Chapter: 324
Arthur chuckled as he laid eyes on the corridor that greeted him when entering the final exam dungeon.
What on earth was he doing inside that dungeon?
How could he have been so empty-minded that he didn’t notice any of those many clues?
Ignoring the glances from others, Arthur rubbed his face with his palm, blocking out the light as he recalled the various hints Lucy had pointed out just moments ago.
A perfectly intact ceiling.
Windows that offered no view of the outside world.
A faded portrait with a ridiculous year written beneath it.
A broken clock.
These and countless other clues Lucy had indicated were all clearly written in the dungeon studies textbook.
At the end of the content explaining the gimmicks, under the phrase “exceptions,” it detailed how to distinguish whether this place was real or not when entering a high-difficulty dungeon.
Arthur, who had memorized the entirety of the dungeon studies textbook, grabbed at his bangs in frustration.
He had been played by the boss of the dungeon.
He’d mistaken the illusion created through the existing rooms for a new dungeon.
But that wasn’t the case. The path was just one we’d already traversed.
Thinking back, it made sense.
All those things we encountered while conquering the dungeon starting from the 0th floor were merely repeats of trials we had already overcome!
Back then, we thought our previous conquests would help us, but that wasn’t it!
We were just replaying what we had already conquered, which is why it felt familiar!
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how foolish he had been. Arthur suddenly recalled the words he had confidently boasted to Lucy yesterday.
Despite the dungeon being difficult, he had bravely declared that they had conquered it splendidly.
“Ugh!”
What was Lucy Alrn thinking while watching him brag about it?
How pathetic must she have found him, bragging while completely oblivious to the traps she had laid for him?
No wonder her expression when meeting us after finishing the conquest was so nuanced!
Was it just pity for losing the bet, or was it simply because she thought they were foolish?
With a sigh, Arthur’s face turned beet red as he lowered his hands.
Now that he was set to face Lucy Alrn again, he dreaded what she might say.
It was terrifying to know he had already messed up numerous things and must remain silent about it even while knowing the truth.
As he contemplated exchanging the reward for the bet with what had just happened, Lucy Alrn stepped down the stairs leading underground.
“I’m tired of explaining how foolish you all are, you know? ♡ So just sit back and enjoy realizing how much of a waste you are ♡ You pathetic fools ♡”
The moment Lucy finished speaking and clamped her mouth shut, she descended the stairs.
What greeted Arthur for the first time was the training ground.
Countless soldiers swung their weapons before those trying to take the exam.
Lucy casually surveyed the scene, casting a glance at the boy sprawled on the stone floor and the girl fussing over him as she slipped out of the training ground.
Then it was the cave. At the end of the space ruled by a gigantic wolf stood a party.
A man resembling the previously unconscious boy stood at the center.
He stared at the ordinary-sized wolf with fearsome eyes and awkwardly smiled at the surrounding crowd.
Lucy, again, merely glanced at the scene before moving on.
Next was the plain.
The area filled with golems shaped like devils was not just populated by simple golems but also the bodies of actual demons and a few corpses, presumably of those who had fallen victim to them.
In the center stood a solitary man who was drenched in blood.
This man only stared blankly into the void, not moving or doing anything else.
As Lucy watched him with emotionless eyes, she slowly moved toward the fourth room.
Arriving at a hallway.
Not the first corridor, but rather an ancient, ruined corridor only visible after passing the 4th floor.
Lucy purposefully filled the hallway with the sound of her footsteps as she made her way to the end.
“Have you arrived?”
There, at the end, was not the dignified old man guarding the dungeon’s conclusion.
Instead, a weak, ordinary man leaned against a closed door, his voice lacking strength. He wasn’t the monster that had taken countless lives, but rather a common man who had lost the strength to live with the passage of time.
The creator outside the stage had turned out to be such a pitiful existence.
“I put in a fair amount of effort to prepare this stage, but to be ignored like this is truly disheartening.”
The old man straightened himself up from the door and drew a sword from his waist.
“However, since you’ve reached the end as guests, it’s only right to treat you as the host of the stage.”
There, instead of the horrific, red aura they had faced, only a pale gray aura permeated.
“Please, come in.”
At that moment, Lucy finally drew her weapon.
In her right hand, she held her symbolic white mace. In her left, a white shield that seemed to capture the light of the sun.
As she filled the room with her divine presence while maintaining silence, even those who knew her true nature couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
At the moment Lucy Alrn faced off against the old man, everyone inside the exam room could only believe in her victory.
*
When I was designing the academy’s dungeon, two major aspects took up most of my attention.
One was that all the students of the Academy should be able to conquer the dungeon.
I heard that it’s okay if a dungeon is created that lower-ranked students can’t conquer, as individual abilities are part of the factors for conquering.
