Chapter: 303
The moment I stepped into the dungeon for the test, the scenery around me transformed.
It became the view of a serene mansion.
Just as I had imagined, the sight unfolded before my eyes.
The various paintings hanging on the walls.
The slightly dark and heavy atmosphere created by the dim light.
The echo that returned with each step I took.
I couldn’t help but grin with satisfaction at all of it.
They said the Dungeon Studies professor would be astonished, and now I see why.
The feeling was utterly different from when I anchored my feet in the dungeon crafted by the Academy compared to the one I had designed myself.
As I walked through the corridor, enjoying the sounds around me, an elder’s voice broke my trance, filled with wonder.
[Incredible! How could you create something like this from that dreadful painting?]
‘Are you talking about the background of the dungeon I drew?’
[Why even ask? I meant that hideous drawing that looked like it was made by a five-year-old.]
‘A five-year-old couldn’t even draw that well?!’
My drawing skills might not be stellar, but they’re better than some kid running around without a clue!
At the very least, I know about perspective! I understand depth! I know detailed description, for goodness’ sake!
Of course, my knowledge isn’t thorough, and it’s not like I know how to apply it, but I’m definitely not on the same level as those clueless brats!
[There’s a kid I know who grasped shading at five.]
‘…That person must be a crazy genius or something!’
[But in comparison, isn’t it true that you’re worse than a five-year-old?]
‘If we use that as a comparison, most people in the world would be worse than a five-year-old?!’
I retorted against the elder’s absurdity while fixing my gaze on the dungeon’s scenery.
As the excitement subsided, detailed aspects began to catch my attention.
There were some minor things that felt a bit lacking in terms of detail.
Especially the year written under this last portrait; it needs to be accurate as it will be one of the clues later on.
I should probably jot it down in my notepad to request adjustments later. After walking down the corridor for a few minutes, a dead-end appeared.
I approached the empty cradle in front of the wall and picked up the paper inside.
– To escape the maze, you must find the exit.
As I finished reading the phrase, which would elicit a nod from someone saying, “That’s because it’s a maze,” the mansion’s scenery crumbled away, replaced by something else.
Where a carpet once lay, bricks surfaced.
Scarlet walls scattered and revealed what looked like a training ground.
And where the portrait once was, the faces of numerous soldiers were engraved.
The transition between the backgrounds was seamless. It felt like moving into a completely new space. Any student seeing this for the first time would surely be awestruck.
Heh. I can’t wait. I’ll definitely ask Joy about her thoughts on this later.
“Hey! You there! No time to space out!”
While I was imagining an energetic scene with Joy, a rugged knight in the distance raised his voice.
“Do you think you’re the only one taking the test today?!”
As his voice echoed, a soldier appeared right in front of me.
He looked like he had been through harsh training, boasting impressive muscles.
Blisters marked the hands gripping the spear.
The traces of great strength were evident in his movements.
Anyone could feel he possessed remarkable skills as he took his stance while the knight in the distance barked again.
“I’m about to begin!”
‘Um…’
“Oi, you loud-mouthed idiot knight. What test are you talking about?”
“If you’ve already forgotten what I just said, you might as well fall flat! Figure it out yourself!”
Alright then. The tutorial is shaping up exactly as I expected.
They’re calling it a test, but they don’t reveal any details—what nonsense!
That knight wouldn’t spill a word about the test’s content, leaving those who came to conquer the dungeon to figure it out themselves.
While I juggled the details in my mind, the soldier in front of me smiled at me.
“Guess that’s the case. Are you ready?”
‘Yes. Of course.’
“Why would you need to be ready for someone like you? Bring it on. You’re not scared of a little girl, are you?”
Seeing the soldier’s tongue click, I pulled out my shield from my inventory.
The thrown spear from afar looked sharp enough to pierce through my heart in an instant if I let my guard down.
But the power it needed to be effective was clearly lacking.
It didn’t require any grand technique to block it.
Just extending my shield would suffice.
Clang! The spearhead bounced off my shield without penetrating it and flew upwards.
Consequently, a huge opening appeared on the soldier’s body.
Hmm. Even for a tutorial, isn’t he a bit too weak?
At this rate, who would bother figuring out the test’s conditions? I might just smash this soldier and move along.
It’d be dreadful if the tutorial meant to teach me about breaking through gimmicks turned out to be this easy.
I should definitely request that the difficulty be raised.
Having made that decision, I charged at the soldier, whose eyes were filled with confusion, and smashed the wooden board attached to his armor’s right side.
“The first trial is complete! You passed splendidly!”
Just then, the knight who had been shouting suddenly announced the end of the test.
We’ve only just entered the dungeon, but it looks like the overall structure is solid.
With just a bit of tweaking on the details, I could recreate the dungeon exactly as I envisioned it.
