Chapter 98

Let’s briefly organize who the blue-haired male student in front of me, provoking a confrontation, is.

I’ve seen this guy several times since my first entrance ceremony, during the monster rampage, and then a few more times while passing by. However, it hasn’t been long since we talked up close.

Lucian Blackveil, affiliated with Vesperia Academy. He’s one of the few students from Polaris, along with Irene. His rank is four stars, and he plays the role of a ranged attacker and mage.

Magic requires high mathematical abilities. Depending on one’s physique or personality, the majority of the Awakened Ones can’t use it. And as far as I know, this guy has been a prodigy who has known how to use magic since he was a child.

Maybe that’s why he has a bit of an arrogant personality. He’s the type who lives for his own greatness.

But why is he picking a fight with me?

“How can a fool like you be on the same team as someone like Irene?”

I was dumbfounded by his sudden accusation. I felt flustered, and between us, Irene intervened.

“Hey, what’s your problem suddenly picking a fight with Violet?”

“I was just curious and asked.”

“Is that how you think someone should ask a question?”

“That’s none of your business!”

Lucian glared at me with apparent discontent. Now that I look, his attitude was peculiar. It seemed like he considered my presence beside Irene a problem.

“Hey, first-year representative. With your level, you must have scored at least the first place or equivalent, right? And usually, students with good skills are teamed up for experiential learning. For example, like with Nara…”

“Just get to the point.”

“I don’t understand. I definitely chose you as a teammate! Being third means you shouldn’t have been a problem. So why am I not on the same team as you? And why are you teamed up with that guy? I’ve heard Violet is good at dueling, but…”

Irene, sighing, cut him off mid-sentence.

“I have a lot to say, but I’ll say just one thing. Do you know who came in first in this test?”

“Wasn’t it you?”

Instead of answering, Irene looked at me. I raised my hand high and shouted.

“It’s me!”

Lucian was in disbelief. I can imagine the expression of someone witnessing a pig graduate at the top of law school.

“What?”

Ignoring his surprise, I spoke confidently.

“Of course! I’m first!”

“What? How does that make sense? I’m third; how can you…”

“That guy is ignoring us!”

“Let’s show him the truth!”

Suddenly, I felt angry. I had thought that being someone important five years later meant I could overlook his rudeness, but he was being way too disrespectful!

We, the Violets, decided to wipe the floor with him.

The Violets waiting at home accessed the school site and printed our report cards. Since it was printed from the school site, it had the academy’s certification on it.

Clone 300 picked up the report card and sent it to Violet 213’s inner pocket. After rummaging through her jacket, 213 pulled out the report card and showed it.

“Here!”

“What? How did a report card come from there? Manipulation should have its limits…”

Lucian unfolded the crumpled report card. Levi, standing behind him, peeked over his shoulder to see my report card.

“Is this real?”

His eyes widened as big as lanterns.

“If you don’t believe it, look at this too!”

Fearing Lucian might say something else, I showed him my grades from the school application on my smartphone—something I had downloaded in advance. His eyes were now wildly shaking. Seeing that, Irene crossed her arms in disbelief.

“See? Violet chose me. I don’t know why you’re ignoring my friend, but if you’re not happy, then get some good grades. I don’t even know why I should be on a team with you in the first place.”

Lucian seemed puzzled for some reason, clinging to Irene.

“Wait, hold on! Then I’ll join that party now! That’s fine, right?”

Instead of Irene, I replied to Lucian.

“Hehe! I’m not accepting some third place!”

“You jerk!”

I stuck out my tongue and teased him, causing him to flail about. However, thanks to Irene beside me, he could only stomp his feet in frustration.

“Ugh, I—how does that even work? First place and second place… amazing…”

“I didn’t expect that Violet, who had some peculiarities, would be an honor student.”

Levi and Granite murmured from behind. Lucian seemed to be saying something from the back, but we ignored him and turned away.

“I’m going there too! Can’t you hear me? Hey! Where are you going?”

“Irene, what’s wrong with him?”

“Seriously, what could be the problem?”

“Let’s switch teams!”

Ugh, so noisy. I just want to get to a safe zone quickly.

We moved a bit away from the crowd. Suddenly, a fluttering sound came from above in the trees. The rustling of chitinous wings and the crunching sound of teeth clashing.

“I think that’s it.”

“Right. Daphne, can you set up a barrier?”

“Ready to go!”

The source of the sound soon revealed itself. A cockroach-sized monster, Krol Tide. A swarm of dozens of them flew toward us.

“What’s that? A bird?”

“Idiot! It’s Krol Tide!”

“AHHH! A cockroach! It’s flying!”

“Hey! Get your weapons ready!”

A commotion broke out. I could see students running around wielding weapons among the trees.

With a noise as loud as helicopter blades, a green swarm of cockroaches flew toward the students.

“Wait, aren’t they coming our way?”

“Krol Tides tend to head toward areas with lots of people.”

Daphne watched the panicking students with a worried expression.

“Should we help?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

Daphne’s worry was neatly resolved when she looked at where Irene pointed.

“There’s that hero party from earlier!”

“Wow, they’re fighting well.”