Indeed, the academy dungeons in the game needed a certain level to even be attempted. So it wouldn’t be that different now that it had become reality.
Knowing this, I still contemplated hard to ensure everyone could conquer the dungeon.
Because I wanted the dungeon I created to be helpful to the students of the Academy.
When the world was merely a monitor, being a student at the Academy was often akin to being an extra. Aside from a few characters with illustrations, they were hardly memorable.
But not anymore.
All those attending the Academy are living out their own stories.
Before questioning whether they express goodwill toward me,
I hoped that at least one of them could learn from my dungeon and survive in the outside world.
I wanted them to become the ones who could turn the dungeon into a vessel for their own growth, rather than just being sacrificial offerings to the dungeon.
So I did my utmost to ensure all Academy students could conquer the dungeon.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I was stubborn.
There were of course personal desires mixed in.
I wanted everyone to enjoy the dungeon I had painstakingly crafted, which was filled with the countless ideas that had been engraved in my head as a veteran player of the Soul Academy who had seen it rot away.
I imagined everyone exclaiming in awe at the end of the dungeon they all worked hard to reach.
Due to this reasoning, I nearly went crazy while genuinely designing the actual dungeon.
After entering the Academy, I rummaged through a textbook I had never opened even once over ten times that very night.
To ensure that students who properly studied dungeon studies would notice the oddities within the dungeon.
And that, while tackling its gimmicks, they could realize how such knowledge could be applied.
However, my efforts bore no real fruit.
The students’ conquering abilities fell short of my expectations.
No… it was true that I employed a few tricks to make the gimmicks harder to detect.
But the fact that only two parties were able to figure out the dungeon’s gimmicks was just over the line!
To be precise, it wasn’t even two parties!
It was just two people!
Toby and Jeff.
Aside from these two, no one made a serious attempt to consider the gimmicks of the dungeon! Is this even acceptable?!
I figured not many would realize the gimmicks, but this is too much!
If I had known, I would’ve created an easier dungeon!
If I had known you would be this clueless, I would’ve finished designing the dungeon in an hour and gone to sleep!
[No wonder every word you said was dripping with bitterness. So it was just that you were fired up, huh?]
“It’s strange not to be angry, right?! I really put my heart into making that dungeon!”
How much had I worked for the students at the Academy?
Instead of being recognized, I had to listen to ridiculous remarks about whether I could actually make them wake up!
Not being angry is what’s bizarre!
[While I understand your effort, the perspective of inexperienced students also should be considered.]
“What do you mean?!”
[Well, it’s rare to encounter a dungeon that makes you doubt everything.]
“… That’s true, but.”
Simply beating a dungeon isn’t common; the idea of questioning everything while conquering is hard to find.
To be exact, it couldn’t be common.
Most dungeons that exist in the land originate from the Evil God Agra’s powers.
In other words, with every new dungeon, Agra’s powers are drained.
So high-level dungeons cannot exist in abundance.
To create a high-difficulty dungeon, the Evil God must expend an equivalent amount of power.
“If they’re unaware of the existence of such dungeons, they’ll have no choice but to die in the worst-case scenario.”
This isn’t a game.
The phrase “If I fail this time, I’ll try again next time” doesn’t apply here.
The notion that “if you don’t understand, you’ll perish” is not a joke; it’s the reality where someone’s last words become.
It isn’t strange that other students wouldn’t know about this danger, but is it really acceptable that none of them prepared for the high-level dungeons?!
Especially when they were rattling on about how conquering dungeons is a noble obligation!
[Ha ha. Yes. Thanks to your efforts this time, the Academy students will also learn that such dungeons exist, and when faced with one, they’ll know how to conquer it. You did well.]
“Now that you say it, it sounds like you’re threatening me for revenge.”
[To misinterpret my goodwill like this, it’s truly disheartening.]
Hearing the joke of the old man, I let out a chuckle and scanned the room, where the battles had already concluded.
Then, instead of stepping toward the door leading out of the dungeon, I placed my hand on the nearby Kerta’s Crystal.
[What are you planning to do, young lady? ]
“Just venting my frustration.”
Up till now, what I had shown was the proper way to conquer the dungeon.
There are faster paths, easier routes, and various tricks that were created during the dungeon’s making, yet I had ignored it all and opted for the textbook method.
I had held back my desire to conquer in my usual style and made a video just for the noobs. Now, it was my time to enjoy it too, right?!
[Wait. Young lady! If you show others how to conquer the dungeon as you usually do, it’ll be bad for them!…]
“Do I care? The silly students at the Academy need to realize just how pathetic they are.”
A lecture from a veteran to a nerve-wracking newbie is a complete flop.
From now on, the newly advertised course will be the speed run for the rotten water.
I’ll show them exactly how it’s done.
Let’s see if they can keep up!
You bunch of pathetic trash!
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