2nd Year Dungeon Practice (1)
2nd Year Dungeon Practice (1)
A few days passed since I gave Senior Daera the prosthetic arm.
"Grrraaaaaaaaa..."
"Your precision has improved remarkably. Just keep this up from now on. Come on, stop complaining and drink some water."
"Tired..."
All this time, Senior Daera had been thoroughly tormented by her master.
The slight discrepancies in movement caused by wearing the prosthetic arm.
To her master, who trained her to handle any situation, those tiny errors were simply unbearable.
Today was no different.
On the training ground—a spacious lot set aside for practice—Senior Daera was sprawled out on the dirt, covered in grime.
"She's really working hard. From what I see, she trains all day long... I wonder if she's overdoing it..."
Watching her squirm like a caterpillar, Baek A-rin tilted her head. The ponytail neatly tied behind her swayed.
Baek A-rin had participated in this morning's training as well. She said she wanted to loosen up before dungeon practice.
[It's because dungeon practice is starting. She probably wants to minimize the errors as much as possible beforehand. Here.]
"Ah, thank you."
Baek A-rin grinned as she accepted the drink. Her pale skin was flushed a delicate pink, with beads of sweat forming on it.
That was because I'd been frequently supplying her with the Calamity Flame during training.
"Ha-yul, do you have more drinks?"
Baek A-rin wasn't the only one who joined the training. Yeon-hwa, who had been harmonizing with the Calamity Flame beside me, twitched the corners of her eyes and held out her hand.
[Here.]
"Okay, thanks. I'll enjoy it."
When I placed a drink in her hand, her slanted eyebrows returned to their original shape.
[Ellia and...]
[Senior Lee Ji-yeon, please take one as well.]
"Thank you."
"I'll drink it well."
I handed drinks to Ellia and Lee Ji-yeon too.
Everyone had come out together to warm up and prepare before dungeon practice.
- Slink...
That was the moment. The blue spear Baek A-rin had planted in the ground unraveled like a spool of thread.
The untangled cloth wrapped around Baek A-rin's arms and floated behind her back, becoming a Winged Garment.
It wasn't just Baek A-rin's spear.
Hong Yeon-hwa's sword, Ellia's staff, and Lee Ji-yeon's axe all dissolved into cloth and reverted to their Winged Garment states.
My expression turned strange at the sight. The Winged Garment floating behind my back twitched.
[But... after going through the imprinting process, doesn't the default form usually solidify into something else? You don't strictly have to keep it as a Winged Garment...]
The primary material of the custom Unique Weapons I gifted them was the Sky Wing Feather. Because of that, it was inevitable for the default state to revert to a Winged Garment form.
But through the imprinting process, the default state should have been locked according to the owner's intent...
"I'm more comfortable with this."
Shrugging her shoulders, Baek A-rin gently stroked the Winged Garment.
"Carrying it around as a spear is fine, but when I'm not using it, this state supporting my back and arms is also quite nice."
"...It's similar for me."
[Ah, well, you're not wrong.]
It might not be as good as the original Sky Wing Feather, but it does have a shape-shifting function. If they keep it like that, it also serves as a precaution against surprise attacks.
After exchanging glances with the others, they nodded together. When I wondered why they agreed so readily, it turned out the reason was purely practical.
I nodded and approached Senior Daera.
[Senior, aren't you thirsty?]
"Ughhh... I'm dying... If I drink water now, I feel like I'll throw up right away..."
[This isn't water, it's a sports drink?]
"...Ah, a sports drink?"
Her face, which had been buried in the ground while she grumbled, shot right up. Her sparkling eyes locked onto the sports drink in my hand, and she snatched it in an instant.
[...We lowered the intensity a lot today because of the schedule, so shouldn't you be feeling a bit more relaxed?]
Today, the Monday after the weekend, was the day scheduled for the dungeon practice this semester.
By the time the sun was high, the team assignments and assigned dungeons would be announced.
As such, yesterday was a proper rest day, and today was just a brief warm-up before sunrise.
"Gulp... Puhaa! Junior, it's still tough."
