chapter_0295

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
295

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
295

Professor Jessel, the Dungeon Studies instructor, made a decision the
moment she handed Lucy the various materials for creating a dungeon.

No matter what dungeon Lucy brought, no matter how good it was for
someone creating a dungeon for the first time, Jessel decided she
would do her best to tear her down and repay her for all the
humiliation she had suffered.

No matter how talented Lucy was, after all, she was still a student.

She lacked experience in actually conquering dungeons, and she had
never even designed one herself—how well could she really create a
dungeon?

There would surely be many flaws, and Jessel would point out each
one, enjoying the sight of Lucy shrinking further and further.

She was really looking forward to it. The key thing was, no matter
how many things she could point out, she couldn’t criticize
everything.

She would only mention the major issues at first.

If Jessel pointed out a problem, Lucy would probably argue, right?

Then, she would crush her rebuttal with her knowledge and silence
her.

Afterward, she would act as though she were being generous, letting
the arrogant little brat, with her shoulders slumped and mouth
tightly shut, think that she was teaching her something.

A few days later, she would return with revisions, and then Jessel
would point out another problem.

This process would repeat several times, and in the end, when time
was running out, she would pretend to let it go, making Lucy think
the whole thing had been nullified.

Then, how would Lucy Allen, that damn little brat, react?

Ahh, just imagining it made all the stress she had accumulated until
now seem to disappear.

“Uhm, Professor Jessel, I think it might be best not to touch
Lady Allen…”

Lucy’s assistant professor tried to stop Jessel, saying there was
no benefit in messing with Lucy Allen, but Jessel didn’t listen at
all.

“How many times do I have to tell you? That was a legitimate
eviction procedure,” Jessel snapped.

It was an incident where commoners had dared to touch a noble.

It could have been a major scandal that would’ve cost some people
their lives.

But Lucy Allen had shown mercy and quietly handled it. If it weren’t
for her, the atmosphere at the academy would have been incredibly
tense.

“And because of that incident, I can relax now,” Jessel
added.

If Lucy had been the kind of person the rumors said she was, would
she have let that incident slide so easily?

Of course not.

She would have used every trick in the book to demand harsh
punishment for the offenders and made the academy’s officials kneel
before her.

Considering her close relationships with Partan’s Lady and the
Third Prince, that wouldn’t have been impossible.

But Lucy didn’t do that.

She was content with expelling the offenders and then kept quiet
about it.

“Lady Allen is definitely a cocky, damn little brat, but she’s
not the monster the rumors say,” Jessel said confidently.

If the insult was legitimate, Lucy Allen would get angry and try to
repay the humiliation, but she wouldn’t try to kill her.

Jessel was sure of that.

“Please, just go outside and get some fresh air. Don’t you
know how frustrating it is when you keep saying things like that?”
Jessel said, frustrated by her assistant professor’s fear.

As a researcher, she was fine, but why was she so disconnected from
reality?

“But…” the assistant professor hesitated.

“Honestly, if Lady Allen was as terrifying as the rumors say, do
you think the Saint would care for her?” Jessel said.

“…Oh, that’s true,” the assistant professor replied,
realizing her mistake.

Jessel sighed deeply.

“Professor, can I ask one more thing?” the assistant
professor asked.

“What is it?”

“Then why did these rumors spread?”

“Because there are still a lot of people who hate Lady Allen,”
Jessel said.

Anyone with extraordinary abilities tends to provoke jealousy, and
Lucy, in addition to her power, doesn’t hesitate to look down on
others.

She’s made many enemies over the years, and now she’s making even
more within the academy, so it’s no surprise that rumors filled
with malice spread about her.

Even Jessel herself had been thinking about how to get back at Lucy.

“It’s her own fault,” Jessel muttered.

“I see,” the assistant professor said.

“Anyway, as long as you don’t cross the line with Lady Allen,
you’ll be fine,” Jessel reassured the assistant professor.

The next morning, Jessel arrived at her office early to check on
things. At that moment, the office door opened, and Lucy Allen
entered.

“It’s colder than usual this morning, Professor. If you’re not
planning to live your life as an old maid, how about managing
yourself? I hope you didn’t manage yourself to look like that,”
Lucy said.

“…Thank you for the advice, Lady Allen. So, what brings you
here this early? You must not have finished your dungeon yet, so did
you come with a question?” Jessel asked.

“Don’t judge me based on your pathetic standards. Someone as
foolish as you can’t imagine this, but someone like me, a genius,
can finish a dungeon in one day,” Lucy said.

“That’s impressive, Lady Allen,” Jessel replied,
genuinely praising Lucy with a smile.

The first person to ever create a dungeon in one day, she said.

It was obvious.

She must have thrown in whatever she could just to meet the
specifications and called it done, just like a beginner casting magic
who ends up with a messed-up magic circle but still proudly claims it
works.

It was expected. Just how badly did she screw it up?

At least the paper in her hands looked promising, but it was probably
full of nonsense.

