Chapter 26: First Semester Dungeon Strategy

Thursday of the second week at Eden.

A seemingly unremarkable day, but the students who had just finished their morning lectures and were heading to lunch knew otherwise.

The lecture on “Monster Structure Studies” by Professor Roman Keila that morning and the subsequent duel were more than enough to stir excitement among the cadets at Students.

“Thanks to your help, I survived.”

Although Hermod Beowulf had singled me out as the top freshman, the one currently drawing all the attention as the top student wasn’t me.

I had no intention of revealing my status as the top freshman just yet.

“Really? I’m glad I could help.”

The female student sitting across from me, sipping a stark white yogurt smoothie that contrasted with her own colours, was Cheon Yuhwa, who was currently the subject of much gossip as this year’s top freshman.

“But aren’t you uncomfortable? I plan to reveal it soon, but I’m worried you might get unnecessary attention in the meantime.”

Being the talk of the town often leads to many problems and incidents. Cheon Yuhwa had become the unwitting protagonist of a rumour because she was playing along with my plans.

She must have heard all sorts of stories, some of which likely troubled her.

I asked with a hint of worry and apology in my voice, but Cheon Yuhwa just chuckled as she set down her smoothie.

“No need to worry. It’s fine.”

“…Still.”

“I said it’s fine. In fact, the annoying remarks have decreased, so it’s actually better.”

Perhaps the thick, sweet aftertaste of the plain yogurt had faded from her mouth.

Cheon Yuhwa took another sip of her yogurt smoothie before continuing.

“People are the same everywhere. Even at Eden, I was sometimes looked down upon for not having any magic.”

She laughed, reminiscing about old memories, then turned to look at me.

“The rumor that I, who destroyed all of Hermod’s techniques and received the top freshman title from Otinuus, has spread. What do you think happened to those who looked down on me?”

Cheon Yuhwa’s tone made me chuckle as well.

It was reassuringly her, but I was surprised that there students who looked down on her just because she lacked magic.

“At least they wouldn’t openly show off. Those who aren’t capable of challenging the top freshman title wouldn’t dare.”

“Exactly. Thanks to that, the number of people who look down on me or bother me has decreased in every class.”

Saying she was grateful for that, Cheon Yuhwa took another sip.

By now, she had drunk about half of her yogurt smoothie, and she leaned forward.

“So, why are you hiding the fact that you’re the top freshman?”

It’s understandable that Cheon Yuhwa wouldn’t understand my actions.

Flaunting the title of top freshman, especially with the replica of Gungnir, would make many things easier.

But I wanted a greater benefit.

“There is someone whose attention I need to capture.”

I like the saying, “Don’t see the trees, see the forest.”

Instead of rushing to seize the small benefits in front of me, I aim for the greater benefits in the future.

The president of the World Hunter Association, Aleister Crowley.

During the midterms that will start after the dungeon conquest training and the sports festival that follows, I need to catch his eye.

“I plan to reveal it before the end of the first semester.”

After finishing my explanation, I took a sip of the yogurt smoothie in front of me.

Despite having come to the cafe with no particular expectations, I found the drink surprisingly good.

I thought she might be a gourmet with a keen interest in delicious food, and we spent that lunch with the cafe’s cake and cookies.

Thursday passed by in a blur.

In the afternoon major class, Professor Karia, who somehow knew about the incident with Hermod, chatted with me.

Instead of learning spear techniques or other weapon skills, we mainly focused on duelling to fully utilize barrier magic.

Professor karia seemed surprised that I could use barrier magic in such a way, and we exchanged moves for quite a while.

After the duel, instead of ending the lecture, we had a long discussion about dungeon conquest.

She shared various insights on what to be cautious of in dungeons, preparations needed before a conquest, the importance of synchronizing with party members, and methods to identify different dungeon types.

It felt less like a formal lecture and more like Professor Karia was recounting her experiences in a way I could easily understand.

Thanks to that, I could absorb a variety of useful knowledge without much burden.

Though I often forgot it amid our constant weapon training, Professor Karia was indeed a top-tier hunter who had seen and experienced it all.

