the school, invisible from the playground.

The group included the heavy machinery fighters, some old ladies, and high school girls who were helping out.

These old ladies, it turns out, were once notorious for eating plants around the school grounds. They devoured everything from edible clovers and mugwort to lilies blooming on campus.

But feeling guilty, they volunteered to help pick Dokudami when the heavy machinery fighters started gathering it for medicinal purposes.

Well, if they helped the people protecting the school, they could justify picking some clover and mugwort along the way.

“Mmm, this is delicious!”

“Absolutely! It tastes just like sea urchin!”

Right now, the giant dried clam strips I offered as snacks were getting rave reviews from the old ladies.

I made them thin, like dried squid, thinking that the texture might make even monster meat more palatable.

But somehow, when the bitter Dokudami tea meets the umami of the giant clam strips in the mouth, it turns into a rich sea urchin flavor.

Yes, supplies are running low, so we’re drinking homemade Dokudami tea since we’re out of regular tea.

Of course, the tea is intensely bitter, so everyone is drinking it diluted. But strangely enough, this diluted Dokudami tea pairs perfectly with the giant dried clam strips.

“Tasty, right?”

“(Aaaahh!!)”

Just then, we heard a distant scream.

“(Aaaahh!!)”

““(Aaaahh!!)””

“““Aaaahh!!”””

When one high school girl screams, it seems to resonate with the others, and soon, a huge wave of screams rippled through the area.

“Hm, could it be…!?”

“Hey! Could it be… an underground attack!?”

The heavy machinery leader quickly picked up on my concern, sparked by the screams within the school.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine any monster making it past the Pixies’ alert system on the surface. But if there’s screaming on campus, it might mean an attack from underground!”

“Hey, that’s bad news, kid!”

“Leader, get your machinery ready! I’m going to check out the scene!”

“Got it! Everyone, run to the excavator now!”

““Got it!””

Everyone sprang to their feet and started running like arrows.

Damn… This is a classic defensive scenario. I was on guard, but there’s no way to fully prepare for an underground attack. If it is an underground attack, this school is completely defenseless…

(Please, let it be something else…!)

Avoiding the panicked students and tracing the source of the screams, I couldn’t help but pray.