Chapter 8: Dungeon Exam
"Awesomeee!!! I've never seen this many carriages, and it's my first time riding one too!"
Gon was super excited by the massive number of carriages lined up at the main gate.
Today is the day we depart from this Academic City Regan to the Dungeon City Arahan, also located in Duke Regan's territory.
A total of over 600 people, including first-years, upperclassmen, and staff, will move all at once to Arahan, about fifty kilometers away. The number of carriages exceeds one hundred.
"I want to get on the carriage soon! Three young men and women in a cramped interior... There's no way nothing will happen!"
Gon expanded his delusions. Travel by carriage is generally by party. One carriage per party.
Gon's party consists of three guys including Carl, and two women named Tian and Nelca who take Fire Magic classes with me. An upperclassman was added to that formation, and that upperclassman turned out to be a woman.
A carriage ride with three guys and three girls must be very comfortable.
Compared to that, I am...
"Oi! Mars! Carry my luggage too!"
Cyrus shoved his luggage onto me.
I'll say it again, one carriage per party. My party member is only Cyrus... which means just the two of us in that space the whole time.
I'm incredibly jealous of Gon.
While I was stowing Cyrus's luggage in the carriage, Clarice, Ellie, and Misha came to see me.
"How is it, Mars? Finished prepping?"
"Yeah, I just finished putting in Cyrus-sensei's luggage. How about you guys?"
"Yes, We're done... It's a bit awkward though."
Clarice smiled wryly. Well, being with Dominic would do that.
"But Clarice's carriage is luxurious and big. There's a flag raised too."
I looked at Clarice's carriage parked at the front.
The flag bore the Book Crest of the Regan Duke family. Inside that crest, a large Lotus flower was embroidered.
Apparently, this is the team flag for Clarice's party, 【Flower Lotus】, and the other S-Class party, 【Crimson Lotus】, also has a dedicated team flag prepared.
"Oi! You guys are departing, right! Go already!"
Even though Clarice and the others came all this way, Cyrus shooed them away as if they were a nuisance. Actually, the departure time for 【Flower Lotus】, running at the head of us first-years, was approaching.
"Sorry, We'll return immediately. Mars, we might not meet for a while so... Good luck."
Once we arrive in Arahan, we'll be acting in parties, so I don't know when I can see Clarice and the others.
"Yeah, It'll be lonely, but take care everyone. Don't push yourselves."
When I hugged Clarice, Ellie settled into my arms next as if saying it was her turn.
"...Can I too?"
Watching that, Misha asked with a shy expression.
I glanced at Clarice, and she nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, Misha doesn't have to hold back either."
After finishing hugs with the three and watching their retreating figures, Cyrus said one thing.
"Tch! Brat... getting flirty! You get in quickly too!"
Cyrus entered the carriage in a rage.
The several hours spent with a beast in a cage called a carriage were unbearable.
After being shaken in prison for six hours, the carriage carrying Cyrus and me, running at the very rear, arrived in the Dungeon City Arahan.
The parties from other classes seemed to have already finished moving their luggage to the inn and were holding strategy meetings in various places for tomorrow's Dungeon Exam.
"Cyrus-sensei. How will we move tomorrow?"
I confirmed tomorrow's schedule while heading to drop off our luggage at the inn.
"Have you dived into a dungeon before?"
Cyrus's expression was dead serious.
"Yes. A few times."
"Have you fought while carrying luggage?"
"I have, somewhat."
When I gave a safe answer...
"We do combat training carrying luggage in class, but actual combat is completely different. Monsters aren't solitary, and sometimes magic comes flying while you're in close combat. We will proceed slowly while training sword skills. Watching other parties' combat from the outside is also quite useful."
An unexpectedly proper answer came back. It probably means 'don't underestimate the dungeon.'
I crawled into bed early to prepare for tomorrow.
———Dungeon Exam Day 1
Around the dungeon were us Lister students.
From today, the Dungeon Exam begins in this Arahan for one month.
Not only are staff and upperclassmen included in each party, but staff and upperclassmen also enter the dungeon separately from us to watch over the first-years. It's thorough.
Since we are diving into a dungeon, injuries are inherent. Still, the homeroom teacher said they have never had a death here.
By the way, E-Rank adventurers are apparently the ones who die the most. They die after graduating as "Papers" and immediately diving into dungeons or taking subjugation quests. Entering this academy allows one to become a D-Rank or C-Rank adventurer more safely, which is one of the merits.
"Alright everyone! We're diving now! Follow me!"
Karen, S-Class Rank 1, declared loudly in front of the dungeon.
"""OOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!"""
As the students responded, 【Flower Lotus】 entered the dungeon first. Following them were the staff and upperclassmen who would support us inside.
And remarkably, Cyrus and I followed after that.