[I get that too, but.]
It's true, even if it's just a warm-up, Master's training is indeed grueling.
Shrugging, I shifted my gaze.
As Senior Daera lay resting, Master, who had been sipping water, greeted my gaze with the softest smile in the world.
That smile brought back a memory from a few days ago.
- That prosthetic arm...
- It's a prosthetic arm I made myself. I made it to synchronize senses like the one I used, made it sturdy... and ensured it resonates with your Unique Ability.
The day Senior Daera arrived wearing the prosthetic arm. After hearing the details, Master's eyes had widened roundly before she pulled me into a tight embrace with a complicated expression.
- ...Thank you...
Her voice had been thick with emotion. That night, I fell asleep held tightly in Master's arms, receiving the most devoted care.
"Hehehe..."
Just recalling that memory brought a smile to my face. I trotted over to Master with a cold towel.
"Have you finished your preparations?"
[Yes, recklessly so, by packing way too much.]
If I slack off on preparations just because it's a low-grade dungeon, who knows what kind of scolding I'll receive from Master.
Master smiled even more warmly at my firm answer, took the towel to wipe her face, then leaned down and pressed her lips to my cheek.
- Muah.
"Euh, hehe..."
That soft sensation on my cheek. The affection spreading from that point made the corners of my mouth loosen into a silly grin. The tips of my Winged Garment fluttered gently.
- Poke!
[Hghk...!]
At that instant, a cold sensation poking my bottom made my body jolt. Since there was no malice, the Winged Garment didn't deflect it.
The culprit was an icicle floating in the air. Chilling cold. There was only one person here who could handle such a thing.
[Miss Baek A-rin?]
"Hehe, the alarm went off but you were spacing out, so I played a little prank."
The icicle melted in an instant. Baek A-rin shrugged and tapped her smartwatch with a playful smile.
[Alarm? Ah.]
I checked and found there was a Siyoram announcement. It was about dungeon practice.
'Looks like it's here.'
Time passed quicker than I thought. I opened the notice and turned my gaze.
[Professor Liana... Are you waiting at your lab?]
"Correct. I'm on standby just in case, and I'm also the one who receives the report and organizes things as soon as the Ipha Class cadets finish their practice."
Professor Liana, who hadn't been doing any specific exercise but had been sitting on the nearby grass playing with the spirits, nodded.
Professor Liana is the head professor for the Ipha Class, so she's scheduled to be busy during the practice period.
"Last year... Nothing happened during dungeon practice, right? I really should pray things don't go wrong this year too."
[I don't cause incidents... How would I even cause an incident here...]
"Heh, I'm just saying."
As I stared with a sullen face at Professor Liana chuckling at my grumbling, a hologram rose up.
A list appeared en masse. I searched for my name and checked my assignment.
[Ipha Class, Team 1]
- Lee Ha-yul
- Nam Yeon-jung
- Aiden Reynolds
- Katsuki Yusei
- Loreine Agnol
▲Grade 2 Dungeon: Cave Maze Dungeon Entrance 3
▲Type: Risk Exploration and Map Update
[Hmm...]
My expression turned odd as I checked the list.
They were all people I had come face-to-face with at least once.
In a sense, it was a relief. Familiar faces are better than strangers, and there wasn't anyone harboring ill feelings toward me.
[......]
But there was no one close to me around.
The Winged Garment drooped lifelessly.
.
.
.
Dungeon practice begins the moment the notice is posted.
Since everyone had been waiting beforehand, there was no delay.
Given that this was a schedule projected to take three to four days at most, or as fast as two days, we exchanged greetings in advance.
'The dungeon entrance is... this way.'
There was a group chat room opened after the notice was posted. The meeting spot was decided to be near the dungeon entrance.
As I headed to the destination, I checked the pre-dungeon intel that had been announced.
'It's Grade 2 this time.'
At the start of our 1st year, the dungeon practice was a Grade 4 Dungeon.
Because of the periodic subjugations and explorations, the paths were always comfortably open, and monster clusters were exterminated before they could grow.
