Dungeon Subjugation - 1
The sensation of stepping through a portal was… how should I put it? At least it wasn’t the gut-twisting nausea I’d expected. If I had to describe it, it felt like flicking the light on in a dark room, turning it off again, then switching it back on. A rapid flicker of light and darkness, and then the scenery simply revealed itself.
“Welcome. You must be the supervising professor?”
“Ah, not quite a professor. I’m the substitute supervisor.”
The man who appeared to be a national ability user stared at me for a moment. Then he let out a small “Oh!” and pointed a finger straight at me.
“Wait, aren’t you the guy from that news story?”
“…Yes. I suppose that’s me.”
“Right? Your name was… Baek… something like that, I remember.”
He looked genuinely proud of himself for recalling it, and the faint embarrassment creeping up on me made me introduce myself right away.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Seojin, substitute supervisor for Academy External Support Team 5.”
“Ah! Baek Seojin. That was it. It’s an honor to meet you.”
The man even shook my hand with both of his, unable to hide his excitement. Honor? Anyone listening would think I was some newly risen S-rank ability user. At best, I was an up-and-coming talent. Still…
“Likewise. More importantly, the students who came with me…”
“Ah, yes. The students are over there doing a headcount.”
Where he pointed, the students of Team 5 stood in neat lines, waiting.
“You said you’re the substitute supervisor, correct? Then I’ll brief you on the current situation first.”
According to him, the three dungeons assigned to Academy Team 5 today had all been evaluated as C-rank, exactly as the students had been told. The primary monsters were Lizard Men, which meant the internal environment would mostly consist of swamp terrain. Other than that, there were no particular points of concern.
“They aren’t particularly difficult dungeons. However, if they aren’t cleared within the set time, monsters can spill out, and the environment itself is so unpleasant that many ability users avoid them. That’s why we requested support.”
“I understand. Even I would want to avoid a swamp-heavy dungeon.”
Inside a dungeon, the environment could be just as dangerous as the monsters. That was why the vanguard’s role during a Gate-to-Dungeon conversion was so crucial. In that regard, swamps were an incredibly unpleasant battlefield for humans. Not only did they drastically reduce mobility, they could leave you completely immobilized. In the worst case, casualties might not even come from monsters, but from the terrain itself.
“Now all that’s left is for you to decide how to divide personnel across the three dungeons.”
“Would it be alright to ask the students’ opinions?”
“That falls under the Academy’s discretion, so handle it as you see fit. We’ll be waiting over there. Once your teams are formed, please submit the list to me!”
Having said his piece, the ability user returned to where his own squad waited. They were probably drawing up their own operational plans for the upcoming dungeon subjugation.
‘Team composition, huh. Hmm, how should I arrange this?’
There were three dungeons assigned to the Academy students and twenty-six of us in total—Gold and Platinum ranks combined. Including myself, that made twenty-seven. A perfectly even split.
‘I’ll put two Platinum ranks in each squad. For the one that’s short a Platinum, I’ll fill in myself.’
I carefully reviewed each student’s class and began forming the teams. The foundation would be Weapon and Martial Arts users who could serve as both tanks and damage dealers. Then I’d add pure damage dealers from the Magic class and support-type healers.
I had already roughly confirmed their traits while taking attendance earlier. Using that information, the teams I formed should be able to handle any unexpected situations.
‘With two Platinum ranks per team, overall command should be solid. Most of the Gold ranks have completed at least five external support missions. No need to worry too much.’
I finally finished organizing the three squads. Each team would have seven Gold ranks and two Platinum ranks. For the third squad, which was short one Platinum, I would fill the gap myself.
“Students, may I have your attention for a moment?”
After completing the team assignments, I announced which students were in which squad and asked if anyone had objections. Fortunately, everyone nodded after checking the lists. The Gold ranks had no complaints, and neither did the Platinum students.
“This looks sufficient, Examiner.”
“You organized them really well! You put the Platinums in charge of overall command, right?”
“Hey. Will our tanking be okay? You always overdo it trying to deal damage.”
“What are you even saying? It’s because you deal so little damage that I have to!”
They were about to enter a dungeon any minute now, yet none of them looked particularly nervous. That wasn’t a bad thing. Being too tense would prevent them from showing their true abilities. Of course, being too relaxed wasn’t ideal either, but Kang Hana handled that part perfectly.
