The Academy's Savior

"…We can't just sit here at the dungeon entrance waiting for a rescue. I'm starting the clear."

The moment Rachel steeled herself and made that declaration—

Bang.

It felt like my brain and heart had both exploded at once.

You've gotta be fucking kidding me.

I'd been hit out of nowhere—completely helpless. Head and heart. Either one exploding on its own would have killed me, and both had gone off at the same time.

Rachel still hadn't noticed I was dead. I couldn't exactly show off dying and coming back to life like some party trick. Complete Recovery was my trump card. I used it before she could realize what had happened.

Fortunately, acting was something I was good at.

Rachel thinks this happened from the backlash of summoning a spirit, so I can't use spirit summoning for a while.

A trump card only stays a trump card if nobody knows about it. I planned to keep up the act until things got so desperate I had no other choice.

First priority: figure out how hard this dungeon actually is.

A dungeon called the Cave of Lustful Enchantment. It hadn't existed in the original story. I needed at least a bare minimum of information if I was going to clear it.

"Seong… your color just came back all of a sudden…?"

"It's a family secret technique. It got me through the worst of it, but… my body still isn't right. I can walk, but fighting is going to be difficult."

"Is fighting even the issue right now? The amount of blood you threw up was clearly past a lethal dose. Rather than wait for a rescue that might never come… clearing the dungeon is the right call. I'll take the lead. Follow carefully, Seong."

Rachel spoke with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a firm expression. Even so, I still didn't find her particularly reassuring.

Her stats were well-balanced and solid overall.

Magic Marksman (A+).

Awakened in this world usually fought with cold weapons that conducted mana well, but Rachel used firearms thanks to her trait. The problem was that she didn't have a single gun on her right now. In a pinch, I might have to pull one from my inventory and hand it over.

I'd rather keep the inventory hidden if I can help it.

Anyone who needed to know about the subspace already did. If Rachel finds out later… I'll just insist I never had a gun on me.

Rachel descended the underground stairs, tense. I followed behind her, putting on a performance of pain.

After roughly thirty steps, a cave opened up. There were no fluorescent lights on the ceiling, yet the place was remarkably bright—bright enough that every rough gray wall was perfectly visible.

Unlike the walls and ceiling, the floor is marble. Processed marble flooring, at that.

A dungeon was a place where anything could show up and it still wouldn't be strange. I decided not to overthink it.

"No monsters… I suppose I should be glad we didn't run into any right at the entrance…"

"Isn't that actually worse? We have no idea what kinds of monsters are in here."

"It might not even be a dungeon where you fight monsters. Looking at it that way, isn't that a huge advantage? Let's try to stay positive. Come on—forward."

"…President. You don't have a weapon. Are you going to be all right?"

"I trained in hand-to-hand combat for situations exactly like this. Trust me."

We entered the cave.

As I walked, something felt off. Even when a dungeon's environment took the form of a cave, it was never what you'd call comfortable—not even as empty flattery. Some caves seethed with heat, others pooled with cold, and some were so damp you could barely breathe.

This cave, though, was pleasant in every way. Temperature, humidity—all of it.

We hadn't been walking for even a full minute before we had to stop. Rachel's expression turned troubled.

"A fork in the path."

"Left and right. Both entrances look about the same. Same smell, same temperature. …Which way?"

"We go carefully, and if it feels wrong we turn back and take the other path. I usually pick right in situations like this. What about you, Seong?"

"I spit. Ptoo. Hmm. The spit points right."

"…That's disgusting. Never do that again."

We took the right-hand path.

The end of the path was sealed by a rectangular wall.

"A dead end…. Looks like we chose wrong."

"Let's take a closer look first. There might be something here."

As we approached the wall, a section of it slid open with a soft mechanical hum. An automatic door. The interior was too dark to make out clearly. We looked at each other from the threshold.

"President. Let's go in. There's no sign of monsters. Even if we turn back and take the left path, it'll probably be more of the same. With zero information, it's better to advance carefully."

"You're right. Haa. I'm nervous. I'll go first."

The moment we stepped inside, the lights flicked on as if they'd been waiting. Then the door that had opened automatically closed automatically behind us.

We were locked in a rectangular room. At its center stood a pump—a manual steel pump that rose back up on its own once you pushed it down.

A notification window appeared. Rachel was staring blankly into empty air as well, so it clearly wasn't something only I could see. This was an instruction from the dungeon itself.

"So that's the kind of dungeon this is. Should I be glad we don't have to fight monsters…? Or should I be more anxious because I still have no idea what this place is for?"

"…For now, no combat is something to be grateful for, isn't it? Want me to handle the pump?"

"No. I'll do it. I can see perfectly well that you're not in good shape. I'm not about to make you do something like this."

Rachel approached the pump. She gripped the handle with both hands, put her weight into it, and shoved it down hard.

Clunk!

A crisp sound rang from the pump. Immediately after, a thick green liquid dripped from the ceiling onto Rachel's right shoulder.

"Kyaah?! What is this?!"

Hisssss!

Smoke rose from her right shoulder!

"President! Shake it off—now!"

"I—I did!"

"There was smoke. Is your skin all right? It didn't melt, did it?!"

"My skin's fine. But…"

I stepped closer. She was right—her shoulder was unharmed. The only thing that had melted and vanished was the fabric the liquid had touched. Bare white shoulder. Looking closer, her right breast had slipped down a little as well. The bra strap on that side must have melted with it.

I dropped my gaze. Green liquid pooled on the floor. I touched it with a finger. Just slippery.

