Chapter: 425
The professors of Dungeon Studies at the Soul Academy were gathered early in the morning where they monitored the dungeon, sipping on tea.
There were newbies who had just recently become professors, as well as long-standing veterans with great reputations, and even some old-timers who had no real reason to be here.
Typically, they would’ve been busy running things with their graduate students, but everyone had tossed aside their usual tasks because they were so invested in this dungeon they had created.
From the start of the academy’s holiday until now, everyone in the Department of Dungeon Studies had rolled up their sleeves and worked together to craft this dungeon. It was, quite frankly, the fruit of their labor.
“I’m thrilled to see the students struggling and overcoming trials,” one professor commented.
“And it’s quite amusing to see them despair in the way we intended,” another added.
“I think I understand why Lady Alrn enjoyed watching others tackle dungeons,” mused a third.
Originally, the professors of Dungeon Studies were not particularly fond of creating dungeons. They were educators before researchers.
Rather than designing dungeons for others, they preferred to think of research to present at conferences and build their own accomplishments.
That’s why the task of crafting the academy’s dungeons was delegated to the underlings.
This year, however, they changed their tune due to the impact of Lucy Alrn’s dungeon.
The dungeon she created was so polished it was hard to believe it was made by someone new to dungeon crafting, all while being fresh and deviating from the usual template.
Anyone could attempt to conquer it, but not everyone could succeed. That dungeon delivered a significant shock not just to the Soul Academy but to the entire field of dungeon studies. It was officially dubbed the best dungeon of the year, undeniable by anyone.
The professors from the Dungeon Studies Department, who watched this unfold up close, realized they had been under a grand misapprehension.
The purpose of the Dungeon Studies Department was to analyze the various dungeons that exist in reality and to disseminate knowledge to those who sought to conquer them.
Creating dungeons that were difficult, complex, and bizarre for the sake of academic recognition was a step far into the wrong direction.
Recognizing their misguided path, the professors decided to return to their original intentions and dedicated themselves to this dungeon.
To teach students how to conquer dungeons.
So that those successful in navigating this dungeon wouldn’t struggle in any dungeon beyond it.
And most importantly, to witness the students scream in terror in the dungeons they created.
So far, things were progressing just as the professors had envisioned.
Freshmen were getting accustomed to dungeons as they tackled the lower floors.
Those already familiar with dungeon exploration were advancing through the tricks of the floors beyond 30.
Competent individuals were forcing their way toward the pinnacle, while Lucy Alrn—the cause of the professors’ resolute focus on creating academy dungeons—was currently suffering on the 99th floor.
“Seeing even Lady Alrn enjoy conquering dungeons means this dungeon is sure to receive good reviews,” one professor remarked.
“Well, aside from academia, everyone else will probably think so. The academia folks will scream about how it’s a dungeon that can only be created at the Soul Academy,” another professor chimed in.
“Ah, that has always been the case, hasn’t it? They’ve claimed it’s because there’s a lot of the residual magical energy left over from the old days here.”
“It’s not that entirely false, so it’s hard to refute. That’s pretty annoying,” a third couldn’t help but grumble.
As the dungeon professors continued their idle chatter while waiting for the door of the dungeon to open, the junior professors assigned to monitor the dungeon were sweating bullets.
Behind them stood the senior professors, as ancient as the academy’s history.
The moment they displeased them, those in ambiguous positions in the current power structure had no idea what could happen to them.
“Oh, Lady Alrn has arrived.”
“She was terribly annoyed after getting stuck on the 99th floor yesterday, right?”
“Haha. Surely, someone as talented as her wouldn’t have expected preparations made just for her convenience.”
“Has she noticed anything after the passing of a night?”
Typically, the 99th floor of the academy dungeon required four party members to perform their designated roles for it to open.
It wasn’t enough for just one person to stand out; everyone in the party had to play their part to breach the dungeon.
However, that wasn’t the only method available.
The professors had laid out a way to navigate the challenge solo.
While it was significantly more difficult and complex than normal means, it was still possible for someone determined enough to conquer the dungeon alone.
This exception was essentially a tribute aimed squarely at Lucy Alrn.
She was the one who revealed to the stubbornly set professors that they had been going astray, inspired countless others, and prevented what could have been catastrophically foolish mistakes by focusing their efforts on making dungeons—it was a gift from the professors to her, who poured her heart into crafting and conquering them.
The professors, having wracked their brains for that one exception, harbored expectations as they watched Lucy Alrn enter the dungeon.
And then they felt a pang of disappointment. Her singular approach into the corridor proved she hadn’t yet found the answer.