As a first-year party, we were second, following 【Flower Lotus】.
The reason is simple,【Flower Lotus】 entering first was just a demonstration. The goal was to raise everyone's morale by having the Rank 1 take the first spear. Therefore, it was already decided that Karen would defeat the first monster in this dungeon, and after finishing her role, she would fall back to the very rear.
Proceeding through the dungeon with 【Flower Lotus】 at the head, a large room jumped into my vision. It was far larger than any large room I had seen before. The monster groups were separated into several clusters, and multiple paths branched out from the large room.
Just as the E-Class party following me caught up, 【Flower Lotus】 charged into the large room, and Karen, standing at the front, chanted magic.
Just seeing the flow of mana, the amount was enough to instantly understand it wasn't the kind of magic we usually use.
"《Flare》!"
Seconds after Karen chanted the magic, a vortex of flames burning like hellfire assaulted a group of monsters.
The monsters, noticing the scorching heat, tried to flee, but just touching the petals of fire fluttering from 《Flare》 caused them to burst into flames.
"This has the potential to surpass 【Crimson Lotus】."
Cyrus muttered in a good mood.
Indeed, that magic just now had absurd power. If taken head-on, not even bones would remain.
However, the weakness is also glaring.
The manifestation speed is quite slow, if it faced against a Wind Mage, interference would arrive in time even after seeing it chanted. Unless there is an excellent vanguard, it can't be used against strong enemies.
And even with an excellent vanguard, there's the issue of whether they can trust Karen. That amount of heat is flying into where they are engaging. Unless they are convinced it absolutely won't hit them, they would run away.
Once Karen's magic, which resembled a performance, burned the monsters in the area to ashes, it was finally our turn!
"Oi! Let's go! Mars!"
Slapped on the back by Cyrus, I also entered the large room and raised my right hand to respond to the passionate gazes from Clarice and the others inside the room.
Even if the monsters are goblins and kobolds, there's no way I wouldn't get fired up.
Placing the bag and blanket I was carrying on the ground, I held the Fire Spirit Sword in my left hand.
Usually, the hand holding the sword is the right. However, having set a goal of defeating Cyrus, I swung with my left hand every morning to level up my sword skills, and as a result, I can now swing a sword with my left hand too.
It's a perfect opportunity to test my left hand.
Readying the sword and crouching, every single muscle fiber forged by bodyweight training and running contracted. In that state, kicking the ground strongly, I flashed past a goblin that couldn't react.
Before it could even realize it was cut, the goblin's head danced in the air.
Compared to my right hand, it still lacks delicate sensation, but against monsters of this level, it's no problem.
Alright! I can do this!
Next! I thought, intending to take the head of a nearby monster, but the monsters around me no longer had heads attached.
The culprit was naturally this man.
"Tch! As usual, no challenge!"
Hey, hey... Why is a B-Rank adventurer stepping in?
The other monsters were being handled by the E-Class party, and with no opponents left to fight, I reluctantly went back to get my luggage when someone blocked my way.
"You, are you a Fire Mage?"
Red eyes stared, trying to peer into me.
"Y-Yes, I can use Fire Magic too, but..."
I had called myself a mage in front of Karen. How should I explain... As I hesitated, a lifebuoy? ...was thrown.
"You bastard! Flirting with women whenever you have free time! Come quickly!"
I wasn't flirting, but a nice assist, Cyrus-sensei.
"Sorry, sensei calling me, so excuse me."
I glanced at Clarice and the others to check if they took Cyrus's words about flirting seriously, but seeing them send me smiles and cheers, I felt relieved.
Holding my luggage, I chased after Cyrus's back.
After proceeding for several hours while steadily defeating monsters.
While fighting in a room leading to the second layer, a staff member entered the room where we were fighting.
"Finally caught up. Is this the northern front line?"
"Probably, Why did you come, Sasha?"
The two continued their conversation while watching my combat.
"Even with Cyrus, it's a duo, right? I got a little worried."
By the way, as Cyrus answered, unless we're lost, we should be fighting at the front line. We were the first to exit the initial large room, and no one has overtaken us since.
But Sasha's words "northern" bothered me.
"So? How is Mars? Is he worth directly negotiating with Duke Regan to let you form a party of two?"
Heh. So there was such a backstory. I pricked up my ears at their conversation.
"Well, yeah, look for yourself. That guy is fighting with his left hand, not his dominant one."
"Yes, What about it?"
"What about it, my ass. A sword, you see, might look like you're just swinging it around, but with every swing, you change the grip position or the strength of force; it's delicate. Can you draw and shoot a bow with your left hand, Sasha?"
Sasha tried to shoot a bow with her left hand as a test, but the arrow didn't fly and fell on the spot.