The depth of her knowledge and the way she conveyed her experiences were not something an amateur could produce.

After the major class, I had no special plans.

I just had a tasty meal in the cafeteria, returned to the dormitory, and continued studying while listening to missed lecture recordings.

Thus, Thursday evening came to an end, and Friday morning arrived.

Ding-.

‘…It’s here!’

Early Friday morning, even before the morning assembly started.

[Team 1]

◆ 4th-grade dungeon:

A-13 Forest Dungeon

◆ Classification and Goal: Regular Subjugation / Defeat the Dungeon Boss

• Namgoong Hyun
• Nolan Duermid

[Team 2]

◆ 4th-grade dungeon:

C-8 Desert Dungeon ◆

Classification and Goal: Regular Subjugation / Defeat the Dungeon Boss

• Cheon Yuhwa
• Fujiwara Tatsuya

[Team 7]

◆ 4th-grade dungeon: B-21 Cave Dungeon

◆ Classification and Goal: Regular Subjugation / Defeat the Dungeon Boss

• John Smith
• Reiner Flunn

[Team 14] ◆ 4th-grade dungeon: F-38 Swamp Dungeon

◆ Classification and Goal: Regular Subjugation / Defeat the Dungeon Boss

• Seong Yujin
• Hermod Beowulf
• Han Sehee
• Miguel Lorenzo

“Are you kidding me?”

A curse escaped my lips. Hermod Beowulf.

My scowling gaze turned toward that name.

A troublemaker was thrown into the dungeon strategy practice, which is crucial for my grades.

“And it’s a swamp, no less?”

As if failing the group project lottery wasn’t bad enough.

While others are running on solid ground, we’re going to be floundering in a swamp.

It was shaping up to be a morning that made me want to curse Otinuus.

Friday of the second week, during the morning assembly.

The classroom of Class 2, Year 1 was quite noisy.

It wasn’t particularly quiet even on normal days, but the announcement of the dungeon strategy practice teams made it twice as rowdy as usual.

Some students were crying out in despair over their team assignments, while others were cheering because they were happy with theirs.

‘Damn troublemaker.’

Just thinking about the quests Hermod Beowulf messed up and the rewards missed made my stomach churn.

Considering this happened at least dozens of times over nine runs, an indescribable sense of anxiety washed over me.

Hermod would almost certainly, inevitably, cause trouble in this dungeon strategy practice too.

…Should I just tie him up near the gate with barrier techniques?

After all, barrier techniques are essentially a collection of buff and debuff skills, so it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Even if it wasn’t a magical restraint, physical binding with barrier threads was also an option.

“Sigh….”

A sigh mixed with frustration spilled out from deep within my chest.

The endless worries swirling in my head and the incessant sighing ceased only after Professor Karia entered the classroom.

“I assume everyone has checked the team assignments sent out early this morning.”

Standing at the podium, Professor Karia began the morning assembly, sweeping his gaze across the cadets seated.

There were students staring at her with stern faces, others looking gloomy, some with scrunched-up faces, and even those smiling broadly.

After confirming the diverse reactions among the cadets, Professor Karia spoke with a small smile.

“Team members are crucial for dungeon strategy practice. The moment a team member who doesn’t get along or lacks skills holds you back, the entire team suffers critical losses.”

Despite the reality check that everyone already knew, causing the classroom’s atmosphere to drop, Professor Karia continued without concern.

“However, all of you are students of Eden. You are the best talents who will be responsible for the future.”

Keep that in mind—Professor Karia concluded her speech with those words, clapping her hands a couple of times to draw attention.

The sound was quite loud, naturally capturing the student’s attention.

Then, Professor Karia revealed today’s schedule.

“From today through the weekend, you have time to prepare for next week’s dungeon strategy practice. Gather the team to discuss strategies or practice coordination in advance.”

With that, Professor Karia left the classroom, and the other students began to move busily.

But in that situation, I just let out a deep sigh and held my head in my hands.

‘What rotten luck.’

The thought of having to do a group project with a troublemaker already made my head ache.