chapter_0074

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
74

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
74

Arthur’s group’s dungeon raid
was going smoothly.

They hadn’t faced any
hardships up to breaking through the 6th floor.

What monsters would appear in
the dungeon.

The layout of the paths.

The kinds of traps set up.

They were well-versed in all
these aspects and had an excellent commander, so they never faltered
in their strategy.

Moreover, favourable
information for them was the fact that they were growing as they
continued the raid.

Arthur’s commands became
clearer, Jack, rampaging in the front line, got more accustomed to
dealing with monsters, and Matthew’s divine magic hit its mark
increasingly better with each use.

The proof of their growth was
in the time it took them to raid the dungeon.

Initially, it took them 30
minutes to clear one floor, but as they broke through the 6th floor,
this time was reduced to 20 minutes.

Considering the difficulty
increased as they climbed higher, their growth rate was nothing short
of extraordinary.

Just when all of Arthur’s
group was confident of their victory in this bet.

A light started emanating from
the crystal sphere Luca was carrying.

“Professor, what’s that?”

When Arthur voiced his
curiosity, Luca smiled as he took out the crystal sphere.

“It’s an orb that allows
communication with the outside. I asked another professor to inform
us how far they had progressed after two hours.”

“Oh.”

“Do we really need to
check? They’ll probably be stuck on the 2nd or 3rd floor anyway.”

Matthew showed interest, and
Jack joked, but Arthur’s expression was serious.

He thought they couldn’t be
relieved until they heard definite information.

After all, Lucy Allen’s talent
was the real deal.

“Lucy Allen has currently
broken through the 20th floor and is heading to the 21st.”

The atmosphere of Arthur’s
party, who had been so confident, instantly turned cold at the voice
coming through the crystal sphere.

20th floor?

What kind of unbelievable
number was that?

Even with Arthur’s group
showing an overwhelmingly strong performance among the first years,
they had only just cleared the 6th floor. But the 20th floor?

The number didn’t even
register with them, and everyone went silent. It was Jack who forced
a laugh and spoke up.

“You’ve got to be joking,
right? How could anyone get past the 20th floor?”

“I wish it were a joke.”

“Are you saying they
really broke through the 20th floor?”

“They’re clearing each
floor of the dungeon in just 5 to 6 minutes. They’re rewriting the
history of Academy Dungeon raids.”

“No way.”

Jack muttered in shock at the
definitive statement from the other side of the crystal sphere.

How could anyone clear a
dungeon floor in just 5 minutes?

It takes almost 3 minutes just
to defeat a single monster inside the dungeon. How?

As detailed explanations
flowed from the crystal sphere, the atmosphere grew heavier, and Luca
struggled to hold back his laughter.

Lucy Allen!

Just what are you?

You achieved outstanding
results in the entrance exam!

You succeeded in saving all
your party members during Agra’s intervention!

You even defeated Frey Kent, a
candidate for the next Sword Saint!

And now, are you planning to
rewrite the history in the Academy Dungeon as well?!

It was I who held the
prejudice. Without even considering the extent of your talent, I
judged you based on my own standards.

What a foolish action that
was.

Ah, Lucy Allen. I must thank
you.

For enlightening this fool.

For cornering Arthur Soladin.

Luca observed Arthur’s
expression as he silently stared at the crystal sphere. His lips were
tightly pressed together, and his eyes were wavering. His lips seemed
to flutter as if he wanted to say something.

Though Arthur tried to
maintain a composed exterior, he was internally shattered, confident
in his impending victory.

‘No, Your Highness.

If you show any cracks, one
might be tempted to pour black ink into them.’

“Thank you. Please contact
me again later.”

[Yes, take care, Professor
Luca.]

After the contact through the
crystal sphere was cut off, Luca feigned a concerned expression as he
approached Arthur.

“Your Highness.”

“Is that person
trustworthy?”

“Yes. He is one of the staff
members responsible for dungeon monitoring. He is not someone who
makes jokes.”

Arthur’s face grew grave as he
confirmed once more that there was neither deceit nor humour
involved.

Can he catch up to Lucy Allen
like this?

No matter how desperately he
runs, won’t the distance just keep growing?

‘It can’t be. This can’t
continue.

This battlefield was prepared
for me to win!

It’s a duel I forced upon you
to humiliate you!

With all conditions favouring
me, you think you can overcome this solely with your talent?

Don’t be ridiculous.

As it stands, doesn’t it seem
like this is a stage to prove you are a genius?

It looks as though I’m a mere
human trying to block the sun named Lucy Allen, only to burn up and
vanish.’

“If you continue like
this, you will be defeated.”

Arthur lifted his head at
Luca’s voice.

“Indeed.”

No matter what normal methods
he employed, he could not win against Lucy Allen.

That overwhelming genius named
Lucy Allen would not allow it.

“What will you do?”

Arthur closed his mouth at
that question.

There was a way.

If he couldn’t win by
straightforward means, wouldn’t it be okay to choose another method?

Arthur caressed the magic tool
he had cherished closely.

Soon after deciding to compete
with Lucy Allen, one of the academy professors had approached Arthur.

He was someone who had entered
the academy after achieving significant merit externally.

Wishing to prove his loyalty.

“Someone with talent like
yours should not have to endure humiliation.”

