Chapter: 6
Evans’ Dungeon appears like a typical medium-sized dungeon from the outside.
However, what lies inside is anything but ordinary.
If you slip into the hidden passage, you’ll discover a trial area left behind by Ruel, one of the legendary heroes of the Soul Academy universe.
Once you enter and pass several tests, you’ll be rewarded with a high-performance passive skill and one of the ultimate items, Ruel’s Mace.
Ruel’s Mace possesses numerous effects, but three stand out as particularly noteworthy:
Increased experience gain. Adjustments to mace-related skills.
Most importantly, there are no level or stat restrictions for equipping this weapon.
In Soul Academy, like any other game, the weapons you can use vary by level.
Low-level weapons are usually weak, while high-level ones pack quite a punch.
But Ruel’s Mace is free from these limitations.
Growing alongside your level, Ruel’s Mace is always a stellar weapon with performance above average.
Even at max level, there are hardly any blunt weapons that surpass Ruel’s Mace.
Of course, there’s a final weapon in the mace category, но it’s incredibly tough to obtain unless you’re specifically gunning for a particular build.
Having Ruel’s Mace is more than sufficient to enjoy the game.
Those who develop a mace-wielding character usually rely solely on Ruel’s Mace until the game’s end.
After listening to the knight’s words, I was only pondering whether I could pass Ruel’s Trial, and I eventually reached the conclusion that it was absolutely possible.
Greed started to bubble up inside me.
I had intended to visit Evans’ Dungeon sooner or later anyway.
Ruel’s Mace was an item that I simply had to acquire if I chose to wield a mace.
It seemed my moment had just arrived a little sooner than expected.
Alright! Let’s head into Evans’ Dungeon alongside the knights.
*
I came to Benedict in the evening to seek permission to join the knight’s training.
“Lucy, what’s the matter?”
He brightened up at the sight of me, but it looked like he remembered this morning’s incident and didn’t approach too closely.
Is he still pinning the annoyance on me?
This guy looks like a troll, yet he’s so soft-hearted.
Is it a cliché that a strong-looking person is secretly tender-hearted?
It was amusing from afar, but now that it’s real, it really grates on my nerves.
‘I came to apologize for this morning.’
“Stupid father, I might’ve said too much earlier.”
“Are you forgiving me?”
‘Yes.’
“Just this once, alright?”
“Lucy!”
Benedict rushed over like he’d been waiting, wrapped his arms around me, and began rubbing his beard against me.
I found it annoying, but I held back a comment, fearing he might actually burst into tears if I said anything more.
Dealing with this guy is such a hassle.
Do all fathers love their daughters this much? I wouldn’t know since I’ve never had parents.
I endured for a long time, thinking it’d be rude to keep him waiting, but eventually, I couldn’t help but think I’d be pulling an all-nighter if I didn’t push him away.
With that, Benedict stepped back, looking flustered.
“I’m sorry. I’m just so happy.”
‘That’s fine, but I’d like to ask you something.’
“Okay, stupid father, but there’s actually something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
‘Can I join the knight’s training session?’
“I want to join the knight’s training!”
Benedict, who had been chuckling and sporting an obnoxiously happy grin, suddenly turned rigid.
He looked at me as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
“What?”
‘I want to go into the dungeon.’
“I absolutely forbid it!”
*
“What do you mean, absolutely not?”
Benedict desperately attempted to dissuade me, but considering he was usually a pushover when it came to his daughter, there was no way he could resist my stubbornness.
Finding no way to oppose my reasoning of wanting to experience a dungeon before the academy entrance exam, he eventually had no choice but to nod.
Now that I had permission to enter the dungeon, I’d need to prepare to conquer Ruel’s trial.
Ruel’s trials are generally divided into three main stages.
The first trial is the Trial of the Guardian.
In this trial area, you must protect a stone statue from the monsters that emerge.
The monsters spawning in the trial adjust according to the character’s level.
Level 1? You’ll face goblins! But if you’re max level, prepare for a boss from an A-class dungeon to come with its minions!
And here I am, at level 0, not even having started the game.
The enemies popping up in the trials must be incredibly weak.
The second trial is the Trial of Divinity. To put it simply, it’s a quiz based on biblical content that exists in this world.
Out of hundreds of pre-determined questions, a few will be presented, and if you answer within the time limit, you move on to the next part.
No need to prepare for this. I’ve memorized every single question and answer for the Trial of Divinity!
I must have cleared Ruel’s trial thousands of times, so I can’t mess up here.
The final trial is the Trial of Patience.
As depicted in the game, it’s said to show something that traumatizes the character to test their mental strength.
What usually shows up on screen tends to be something grotesque or terrifying.
This is no strategy at all. The only way to get through is to endure using your mental power and mental skills, and I have the skills for that lined up already.
