Descent Into the Dungeon
Jane spoke.
"Get ready. You'll be dropping in according to your assigned order."
"……Excuse me?"
Entering the dungeon was fraught with danger beyond imagination. They had to leap, unprotected, into the heart of an erupting volcano—and land precisely inside that black portal.
Misjudge the drop, and it was a one-way ticket straight into the magma, where they'd melt down to the bone.
As the students balked and shuffled nervously in place, Jane addressed them.
"What exactly did you think entering a dungeon would be like? It's not something you can stroll into."
She turned her head and gave a signal.
"If you would, Professor Walter."
"Of course."
Walter stepped forward once more. His cracked lips parted, and a voice like a warm current flowed out.
"Chasseur."
The great net of hemomancy that had been shielding the students' heads slid down into the volcano's interior this time, spreading out like a cushion.
It held back the full force of the erupting volcano, entire.
Whoa!
He's plugging up a volcano with magic like that?!
So this was Kizen's Professor of Hemomancy. It was a level of mastery that could hardly be believed to come from human blood.
"Now, we'll proceed quickly, in order."
The students hesitated, each trying to yield the lead to someone else. The eruption had paused, but they were all terrified all the same.
"Here I go!"
One boy, bolder than the rest, stepped forward, stamped on his Jet-Black, and leapt skyward with a clean, soaring jump. Spinning lightly mid-air, he turned to face the other students and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"See you on the other side—alive!"
His body, arms raised in a triumphant cheer, dropped squarely into the portal. Cheers, big and small, broke out all around. Jane gave a small nod.
"Nicely done. Next."
Gradually, composure returned to the students' eyes.
The volcano was terrifying, but compared to everything they'd endured and suffered through so far, it wasn't so bad. Once someone broke the ice, the students came pouring into the portal one after another, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
"Off I go."
For Group 7, it had been decided that Simon would go first. Dick grinned and slapped him a high-five.
"See you in second year, buddy!"
Meilin held out her hand.
"I'm not losing this time. I'm aiming to graduate first in our class—so you'd better give it everything you've got."
He shared a light hug with Camibarez as well.
"Please come back safe, Simon!"
Charged up by his three friends' energy, Simon strode boldly forward. He could see the TAs fending off flying debris with dark magic.
"Simon."
His step faltered. Professor Bahil of Curse Studies was waving with a faint smile on his lips.
"Ah—Professor Bahil!"
"Safe travels. And you haven't forgotten what I told you, have you?"
Simon nodded.
"I'll keep Compelonia in reserve until the very last moment—and use it only at the very end of the very end."
At Simon's quickness, recalling it word for word without a single slip, Bahil smiled as well.
"Excellent."
Past Bahil, Simon joined the line of students preparing for the volcano dive. They were dropping rapidly one by one, and it was soon his turn.
"Did you prepare well for the exam?"
Jane, who had been sending students off without a flicker of expression, spared a word for Simon alone.
Simon flashed a grin.
"Yes, Professor! At peak condition, ready to go!"
"……Come back safe."
"Thank you!"
Simon glanced back at the members of his group as they lined up behind him.
"I'll head on ahead."
He waved to his groupmates, then leapt without a moment's hesitation and dove. Rotating his body mid-air into a perfect dive position, he spotted the pitch-black portal ahead.
Alright.
Just as Simon was plunging straight toward the dungeon portal—
FWOOOOOOM!
Without warning, a mountain of magma burst up through the net of blood.
—!
There was no time to draw even a magic circle. Simon flung his palm open, readying his Magic Combat—
—but the dark magic of the two professors at the summit, Jane and Bahil, shot down like lightning, trapping the magma and driving it back down. In that gap, Simon made it safely into the dungeon.
That gave me a scare.
The moment he passed into the portal, his vision was swallowed by darkness. He was hurtling through a cramped, rat-hole of a passage at a terrifying speed.
This strange sensation of crossing through space.
It felt nothing like passing through a teleportation circle. It truly felt like being sucked into another world entirely.
Oh!
Then, at last, Simon saw the end. Bursting free of the long tunnel of darkness, he entered a world of dazzling light.
So this is the dungeon!
All around him stretched the vast upper sky.
He could feel a soft gravity, subtly different from the continent's, wrapping around him like an embrace.
Simon slowly felt his own body sinking downward, and his vision flickered out.
……
Consciousness returned, and his eyes opened.
