Ch.14Dungeon Practicum – 2

Diana made a strange “eck” sound as soon as she saw me, then kept glancing at me nervously. It seemed like an involuntary reaction that escaped her lips the moment she laid eyes on me.

It was understandable why she’d react that way. After confidently stepping up to go first, only to fail before even drawing her sword properly—I’d be too embarrassed to show my face if I were in her shoes.

I observed the other person. His face clearly displayed his displeasure. He was one of those who still didn’t think highly of me even after I’d demonstrated my skills. My team luck seemed pretty terrible.

“Well, we still have some time before departure, so why don’t we introduce ourselves? Since we already know each other, we can skip that part. What about you with the blank expression?”

Diana flinched at my mention that we already knew each other.

This kind of role really didn’t suit my personality, but since the dungeon locations and the types of monsters appearing inside were completely randomized right before departure, there wasn’t much else to do while waiting.

So rather than standing around awkwardly, I figured we might as well pass the time with introductions.

“Who do you think you are, acting like the leader already?”

The guy who had been scowling since confirming we were in the same team spat out his words.

Looks like I just found something to do.

“Then would you rather take charge instead of me? On what grounds?”

I shot back with a smirk.

“You’re not going to bring up your family name, are you?”

He hesitated. Bellium Academy wasn’t exactly known for promoting equality. Students were clearly divided by social class, and commoners could barely breathe freely in the presence of nobles.

But here, the most important hierarchy wasn’t family prestige but academic performance. Even a commoner could walk tall and proud before nobles if their grades were higher.

This created a virtuous cycle where nobles studied desperately to avoid the humiliation of ranking below commoners, while commoners studied just as hard for a chance to rise above the nobles.

If someone tried to demand respect based on family name despite having lower grades, they’d quickly become known as a dishonorable fool. That would be a critical blow to their family’s reputation as well.

“……”

He seemed to realize he had no grounds to counter my argument and shut his mouth completely. Having entered an institution that strictly valued merit, he at least had enough sense to assess the situation.

“I don’t care what you think of me, but if you had any brains, you wouldn’t have said something like that. Don’t you agree?”

“……”

After delivering that final blow to confirm the kill, I turned to the red-haired woman on the opposite side and spoke.

“Let’s get back to the point. Just state your name briefly and be done with it. We probably won’t see each other again after this temporary team anyway. I’m Mira Crate.”

“…Scarlet Diana.”

“Warden Viking.”

He muttered in a subdued voice. Viking, huh? That was a unique family name. Judging by the calluses on his hands and the twin axes at his waist, he seemed to have some things in common with the Vikings I was thinking of.

Nobles almost always chose swords, claiming other weapons lacked elegance—about 99% of them.

“What are your specialties? I can handle both swordsmanship and magic.”

“…Sword.”

“Axes.”

The weapon was as expected. His curt attitude still annoyed me, but as long as he followed my instructions without direct defiance, I had no reason to provoke him further.

“Alright, Team 7. It’s your turn, come over here.”

Our number was called. The three of us with our uncomfortable relationship approached the temporary dimensional gate. Jeina, the one holding the staff, glanced at us.

“You’ll be tackling Dungeons 7-1 and 7-2. Remember, the timer keeps running until you return here, even after destroying both dungeon cores. Keep in mind that you need to return to the clearing for completion. Since you’re in my group, your deadline is 8 PM. You’ll lose one point for every five minutes you’re late, and failing if you’re more than an hour late. Got it?”

Jeina saw us nod and touched the dimensional gate with a satisfied smile. The gate emitted a blue light and began to rotate with a humming sound.

“Good. Off you go. Do your best. And don’t get hurt.”

We walked into the blue light. The surroundings rippled and the scenery changed. From a grassy clearing to a forest dense with massive trees.

The trees were so thick and densely packed that it was dark all around despite being just past 2 PM. Creating a light source was basic magic that shouldn’t be a problem for any of us.

“Where are the dungeons and what monsters will appear?”

When I asked, Diana, who was checking the information on her magical device, answered immediately.

“One dungeon is 3.7 kilometers southwest, and the other is 4.1 kilometers east. Trolls will appear throughout, with an ogre guarding each dungeon core.”

