Episode 26. Dungeon Practice (3)

At the words I spoke, Nam Daeun stopped.

Nam Daeun, Lumi, and even Lee Byung-hoon were watching me.

“So, what are we going to do? There’s no wind here. Thinking about the monsters we met on the way, there aren’t any guys who would leave traces on the floor.”

That Lee Byung-hoon guy. Surprisingly, he was the brainy type.

He knew the basics of clearing a cave-type dungeon well.

Air currents and monster tracks.

Of course, if there are basics, there are advanced concepts and deeper studies.

The characteristic of cave-type dungeons is high mana density.

Since they are ‘dungeons’ accessed via portals, the setting that no wind blows because there’s no entrance or exit is perfectly plausible.

However, even if no wind blows, mana is flowing.

Because the density is too high and the movement is too subtle, most people just can’t feel it.

In fact, the method of finding an exit using mana movement is a method even most hunters don’t use. Not only is the accuracy low, but the attempt itself is difficult.

“Just wait a second.”

But I am different.

[Mana Sensitivity] and [Awakening Eye]

I can feel mana and observe its flow, so not being able to see mana’s movement makes no sense.

‘Awakening Eye’

Zzzzing-

My eyes turned golden and my pupils dilated.

Mana filling the space. I observe the subtle flow of that mana.

“It’s over there.”

I raised my index finger and pointed to one of the 10 passages.

The third passage from the left.

All the mana was passing through there. That was the way.

“What are those gold eyes? Sorry, but how can you be sure it’s that way? I’d like at least a rough explanation.”

Lee Byung-hoon expressed doubt at my words.

“…Even if I explained, you wouldn’t believe me, so you wouldn’t just go if I told you to, right?”

“My grades are on the line. If it were you, would you just let it slide?”

With my widened vision, I rolled my eyes and glanced sideways. Nam Daeun was quietly watching me.

Nam Daeun also seemed determined not to let it slide unless I explained properly.

Lumi clasped her hands in front of her chest and blinked her eyes. Seeing she wasn’t complaining, Lumi seemed fine with whatever I suggested.

“I read the flow of mana. All the mana from every passage was passing through the third passage, so I determined that’s the way. Don’t ask me how I read the flow.”

“No, at the student level, reading the flow of mana doesn’t make any sense….”

Lee Byung-hoon still seemed unconvinced.

But it didn’t matter.

Our team leader’s thoughts seemed to be different.

Papapat-

Nam Daeun first ran off towards the third passage.

“Wha? Whaaat?”

I also grabbed Lumi’s arm and followed her.

Lee Byung-hoon ran up from behind, grumbling, ‘Ah, fuck. I don’t know either.’

Like that, with Nam Daeun occasionally dealing with popping-out monsters, and me sprinkling magic spells in between to accumulate points bit by bit, we ran for about 15 minutes.

We reached another fork. This time, there were eight passages branching off.

“The fourth.”

Tadadak-!

As I pointed the way with my finger and ran, Nam Daeun, without slowing down, headed straight for that path.

“No, are you sure I can trust this… Ah, fine. I’ll follow. I’ll follow.”

Now, it was getting boringly monotonous running through the dungeon.

Of course, other teams were probably too busy preparing for monster fights to let their guard down, but our team had a dedicated monster-slaying bus driver.

“Lumi.”

“Yes?”

“Cast a shield on Nam Daeun. You need to get points too.”

“Ah, she was taking care of monsters so quickly I didn’t even think of that. It’s the most basic thing….”

Even if she’s an important character later on, she’s still just a student now.

Lumi, too, is on her first practical training, so she can definitely make mistakes.

Still, since Lumi’s position is a support mage, even just casting a shield should earn her some points.

I’m also guiding the way, and whenever I see an opening, I’m poking monsters one by one with magic to grab points.

Our team will probably get points for everything.

…Or maybe not? I feel like I’m forgetting something.

Chwaaak-

Nam Daeun single-handedly sliced up one lizard.

The snake didn’t even know it was dead and was glaring.

Because I kept activating [Awakening Eye] to find the path, Nam Daeun’s movements looked clearer.

The body of the lizard she dealt with was cut so cleanly, it looked like a cross-section diagram.

Many people know her power as instantaneous acceleration. They probably think that abnormal cutting power is a skill, but both are wrong.

Her power is Space Domination.

The acceleration ability is speeding up the flow of time in the space surrounding her body.

It’s not Nam Daeun speeding up, but the space she exists in that’s accelerating.

Of course, to others, it looks like acceleration.

That abnormal cutting power is the same; it’s the power to cut the very space where her sword exists.

Up to this point, it was something I knew from the game’s settings.

