The Petrified Guardian
I removed my eye patch and looked around. The dungeon interior was a dark cave. Only the torches mounted on the walls provided any light in the gloom.
“I have to come in first no matter what.”
In Son In-hyeok’s practical exam, I absolutely had to take first place.
Skill 7: Advanced Intelligence — Allows perfect comprehension of what the other party has said. LV1. (The amount that can be understood depends on the unique ‘mana’ within Nam Doyun’s body.) However, only difficult and complex content can be understood. Simple content is unaffected.
Only by taking first place could I unlock this skill. Unlocking it was the only way I could pass the written exam. If I failed to unlock it, I would definitely be held back on the written exam and expelled.
“I should probably get moving soon.”
Up ahead, students who had started on the seventh underground floor like me were beginning to appear one by one. Every last one of them must have been on Son In-hyeok’s bad side.
I knew about the traps Son In-hyeok had set on the seventh underground floor. I was confident I could dismantle them without issue. The real problem was something else.
Krrr—
Ten orcs were clustered together right in front of me. There was no way for me to get past them. I could probably take down one using the skill I copied from Urbashi, but from the second one onward, I had no chance.
Step, step—
While I was lost in thought, footsteps sounded beside me. I turned to look and found the other person staring back at me.
“Huh?”
He looked startled to see me. It was Radeon.
“You got trapped here too?” Radeon asked.
“Yeah. Somehow.”
“I see. Well, good luck.”
Radeon waved and started walking forward.
“Wait a second.”
I quickly grabbed his shoulder. I couldn’t handle those orcs, but Radeon was different. If he swung his sword, those orcs would be down in an instant.
“Hm? Why?”
“Do you know where the dungeon exit is?”
“No. Of course not. I was planning to look for it from here. Why?”
“I know where it is. Want to team up with me?”
“...Team up?”
“Yeah.”
“How exactly?”
“I’ll guide you to the exit and disarm all the traps along the way. In exchange, you take care of the monsters.”
“...Huh?”
Radeon’s face twisted in confusion. He continued, “...You don’t really need to do that, do you? When we sparred, your swordsmanship took care of orcs like those in no time.”
He seemed to think I could use the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship whenever I wanted. Right now, I couldn’t. There was no need to explain that to him, though.
“Haha, that’s true, but this exam gives higher scores to whoever finds the exit fastest, right? So splitting roles makes more sense.”
“Hmm... I guess you’re right.”
Radeon nodded, apparently convinced.
Step— step—
Radeon walked alone toward the ten orcs. The orcs turned their glowing red eyes on him.
Uwooo—
The orc that looked like the leader let out a strange cry. The others immediately began surrounding Radeon in a circle. They completely ignored me. I wasn’t even worth their attention.
Uwooo—
The leader orc roared again. The surrounding orcs charged at Radeon all at once. They closed the distance in seconds and raised their clubs high, swinging them down toward his head.
Swish—
A sound of wind being cut rang out. After that, the orcs stopped moving. I tilted my head in confusion. What just happened?
A second later, the upper and lower halves of every orc surrounding Radeon separated. Not a single exception. With one swing of his sword, he had cut down all ten orcs in an instant.
“...”
I swallowed hard. I actually beat a monster like that?
“Shall we go?” Radeon asked.
“Y-yeah.”
I stared at him blankly. After walking for about a minute, we reached a large cavern. In the center stood a massive statue in the shape of a gargoyle.
Radeon instinctively raised his sword toward the statue and looked at me.
“Doyun, you should get ready to fight too.”
“Huh?”
“That statue isn’t ordinary. It’ll probably wake up soon.”
“Really?”
I looked at the statue calmly. Cracks began spreading across its surface. It was only a matter of time before the petrification wore off and the gargoyle went on a rampage.
“Yeah. This thing is no joke. Just looking at it gives me chills.”
Radeon’s eyes were filled with tension. If even he, who had casually cut down ten orcs, reacted like this, it had to be a formidable opponent.
“Doyun, draw your sword already.”
“Huh?”
“If it was just me, I’d run. But since you’re here, I think we can handle it. We can definitely take that gargoyle down together. Draw your sword.”
“...”
If I could use the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship, maybe we could defeat it together. The problem was that I couldn’t use it right now.