"Indeed, I never thought to try such a thing, so the thought didn't occur to me."
"Right? Having said that, I also just swung a sword with my left hand for the first time earlier."
As Cyrus laughed loudly, Sasha called out to me.
"Mars, leave just one monster. Alright?"
Leaving one monster means don't let it respawn and rest here for today.
Leaving just one and heading to the two, Cyrus bound the monster with practiced hands.
"Good work. It was as expected, but you seem quite used to fighting monsters. You even had the composure to listen to our conversation while fighting."
Sasha saw even that far?
"That's not true. I was desperate."
I was humble, but it was probably transparent.
"Anyway, that's it for today. You guys sleep to prepare for tomorrow, I'll keep watching."
Cyrus threw towels dampened with Water Magic to Sasha and me.
I was concerned about Sasha's words earlier, but if I don't sleep quickly, Cyrus sleeps later. People get cranky when they're sleepy. It's best to sleep quickly here.
"Thank you, then I will sleep first."
"Thanks, Cyrus. I'll rest too."
Sasha took the wet towel and disappeared somewhere out of sight. Well, she can't wipe her body in front of us.
I hurriedly wiped my body before Sasha returned, leaned against the wall, covered myself with a blanket, and closed my eyes.
Hmm? It smells like green apples...
Opening my eyes and tracing the source of the scent, next to me was Sasha, her face poking out from a blanket, sleeping. Her face looked like something out of a painting, and I almost got captivated, but anxiety struck at the same time.
Are Clarice and the others okay? Acting as a party means their sleeping place is definitely close. If something happens... As I was tormented by anxiety, a menacing voice resonated in my heart.
"What have you been doing since earlier? First grinning, then making a face like it's the end of the world."
He was watching... Embarrassing.
"No, I just got anxious wondering what the other parties are doing right now."
"Aah!? You mean 【Flower Lotus】!? Don't worry about them! Lorenz should be secretly monitoring them!"
Lorenz is the practical exam proctor. If so, that's reassuring.
Perhaps Cyrus's voice was loud, as Sasha, wrapped in the blanket, woke up.
"Oh? You were awake? Cyrus, go to sleep already."
"Yeah. I'm counting on you."
Urged by Sasha, this time Cyrus went to sleep.
"Sasha-sensei? Let me ask a question. You said 'northern front line,' but are there other stairs?"
I asked what I was curious about before sleeping, and the expected answer came back.
"I see. D-Class and E-Class rarely dive to the second layer unless something happens, so you weren't informed. There are stairs on the East and West too. From the third layer, there are two. From the sixth layer, it becomes just one."
There's information not disseminated to us E-Class, huh?
"Is 【Flower Lotus】 diving not from the north, but somewhere else?"
"Yes, they are moving from the East side, together with A-Class."
I thought Clarice and the others wouldn't be in danger unless we were overtaken, but I was naive.
"This time, let me ask a question. Have you ever done something like hitting yourself with 《Wind》 to fly, Mars?"
"No... I never even considered such a dangerous thing."
"Haa... Right... What on earth did that child see?"
Sasha held her head and sighed deeply.
Probably about Misha. I taught her 《Sylphid》, but separately from that, she still hits herself with 《Wind》 during marathons and goes flying.
"Lastly, I have one more request. Could you have a light magic battle with me?"
"Yes, I wanted to try facing Sasha-sensei once too, so please!"
"Thank you. You tend to want to hide various things, so I could only ask in a place like this."
She was thinking about various things for me. Does that mean Cyrus too? No, surely not.
Distancing ourselves from the snoring Cyrus, we crossed our Wind Magic.
"I anticipated it, but you're beyond expectation."
Sasha stated her impression with a somewhat refreshed expression.
"I learned a lot too, Thank you very much."
When I bowed, Sasha continued happily.
"This year's Wind Mages are a jackpot, Mars and Misha, and also Johann. The future is exciting."
"Johann? Is he strong?"
"Yes. He's enrolled in A-Class, and while his stats are decent, he has a cunning fighting style, perhaps due to abundant combat experience. Besides him, there's Josef the Fire Mage, and a girl named Minerva who has a slightly unusual fighting style; they are strong too. A total of five people including those three form a party called 【Sickle Weasel】. By the way, those three are candidates for S-Class."
All names I'm hearing for the first time... well, that's expected. Thinking about it, I don't know anyone in A-Class.
"But it's not something you need to worry about. Without a doubt, Mars is the strongest among this year's first-years, Next is Karen."
Clarice's evaluation isn't that high? It's good that I'm not standing out, but it's a little frustrating.
"Then I'll excuse myself here, If you don't push yourselves, you two alone will be fine."
Watching the back of Sasha, who packed her luggage and left dashingly, I decided to wait for the beast to wake up.
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