In contrast, this 2nd year dungeon practice is a Grade 2 Dungeon.
In our 1st year, it was a Grade 4 Dungeon considering our inexperience, but since a year has passed now, the grade went up.
'This still feels a bit high... but it's not subjugation, it's exploration. And I suppose they're compensating by placing multiple teams in one dungeon.'
Cave Maze Dungeon.
Besides our team, two other teams are entering this dungeon.
'Cave Maze... I remember this place.'
It was a dungeon I experienced in the original story.
It's an intuitive place just like the name.
A dungeon where underground caves spread out widely. Since it's a Grade 2 rating, it's ridiculously vast.
Perhaps due to that size, there are multiple entrances to the dungeon. My assigned entrance is Entrance 3, one of the three entrances.
[Hello.]
At the dungeon entrance, people were gathered around a vortex that was wider than an average commercial building.
Aiden and Nam Yeon-jung, whom I often met during last year's dungeon practice.
Katsuki Yusei, who was my sparring opponent during the regular assessments.
And...
- Flinch
"...Ah, hey. It's been a while."
[...Yes, hello.]
Loreine Agnol, whose head I had split open with my sword in the Tower of Growth during the first semester of our 1st year.
Seeing Loreine's shoulders jolt momentarily as he received my greeting made my expression turn odd as well.
[Ahem, who would like to take the role of team leader?]
I didn't have the wherewithal to ask more pleasantries and got straight to the point. At that, everyone's gaze gathered on me.
[...Shall I do it?]
"There's no one here who would claim to be team leader while standing next to you."
At Aiden's remark, they nodded without objection. I bobbed my head obediently in return.
[Then let's enter soon. Since I'm the team leader, I'll go in as the vanguard.]
After briefly discussing formation and exploration development, I took the lead.
[Standby time is 30 seconds. Please enter one after another.]
"Got it."
They checked their supplies one last time and drew their weapons.
I also manipulated the hologram to signal the start of the exercise, and stepped forward to stretch my hand into the vortex.
- Woom...
The moment the vortex swallowed my hand, my entire body was sucked inside in a flash.
.
.
.
- Thud...
My feet landed on hard rock.
A dim cave. There wasn't a single speck of light; it was so dark that ordinary eyes couldn't discern anything.
- Flash!
It didn't matter to me, but I cast a spell considering those who would follow behind. This was originally the role of the vanguard, anyway.
A sphere of light appeared on the cave ceiling. The dull, gloomy cave interior was revealed in the instantly brightening vicinity.
'Adjacent monsters... thankfully, none.'
I had already finished measuring the long-distance range through Observation beforehand. Fortunately, there were no monsters to grapple with from the moment of entry.
Instead, so to speak, the complex structure of the cave filled my head instead of monsters.
A cave twisting and splitting every which way like an anthill. Here and there, huge cavities opened up, connecting to various paths.
Even at a glance, the structure was complicated. The thought of having to see this with my own eyes, draw a map, and explore... it made my head spin.
- Woom...
'...Hm?'
During the short 30-second wait for the others to follow in. Before that time even fully passed, I felt a subtle sensation.
Slither! My Winged Garment unfolded on its own. The three pairs of wings that fanned out in an instant raised their Qi Sense like antennas.
The feeling of mana brushing against my Qi Sense.
Earth mana, earth energy.
It was only natural. The dungeon's setting was underground. It was obvious that earth energy would be overflowing in a place full of dirt and rocks.
'The purity is really high.'
But the purity was remarkably high. Almost like it had been filtered and filtered again, resembling natural mana...
'A Spirit.'
I recognized that similar property. It was akin to the presences of the earth spirits at the mansion, who were always digging up the yard like moles.
However, a certain aura possessed higher purity than those kids.
If this purity was higher than that of my kids, who were far superior to a typical mid-level...
'An Upper Spirit.'
The only thing above a mid-level spirit was an upper spirit. The Sky Wing Feather fluttered.
"Rear entry complet— Kek—"
- Smack!
[Ah, I'm sorry!]
The fluttering wing smacked the cheek of Aiden, who appeared in the air.