As soon as the dungeon doors opened early in the morning, Arthur, who had entered inside, immediately began to vent his resentment toward Lucy.
That insane girl!
How many times had I told her not to set the difficulty based on her own standards? What is the meaning of this!
The first opponent I encounter upon entering the dungeon is this strong!
I sensed something was off from the first soldier I faced, but this knight at the end of the room surpassed all limits.
Isn’t this a monster that has exceeded the level of an active-duty knight?!
“Third Prince!”
“I know!”
Twisting his body to dodge the sword swung by the knight, Arthur unleashed the fire magic he had prepared earlier right into the knight’s face.
As the magic struck, a tremendous sound erupted, and gray smoke began to rise.
Arthur had thought that since he cast the magic with the intention of smashing the knight's face, it would deal some damage, but his expectations were completely dashed.
The knight’s face, rushing through the gray smoke, looked so unharmed it was questionable whether he had even been hit by the magic at all.
“Damn it!”
As the knight charged at him, Arthur used wind magic to lighten his body and evaded the knight's sword.
From the start, attempting to block was not an option.
The difference in physical strength between the knight and Arthur was so vast that even a clumsy defense would lead to death.
As Arthur gritted his teeth while in a defensive position, Frey, who appeared behind the knight, lunged at his neck.
Having received Faivy’s buff, Frey resembled a beast shaped by the wind. No matter how overwhelming the knight’s specs were, he couldn’t completely disregard her sword.
As the knight took a step back to respond to Frey’s attack, Arthur finally found a moment to catch his breath.
“Joy! Are you almost done?!”
“Almost there!... Casting is complete!”
“Good! Frey!”
“Understood!”
Frey, having confirmed the call, quickly wrapped her aura around her sword and unleashed her most powerful strike.
Clang! The sudden lethal strike was perplexing even for the knight.
With his eyes wide open beneath his helmet, the knight hastily raised his sword to block Frey’s attack.
However, in doing so, he lost the opportunity to respond to what was coming next.
“Burn!”
A red magic circle inscribed at the knight’s feet erupted in crimson flames, engulfing him.
“Ugh!”
From the heat akin to that of a forge melting iron, a pained groan escaped the knight’s lips.
Had the one inside been an ordinary human, they would have been consumed and perished by the flames by now, but the knight was no ordinary human.
Before long, as if adapting to the heat of the flames, he gritted his teeth and swung his sword, cutting through the magic circle.
As the flames dissipated, the knight emerged, breathing heavily.
“Was that not enough?”
As Arthur frowned and clicked his tongue, the knight grinned beneath his helmet.
“Excellent. You have passed the test.”
He explained that they needed to exit through the door ahead, and as he sheathed his sword, he vanished like a mirage.
Following that, all the knights who had filled the training ground disappeared as well.
“I feel like I’m going to die.”
Perhaps feeling assured of their safety, Frey, who had just stood at the front lines, without hesitation, lay down on the floor.
“Frey Kent, don’t let your guard down.”
Perhaps displeased by her posture, Arthur frowned and scolded Frey, but she merely covered her ears, as if not hearing anything, showing no intention of getting up.
“Hey. Until Joy finishes her checks...”
“It’s alright, Third Prince. The checks are done! This place is now safe.”
“See? I told you it was safe, Third Prince.”
“...Tch.”
Clicking his tongue lightly, Arthur sheathed his sword and slumped down with a long sigh.
“Considering that I can’t tell where to aim, the suggestion to attack the armor as a whole was valid. Well done, Joy.”
“That wasn’t me; it was Faivy who suggested it, Third Prince. All I did was implement that suggestion.”
“No. If it weren’t for your magic, we wouldn’t have been able to implement it.”
“Is... that so?”
“Yeah. Joy, you played a big role.”
“Right. The flames were really powerful and hot.”
As the other three successively praised her, Joy hurriedly covered her mouth with a fan she pulled from her bosom, likely embarrassed to reveal her loose smile.
However, what she didn’t anticipate was that her smile had also loosened her expression slightly.
Arthur, watching Joy’s face with fondness, soon chuckled lightly and checked his watch.
Having just barely overcome the first room, was it already time to take the first test?
“Lucy Alrn. What on earth was she thinking when she set the difficulty of the dungeon like this?”
Even with the four of them, possessing the highest abilities among the first years of Soul Academy, they had to put in a lot of effort to clear the first room.
This meant that most students would likely experience failure in this space and be expelled from the dungeon.
“The same goes for the dungeon studies professors. If Lucy Alrn goes wild, shouldn’t they control her from the back instead of encouraging her, saying she’s doing well?”
Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.
If the first room was this tough, how high would the difficulty become as they progressed?
It wasn’t without reason that the dungeon was opened for conquest throughout finals.
Without such a time frame, they wouldn’t even be able to attempt a proper conquest. As Arthur grumbled, Faivy, who had been quietly listening, soothed him with her soft voice and a smile.
