Chapter 41: The Second Assault
The dungeon conquest competition was an opportunity to earn rewards and academic credits while also measuring the strength of different factions—but not everyone participated.
Most students aiming to become creators or scholars did not join, and third-year students were ineligible under the competition rules.
Yet even those who didn’t participate gathered at the competition site.
Just like during the reporting ceremony, the progress of the competition was being broadcast.
The students clustered around, watching the floating images, and the most excited among them was Seren.
Next to Seren, who was eagerly waiting for the start of the competition like a child at an amusement park, sat Camilla, the second-in-command of Seren’s faction. Seren grabbed her shoulder and shook her relentlessly.
“Kya! Camilla, look! I didn’t think our class would participate! They’re right there!”
“Yes, yes. I see them. Clearly.”
Camilla answered without even looking at where their class was and fed Seren some popcorn. Seren, without taking her eyes off their class, caught the popcorn like a baby bird.
“Then, let’s start the competition!”
Fireworks went off, and the competition began, with their class’s team leaving the hall.
Seren chewed her popcorn with an excited expression.
“What? Did they explore the dungeon this fast? Their detection ability is way better than mine?!”
With their class being the first to depart, the spectators grew restless.
When the dungeon entrance appeared, everyone was surprised.
“Did they really find a dungeon?”
“Was it Lesta Lightjus who found it?”
“But I didn’t sense any use of aura from them.”
“Then could it be…”
Seren grew more excited.
“Look, Camilla! They really found the dungeon!”
Camilla, caught by Seren’s enthusiasm, suspected that their class had either obtained information about the competition in advance or used some trick, but she kept it to herself.
When their class entered the dungeon, Lesta blocked the entrance alone, drawing awe from the spectators.
“Is that the genius of the Lightjus family?!”
“That’s impressive!”
Next, when Lesta faced Beryl, cheers erupted.
Sacred spells rained down like a storm from above, while aura surged across the ground like a tidal wave.
As Beryl began to be pushed back, Anis appeared.
Golden aura and sacred spells combined and advanced, while black aura slowly chipped away at them.
With all eyes on Lesta’s battle, Seren watched their class fight inside the dungeon.
“Oh. So this is one way to clear a dungeon.”
They were indeed tackling the rooms in a method no one had thought of or attempted before, and even Camilla had to acknowledge it.
When the Drener team appeared midway through, Seren became furious.
“No! That’s cheating!”
But soon she cheered as their class and Seres fought head-to-head.
“See, see! Our class handles swords so well! And they’re fighting evenly with Laplace!”
Camilla thought that Seres might have been holding back to match their class, but she didn’t voice it.
Suddenly, when Seres trapped the Drener team, both Seren and Camilla were confused.
“What’s going on? Why is he doing that all of a sudden?”
“They probably made some sort of contract before the competition.”
“Hmm. Looks like this competition was meticulously prepared.”
Finally, their class faced the boss. The screen showed them forming a battle line and slowly chipping away at the Stone Snake’s hide.
Camilla was slightly impressed by the textbook tactics, but Seren looked puzzled. Camilla asked:
“Something bothering you?”
“Bothering… or rather, it’s just strange. It’s too textbook for our class.”
“Indeed. Your sibling usually acts unpredictably. Thinking about it, it’s suspicious. But since it’s a competition, perhaps they’re just being careful for the finale?”
“Hmmm… If it were our class, they would have shown an amazing strategy. Something’s off.”
Camilla, who had answered seriously, eventually decided it was just sibling pride and stopped worrying.
Inside the Dungeon Boss Room
In a room full of frost, we dodged a barrage of ice spears together.
“B-Ban! Do we really need to dodge these? If we get hit, the spatial magic…”
“No. They’ve infiltrated the dungeon secretly, so they’ve surely prepared for spatial magic.”
In fact, our spatial magic was paralyzed during the first frost pattern. Even the entrance we came through was covered in ice.
This was a special ice spell beyond our level. Normally, only someone with Drener’s [Doom Blade] could break it.
But Reyna, unaware, boldly summoned aura and charged at the door.
“Hyaaah!”
Her aura surged like wild flames against the door, but with a heavy clang, it bounced back.
Elphior laughed.
“Ahahaha. Did you really think it’d break? Don’t expect support. I’ve already manipulated the dungeon’s surveillance magic.”
Thoroughly meticulous, as always.
We had no choice but to fight.
“Everyone, follow my instructions.”
“Did you figure out what to do?”
“I’ve got the gist. I can’t explain everything at once, so I’ll tell you what to do as we go. Just trust me and follow.”
They nodded.
Elphior’s fight was tricky. She used water, fire, and ice—a mix of the two. With three patterns, she created favorable conditions for herself, and the longer the battle, the harder it became for us.
But after using all three patterns, she would enter a brief groggy state.
The key to the fight was to deal as much damage as possible during that groggy state.
But this boss had a second phase and an attack we absolutely couldn’t take.
