Yas-Addicted Celestia: Museum Massacre and Maze Ambush
The theme of Dungeon Floor 2 was "Museum." I teleported into the lobby of what looked like a museum building, and I was alone. No other students had probably reached Floor 2 yet.
"I arrived sooner than expected."
The clear condition for Dungeon Floor 2 was even simpler: tour all the exhibition rooms in the museum. Quick-witted folks might have already realized it, but the clear condition for each floor was tied to that floor's theme. Rest easy in the hotel. View the exhibits in the museum. The Academy Dungeon followed the same pattern all the way up to a total of seven floors, each with its own theme and clear conditions.
'Good thing I didn't miss out on this fun event...'
I started by strolling through the museum hall. There were three exhibition rooms in total, each with a different display theme. I decided to check out the first one.
As expected, the reason this place was "Dungeon Floor 2" rather than just a museum started showing itself right away.
Kkiiik— Kkigigik—
The exhibits came alive, moving to kill the guests invited to the dungeon.
I drew the Black Demon Sword.
Dungeons were dungeons because monsters appeared. That was all there was to it.
Sslash—
Not every exhibit was a monster, but some were just monsters in disguise. Breaking through their assaults and touring all the exhibition rooms meant clear.
Shuk— Chuk—!
I sliced a monster pretending to be a statue clean in half. A stuffed bear pretending to be taxidermy, halved. A skeleton lizard faking being a fossil, halved.
Advancing like that at a leisurely pace, I quickly finished the first exhibition room.
"Boring..."
Just as I exited the first exhibition room, voices drifted in from the museum lobby. Peeking over, it was Glan and his group. They'd cleared Floor 1 and arrived on Floor 2. As in the original story, they were the fastest to reach it.
"Hello, everyone."
"Celi?"
"Celestia?"
I waved from across the way, and Glan's group reacted. With a faint smile, I slowly approached them. Mariella, who seemed happy to see me, started toward me but was stopped by Glan's hand.
"Forgot? This is a dungeon. We can't trust anything. Mariella."
"Ah... right..."
Mariella stopped too. Yuria quietly drew her sword. They were all under a massive misunderstanding.
"Oh dear... you're all misunderstanding."
I said that while casually sheathing the Black Demon Sword. Come to think of it, holding it out probably made me look even more suspicious.
"I had no intention of bothering you all. Oh, and Glan—a tip for you. Be careful on Floor 4. A great trial awaits you there."
"What?"
"See you."
I dropped that bit of advice for Glan and headed straight into the second exhibition room.
The theme of Dungeon Floor 3 was a "Maze." Clear condition: escape the maze. Main monsters: cave bats and giant spiders. And this was my destination.
I quietly pulled out the document that thieving Professor Amelia had handed me.
Location: Training Dungeon Floor 3 (estimated).
While exploring the maze, pay close attention near the pink flowers.
A relic is located there.
There was a hint, of course.
"Let's start by finding those pink flowers..."
The maze walls were basically brick, but bushes appeared here and there. Unbelievably dungeon-like, the ceiling was wide open, with a round moon hanging above. Probably an artificial one. Real moons aren't that big and vivid...
"At this rate, it'd take forever to find the relic..."
Unable to stand it, I started climbing the brick walls. But dungeons don't allow cheating. The more I climbed, the more the surrounding walls rose to match. Jumping over was impossible too. Walking the maze honestly? No thanks. Absolutely not.
Shring—
"I'll take you on with my eyes closed."
Can't climb the walls? Then smash them.
Bam—!
I smashed through the walls blocking my path, advancing straight through the maze. Once I started breaking walls, the dungeon sent dozens of monsters to interfere, but it was useless. Walls repaired instantly as I broke them, but it wasn't enough to stop me.
Kisheeeek— Thud— Sslash—!
Bats, giant rats, giant spiders... All sorts of monsters tried to block me, but I cut them down and pressed on. This dungeon was simply outclassed from the start.
After smashing and navigating walls like mad, I found the bush wall with pink flowers blooming, just as the document described.
"Must be around here."
By now, the dungeon seemed to give up, only repairing walls without further interference. It definitely had some kind of will, like true "dungeon core."
