Chapter: 314
The phrase “Zero Floor” sure is annoying, huh?
Arthur just wants to smack something, while Joy is grumbling about whether it was necessary to go to such lengths. Frey’s pouting, saying everything is evil.
And then there’s Paybi… well, she’s got no reaction at all.
Not that it’s surprising. Paybi thinks whatever I do has some deeper meaning, so would she really get mad over the dungeon being a little longer?
“I’m so glad I get to tackle the dungeon made by the Young Lady!” Even if she said that, it wouldn’t be shocking at all.
At this point, everyone knows that the “Zero Floor” remark was a highly intentional trap.
They could have easily used something like “Fifth Room” or “Floor 5” since they just conquered the first four rooms, but why the insistence on “Zero Floor”?
It’s clearly just meant to irritate.
Wouldn’t anyone get upset thinking all the hard work they put in so far was meaningless?
In that state, as they tackle the dungeon and realize their various worries aren’t meaningless, they’ll probably feel even happier than they did angry.
Heh, just imagining that scene makes me smile uncontrollably.
It’s a shame I won’t get to witness that moment with my own two eyes.
[Hey, kiddo.]
While I was happily returning to the dorms, feeling like my goals were achieved, Grandpa suddenly called out to me.
“Huh?”
[Were you seriously thinking about giving him a smack on the head?]
“To the Third Prince? Yeah, I was thinking about it.”
Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t hurt much even if Arthur hit me with all his might.
For some impressions, I thought I could offer that much.
But of course, the tables turned and Arthur got too scared to actually give me that chance.
I’m not a saint or anything, but I’m not one to seek petty revenge either.
Just how evil does Arthur think I am in his mind?
[Haah.]
As I tilted my head in confusion, Grandpa let out a sigh that clearly said he was frustrated.
[Hey, kid. You need to cultivate a habit of thinking about the implications of your actions before acting.]
‘…Huh? Where did that come from?’
Did I do something wrong?
No matter how I think about it, I don’t feel like I did anything unreasonable.
Oh, wait. Is it about that?
“Grandpa, even if I got a smack from Arthur, I don’t think I’d actually get hurt.”
He’s definitely gotten stronger, but he’s still not at the level where he can injure me.
I should just be able to block it with my divine aura anyway, right?
If anything, I should be more worried about Arthur hurting himself.
[That’s not the point! …Hah. Never mind. You haven’t done anything wrong. If anything, it’s that Benedict’s fault.]
Benedict’s fault? For what?
Completely not understanding Grandpa’s words, I tilted my head, but he didn’t answer me at all.
“Grandpa! Seriously, being treated like a kid is super annoying?!”
That “you wouldn’t know anything at your age” attitude is really irritating, you know!
I shot back at Grandpa’s tone that was clearly hiding some unspoken words, but he just scoffed.
[Of course, they treat you like a kid because you ARE a kid.]
‘Huh? Where do I look like a kid?!’
[Right. It’s true on the outside and the inside. What else could you be if not a kid?]
Sure, I might look like a kid on the outside, but not on the inside! Speak properly!
If you don’t, I’m not going to sit still for it!
[You get called a kid because you react so easily.]
*
The next day, after Ruel provoked Lucy and found himself regretfully in a tight spot, Arthur’s party broke through the fourth room, which seemed to ignite everyone else in the lead to start charging through the fourth room in their own ways.
Among the many cases, the most ridiculous was the second son of the Rhubiv family’s party; they crashed through the wall but ended up team-killing one of their own in the process.
Seeing this, Professor Jesel, who teaches Dungeon Studies, began to wonder if these students were really ready to graduate, but ultimately, it wasn’t that important of an issue.
After breaking through the fourth room, the party descended down the stairs to the dungeon’s first floor, realizing that this place was entirely different from the previous rooms.
The previous rooms tested skills in understanding gimmicks, but the dungeon was different.
Now, it tested their ability to understand the internal pathways of the dungeon.
Dealing with the numerous monsters hidden inside.
And coping with all the traps set throughout the dungeon.
The basement dungeon of the mansion was a place that tested both their understanding of gimmicks and their skills in tackling an actual dungeon.
Generally, such a change would benefit the upperclassmen the most.
After all, it’s normal for upperclassmen to have better fundamentals than the younger students due to their more extensive dungeon exploration experience.
However, this time around, that wasn’t the case.
As the difficulty of the dungeon sharply increased with year levels, students from all grades were grumbling about how there was no difference in the dungeon’s annoyance.
How bad could it be if there were even rumors among those attempting the Dungeon Studies exam that the penalties for different grades were just too harsh?
This discussion gained momentum due to Arthur’s group breaking through the first floor.
People began to question how odd it was for a first-year to break records while overshadowing so many notable upperclassmen.
“Even the second son of Rhubiv and His Highness the Second Prince are struggling on the first floor, but first-years are clearing it?”
“No matter how impressive their party is, this is strange.”
“Well, Lady Alrn is also a first-year, so she must have given them an edge.”
“Isn’t this basically saying the outcome is already decided?”
As this debate among the participants continued, it eventually erupted into a more heated discussion because of Arthur’s party’s success on the first floor.
They gained ample attention for pushing ahead of many formidable names in the lead.
