Dungeon Practice (2)
Dungeon Practice (2)
Dungeon practice spans two days: Monday and Tuesday. Two days is the time limit. You aren't supposed to exceed it, but if you can clear it faster, you're free to rest.
The team assignments had been posted at seven in the morning. As soon as the notice appeared, dungeon practice was officially underway.
From here, you check your team, gather up, head to the assigned dungeon, and meet the conditions. Then it's over.
In the original story, this was a repeatable event that the player could clear by early afternoon if they really pushed the pace.
- Ding
My smartwatch chimed. I checked it—an alert saying I'd been added to a group chat.
▷ 'Ellia Srade' has invited 'Lee Ha-yul', 'Attila Blero', 'Nam Yeon-jung', and 'Aiden Reynolds'.
▶Ellia Srade: Hello. I made the Group 11 chat! (Today 7:02)
▶Ellia Srade: How about we meet nearby and discuss the team lead and strategy? (Today 7:02)
▶Attila Blero: Agreed! I'll head out right away (Today 7:03)
▶Nam Yeon-jung: Agreed (Today 7:03)
Every dungeon assigned for the exercise is located inside Siyoram. They deliberately leave dungeons intact even after full exploration and subjugation to use them for future training.
That's why Siyoram is absurdly massive. Sure, it's partly because of all the training facilities and the commercial district for personnel, but more than that, the estate is overflowing with managed dungeons.
▶Me: Agreed (Today 7:04)
After leaving a reply in the chat, I finished packing. Professor Atra had stuffed a mountain of supplies into the bag, and fortunately, every bit of it fit inside—it had a spatial expansion spell on it.
I reshelved all the books I'd been reading, then double-checked my things just in case.
Nothing was missing. Everything was packed. Only then did I leave the library and start walking.
* * *
"Ha-yul, over here!"
I arrived at the address posted in the chat. It was a modest café, and everyone had gathered on the second floor. The floor had no glass windows, so I could clearly sense Ellia waving at me.
[Sorry. I'm late.]
"Late? I just got here myself. Oh, and I already ordered yours, Ha-yul."
Four people were seated around a round table. I took the empty spot next to Ellia.
Ellia greeted me with her usual bright smile, and the other teammates offered slightly awkward hellos of their own.
"......"
"......"
Still, the most uncomfortable person here was definitely that one.
Aiden Reynolds... He was staring at me just as awkwardly. When we'd bowed to each other earlier, he'd looked like a stiff wooden doll.
The female cadet sitting beside him was watching Aiden with utter exasperation. She was the same one who'd smacked him across the back and held him in check during our last sparring match.
Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any lingering resentment from that bout. I'd worried about pointless bad blood, but apparently I'd worried for nothing.
A moment later, a staff member came up and set our drinks and a few snacks on the table. I'd ordered orange juice. The others had gotten fruit juice or coffee.
Once we'd all taken a sip, Ellia lightly tapped the table.
"Shall we start with introductions? Minor Combat, Ellia Srade. My unique ability is a recovery type. I look forward to working with you over these two days!"
"Combat major, Nam Yeon-jung. My unique ability is a spear-art type. My weapon is a spear. I'll be in your care."
Nam Yeon-jung had a solid yet agile build. As you could tell from the spear propped against the wall beside him, his unique ability and primary weapon both centered on the spear.
"Combat major, Attila Blero. My ability is a composite type... shield and body reinforcement. I'll do my best."
Attila Blero had a prickly aura and sharp, catlike eyes. I didn't see any equipment on her. She'd probably stowed it in a subspace pocket.
"Combat major, Aiden Reynolds. Swordsmanship-type unique ability."
And the person I'd met last time... Aiden Reynolds, the sturdy-looking one.
All eyes turned to me, the last to go. I projected a pre-written message as a hologram.
[I'm Lee Ha-yul. My unique ability is a detection type. I look forward to working with you.]
Once introductions were done, we moved straight to business. Ellia, who'd created the chat, led the conversation.
"It's easier to start by picking a team lead. Is anyone interested in taking the role?"
Ellia glanced around the table as she spoke.
Nam Yeon-jung subtly looked away. He seemed uncomfortable with the idea.
Aiden, who'd been sneaking awkward glances at me, turned toward Attila, who was drinking coffee next to her.
"Wouldn't you be better off handling it?"
"What?"
As if he'd just heard nonsense, Attila raised one eyebrow. Her face was already sharp, and that reaction made her look even less approachable.
Aiden flinched slightly but continued calmly.
"In small parties, the tank usually takes the lead. And you're the only tank here."
"Well, yeah, but..."
Since the tank often serves as the party's linchpin, small-scale party leaders are often drawn from the front line—especially the tank.
Attila frowned for a moment, thinking.
"What's there to agonize over? It's only two days at most. We might even wrap this up in one."
"You've got a big mouth for someone trying to dump the job on me."
"Sorry."
Attila snapped back sharply at Aiden's interjection. Watching Aiden instantly deflate and Attila react as if it were perfectly normal, I could vividly picture the two of them coming from the same academy.
"All right, I'll take the lead for now. I've done something like team lead a few times back at the academy, but don't expect too much."
Attila scratched the back of her head as she spoke, then glanced toward Ellia. She simply nodded in reply, no longer steering the conversation.
She probably figured that once the team lead was chosen, the lead should do the steering. Seeming to realize that, Attila let out a small sigh and continued.
"Then let's start putting a plan together."
After that, we laid out a textbook strategy. Under Attila's lead, we talked over the team's capabilities, when to enter, and how to approach the dungeon.
...
