Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Fastest Breakthrough
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The morning of the second day of the two-week dungeon practicum dawned.
Near the four spires leading to the ruin's entrance, a massive crowd had formed, consisting of hundreds of students, hired guides, and merchants eyeing the potential for byproducts.
Allen's group, like the other students, gathered early in the morning.
Traces of fatigue were visible on the faces of those who had assembled.
Naturally, the weariness from their journey hadn't vanished overnight.
The unfamiliar sleeping arrangements, the discomfort of not being able to wash, and the bland meals.
It was too much to expect a full recovery of their physical condition.
However, this too was a challenge they had to overcome.
What would they do if the Demon Lord reappeared? Even if it didn't come to that, they couldn't just complain when they needed to conquer ruins like this one.
The dungeon practicum was essential, if only for the real-world experience they would need in the future.
Otherwise, the academy would be no different from a grand social circle for the upper class.
...Not that one could say it was much different now.
“Well then, let’s head in.”
When their turn came, the group members entered through an opening in the middle of a pointed spire.
It was called an entrance, but in reality, it was little more than a hole made by breaking a spire window. Beyond it, a spiral staircase stretched up and down.
Students who had entered earlier were descending the stairs, and glowing orbs were installed at intervals, providing light.
There was no danger until they reached the bottom of the spire.
Allen used that short time to gather the group's attention for a briefing.
“Excuse me, could I have your attention for a moment?”
As their gazes focused on him, Allen spoke to Alexius, who was leading the way.
“Alexius, could you share the information you gained from participating in the advance party?”
“Yes, I had no intention of hiding it anyway, so I’ll tell you.”
Alexius, who had intended to help Allen from the start, readily agreed. He spoke, a hint of anticipation hidden deep in his eyes.
“First of all, this mega-ruin is composed of seven floors.”
“Seven floors…?”
“…That’s deeper than I thought.”
Evan let out a groan as if he couldn't have imagined it.
Erini seemed worried by the scale, which was much larger than she had anticipated.
“…I-is there any chance that i-information is wrong…?”
William asked, stuttering again from nervousness, but Alexius shook his head.
“No, it would be more accurate to say the ruin consists of seven floors, or rather, seven basement levels. I haven’t confirmed it myself, but the academy’s own investigation team has personally affirmed it.”
His firm answer left the group speechless.
It was only natural.
If the academy itself confirmed it, it couldn't be a lie.
The dungeon practicum was only two weeks long.
Conquering not just any ruin, but a more difficult mega-ruin, within that time was next to impossible.
“So this is why they didn’t give us any information…”
Erini clutched her throbbing forehead as if she had a headache.
“Ha, ha… I thought they were just trying to mess with us, but it seems they figured it wouldn't matter even if we knew.”
“…So that’s why you pushed yourselves yesterday. Given the scale, it was reasonable to feel rushed.”
Evan let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, while William muttered softly, seeming to understand why there had been dropouts yesterday. And even why the upperclassmen’s participation was so low.
The upperclassmen had already experienced that the dungeon practicum for first-years involved a ruin too difficult for them to conquer.
“…Then what are we supposed to do…?”
Just as William spoke in a deflated voice, Mildred, who had been watching from the back, chimed in.
“Come on! What’s all this talk? Are you going to give up just like that? If you quit now, your grades will plummet!”
“But…”
“But nothing! Did the professors tell you to conquer it?”
“Well…”
As Erini trailed off, Mildred shouted as if to say, ‘See?’
“They didn’t. You just have to do your best! That’s what I’m here for. Or maybe…”
Mildred grinned broadly and hit the nail on the head.
“Did you think you could solve everything with your own strength?”
*Flinch—*
Evan shuddered, as if he had secretly been thinking just that.
“If that were the case, why would you need upperclassmen? Why would you need an academy? The academy exists to gift you the wisdom and experience to overcome various dangers, and to train you.”
At her fundamental point, the group could only nod silently.
“So…”
She flashed her usual easy smile and gave a playful look to Allen, who had been watching from a step back.
“Alright! Shall we hear what our group leader has come up with?”
As Mildred looked at Allen as if she already knew everything, the rest of the group turned their gazes to him as well.
“Our dear junior group leader has been watching because he has a plan, right?”
“…That’s, yes.”
Allen replied with a wry smile, as if he had no choice.
“That’s right.”
Allen’s gaze went past the spire’s staircase and toward the depths below.
“A way to earn more than enough points.”
* * *
The academy’s method for selecting ruins for the dungeon practicum is simple.
It must be of a difficulty that first-years cannot conquer.
It must be a place where they can gain meaningful experience for the future.
Once a ruin is selected based on these two criteria, the academy dispatches an investigation team to determine what lies in its depths, what dangers exist, and how many floors it has.
After that, if nothing seems amiss, they enlist an advance party of mercenaries and adventurers to map the interior.
Having claimed preemption rights, it wasn't difficult to gather information about the ruin without any interference.