And even the most lore-obsessed developer wouldn’t detail mana operation methods like that, which accelerates the space surrounding Nam Daeun’s body, in the game’s settings.

So, I never thought something like this would be possible.

The possibility of using someone else’s power. It was a possibility.

Powers are inherently something one person is born with, and others cannot use them; that’s the basic setting.

However, ultimately, powers like abilities or skills all stem from mana.

Nam Daeun’s ability to dominate space. Among them, the mana operation that accelerates space.

My [Awakening Eye] was reading her mana operation in real-time.

Perhaps, I might be able to imitate her power.

*

After finishing the dungeon practice training, the students began to gather one by one.

Our team’s clearing time was, of course, overwhelmingly first place.

Because we came out so fast, not getting to meet Do Jin-hyuk’s lackey was a bit disappointing.

Other teams had torn clothes, perhaps from rolling on the ground, were covered in dirt, and some students were bleeding, but our team was spotless.

If anything, Nam Daeun’s clothes had a little monster blood on them.

“Ouch. It hurts….”

“Don’t whine like a little girl just because you’re bleeding a little.”

The injured students were lined up waiting in front of Baek Ahyoung.

Our team, since the raid was over and it was break time anyway, approached Baek Ahyoung to see what she was up to.

“Haaah, haaah, Haaah.”

Baek Ahyoung, just like in the game, was making strange sound effects while healing the students.

No matter how I listened, it sounded different from the groans of exhaustion people usually make.

Others either don’t feel anything strange, or the title ‘Saintess’ doesn’t connect with lewd thoughts, so they don’t seem to notice.

“You must be working hard.”

I spoke to Baek Ahyoung, who had just finished healing one person.

“Ah, Hoyeon-ssi. It’s nothing. This is my job.”

Even though she was sweating profusely, a smile never left her lips.

“You seem quite satisfied with your job? All the healers I’ve seen looked like they were about to die.”

Healing basically consumes mana, but also consumes one’s own stamina.

Therefore, healers after finishing treatment usually collapse from exhaustion, but Baek Ahyoung was different.

“Yes. Healing and saving people is always rewarding. I truly think it’s my calling. And I make good money. Hehet.”

She ended the last part playfully, but I could feel it from her words and actions.

Baek Ahyoung is someone who finds joy in the act of helping people itself.

After healing all the injured, Baek Ahyoung looked truly exhausted.

Through her sweat-soaked blouse under her suit, Baek Ahyoung’s pink bra was visible.

Beads of sweat were flowing down her deep cleavage.

Gulp. Unconsciously, lust welled up inside me.

No, isn’t this weird?

Sweating like that, making suggestive moans, yet because it’s healing, nobody suspects anything. Is this situation weird only to me?

Am I the only one being made into trash?

Subconsciously, I stole a glance at Baek Ahyoung’s chest, then raised my gaze, and our eyes met.

Shit. I’m caught.

“Oh, uh. That’s a relief. I tried not to get hurt because I didn’t want to trouble you, Ayoung-ssi.”

“Thank you. Heheh….”

I somehow managed to change the subject, and thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice.

…She didn’t notice, right?

*

After all teams finished their dungeon practice training, the students gathered and waited, just like at the beginning.

Some teams that seemed friendly earlier had become cold, while teams that weren’t getting along had become best friends.

Our team, surprisingly, remained the same.

• 1st Place, Team 13. (Nam Daeun, Lee Hoyeon, Lee Byung-hoon, Lumi)

• 2nd Place, Team 7. (Seo Minjun, Kim Seoyeon, Jeong Ye-jun, Alice)

• 3rd Place, Team 8. (Do Juwon, Ha Seoyun, Chae Suah, Lucy)

We watched the first team deployed on the hologram as the top performers were announced.

“Videos of all teams will be uploaded to the Class A SNS, so take note of anything useful. In the next class, I will point out the strengths and weaknesses from the dungeon practice training.”

Our homeroom teacher, Kim Jin-hyuk, said that and left.

The remaining students murmured amongst themselves and then dispersed.

Our team, first, saw Nam Daeun trying to slip away somewhere, so I stopped her.

“Nam Daeun.”

“…?”

Still, during our time clearing the dungeon together, perhaps some affection developed, she didn’t completely ignore me.

“This time, we got lucky and took first place, but if you keep going solo next time too, it’ll be hard to maintain first place.”

“…I’ll handle that myself.”

Nam Daeun frowned slightly, said that, and disappeared on her own.

“Sigh, even when I give proper advice, she doesn’t listen.”

Still, should I be grateful that her tone is less aggressive?