“Still, it’s not all bad. At this difficulty, the seniors of the academy will also face challenges.”
“...That’s true. If the first-year exam is this difficult, what kind of monsters will the upper grades be facing?”
The knight they faced here had given Frey Kent and himself a hard time even with the support of the Saintess.
The upper grades must be up against challenges far beyond this, and could ordinary second- or third-years handle it?
...An involuntary pity for them began to arise.
“Third Prince.”
“What is it, Joy?”
“Are we moving on from here, or are we going back?”
“...Hmm.”
Considering the time taken to conquer the first room, it would be impossible to clear the second room before the next exam began.
“It’s better to progress for now.”
It was still right to move forward. Given that the dungeon's difficulty was structured this way, the conquest would inevitably turn into a long battle.
So, even if it meant failing, it would be better to engrave the next room in their minds and seek clues to conquer it.
“Then it seems we should start moving. If we delay too long, we won’t be able to participate in the other exams.”
“That’s right. Frey, get up. It’s time to move.”
“Ugh.”
After forcing the struggling Frey to stand, they transitioned to the next room, and ten minutes later,
Arthur, on the verge of being bitten by the fangs of a gigantic wolf, confirmed that his neck was intact and sighed in relief as he bowed his head.
“...Lucy Alrn!”
And with that, he made a resolve in his heart.
If he succeeded in conquering the dungeon, he would leave an unforgettable, terrible nightmare in Lucy Alrn’s mind.
Lunchtime on the day of the finals.
Having finished the Kingdom’s history exam, I walked towards the dungeon studies exam location, humming a tune.
When the old man had refused to cooperate, I had even considered just guessing everything. After all, this exam didn’t matter whether I failed or passed.
The penalty for failing the exam would merely mean missing out on the rewards given by the academy, which wasn’t a big deal to me at this point.
But when I thought about the possibility of failing due to bad luck, I realized I couldn’t just half-heartedly prepare.
Is Joy going to be all hyped up?
That’s fine. That’s cute.
“Good job!” I could just laugh it off.
Arthur shrugging his shoulders would be the same.
That’s a bit annoying, but it’s still within the acceptable range for now.
If it really bothered me, I could just increase the intensity of our training more than now.
However, I could not forgive Frey calling me pathetic with her expressionless face.
If she were to laugh at me as if I were ridiculous, I might seriously swing my mace imbued with divinity at her.
Having resolved to prepare for the exam for the sake of Frey’s safety rather than my own, I approached Avery, my subservient number two who had a weakness for me, and asked about the scope of various exams.
I didn’t think our little slave would know all the exam scopes, but I planned to command her to investigate diligently and offer the information to me.
But to my surprise, she seemed to know everything about the exam scopes I inquired about.
Why was she studying so hard while being a personality like a dirty villainess?
It was really annoying. At this rate, I’d look like the only lazy, pathetic person.
‘Why are you angry when I answered you properly!... No, I was wrong. I’m sorry. I’ll apologize.’
Regardless, based on the exam scopes Avery had informed me about, I didn’t study...
but I used the log function to attempt legal cheating.
How can cheating be legal, you ask?
Of course, it can be legal. If you don’t get caught, it’s legal.
That’s common sense.
If you didn’t know, you should learn it from now on.
Anyway, after successfully passing the first exam using the log function, I was headed to the location where the dungeon studies exam would take place to check the reactions to the dungeon I had created.
Given the praise from the dungeon studies professors and assistants, the students of the academy would surely be in awe, right?
“Hey, what do you think of a dungeon like this?!”
“Lady Alrn is incredible!”
“I thought she was only good at conquering, but she’s also skilled at creation, huh?”
Expecting such reactions, I stepped into the area where the dungeon entrance was located, but the scenery there was completely different from my expectations.
“Just how many times did I die inside that dungeon?”
“I’ve tried more than twenty times, but I couldn’t even clear the first room.”
“Really, what was she thinking when she made such a dungeon?”
It was a sort of hell drawn with despair and resentment.
“The second room is even worse. Ugh, I’m still shaking.”
“My friend went to change because he wet his pants.”
“Is that your story?”
“No, it’s a friend’s story!”
“Sigh. I missed the exam time while trying to conquer the dungeon. I feel like killing myself.”
Amidst the moans of those sitting on the ground, there was no admiration for the dungeon.
What filled their voices was pure hatred. Just hatred.
“I really want to kill the bastard who made this dungeon.”
“I heard it was the Lady of the Alrn family.”
“Do you believe that? It’s just someone who got lucky because the professors made it.”
“So then, should we beat up the dungeon studies professors?”
“Seriously?”
“If I could, I would.”
The atmosphere suggested they would tie up the dungeon creator and burn him at the stake if he showed up. I quietly stepped back.
It was obvious that if I got involved and said something stupid, I would end up in a worse situation.
...
For now, I should refrain from wandering around at night.