It was a clear spring day.
After lunch, the sun gently filled the lazy classroom, where the sound of pens scratching on paper served as a lullaby, inducing a perfect drowsiness.
However, the students of Class A-1 were so enthusiastic that no one was dozing off or daydreaming.
“Neva, don’t fall asleep. You’ll get a penalty point.”
“I-I’m sorry!”
“Do you think it’s Saturday and you can relax? Because of the beginners in our class, we have to catch up on the lessons even on weekends.”
Except for Neva, the chin-up “inferior student” of Class A, the rest of the students were quite passionate about the class.
In many ways, it was a different scene from when I was in school.
Well, the classes themselves were completely different from back then.
Instructor Berzurak spoke.
“Throughout Ludens, there are dungeons known as labyrinths or underground prisons. The dungeons revealed by your seniors total four. Among them, the 「Nest of the Black Dragon」….”
The Nest of the Black Dragon, huh?
That’s where the black dragon Fafnir used to lurk.
It was a place I frequented often because the rewards were generous.
It was a challenging dungeon, but by the time we reached there, our party’s specs were high enough to simply deal damage and crush through.
Studying about such dungeons?
In this world, did playing games actually improve your grades?
Sounds too good to be true!
However, some of the others looked very serious and occasionally appeared to be in pained.
“Ugh, I don’t understand anything.”
“Alexto, can you show me your notes during break? I haven’t heard anything since midway….”
“…No, I can’t.”
To me, it’s a story about a game, but for them, it was real study.
Whether in Ludens or reality, students seem to dislike studying equally.
In reality, there were a few who said things like “Studying is fun”. Most of the students going to Seoul National University were like that.
They were really strange people, saying that studying is fun.
…But what about now?
Should I make study notes for exams and sell them for money?
“Of course, for novices like you, tackling this dungeon would be impossible. In that sense, this evaluation will be based on touring the dungeon. Go to a place suitable for your level. In return, there won’t be supplementary classes on Sunday. Good, isn’t it?”
As Instructor Berzurak spoke, students all around expressed their dissatisfaction with sounds like “Ugh.”
“Excuse me, Professor. Daily Rumor number 23. I have a question.”
“Speak.”
“Is there any way to substitute for dungeons without going there? We used to have classes like that until the first year. Dungeons are dangerous!”
“No. Defeat the cores or powerful elite monsters inside the dungeon and bring back the ‘Duel Energy’ as evidence. Those who cannot bring it back will all receive an F.”
(TLN: I have no idea what (유희의 기운) (Duel Energy) is supposed to mean exactly, it’s subject to change.)
Even from my perspective, it was a truly absurd class.
If we had classes like this in reality, everyone would have left immediately.
“Uh, well….”
At that moment, a student raised his hand.
He was an ordinary-looking male student with light brown hair.
Is he trying to argue about this strange class?
“Are you Neva number 40? Do you have a question?”
“What is this ‘Duel Energy’ you mentioned?”
“Oh, dear. Students like you are in Class A. I’m disappointed. Anyone among you have experience going into dungeons? Raise your hands.”
Why ask us to raise our hands?
I raised my hand because in a place like this, I couldn’t forget the daily lie quota count.
Not just me, but also Melvin, Dearmid, Nike, and others like Luke, Enio, and Megaira raised their hands.
“Only seven? The guys aiming to be heroes are here without the determination to live or die — don’t come to Ludens with such half-hearted determination.”
As Instructor Berzurak spoke like that, his gaze met mine at the back.
In those dark eyes that seemed to hide something, I could feel a sense of anticipation.
Why was he looking at me?
As if intending to say something more, Professor Berzurak, who had opened his mouth wide, said, “Well, that’s the end of today’s class,” and left abruptly.
The classroom without the teacher.
An awkward silence filled the air, and at the same time, a bustling noise surged in.
“Melvin! Party with me! You’ve been going into dungeons every day recently, right?”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“It’s all over the rumors! Dearmid, join me too! Please! I’ll treat you to dinner!”
There was a clamor everywhere to form parties.
Since a standard party usually consisted of four members, if we divided the 40 students in Class A-1, it would make around 10 parties.
Was every evaluation a group project here too?
This is why introverted and reserved people find it hard to study, isn’t it?
The only fortunate thing was that this assignment perfectly aligns with my future plans.
Finding a party was easy.
“Victor, did you know that Professor Berzurak would give us an assignment like this? We were planning to go to the dungeon today.”
Enio wondered if there was a connection between the strange assignment from Professor Berzurak and the dungeon, 「Tropical Jungle」, we had planned to explore.
“No.”
I replied. I had no idea.
It was purely luck.
It was perfect timing to acquire new materials and test the new sword I had obtained.
Getting such a fitting assignment on top of that felt like someone was showering me with luck.
Yes, there was something called mean regression.
If there’s an unfortunate event in life, like accumulating a debt of 200 million, there should be an equal amount of luck to balance it out, right?
* * *
Although dungeons vary, in most cases in D&A, a party of four was the standard.
So, including me, Victoria, and Enio, we already had three.
What was left was one spot.
Deciding who to include was quite a dilemma.
Including the trio like Megaira or Alexto was not ideal because they didn’t mesh well with Victoria.
On the other hand, including Victoria’s friend Shadi was not a good idea either, as Shadi didn’t get along well with Enio.
“Should I ask Nike as well?”
If Nike, who was moderate and got along with both Enio and Victoria, joined the party, the synergy should be sufficient.
And the three main heroines.
Forming a party with the three main heroines would undoubtedly have a special group name.
In D&A, there were specific names for party combinations of characters.
For Melvin and Dearmid, it was simply called ‘Duo.’