Conquering fear and an unyielding will.
Even when confronted with extreme fear, if I can maintain composure through overcoming that dread, paired with a will that won’t break under pressure, the third trial will be a breeze!
At least, that’s how it was when I played the game.
So, what I need to focus on now is just one thing: combat training to get through the first trial.
Even if I face weak monsters, a battle is a battle.
Having never learned how to move my body, I can’t expect to fight gracefully in a real-life skirmish.
If I’m dumped into the heart of battle without any preparation, I’m bound to freeze in fear, so I need to train beforehand.
Mace in one hand, shield in the other—I stood in front of a wooden training dummy.
I’d confirmed that the game’s mechanics applied here, so…
If that’s true, then my proficiency in handling a mace while running must have skyrocketed!
I’m not entirely sure how the concept of proficiency will apply in reality, but it has to function in some way—just like the Mesugaki skill I activated within Lucy’s body.
To find out if it does, I’ve got to swing that mace!
BAM!
I swung wildly at the wooden dummy, and a strange feeling washed over me—I felt like I could swing better than this.
The grip on the weapon.
The way I moved my arms.
How I could add more power when swinging the mace.
Trusting my intuition, I swung the mace again.
THWACK!
When I saw the wooden shards scatter as the mace struck, I realized my instincts led to a better result.
It’s obvious now.
This world has the concept of proficiency!
And just like in the game, increasing proficiency lets you handle a weapon more adeptly.
Haha! Now, everything will fall into place!
I’ve ground my proficiency into the dust back in-game, so I’m well-practiced!
I never thought that my sleepless nights spent on gaming content and figuring out how to swiftly grow a character would pay off here!
Guess I was right to indulge in gaming.
Wait. No.
If I hadn’t played Soul Academy at all, there’s no way I would have become this annoying Mesugaki!
I should’ve embraced reality a bit longer.
I should have avoided downloading those weird mods that were full of unverified content.
As I sat there griping about how foolish I was a week ago, a wave of anger stirred inside me.
Damn it!
This anger shall be poured out upon you, wooden dummy!
I’ll unleash all the pent-up frustrations I’ve vilified upon you since becoming a Mesugaki!
There’s a specific technique that best boosts mace proficiency early on in Soul Academy.
Crashing the mace downward from above!
This technique, barbarically dubbed “Head Smash”, is a stellar example of the principle that simplicity is best.
It’s short, does solid damage for a low-level skill, and raises proficiency swiftly—there’s no reason to skip this one!
Today, my goal is to smash this wooden dummy’s head!
*
As I repeated my training, steadily becoming a mace master, on the third day of my practice, I sensed something unusual.
Even after swinging the mace for an hour, I was losing confidence in my ability to improve further.
Honestly, I’ve been sensing this omen for a while now.
Initially, each swing brought forth visible improvements, but over time, that number ballooned to ten swings, then dozens… finally hundreds.
I must be approaching the level cap.
The proficiency system in Soul Academy imposes limits on how much proficiency can increase as your level rises.
The higher your proficiency gets relative to your level, the harder it becomes to boost it.
Thus, to effectively raise proficiency, you need to level up simultaneously.
However, right now, I can’t go outside the mansion at all.
Sure, once I enter Evans’ Dungeon, I can level up, but that’s not an option at the moment.
So, for now, I must press pause on that. Efficiency is taking a hit.
I’ve topped out my mace proficiency, but now it’s time to raise my shield proficiency. However, to increase my shield proficiency, I need someone to spar with.
In Soul Academy, shields are treated as a kind of armor, so proficiency increases each time you successfully block an attack.
Now, I could use some cheats to speed up my shield proficiency, but those require being enrolled in the academy, so it looks like I’ll have to play it straight for now.
Hmmm. Should I ask Benedict to find someone for me?
Using the excuse that I want some combat experience before entering the dungeon.
It doesn’t sound too bad.
Technically, it’s not just an excuse.
I’m quite confident in my mace swinging now, but swinging a weapon at a stationary dummy is a completely different experience than using it against a real, lively foe.
Entering Ruel’s Trial without any combat experience could lead to all sorts of problems.
That’s why I’ll need a sparring partner to prepare for potential battles.
“Miss, are you taking a break?”
Lost in thought, a knight who had been shamelessly bothering me approached.
His ridiculously handsome face was starting to creep me out, but for some reason, this time, I found his presence pleasant.
“Miss?”
‘Sir Knight, are you busy?’
“Useless knight. Busy?”
“Not particularly busy. Why do you ask?”
‘Would you spar with me?’
“Then, will you spar with me?”
“Wha—?”
Time to boost my shield proficiency a bit!
And while I’m at it, let’s see just how remarkable my head-smashing skills really are!
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