Dungeon Entrance

Having arrived at the Hartan Forest, we headed straight for the dungeon. There, as I’d been told in the tent, a professor was waiting for us with three knights.

“That’s Professor Plana from Herbal Medicine.”

Kane, seemingly pleased to see someone he knew, spoke in a slightly brighter voice.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Plana, in charge of herbal medicine. The training dungeon that Team 19 will be handling today is of a difficulty that can be cleared in 2 days at the earliest, or 4 days at the latest. Once you enter the dungeon, please use the explorer’s bag you’ve been given. You’ll be able to find hints and objectives regarding the dungeon.”

At those words, I gripped the explorer’s bag I was carrying tightly, lest I drop it.

“If you sustain injuries while exploring the dungeon, or if you feel that you can no longer continue exploring, use the explorer’s bag on the spot to set up a safe zone. Note that you only have a total of 3 safe zone installations, so you’ll need to be careful.”

As Professor Plana finished speaking, Kane raised his hand to ask a question.

“What happens if 4 days pass?”

“If 4 nights pass and it becomes the 5th day, you will automatically be taken out of the snow globe. So, everyone, don’t overdo it and get hurt, and above all, it’s important to prioritize safety and act accordingly. It’s a training dungeon, but the difficulty is… it will be a good memory.”

“I should have told my mom I loved her…”

At Professor Plana’s words, Kane mumbled a pessimistic soliloquy.

“The evaluation of this practical training will be added as bonus points to the grade test. So, even though it’s training, I hope you’ll do your best. It is essential to remember that cooperation is the most important thing in this dungeon, and do your best in your respective roles. Now, then, Team 19. If you’re ready, enter the dungeon.”

At the mention of bonus points being added to the grade test, Kane’s pessimistic soliloquy had turned into enthusiasm for the dungeon, and the other team members’ eyes sparkled.

We immediately entered the training dungeon through the stairs leading underground.

*

Standing at the dark and damp entrance of the dungeon, which had no lights, a sewer came to mind. Unlike then, I felt a little relieved that I was with my team members.

To secure visibility, I took out the torches I had prepared in advance, and Rakar and I held them up.

After descending the stairs, an empty room appeared. After Rakar finished checking for any threatening elements, we sat down on the floor.

Preparing in advance before embarking on a proper dungeon exploration was a basic thing to do. We were a hastily formed team, and we didn’t even know what abilities each other had.

In a situation where it was impossible to judge whether you could trust someone with your back, we had to at least coordinate through conversation.

“Shall we start with a simple self-introduction?”

To ease the awkward atmosphere since it was our first time meeting, I said, and everyone agreed.

“I’m Rakar of the Combat Department, in charge of the vanguard. My main weapon is a one-handed sword, and I’m also skilled in shield techniques, so I’m proficient in the vanguard position. I’ll do my best to make sure no one gets hurt in this practical training.”

As Rakar finished speaking, Aria, who was sitting next to him, immediately opened her mouth.

“I’m Aria Baldwin of the Magic Department. The magic I mainly use is fire and lightning magic. I pride myself on being one of the best in the 1st year Magic Department in terms of attack power. It’s our first time meeting, but I hope it will be a good experience for everyone.”

I had some expectations, but as expected, she was an extra who didn’t appear in the novel. Still, the students of Transcendence Academy were basically the most outstanding talents on the continent. Even if they didn’t appear in the novel, there was no need to doubt their skills.

Aria finished speaking and turned her head to Kane. Receiving her gaze, Kane gave an awkward smile and opened his mouth.

“I’m Kane. I belong to the Alchemy Department, and although this practical training is sudden, I’ve recently filled my potion bag in preparation for times like these. I’ll support you with various potions. I can also do simple attack magic and detect traps.”

Kane slightly opened the bag filled with potions, showed us the contents, and then turned his gaze to Luna with a proud face.

“Hello. I’m Luna from the Magic Engineering Department… I can use various support magic. Please take care of me.”

Seeing Luna, who was the same 1st year student as us, still finding it difficult to speak comfortably since it was our first time meeting, I thought that she must have a shy personality and continued the conversation.