A cool wind swept past with a soft hsss, and he heard it rustling through fields of grass.
The first thing he saw upon waking was that very passage he'd glimpsed when entering the dungeon—the portal hanging in the sky above.
Around the portal floated multiple satellites, large and small, like so many moons, while countless stars glittered, embedded in the night sky.
Made it down in one piece.
Simon pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a slight dizziness, and pushed himself up.
"Dungeon" had become the standard term, but in truth these places were nothing less than miniature dimensions.
He looked around.
"Wow……."
It was the most breathtaking night view he had ever seen in his life.
The plants were glowing, luminous and bright. Even the pebbles and boulders scattered along the paths gave off light.
All these brilliant hues—different colors, different sizes—wove together into a veritable festival of light.
It was fantastical.
He found himself staring, entranced, so much so that the thought actually crossed his mind: wouldn't it be happy, to be sealed in this place forever, living just to look at this view?
All right—focus.
He'd been dropped, alone, into a dungeon brimming with mortal danger; he couldn't stand around gawking at scenery forever. Simon sprang to his feet.
What do I need to do first?
The objective in a dungeon never changed.
The death of the Dungeon Lord—what some called the boss monster.
The basic method was to explore the dungeon, gather every clue you could find, and piece those clues together to estimate the Dungeon Lord's location.
But Jane had said this dungeon's expanse rivaled the territory of an entire kingdom.
It would take time.
Six hundred and forty-seven necromancers had been thrown in all at once, so the dungeon would be cleared eventually—but there was no telling how long that would take.
Prepare for a long campaign. Step one: gather food.
All the provisions he'd brought were two days' worth of the ration kits Kizen provided, plus an artifact that produced drinking water.
The students had been forbidden from smuggling in extra food. Before entering the dungeon, everyone had undergone a thorough sub-dimensional inspection by Kizen—and when they announced that even sub-dimensional radar would be running, Simon had nearly fainted.
He had a colossal sub-space hidden on his person. Pier had advised him that if he brought too many Ancient Undead, the radar might detect the sub-space's distortion, so for now he'd brought only the most essential one: Pier himself.
Either way, even at top speed this is a long-distance marathon—minimum a week. Food is going to be the biggest problem.
Simon decided to scout his surroundings first.
He'd cooperate if he ran into other students, but on a territory this vast, even finding another person seemed doubtful.
I'll work on the assumption that it's just me out here—and investigate everything.
At that same moment, in the Kizen Grand Hall on Roc Island.
"Thank you all for your patience!"
Before a seated crowd, an MC in a flamboyant costume stood on the podium, shouting into an amplifying crystal orb.
"To all the parents and distinguished guests joining us for this Kizen Advancement Exam and Fifth BMAT—welcome! I am Conrad Hayaborn, your broadcaster for this examination!"
The MC bowed respectfully, and the crowd responded with applause.
"Yes, yes, a pleasure to have you all! Hahaha! I know the broadcast was sorely missed when the Fourth BMAT was abruptly converted into an 'After-School BMAT' format, but I'm grateful we've been given a stage here at the finish line!"
It was an advancement exam, but at the same time it was, officially, the Fifth BMAT—which was why parental attendance and a live broadcast had been permitted.
The MC glanced down at his script and continued.
"As many of you parents are aware, an exam of this scale comes with many moving parts. The broadcast will run for a maximum of two weeks, ten hours per day. Kizen will provide lodging and meals for the duration, but leaving the island for unauthorized areas is strictly prohibited—so please mind your manners as well. Yes. Yes."
Having rattled off the list of cautions, the MC flipped quickly through his script cards.
"And one point I must ask you to understand: because the dungeon's interior is a space separate from the continent, a live broadcast is impossible. The footage sent to the school is retrieved from the Observers floating above the dungeon one by one, and only the recorded footage is shown. There may be a time lag between what the students are doing in the dungeon and what you see on screen—so please keep that in mind! Now then! Joining me to provide commentary for this exam, please welcome a professor of Kizen!"
A pivotal moment.
The MC, his face taut with suspense, flipped over the script card bearing the professor's name.
Please, please don't let it be Professor Byeolya! Not Professor Jane either!
Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed onto the podium. The MC looked up at her face and slumped for a moment.
You've got to be kidding—Professor Byeolya?!