“Usually, the mercenaries who volunteer for the advance party take the artifacts they find during the exploration and leave, but… the guides remain.”
This was so students could obtain information about the ruin and avoid its traps through them.
Alexius said this as he stopped and poked several spots on the wall with his scorpion tail.
The corridor was narrow, barely wide enough for three people to walk side by side. A faint chill rose from the grayish-white floor, and the walls were bleak and solid, showing no signs of traps.
But as soon as Alexius poked it, a net of shimmering light appeared without a sound, enveloping the space ahead.
*Fwoosh—*
Even without touching it, the heat radiating from the front made Evan feel a cold sweat trickle down his neck.
“And I am a guide who knows the passage down to the fifth floor.”
“Does that mean…”
William asked back with a surprised look, as if he had realized something. Allen calmly answered his unspoken question.
“Yes. Instead of conquering it, we plan to attempt the fastest breakthrough, traversing the ruin faster than any other group. We’ll head to the lowest possible floor.”
“That would certainly be enough to earn points.”
“If we can’t conquer it, it’s better to give up and take a practical approach… A good idea.”
They seemed impressed, as if the thought had never occurred to them.
“Except for the part where we have to completely give up on ancient artifacts.”
Mildred pointed out the final drawback of this plan, but the group readily gave up on the artifacts.
Ancient artifacts could be obtained anytime later, but points could not.
Surprisingly, even William willingly agreed.
“I, too… have things more important than money. And since points are also quite important, I believe this is the right choice.”
His expression was complex as he said this, but he soon returned to his usual self.
Mildred, saying it wasn't over yet, called for their attention.
“But Allen won’t be the only one to think of this method. If you think about it, didn’t those who dropped out yesterday choose a similar approach?”
“Then…”
“It means we have to hurry.”
The group members exchanged glances and quickly checked the map.
The illuminated part of the map covered one-third of the first basement floor.
If they moved at the same pace for two weeks, they would reach the middle of the fifth floor and that would be it.
No, with stronger guardians and traps on the lower floors, they might even be stopped on the fourth floor.
“If we choose the safe route, our current pace might be enough. But to get a great reward, I think we naturally have to take risks…”
Erini’s gaze was clear.
“What do you want to do?”
They had to press forward.
With the emergency escape artifact, they didn't have to risk their lives.
All they stood to lose were the points from a single class. While the point value was significant for just one class, they couldn't gain anything without risking this much.
Therefore, their choice was no different from hers.
“Let’s give it a try.”
“Ahem, I suppose I’ll have to put in some effort.”
“I agree.”
With everyone in agreement, Alexius recalled his experience in the advance party, looked at the map, and replied.
“Then, I’ll pick up the pace.”
The fastest breakthrough to the depths for Allen's group had begun.
* * *
The group moved at a rapid pace.
Until now, they had moved cautiously in the safest direction to illuminate the map, but with the goal of reaching the lower floors quickly, they could no longer afford to do so.
“Allen, there’s a room ahead!”
“We’ll ignore it, as planned!”
To enter the room, one had to prove they possessed the required knowledge.
They had received training at the academy for such situations, but it was time-consuming and didn't align with Allen's group's goal of descending quickly.
William wore a regretful expression but passed the room without hesitation.
“Two Sandmen and one Living Dead ahead!”
“I’ll take the Living Dead.”
“Then, I’ll take care of the Sandmen.”
Evan’s body was enveloped in blue prana, making him several times faster than before. He swung his sword in that state, and the Living Dead was shattered before it could even resist.
Meanwhile, Erini fired a single, glowing green arrow.
*Thwip—*
The arrow flew in an instant, then exploded with a bang, riddling both Sandmen with holes.
“We’ll keep going without slowing down!”
“Do we ignore the byproducts too?”
Alexius, who was approaching to collect the byproducts, hesitated at Allen’s words.
“Getting down faster is more important than any gains from collecting those.”
At Allen’s firm reply, Mildred gave a refreshing smile.
“As expected of you, Junior Allen. You know what you’re doing!”
“Understood, then.”
Alexius nodded as well. And so, the group pressed on toward the stairs leading to the second floor, without exploring their surroundings.
“There’s a trap ahead!”
“What kind is it!”
“Single-use, offensive type, I think.”
Alexius, who had spotted the trap at a glance, shouted, and Allen, who had already detected it with his senses, unleashed a shockwave across the entire wall.
As the air burst and struck the wall, both sides of the corridor contracted and then slammed together with a loud crash.
The group passed through the cloud of stone dust as the walls returned to their original positions.
“To the right, here!”
“Agh! You scared me.”
“W-what the.”
“Are those…?”
They occasionally ran into other groups that had started earlier, but those students just stared at them in surprise and didn't dare approach.
How much time passed like that?
They had to retrieve Evan, who wandered off alone due to an illusion trap, and treat Erini, who was injured by guardians drawn by a loud noise.
They were also unexpectedly surprised by the strength of Alexius, who demonstrated the power of a Priest.
Finally, just as William was running with a deathly pale face and sluggish movements, Alexius came to a halt before a dark passage.
