chapter_0073

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
73

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
73

“You prepared well.”

Luca spoke in an admiring tone
as he observed Arthur’s group completing the first-floor strategy.

“For freshmen to clear a
dungeon this well…”

It was pure admiration, not
sarcasm or mockery.

As a Combat Studies professor
who had been at the academy for several years, Luca had encountered
many freshmen.

Among them, there were many
who were labelled as promising or geniuses.

However, none had shown such
outstanding performance in their first dungeon raid.

That was only natural.

The most important aspect of
dungeon raiding is experience.

No matter how much knowledge
one possesses, without the experience to utilise it, what meaning
does it have?

No matter how long one has
worked together, no matter how much information one has gathered
about the dungeon, no matter how many supplies one has prepared, if
one cannot use them properly, what’s the point?

But this group was different.

These three, centred around
Arthur, demonstrated a level of skill that reminded Luca of the
academy’s upperclassmen.

“It’s because the prince
prepared well,” said the priest, Matthew, to which Jack nodded in
agreement.

However, Arthur, the recipient
of the praise, didn’t look particularly pleased.

“There were too many minor
mistakes. We could’ve reduced the time even more.”

Although the difficulty of the
first floor was relatively easy, they had managed to clear it in
about 30 minutes, yet he was still not satisfied.

Such ambition.

No wonder he’s considered a
genius despite his lacking background.

Having confirmed that Arthur
was indeed a promising talent, Luca smiled deeply to himself.

‘There are many interesting
people among this year’s freshmen.

The three people here are
remarkable.

Lady Kent, Lady Partan, the
Saint, and on top of that, Lucy Allen.

Just by looking at the
standouts right now, there are already this many, and even more who
have not yet bloomed.

It is rewarding to have the
title of professor.’

“Prince, there’s no need to
be too rushed. How could Lucy Allen be faster than us?”

Jack’s suggestion to take it a
bit more leisurely made Luca nod in agreement.

No matter how talented Lucy
Allen may be, she is still a freshman.

She hasn’t prepared as
rigorously as Arthur has.

Nor has she formed a party
with people more talented than this group. How could she possibly be
faster?

“No, there is no room for
complacency in a competition. An overwhelming victory is better than
a careless defeat. Let’s go.”

However, Arthur shook his head
at those words.

Even knowing they have the
upper hand, he does not let his guard down.

‘Such talent and
determination.

If he had been born of a
proper lineage not as an illegitimate child, the kingdom would have
prospered.’

Luca thought as he followed
behind Arthur and his group.

‘Lady Allen, I believe this
match will be your defeat. You possess greater talent than the Third
Prince, but unfortunately, your arrogance has led to your downfall.

Will you crumble from the
humiliation of this defeat, or will you grow stronger?

Given the bloodline of the
Allen Family, the latter seems more likely, though I would prefer the
former.

A person who has fallen
becomes more susceptible to temptation.’

Bisi’s face, hanging onto
Lucy’s shoulder like a heavy load, was pale.

There were various issues at
hand.

First, Lucy Allen’s speed was
so fast it seemed to rival that of a carriage horse.

Second, there was no sense of
stability due to being draped over her shoulder.

Most importantly, the issue
was that Lucy Allen was undertaking all sorts of bizarre actions as
if she had forgotten she was carrying Bisi.

Like now.

Lucy Allen didn’t stop when
she saw the dullahan blocking their path; she ran straight ahead.

When the dullahan raised his
axe, she swiftly dodged backward.

Bang!

As the axe crashed into the
ground with enough force to split a person in half, Lucy Allen dashed
past the dullahan and moved forward.

Lucy Allen repeatedly
performed such death-defying stunts as if they were routine.

Given this, Bisi couldn’t help
but feel both mentally and physically uncomfortable, even hanging
onto Lucy’s shoulder.

Considering that she hadn’t
vomited yet, she deserves some praise.

“Lady Allen! Could you
please go a bit more safely?!”

“Be quiet. You’re such a
worrywart. We’re not going to die, so why are you so scared? Are you
a little kid who wets the bed because you’re afraid to go to the
bathroom at night?”

Bisi pleaded, but Lucy Allen’s
response was firm.

“Don’t you know that no
one dies here?”

“Even if we know that,
it’s still scary! Isn’t it strange to move around as if you don’t
care about your life like you do?! You crazy delinquent!”

Bisi grumbled inwardly and
sighed.

‘At least she’s not
leaving me behind.

Compared to Lady Kent, I’m
practically just dead weight.

Lady Allen is a monster, but
Lady Kent is no pushover either.

How can I keep up with this
troll-like thug… huh?’

“Lady Allen?!”

“What?”

“Lady Kent, over there.”

Lady Kent was raising her
sword against the dullahan.

Judging from her blank stare
focused on one spot, it was clear what her intention was.

The moment Lucy Allen saw
this, she dashed over and grabbed Lady Kent by the nape of her neck,
pulling her away.

“You incompetent,
reckless fighter! Are you a chicken head?!”

“But it looked really
strong.”

“If you’re going to
charge in like an empty-headed fighting rooster, do it when you’re
alone!”

Lady Kent glanced wistfully at
the dullahan but didn’t make another move.

Despite these incidents, their
speed in clearing the dungeon was astounding.

The first floor took 10
minutes only because they had to take along the burden called Bisi.

Once Lucy Allen started
running seriously, their dungeon-clearing speed was much faster. It
took only 3 minutes to clear the second floor.