It wasn’t surprising that Arthur, after all, had his party act as first-year representatives.
“Doesn’t it seem strange that the first-years are clearing it when even those established second and third-year students are still struggling?”
“The second son of Rhubiv and the Second Prince are having a tough time? How is that possible?”
“Honestly, with their experience in clearance up to the first floor and the reduction in penalties, they must be exceptional.”
As this theory gained traction among those who had just suffered from disappointing failures on the first floor, a voice of resolution seemed to emerge from a party belonging to Cecil.
With a terrifying speed, Cecil’s party caught up to Arthur’s party, clearing the second floor before anyone else could.
“Are you kidding me? Don’t blame the dungeon because you lack skill.”
Amid the flattering praises showered on Cecil’s party, the idea of a ranking disparity started to dissipate.
Moreover, this debate lost momentum quickly because the leading parties mainly consisted of second and third-year students.
Only Arthur’s party and Avery’s party actively competed for the top.
The other first-years barely even reached the Zero Floor.
“Are those folks just that outstanding?”
This topic was regarded as the general consensus, and anyone uttering complaints of academic disparity took the blame and were simply dismissed as fools, thereby shutting down the forced arguments.
But as it turned out, there was one more incident among those taking the Dungeon Studies exam.
“Ahhhh! Seriously?!”
“I’m craving a smack! I’m in the mood for lectures!”
“I didn’t want hints to come after me like this!”
“Lucyyyy Alrn!”
The second hint provided led folks to band together, vowing revenge against Lucy Alrn.
Determined to teach Lucy a lesson for crafting a dungeon meant to humiliate them, they were sharing tactics on how to tackle the dungeon while striving to see it through to the end.
Even amid the chaos of those getting disqualified for cheating, the fervor just wouldn’t die down, showing how immensely powerful their rage truly was.
As Day 4 of the finals arrived, many competitors fell out of the running.
Mostly due to exhaustion.
These folks had to balance exhausting themselves tackling the dungeon while studying for their other exams over three days straight.
After struggling against lengthening hardships that stretched beyond three days, they reached the point of total exhaustion, leaving some with no choice but to abandon the competition.
Avery’s party was a prime example.
They’d received notable recognition showing impressive results among the upperclassmen, but the reality was, they were merely propped up by the one power of Toby.
They simply lacked the stamina and skill to keep pace with the others in the lead, and when Avery finally declared that they couldn’t continue, they dropped out of the competition entirely.
Aside from this, many others too had their own reasons for withdrawing from the competition, and by the time the fourth day came to a close, people began to treat the first three parties entering the dungeon’s final phase as certainties.
The top-tier parties among each grade were already drawing attention.
The first-year Arthur party.
The second-year Cecil party.
The third-year Kurten party.
Despite countless students dropping out, those two parties were fiercely competing with each other, continuously swapping places at the forefront, and on the fourth day, they breached Floor 4 of the dungeon, snatching away any remaining hope from most participants.
On the fifth day of the academy finals.
As the end of the finals drew closer with only three days remaining, the attitudes toward the Dungeon Studies exam began to split into three distinct groups.
“Whatever. I probably won’t even make it to the end; I just want to avoid flunking.”
“I’m already swamped with other exams, I can’t waste time here any longer.”
“Ugh. Screw it. I’m outta here.”
Those determined to just avoid failing were disregarding the dungeon entirely.
“Still, I worked hard until now; I should at least reach the end.”
“I won’t let Lucy Alrn laugh at me.”
“How far do I need to go to be in the upper ranks?”
Some of them were determined to press on, whether out of regret for the time spent, the need to show Lucy what’s what, or simply to achieve higher grades.
“Lucy Alrn. That biatch. Has she even tackled this dungeon?”
“Of course not. She probably made it difficult just to mess with us!”
“I bet she didn’t even make it at all.”
“Ugh. Just a year ago, she was just an annoying brat.”
“Seriously, this is all her fault.”
“Why the hell do I have to fail thanks to that jerk?”
“With her hints, all we get are crappy ideas.”
Despite having poured all their energy into the dungeon exam and losing in the competition, there were losers among them who failed to secure rewards for top hitters.
Although many talented students had already reached their limits, the situation spiraled into a detrimental cycle, with everyone bickering amongst each other.
Did that only make things worse?
It seemed that when two fools joined forces, they hatched even dumber plans, with no brake on their stupidity.
“Hey, how about we humiliate Lucy Alrn since we’re at it?”
“How on earth?”
“Let’s tell her to tackle her own dungeon!”
“…But we all know she’s good at tackling dungeons.”
“You fool. Look at those three parties at the front. They’ve been stuck on Floor 5 all day; she clearly doesn’t want them clearing it.”
“True, those connected with it are remarkable.”
“Maybe she didn’t even prepare for a reward?”
“Then she’d really be a total jerk!”
“Well, it’s just to see if it works. We can’t possibly lose anything if we approach her strategically, right?”
“Sure. If she can tackle it, great. If not, that would be hilarious.”
The dummies, who believed Lucy made fools of them, came up with their ridiculous plans to humiliate her.
And that plan was undoubtedly one that Lucy Alrn herself would welcome the most.
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