"So, where are you hiding, Mr. Relic~?"
I poked around for the relic. It was supposed to be nearby. Wandering a bit, I spotted it on the ground.
'Found it! My money. My 700 gold.'
I reached for the relic, but it slipped away. Instead, someone snatched my relic.
"Thieving Professor."
"That's right. It's me, student Celestia."
The one who snatched it was none other than Professor Amelia, who'd given me the quest. She glanced at the relic, smirked, and set it ablaze. It turned to ash and scattered in seconds.
I couldn't comprehend.
"Wasn't that what you needed?"
"I did need it. And now it's served its purpose—luring you here, student Celestia."
While I was focused, she'd set up some fun event. Amelia was alone in sight, but dozens more presences lurked behind the walls.
"Thanks for coming so obediently, student Celestia. And..."
She pulled thin gloves from her pocket and slipped them on, flashing a seductive smile.
Clap— Clap—
She clapped twice, and men poured out from hiding.
"Sorry about this, student. Regrettable, but... yes, that's how it is."
She vanished somewhere. Her target was clearly me. And the dozens of men facing me looked familiar.
"The Final Mastermind?"
The Final Mastermind. In the original story, the shadowy organization that split the empire between revolutionaries and imperial forces. Glan and the revolutionaries won the civil war, but it turned out the mastermind had deliberately sparked the infighting afterward...
Black masks, black hoods. Just as described—lovers of drab aesthetics.
"No idea what 'Final Mastermind' means. Anyway, you've ruined our plans, so die. 'Blind One.'"
Dozens of men drew their swords en masse. I closed my eyes.
First, assess numbers. Thirty enemies. A few seemed stronger than Teacher Edn. Mana told the tale. This wouldn't be easy.
'If this party challenged the final ancient dragon Caldercion as-is, they'd actually take it down for real.'
That's how tough they felt. But scattered individuals weren't my match, even combined like alien enforcers. I wouldn't lose.
Shring—
"I don't like the nickname 'Blind One.' I'm not blind."
"Misunderstanding... It's not that you're blind; it's just what we call you. Consider it a gift for the afterlife."
"I'll take you on with my eyes closed."
Apparently, to these Final mastermind guys, I was known as "Blind One." But... that sounded cool?
Sslash—!
Thinking that, I first beheaded the punk barking up front. As I launched my sudden attack, the black-clad men entered combat stance and counterattacked.
Roar—!
Hundreds of fire cannons blasted toward me. But they arrived with slight delays, never perfectly simultaneous. I smashed them in sequence.
Crack—! Shuk—! Boom—! Pbabam—!
Explosions erupted. But blasts couldn't stop me. I couldn't stop laughing. Dopamine flooded my brain. Adrenaline surged, every muscle trembling.
I pulverized their spells, closing the distance.
"Die...!"
Sslash—!
I cleaved the man charging with a dagger. Simultaneously, a spear thrust from the left. I spun lightly out of the way, leaped, and beheaded the spearman mid-air.
As I hung in the air, rear mages fired lightning spells.
"This is tricky."
Lightning was unavoidable. But current stops without a path. I predicted its trajectory, positioned the Black Demon Sword, let it channel through, then hurled the sword at the enemy.
"What kind of monster...!"
Kwajijijik—!
The sword hit the ground, unleashing the pent-up current and paralyzing several foes.
Chain attacks came fast. Landing, I swept my sword through nearby enemies and charged forward.
'Those mages are the real pests...!'
My lips curled up. Yeah. Gotta have these one-man army romps when there aren't strong single foes! Fantasy worlds are the best...!
"This is too much fun! I'm having a blast!"
Sslash—!
The head of the mage who'd fired lightning at me floated into the air. Incoming projectiles hurtled toward me—potions.
"Toys like that won't work!"
I flicked the potions backward with precise blade control to avoid breaking them. One hit a black-clad man's head and burst. Acid poison, apparently—his form dissolved.
One wrong move and death. Teetering on survival's edge. I was going insane with joy. Just like yas. Thrilling.
"This is thrilling...! Isn't it?!"
"Crazy bitch!"
To me, yas was exactly this.