When he had forcibly placed
the item in Arthur’s hand, he had said it was to be prepared for
emergencies.

It was obvious that the new
professor wanted to secure connections by offering a bribe.

Normally, Arthur would not
have accepted it.

There was nothing to gain from
getting involved with a fool who blatantly displayed his desires.

However, Arthur broke his own
principles and accepted the professor’s bribe because of what Joy had
said.

If Lucy Allen had the
extraordinary talent Joy mentioned,

If she possessed such
overwhelming brilliance that she could overcome any disadvantage
Arthur gave, then the fear of losing this battle arose in him.

And now, that fear Arthur had
felt back then had become a reality.

If the magic tool contained
the function the professor had told him about, he would be able to
seize victory by using it.

A victory that he could never
have achieved by normal means.

It was an unfair advantage.

After insisting on a fair
competition, it would be breaking his promise first.

However, the word ‘victory’
was as sweet as honey and stuck to Arthur’s ears.

“I have a way.”

Arthur spoke with a determined
face, and Luca, not understanding, listened attentively to Arthur’s
words.

By the time we reached the
stairs leading to the 30th floor,

Bisi, who had been fraught
with anxiety, finally couldn’t endure the nausea and threw up.

“Moving beyond the 20th
floor was a bit tough on me.”

Since even a slight mistiming
would significantly delay their progress, we couldn’t afford to take
Bisi in such a state.

Well, since things are like
this, let’s take a break for a while.

Initially, I thought we could
clear the dungeon today, but with Bisi in this condition, it seems
difficult.

The higher we go, the more
challenges we’ll face, and there’s no way Bisi can handle it.

For now, let’s tackle it
halfway today and come back next time with Frey and hopefully Jack
Burrow once we’ve improved our teamwork with them.

Jack may be considered subpar
and often underestimated, but he has decent initial capabilities.

Even if he’s not as good as
Frey, he should be able to keep up with my pace to some extent.

As I placed my shield down and
leaned against the wall to recover my stamina, light began to emanate
from Karl’s chest.

‘Karl…’

“Sloppy, what is that?”

“It’s a Crystal Sphere
used by the Academy for emergency communications. Something must have
happened.”

Watching Karl step away to
communicate made my anxiety rise uncontrollably.

Luca. That crazy guy, he
wouldn’t have done something insane, right?

Especially with so many eyes
watching.

Moreover, the subjects of
interest are the young master of the Duke Burrow Family and the Third
Prince of the Soladin Kingdom.

Would he really throw away his
beliefs and do something foolish?

Yes, he would.

Because that’s exactly the
kind of person he is.

It’s not for nothing that he
was called a troublemaker among the Soul Academy users.

Karl returned from the
communication, looking uncertain about how to convey the news.

“Arthur’s group has
disappeared in the dungeon. They haven’t exited, so they must be
somewhere inside, but no one can find them.”

‘Please explain in detail.’

“Sloppy, don’t spare any
words. Explain properly.”

While Arthur’s group was
tackling the 6th floor of the Academy Dungeon, Arthur took out
something resembling a compass from his chest.

Then, while they had been
precisely following the dungeon’s path up until that point, they
suddenly started wandering off the correct path.

It seems Arthur muttered
something when they arrived at some location, and then they vanished.

No matter where we search in
the dungeon, we can’t find any trace of Arthur’s group.

After hearing everything Karl
had to say, I understood what was happening.

Luca, that crazy bastard.

No, it’s not just him.

Even if Luca set things in
motion, Arthur ultimately carried out the scheme.

That fool.

How could he commit such an
offence!

This is one of the quests in
the Soul Academy.

The triggers are a student
talented enough to catch Luca’s interest and mentally vulnerable
enough to be swayed by temptation.

Upon meeting these two
conditions, one of the Academy’s new professors approaches the
player and gifts a magic tool resembling a compass.

The professor’s stories vary
each time, saying that following the compass will lead to blessings
or rare items. It was said that you could find a hidden path to
quickly raid the dungeon.

Of course, that’s all
nonsense.

The function of that compass
is this: It guides the user to a place least affected by the various
spells of the Academy Dungeon.

And as soon as they reach that
place, it nullifies the Academy’s magic and transports the students
to another dungeon.

A dungeon outside, one that
always harbours the intent to kill those students at any moment,
unlike the dungeon prepared for them within the Academy.

Can Arthur’s group possibly
clear that dungeon?

No.

There’s no way they can.

No matter how I think about
it, they lack the specs.

They’re weaklings who
couldn’t even get close to challenging me. How could they conquer
that place?

Ah. Damn it. I feel like I’m
losing my mind.

Let’s think.

Is it possible for me to save
those fools with the means I have now?

…Yes, it’s quite possible.

Fortunately, I’ve prepared
thoroughly, thinking I’d do a speed run.

If not for that, things would
have been a bit hopeless.

‘Karl…’

“Sloppy, have you
received the coordinates for where the Pitiful Prince was?”

“Yes, I just received
them during our communication.”

Good. Then there should be no
problem entering the dungeon Arthur went into.

‘Let’s move. We need to save
that idiot.’

“Let’s move. We need to
save the Pitiful Prince who’s throwing a loser’s tantrum.”

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