For the trio of Tisiphone, Alexto, and Megaira, it was something like ‘Erinyes’.
How about forming a party with the three main heroines?
Surely there must be a unique name for that.
As a seasoned player, discovering new party combinations is something I couldn’t resist.
If I resisted, then I’m a fake veteran.
“Miss Mokemoke? While Miss Mokemoke indeed has some peculiar abilities, she’s from Class C. Will she really be helpful in the dungeon? It’s a place where lives are at stake; Miss Mokemoke will be in danger.”
“I agree with Victoria. Though it’s not appealing to me to go along with her suggestion, I also think the same way. Is Nike the one known as the dark magician, right?”
However, Enio and Victoria’s attitudes seemed lukewarm.
They seemed hesitant to bring a Class C student into a dungeon that even Class A students were afraid to enter.
I recalled the technique Nike used, 《Toge Root》.
The roots that bloomed in an instant captured and subdued the opponent.
That should be enough skill to rival Class A students.
The upcoming 「Tropical Jungle」 was a forest field, so Nike’s earth magic might be advantageous.
But Nike asked him to keep the fact that she used earth magic a secret.
Regardless, it was best to ask the person involved.
“Moke~ Moke~.”
“So, Nike, what are you doing here?”
“Ugh, V-Victor! Didn’t Instructor Berzurak say you have supplementary class today!?”
I found Nike wearing a strange disguise in the shopping district.
“Victor, this is…”
“Nike, were you working part-time in a place like this?”
“T-This is…”
It seemed like Nike was secretly working a part-time job.
She wore a mascot costume and was distributing flyers.
The costume resembled a creature with leaves growing out of its head.
Perhaps a mascot for a vegetable store?
Suddenly, a voice from inside shouted.
“Nike! What are you doing there? If you slack off, I’ll cut your hourly wage!”
“Yes, yes! Boss! Moke~Moke~. Fresh fruits and vegetables, Moke~Moke~.”
What on earth was this?
As I was puzzled, Enio, who was watching alongside, burst into laughter.
“That’s a Mokemoke. It’s a creature you can see in the western forest. Miss Mokemoke is a Mokemoke as a mascot. It’s amusing.”
“….”
… Was there really a creature called Mokemoke?
Was it added in the DLC?
So, when people heard the name Mokemoke, they reacted more sensitively than I did.
If my name, for example, were Victor Malamute or Victor Rhino, wouldn’t everyone find it strange?
No, was Rhino cool?
Anyway.
It was already 1 in the afternoon, past lunchtime, when Nike Mokemoke took off her doll mask.
“Whew, it was hot!”
“Nike, you didn’t say you were working part-time, right?”
“…I only do it on weekends. I promised to work hard and pay off my debts.”
Come to think of it, she did mention that she would work hard herself — that was her own rule.
So, she must have been working tirelessly during the weekend.
“Working is good, but take care of your health.”
Don’t overexert yourself unnecessarily; it might end up costing more in medical bills.
“Yeah yeah. So, Victor, what brings you here? It doesn’t seem like you came to buy turnips at this store. And Miss Enio and Miss Victoria are also here together….”
Nike’s emerald eyes, looking at Enio and Victoria, shook from side to side. She seemed nervous for some reason.
Was it because there were two famous figures from the Academy together? No, despite that, she looked uneasy, like someone who had committed a crime.
To reassure Nike and save my precious time, I went straight to the point.
“Nike, I’m thinking of exploring a dungeon this weekend. There’s a spot open in the party. Would you like to join? If you accept, we can roughly prepare and leave right away.”
“…Dungeon?”
Nike glanced at us, then soon gestured to me.
Was she telling me to come closer and listen?
When I brought my ear closer, she cupped her hand around her lips and whispered something.
“I, being a druid, should be kept a secret, so my help in the dungeon might not be significant. Is that okay? It might just be a burden…”
I also whispered in response.
“That’s okay. Anyway, with Victoria and Enio, it should be enough.”
Originally, I was going to the dungeon to test the effectiveness of my swordsmanship, so I didn’t need Nike’s help.
I need Nike’s assistance not in combat content but in lifestyle content.
「Tropical Jungle」.
When it comes to the tropics, what do you think?
It’s tropical fruits.
Nike, with the 《Pharmacy》 skill, would be excellent at gathering fruits.
At that moment, for some reason, Victoria spoke in a slightly annoyed tone.
“Why are you whispering like that? Anyway, it seems like Miss Mokemoke is having a hard time too. Dungeons are dangerous places for Class C students. It was a rather embarrassing request.”
Then, Enio nodded.
“Indeed, it might have been a bit early for Miss Nike.”
When talking about Nike, it seemed that Enio and Victoria were strangely in sync.
Wasn’t it only in the 10th Act, closer to the end, that their opinions became unified?
With that feeling, Enio and Victoria began another discussion.
“Shadi is good at shooting a bow. She also has tracking skills, so she will definitely be helpful in the dungeon. She also has the mapping skill.”
“No, Megaira or Alexto. If not her, shouldn’t we take Tisiphone? They may not have dungeon experience, but they are full of practical experience. Practical experience is different from theory.”
Everyone seemed to be subtly pushing Nike aside and hinting that they wanted to put their friends in the dungeon party.
Wasn’t this the perfect example of bending the elbow inward?
The world is naturally like that.
People with connections and relationships tend to do better for a reason.
If the goal this time was ‘clearing’ the dungeon, I might have followed Enio and Victoria’s advice.
However, I needed a Nike with her skill, so I was about to open my mouth and say, “No—.”
“…I want to go too.”
Despite stumbling over her words, Nike spoke confidently.
