“As expected.”
Lumillion muttered, as if this outcome was entirely predictable, while staring at the crystal projecting the inside of the artificial dungeon.
“The number of students failing has increased by several times compared to last year.”
The artificial dungeon joint exam.
At first glance, it seemed like an incredibly challenging test. However, as students began to decipher the patterns—such as the dungeon terrain and monster behaviors—the exam boasted an unusually high pass rate.
Recognizing this, the professors attempted to address the exam’s flaws and raise its difficulty. Yet, because the initial design of the artificial dungeon was a collaborative effort involving a wide array of mages, they found themselves unable to make significant changes.
In simpler terms, it was like a game coded by programmers using entirely different languages, cobbled together by force.
As a result, even minor attempts to adjust the magic circles would trigger a cascade of unexpected errors, leaving the system in a state where they could only perform basic maintenance. Over time, things remained largely unchanged.
“And, of course, the biggest reason for this… is you.”
The one who had partially solved this issue was Felix.
Although there wasn’t enough time to completely overhaul the dungeon’s structure, Felix chose to focus on one critical aspect instead: upgrading the circuits of the artificial monsters in the dungeon.
Initially, these artificial monsters adhered strictly to preprogrammed patterns and actions, making them no more than slightly tougher training dummies for academy students who had received advanced training.
However, thanks to Felix’s adjustments, the behavior algorithms of the monsters were altered to make them behave more like actual creatures. This led to a dramatic increase in the number of students failing compared to previous years.
Currently, students who had failed were being forcibly teleported back, staring blankly at their shattered life crystals. Some left, fuming with dissatisfaction, while others shouted in frustration. Ultimately, though, they all bowed their heads and trudged away after receiving stern lectures from the faculty.
“But… isn’t the difficulty way too high compared to the last test?”
“Real dungeons are even harsher than this.”
“Still, it’s important to train them beforehand so that our budding talents can grow stronger through adversity.”
“That’s true, but…”
Lumillion couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
She supported the idea of raising the test’s difficulty. After all, previous exams had been too easy, and as Felix had pointed out, real monsters in the outside world were far more vicious and brutal.
Even so, Lumillion couldn’t shake the thought that it was too much for the students to handle.
In the combat department, only a handful of students—excluding the graduating class—could handle mana at all. And even among the graduates, very few had reached the level where they could generate sword aura.
The magic department students, meanwhile, had only learned theory. Their casting and reaction speeds were too slow to be useful in real combat.
For students like this to face ambushes, surprise attacks, retreat-and-counter tactics, repeated waves of assaults, attacks while they were asleep, traps, and more…
At this point, it was less about raising the difficulty and more about Felix’s sadistic preferences taking over, Lumillion thought.
“Hmm… perfect. My creations are running flawlessly!”
“Creations? Are you some kind of demon king or something?”
Lumillion couldn’t help but feel increasingly uneasy about Felix’s nonchalant grin.
The thought that this might all be going too far lingered in her mind.
Then, suddenly—
Ding-ding! Ding-ding!
“Hm?”
The small crystal orb resting on the table where Felix was sitting began flashing red, emitting an alarm-like noise.
“What is that?”
“Oh, this? It’s a basic security system I whipped up on a whim while working on the dungeon.”
“Security system?”
“Yeah, it’s designed to light up and sound an alarm if someone without a Life Crystal enters the dungeon.”
“You managed to make something like that despite the tight schedule?”
“Well… I found it fun, so I just threw it together.”
“You’re probably the only person who’d describe making something like that as ‘just throwing it together.'”
“Haha.”
Lumillion rubbed her forehead in disbelief, watching Felix laugh nonchalantly about creating such a system without so much as notifying anyone beforehand.
“…Wait a minute. What did you just say?”
“Hm? That it lights up when an intruder enters?”
“…Then what’s this?”
“It’s flashing red, isn’t it?”
“…”
“…Huh?”
As Lumillion slowly connected the dots and voiced her realization, Felix, who had been chuckling moments earlier, froze. The two exchanged glances, their mouths gradually falling open in alarm.
Between them, the crystal security system continued to flash its ominous red light.
Something unexpected was happening.
“……”
“……”
At that moment,
Rachel and Rasel were pressed against the wall, their eyes rolling as they watched the scene unfolding before them.
The reason they were against the wall was to avoid getting in the way, and the reason they were silent was that they were utterly speechless.
“Hyrap!”
—Kwuueeeek!?
“Wow…”
“I never knew orcs had the ability to fly.”
Suddenly, the two of them witnessed the sight of an enormous figure, at least three times their size, hurtling through the air in front of their eyes. They were so amazed by this newfound knowledge that orcs could apparently fly that they inadvertently voiced their thoughts aloud.