"A hundred-meter radius? Always active? With your detection ability?"
[Yes.]
"Whoa..."
...
"So, um... seeing your last sparring match, are you capable of fighting too?"
[I'm training for combat during my major lessons. I'm still inexperienced, but I can step in if needed.]
"Oh..."
...
"What's that staff for?"
[It's a mana-storage staff. I'm even less experienced with magic than combat, but I brought it because I can manage some lowest-grade spells.]
"Ah..."
There was a slightly odd atmosphere while we assessed each other's capabilities, but overall the conversation proceeded in good spirits.
The conclusion came quickly.
We decided to use both days comfortably without pushing ourselves. Some groups aim for a fast clear to earn higher marks, but our conclusion was to prioritize safety.
Attila and Nam Yeon-jung would take the front line. In the center, me as the detector and Ellia as the healer. The rear was assigned to Aiden, who'd watch for flanking attacks.
"Let's do a final check for anything we missed and head out right away."
Did it take a little over an hour? Attila wrapped up the meeting quickly and led the team toward the dungeon.
He'd said he'd served as team lead on a few dungeon runs at the academy, and he definitely looked practiced.
So we arrived at the dungeon.
After verifying our identities with the Siyoram personnel managing the site, we moved past the facility.
As I trudged forward, I felt a swirling current of mana just outside the range of my Spatial Perception. That had to be the dungeon's entrance.
- Whoooosh...
The moment the mana flow was about to brush against my Spatial Perception, the perception transmitted an odd resonance. I immediately folded Spatial Perception away and grabbed the sleeve of Ellia beside me.
"Ha-yul?"
[I turned my ability off in case something like last time happens.]
"Last time... ah."
I briefly let go of her sleeve to tap my smartwatch. Ellia's puzzled voice softened into a quiet gasp.
Back at the gate, I hadn't known it was dangerous. This time, it felt unusual but didn't seem threatening. Even so, I folded Spatial Perception just to be safe.
If my condition suddenly crashed into the basement like it did back then, the damage wouldn't just fall on me. It would hit the people around me, too.
I decided to put off my curiosity for later.
That's when someone suddenly snatched my hand—grab. The unexpected contact made my shoulders flinch.
"Don't awkwardly hold onto my sleeve. Just do this for a little while."
The hand was Ellia's. She'd grabbed the hand I was trying to use for her sleeve and interlaced our fingers instead.
Before I could even process my bewilderment at the warmth in my palm, Ellia was already pulling me by the hand and leading me into the dungeon.
My eyes were closed. Thanks to Mana Affinity, I could sense people's positions and even the dungeon entrance, but I couldn't see the uneven ground beneath me.
One wrong step and I could trip, so I didn't let go.
With my vision blocked, and even Spatial Perception's data cut off, I almost felt as if I were the only person in the world.
Thinking about that, I suddenly marveled at how on earth I'd gotten around in the old days.
"?"
For a moment, the back of my head prickled. A sensation like someone's gaze was resting right there.
Before I could dwell on it, we entered the dungeon. It felt like the swell of waves when you plunge into the sea.
* * *
Lee Ha-yul's figure sank into the blue vortex. His body, which had been flickering like a shadow, abruptly vanished. The delicate presence that had been perceptible disappeared along with it.
"......"
A dungeon is a space isolated from the outside. Apart from its designated entrance, you can't come and go, and you have few ways of confirming what's happening inside.
For that reason, it's difficult to determine if any accident has occurred—unless the internal mana concentration soars so blatantly that it can't be missed.
Even a sudden shift in mana concentration is nothing more than a sign of imminent collapse, so in practical terms, incidents inside the dungeon are even harder to identify.
"Haah..."
What exactly am I doing here. Truly a pathetic sight. A deep sigh slipped out at the thought that crossed my mind. If this isn't a sickness, I don't know what is.
As I mocked my own behavior and started to turn my head, a gust of wind kicked up behind me.
At the same time, a soft voice laced through the rushing air.
"Hmm... I suppose I let myself imagine something a little rude. But isn't this a helpless situation? This is basically stalking, after all."
"...If you realize it's rude, the proper response is to restrain yourself."
A familiar voice. One I'd heard often, especially on the Africa Front. Atra turned around, frowning, smoothing down her fluttering clothes.
As the gust settled, the woman touched down lightly at the spot—Liana—and spoke with a playful smile.
"You really do care about your cadet."
"Don't talk nonsense."
"If it were nonsense, you wouldn't have come all the way to check with your own eyes. Though, since you're already here, why didn't you just tell him to stay safe?"
Her words were casual. But Atra only frowned more deeply.
- Stay safe. Don't ever let your guard down.
- Heh. This is no big deal, okay? Don't underestimate me! I'll wrap it up in no time and come back for a rematch, so you'd better wait!
An unpleasant memory. A past that must be long forgotten now. Atra shook her head, pushing down the sticky feeling.
"Enough foolishness. I'll be going now."
Her business here was done. She already regretted having come to check in the first place.
Atra turned without hesitation. With no major combat lectures for the next two days, she had been planning to focus on personal training.
"How about a drink, for old times' sake? No lecture tomorrow, and I found a quiet place with a nice atmosphere."
"Drink alone."
"Come on, it's also about Cadet Lee Ha-yul."
"...tch."
I clicked my tongue and turned my head. Liana was beaming a grin so wide that you could practically read "No way you'll refuse now" written across her face.
Since she'd insisted on guzzling alcohol to bring up the topic, she really would talk about it. The problem was the "while guzzling alcohol" part.
Atra mulled it over for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.