Dungeon Creation (4)
From the moment Dungeonology Professor Jesl handed Lucy the various supplies needed to draft her dungeon, she had made up her mind.
No matter what dungeon Lucy brought back. Even if a first-time dungeon creator somehow produced something decent. She would repay her usual humiliations by tearing Lucy's work apart with everything she had.
Say what you would about Lucy's remarkable talents—at the end of the day, she was still a student.
She lacked hands-on experience clearing dungeons in the field, and she'd never so much as sketched out a dungeon design in her life. How well could she possibly make one?
There were bound to be countless flaws, and Jesl would point out each and every one of them, savoring the sight of Lucy slowly caving in on herself.
I'm honestly looking forward to this. The important thing is, no matter how many flaws I find, I can't point them ALL out.
Stick to only the big, obvious ones.
When I call out a problem, she'll push back—guaranteed.
And then I'll demolish that rebuttal with my knowledge and shut her mouth for good.
After that, with my shoulders squared, I'll play magnanimous and teach the arrogant little brat—who's been clenching her jaw in silence—this and that.
Within days she'll come back with revisions, and I'll point out yet another problem then.
Repeat that cycle a few times, and at the very end I'll say: time is tight, so I suppose this incident never happened.
What kind of face will that damned little brat Lucy Aln make then?
Ahhh. Just imagining it makes all my stress melt away.
"U-um. Professor Jesl? I really don't think you should mess with Lady Aln...?"
Her assistant professor tried to warn her—there was nothing to gain from provoking Lucy Aln—but Jesl paid the advice no mind whatsoever.
"How many times do I have to tell you? That was a lawful expulsion carried out through proper procedure."
Commoner fools had crossed a noble. It was a serious enough incident that a few heads rolling wouldn't have been out of place.
It had been quietly resolved only because Lucy Aln showed mercy. Otherwise, the Academy's atmosphere would have turned positively bloodthirsty.
"Besides, in a way, that incident is exactly what lets me do this with a clear conscience."
If Lucy had truly been the person the rumors made her out to be, would she have let that incident slide so easily?
Not a chance.
She would have unleashed every bit of malice she possessed, demanding brutal punishment for the culprits and forcing the Academy's leadership to their knees.
Considering how close she'd been getting lately with Lady Partran and His Highness the Third Prince, something even worse was entirely plausible.
But Lucy hadn't done any of that.
She'd been satisfied with driving out the perpetrators, and kept her mouth shut.
"Lady Aln is definitely an insufferable damned brat, but she's not the rabid monster the rumors make her out to be."
If you insulted her through legitimate means, Lucy Aln would fly into a rage and strive to repay that humiliation in kind—but she wouldn't try to have you killed.
That much, Jesl was certain of.
"Please, do yourself a favor and get out of the lab once in a while. It suffocates me every time you say things like that."
That was why her assistant professor's perpetual terror grated on her nerves. As a researcher, the girl was perfectly fine—so why was she so hopelessly out of touch with reality?
"Still, Professor..."
"Think about it. If Lady Aln were really as terrifying as the rumors say, would the Saintess dote on her the way she does?"
"...Huh. I suppose that's true."
Jesl let out a long sigh at her assistant's voice, which suggested she hadn't thought of that.
"Professor? May I ask one more thing?"
"What is it."
"Then why did those rumors spread in the first place?"
"Because people who still hate Lady Aln are a dime a dozen."
Exceptionally talented people naturally draw jealousy, and Lucy compounded the problem by flaunting her abilities while never hesitating to look down on everyone around her.
Someone who had been accumulating grudges since long before the Academy was piling up fresh ones inside its walls—how could venomous rumors about Lucy Aln not spread?
Heck, even Jesl herself was throwing this whole tantrum just to feed Lucy a slice of humble pie.
"It's a case of reaping what you sow."
"I see."
"Anyway, with Lady Aln, you just have to avoid crossing the line. Then you're fine."
The morning after Jesl reassured her assistant professor.
Jesl had come in early and was checking through various things when the office door swung open and Lucy Aln appeared.
"You look even uglier than usual this morning, Professor. If you don't plan on dying a spinster, maybe try some self-care? Don't tell me that IS the well-maintained version."
"...Thank you for the advice, Lady Aln. So, what brings you here at this ungodly hour? Surely you haven't finished the dungeon already—did you come to ask a question?"
"How about you stop grading me by your pathetic standards? I know it's beyond the imagination of a dim-witted fool like you, but a genius on my level can finish a dungeon in a single day."
"How truly impressive. My lady."
Jesl praised Lucy—who claimed to have finished her dungeon in just one day—with a smile of genuine sincerity.
A first-time dungeon designer, finishing in a single day.
The outcome was obvious without even looking.
She'd cram in all sorts of nonsense to force it into the required format, then shrug and say, "Well, the dungeon runs, so it counts, right?"
Just like little brats casting magic for the first time, scribbling a botched magic circle and puffing themselves up because it technically activated.
I can't wait. I wonder what kind of absurd dungeon is written on that paper in her hands.
I'll tease her just enough to keep her up crying at night.
"May I see it?"
"It's a masterpiece beyond the imagination of an idiot like you. Study it and learn. Puhuhu. Actually, the gap in class might make learning impossible for you?"
Under normal circumstances, Jesl would have bitten her lip at such an insolent remark—but today, she didn't.