Thud
“Ugh, the dust…”
Of course, it was absurd to think an orc could actually fly; the reality was that the orc had been sent flying. The girl who had granted the orc this moment of gravity-defying freedom casually fanned away the dust stirred up when its massive body collided with the wall, muttering to herself.
She might look delicate at first glance, but the noble daughter of the count’s family, filled with sheer determination, appeared to the two of them as nothing less than a monster capable of hurling massive orcs.
—Mom! Me too, me too!
“Really? Then give it a try.”
—Hehe-hiya!!
—Keuuhk! Kerrk!!
—Kreleek?! Krelek!?
“Wow…”
“So that’s a spirit… It’s my first time seeing one. It’s a bit different than I imagined…”
Nearby, a wind spirit playfully spun around Rosaria, tossing goblins into the air like a circus clown juggling small balls. Watching this, Rachel gained yet another important piece of knowledge today.
Spirits are strong.
“Is it… over?”
“It seems like it. Let’s move on.”
By the time the cores of the shattered goblins and orcs started rolling on the ground—brought down not by a battle, but by Rosaria’s overwhelming display of violence Rachel and Rasel peeled themselves off the wall. By now, they had grown accustomed to the routine, skillfully gathering the mana cores scattered on the ground and placing them in their bags, looking much like women gleaning crops during harvest season.
“…Is this really okay?”
“Did you collect them all?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve got them all.”
Despite her momentary cognitive dissonance—questioning whether she was here to take a test or to play the role of a farmer collecting seeds—Rachel quickly answered Rosaria when prompted.
“This time, there’s a lot more of them than usual.”
Though unsure if it was just her imagination, Rachel’s face began to show a faint smile, as if she were starting to appreciate the charm of hard labor.
With the formidable Gren subdued and Rosaria firmly in command of the party, they wasted no time and began to clear the dungeon at a rapid pace.
Even without using guns, Rosaria had the power to take down goblins with a single kick. Together with Ariel, they swept through the dungeon with such force that nothing could stop them anymore.
At first, Rachel and Rasel were shocked by Rosaria’s true strength, but before long, they had grown used to simply spectating the fights and collecting the leftover mana stones afterward, following their established routine.
“Still, I didn’t expect you to be a spirit master.”
“Really? I guess spirits are rare, huh?”
“Of course. They’re even rarer than mages.”
—Mom. Am I amazing?
“Yes, you did very well. You’re amazing.”
—Then food! Delicious food!
“Alright, I’ll get you some when we leave. What do you want to eat?”
—Meat! Meat!
“…This is also my first time seeing a spirit that likes meat.”
“My child is just a bit more exceptional than others.”
“…I see.”
It was already surprising enough to discover that Rosaria was a spirit master, but now Rachel was witnessing her summoned spirit craving human food. She had many thoughts on the matter but chose not to voice them.
*‘She really is Professor Felix’s younger sister.’*
Having experienced so many unusual events since the start of this test, Rachel felt that at this point, nothing would surprise her anymore. She decided that adapting quickly would be the best course of action.
Showing some flexibility, she simply acknowledged that *the siblings are extraordinary* and moved on.
“How far have we gotten?”
“Ah… uh…! If we check the map…! We seem to be almost at the center… yes.”
“How much time do we have left?”
“About one day remains.”
After wrapping up the battle, Rasel took out the map to assess their location and respectfully reported to Rosaria.
At some point, he had started using formal language toward Rosaria, who was technically his junior, but no one present pointed this out or found it strange.
“Hm… Are we ahead of schedule?”
“I’m not sure. This is my first time in this dungeon, but judging by the reactions of the experienced participants, this test seems to be quite difficult.”
“We’ve faced many challenges and barely rested, yet we’ve progressed this quickly. Doesn’t that mean we’re close to achieving our initial goal?”
“In the end, you were right. I hope they find peace wherever they are… R.I.P…”
“Just to clarify, they’re not actually dead.”
“I was just trying it out for fun.”
Though a lot had happened, Rosaria and her party had steadily made their way to the dungeon’s center. She briefly thought about Gren, who had been eliminated early on, and muttered to herself.
“Anyway, there’s no need for any major preparations, right?”
“All we’ve done is stand by, watch the fights, and collect mana cores, so we’re fine.”
“Y-Yes… we’re fine… really…”
“Then let’s head straight to the center~!”
After a brief moment of silence to reflect, Rosaria energized the group with a spirited call. Without hesitation, she led them toward the dungeon’s central area, the ultimate destination for this test.