“No. We’re not fighting that gargoyle.”
“What... do you mean?” Radeon asked, looking bewildered.
“I said I’d handle the traps, didn’t I?”
I walked straight toward the gargoyle statue without any caution. Its surface continued to crack and flake away. The statue began to tremble. It was a clear sign that the gargoyle was about to awaken.
“Doyun! It’s dangerous—come back! It’s really going to wake up soon!”
Radeon shouted urgently, but I ignored him and kept walking. I pulled out the glass bottle I had been carrying and uncorked it.
Glug, glug—
I poured the liquid inside over the statue.
Crack—
Amazingly, the flaking surface began to regenerate. The gargoyle statue returned to its original form, and all movement ceased.
“!!!”
Radeon’s face was a mask of shock.
“...What the hell was that?” he asked.
I looked down at the glass bottle. Good thing I brought it. Monsters artificially petrified by magic would eventually break free on their own, but there were potions that could delay the process. The issue was that the required potion varied by monster. A potion that worked on a petrified goblin wouldn’t work on an orc, and even among orcs, red-skinned and green-skinned ones needed different potions. With tens of thousands of monster species, carrying every possible anti-petrification potion was impractical. That was why most people never bothered with them.
‘But I knew, so it worked.’
I already knew the exact specifications of the gargoyle Son In-hyeok had petrified. That was how I’d been able to prepare the right potion in advance.
“Shall we go?” I asked Radeon.
“Y-yeah.”
Radeon still looked stunned.
Son In-hyeok was currently in the CCTV room, watching footage of every student inside the dungeon. The assistant professor beside him tilted her head in confusion. The difficulty on the seventh underground floor was abnormally high. While other floors had goblins, this one was filled with orcs. The gap in combat power between goblins and orcs was like heaven and earth.
“...Professor, is this really a fair exam?” the assistant asked Son In-hyeok.
“Of course it is.”
“...But orcs versus goblins?”
“In exchange for the harder monsters, students who clear the seventh floor receive bonus points. Heh heh—”
Son In-hyeok smiled as he watched the footage of the students on the seventh floor. Every student he had assigned there had rubbed him the wrong way at some point. Anyone who had even slightly annoyed him ended up on the seventh floor. How dare they talk back to me?
“Wait, orcs are one thing, but isn’t that going too far?”
The assistant pointed at the gargoyle statue on one of the screens. Son In-hyeok looked at the footage she indicated. The petrification magic on the gargoyle had worn off, and it was now rampaging freely. A student charged at it with a sword and swung.
Clang—
Instead of piercing the gargoyle, the blade shattered.
“!!!”
The student’s face twisted in shock. The gargoyle’s hand shot out and struck him.
Crunch—
The student was slammed into the wall. The attack had been too fast to see. The assistant switched to another feed. The same scene played out there—the gargoyle was wiping out entire groups. Even students who had handled orcs without issue were being defeated.
“Professor, is this really okay?”
“Yes. Of course it is.”
Son In-hyeok smiled. Of course it was. Anyone who dared to defy him deserved the lowest score. He had never intended to let any of the students on the seventh floor pass. Every single one of them had gotten on his nerves.
‘They’ll never get through.’
The gargoyle he had petrified was far beyond what students could handle. Son In-hyeok turned his gaze to the feed showing Radeon. Radeon and Nam Doyun were standing before the statue as the petrification slowly broke away.
‘Those two won’t make it either.’
Nam Doyun’s swordsmanship had been impressive, and Radeon was no less skilled. But even together, they couldn’t possibly defeat that gargoyle. No matter how talented they were, they were still just students. That gargoyle was on an entirely different level.
Son In-hyeok smirked at the two of them.
‘It’s over for them now.’
The petrification on the gargoyle was almost completely gone. Once the magic on its feet wore off, it would be fully active. At that moment, Nam Doyun began walking toward the statue.
‘Has he given up?’
He was completely defenseless. It was a wise choice. No amount of struggling would let him win.
Glug, glug—
Nam Doyun poured a strange liquid over the gargoyle statue.
“!!!”
To Son In-hyeok’s shock, the gargoyle began petrifying again. Then Nam Doyun opened the door beyond it and walked out.
“W-what the hell is that kid?”
Son In-hyeok’s face was frozen in disbelief.