As long as the obviously disastrous dungeon was clutched in that little hand, every word out of Lucy's mouth would circle back to haunt her.
Hm, the formatting checks out. The dungeon assembles without a hitch when loaded into the simulator—she at least put some care into that.
I was secretly hoping she'd fail on this very first step. What a shame.
Well, plenty left to pick apart. Let's take our time with this.
Oh? So the dungeon is compact in scale, but the scenery shifts every time you clear a mechanic. That's an efficient way to conserve resources—not commonly used because it makes design so much harder, though.
Hmm. The first puzzle is simple enough that anyone could solve it. Is it meant to establish a baseline for what the rest of the dungeon will be like?
The next one's the same. Solvable on the level of someone who read the textbook once before the exam.
Huh? Why is this... normal?
No, wait—this isn't just normal. It's polished to the point where there's nothing to criticize. Faithful to the curriculum, structurally sound, and it even aligns with the standards for evaluating students.
No way. A first-time designer made something THIS complete?
Is this what a real deal genius looks like?!
...No. This is still just the early section. Something bizarre could be waiting deeper in.
Right. It's common enough to front-load the effort and phone in the later parts. That's definitely what this is.
As Jesl narrowed her eyes, desperately hunting for even the smallest flaw—
"...Hm?"
Her eyes, which had been sweeping across the page like flowing water, stopped for the first time.
Isn't this an enemy you can only damage at specific timing windows? Looking at the clues and the enemy's mechanics ahead, it should definitely be this type—is there an error or something?
Finally, something I can nail her on...
AH! You're supposed to attack a specific body part during a specific pattern!
Oh, this is nasty. One careless move and you're dead. If you can't stay calm and observe, this is where you fail.
Next is an enemy with a mechanic you need to disable first, huh. The clues are given well in advance and the patterns are readable, so fine, this much is fair.
And after that...
A counterattack type?
Right after an enemy you have to suppress quickly, she slots in one where careless aggression gets you killed?
Isn't this a bit evil?
If I were a first-year clearing this dungeon, I'd be cursing up a storm.
Confronted with a dungeon far better crafted than she'd anticipated, Jesl completely lost sight of her original goal.
Well, she had reached her professorship through years of research out of sheer love for dungeons. Set a dungeon with genuinely fun mechanics in front of her, and how could she not lose herself in it?
"...How am I supposed to beat this?"
Roughly an hour after Jesl had cleared the dungeon Lucy designed, a baffled murmur escaped her lips.
I expected the mechanics to get nastier as it went, but this is too much. Anyone above a certain threshold of strength could clear it without trouble, but the average first-years? No. There's nothing they could do to get through this. As an exam question, it's a total failure.
"Lady Aln, this—"
When Jesl pointed out the problem, Lucy's eyes narrowed.
"You really think that? You can't see any way to clear it?"
"...There isn't one?"
"Hehe~ So you can't even figure out this much? That's fine. It happens. It's not your fault you were born dumb, after all?"
At the cackling laughter, Jesl bit her lip until it nearly bled and glared back down at the dungeon.
To verify whether Lucy's words were true or not.
Glaring at it won't make you understand, you know? Just grovel: Oh great Lady Aln~ I'm an idiot leagues beneath your level and I simply cannot figure it out~ please, help me~ That's all you have to do. Then kind little me will teach you.
"...I'm quite alright, my lady. I'll manage on my own."
"Suit yourself. The only thing that'll shatter is your pride, though."
Tuning out Lucy ordering the assistant professor—who had apparently arrived for work at some point—to pour her tea, Jesl racked her brain.
There's a way to bring the enemies down regardless of raw strength? Where? How?
Even working through all the countless clues given so far, nothing comes. Does the answer actually exist?
Or is she just spouting nonsense to play with me?
Or maybe there's an exploit even she didn't intend.
Let's have her verify it first. Once I've confirmed whether this is right...
Huh. Wait a second.
Could it be this?
The endlessly repeating loop of the dungeon wasn't just a simple mechanic—it was ITSELF the clue?!
"Unbelievable."
And so, when she finally reached the dungeon's end, Jesl leaned back in her chair with a hollow laugh and stared at the ceiling.
Haah. Damn it.
This was an assignment I gave to tear Lady Aln down. So why does the jealousy in my heart keep wearing away, only to be replaced by sheer admiration?
"My lady."
"What? Too hard for you?"
"No. I've confirmed the addition at the end. If the attempts are unlimited, then the difficulty is no obstacle."
Any number of minor issues would arise, but sorting those out was Jesl's job.
She had already resolved to make this dungeon the final exam question by any means necessary.
"There are, however, a few enemy patterns and behaviors I'd like to discuss with you."
"Discuss?"
"Simply put—let's polish this dungeon to an even higher shine."
"When there's a gem that could shine brighter with a little cutting, there's no reason not to facet it, is there?"
When Jesl said this with a settled smile, Lucy raised an eyebrow briefly before breaking into a matching grin.
"So you're capable of saying something decent after all. And here I thought you were just a simple idiot."
"Haha. I have spent years of my life dedicated to this craft, you know."
Watching the discussion between Jesl and Lucy unfold without either of them noticing the passing hours, the assistant professor silently prayed for the souls of the Academy's first-years who would sit that exam.
And she prayed just as fervently for her own soul—the one that would have to grade that damned test.