Upon hearing that Lucy Allen was demonstrating how to clear the dungeon, Toby dashed out, abandoning the expensive meal Avery had bought him.
Lady Allen herself was going to show how to conquer her dungeon! There was bound to be much to learn!
No way he could miss such a rare opportunity!
“Doesn’t it disgust you the way he always puffs up his shoulders?♡ Like a beast trying to make himself look bigger, even though he’s just a pathetic weakling inside♡”
By the time Toby arrived at the exam hall, breathless from his sprint, the image of Lucy Allen hovered in the middle of the hall, spouting insults as she strolled down the corridor.
Her language was shockingly lowbrow for a high-ranking noble, and Toby, feeling bewildered by the scene, turned to a commoner acquaintance to ask what was going on.
“...She’s proving the video is live by insulting the guy who challenged her earlier,” his friend explained.
Hearing that she was insulting the person from earlier to show this wasn’t a recording, Toby found himself speechless.
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Could the esteemed Lady Allen of the renowned Allen family really act like this toward another noble?
As he blinked in disbelief at this incomprehensible scene, Avery appeared behind him, her voice calm.
“This is actually much tamer than what she used to do in society.”
“L-Lady Rumley?!”
Toby’s friend, seeing Avery fixing her disheveled hair, looked horrified.
The prospect of being addressed by a noble infamous for her prickly personality was terrifying.
“Why are you here?!”
“Ask that ‘dungeon fool’ next to you. I was about to buy him a meal that commoners rarely get to see, but the second he heard about a dungeon, he bolted,” she replied dryly.
“Well, dungeons are more important to me than food.”
What?! Has Toby gone mad?! He isn’t afraid of Lady Rumley?!
Toby’s friend’s eyes widened at Toby’s casual remarks, but Avery merely shook her head, expressing mild exasperation rather than anger.
Since she had come to respect Toby’s abilities through their time spent navigating the dungeon together, she didn’t take offense to this level of discourtesy.
And, of course, Toby knew this well.
Having been raised in a mercenary guild, Toby had a natural instinct for these things. He wouldn’t have acted this way if Avery had shown even a hint of strictness.
“By the way, Lady Rumley, what do you mean when you say Lady Allen is tamer than before?”
“Hah.”
Avery sighed at Toby’s nonchalant question, shrugged, and looked toward the screen showing Lucy.
“It’s exactly as I said. When she was active in society, Lady Allen was much worse than this.”
Setting aside Lucy’s wild behavior, she had all the qualities to become the center of social circles. As the only daughter of the kingdom’s hero, Benedict Allen, and possessing an enviable beauty, Lucy Allen had, at her first ball, dominated the scene, capturing more attention than even the royal family.
Yet, it took less than a year for her to become universally disliked.
The thorns on the flower that was Lucy Allen weren’t simply prickly; they were outright lethal to anyone who approached her.
“If you had seen Lady Allen back then, you’d understand why so many nobles shudder at her name.”
Had her personality back then been like it is now, Lucy would have become a powerful figure in society, perhaps even a rival to Joy. Her status as the hero’s daughter and her doll-like appearance were huge advantages, enough to overshadow any shortcomings.
But Lucy’s personality at that time was so vicious that it was impossible to compare.
“She once told a countess, ‘Why are you hosting a ball in a pigsty? Oh, right, because a pig lives here.’ She accused a baron of being sterile, wondering aloud why he had no children. And one time, she shattered a vase over a lady’s head for crossing her.”
Avery, having witnessed countless of Lucy’s misdeeds firsthand and even suffered from some of them, couldn’t believe Lucy Allen’s head was still attached to her shoulders.
“If all she’s doing now is mocking people, that’s a mercy.”
Hearing stories that far exceeded his expectations, Toby finally understood why nobles kept their distance from Lucy.
Even hearing about it secondhand was dizzying—how much worse would it be for those who had seen it in person?
“She’s reached the first room,” Avery murmured to herself, disappointed that she hadn’t been able to finish her tales.
Turning his attention back to the screen, Toby saw Lucy standing unarmed before a soldier.
The soldier suggested she arm herself, but Lucy’s response was to taunt him, suggesting he only wanted her armed so he’d have an excuse if he lost.
Did the soldier get angry at her mocking? Veins bulged on his hand as he raised his spear to strike at Lucy.
Fast. He’s much stronger than the soldiers we faced.
Is this dungeon designed for upperclassmen?
As a combat specialty student, Toby followed the soldier’s spear easily and noted how Lucy had already dodged the attack even before it was fully executed.
