Chapter: 203
When I first entered the street vendor and received the paper, I was in a tense state.
After all, I was half-forced into a duel with the First Prince.
The gazes pouring in from around me were filled with discontent and stung like ow.
The First Prince’s tone was aggressive, as if he had come to see the amazing skill I supposedly showed at the Academy,
And there wasn’t a single soul nearby to support or worry about me.
But the moment I sat down and unfolded the paper, I wiped away all that tension.
What lay before me was not just a simple piece of paper, but a dungeon.
It wasn’t a place I had to strategize to survive. It was the very dungeon I used to contemplate over the monitor on how to clear it more efficiently and quickly.
At the top of the paper, the name of the dungeon to strategize and the composition of those who would conquer it were written.
Let’s see…
A knight of B-rank adventurer level.
A thief good at combat but poor at trap disarming.
A wizard with strong firepower yet with serious limitations.
A cleric who only knows how to heal.
The party composition is standard, but it’s full of trash.
Sure, the key character is well-leveled, but the rest are just half-baked.
If I posted this party composition on the bulletin board asking for evaluations, I’d probably get flagged for being a pervert.
The equipment worn is sloppy, and the items brought along are all useless.
Wow. This is truly a newbie?!
Playing as they please without knowing a thing? That’s the very definition of a newbie!
Hey! Street vendor! Is it really okay to show this to minors?!
Do you want to get arrested?!
A troll-like guy comes over and says, “Hey! You might just make him regret being alive!”
Gahhh! Let’s calm down.
First, let’s see where the dungeon is.
If a lewd newbie is trying to clear a dungeon, that’s just par for the course.
Let’s see… the dungeon name as defined by the country is:
[Cave of the Black Spider]
Oh no.
Not me, but that street vendor.
That guy should definitely be in handcuffs!
How can you show such dirty materials to such a small, cute girl?
Even a flasher wouldn’t stoop this low!
This is way too serious!
What kind of idiot tries to clear this dungeon with that party composition?!
Listen up!
The standard for clearing this dungeon is a tank. A thief with maximum trap detection. A wizard with plenty of fire magic. And a versatile cleric!
There’s no way you need a knight who can barely withstand hits and a magically fragile wizard! A needless dagger-wielding thief and a cleric who can only heal? Absolutely unnecessary!
On further inspection, the entire party is trash?!
Yikes. Did they come in without even reading the dungeon info beforehand?!
[The conditions are strict. How are they supposed to clear the dungeon with this kind of crew?]
The old man dismissed the text as nonsense the moment he read it.
He’s an excellent old man in many respects, but when it comes to this mock dungeon strategy, he’s absolutely clumsy.
Why would someone who has smashed countless dungeons be so clumsy here?
Well, that’s because he’s a cheat character himself.
He can demolish mediocre dungeons alone, and when it comes to dangerous places, he had a solid party of heroes with him.
There’s no way he could understand a party full of useless fools.
[Hey, girl. Do you think you understand?]
‘Of course.’
But I’m different.
Having gone through cheat strategies, one-character melee-only curse-restriction plays, I can find a way to conquer any party you throw at me.
A party like this newbie one?
Simple.
Too simple.
I pick up the pen and start writing.
If I see two spider egg sacs covered in webs on the ceiling, I know where I began.
I’m mentally mapping the dungeon, checking monster spawn positions and trap locations.
There’s a shortest route, but I need to engage in combat once to take that route.
Hmm. No. Let’s choose a different route.
Entering combat with a party like this will only extend the time it takes to defeat the monsters.
Plus, every battle I engage in will prolong the time to defeat the boss. It’s better to choose a route that avoids combat even if I have to take a detour.
I keep moving the pen, but the progress isn’t that fast.
I’m jotting down grounds for every decision I make.
This habit was formed during the dungeon studies class.
When I did my first mock dungeon strategy, I submitted it like, “This is how it goes. It’s easy, right?”
So that dungeon studies professor called me aside, questioning whether it made any sense.
I rebutted every single thing he pointed out, explaining why I made those judgments.
Naturally, those rebuttals were filled with insults like sloppy, fool, trash, old hag, and hard-headed.
The dungeon studies professor, who was so full of himself at first, ended up staring at what I submitted, unable to find a word to counter.
And then, with a red face, he said next time, I should write down all my reasoning too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t understand my decisions.
Upon hearing that, I thought he had a point. How could a game character understand the thoughts of rotten water?
So from then on, I tried to make an effort to lay out my reasoning. It’s not like it kept me from being called aside by the professor.
As this happened countless times, this habit of listing grounds became second nature to me.
If I had written my strategies this detailed when I first started, maybe the number of newbies would have increased a little?
