Chapter: 317
As I watched Arthur’s party tackling the dungeon, I realized why they hadn’t even considered figuring out the gimmicks.
“Joy!”
“Tsk! First, I’ll block their movements with firepower!”
“There’s no helping it! That’s better than crumbling!”
The reason was simple. They thought they could tackle the dungeon without worrying about other methods.
When I designed the boss on the 5th floor, I made sure it couldn’t be defeated in a conventional way.
This Dungeon Studies Exam was meant to test the ability to strategize against gimmicks.
Naturally, defeating the boss at the end should follow suit!
Like some dungeons that exist in the Soul Academy’s worldview, I adopted a method where players had to gather various clues scattered throughout the dungeon to defeat the boss. It had to proceed through finding this and that during a miserable defeat!
The problematic part now was that I had adjusted the boss’s difficulty level so that all students at the academy could challenge it.
I had thought that if the final boss was too strong, it would be a disaster, so I kept it reasonably balanced.
But from the perspective of Arthur’s party, which had specs on a different level than typical first-year students, that balance was not impossibly difficult; it was just manageable.
“Frey!”
“I know. I’ll step back.”
Moreover, the boss using various gimmicks that existed in the dungeon was also a problem.
Patterns that, if attacked, actually restored the opponent.
Patterns that had to be neutralized through concentrated attacks.
Patterns where specific parts needed to be targeted to deal damage, and so on.
The boss, aptly dubbed a synthesis of Dungeon Studies, fulfilled the exam’s purpose by requiring players to tackle gimmicks.
“I’ll let out the barrier! Everyone, gather here!”
Under Arthur’s command, as each of the four did their tasks to take down the boss, I pressed my forehead, feeling a throbbing sensation.
If I was sure they were going to fail, I probably wouldn’t have thought much by watching them fail.
Whether they discovered the right method someday or continued to fail while doing foolish things, either way, it was something I would welcome.
If the dungeon was properly tackled, it would make me happy, and if I didn’t get mocked by the Shoddy God, that wouldn’t be bad either.
But you know, right now they were trying to forcefully assault the dungeon I created, in their own way!
They were trying to tackle the dungeon in a way that absolutely should not happen!
Gyaah! Is this what creators felt when they saw their dungeons being tossed around recklessly?!
At that moment, amidst the various nonsensical mutterings, I suddenly realized one thing.
Wait a minute. The entire leading group is stuck on the 5th floor.
Does that mean?
“The Young Lady’s assumption is correct. Prince Cecil’s party and Prince Kurten’s party are also trying to tackle the final boss with sheer force rather than gimmicks.”
The Dungeon Studies Professor let out a sigh, noting that since those parties were 2nd and 3rd years, they had more power than the boss Arthur’s party faced but still had no intention of retreating.
Nooo!
Kurten, I’ll accept he’s a musclehead!
But Cecil, why are you doing this! I thought you changed a bit, but you’re just another musclehead?!
And Jeff! What are you doing over there!?
Why aren’t you, the brain of the party, thinking and just charging in mindlessly?!
If not for your sister complex, you’d be a perfect man?!
Losing my temper so badly, I took a deep breath and leaned back against my chair.
Honestly, I’d prefer if they all just failed at the strategy.
Then I could laugh at the academy’s foolish students while teaching them the proper way to conquer the dungeon.
“Damn. Is it failure this time?”
Observing Arthur’s disappointed expression, I let out another sigh.
Haaah.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I would’ve just made the first-year boss tougher.
*
Joy, who had been kicked out of the dungeon while facing the 5th-floor boss, lay flat on the floor, staring blankly above.
Almost a whole day had passed since reaching the 5th floor of the Academy Dungeon, but the boss still showed no signs of defeat.
“Can we really defeat this thing?”
While engaging in unbecoming actions without feeling strange, Joy thought she should get up but inadvertently shut her eyes.
At that moment, what flashed across her retina was the scenery of the dungeons they had tackled until now.
The dungeon crafted by Lady Allen was undoubtedly a splendid place.
It felt as if it were only natural for her to take pride in the dungeon she created.
The first time she had this thought was during their attempts against the 1st-floor boss.
At that time, their party was furious at facing the phrase “0th Floor.”
How angry they had been to see something that rendered all their previous efforts meaningless!
It was needless to say how the atmosphere was, considering that Prince Arthur had threatened to give the Young Lady a puff on the head, and Phoebe couldn’t bear to stop him.