The subsequent floors were
cleared just as quickly, if not faster.

After 40 minutes in the
Academy Dungeon, the 10th floor’s Boss Room appeared.

We paused to catch our breath
in front of the Boss Room.

Carrying this dead weight
while running was definitely a workout.

Maybe next time, I’ll add more
weight during my morning run.

I thought this as I surveyed
the surroundings.

Karl was fine, having
experienced much worse in the Allen Family, but it was different for
the other two.

Frey, who had to follow me on
her own feet, looked clearly exhausted. As for Bisi, who had been
carried on my shoulder, she started dry heaving the moment I put her
down.

They’re both so weak.

Bisi is just an NPC not even
properly mentioned in the game, so that’s understandable, but it’s
strange for Frey to be this tired.

Where did the prowess of the
most powerful melee character go?

Reality really is inconvenient
in some ways.

In the game, I never had to
worry about the stamina of NPCs.

Ugh. Doing a speedrun and
wasting all this time is frustrating.

Every moment, the timer keeps
ticking!

“Miss, don’t be so
impatient.”

As I anxiously glanced at the
two, arms crossed, Karl smiled and offered his advice.

“Right now, Miss, your
dungeon clearing speed is so exceptional that even if we rested for
an hour, the Third Prince wouldn’t be able to catch up.”

That’s true.

No matter how great Arthur is,
he’s still just an NPC.

Unlike competing in speedruns
against other veterans, there’s no need to be so desperate.

‘Thanks for the advice, Karl.’

“Sloppy. Don’t give
useless advice.”

“Haha, my apologies,
Miss.”

After resting for a while and
once Frey regained her energy, I opened the door to the Boss Room.

As for Bisi? She still looked
half dead, but that was fine.

All she needed to do was watch
from the back anyway.

Inside the Boss Room awaited
an opponent I had seen before.

It was the Golem Knight who
appeared in the entrance exam Boss Room.

This time, it was holding a
spear instead of a greatsword, but the difficulty was similar.

“I’ll go first.”

‘No. There’s no need for
that.’

“Sloppy swordsman. Don’t
do anything unnecessary before I put you on a tight leash.”

I took out one of the items I
had prepared from the subspace pouch I borrowed from Alsatine.

Ta-da! A corrosive potion!

With just one hit from this,
Golem-type bosses are helpless!

At higher-level dungeons,
you’ll encounter insane bosses with corrosion resistance, but that’s
a story for later when I’m higher level.

A beginner boss like this one
wouldn’t be carrying such resistance.

The spear-wielding Golem moved
sluggishly due to its massive weight.

As a result, it couldn’t evade
the potion bottle I threw and took the hit directly.

The Golem, covered in the
corrosive potion, moved its legs, glaring with red eyes.

The sight of the Golem Knight
approaching, shaking the ground with its heavy body, looked
threatening.

But so what?

It got hit by the corrosive
potion and turned all soft.

Even that Small Fry’s (Jacob
Riz) weak swings could probably cut through its armour now.

Our Mad Dog’s teeth would
sink in even deeper.

‘Frey, go for it.’

“Sloppy mutt. Bite it.”

“Do I need to say woof?”

Making an uncharacteristic
joke, Frey lunged at the Golem.

“Last time, you know…”

“Oh my, oh my.”

Even though Joy was
participating in the tea party to build relationships with other
noble ladies, she couldn’t focus on their conversations at all.

‘Lady Allen. What confidence
did she have to refuse what I prepared?

I don’t doubt her skills, but
there must be a huge difference between tackling it blind and having
information. Moreover, their opponent isn’t just anyone, it’s the
Third Prince!

A person with genius-level
talent!

Facing such a person without
any preparation, just showing off.

What if she loses and the
Third Prince demands something as a punishment!

Ah. This is bad.’

“Lady Partan?”

“I just need to check
something at the dungeon.”

“Are you worried about
the Third Prince?”

“Oh, don’t worry
needlessly. Of course, the Third Prince will defeat the arrogant Lady
Allen, won’t he?”

‘That’s exactly what I’m
worried about!’

Joy screamed inside but
outwardly only smiled.

As she smiled, none of the
noble ladies at the tea party could stop her.

Once outside, Joy headed to
the dungeon entrance without any hesitation.

Only the professors at Soul
Academy could truly see what was happening inside the dungeon.

But there was one piece of
information accessible to the students as well.

The ranking of the top 100
students in each grade and how many floors they’ve cleared.

Right now, more first-year
students haven’t entered the dungeon than those who have.

So, the moment someone enters
the dungeon, their name will appear on the ranking list.

By checking the rankings, she
should be able to see the progress of the Third Prince and Lady
Allen’s competition.

“What?”

“Again they moved up?!”

“Isn’t this some kind of
cheating?”

“This doesn’t make any
sense.”

As Joy, filled with such
thoughts, reached the dungeon entrance, she heard people murmuring.

‘What? What’s happening?’

Unable to comprehend the
situation, Joy grabbed a nearby student and asked a question.

“You.”

“Lady Partan! I apologise
for not greeting you first…”

“Never mind that. What’s
going on here?”

“Well, I think you’ll
understand if you look at the first-year dungeon ranking.”

Ranking? Could it be that the
Third Prince has been setting records with thorough preparation?!

‘Lady Allen! If only you had
listened to me!’

Joy, screaming internally,
checked the rankings.

‘Lucy Allen: 20th Floor’

‘…Am I under some kind of
illusion spell?

20th floor?

Not the 2nd floor?!’

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