Nah, that’s unlikely. My strategies weren’t suitable for newbies.
[Your strategy description is marvelous each time I see it. If you had led our party instead of the foolish hero, we could have avoided so much hardship.]
Listening to the old man’s compliment while describing my strategy, I realized my party had entered the boss room.
Since there hadn’t been a single battle until then, the party was in perfect condition. Alright. Now it’s time for our fragile cannon-wielding wizard to shine.
“I’m done.”
The moment I was about to put down the pen, a voice came that made me raise my head.
The First Prince was standing up.
Already?!
This is a challenge even for the rotting water, yet the characters in the game handle it like a piece of cake?!
Surprised, I put down my pen and surveyed the fantasy in the center.
The party composition was the same, but the dungeon layout was quite different. Clearly, they had put effort into ensuring I couldn’t simply copy them.
The First Prince’s response was optimal.
When faced with a certain situation, he considered all variables and chose the safest and most efficient option.
It was as if he showed how to strategize when there’s no knowledge of the dungeon.
On top of that, when decisive action was necessary, he exhibited the audacity to take risks.
Watching him, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Impressive. Look at the street vendor’s face beaming with pride.
How does it feel to see a more precise answer than the one you provided?
But that’s still not enough to beat me, hermit Prince.
As applause and admiration poured toward the First Prince, I stood up and approached the street vendor.
‘Excuse me.’
“Here. A reward too good for this sloppy stall. Kindly accept it, guy with a mustache.”
“Now let me take a look.”
The street vendor accepted my answer with no hint of expectation.
The other spectators were the same.
Just a moment ago, the First Prince showcased a flawless answer, so how could they expect anything less from me?
Whatever the answer, it was bound to be inferior to the First Prince’s.
Surely, everyone wants to see the arrogant noble lady get schooled by the First Prince in this dull confirmation session.
But that laid-back atmosphere was shattered shortly after the fantasy began.
“Why aren’t they encountering any monsters?”
“How do they know the positions of traps so well?”
It’s true that the First Prince’s strategy was excellent.
To an extent that even a rotting water like me found it impressive.
But that’s all just a way forward like soldiers on a chessboard.
It’s about pioneering the unknown without knowing anything.
My way is different.
If the First Prince is a top-notch piece on the chessboard, I’m the one looking down from above, directing the pieces.
What need is there to pioneer the unknown?
There’s no unknown for me in the first place.
The party in the fantasy does not fight monsters.
They do not suffer hardships before traps.
They just run ahead.
Continuously.
Like in a marathon.
Downward.
Further down.
Since there were no processes of finding paths, disarming traps, or battles with monsters, the time taken to reach the boss room was exceedingly short.
Thus, my party, fully prepared, entered the dungeon.
The boss of this dungeon appears exactly 10 seconds after entering.
The appearance time is fixed. It doesn’t use any annoying patterns.
What does this mean?
In 10 seconds, a punching bag appears, asking to be hit.
With no consumption of effort, the wizard bursts forth, pouring everything on the boss.
As the boss crashes down from its thread and becomes groggy, the whole party launches a joint assault.
The terrifying-looking boss was smashed, like a bug kids play with.
As the strategy ended and the fantasy faded, there were no applause or gasps.
Not from the street vendor.
Not from the audience.
Not even from the First Prince.
Everyone was staring blankly at the spot where the illusion had been.
In that silence, I walked up to the street vendor, my footsteps echoing, and asked,
‘Did I win?’
“You foolish mustache man. Now, say it. I won.”
When the duel was first announced, the First Prince clearly set this rule.
If one of us passes the vendor, that one is the winner.
If both pass, we determine the victor based on the speed with which our parties clear the dungeon.
Look. Don’t you think I’m faster than the hermit Prince?
Even with the outcome clear, the street vendor hesitated, looking toward the First Prince instead of speaking.
Was he scared to say the First Prince lost with his own mouth?
As the street vendor hesitated, the murmurs from the crowd grew louder.
Those who had been baffled were gradually returning to reality.
Hmm. Did not see this coming.
“Hey. Street vendor.”
At that moment, the First Prince broke the lengthy silence with his voice.
“…Yes!?”
“May I take a look at this answer?”
“Of course!”
With a stone-cold expression, he flipped through my submitted answer and muttered.
“That’s a huge exaggeration. It’s nothing but gambling.”
Exaggeration? It’s a judgment only possible because I know everything, you know?
Don’t try to cover up your ignorance.
If you want to argue, feel free to try.
With the pride of a veteran gamer, I’ll rebut each point.
So! If you have something to say, go ahead!
“I’ve lost.”
[Quest Clear!]
[You have successfully become the Festival Massacre!]
[Rewards are provided!]
…Huh?
Huh?
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