“I’m Ross from the Combat Department. I mainly use a spear, and I can use simple magic.”

Since there was nothing special to talk about, I introduced myself briefly. Aria smiled widely, as if she had heard rumors about me.

“I’ve heard rumors. They say it’s magic certified by the headmaster? Then you must be a magic spearman.”

“Well, yeah. But don’t expect too much. I’ve only just taken my first steps.”

Even though I had modified basic space magic to suit me with Nelson’s help, the problem of having a small amount of mana remained the same.

I was planning not to use magic as much as possible in this dungeon. Using the space warehouse would make it easier to store the explorer’s bag and survival bag, but it was best to keep my abilities a secret until I could safely protect Patulga’s grimoire.

“Now that we’ve finished introducing ourselves, let’s check the explorer’s bag.”

As Professor Plana advised, I checked the contents of the explorer’s bag. There were various tools for exploration and a set to set up a safe zone. And I found a tray-like wooden board with letters written on it.

“What is this for?”

I took out the wooden board from the explorer’s bag and expressed my question. Aria reached out and took the wooden board.

“This is a Ouija board. I know how to use it.”

As Aria injected magic power into the Ouija board, the letters on the wooden board shone brightly, and then letters floated in the air.

– Main Objective / Eliminate the final boss of the dungeon.

– Secondary Objective / Find the bracelet somewhere in the dungeon.

“The objective is simple. We just have to catch the boss.”

Everyone nodded at Rakar’s words. I stroked my chin and asked the team members.

“What should we do about the secondary objective? If the goal is to find an item, we may have to explore the entire dungeon.”

At that question, Aria raised her hand and said.

“I think it’s important to first check what type of dungeon it is. Considering that it can be cleared in 2 days at the earliest, it may be impossible to check the entire inside of the dungeon in terms of time.”

Nodding at her valid point, Aria turned her head and asked Luna.

“Luna, can you use guide magic?”

Luna nodded at Aria’s question, got up from her seat, and took out a chalk wrapped in paper.

While watching Luna draw a magic circle on the floor, I recalled the characteristics of the Magic Engineering Department.

The Magic Engineering Department, which existed in an ambiguous position between the Magic Department and the Alchemy Department, was a truly unique department. To put it simply, it was a place where the theory of the Alchemy Department and the support magic of the Magic Department were mixed.

“Um, the food in the survival bag is only enough for 2 days. Assuming we have a maximum of 4 days to be in the dungeon, I think it’s right to skip breakfast.”

As Rakar said that after checking the contents of the survival bag, everyone nodded in agreement with a disappointed expression that there was little food.

While recalling the chocolates in the space warehouse, I was secretly grinning when the magic circle Luna drew began to emit a bright light.

While blankly watching something opaque escape from the light and seep into the walls and ground, the light that illuminated the magic circle soon disappeared.

“I found out. This dungeon is… a maze type.”

“Oh, I think we should give up on the secondary mission? A maze-type dungeon of all things, is that why they said it would take at least 2 days?”

Kane sighed with a face that showed he was annoyed, and Luna continued, as if she hadn’t finished speaking yet.

“And… I think it’s mixed with a stage type. There are rooms in between.”

As Luna finished speaking, Aria sighed.

“As expected, they’re planning to give us memories to remember.”

It was the worst combination. Maze-type dungeons were difficult to find your way around due to all sorts of traps and optical illusions, and above all, it took a lot of time. Considering that there were stages that had to be cleared to proceed, it was obvious that we would have a hard time.

“The secondary objective is… let’s just check the places we pass by, and give up if we can’t find it.”

I nodded at Aria’s words. If we searched and wandered around the maze-like dungeon one by one to find the bracelet, there could be an absurd situation where we couldn’t find the boss for 4 days.

“Since Kane can detect traps, how about making the formation Rakar, Kane, Aria, Luna, and me in the rear?”

Rakar, who nodded at my suggestion, said.

“Okay, and if an enemy appears, let’s watch them at first rather than attacking first. We might make mistakes because we’re not in sync, and I want to see how good Aria’s magic is.”

Everyone agreed with Rakar’s words and got up from their seats. We put on our bags, picked up the torches fixed on the floor, and stood behind Luna.

