NOVEL NEXT Chapter 71
Chapter: 71
Wow, the kids sure are interested in you.
There were a lot of people around the entrance to the dungeon.
Some of them seemed to be waiting to go inside, but most appeared to have come to watch my match with Arthur.
There’s no way the kids intending to enter the dungeon were just watching with empty hands.
I wonder how many of them are hoping I win.
Will there be any?
Grandpa.
At times like this, you should say something hopeful.
What kind of hero, being a holy knight, makes such a pessimistic statement?
Of course, I think it’s impossible too, but you never know.
Ah, there probably are. Among the gamblers, some seek a one-shot chance rather than the winning rate.
Indeed. Is the spirit of the underdogs resting on my shoulders?
Got it. I’ll show you the spectacle of the underdogs’ money burning today, filled with your wishes.
It’s a shame there isn’t a big river near the Soul Academy.
If there were, it would have become a water park today.
As I headed towards the dungeon entrance with Karl, I saw the attendant young lady glancing nervously, alongside Frey, who yawned while holding a sword.
With this, I was ready to enter the dungeon, just waiting for Arthur to show up.
“Lucy Allen.”
Spoke just in time for his grand entrance.
Hello.
“Nice to meet you, Pitiful Prince.”
I intentionally didn’t call Arthur by his name, but still, he got the title “Pitiful Prince.”
Why is this Mesugaki Skill so unnecessarily earnest?
Arthur didn’t seem to react much, only rolling his eyes slightly as if he was used to being called that now.
“Are you confident you’ll win?”
I’m not sure, but I’ve done my best to prepare.
“I’m ready enough to easily defeat the Pitiful Prince.”
That was modest for a Mesugaki Skill, but seeing Arthur’s blank expression, it seems not so much.
Ah, right. Who am I kidding with modesty?
Since I’ll blow up alongside my karma the moment I lose anyway, let’s stack that karma sky-high.
“I’ll see how far that arrogance goes.”
You won’t be able to topple me, Prince.
“With skills that couldn’t even topple my arrogance, you say such things? Isn’t the arrogant one the Pitiful Prince?”
“Tsk.”
Arthur clicked his tongue as if to say “Listen up,” then changed the subject.
“Let’s confirm the rules. Entering the dungeon is at exactly 10 AM, and emerging is at 8 PM. You can give up in-between, but in that case, you lose. The dungeon raid is limited to three first-year students, and any current students or professors accompanying you cannot interfere. The winner is whoever reaches the highest point within the time limit. Is there any objection?”
No, none.
“No.”
“Then when the time hits, we start the match.”
Having said that, he turned his back and walked away to his party members.
Let’s see now.
The members are just as I heard.
Arthur. Jack. Matthew.
Arthur and Matthew are solid characters like rice soup from Soul Academy, and while Jack gets overshadowed by other top-tier characters, his abilities are decent enough.
With a composition like that, they seem likely to perform better than a newbie or a first-timer doing a dungeon exploration.
But who are they bringing with them?
You must take at least one current student or professor for a dungeon raid.
As I was puzzled and cocked my head, one person emerged from the crowd.
“Am I too late?”
Combat Studies Professor Luca.
A lunatic pushing his students to death in his fervor to complete a masterpiece.
What the heck is he doing here? No way…
Was he chosen as the leader?!
I thought it was insane, but the reaction of others was different.
They nodded, saying Arthur chose the right person.
Seriously, are they out of their minds?
Bringing along a maniac like Luca, how is that a good choice?
As I thought that, I realized they knew nothing about Luca’s true nature.
People still don’t grasp just how crazy he is.
Right now, he only appeared to be an excellent young teacher who produced several outstanding students.
What to do? Do I have a way to chase that guy away?
Or…
Lucy. What’s wrong?
Hearing Grandpa’s voice snapped me back to reality.
Phew. Calm down.
That guy may be crazy, but he’s a discerning lunatic.
He wouldn’t pull off anything outrageous in such a public setting.
Even if he did do something, Arthur’s party should be able to handle him.
No need to worry about them.
Right. Am I really in a position to worry about them?
I’m too busy trying to keep my own head above water.
Frey…
“Shoddy swordsman. Remember what I said yesterday?”
“I’m not an idiot.”
Frey replied with inflated shoulders, but it didn’t sound trustworthy at all.
You’ll follow my orders for the duel, right? You trust me, right?
The other party member, the attendant young lady, couldn’t stop fidgeting with her hands, possibly due to nerves.
Attendant Young Lady…
“Hey. Attendant. What was your name again?”
“…Did you not know?! It’s Visi. Visi Bell.”
Visi, huh.
Thinking it’s an easy name to remember, I nodded, only to see Visi looking at me with expectant eyes.
Is she hoping I’ll call her by name?
Sorry, I’d love to, but…
Got it. Visi.
