Chapter: 234
Current Level: 93.
I’m currently reducing time by jumping off a cliff and realizing that free falling is much more thrilling than I had imagined.
At first, when I threw myself from the cliff, I thought, “This is fine.” But as I continued to fall endlessly, my thoughts began to shift.
If something like this happens again, I should choose a safer route.
This is not something to do twice.
[Hey, girl. I have a question.]
While I was admiring my long hair flying in the wind, Grandpa’s voice came through.
‘What is it? Keep it short. I need to time this right, and it’s a bit tough, you know.’
Even I can’t stay intact from the impact of falling. If I can’t offset the landing mid-air, I’d just take fall damage and retire.
Since it’s a dungeon in the Academy, if I took damage, it would mean getting booted outside the dungeon, but I don’t want to experience this fall twice, so I want to succeed in one go.
[Then I’ll ask when you’re done.]
It’s been 20 seconds since I jumped from the cliff. It’s about time I pulled out a scroll from my inventory.
Having prepared beforehand, the end of the seemingly endless drop finally came into sight.
The gray rocky ground appeared.
Not yet.
It’s not time to release the scroll yet.
A bit lower.
Lower still.
After waiting and waiting…
…
Now!
I timed it just right and released the magic contained within the scroll.
What I aimed to conjure was a storm.
A massive gust of wind shooting up from below.
As my body slowed down from the acceleration due to gravity, I eventually hovered about three meters above the ground.
Before long, the magic from the scroll wore off, and I fell back under the influence of gravity, landing on the ground.
I got a bit too excited and cast it too early. If this were a game, I would’ve taken fall damage.
Indeed, there’s a stark difference between clicking a mouse from the other side of a monitor and doing it in real life.
Unless it’s a moment where you’re risking your life, it’s wiser to choose a safe path. These things can instantly kill you with just one little mistake.
I called out to Grandpa while fixing my messy hair from the fall.
‘So, Grandpa, what’s on your mind?’
[Is there someone among the Academy professors who manages this place?]
‘There is, right?’
[Then that person must be watching all your strategies.]
‘… Uh, yeah. I guess so?’
[They’ll definitely be asking you various questions in the future.]
Listening to Grandpa, I began to imagine.
It would be amusing if I, the creator of this dungeon, got to watch some other loony tackle it in unique ways.
First, they’d probably be wondering what the heck I was up to. It’d be fascinating yet absurd. Eventually, they’d be itching to find out who that crazy girl is, and when she finally emerges, they’d drag me in and interrogate me about everything.
They would want to know how I could possibly come up with such strategies.
‘How do I explain this?!’
I lacked the confidence to explain my approach. If this were a game, I could boast about how I tackled it like this and that, but this is not a gaming world!
[Why are you asking me? I have no idea. I don’t know either.]
‘Exactly!’
Ugh. I can’t take back what I’ve already done.
Let’s think about it slowly after I deal with the idiot prince.
If all else fails, I’ll just go with the annoying genius concept.
What? You couldn’t even think of such a way? How typical of a mediocre Academy professor. Just like that.
I mean, they must have that dumbfounded expression, but what can I do? There’s no other choice.
With a sigh, I continued to march forward, headed for the depths of the Academy dungeon.
After jumping off the cliff, I skipped the strategy from levels 93 to 99, leaving only the last one.
Level 100.
The place where the boss guarding the end of the dungeon lies.
[Are you sure you’re okay without resting?]
As I reached for the handle leading to the boss room, Grandpa’s worried voice rang out.
His judgment was correct. My current state was far from “tip-top shape.”
No matter how good my stamina is, and even though I’ve been performing all sorts of shenanigans instead of taking the regular route.
I had rushed from level 1 to level 100 in just half a day.
I wasn’t so exhausted that I couldn’t move, but saying I was doing my best wouldn’t fit either.
Normally, it would be right to take a break to recharge before proceeding. But I didn’t do that.
I wasn’t obsessed with any records. I’ve done enough speed runs back in the day; I’ve long since let go of that obsession.
So why was I so determined to keep going without a break?
The answer is quite simple.
Facing the boss ahead is totally feasible even in my current condition.
‘Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon.’
[What kind of crazy stunt are you planning this time?]
‘Not a crazy stunt.’
Sure, there are glitches here, but those ideas only work in a game. They can’t be applied here in reality.
[Then?]
‘Straightforward methods.’
Since it’s the last challenge, I gotta swing my mace a bit.
Holding the handle of the door, I confidently prepared for battle.
I spread the divinity within me.
Using various holy magics to strengthen my body.
Chugging potions to replenish my stamina and mana.
Finally, I wrapped divinity around my mace and opened the door.
There it was, sitting in the middle of the room—a dark figure.
The final boss of the second semester dungeon unveiling various gimmicks.
A being combined from chaos.
He was a foe testing whether I had properly tackled the many gimmicks that existed until now.
Normally, you’d have to tackle every gimmick from level 1 to level 99 to defeat this troublesome boss, but there’s another approach.
From the ominous appearance of that thing, one could tell it’s a boss of the Necromancer type.
So, as long as you have a certain level of divinity, you can win purely through a strength battle.
The moment my foot stepped into the room, the door sealed shut, and the boss hiding in the darkness grinned, showing off its red smile.
Seeing that made me break into a grin too.