The situation turned around the next day when they learned how to tackle the 1st-floor boss.
The strategy for defeating the knight guarding the final room of the 1st floor was to strike at his weak spots one by one.
Could they possibly defeat a knight that seemed unbreakable just by breaking its defenses and hitting the weaknesses over and over again?
They accomplished it!
They realized they had applied the gimmick from the first room to the 1st floor. It hadn’t entirely made their previous efforts meaningless!
What changed their minds was a single word from Lady Kent.
“This is revealing the weaknesses of the soldiers and knights we first encountered.”
“What? No way… wait. It is! If we list out the weaknesses of all the ones we faced from start to finish, it matches perfectly! Cough Hahaha. What the heck?! Have we known the strategy from the beginning?!”
It was a declaration similar to not disregarding their efforts, and with that gimmick, their pent-up anger simply melted away.
Calmness restored, they discovered various such things in the dungeon.
A small wolf that ran away upon seeing them at the beginning of the 2nd floor.
A shortcut that could be passed if they recognized the illusion.
Many ghosts whose nature was hard to discern as an illusion or not.
And the 2nd floor’s boss who mixed false attacks with genuine ones.
By the time they tackled the 2nd floor, Joy thought about the staircase leading to the 3rd floor.
This dungeon seemed to be teaching them how to utilize the gimmick of illusions.
It felt like it was saying they could utilize all the knowledge learned in the 2nd room to their heart’s content!
Progressing through the 3rd floor was similar to the 2nd.
Enemies that seemed to pour down but disappeared all at once when the leader was slain.
Among innumerable doors, one was correct.
A demon that knelt down before them and pretended to show where the truth lay.
And the boss who had to destroy only what was predetermined among countless magic circles.
When they reached the 4th floor, they had to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality each time they opened a door.
Lady Kent grumbled about it, but I found it quite fun.
In dreams, I could unleash magic without worrying about consumption.
Of course, mistaking it for a dream and exhausting my magic ended me in trouble with the prince, but still.
And at the end of it, they reached the fifth floor.
Facing the opponent who had sent them back to the 0th floor, they learned what a wall was.
Basic abilities were off the charts.
He used all the gimmicks in the dungeon as if proving he was the master of this mansion.
And as tough as he was, it felt as if they couldn’t even scratch him no matter how much damage they poured on!
At that point, they thought, “Is this truly an unbeatable enemy?”
In a situation where no answers could be seen, it was Phoebe who lifted them up.
As the Saintess of the Jushin Church, she had faced numerous despairs and never knew how to give up, even before overwhelming foes.
“Everyone, don’t you feel it’s too disappointing to just give up now after all the effort we’ve put in?”
“Looking at where we’ve passed, Lady Allen would never give us impossible trials.”
“To put it another way, Lady Allen believes we can defeat the final enemy.”
“We, who received countless help from Lady Allen, must not betray her faith.”
“Let’s try once more. Let’s rise and challenge it. Till the end.”
Even amidst the hellish surroundings, the voice of the saintess blossomed hope.
Thus, they charged at the dungeon again without giving in to despair.
Continuing.
“That guy’s foundation lies in the numerous gimmicks existing within the dungeon! Hence, the way to tackle those gimmicks must be analogous!”
Continuing.
“When that guy’s sword glows red, he uses a threatening attack. I’ll just block it with my barrier.”
Continuing.
“I feel like I can read his sword movements now. Similar to Professor Karl.”
Continuing.
Even until just before defeating the boss now.
Joy thought they had largely succeeded at getting through most of the boss’s strategies.
Now there was only one thing left.
Breaking the boss’s last desperate attack.
Preventing that useless entity from unleashing magic that permeates the entire room using his red magic.
What could it be?
What’s the way to break through that gimmick?
Lady Allen wouldn’t have made a gimmick that was impossible to conquer.
Surely, she must have left clues within the gimmick itself.
Haa.
I really don’t know.
Let me think again.
What shape was that magic circle?
While drawing the shape of the magic circle in her mind, Joy suddenly had a thought.
…What if.
If, just maybe.
What if they prevent that magic circle from forming in the first place?
What if, at the moment the magic circle is inscribed, she intertwines her magic and stops its creation itself?
The moment that thought clicked, Joy opened her eyes wide and jumped up.
“Joy, have you woken up? Your schedule’s been tough; you should take a rest.”
“I understand!”
“…What?”
“I know how to defeat the last enemy! Third Prince!”
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