Chapter 14
“Cadet Matthew von Yulha Animas.”
“W-What?!”
Matthew looked shocked at Elisha calling his name. He might’ve wondered if the haughty noblewoman’s judgment was impaired.
“C-Cadet Elisha, I’m not confident.”
“That’s fine.”
“T-Time distortion measurement? I don’t know anything about it.”
“It’s okay.”
Under her commanding gaze, Matthew, looking defeated, trudged to the front.
Even Hectia seemed surprised by Elisha’s unwavering choice.
“No offense to Cadet Matthew, but he’s ranked 45th out of 45, Cadet Elisha.”
Dead last. No further explanation needed.
Wild Instinct (Lv 1) sensed an unsettling presence approaching.
I kept my head down, staring at the floor. Confidence aside, I didn’t want to stand out or get involved. Being grouped with Bord and Mary was already annoying enough.
“The other will be Cadet Martin.”
“Ugh.”
Damn it.
All eyes in Class A turned to one person.
Labeled trash within 10 days of enrollment, suspended amid widespread rumors, rejecting the Academy’s discipline, and returning after 80 days… the official outcast, Martin.
Yet, unbelievably, he topped the midterms, surpassing the former top and second ranks, and earned an A- in the first mission… the unexpected Martin.
“….”
I walked forward silently. You couldn’t refuse a presenter’s selection. Academy rules.
As I passed, Hectia’s complex emotions were clear in his eyes.
“You’ve got the lineup. Now, I’ll explain. The artificial dungeon before you replicates a Time Chaos Dungeon that appeared in the Barian Principality 15 years ago. Use the provided ‘Chaos Meter,’ ‘Time Meter,’ ‘Mana Meter,’ and other equipment to calculate the time distortion level. Begin now.”
Elisha, Matthew, and I faced each other.
Elisha took charge confidently.
“I’ll assign roles. First, the hardest part… Hey!”
I walked to the Chaos Meter without consulting her.
Elisha glared at me as I sat before it.
“…Fine, you do that. The next hardest…”
Before she finished, I completed the chaos measurement and moved to the Time Meter.
Cold anger radiated from Elisha’s face.
“What… are you doing?”
Her icy glare followed me as I moved to the Mana Meter.
Ignoring her, I finished the mana measurement and began scribbling the formula on the provided sheet.
“Cadet Martin…!”
The atmosphere plummeted below zero, and Matthew glanced nervously at Elisha.
“M-Maybe he got all the measurements…”
“Be quiet, Cadet Matthew! Why do you think it’s a three-person team?! Calculating even one measurement is hard, so it takes three! Even veteran teams take over five minutes to measure chaos, time, and mana for the easiest dungeons…!”
“Finished.”
At Hectia’s declaration, Elisha looked at the hologram. My calculated time distortion level was displayed clearly.
‘This… mutt…!’
Elisha gritted her teeth. No one could solve it in just a minute! He must’ve rushed and scribbled nonsense!
She was about to object and demand a redo…
“…Huh?”
No matter how she looked, there were no mistakes.
Her archery-trained eyes scrutinized the dense formula.
She rechecked the measurements on all three devices.
Not a single error.
Elisha thought this was more likely a dream than reality.
“…No way.”
“Excellent, Cadet Martin. Better than me. No cooperation with the presenter, but… this will do. All three, return to your places.”
Elisha watched my back.
‘What…’
The cynical, expressionless mutt staring straight ahead.
‘What’s with him.’
This wasn’t the Martin she knew.
He should’ve said something like, “You owe me,” or “Useless noblewoman.”
‘Bord was right.’
He acted like someone paired with a stranger he had no interest in befriending. Elisha had done the same many times.
‘…Annoying.’
Had he forgotten all his misdeeds? How could he be so shameless?
He looked like a defeated villain sharpening his blade, and she couldn’t let it slide.
‘…I need to put someone on him.’
***
“Welcome back, Master!”
Lilac greeted me when I returned home. She lifted the hem of her maid outfit slightly and bowed gracefully, like a flower dipping its head.
“How was today? Nothing happened, right?”
“Yeah. Same as usual. Sales report first?”
“Please.”
I decided to treat Lilac a bit more kindly. She was trustworthy. I’d decided to trust her.
“We sold out twice today. Word about our coffee must be spreading—lots of bulk orders.”
“Hmm? Really?”
Even if coffee was a guaranteed hit, the growth was abnormally fast.
“Yes! Mages from some place called the Magic Tower placed orders.”
Lilac shared the good news with a smile.
It made me want to open a café. Sounds nice, but the effort of running a coffee business was obvious.