“Just by smiling, you can make someone feel nauseous? ♡ Looks like the more disgusting the opponent is, the higher they are in this dungeon! ♡ You fit in perfectly at the top floor! ♡”
Time to crack some skulls.
*
Having confirmed the door leading to the next floor, Cecil withdrew his aura and let out a long sigh.
It had been nearly half a day since entering the dungeon without much rest, continuously pushing through.
No matter how physically extraordinary Cecil was, he couldn’t help but feel fatigued.
The condition of the other party members was even more serious. After confirming the boss’s defeat, they collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath and struggling to speak.
Cecil, observing them, realized continuing the assault was out of the question.
But that was enough. They had conquered more than half of the dungeon on the first day. Tomorrow they could reach the end of the Academy dungeon.
Ah. Am I really about to set a new record in Academy history?
Crushing Lucy Alrn beneath my feet, erasing the past records made by my older brother, and engraving my name on top?
Imagining that scene, Cecil chuckled as he leaned on his sword, then called out to his party members.
“Let’s head back. We’ll rest thoroughly today and finish everything tomorrow.”
Once outside the dungeon, Cecil watched the sunset before turning his gaze in another direction.
He wanted to check the rankings.
Of course, my name should be at the very top, but where would Lucy Alrn’s name be?
Considering her abilities, she was probably closely following right below me.
Thinking this, Cecil turned his attention to the rankings, but upon seeing the entries, he froze.
His predictions were wrong.
To be precise, parts were right and parts were wrong.
Cecil’s name and Lucy’s name were listed side by side in 1st and 2nd place, but with the order reversed.
[Lucy Alrn. Current Level 100. Conquest Complete]
[Cecil Soladin. Current Level 60. Conquest Ongoing]
Above was Lucy Alrn. Below was Cecil Soladin.
Cecil, who had resorted to all sorts of filthy tactics in his pursuit of victory, had lost to Lucy.
Conquest complete?
Done with the conquest?
Had she finished before even a full day had passed?
…What kind of nightmare is this?
In the moment Cecil was frozen, a voice rang out from behind him.
A somewhat high-pitched, clear, and beautiful voice, yet it sounded even more infuriating because of that.
“So you’ve finally come out? Waiting for a lady like this is quite rude, don’t you think? Or are you just that incompetent to even maintain basic etiquette?”
It was Lucy Alrn.
The rival he had committed to defeating.
Looking at Cecil, she was as put together as someone coming from a dungeon couldn’t possibly be.
“…How.”
Cecil couldn’t help but voice his thoughts upon seeing her.
How had she already conquered the dungeon?
Isn’t that unreasonable?
The paths of the dungeon?
Cecil was familiar with them.
The tactics for conquest?
He knew those too. He had been prepared.
How to hunt the bosses?
He knew it all.
So, the conditions were perfectly identical. Given that, it would be normal for their overall stats to allow him to progress faster.
Then why?
Why?
How had Lucy Alrn surpassed them, surpassed him?
What on earth is going on?
“Did you take a professor with you?”
“Sorry, but unlike you, I don’t need help tackling this pathetic dungeon. I can do just fine on my own. I’m a capable genius, unlike someone else.”
“Did you resort to underhanded means?”
“Underhanded? I just told you, I’m different from you!”
She went into the dungeon alone.
She didn’t resort to underhanded means.
Yet somehow, faster than him. Faster than them.
Did she conquer the dungeon before him?
That just doesn’t add up.
No matter how capable she is, there’s a limit to that.
With all other conditions being the same, there’s no way this kind of gap could exist!
If there’s such a large gap, there’s only one justification!
Unless she has greater strength than I do, this situation isn’t possible!
Cecil glared at Lucy Alrn with veins standing out around his eyes, pointing to her as she drew her sword from her waist.
“Prove it.”
“What’s that? ♡ Proving the incompetence of the idiot prince? ♡”
“Prove you’re stronger than me. That’s why it’s obvious you should have such overwhelming results.”
He declared he wanted a duel.
Lucy, glancing at Cecil’s sword for a moment, burst into laughter.
It was a laugh laced with contempt, filled with thoughts of disdain, a taunt that seemed to crawl persistently into his ears.
Ignoring even the frown adorning Cecil’s brow, she continued to laugh before finally covering her mouth and, with a playful smile, said:
“Not interested. ♡”
“…What?”
“Why would I do that? ♡ The incompetence of the idiot prince is already proven, and I don’t want to hammer that nail further! It’s just being thoughtful. ♡”
“…”
“Well, if you absolutely insist, shouldn’t you show me the proper courtesy too? ♡ Maybe kiss my feet? ♡ Oh wait, no, that wouldn’t do! It’d be a real disappointment! ♡”
With the light of the sunset reddening Cecil’s face, as he moved his feet, black aura blossomed over his sword.
A weapon that had split countless opponents’ heads apart with overwhelming power.
Though it had weakened due to the wear and tear during their dungeon runs, it was still a powerful sword.
Cecil’s pride and joy.
That sword was thrust toward Lucy Alrn, but,
“What an ambush! ♡ Isn’t there a limit to being despicable? ♡ Ah, so you really are an idiot who doesn’t know moderation? ♡ Hehe, I get it now! ♡”
That sword did not touch Lucy Alrn.
Because by then, she had raised a radiant white shield to block Cecil’s attack.
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