“Hmm. Still not there?”
“Even though Lady Alrn is amazing, she’s still a student. It’s not easy to figure out immediately.”
“Then again, it was those convoluted old timers from academia who made this up.”
“Let’s patiently wait. It won’t be long before she finds the solution.”
Just like last evening, Lucy rushed into the dungeon, recalling the layout perfectly and reaching the end of the dungeon barely ten minutes in.
Facing the dungeon’s boss was a seamless process. Even though she was alone, she had managed to execute the tasks meant for four individuals on her own.
While the professors were astonished at her rapid progress over just one day, Lucy Alrn, instead of finishing off the dungeon boss, twisted its limbs to immobilize it and poured some liquid from a vial into its mouth.
As Lucy made her escape from the boss room, the boss inside shrieked. The professors finally realized that Lucy had poisoned the boss.
“Did she also know how to handle poison?”
“What is she planning to do?”
“Who knows?”
“Considering it’s Lady Alrn, it can’t be pointless.”
“No way.”
“Could she be intending to synchronize the bosses’ demise at the exact time?”
A professor’s comment caused the monitoring room to fall into a brief silence.
“Is that even possible? Adjusting the timing of their deaths through poison?”
“Of course, I don’t think that’s plausible, but unless for that reason, she wouldn’t behave this way.”
“…That’s true, but…”
While the professors were baffled, Lucy Alrn moved on to the next dungeon, swiftly conquering it to a near finish.
The boss residing in the second dungeon was made of rock, so it wasn’t susceptible to poison like before.
Thus, Lucy opted for another approach.
Explosives.
Lucy pulled out a bomb from her pocket dimension and placed it nearby to explode at a set time.
“Why is she so skilled at handling explosives?”
“… She’s such a multi-talented person.”
“Is this really the time to be concerned about that?! Is she seriously trying to knock out multiple bosses at once right now?!”
Upon reaching the third dungeon, she was confronted by a wraith—an opponent immune to physical attacks.
But the nature of the wraith held little significance for Lucy. As a holy knight wielding sacred powers, she easily crushed the wraith and produced a radiant zone filled with sanctity, ensuring this undead foe was incinerated once more.
Then, she dashed toward the final dungeon, just before taking down the boss, the 99th floor reset.
The overwhelming holiness she unleashed had been too powerful, resulting in the third wraith’s premature demise.
“Right. It’s quite absurd. How can she perfectly synchronize the moments of death for all four bosses?”
Seeing Lucy’s failure, the professors let out a sigh of relief.
If she managed to conquer the dungeon this way, the meaningful gift they had painstakingly crafted for Lucy Alrn would amount to nothing.
Yet, their relief did not last long. Lucy Alrn, having returned, charged back into the dungeon again.
“… Surely, she will give up eventually, right?”
“Don’t worry. Lady Alrn will soon realize this is nonsensical.”
“That would be nice.”
“Even if she doesn’t give up, she could never succeed! Such needless concern!”
Turning away from Lucy’s renewed challenge, they diverted their gazes to where other students were navigating.
The first thing that caught their eye was Arthur Soladin’s party, who had closely followed Lucy Alrn to the scene.
Composed of some of the most outstanding talents among the academy’s students, the party was advancing towards standard dungeon strategies while surveying the 99th floor.
*
The second attempt. The initial poison was too potent, causing a miscalculation.
The dungeon resets.
The third attempt. Failed to control the sacred powers.
Argh! This wraith is such a pathetic loser. I wish the one on the 99th floor could be a bit sturdier.
The dungeon resets.
The fourth attempt.
I took down the final boss too quickly.
That wasn’t intentional. I didn’t think it would stick its head into the mace!
Even a masochistic pervert should care about their own life, right?!
Fifth attempt.
In trying to manage different things, I triggered the bomb too early.
Sixth attempt.
A slight fever resulted in a loss of power control. The second boss got obliterated.
Seventh, eighth, and ninth attempts.
I kept challenging and challenging.
Part of me wondered if it’d be quicker to find a proper route during this time, but I disregarded it.
How much time have I already invested here? I can’t run away! I have my pride as someone who has waded through the muck!
[Sometimes wisdom lies in knowing when to let something go, even if it feels wasteful.]
“Please don’t hit me with that fact! It hurts!”
Amidst the repeated challenges, while correcting my missteps, I felt sure that this time—my thirtieth attempt—would mean certain success.
The timing for the deaths of the first three bosses was perfectly sorted.
Now, I just needed to get the fourth boss’s timing right!
Here we goooooo!
To the 100th floor!
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