“She didn’t dodge after seeing that, did she?” Avery muttered, and Toby nodded.
Lucy hadn’t reacted to the attack itself; she had already positioned herself where she knew it wouldn’t hit.
“The soldier’s first ten attacks always follow a set sequence. Lady Allen, the dungeon’s creator, would surely know that.”
The enemies in the first room always used the same attacks up to the tenth move, meaning anyone who memorized their movements could overcome them.
‘Surely even a tiny girl like me can do it—unless you’re all dumber than I thought?♡’
Lady Allen’s intentions were clear, but her tone was so taunting that most took her words as mockery, responding with helpless laughter.
Even so, Lucy continued to helpfully explain how to clear the dungeon in her own way.
‘Pfft♡ Look how desperate he is to protect his weak spot♡ Isn’t it pathetic?♡’
The soldier prioritized guarding his weak point, meaning his movements could reveal his vulnerability.
‘Acting tough, thinking the illusions are real—who’d fall for such a lame trick?♡’
The wolves in the second room had odd features that, if noticed, revealed them to be hallucinations.
‘Ugh♡ I know I’m cute, but wanting to be trampled on is... nauseating♡ I wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole♡’
In the third room, you had to target only specific golems, ensuring not to overkill them, which would neutralize them.
‘With this many clues, surely no one missed them, right?♡ But if there’s anyone that clueless, I suggest they go make friends with a dog♡ Oh, wait, would even a dog run away from them?♡’
The fourth room had numerous clues hinting it was a dream. Though Lucy’s manner of explanation was anything but pleasant, each piece of information she shared was undeniably helpful.
Even Toby, who had completed the dungeon, realized he hadn’t considered some of her insights.
As Lucy strolled through the dungeon, casually revealing each solution, the mood in the exam hall shifted.
Watching her effortlessly explore and explain her own creation, the students began to view her as an authoritative figure rather than someone to prove wrong. Many grew eager to learn from her rather than challenge her.
‘And that concludes the tutorial that I, sweet and kind, prepared for you♡ Surely no one here failed this?♡ If there’s any brainless idiot who did, I suggest you spend an extra year at this pathetic academy reflecting on how you got this dumb♡’
“What the hell?! I’m going to fail?!”
“I was set to join a mercenary guild right after graduation!”
“Noooo!”
Screams of despair echoed throughout the hall, but Lucy ignored them, pressing on through the dungeon.
Arriving at the dungeon boss’s lair, Lucy dropped down without slowing her descent.
It was a move no ordinary person would even consider, but Lucy, unfazed, simply dusted off her uniform and spoke calmly.
‘Attention, all you academy failures!♡ Listen closely!♡ I’m about to explain just how dumb you all are♡’
Lucy ignored the door leading down and instead headed toward the mansion.
‘Look at this decrepit mansion that even ghosts flee from♡ Surely even fools can see something odd about this place♡’
Pointing her delicate-looking finger, Lucy gestured toward a window.
The window, which showed nothing of the outside world.
Then, she pointed to the ceiling.
The ceiling, which looked perfectly intact, as if it hadn’t just collapsed.
Lucy’s finger continued pointing out more.
A clock that had broken and now always showed the same time.
An old portrait with a blurry face.
The bizarre date written underneath it.
A door that could not be opened by any means.
Some students hadn’t noticed these details, others had dismissed them as poorly designed, and still others had observed them without finding any real meaning.
Finally, Lucy arrived in front of a crystal orb marked with the number zero.
‘The last and most important hint!♡ Why did this crystal suddenly appear?♡ Hmm?♡ By now, even the densest of you should feel something’s off♡’
...So many clues.
Even Toby, who had found the answer, hadn’t noticed every clue Lucy pointed out.
He only needed a few of them to arrive at the solution.
She was more considerate than I thought. Far more than I realized.
‘And for those still clueless dummies, here’s one last hint♡ What are the functions of this crystal?♡ One is to save your position, but the other?’
“...To move to another place...”
“Exactly.”
Lucy’s disembodied voice chuckled.
The solution lay in triggering the crystal’s transport function, a command Lucy cheerfully demonstrated.
And as she effortlessly passed through the entire dungeon using this method, the final blow hit her captive audience in the exam hall.
Without missing a beat, Lucy turned back to the audience, flashing a wicked grin.
‘And that, everyone, is why you’re all so pathetic♡’
The academy students who had fought through the dungeon felt an undeniable sting.