Chapter: 294
The Dungeon Studies Professor Jessel made a decision the moment he handed Lucy various items for writing a dungeon.
No matter what kind of dungeon Lucy brought, even if it was decent for someone creating their first dungeon – he was determined to repay his usual humiliation by tearing Lucy down.
No matter how outstanding her abilities might be, she was still a student.
She lacked experience in actual combat, not to mention she had never even imagined a dungeon before. How well could she possibly create one?
Surely, there would be numerous flaws, and all Jessel had to do was point them out while enjoying the sight of Lucy shrinking away.
He was really looking forward to it. The important thing was that even if there were many things to criticize, he shouldn’t point out everything.
He needed to mention only the big, glaring issues.
If he pointed out a problem, she would surely rebut, right?
Then he’d smash her rebuttal with his knowledge and make her keep her mouth shut.
After that, he’d act benevolent toward the sullen, cocky kid who was hanging her head and teach her various things.
Then, not long after, she’d revise it again and he’d point out yet another problem.
Repeating this several times, at the end, he would say there wasn’t enough time, so they would just have to let the matter go. What expression would that damned Lucy Allen make then?
Hah. Just imagining it felt like a release of the stress that had built up until now.
“Uh… Professor Jessel, I think it’s better not to mess with Lady Allen…”
Lucy’s assistant professor tried to dissuade Jessel, saying messing with Lucy Allen would bring no good, but Jessel didn’t listen to that at all.
“How many times do I have to say it? That was a justified eviction procedure!”
It was an incident where commoners foolishly touched a noble.
If things went wrong, it wouldn’t have been strange for some heads to roll in a major incident.
Lucy Allen had shown mercy, which was why it was resolved quietly. Otherwise, the atmosphere at the academy would have become extremely tense.
“And you know what? It’s actually because of that incident that I can comfortably act like this.”
If Lucy had been the person the rumors described, would she have brushed off that incident lightly?
Not a chance.
She would have thrown every kind of tantrum imaginable, demanding harsh punishment for the perpetrators and pressuring the academy’s authorities to kneel.
Considering she had recently been getting close to Lady Partlan and His Highness the Third Prince, it was entirely possible she would have done even more.
But Lucy didn’t do that.
She was satisfied with evicting the perpetrators and kept her mouth shut.
“Lady Allen may be a cocky, damned brat, but she’s not the maniac the rumors suggest.”
If she were to insult someone through legitimate means, Lucy Allen would certainly respond in anger to repay that humiliation but wouldn’t try to kill anyone.
Jessel was very certain of this.
“Please, just don’t focus only on dungeon research. Go outside a little. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to hear you say stuff like that?”
So he was exasperated by how scared his assistant professor was. As a researcher, she was fine, but why was she so clueless about reality?
“But…”
“Honestly, if Lady Allen were as terrifying as the rumors, would the Saintess cherish her?”
“…Oh. I hadn’t thought of that?”
The assistant professor’s voice seemed to indicate that hadn’t crossed her mind, prompting a long sigh from Jessel.
“Uh, Professor, can I ask one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“Then why did such rumors spread?”
“Because there are still too many people who dislike Lady Allen.”
A person with outstanding abilities easily arouses jealousy, and while Lucy showed off her capabilities, she also didn’t hesitate to look down on others.
Someone who had accumulated countless enemies over time was bound to gather more ill-will within the academy as well, leading to malicious rumors about Lucy Allen spreading.
Even Jessel himself was causing this fuss just to get one over on Lucy.
“It’s the consequences of her own actions.”
“That makes sense.”
“Anyway, as long as we don’t cross the line with Lady Allen, we’ll be fine.”
After reassuring his assistant professor, the next morning, Jessel arrived early at his office to check on things when the door to his professor’s office opened and in walked Lucy Allen.
“The morning’s ugly as usual, eh, Professor? If you’re not planning to live your life as a single old maid, how about taking care of yourself? That’s not what you call ‘taking care of,’ is it?”
“…Thank you for the advice, Lady Allen. So, what brings you here so early? You haven’t finished the dungeon already, have you? Or did you come by with some questions?”
“Could you not evaluate me based on your sloppy standards? While a dimwit like you would never imagine, a genius like me could complete a dungeon in just one day.”
“Impressive indeed, Young Lady.”
Jessel sincerely complimented Lucy, who claimed to have finished writing a dungeon in a day, with a genuine smile.
For someone trying their hand at their first dungeon to accomplish it in a day.
It was obvious without looking.
She probably just threw in all sorts of nonsense to fit the standards and thought the dungeon was running fine, right?
Just like how kids, using magic for the first time, would draw a completely chaotic magic circle and then boast that the magic activated.
This was exciting. Just what kind of nonsense dungeon was drawn on that paper held in the Young Lady’s hands?
He had to criticize just enough to stir things up a bit.
“Could you show it to me once?”
“It’s a masterpiece you’d never imagine, you dumb fool. Pay attention and learn from me. Puhuhuh. Given the gap in our levels, can you even learn anything?”
Usually, Jessel would have bitten his lip at Lucy’s arrogant remarks, but not today.