With no restrictions on magic use, those distances wouldn’t take long to cover. The only notable information was that trolls would be the standard monsters, but both Diana and Warden seemed to take that for granted.

That suggested they could handle them without my help, so I could focus elsewhere.

“We’ll split up, right?”

“Hmph, of course. Sticking together would be a waste of time.”

Warden immediately agreed with Diana’s statement. It was a time-honored trick for dungeon practice—splitting into two groups to tackle both objectives simultaneously. If you could complete the challenge in around three hours, it was almost always advantageous.

This used to be a common practice, but it became less prevalent after professors started increasing the number of monsters when fewer than three people entered a dungeon.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible to clear—the difficulty only increased enough that the reduced number of people could still succeed if they really pushed themselves. Clearing a higher-difficulty dungeon was proof of exceptional skill. Since each dungeon recorded exactly who entered, it was essentially an open secret.

“Then it’s decided. You two go to Dungeon 7-1. I’ll take the other one.”

I deliberately chose the more distant dungeon. It was also closer to the location I needed to investigate.

“…I suppose that makes sense. You should go alone since you’re the strongest among us.”

Diana nodded.

Fewer people meant more monsters—one person would face four times as many monsters as a three-person team would. If someone recklessly attempted it alone and failed, the entire team would receive enough penalty points to barely avoid failing altogether, making it a challenge only for those truly confident in their abilities.

“I’m actually more worried about you two.”

“Are you looking down on me?”

“Then prove yourself with skill. You’re not stupid enough to rush headlong toward the core just because you feel disrespected, are you? If that’s your plan, tell me now. I’m willing to switch places.”

Warden gritted his teeth as I deliberately provoked him. Now, whether he liked it or not, he’d have to coordinate with Diana.

Whenever he felt the urge to charge straight for the core in a fit of anger, the memory of my smirk would hold him back.

‘What an annoying bastard.’

Warden followed behind the red-haired woman, grumbling as he walked. He had disliked that guy since the entrance ceremony. He also disliked the fact that the guy had the skills to back up his declarations.

He was well aware of what this emotion was.

Inferiority complex.

But Warden wasn’t foolish enough to openly rebel or refuse instructions just to satisfy his petty pride.

Causing trouble here would be devastating to his honor. Maintaining good grades to uphold his and his family’s honor was far more important than momentarily satisfying his feelings of inferiority through pointless defiance.

Anyone who would prioritize their emotions and charge in recklessly wouldn’t have made it here in the first place.

“We’ve arrived. This is it.”

“Understood. Let’s prepare.”

Diana drew her sword as they reached the dungeon, and Warden gripped an axe in each hand. Both stepped back slightly to secure safe distance, as they would both be engaging in close combat.

“…Wait a moment.”

“What is it?”

Diana paused before entering and pointed to a spot near the entrance. Her finger indicated some strange purple stains on the wall.

Looking closer, they weren’t just there. The entire dungeon wall was mottled with purple. Feeling uneasy, Warden muttered:

“What is this?”

“I don’t know… mold perhaps?”

“How could artificial dungeons have mold?”

The two hesitated, unsure whether to enter.

Professor Jeina had instructed them to activate their magical devices if they witnessed any anomalies, giving several examples, but purple stains covering the dungeon entrance wasn’t among them.

“If we judge this as an anomaly and activate the device, but it turns out to be nothing…”

“We’d lose points.”

A truly terrible prospect.

“…Ah. Maybe this is part of the concept? They say long-abandoned dungeons develop a purple tinge. Maybe that’s the theme of this dungeon.”

After agonizing for a while, Diana offered her theory. Warden carefully examined the dungeon interior. It was a very plausible explanation.

The dungeon practice in this forest had just happened yesterday. That meant the professors had maintained this area less than 24 hours ago, making it unlikely that something had gone wrong in such a short time.

“That makes sense. Then we can proceed with confidence. But remember to be extra cautious if this is meant to simulate a long-abandoned dungeon.”

Both of them, convinced the purple stains were the professors’ creation, stepped inside.

Because of this belief, they also assumed that the gradually spreading stains were simply part of the pre-arranged environment.