“Good work. You did great.”
“It’s okay, Master.”
Her bright smile felt familiar now. Seeing it melted away complex thoughts, like lying in a flower field, breathing in spring.
“Oh, I visited Imperium Bank today. It’s near the slums but not far from the commercial district. I found a nice shop space.”
Her proactive help with my business was admirable.
I nodded as I reviewed the information she brought.
“Hmm… looks good. Think this is the one?”
“Yes. If you’re okay with it, I think it’s great.”
“Then I’ll check it out tomorrow.”
Tomorrow was the weekend. Perfect for handling pending tasks.
***
The weekend arrived. It wasn’t called a golden weekend for nothing.
‘Use it like gold, and it’s a golden weekend.’
I maintained my rifle and filled the ammo pouch. I prepared thoroughly, expecting a fierce fight.
Finally, I grabbed a dagger with minimal noise and left the house.
“Master!”
Turning, I saw Lilac at the front door, in pajamas with just a cardigan.
“Lilac.”
“Y-You should eat before you go…”
Her usually braided hair hung loose. She must’ve rushed to say that one line.
I looked up. The sun hadn’t risen yet; it was early dawn. I’d tried to be quiet, but I felt bad for waking her.
“It’s okay. I’ll eat when I’m back.”
“I’ll wait…?”
“Sure.”
Her brown hair swayed in the cold dawn breeze. She wouldn’t go inside until I was gone, it seemed.
I’d need to return early to keep the unintended promise.
‘Let’s go.’
Wearing a black robe for cover and relying on my rifle, I headed to the dark underground.
Passing through a filthy drain in a hidden spot, I descended to the sewers and quickly hid.
Wild Instinct (Lv 1) detected a presence.
Footsteps and weary voices soon followed.
“Boring as hell.”
“Better than your nose rotting off.”
“Yeah, compared to that section.”
Two guards with torches were patrolling.
‘If I’m not careful, I’ll get caught.’
Using Know-It-All’s analysis of their patrol routes and blind spots, I moved forward slowly. Movement skill silenced my footsteps.
Suppressing rising tension, I recalled my goal.
‘Hope I find the dungeon soon.’
Time Chaos Dungeons were nationally managed, but occasionally, some slipped through the detection net.
Dungeons with detection resistance, blocking functions, or those luckily formed in hidden spots.
These irregularities were extremely dangerous, and one was particularly lethal.
In the capital of the Imperium Empire, where Imperium Academy stood, in the underground sewers, it was especially deadly.
‘My current goal is to deal with it before this becomes the lair of the Living Swamp.’
The boss, ‘Living Swamp,’ was a slime. An acidic slime large enough to engulf a quarter of the capital.
In The Fallen Crown Prince of the Cosmos Empire, it appeared in the story’s latter half. As seeds of apocalyptic disasters sprouted, pushing the world toward ruin, the Living Swamp emerged.
It was a catastrophe that devastated the capital of the Imperium Empire, humanity’s last safe haven, after the fall of the Cosmos Empire.
An acidic mass surging from the underground at dawn, when even the sun slept… a disaster, plain and simple.
‘Gotta take it out early.’
Ignoring a monster attacking from within was the height of folly.
Then, bubbles rose in the sewer water.
Wild Instinct (Lv 1) predicted an enemy attack!
Grabbing my rifle and dagger, a giant rat burst from the sewage. Its front teeth were menacing.
I knocked it away with the rifle’s stock.
Know-It-All (Lv 1) analyzed the Scat Mouse. It inhabits filthy sewers, spreading pollutants and natural toxins.
In plain terms, a sewage rat.
‘Getting bitten would be bad.’
Looking at the Scat Mouse, you’d have no complaints dying from bacterial infection.
‘Can’t use the gun.’
Guards would swarm. That’s why I brought the dagger.
‘But learning dagger skills feels wasteful.’
Spending points on it seemed excessive.
Yet, against a nimble rat, I wasn’t confident in both dodging and attacking successfully.
Know-It-All (Lv 1) estimates a 70% success rate for attack and evasion.
A 30% chance of failure.
‘Then…’
In less than a second, I made a rational decision and commanded the system.
‘Upgrade the Movement skill.’
Movement is currently Lv 1. Remaining points: 702.
Thanks to influencing events with the protagonist’s group, I’d earned a decent amount of points.
Consumed 600 points to acquire Movement (Lv 2).
It cost 400 points to learn, but 1.5 times that to level up. Lv 3 would likely be pricier.
‘Gives me more reason to succeed in this dungeon run.’