‘Let’s critique just enough to make her feel bad.’

“May I see it?” Jessel asked.

“You won’t be able to imagine the masterpiece I’ve made.
Look and learn. Hehe, but maybe it’s too much for you to learn
since the level is different,” Lucy said smugly.

Normally, Jessel would have bitten her lip at Lucy’s arrogant
words, but not today.

As long as the dungeon was in her hands, Jessel knew that whatever
she said now would soon come back to haunt her.

For now, it was up to spec. When she checked the dungeon on the
simulator, it seemed to work fine, so she had clearly put some
thought into it.

She’d hoped there would be a mistake right from the start, but
alas.

There was still plenty to look over. She would take her time.

The dungeon was small, but with each puzzle, the scenery changed. It
was a way to efficiently use resources. It was a difficult method
that was rarely used, but it worked.

The first puzzle was easy enough for anyone to solve.

Was this supposed to give an impression of how the dungeon would
unfold?

The next one was the same. Anyone who had read the textbook before
the test would easily be able to solve it.

‘Huh? Why is this normal?

No, it’s not just normal; it’s so well done that there’s not a
single flaw!

It sticks to what’s been taught, and the structure of the dungeon
is solid. It even meets the criteria for evaluating students.

Crazy. A person creating their first dungeon made something this
perfect?

Is this for real? A true genius?!

…No. This is just the beginning.

What kind of twisted things are waiting later on?

‘Yeah. It’s common for people to put effort into the beginning
and then slack off toward the end. It must be something like that.’

Jessel narrowed her eyes, trying to find even the smallest flaw.

“…Hmm?” she muttered.

Her eyes, which had been moving smoothly, suddenly stopped.

Isn’t this the kind of monster that only takes damage at a specific
timing?

Looking at the clues and enemy gimmicks, this should be that kind of
thing, but there’s something off about it.

Finally, a clue appeared…

‘Ah! I need to attack a specific part during a specific pattern!

This is tricky. If you move too hastily, you’re going to die for
sure.

If you don’t observe calmly, you’re probably going to fail here.

Next, it looks like an enemy with a gimmick that needs to be
neutralized.

The clues are clear, and the pattern is easy to figure out, so this
isn’t too bad.

And then, the next one…

A counterattack?

Putting a dangerous enemy right after one that needs to be quickly
subdued.

Isn’t this kind of cruel?

If I were a first-year student tackling this dungeon, I would
probably curse at it.’

The dungeon was much better made than expected, and Jessel forgot her
original goal.

After all, Jessel was someone who loved dungeons. After many years of
research, she had even become a professor.

How could she not get absorbed in a dungeon that was this fun to
tackle?

“…How am I supposed to clear this?” Jessel muttered after
about an hour of tackling Lucy’s dungeon.

She had anticipated the gimmicks getting more brutal, but this was
too much.

Top talents could probably get through it, but average first-year
students? There’s no way they’d pass.

This is a complete fail as a test question.

“Lady Allen, this…”

Jessel began pointing out the problem when Lucy lazily raised an
eyebrow.

“Do you really think so? You don’t think it’s solvable?”
Lucy asked.

“…Is there a way?” Jessel asked, surprised.

“Hehe, you didn’t figure it out? It’s okay. That’s not
your fault. You were born dumb, after all,” Lucy teased,
giggling.

Jessel, biting her lip to the point of drawing blood, stared at the
dungeon again.

‘Was Lucy telling the truth?’

“Stare all you want, but you won’t get it, will you? Just say,
‘Lady Allen~ I’m such an idiot, I don’t know what to do~ please
help me,’ and I’ll show you the way.”

“…It’s fine. I’ll figure it out myself,” Jessel said.

“Go ahead. You’ll just embarrass yourself,” Lucy said.

Jessel continued to study the dungeon, trying to figure out what was
wrong.

‘Could there be a solution?

Was this just a joke to make fun of me?

Maybe there’s an error even Lucy didn’t notice.’

She had to check, verify it, and see…

‘Wait, hold on.

Could it be?

This isn’t just a gimmick, but the entire clue itself?!’

“Crazy.”

As Jessel reached the end of the dungeon, she leaned back in her
chair, staring at the ceiling, a laugh escaping her.

Damn it.

How was it that, instead of feeling jealousy toward Lucy, she felt
admiration for her?

“Lady Allen,” she finally said.

“What? Too difficult for you?”

“No. I noticed the clever addition at the end. With infinite tries,
the difficulty isn’t an issue,” she replied, acknowledging the
mechanic Lucy had added to balance the challenge.

“There are still some enemy patterns I’d like to discuss,
though.”

“Discuss?” Lucy asked, intrigued.

“In short, I want to refine it further,” Jessel clarified.

This was a jewel that only needed a few cuts to shine even
brighter—why not make it perfect?

As she and Lucy engaged in an impassioned discussion, the assistant
looked on, silently praying for the first-year students who would
face this monstrosity of an exam—and for herself, knowing she’d
be grading it.

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