Among the student parties I found impressive when I first came out of the ruins was a group currently thriving.

“Everyone! Gather around me!”

“Got it, Nathan!”

A male student armed with a sword and shield bravely led the party and started taking down the Krol Tides one by one. The other team members followed his lead.

They worked well together. The hero-type friend blocked in front with a warrior-type friend while the rogue-type friend blocked from the side.

From the back, the mage and healer-type female students cast spells to support.

“AHHH! Die!”

“Yahhh!”

As the hero party performed greatly, other students quickly regained their composure and started taking down the Krol Tides one by one.

We quietly watched their fight from behind the trees.

“Look, Lucian’s party is fighting too.”

“Really?”

And that’s when I understood why Lucian desperately wanted to switch parties.

“Help, help me! AHHH! AHHHHH!”

Levi swung a crossbow larger than her body around, flailing above her head. It was the large crossbow she used when we went to the shooting range last time.

Above her head, several Krol Tides flew from the treetops.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t fight properly. The weapon itself was so large and cumbersome it seemed like a siege weapon, and the surrounding trees and vines obstructed her aim.

-BOOM!

Every time she pulled the trigger, massive bolts crushed nearby trees and flew far away. It was completely ineffective.

“Where is that large girl? What is she doing?”

Where on earth was Levi’s teammate?

I searched for Granite. Amazingly, that big, gruff male student looked pale as he faced off against a single Krol Tide.

-THWACK!

“Ugh, this isn’t a regular bug. This is a monster. It’s not a bug, Grandma, Grandpa. Please, lend me your strength…”

Granite’s weapon was a huge axe with an impressive blade that looked like it could split rocks in half.

He managed to block the Krol Tide’s swipes with its front legs. Sadly, that was all he could do.

His weapon was also a large siege weapon. Although he tried to use sword energy while wielding it, the terrain around him hindered his movements and attacks.

“Ugh, come on! It’s so frustrating! Are you guys messing with me?”

Lucian, who had finished clearing the battlefield, ran toward his party. As he snapped his fingers, five magic circles appeared in the air. Flame spears flew toward the flapping Krol Tides, embedding themselves in their bodies. The cockroach monsters exploded one after another.

“I’m… alive…”

“Ahh… thank you.”

“They seem to be playing separately.”

“Yeah, it seems Lucian is struggling.”

Irene seemed to regret not being on the same team with him.

Once the fight was over, he lambasted his two party members energetically.

“Are you stupid? Who the hell brings siege weapons into a dense jungle?”

“I’m sorry, but this is my main weapon! I can’t use anything else…”

The term siege weapon wasn’t entirely inaccurate. Levi’s “crossbow” reminded me of the ballista used by people in the medieval era.

“You’re just as bad! Who brings siege weapons into the jungle?”

“But remember, you liked it when I cleared the path with this.”

“That was then, but this is now! Plus, considering your size, why would you be so afraid of bugs?”

“What do you mean? When have I ever shown fear of bugs…”

Granite returned to his usual stoic expression, pretending it wasn’t bothering him.

“Oh, really? Not scared?”

Lucian picked up a front leg from the Krol Tide carcass that was steaming away in the air. And as expected of a cockroach, the front leg twitched erratically.

Lucian shoved it in Granite’s face. His expression turned pale.

“Ugh, ahahaha…”

“Seriously, if you act like this now, how are you going to fight? It’s ridiculous, really…”

Seeing the two boys and girls being tormented by Lucian, we decided to leave the scene.

“Oh dear… they’re having a hard time.”

“What happened…”

It seemed there was nothing we could do to help. So I just departed with my friends.

It was time to head to the safe zone.

*

The road to the safe zone was long and treacherous. The safe zones were divided into several areas, all far from the dungeon’s entrance. We headed for zone 3.

Students were still busy looking for relics. The path to the safe zone was quiet. Occasionally, Scrags or Krol Tides would appear, but we calmly progressed, overwhelming them with our might.

“Let me check if we’re going the right way.”

While the party took a short break, I climbed up a tree. Once I reached the top, which swayed unsteadily, I could see a green sea.

Beyond the green sea, I spotted a red hill that was bald like a plucked chicken in the direction we were heading. Focusing my magical power, I saw a dense barbed wire and fencing.

“We’re headed the right way.”

Before I came down, I took one last look around. Beyond the horizon, a thick white fog enveloped the entire jungle. That was the end of the dungeon.

As I returned and continued toward the safe zone, I shared what I saw earlier.

“I wonder what would happen if we went into that fog?”

While Irene led the way, checking the map – she was the most skilled navigator among us – Daphne answered.

“That’s the boundary of the dungeon. You’ll probably get lost and end up back where you started.”

Oh, it sounded just like a game. In games, if you reached the edge of the map, you’d be forcibly returned.

“That’s amazing, why is that?”

“The dungeon is a region that’s been eroded into a two-dimensional space and isolated. During that process, the boundary between the inside and outside of that space disappears, transforming into a strange structure that the human mind can’t comprehend. So no matter where you go, you’ll eventually return to the place you originally started.”

Hearing that, I thought it resembled a Möbius strip.