…A liquid that only melts clothes?

My mind spun at full speed. All the clues were already ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there.

When we'd been trapped in the dungeon, I'd taken fatal damage from the side effects of the Lucky Lewd Charm. And the moment Rachel decided to start the clear, I'd died once already.

The dungeon's name: Cave of Lustful Enchantment. The "lustful" in that name meant exactly what it sounded like.

An environment that's almost unnaturally comfortable. No sense of dangerous monsters. And a sticky liquid that melts clothes—but not skin…

Put it all together and only one conclusion remained.

An erotic trap dungeon…!

It might still be early to be certain. But my gut was screaming it. The Cave of Lustful Enchantment was an erotic trap dungeon!

Rachel grabbed the pump again and shoved it down. More liquid fell from the ceiling toward her. Already on guard, she darted sideways and dodged it cleanly.

"I get it now. Working the pump makes the liquid fall. The door is… ah, there. It's opened a tiny bit. At this rate, we'll need to pump about a hundred times…"

"President. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I can handle this much. Let me take the pump."

"No. I won't push someone in your condition. Stay put, Seong."

Rachel kept yanking the pump handle. The green liquid falling from the ceiling grew heavier—and more cunning by the second. Even for Rachel, it was getting hard to keep up. After maybe fifty pumps, her outfit was in a truly precarious state. Her face had gone tomato-red, and both hands trembled as they gripped the pump. Through the melted blouse and skirt, a purple bra and panties were visible. Part of the panties had melted too, leaving them obscenely revealing.

"…President. This isn't working. From here on, I'll handle the pump. You can at least put on my clothes and—huh?"

"W-what's wrong? Are you feeling worse?"

"N-no, it's not that. I can't take my clothes off."

"What?"

I tried to strip. The moment my fingers went for the fabric, they kept sliding off.

"This is really not the time for jokes."

"It's not a joke! I'm serious!"

"Haa."

Rachel let go of the pump and came toward me. Her ruined bra had completely failed at its job. Every step made her I-cup breasts sway heavily. She reached out and touched my clothes.

"Here, like th—huh?"

The instant she tried to pull them off, her hands slid away just as helplessly as mine had.

"Looks like it's an effect of the dungeon. I wanted to at least give you my outer layer, but this place won't even allow that. President. I'll take the pump from here. I can manage that much."

Before she could protest, I grabbed the pump.

The door was already halfway open. I tried crawling through the gap, but an invisible wall blocked me and I failed.

"Seong! Don't push yourself!"

I ignored her and shoved the pump handle down.

Clunk!

As expected, liquid fell from the ceiling—

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

—onto Rachel.

"…Huh?"

Clunk! again.

Once more, the green liquid fell toward Rachel.

Now this is a proper erotic trap dungeon!

Part of me wanted to pump with everything I had. But right now I had to keep playing the patient—and I still had to manage my relationship with Rachel carefully.

"President! Are you all right?!"

"I—I'm not all right! Don't look this way!"

Rachel spun around as she shouted. I could see her bare white back, and the soft spill of breast flesh that was simply too large to stay contained from the sides. Her top was rolling across the floor—already so shredded it barely deserved to be called clothing.

Bra and blouse are gone. Skirt's on its last legs, and the panties are hanging on by a thread.

I pretended not to look while looking at everything. Rachel's figure was, as expected, absurdly hot.

"…President."

"Haa. We can't stop here. I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do everything I can to dodge whatever comes from the ceiling…. Seong, please keep pumping. You should be resting, and I'm sorry for making you work."

"No, it's fine. I'll go as slowly as I can!"

Clunk!

Green liquid fell from the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Rachel scramble to dodge it. Her chest was so large that even both arms couldn't fully cover it. And bit by bit, the liquid kept melting her skirt and panties.

Clunk!

Clunk!

Clunk!

"……."

The outcome was already decided. Rachel's skirt and purple panties vanished. The sticky green liquid melted her socks and even her shoes. She was left sitting on the floor in literally nothing—not a single thread left on her body.

She desperately attempted to preserve some semblance of modesty by shielding her intimate lower entrance with her right hand while wrapping her slender left arm tightly across her chest, leaving only the most vital, vulnerable areas barely concealed from my view.

However, because her overflowing breasts were so remarkably voluptuous, the sheer expanse of her puffy areolae proved impossible to hide completely, allowing the pale pink, delicate outer rims of her crests to peek out enticingly past the crook of her elbow.

Although her trembling fingers successfully blocked a direct gaze at her drenched passage, my eyes fell straight upon her smooth, flawless lower abdomen, which descended seamlessly into a pristine, completely hairless expanse of porcelain skin.

Thud!

The door opened all the way.

"President! The pump won't move anymore. We should be able to leave through the door now."

"……Seong. You go first. And do not look back."

"Yes, ma'am."

I walked out without hesitation. No need to feel disappointed. We'd only just cleared stage one of an erotic trap dungeon. What came next was going to be even better.

Following the path straight ahead brought us to a new room. Same as before—the lights came on the moment Rachel and I stepped inside, and the door sealed shut.

At the center of the room sat a single chest, alone.

Rachel had both hands occupied covering her I-cup breasts and bare sex, so I approached the chest myself.

"Be careful! It might be a trap!"

"Yes. I'll be careful."

Careful, my ass.

This was an erotic trap dungeon. Whatever trap came out of that chest, from my perspective it wasn't going to be a bad thing.

I opened it.

Inside lay a blue micro bikini armor and a single sword.

"…President. I think you need to come see this yourself."