Scalpers and Upper Classes

From Akira's perspective

Time flew by, and the day of the Dungeon Exploration event finally arrived.

"Special seats, how about this price?" a man with a belly band called out as he hawked tickets.

"Are there scalpers here!?" I exclaimed in surprise, to which Sonata responded with a wink.

"Well, it's a nationally watched event, the pinnacle of student competitions after all."

"I'm not entirely sure what it all means, but in Japan, it would be like the Koshien or Hakone Ekiden, or maybe like the Super Bowl in America..."

I inadvertently used comparisons that wouldn't make sense to the inhabitants of this fantasy world.

Nobody here could correct me even if I said 'Super Bowl' which isn't a student event.

The plan was for the senior and intermediate classes of the first years to start at 10 AM simultaneously, while we, the junior class first-years, would start at 11 AM.

The highlight of this event was undoubtedly the 3 PM start for the senior third-years; we were essentially just a warm-up act.

"It would be nice if the upper classes starting an hour earlier could clear out the monsters for us," I mentioned hopefully.

Allegro shook his head and laughed. "Ha! It's not that easy. The monsters respawn in about one to two minutes after being defeated."

Disappointed by this MMORPG-like system, I persisted.

"But that means we have one to two minutes of bonus time, right?"

"Exactly," Elize chimed in.

"During the one to two minutes the monsters take to respawn, known as the Monster Interval or 'Monta' for short, that's when the strategic maneuvering among competitors takes place. You'll see the upper and middle classes start soon, so it'll be good to watch."

As she explained, an announcement came through.

"Upper and middle class students, please gather at the start line as your start time is approaching."

Students adorned with dragon and phoenix badges crowded the start line, engaging deeply in warm-ups, meditation, stretching, and vocal exercises, while some sipped on jelly drinks.

Their footwear was light, made by sports brands, truly embodying the essence of sport.

The atmosphere was charged with tension.

I heard some students had enrolled in this school specifically for this day.

As the magic monitors displaying the race drew crowds of all ages, the tense moment began.

The sound of a pistol marked the start.

All students rushed towards the dungeon's entrance, scrambling through the narrow gateway like zombies.

"This race favors those who lead. The further back you are, the worse the dungeon conditions get, and weird monsters might spawn, so everyone wants to be in the leading group," Elize explained.

"Got it," I said.

Being from Yamanashi, a snowy region, I recalled watching similar sports during the Winter Olympics.