46 - Dungeon Survey Practice (4)
There's a saying that a woman's tears are invincible—even if the opponent is a younger girl. And...
"I-I don't like you! Hoooeu... I don't like youuu! Hic... But why'd you do that to me?!"
Lily's words were ripe for misunderstanding.
"No way... Lev, you didn't..."
Yeriel stared at me with a grave expression.
"..."
Even Aria, who usually ignored personal drama, shot me a cold glance.
It sounded like I'd manhandled some poor girl...
I dismissed it in one go.
"Sorry, but no."
Clearing up the misunderstanding wasn't hard.
For starters, we took a break for maintenance. Even the game had that romantic vibe of lighting a campfire and chilling.
-Sniffle.
Yeriel crouched down, gently wiping Lily's teary eyes with a handkerchief.
"Lily, you were the one in the wrong this time."
"...Yeah."
"A party's for cooperating, and everyone has their own role."
"...Lily knows that too..."
Yeriel smiled softly and whispered something in Lily's ear.
"..."
From the way her eyes flickered, I could guess. Something like coaxing a kid: 'How about going and apologizing to Lev first?'
Lily huddled her feet, deep in thought. At least her expression showed she knew she'd messed up.
'Never expected much from her anyway.'
She was just a kid—no point wasting energy on a power struggle. If anything, Kaeran His, the one who'd sent this brat as my watchdog, was the real root of all evil.
I stood, rummaged through the wreckage of the fallen golem, and planted myself in front of Lily.
"Hand."
"Huh...?"
"Stick out your hand."
Lily hesitantly extended her tiny palm.
-Plop.
I dropped two orbs into it. Golem hearts—the cores.
"Use these to resummon 'em."
"Huh? My golems... they can come back...?"
I was speechless for a second.
"You seriously didn't know...?"
"Lily's a genius, so she figured she could just make new ones from scratch..."
Spoken like a true self-proclaimed prodigy summoner. Crafting golem cores required alchemy mastery and massive mana drain. No wonder she'd enrolled young.
I rattled off some game lore I remembered.
"No need to get attached to summons. Especially spirit-based ones—they don't die; they return to the spirit world."
"Really...?"
"Yeah. And the moment you contract with them, they know the deal and help you anyway."
"..."
Lily looked away bashfully, then mumbled softly.
"...Th-thanks."
-...
"And sorry, everyone. It was my stubbornness... I'm sorry..."
Lily only started seriously taming dragons because of Kaeran.
It comes out late in Reincarnation Aka—he used her just to access a hidden spot only reachable by dragon, then planned to kill it for scales, tendons, and essence. With nothing left, he squeezed her life force to turn her into his personal healbot, demanding she "prove her worth."
To him, Lily was just... a tool.
Lily clutched the golem cores I'd given her, beaming.
"Heehee. Thank goodness... thank goodness..."
Like a real kid.
'Anyway, now that it's come to this, I'll raise her as a summoner.'
No way I'd let Kaeran have his way.
With Lily back in line, she tugged at my sleeve.
"Where to now...?"
"Left."
"Okay!"
Meanwhile, party leader Yeriel watched this heartwarming? scene and questioned her own leadership.
'Am I... doing okay as party leader?'
Actions that hurt morale or teamwork definitely docked points in evaluations.
But Lev had turned Lily's reckless outburst—something that looked accidental—into party unity.
Proof: the girl who'd ignored him stubbornly just minutes ago now followed his orders like a good kid.
'Did he see this coming...?'
Lily's first golem fell long ago. And Lev had pocketed its core right then.
As if he'd planned for this exact moment.
Yeriel had been sighing over how to score his teamwork, but now? Flawless.
Still, she felt an odd twinge.
'First time... seeing this.'
Lev Denek—talking to other cadets. She'd assumed he drew lines with everyone like he did with her.
Wrong.
"Hey, watch your step up there."
"Whoa—almost tripped! Thanks."
He gave Edwin casual pointers; Edwin took them easy.
"Aria, you good?"
"Fine. Let's go."
"Speak up if there's trouble."
"Yes."
And with their sole healer, he checked her status constantly, pacing the group.
Honestly, they didn't seem super close or blended. Speech wasn't warm, felt surface-level.
Yet everyone followed him.
That's when she sensed it, subtly: he acted for the team, sincerely, whether he meant to show it or not. And they knew it too.
A question popped into Yeriel's mind.
"So why... is he so distant with me...?"
No one at Clarice Academy hated her—not profs, cadets, or staff.
-Yeriel looks happy today too!
-Yeah!!
-Thanks as always!
-Sweet girl with the great smile—come again.
Yeriel believed treating people sincerely got sincerity back. It always had.
Truth was, she'd invited Lev to the party to get closer.
She'd begged with a lame excuse, and when he accepted, she thought it was her chance.
-Break time, please.
-Purification check soon—heads up.
He ignored anything non-mission-related.
'Feels... lonely.'
And calling her "senpai" sporadically with formal speech? More confusing.
'Did I do something wrong to him?'
As Yeriel reflected, the party reached the dungeon core.
"Whoa... it's huge."
As Lily gasped, the cavern ceiling loomed vast for a cave. The boss room.
A massive white crystal stained black with mana sat center.
Three paths branched from here.
Dungeon survey goal: measure purification levels in these three spots—not kill the boss.
Yeriel directed calmly.
"Let's form teams for guarding and measuring."
They'd cleared mobs en route, but this was combat-sim training. Standard academy method: three purifiers each take one, two guard the entrance.
Then Lev spoke first.
"My proposed teams..."
"Lily wants guard duty!"
"Hold on...!"
As Lily chimed in, chaos brewing—
"Can I... guard with Lev?"
Yeriel blurted her true feelings. Alone, maybe she could probe his heart.
A wrinkle appeared.
Just me and Yeriel at the entrance.
Intruding mobs in dungeon survey: B-rank named, [Flame Demon].
Script: it spawns mid-measurement; guards Edwin and Yeriel awaken jointly to repel it.
But this hellish++ difficulty reeked of the author's schemes.
My plan: me and Aria guard. Her surveillance magic tracks the [Flame Demon]; I preempt, hit weak spots to soften it up; Edwin finishes with Yeriel's enchanted Blade of Execution.
'Close enough...'
Can't pinpoint spawn, but me guarding changes little. Should be fine.
Oblivious to the danger, Yeriel smiled sweetly—voice trembling slightly.
"Thanks, Lev. For going along with my request."
"No biggie. Party leader's call."
"..."
Drawing lines hurt me too. But necessary. This fork: Yeriel bonds with Edwin, levels up.
She pressed on.
"Since you came to Black Dorm, good stuff's happened...? Spirit communion worked, and inquiries for Black Dorm are up."
"Good for you."
"You know? When cadets inquire, they ask about you a lot."
"Me?"
"Yeah! 'Is that hot cadet really there?'"
Explains the whispers behind my back lately...
"Lev, one thing?"
"Shoot."
"Did I... make you uncomfortable...?"
"Nah."
"Then... be a little warmer to me..."
> [Flame Demon behavior—real or bug?]
> B-rank named with "Devil's Grin" nickname. AI weirdly pulling aggro from tanks sequentially. Judging abnormal.
> Changing gimmick: Prioritize healer target.
> All dungeon areas now linked!
'......?'
Fuck... the author?
Script flip. Edwin was supposed to tank.
Reversed. Our only healer: Aria.
Alone measuring.
'Gotta go. Now.'
Run? Might be late.
Only option left.
"Be a little warmer to me too..."
I met Yeriel's innocent eyes clearly.
"Yeriel—close your eyes for a sec."