“Let’s go!”

Starting with Rakar’s shout, we began our dungeon exploration.

*

Not knowing when an enemy would appear, we maintained our tension and continued to walk forward.

The dungeon looked like a cave that someone had artificially dug out.

“Huh? There’s something ahead.”

Everyone tensed up at Rakar’s words and looked ahead. Rakar continued to move forward, wondering if an enemy had appeared.

“There’s a bridge to cross the cliff. It’s like a stone bridge… There’s a raccoon on the other side.”

“A raccoon…?”

Puzzled by the sudden appearance of the raccoon, we looked ahead. As Rakar said, there was a large stone bridge that everyone could cross at once, and a raccoon.

The raccoon was holding up a large piece of paper with numbers written on it from the other side, as if it were soliciting customers.

“It looks like it says 3?”

We began to discuss what the meaning of the number 3 could be.

“Could it be that 3 people cross the bridge at once? First, 3 people arrive on the other side, and 1 person comes back to bring 2 people.”

Kane refuted Aria’s plausible words.

“It could be that you have to cross in 3 seconds.”

“The bridge is a bit long for that, isn’t it?”

Rakar shot down Kane’s refutation. It certainly seemed impossible to cross the bridge in 3 seconds.

“Then, as Aria said, how about we try crossing 3 people at a time? Luna and I will stay here.”

Everyone agreed with my suggestion, and Rakar, who was at the very front, started walking across the stone bridge.

At that moment, the number 1 floated in the air above the raccoon’s head, and both sides of the stone bridge began to collapse slightly.

“Wh, what is it?”

Thinking that a trap had been activated due to the sudden change, Rakar hurriedly pulled his body back.

Then, the bridge, which had been gradually shrinking on both sides, stopped.

Aria, who was watching the scene, said.

“Do 3 people have to get on at once?”

“Maybe. Let’s try it.”

Rakar, Aria, and Kane tensed up and simultaneously put one foot on the bridge, and the number 3 floated above the raccoon’s head.

Kane, relieved to see that the bridge was not shrinking, put both feet on the bridge. The number changed to 4, and the bridge began to shrink.

“Ugh! Wh, what!”

Kane, surprised, fell backward and got off the bridge. Rakar and Aria also hurriedly stepped back.

“I guess this isn’t it either…?”

Aria said in an uneasy voice at the sight of the stone bridge, which had been reduced by half from the beginning.

What could be the secret of the bridge? While we were pondering, Luna, who had been quietly watching, suddenly opened her mouth.

“I, I know.”

“Really?”

Aria was surprised and turned around to look at Luna.

“It’s not 3 people, it’s 3 feet. 3 feet must be touching the stone bridge.”

Everyone immediately understood Luna’s explanation. Most of these problems are difficult until you hear the explanation. But once you hear a simple hint or explanation, you immediately understand.

“Then let’s have one person stand on the bridge, and one person use one foot to cross.”

That way, there would be 3 feet on the bridge. According to my suggestion, I, the rearguard, stood on the bridge first, and Rakar crossed the bridge one foot at a time.

When moving, I was worried that the bridge would shrink when I briefly took one foot off, but it was a fleeting moment, so it seemed that the bridge would not completely collapse until we crossed.

Thanks to that method, everyone safely crossed the stone bridge, and the raccoon danced happily. Just as we were about to breathe a sigh of relief that we had solved the first problem, the raccoon suddenly let out a scream-like sound, *ppaeaehk-*!

While we were panicking at the raccoon’s actions of screaming so loudly that our ears hurt, Rakar suddenly cut off the raccoon’s neck with his sword.

“Wh, what are you doing!”

Aria shouted, surprised by Rakar’s actions. Aria’s shock was even greater because she had been watching the dancing raccoon with her guard down, thinking it was cute.

While I was also watching with surprised eyes at Rakar’s sudden actions, Rakar, who swung his sword and shook off the blood on the blade, said in a low voice.

“…Too late.”

No sooner had Rakar finished speaking than a bizarre sound spread through the walls of the cave.

“*Kereureuk-*!”

From the numerous footsteps and cries, we realized that goblins were approaching.