As long as that dungeon was firmly in her hands and clearly a mess, Lucy’s words would come back to haunt her.
At least the standards were met. Seeing the dungeon coming together without issues in the simulator meant she had put some thought into it.
He even lightly hoped she’d mess this part up, but sadly that was not the case.
There was still much left, so he’d take his time to review it.
The dungeon’s small size was compensated for by the changing scenery every time you overcame a gimmick.
This way, resources could be used efficiently. It was a method seldom used since making dungeons with such high difficulty was challenging.
Hmmm. The first puzzle was simple enough for anyone to solve.
Could it somehow give a hint about how the subsequent dungeon would unfold?
The next part was the same. It was at a level where one could strategize just by reading the textbook once before the exam.
Wait? Why was this not typical?
No, not just typical; it was exceptionally well made to the point of being flawless!
With the learned content being adhered to so thoroughly, the structure of the dungeon was also solid. It even matched the standards for evaluating students.
Crazy. A first-time dungeon creator made such a perfect dungeon?
Could this be true genius?!
…No. It’s just the beginning.
Who knows what bizarre things could be waiting beyond this point?
Exactly. It was common for someone to go all out initially but slack off later. This must be one of those.
As Jessel squinted in search of even a tiny flaw.
“…Huh?”
Her eyes, flowing like water, suddenly came to a halt.
Wait a moment. Could this be an enemy that only takes damage at specific attack timings?
Looking at the clues or enemy gimmicks ahead, it should definitely be that kind. Is there an error somewhere?
Finally, a ground to criticize has appeared…
AAA! You need to attack specific parts in a specific pattern!
This is tricky. If I rush in carelessly, I’ll be dead before I know it.
If there’s no one calm enough to observe, they’ll certainly fail here.
Then what’s next? Is it an enemy with a gimmick that requires neutralization?
It gives enough clues beforehand, and the pattern was easy to understand, so this isn’t too much.
Then next comes.
A counterattack technique?
Putting in an enemy you have to quickly subdue right before a dangerous one to attack is a bit mean, isn’t it?
If I were a first-year student navigating this dungeon, I’d definitely be cursing out loud.
Forget about the original purpose, Jessel lost himself in the much better-than-expected dungeon.
After all, Jessel was someone who had reached the position of professor after numerous studies, captivated by dungeons.
How could he not immerse himself in a dungeon that was fun to conquer?
“…How the heck am I supposed to conquer this?”
About an hour after Jessel started tackling the dungeon Lucy created.
An incredulous voice escaped her lips.
He did think the gimmicks were getting increasingly malicious, but this was too much.
For someone of a certain strength, it might be manageable, but definitely not for average first-year students.
No matter what they did, they couldn’t get through this. It would completely fail as an exam question.
“Lady Allen, this is…”
As Jessel pointed that out, Lucy distorted her eyes.
“Do you really think so? That it seems impossible to strategize a way through?”
“…Is there?”
“Heehee~ You can’t even figure this out? It’s okay. It’s not your fault for being born a dimwit, right?”
With a giggle that could draw blood from her lips, Jessel glared at the dungeon again.
To check whether Lucy’s words were true or not.
“Even if you glare at me like that, it won’t change anything, you know? Just say, ‘Oh Lady Allen~ I’m such a foolish fool beneath you, please help me~’ And I’ll kindly enlighten you.”
“…It’s fine, Young Lady. I’ll manage on my own.”
“Do as you please. All that’ll happen is that your pride will be shattered.”
Ignoring Lucy’s command for the assistant professor to bring over tea, Jessel continued to ponder.
Was there a way to knock down the enemy regardless of strength?
Where?
How?
No matter how much she thought using all the clues given, there was no answer.
Could it really exist?
Could it be that the Young Lady was just making fun of her?
Or perhaps there was an error even she hadn’t anticipated.
First, let’s check. I’ll verify if that’s correct, and then…
“Huh? Wait a minute.”
Could it be this?
Not merely using this endlessly repeating dungeon as a simple gimmick, but that itself was the clue?!
“Crazy.”
When she finally reached the end of the dungeon.
Jessel leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling with a huh-huh-huh laugh.
Hah. Damn it.
Why did something that was supposed to tear down Lady Allen end up filling my heart with awe instead of jealousy?
“Lady.”
“What? Too difficult?”
“No. I verified what you added at the end. If there’s an infinite opportunity, then the difficulty is no issue.”
There might be several minor issues, but that was a matter for Jessel to handle.
She had already decided to present this dungeon as the final exam question by any means necessary.
“However, I’d like to discuss some of the enemy patterns and movements.”
“Discussion?”
“Simply put, let’s elevate the completeness of the dungeon.”
There’s a gem that could shine brighter with just a little polish; why would there be a reason not to refine it?
As Jessel spoke with a persistent smile, Lucy raised an eyebrow slightly but soon broke into laughter.
“Looks like you can say something decent. I thought you were just a simpleton.”
“Hahaha. I’ve spent years on this, after all.”
Observing the ongoing discussion between Jessel and Lucy, the assistant professor silently prayed for the souls of the first-year students who would take that exam.
And also prayed for her own soul who would have to grade that dreadful exam.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.