Following behind the princess, the group entered what appeared to be a large cave, going along with the other groups of students from their class.
Some students opened their eyes wide in amazement as they stepped into the dungeon.
Transparent prismatic stalactites hung above their heads as if threatening to fall down and skewer them at any second.
However, the dense mana concentration surrounding the stalactites caught the students' eye.
It was concentrated to the point where a faint rainbow-coloured glimmer was visible from them.
"Are these… Mana crystals?"
Marisa stared blankly at the crystals, mesmerized by the constantly changing colours.
Lillianna smiled and nodded her head.
"Yes, those are indeed mana crystals.
While not considered top-class treasures, Mana crystals still held significant value in the price market.
These iridescent crystals were only known to form in areas of high mana density since the only way to create a mana crystal would be to expose an ordinary stone to a copious amount of mana over an extended time.
This made dungeons one of the only places where they grew in abundance.
Like beast cores, mana crystals usually held significant value in creating elixirs, namely ones that affected a magician's mana.
While they didn't really impact a mage's magic circle, mana crystals were far more effective in increasing their mana pool's overall size and purity.
While those with high mana pools were highly valued, the purity of a mage's mana pool also played a significant role in their mana consumption.
Between a mage with a low mana purity and a mage with a high mana purity, the one with a higher mana purity wouldn't need to expend as much mana to cast the same spell as the one with a lower mana purity.
For this reason, these crystals were valued exceptionally highly by mages across the continent.
Unlike beast cores, which were judged based on what beast they originated from and the beast's strength, mana crystals were valued based on their size and density before they died.
Typically the longer a mana crystal takes to form, the greater its size and mana density. Therefore, these factors play a significant role in the effectiveness of the elixirs made from them.
To see a wide variety of mana crystals growing from the ceiling, some students couldn't help but want to pluck some and stuff them into their pockets.
Unfortunately, doing so would cost them their shame since the others nearby would look down on their actions.
A few students silently cursed under their breath for having to uphold their dignity due to being surrounded by fellow nobles.
They wouldn't have to worry about pocketing a few if no one was around.
Watching their actions, Arvell stifled a chuckle.
'Even if there wasn't anyone here, taking these would be akin to stealing from the academy. No way the school board would just let that slide.'
Knowing the school, they probably used this space to mana crystals and harvest them once they reached the desired size.
Arvell had even seen some people wearing the school's insignia on their chests standing guard outside the entrance, proving this further.
'Instead of fretting over how to take these mana crystals for themselves, they should focus on collecting beast cores.'
While it was indeed more profitable to collect these mana crystals and sell them, it wasn't really an option, so it was honestly better for the students to focus on coming up with strategies to fight better as a group.
After walking down the same path for almost ten minutes, the path before them broke off into five smaller tunnels, each leading in different directions. fr(e)ewebnovel
"One for each class," Lillianna muttered under her breath.
Marisa looked at each of the five available paths with a conflicted look.
"Which way do we go?"
"I don't really know either, but what path we take will probably impact what kind of beast we'll fight," Lily frowned slightly.
In the time Arvell's group took to delegate which path to ultimately take, the other groups similarly reached that point as well.
Everyone had unanimously agreed to limit one group per tunnel since, that way, each group wouldn't have to compete for the same limited resources.
Now all that was left was the question of which tunnel each group should take.
"Should we go down the middle path?"
"No, that's the most obvious one, right? There's bound to be some super strong beast there."
"But what if that's the one with the most rewards?"
While most groups stopped in their tracks before trying to figure out which tunnel, two students continued onwards as if they were oblivious to those around them.
Those two were none other than Titus and Marcus.
Unfortunately, despite being from different teams, they set their eyes on the same path.
Marcus turned his head to face Titus, pausing a moment before finally opening his mouth to speak.
"Can I have the middle path?"
Titus nodded his head with the usual blank look on his face.
"Thanks."
Marcus strode into the middle path without waiting for the rest of his group.
"Wait, Marcus!"
"We don't know what's down that path!"
"Let's take a moment to think first!"
As if deaf to the pleas of his teammates, Marcus's back soon disappeared out of sight.
"Damn this! We have to follow him."
His remaining three teammates hurriedly ran after him, leaving the other groups only four more options. freeweb(n)ovel
Titus momentarily pondered before turning his head to the path right of the middle path.
Since it was the closest unoccupied path, Titus decided he might as well take it.
Sparing a moment to point it out to his group members, Titus walked into the tunnel without looking back, with his group following him shortly afterwards.
At this point, even Arvell was itching to get started.
Seeing two of his strongest competitors having
Turning to Lillianna, Arvell was about to ask her if they could just enter one of the available paths, but a certain red-haired girl marched up and blocked his view of Lilliana.
'Great… It's her again.'
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