The thought flashed through him—but looking closer, her features were subtly different. And she wasn't wearing that overbearing outfit either.
Hair tied back, and a tall frame stretched long and lean. A solid, bronze, powerfully muscled physique.
Only then, double-checking the faculty roster, did the MC break into a beaming grin and shout.
"Introducing! The living legend of Magic Combat who slew the Great Calamity Kundar Hydra with her bare hands! Five consecutive years in the top tier of teaching satisfaction ratings! Currently instructing the first-year class in Magic Combat Arts—Professor Hong-Peng Thun Sokum Marlrat!"
Clap clap clap clap clap!
The parents, too, had all heard the name Hong-Peng before, and clapped warmly. Hong-Peng, with her exotic features, smiled brightly and bowed her head.
"Nice to meet you all, parents and Kizen affiliates! I'm Professor Hong-Peng!"
At her words, the MC flinched.
"Pro... Professor Cult-Leader?"
"Yes! Cult-Leader!"
"Ah—Professor, you mean! The, uh, Cult-Leader—! Ahaha! The Continental accent does trip a few consonants, doesn't it! Yep! Well then, we're in your hands for this broadcast!"
"Yes! Chairstman!"
He was smiling, but the MC's pupils were trembling.
Something had gone wrong again. Were Kizen professors simply incapable of being normal?
"Now! The Observers have just come online and are preparing to transmit the first footage. Before we begin, Professor Hong-Peng! Could you tell us about the advancement exam being held in this dungeon?"
She nodded and raised her own amplifying crystal.
"For a necromancher, conquering a dungeon is an ordeal you can never avoid. It's a place where danger and fortune coexitht!"
"I-is that so! Have you ever entered a dungeon yourself, Professor?"
"Of courthe! Tons of timeth. One of them took over five monthth. Nearly starved to death. Oh! And one of Kizen's current Professors is inside a dungeon right now, you know. Professor Jilaje."
He'd been flustered at first, but the MC was gradually adjusting to Hong-Peng's accent. He was finding himself charmed by her lively, bubbly personality and her easy, friendly smile.
"Ahem—well then, Professor! Could you also give us a brief overview of this particular dungeon?"
"With pleasure."
When she signaled to the TAs, a rough map of the dungeon unfolded on display.
"Our Kizen agents already mapped out the dungeon'th structure in advance. Ath you can thee, no matter where the shudenth land, it'th pothible for them to reach the Dungeon Lord."
"Oho, I see! Then what would you say is the single most important thing for the students in clearing a dungeon?"
"Inquithitive legth."
She spread her palm wide.
"Whatever they find, they mutht never palth over it carelethly! Only by quehtioning everything and analyzing it thoroughly can they put together the hinth that lead to the Dungeon Lord!"
"I-is that so! Ah—speaking of which, the first Observer footage has just arrived! Let's watch it together, everyone!"
Day 1 in the dungeon.
Simon was rummaging for anything remotely edible.
His particular focus was on the plants growing inside the dungeon.
Tree-borne fruit, above all, was a valuable food source he could obtain without much risk.
"But this thing……"
Simon stood before a fallen fruit, deep in thought.
"Won't crack."
The fruit's shell was as hard as mineral. No—not like mineral. The shell was genuinely made of mineral.
Presumably a mineral that existed only in this dungeon.
The fact that the plants gleamed with fluorescent light was also due to this mineral's luminous properties. From the tree roots to the very leaves, everything was coated in this mineral-like substance—some of it supple and bending easily, some of it simply as unyielding as steel.
B-but why is it this hard?!
Neither Simon's Magic Combat nor even Overlord's tentacle blades could shatter or cut this mineral.
Simon scratched his head, lost in thought.
THUD! THUD!
?!
Simon spun around, startled.
There had been no sign of anything just a moment ago—and then, out of nowhere, the sound of footsteps, as if something had burst out of thin air.
Soon, with a noisy rustling, a huge monster pushed its way through the trees and revealed itself—bearing on its back a shell coated in the same glittering mineral as the surrounding forest.
It looked strong. A monster that didn't exist on the continent, and so had no Danger Rank. There was no gauging how powerful it was without clashing with it head-on.
My first real fight since arriving in the dungeon.
The monster glared at Simon, snorting gusts of air from its nostrils. He could feel its deep hostility toward an outsider.
So—what kind of clue are you carrying?
Simon and the monster charged at each other at the same instant.