“Everyone! Don’t let your guard down too much. Let’s finish this training cleanly without a single injury and return safely. Understood?”
“Of course, Student Council President!”
“I told you not to call me that!”
“Whoa. The president is beating up a student!”
It seemed Kang Hana wasn’t the authoritarian type of student council president. Leaving the playfully bickering students behind, I submitted the team list to the national ability user. After checking it, he gave a light compliment, saying it was a rather well-balanced arrangement.
“Then each squad may proceed to their assigned dungeon entrance.”
“Understood. Squad 1! Squad 2! Prepare to enter! We’ll begin shortly!”
I positioned Squads 1 and 2 in front of the two dungeons that weren’t too far apart. Before the students went inside, I gathered the four Platinum-rank students.
“This goes without saying, but please be careful.”
“Understood, Examiner.”
“Don’t worry. For a C-rank dungeon, the Gold students could handle it without us.”
“Even so, there’s always the possibility of the unexpected. Never let your guard down.”
The Platinum students nodded at my words. They were all skilled individuals who knew how to properly command their teams. The Academy didn’t create the ranking system for nothing. They had earned their positions.
“I’m counting on all of you. Take care and return safely.”
“We’ll see you later, Examiner.”
“We’re off!”
Squads 1 and 2 disappeared beyond the dungeons with smiles on their faces. I felt a slight unease, but there was no better option. There were three dungeons; I couldn’t possibly escort more than twenty students all at once. These weren’t high-rank dungeons, and Gold ranks could clear C-rank ones without much difficulty. Even Silver-rank students could handle them if things went well.
“Should Squad 3 begin preparing to depart as well, Examiner?”
I nodded at Kang Hana’s question as she quietly approached from behind. The dungeon assigned to Squad 3 was a bit farther from the ones Squads 1 and 2 were handling. As we moved toward it, I chatted with her about various things.
“I noticed you placed both me and Dasom in Squad 3.”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“Not at all. It’s just that you’re also in Squad 3, Examiner.”
“That’s because you’re the only remaining Platinum-rank student.”
“It’s not because you aren’t particularly close with the other students, right?”
In other words, Kang Hana was asking whether I had placed her and Yu Dasom in Squad 3—and joined it myself—because I was somewhat close to them.
‘She’s not entirely wrong.’
They were the future party members who would move together with Lee Hyunwoo. They were reliable friends with no obvious flaws. Having them nearby felt more reassuring, and they were the kind of people I would truly regret losing. That was why I kept them close. A strangely ominous feeling kept nagging at me.
“…Yeah. Got it. Good work. I’ll send the money later.”
Jeong Yuhyeon nodded and ended the call. The deep dark circles under his eyes and the bloodshot whites told anyone looking that he was far from normal.
“We’ve confirmed it. All five teams just departed for external support.”
“You sure? Because if you’re wrong, I’ll pickle your tongue in salted seafood and shove it down your throat.”
“It’s certain. The informant I planted at the Academy delivered the news personally.”
At Jeong Yuhyeon’s words, the man turned his head and muttered, “He says it’s confirmed.”
The middle-aged man seated at the head of the table slowly raised his head.
“What a madman. From what I heard, you ended up like this because that axe-wielding bitch caused an accident.”
“No. That’s not it. It’s all because of that bastard.”
“That examiner named Baek Seojin? Everything is his fault?”
“Yes! It’s all because of him! Everything that happened to me is all because of that guy!!”
The middle-aged man glanced at the person beside him. The man mouthed silently, ‘This kid’s completely lost it.’
Even from my perspective, it was nonsense. From the story, it sounded like he had provoked the situation himself and was now blaming others. But in this underworld, that kind of twisted mindset was exactly what qualified someone.
After all, how could someone who wanted to become a villain possibly be sane? Showing this level of madness actually made him seem more sincere.
“Fine. If this job goes well, I’ll consider making your membership official.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
We had already confirmed he was Gold-rank at the Academy. That meant his skills were verified. And with this kind of mentality on top of it, he was perfect material for our side.
“Alright then. Shall we go educate our cute, fluffy little fledglings?”
The middle-aged man chuckled, then seemed to remember something and called over one of his subordinates.
“Tell the Elder. Given what happened last time, he might take an interest.”
The man nodded and headed off somewhere. The place he was going was where a figure as pale as a drowning victim resided.