Aftermath and Recognition
The dungeon practice was officially canceled. A few students still hadn't completed their evaluation, but with an accident occurring during an external schedule rather than inside the academy itself, there was no other choice. The academy had dispatched additional support personnel to investigate the accident site while heavily guarding the perimeter around the campsite.
So far, the investigation had only revealed that an unexplained earthquake had suddenly struck the dungeon, causing a collapse in an area with weak ground. Nothing else had been uncovered. As a result, Evelyn and Lucas were meeting with the four uninjured students who had been at the scene to hear their accounts of what happened.
Ophelia, Blair, Haley, and a male student named Layton were all present. Of course, even Ophelia and the others only remembered the ground suddenly shaking and collapsing before they fought the dungeon's monsters, so they were still completely in the dark about what had actually occurred.
“The golem was closing in, my teammate had passed out, and I felt completely hopeless… but then these two showed up and I was able to survive.”
Haley explained what had happened on the third underground floor while conveniently leaving out any mention of Kael. Ophelia was amazed at how naturally she spun the story. But because of what Kael had told her before leaving, she kept silent and went along with Haley's lie, even though it made her uncomfortable.
“I see. Still, thanks to Ophelia moving quickly, we were able to prevent an even worse disaster. You've done very well.”
After hearing the full story, Evelyn praised Ophelia's contributions. The Ice Cave was basically classified as an E-rank dungeon—the lowest difficulty level—so as long as they didn't encounter the boss monster, upper-class students should have been more than capable of handling it. However, several middle and lower-class students had been mixed in, and suddenly falling into an uncontrolled area would have been terrifying. On top of that, the boss monster—the Glacier Golem—had appeared. The fact that no one had been seriously injured was largely thanks to Ophelia.
“Not at all. Blair stayed with me the whole time, and if the other students hadn't helped, I might have been in danger too.”
Ophelia mentioned “the other students” while thinking of Kael in her mind. It was fortunate that Professor Evelyn had readily believed Haley's lie when it came to Kael. She couldn't possibly talk about him, but being treated as if she had done everything herself felt deeply uncomfortable.
“Everyone must have been shaken and distracted, yet you explained it all clearly. Thank you. I'll be sure to recommend proper recognition for this matter once we return. Go rest now.”
At Professor Lucas's words, the students bowed their heads one by one and left the tent.
After the students departed, Lucas remained seated with complicated feelings. An unexpected accident had occurred during the first external schedule for first-years, so it was natural for his heart to feel heavy.
“Considering what happened, it's truly fortunate. Of all things, the golem had to start moving. If Ophelia hadn't been there, it could have been disastrous.”
Evelyn spoke while looking at Professor Lucas, who let out a deep sigh.
“Has the investigation team reported anything new?”
“That's all I heard earlier too. It seems there are no signs of external interference so far.”
On the surface, it could be summarized as a sudden change in dungeon terrain due to an earthquake, followed by aggressive monster activity triggered by the quake. The students who had been isolated, including Ophelia, hadn't discovered any other anomalies besides the monsters. However, they couldn't completely rule out the possibility that the earthquake itself had been orchestrated by someone.
If someone was targeting the academy's students, this was something they absolutely couldn't overlook.
“It looks like we'll need to be even more thorough with future external schedules.”
“Yes. The other professors will surely agree.”
Evelyn nodded at Lucas's words and headed out of the tent. Lucas also moved to share the students' testimonies with the other professors.
A few days had passed since the dungeon practice. I learned from Warren about Lucian's situation. Lucian, who hadn't even participated in the dungeon practice, had taken a leave of absence. Officially it was for health reasons, but it seemed that after getting thoroughly beaten by me, he'd completely lost his mind.
Lucian's gang, including Glover, now avoided not just me but even Warren, quickly averting their eyes and scurrying away whenever they saw us. They were living as quietly as mice, as if they didn't even want to cross paths. It was a very welcome development.
Some students hadn't been able to complete their evaluation due to the accident during the dungeon practice. They had recently undergone a re-evaluation at the academy with the same difficulty level. Among them were Ophelia and Blair's team, whose practice had been interrupted by the incident in the Ice Cave.
Because even those who hadn't completed the original practice received re-evaluations, the final grades—compiled from training period through final evaluation—were announced. The results were exactly as in the original story: Ophelia and Blair's team took first place. It seemed they had received bonus points for their merit in rescuing other students during the Ice Cave incident.
I had been there too, but Haley and Ophelia had covered for me nicely by saying I wasn't involved. And as for Warren and me...
Students were buzzing as they looked at the dungeon practice results posted on the outdoor bulletin board. Even though my name came up, I didn't pay much attention. Everyone was impressed but not surprised that Ophelia's team had taken first. She had been the top entrance student from the beginning, and since upper-class students couldn't form teams together, she had been paired with Blair—one of the top middle-class students. It was also public knowledge that Ophelia and Blair had been recognized for their actions when isolated on the third underground floor of the dungeon. So their first-place finish seemed almost inevitable.
That was precisely why the team that took second place drew even more attention. Warren's and my names were listed side by side there.
Although Warren was in the upper class, he hadn't stood out much before, so he became the center of discussion. Second place by a narrow margin. If there hadn't been an accident in the Ice Cave dungeon, it was a result that could have easily taken first. I had aimed for first place during preparation, but it wasn't like it had to be first. Since I would still receive the mana stones I needed, I had achieved my goal.
I didn't know why, but the Cult had begun moving earlier than in the original story, so I needed to become stronger faster too. Even if I could only increase my mana capacity using the mana stones, it would be a huge help in my future training.
The results had just been announced, so I hadn't met Warren yet, but I could easily picture him looking happy. He would also be able to strengthen his dedicated weapon with the mana stones, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
Professor Lucas sat at the desk in his research lab, lost in thought. There was one concern he had set aside for a while because of the accident in the dungeon. On his desk lay the evaluation sheet from this dungeon practice session.
A lower-class student who had caught his eye during the training period was the one causing his dilemma.
'I noticed him during training, but I didn't expect him to perform this well.'
His magic power measurement was E-grade. Kael had been the one struggling because he couldn't even learn basic Light magic. However, his specialty—Magic Missile—was at an advanced level, and what he had shown during the training period was exceptional. Although Lucas hadn't directly observed the practice, from what he'd heard, Kael had proven himself in the dungeon beyond what he'd shown in training.
The way he never panicked in any situation and did what he could was truly commendable. As a result, he had cleared the dungeon at an overwhelmingly fast pace. It was impossible to dismiss it as simply having a good team or getting lucky. His time was overwhelmingly faster compared to the other students who had completed the Ice Cave practice directly.
If the first-place team hadn't received bonus points for their merit in the accident, there would have been no dispute—he would have taken first without question. While he might lack innate talent, his skills were too good to remain stuck in the lower class.
The problem was that his progress was so slow that he only knew how to use Magic Missile. Professor Lucas took out a magic practice crystal from his drawer and placed it on the desk.
There were always students whose value went unrecognized, hidden behind their apparent lack of talent. He believed that among them were one or two raw gems that could bloom later. That was why he had volunteered to take charge of the lower-class students.
He stroked the crystal as he waited for Kael, whom he had called today. He hoped he could help that student's growth.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, Kael knocked on the door to Professor Lucas's lab.
“Come in.”
Lucas put on his usual stern expression and greeted Kael.