“Ridipin, no matter what, don’t get hit by fire magic.”
If Ridipin went out of action now, we’d have no chance.
“Until I tell you to attack, just focus on dodging. Let’s spread out.”
Elphior’s first pattern was the 3-circle ice spell [Ice Spear].
The ice spears rained down but were easy to dodge.
Reyna and Ridipin spread out, dispersing the spears. I used the gap to approach Elphior.
I used [Fire Spear] to intercept the ice, but my level difference made the spears pierce through and hit me.
No matter. I could predict their trajectory.
I pushed forward, striking the staff with my sword, and reached Elphior, locking blades with her staff.
She smiled, examining me.
“Oh. A magic swordsman? Though I don’t see your aura armor.”
“I’m a makeshift magic swordsman, so no.”
“Even magic swordsmen have makeshift ones?”
I tried close combat boldly, but every attack was blocked by the staff. The terrifying auto-defense system remained as in the game.
But that didn’t mean I had no way to attack.
I swung my sword, bypassed the staff’s defense, and used [Fire Spear] up close.
“Ugh!”
Elphior erected an ice wall and stepped back, but I successfully struck a concentrated hit through her defense.
“This… you dare…!”
Flaming hands targeted me.
This was the second pattern, the 5-circle fire spell [Burning Hands].
Unlike [Ice Spear], it was a chasing skill, impossible to dodge.
Being too close was dangerous, so I stepped back while trying to intercept with [Fire Spear], but the level difference caused my magic to be absorbed.
Ridipin shot arrows to handle the hands.
“Phew. Thanks.”
“N-No problem.”
Then Reyna got angry.
“You told us not to hold back, and you go doing this alone!”
I was worried they’d get hurt and knew the patterns already, so it was fine—but I couldn’t say that.
“Just thought I’d give it a try myself.”
“Don’t get too far ahead. We fight together.”
“You’re right, Reyna!”
I understood their concern.
“You’re correct. If she keeps casting, her mana will eventually run out, so we’ll just keep dodging until then.”
But only I knew how to fight and had the experience. I had failed many times in the game, so I was sure they weren’t ready.
I had to protect them.
We stopped going all-out and decided to evade the patterns.
The flaming hands relentlessly targeted us, but Reyna and Ridipin intercepted each one.
The ice spears and flames created shallow puddles on the floor.
Seeing the third pattern, I called to them.
“Both of you, behind me!”
As they got behind me, Elphior activated her spell: the 4-circle water spell [Aqua Storm].
The water rose and swirled violently. I drew mana and used a new skill: [Mana Compression].
[Skill: Mana Compression Lv.1]
Type: Active
Effect: Compress mana within the body. The denser the mana, the more effective it becomes.
Previously, when learning how to split aura, I converted it into mana. Using that experience, I compressed mana like aura.
At first, I had no clue, but I succeeded. This skill had never appeared in the game.
I maximized mana density. High-circle spells weren’t possible, but that didn’t matter. I only needed the 1-circle [Fire].
The [Fire] clashed fiercely against the water storm.
Boom!
Normally, 1-circle magic couldn’t handle 4-circle magic. But my flames gradually eroded the storm.
After a fierce clash, the battle reached a stalemate as our mana drained.
I temporarily couldn’t use magic, but I wasn’t fighting alone.
“Reyna! Ridipin! Now!”
“Got it!”
Reyna smiled and charged.
Her first [Ignition] pierced Elphior, flames erupting from the aura-infused strike.
Then [Flame Release] created a fire pillar behind her, dealing significant damage.
“Kyaaa!”
Reyna stepped back, and Ridipin’s attack followed:
[Light Archery – Triple Radiance]
Red, green, and blue aura pierced Elphior.
Bang!
She was cut through with a hole in her body but instantly healed as her staff emitted dark magic, restoring her fully.
“How dare… a mere student challenge me…!”
She launched ice spears again.
Ridipin dodged.
“What now? Our attacks didn’t work!”
“They did. She recovered from her staff’s magic.”
“So we just need to attack until she can’t recover.”
“Exactly.”
By evading patterns and striking in the groggy state, we could pass phase one.
The problem was phase two.
Elphior was meant to be fought with Hazen for victory. Without backup, even passing phase one could be a misstep.
We needed a solution before finishing phase one…
Dodging the first and second patterns, the third pattern, [Aqua Storm], began.
The stronger water surge hit us.
I used [Fire] via [Mana Compression] again, but it was harder this time.
“Ugh! I can’t block this! Everyone, defend…!”
The storm swallowed my flames, and we were swept by water. Then a yellow light erupted from the door.
Boom!
A translucent barrier formed, quickly compressing and containing the storm.
“Was this dungeon boss a humanoid beast?”
“Idiot. Clearly human, but it does feel beast-like.”
“Are you three okay?”
Beyond the yellow light appeared the Drener team.
Ah, right. They were here.
At that moment, a single optimal path appeared in my mind. The question now was whether I could take it.