“Alright. Young Attendant. I’ll remember it.”
Mesugaki Skills usually avoid calling people by name.
Did Visi seem disappointed to be called Young Attendant again?
Visi drooped her shoulders.
Sorry. But at least the tension is released, right?
“It’s time. Lady Allen.”
As Karl announced the exact time, the chatter stopped.
Got it. Everyone, let’s go.
“Alright. Let’s go, Shoddies.”
So, should I flex my veteran gamer muscles for a bit?
Crossing the dungeon door, the scenery changed around us.
A cave studded with luminous stones on the walls.
It took months to get here.
I used to see this every day when this was a game.
Seeing those luminous stones tells me where the starting point must be.
Alright. I’ve drawn a map in my head.
As I told you all yesterday…
“Shoddies, as I said yesterday, I’ll say it again. We won’t engage in combat unless we break into the boss room.”
Because this is a speedrun match, right?
In a speedrun, the most important thing is dodging every possible event.
*
When Visi first heard Lucy Allen’s strategy, she thought maybe Lucy was insane.
Avoiding all combat while raiding the dungeon isn’t possible.
Raiding a dungeon means facing randomly spawned monsters while navigating through traps.
It’s not a place you can just avoid fighting.
As Visi was mulling this over, the reason she was convinced by Lucy Allen was due to the examples Lucy had boldly laid out.
“When you enter the first floor of the first semester dungeon and turn around the corner, two weak goblins will jump out…”
Lucy Allen explained how the dungeon raid would go down, as if she were an omniscient god on a chessboard.
From the 1st floor to the 2nd, 3rd, all the way to the 10th.
Lucy narrated how to ascend without a single battle.
Her description was so detailed it was as if a playwright wrote it, to the extent that even Visi, who had never set foot in the academy dungeon, could picture it vividly.
“Do you really believe everything you said will happen?”
After hearing the entire explanation, when Visi asked Lucy Allen, she answered with a dismissive laugh.
“Of course. Unlike a nobody like you, I’m loved by the gods.”
Normally, that laughter would have been annoying, but for some reason, it felt trustworthy.
Had this been someone ordinary, Visi would have dismissed the explanation as pure fantasy.
However, this was someone who had nabbed first place in the academy entrance exam without a hitch.
If Lucy’s perfect score in the dungeon raid wasn’t due to the academy’s favoritism but rather something intrinsic to her…
With that thought, Visi resolved to trust Lucy.
And today.
The moment to prove whether the plan Lucy spoke of was true or not.
Surprisingly, the dungeon raid was progressing just as Lucy Allen had described.
“As you turn around the corner, two weak goblins will appear…”
Two goblins showed up.
Lucy Allen charged them with her shield, evading battle, and dashed ahead.
“If you go right, there’s a trap set by a fool…”
Indeed, there was a trap.
Lucy used that to knock down the goblins that were blocking the path and advanced forward.
“As you go forward, there’ll be a smelly pig, don’t get scared like a weakling…”
Sure enough, there was an orc blocking the road.
However, due to its sluggish movements, it couldn’t catch the rushing Lucy and her group.
Everything.
Every single event in the dungeon unfolded exactly as Lucy Allen had described.
The paths in the dungeon.
The monsters coming out of the dungeon.
The traps.
All those variables couldn’t escape Lucy Allen’s control.
“Shoddies, aren’t you tired yet?”
The time taken to raid the first floor of the academy dungeon was merely 10 minutes.
Even doing so leisurely with Visi in tow.
Visi was out of breath as she glanced at the stairs leading up to the next level.
Lucy Allen’s relentless schedule was starting to feel harsh for Visi, a necromancer.
So we have to keep this up until 8 PM?
Will… I manage?
“Well. This isn’t gonna work.”
Lucy Allen seemed to be unhappy with something and stood before Visi.
“Attendant.”
“What?”
“Shoddy stamina and shoddy legs. How did you manage to pass the academy? You look dumb, but are you actually smart?”
At Lucy’s comment, Visi hung her head.
For sure, she had been deadweight during the first-floor breakthrough.
If those two had been at their original pace, they would have arrived here much faster.
But you brought me along because you said you needed someone!
I wasn’t even planning on participating in this raid!
Visi internally complained but only trembled on the outside.
In their relationship, who was in charge was obvious.
It couldn’t be helped.
She had to run until her lungs burst.
“Hop on.”
Visi was taken aback by the unexpected words and looked up.
Lucy looked at her disdainfully before speaking again.
“Attendant. Are you deaf? Hop on.”
“What? But…”
“Hah.”
With a sigh, Lucy walked over to Visi, grabbing her by the waist and hoisting her up like a sack of potatoes.
“We’re going like this. Attendant. Any complaints?”
“…No. None.”
Not wanting to go for another round of poisonous words, Visi nodded without hesitation.