The Overlapping Dungeon
After that, Jinwoo and I wandered around the first floor of the dungeon, but for some reason, we didn't encounter any lifeforms except for bugs.
"Ugh... Boss, was this place always this big? It didn't feel this huge when we came here by ourselves."
Was he tired from the endless searching? Jinwoo muttered as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
As he said, this place was far too vast to call it the dungeon we knew.
"It must've changed when the dungeons merged. Looks like we need to scout more thoroughly."
"Now? Boss, do you even know the way around here?"
"Mapping the terrain isn't too hard."
Walking aimlessly like this wasn't getting us anywhere, so I decided to activate Aura Sonar once more.
Aura Sonar
Bugs. Bugs. Pillar. Bugs. Bugs.
"...Looks like there's nothing on the first floor but bugs."
"No wonder I sensed those guys coming earlier. You have some kind of skill, huh? Boss Radar... insane..."
I ignored Jinwoo, who was back to his nonsense now that the fight was over, and tried spreading my aura further.
"...Huh?"
Something that shouldn't be there pinged on my senses.
"Why the hell is that here?"
"...What the hell is going on."
Youngje opened his eyes to a maze filled with dressed stone bricks.
The nausea and dizziness hit him immediately upon waking. But until he figured out what was happening, snapping to and assessing his surroundings was crucial.
"... Distinto."
By casting a spell to bolster his mental fortitude on himself, Youngje pushed back the rising nausea and headache. He scanned the area first.
Torchlight on the walls provided some visibility. That's when he spotted someone collapsed beside him and cautiously checked their face.
"...Sea-a?"
Lying there next to him was Kim Sea-a, a Familia member and classmate. She looked peacefully asleep, expressionless.
"At least it's not the worst-case scenario..."
Youngje let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her and decided to wake her up.
In an unknown space like this, scouting the surroundings was vital—and having a space mage made it a breeze.
"Sea-a. Kim Sea-a?"
Even gentle shaking didn't rouse her. No visible wounds. She seemed just deeply asleep, like he had been. With a sigh, Youngje gathered mana in his index finger.
"Lamentoso."
Transparent droplets began trickling from his fingertip. They soon splashed onto Sea-a's face, growing into a steady stream. Her blank expression finally shifted.
"Ow! It hurts! Sia! The ceiling's leaking again... Huh? Where's this?"
Startled by the relentless water, Sea-a bolted upright.
"You're awake?"
"Youngje? What the... how?"
She wiped the droplets from her face with her sleeve and looked around. Realizing this wasn't Class A, she rubbed her eyes.
"Not a dream... What is this place...?"
"You okay? Nauseous or anything?"
Youngje's first question was about her condition. He'd felt intense nausea and headache upon waking, so she might too.
"Huh? Uh... Just a slight headache. Otherwise fine... Where are we?"
Maybe because she was a space mage, Sea-a only complained of a minor ache. Youngje shook his head.
"I just woke up too, no idea. Doesn't feel normal, though. Can you scan the area?"
"Sure. I'll try."
As instructed, Sea-a summoned her unique armament on her right hand and snapped her fingers. Violet mana rippled out like soundwaves, mapping the terrain on the floor.
"It's shaped like this... But something's off."
The projection resembled a labyrinth. Unable to guess what she meant, Youngje listened closely.
"I calculated the coordinates... Feels familiar...?"
"What?"
Youngje blinked in surprise at the unexpected words.
"You've been here? You?"
"Yeah. You too, probably. These match the coordinates of the dungeon under our club room."
Youngje's pupils trembled as he processed her words.
A dungeon outbreak right in the middle of the academy? Under the Familia club room, no less?
"...You sure?"
"Pretty sure... but it's distorted. Inverted, maybe? Still, it's definitely linked to our club room dungeon."
Growing more confused, Youngje dredged up old memories to make sense of it.
A phenomenon he'd heard of somewhere. Something similar...
It clicked.
"Stacked Dungeon."
"Huh?"
"When a new dungeon forms too close to an existing one! We learned it in Dungeon Studies!"
Youngje exclaimed triumphantly, while Sea-a stared in bewilderment.
"For a stacked dungeon to form, the new one has to be super close to the old. So, a new dungeon under our club's dungeon. But why underground... Ah!!"
The conclusion was simple. Someone had deliberately triggered a dungeon underground.
Someone. Why? At this timing?
The culprit came to mind quickly.
The song from the speakers before the stacking. The academy's chaos during freshman welcome week. And the pretext of a key area terror attack.
"...Villain Union."
No one else fit in Youngje's mind. And the next step was clear.
"We need to link up with the others."
"Huh?"
"This mess? High chance it's Villain Union terror."
"T-Terror? We're under attack right now?!"
Sea-a's eyes widened in shock; she'd never imagined terror.
"Nothing else explains it. We gotta bulk up our numbers before other villains spot us. Safer that way. So, quick—anyone nearby?"
"Y-Yeah... Hold on. Scanning now!"
Sea-a's fingers danced like playing an invisible keyboard.
"2 o'clock from me! Three people!"
"Three?"
Not sure if villains or students, they couldn't charge in blindly. Youngje pulled his fountain pen from his pocket and cast on them both.
"Fioco."
A soft breeze brushed their bodies.
"...What's this?"
"Presence reduction spell. They'll never notice if we sneak up."
"Stealth mode...!"
"Can't tell if they're villains or friends."
Thus prepared, they crept toward the mapped position.
The dim space evoked an ancient castle interior. Only sporadic torches lit the way, forcing extra caution.
Then—
Clang!Clang!Clang!
Irregular metal clashes echoed. They heightened their guard and edged toward the source.
Sea-a froze mid-step, eyes wide.
'Youngje, wait...!'
'What?'
'Three became two...!'
'What?! What does that mean?'
'Usually? Unconscious... or dead...'
"What?!!"
Youngje clapped a hand over his mouth after the outburst.
'Then what's that noise?!'
'No idea! Fighting with one down? Must be an academy student vs. villains!'
"No time to waste! Run!"
An academy student holding off villains? No more sneaking—rush to help before they fell.
"Allegro!"
Speed buff activated, Youngje sprinted ahead. Sea-a yelped at being left behind and chased after.
"W-Wait! Buff me toooo!"
Ignoring her fading cry, Youngje rounded the corner. Two figures locked in combat appeared.
Swords clashing furiously. But something was off...
"Die! Die already, you bitch!"
"That won't kill me. Loosen your wrist there, flow with it."
"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"
"...But your skill's just too pathetic."
"Raaagh!!"
A blood-soaked man riddled with cuts raged against a girl blocking his strikes effortlessly, untouched by a drop of blood.
"Should've swept upward there..."
"Shut up! Please, just shut up!"
"Guess you're not cut out to be fertilizer either."
"You fucking biiiiiitch...? Gahk!"
"Wasn't fun, honestly... Yeah. Bye."
The man collapsed, lunged through the lung, silent in death. The girl stared blankly, then glanced up at the newcomers' presence.
Mutual recognition.
"...Academy uniform? Not a villain, then."
"...You."
Youngje felt shock—and joy—at the unexpected face. One of the academy's top swordmasters. A name always in the 1st-year strongest debates.
"Choi Yeon?"
Choi Yeon smiled faintly at Youngje in the matching uniform.
"Hey."