For now, since they’re freshmen, even with low cooperation, they get some consideration, but if this happens repeatedly, it’ll naturally be judged as a major issue in cooperation, and the score will have to be lowered.

Nam Daeun will thus soon lose her first place.

And the consequences she’ll face for it… I don’t even want to imagine.

She’ll regret it then, but no matter how much I explain now, she won’t understand.

*

Kuaaang-! Pwaaang-!

“That kid’s a freshman? They could be deployed to our guild’s second string immediately?”

“That’s why we’ve already finished the exclusive guild contract. Rumor has it even offering triple the signing bonus they refused.”

“Tsk. From what I see, they’ve got leverage. The bad rumors about the Buyer Guild everyone in the industry knows about, so why would they hastily sign an exclusive contract?”

After the dungeon practice training concluded, in the monitor room where dozens of screens were broadcasting footage, the professors were chatting.

Their gazes were fixed on a video of one girl charging ahead with three others following behind.

“She’s not even giving the other kids a chance to fight?”

“Indeed, she shows no intention of cooperating with her teammates.”

“Still, her talent is overwhelming. If she acts like that next time, we’ll have no choice but to deduct points, though.”

“It’s just the first evaluation. We should be lenient.”

Among them was Kim Jin-hyuk, the Class A homeroom teacher.

‘Indeed, compared to her skills, her personality is lacking.’

Kim Jin-hyuk moved his finger over the hologram.

Next to Nam Daeun’s name, he noted, ’95 points. However, for the next evaluation, I will grade the personality aspect more strictly.’

• Ah, I don’t care! Just kill them all!

• Hey, hey! Wait a minute!

Kwakwakwakwaaang!

Kim Jin-hyuk turned his attention to the next monitor, where magic was explosively erupting, on the screen, Lucy was being broadcast, subduing dozens of monsters at once.

Her combat style could be summarized in one phrase: [Attack is the best defense].

Minimizing her own defense to defeat the enemy before she falls – a shonen manga-like approach.

In a good light, it’s like a shonen manga; in a bad light, it’s a foolish way to fight.

For now, the monsters can’t withstand Lucy’s barrage of magic and fall before reaching her, but later on, against monsters above a certain level, this tactic won’t work.

That method, combined with her sister Lumi, would create incredible synergy, I know, but unless they act together 24/7, such assumptions are unwise.

In the end, Kim Jin-hyuk left a note next to Lucy’s name: ’83 points.’

“There are so many gems among this batch of freshmen~ Cute twins, student Alice, student Nam Daeun – they’re all treasures.”

“Right. Besides them, students like Do Jin-hyuk and Lee Hoyeon were also decent.”

‘Lee Hoyeon.’

Kim Jin-hyuk found Lee Hoyeon’s video more interesting than those of Alice or Nam Daeun.

Inserting magic spells amidst Nam Daeun’s high-speed combat was impressive, but the fact that he could read mana flow and perfectly find the path.

At the student level, being able to read mana flow suggests a specialized skill in that area, and it’s safe to assume so.

In fact, the difficulty of cave-type dungeons comes partly from the accumulated fatigue and stress of navigating the paths back and forth, so eliminating that is quite a significant achievement.

When the team was formed, given that Nam Daeun was on it, considering the other members were likely lower level, he could be seen as performing beyond his own level.

In terms of combat power, he didn’t show much, but he was a student who exuded extraordinariness.

“Hmm….”

Kim Jin-hyuk, after some thought, noted down 86 points, 3 points higher than Lucy.

Kim Jin-hyuk tended to favor students with sharp minds.

“Everything else is good, but his mana capacity is a bit disappointing. It’s too small. His mana circuits are narrow too. Surely, he hasn’t actually started learning magic less than a month ago? But if that were the case, his mana operation is too good. The purity of his mana is also very high. He said he has skills, so is it a skill specialized in that area? I should call him in later… But to conduct research, I’d have to… Right, this is all for humanity….”

Mutter mutter mutter…

“?”

Kim Jin-hyuk heard a strange noise beside him and turned his head.

There, Professor Im Sol was furiously scribbling something while watching Lee Hoyeon’s monitor.

“Professor? What are you doing here?”

Im Sol, who usually didn’t attend these kinds of gatherings, was evaluating a student so passionately, sparking Kim Jin-hyuk’s curiosity.

Casually, I wondered about the truth of the rumor spreading through the academy that Professor Im Sol had taken an interest in a particular student.

“Ah, ah… It’s nothing!”

However, as soon as Professor Im Sol made eye contact, she clutched her papers to her chest and ran off somewhere.

“…What the hell.”

In that moment, reflected in his eyes, Professor Im Sol’s face was flushed red.