“Then, we’ll proceed to the next trial!”
The upcoming tutorial was not dissimilar from the first one.
The gimmicks functioned normally, but the soldiers were far too weak.
Sure, it’s a dungeon for first-year students to conquer, but isn’t this a bit too easy?
The creator of the dungeon must be looking down on first-years, this level is ridiculous.
‘What do you think, elder? Isn’t this a bit too weak?’
[It is indeed weak. Anyone could overpower it in sheer force.]
‘Right? My standards aren’t too high, are they?’
After the dungeon conquest, I should definitely pay a visit to the Dungeon Studies professor and tell him to raise the tutorial’s difficulty.
Otherwise, this tutorial wouldn’t serve its purpose.
“…Congratulations! You have passed the trial to become an adventurer.”
The moment I finished off the loud-mouthed knight, the surrounding scenery shifted again. This time, it transformed into a dark cave.
The air was thin, feeling like it was suffocating me.
The only light source was the dim glow dripping from above.
This ominous landscape brought a satisfied smile to my face as I turned to catch the noise coming from behind me.
In the cave’s darkness, a massive pair of red eyes appeared, almost reminiscent of my own hands.
Threatening fangs that seemed capable of piercing steel.
Hair that looked like it was crafted from wire.
Claws scraping against the stone cave floor like dirt.
I stared at the horrendous sight, feeling a chuckle escape my lips.
Ah, really.
They did such an excellent job creating this, it’s troublesome.
If it’s like this, I can barely contain my excitement for what lies beyond.
Originally, I planned to focus on the QA aspect rather than tackling the dungeon, but my mind has changed.
With this racing heart, I can’t meticulously examine every detail!
So for now, I’ll conquer this dungeon!
Then I’ll take my time and scrutinize everything again for details!
Resolute in that decision, I raised my lips and gripped my mace tightly.
*
“No! Professor! I can’t rewrite that thesis from scratch!…”
Waking up from a nightmare, Margen, a grad student in the Dungeon Studies department, sighed in relief upon realizing it was only a dream.
That was truly horrifying. Dreaming that my professor shredded my thesis, declaring it something that cannot even be called a thesis, and commanded me to start from the beginning.
If that happened in reality, I would’ve smashed the window and jumped out!
Wiping the cold sweat off my forehead, Margen stretched and glanced around.
There were people sprawled out all around, resembling corpses.
Everyone had pulled all-nighters for a few days to create a dungeon for the final exam.
Just a moment before, Margen had also been one of those corpses, trying to remember how it came to this point.
This tragedy started with Lucy, the Young Lady of the Alrn family, who had crafted the dungeon.
Her dungeon was so beautiful that anyone studying Dungeon Studies would gasp in admiration.
When Margen first saw that dungeon, he felt envy towards Lucy Alrn’s talent.
However, the awe soon vanished as he heard the following words from his professor.
“Well now, you lot will create this dungeon yourselves. How about it? Isn’t it exciting to be able to craft this piece of art yourself?”
The fact that the dungeon was beautiful enough to inspire admiration from scholars also meant it was bizarre and eccentric.
You mean we have to create something like that? Just two weeks before the final exam?!
Considering that timeline, I wouldn’t just have to skip work—I’d have to forgo sleep entirely during that time!
Hearing his professor’s words, every graduate student silently screamed in their heads, but no one dared voice their dissatisfaction towards their professor.
Having spent long years as graduate students, they had grown accustomed to being treated like slaves.
Days passed, locked in the research lab, just getting one hour of sleep was treated as a luxury.
It was only yesterday that the graduate students finally succeeded in completing the dungeon.
After handing it over to the professor, they all collapsed in exhaustion.
Let’s see… the time now is around 4 PM.
I’ve been out for almost half a day.
But why is my eyelids still so heavy?
Yawn. Since the Young Lady Alrn, who designed the dungeon, will determine revisions while personally conquering it, the QA will likely take a while.
In that case, I could afford to sleep a little longer.
Thinking that I might as well sleep until tomorrow morning, Margen closed his eyes once more at that moment.
“Wake up, grad students more useless than slaves.”
As the door burst open, a clear, charming, and infuriating voice streamed into Margen’s ears.
“I checked how poorly you transformed my marvelous dungeon into trash.”
…Already?
Did she finish the dungeon’s QA already?!
Considering the difficulty of that dungeon, it’s impossible to finish the QA at this time!
“Not that you did a proper job writing a thesis, but it seems you made some effort. And yet, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still useless! So kindly remember what I tell you!”
In that instant, upon seeing Lucy Alrn’s triumphant eyes, Margen couldn’t help but shed tears unconsciously.
It seems he will have to endure several more days of suffering before he can properly sleep.
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