“*Gasp, pant*… A-are we there?”
“Let me check for a moment.”
William asked in a dying voice, and Alexius unfolded the map. The map, which had been about one-third illuminated, now showed a crooked, glowing line extending from that point.
“Yes, this is the passage I went through.”
“Finally…!”
As the group's expressions brightened at Alexius's confirmation, Allen re-evaluated their condition.
“Evan, how are you feeling?”
“I’d like to say I’m fine… but honestly, I’m not.”
“How about you, Erini?”
“The same goes for me.”
Having run while using their prana unsparingly and forcing recovery with potions whenever it ran low, the group was not in good shape.
“William… goes without saying.”
Allen gave a wry smile. William, who had run out of stamina long ago and had been running while using self-healing, looked like he had one foot in the grave.
Alexius, having survived in the demonic lands, seemed to have plenty of stamina, and Mildred, being a third-year, appeared to have no problem with this level of exertion.
However…
“We’ll stop for today after entering the second floor.”
When Allen said this after checking the group's condition, Erini voiced her concern.
“Allen, but if we stop here, the fastest breakthrough…”
“Y-you don’t, *pant*! have to worry about, *pant*! me.”
William’s legs were trembling like a newborn lamb’s, but he forced himself to move, as if determined not to be a burden.
Despite their attitudes, Allen shook his head.
“We’ll be the only group to reach the second floor first anyway. In that case, it’s better to go back, regroup, and then move again. Now that we have this experience, we should be able to reach the third floor next time.”
“But…”
Seeing the group’s continued hesitation, Allen shook his head and asked.
“Shall we proceed to the second floor immediately, then? Since everyone seems to agree.”
As Allen stepped forward as if he were truly about to move, the hesitant Erini sighed and replied.
“…I was being impatient. Let’s stop here for today.”
“Ahem, hmm, useless greed is forbidden.”
“I’ll follow Allen’s decision…”
Allen turned around in front of the passage, as if he knew this would happen.
“Then, we’ll just enter the second floor and then head back…?”
Allen trailed off mid-sentence, turning his head toward the group with a questioning sound. On the wall he was looking at, a sentence was written in an ancient script.
“Sir Allen, is something wrong… Ah.”
Alexius followed Allen’s gaze to the wall and, with a look of understanding, explained to the puzzled group.
“This is one of the phrases written at the entrance to each lower floor.”
“In that case…”
“Yes, it’s a dead language that’s no longer in use. Its meaning is difficult to decipher…”
“I can explain that!”
Mildred stepped forward with a confident stride, as if it were her turn to shine.
She hadn't had a chance to step up before, as her group members had been handling everything so well on their own.
“You know how to translate it, senior?”
“Yep. Starting in our second year, we can take Ancient Languages as an elective.”
“In that case, could we ask you to translate it?”
“Of course!”
She read the sentence with a confident expression.
Ὅλος ὁ κόσμος εἶναι βαμμένος ἀσπρόμαυρος καὶ γκρί.
“The whole world is painted black, white, and gray.”
The reason Allen had been staring at the phrase wasn't that he didn't know its meaning.
He, who had studied so much to gain knowledge before his regression, couldn't possibly have failed to learn a single ancient language.
No, the reason Allen remained silent was simple.
Τότε τὸ φεγγάρι ἔγινε κόκκινο καὶ πολλὰ ἀστέρια ἔπεσαν.
“Then the moon turned red, and many stars fell.”
His eyes remained fixed on the first sentence.
Ἀκόμα καὶ ὁ ὑψηλότερος ἀστέρι ἀπ' αὐτοὺς δὲν ἄντεχε.
“Among them…”
“Even the highest star could not endure.”
As Allen finished the sentence, Mildred asked with a surprised look.
“You can read Ancient Languages too, junior!?”
“Yes. When reading translated magic tomes, there’s a chance the meaning can differ from the original text, so I studied to read them in their original language as much as possible.”
“…Oh, I see.”
Mildred’s face fell with disappointment, seeing that Allen even knew the field she had confidently stepped up for.
Allen, noticing her mood, immediately continued.
“Still, if more sentences like this appear, I’d like to ask for your help translating them.”
“But you can do it too, can’t you?”
“I don’t know that much either, so it took me a long time to decipher it. It’s more efficient for someone who knows it better to handle it.”
“Hmph, is that so?”
“Yes.”
She replied with a smile, not even trying to hide the corners of her upturned lips.
“Then, from now on, I’ll translate any ancient languages or murals we find!”
“Yes, I’ll be counting on you.”
Allen turned his head back toward the second floor as if nothing had happened.
However, one sentence was stuck in his mind like a thorn.
‘…painted black, white, and gray.’
As he thought this, three books came to his mind’s eye.
While searching for clues about the white book, he had found an unexpected lead.
‘That sentence might not be related to the three books, but…’
The connection between the white book and the ruin, and the specific mention of only three colors—it couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?
His eyes grew deep in thought.