“So that boundary will never break?”

“That’s not true. According to the principle I mentioned, we should never be able to enter or exit the dungeon. But, in reality, there’s a gate, right? The rules that determine the dungeon’s space aren’t absolute. If certain conditions are met, the dungeon’s boundaries can expand or contract.”

I see. I learned a lot of fascinating things.

“Anyway, I guess if we cross it, we won’t die or fall into some strange place.”

“Violet, please don’t be tempted to cross out of curiosity, alright?”

Her words made me feel a bit tense. After all, I had sent Clone 31 near the boundary’s white fog during our patrol.

“Let’s finish quickly. Daphne wouldn’t know anyway.”

“Well, they said it’s safe, right?”

As 213 acted nonchalant, 31 slowly approached near the white fog. The fog was abnormally thick, forming a barrier like a wall.

Just as I was about to suggest we head back, something glittering caught my eye in the white mist.

31 cautiously moved closer and picked up the object. It seemed to be a twisted metal plate, about the size of an A4 sheet. There was a logo drawn on the metal plate.

“This is the logo of the Magnavis Clan.”

“Why is it here?”

31 transmitted the metal plate to 213. I called my friends over.

“Hey, everyone, look at this! I found it just now!”

Their eyes were focused on the metal plate I was holding. Seeing the logo on it, Irene reacted first.

“This is the logo of Magnavis. Why is it here?”

She took the metal plate from me and examined it slowly, touching it and knocking on it.

“It seems like it was used on a vehicle or equipment. But since I’m not an expert, I can’t tell where it was attached. However…”

She pointed at a scratch on one of the corners of the metal plate. Now that she mentioned it, I noticed it too.

“See those three-pronged scratches? These aren’t made by humans. They’re the marks of monsters.”

“You’re saying the clan members are here fighting monsters right now?”

Irene shook her head.

“If that’s the case, there would’ve been traces of battle discovered as well. I think it’s probably a remnant of something the Magnavis people did here in the past.”

This dungeon is officially managed by the academy’s board of directors, but the Magnavis Clan is behind the board. Did they perhaps hunt here?

We continued to scrutinize the metal plate, but no answers came to us.

Suddenly, I became curious about the small writing on the logo.

“VERITATEM REVELA LUMINE RATIONIS”

“What does this mean?”

Daphne answered me.

“Let’s see… it means ‘to reveal the truth with the light of reason.’”

“Truth?”

Irene, who had been walking ahead, chimed in.

“What mages pursue is the truth. It’s the slogan of the mage clan.”

Truth? That sounded kind of cringey. Mages seem to have some peculiarities about them.

Once we arrived at the safe zone, it was already well past three o’clock in the afternoon.

“Okay! Let’s unpack!”

The safe zone was a large open area cleared of bushes. The security facilities were sturdier than expected. Barbed wire, electric fences, and walls. There were also unmanned turrets equipped with rockets, machine guns, and crossbows installed in various places. Surrounding the area were magic formulas to prevent monster access.

The Violets quickly swelled back up to twenty members.

“Alright, let’s set up the tent somewhere here.”

“Isn’t that too small?”

Irene pulled out a tent that looked cramped at first glance from her bag. I stopped her. We came here to have fun with friends; we couldn’t sleep in such a cramped space.

We each took out the frame and cloth we had prepared in our inventory. The twenty-four-person tent our Violets had prepared for experiential learning gradually took shape.

“Unfolding starts!”

“Move! Move!”

As the twenty Violet sappers got to work, a large tent that could comfortably fit a squad was set up in less than fifteen minutes. Once the lodging for our Violet party was completed, our friends’ jaws dropped in amazement at our achievement.

“This is amazing…”

“When we usually camp, we just sleep in small tents. This is…”

Seeing the two girls’ expressions light up warmed my heart.

But the surprise for the two girls wasn’t over yet. With the tent being spacious, we’d set up a lot more than just sleeping areas.

“This is the dining area! This is the cooking space! We don’t have a fridge, but we have an icebox. If you need it, we can even set up a generator. And over here, this is a cinema.”

“A cinema?”

“With a mini projector and laptop!”

The Violet sapper unit’s achievements didn’t stop there. When we showed off the portable restroom and shower tent as well as the mini pool we had prepared before the experiential learning, our friends were filled with a mix of astonishment and joy.

“This is the restroom, and over there is the shower that also serves as a bathing area and swimming pool! You must have felt sticky from the humidity, right? You can wash up over there later!”

“Thank you! I’ll sleep so well tonight.”

“Just looking at the scale of it, this is about the level of the caravan used in Helios. Thanks to this, we’ll be comfortable.”

Seeing Daphne’s joy and Irene’s admiration brightened my mood.

Suddenly, something came to Irene’s mind, and she asked me.

“But how do we explain this if other students come? The tents and furniture are too big for just the three of us to carry.”

“Oh.”

I felt a bit dazed. What do we do?

“How about we say this is an ultra-powerful camping compression gear we introduced as a trial in Helios?”

“Violet.”

Upon hearing my words, Irene’s expression became strange. I just chuckled and scratched my head.

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