Chapter 233: Dungeon Crawl (I)

The door closed as Ellen went out because of a ringing stone, and then, the silence from the announcement lasted for less than a second.

The classroom erupted almost instantly.

“Gray! What formation are we using?”

“Are we splitting into vanguard and support?”

“Do you know what type of dungeon it is?”

“Will you assign positions based on affinity?”

“Are we fighting the boss directly or clearing floor by floor?”

Chairs scraped against the ground as students crowded toward him.

Gray released Cassandra’s hand to stand.

The moment their fingers separated, Cassandra’s eyes narrowed faintly.

She kept her posture composed, crossing one leg over the other as if unaffected, but her nails pressed into her palm beneath the table.

She did not speak, but Gray could easily see that she was pouting.

The crowd tightened around him as more questions reached his ears.

“Leader, say something!”

“Should we conserve mana at the start?”

“What if the boss enters King Realm mid-fight?”

Before Gray could answer, someone slipped through the students without hesitation.

Maelis.

Her long black hair shimmered under the classroom light as she stepped directly into his space, ignoring the others entirely.

Her cold expression toward the surrounding students softened the instant she looked at him.

Without warning, she grabbed his right hand and pulled it against herself, pressing it snugly against her chest as if claiming ownership in the most shameless way possible.

Several girls froze.

Maelis tilted her head slightly, her eyes shining with a playful glow that no one else ever received.

“What’s the plan, big brother~?” she asked sweetly, voice carrying a spoiled lilt that contrasted sharply with the icy demeanor she showed the rest of the class.

A few students stared in disbelief.

“B-Big brother?”

“She acts like that with him?”

“Isn’t she terrifying to everyone else?”

Maelis ignored them.

Her fingers tightened faintly around his wrist, as if daring anyone to question her.

Gray looked down at her calmly.

Across the room, Cassandra’s smile stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Seraph, seated near the window, watched the scene with unreadable eyes. Her gaze shifted from Maelis’ hand placement… to Gray’s expression… then toward the classroom door.

Outside, Professor Ellen had not gone far.

The door opened again.

“Ahem.”

The single sound sliced through the noise.

Professor Ellen stepped back inside, smiling politely yet with a hint of annoyance hidden deep in her eyes.

“Onto the dungeon details,” she said smoothly, adjusting her glasses.

The students scrambled back toward their seats.

Maelis slowly released Gray’s hand, though not before brushing her fingers lightly along his palm as if reluctant to let go.

She returned to her seat with perfect composure, her expression instantly cooling into indifference toward everyone except him.

Ellen moved to the front of the classroom.

“This dungeon was recently discovered near the northern ridge,” she began. “It is classified as a Great Grandmaster Grade Labyrinth-Type structure.”

The projection appeared above her palm before splitting into layered sections.

“The first segment of the labyrinth is stable. Mana density is moderate. The monsters that appear there are in the Master Realm. Early to Peak.”

A few students relaxed slightly.

“Meaning we warm up first?” someone asked from the back.

“If you consider dozens of coordinated Master Realm beasts a warm-up.” Ellen’s lips curved faintly.

The projection zoomed deeper.

“As you descend, the mana thickens. Pathways narrow, and of course, your visibility drops. The creatures will evolve accordingly.”

New silhouettes appeared.

“Second section. Peak Master to Early Grandmaster.”

“Are they organized or instinct-driven?” A girl raised her hand.

“Organized,” Ellen replied without hesitation. “Pack movement. Ambush patterns. Some show basic tactical intelligence.”

The room grew quieter.

“The third section marks the turning point,” she continued.

“Mana saturation reaches a level where pressure alone will slow your breathing. From that point onward, monsters begin appearing at Late Grandmaster.”

A few exchanged glances.

“And the deepest accessible layer,” Ellen spoke, letting the words sink in, “houses Early Great Grandmaster entities.”

“Only Early?” a student asked cautiously.

“Yes. The dungeon’s core stabilizes at that threshold. No creature inside, aside from the boss, can naturally exceed Early Great Grandmaster.”

A soft wave of tension eased through the room.

’…It shouldn’t be much of a problem,’ Gray thought inwardly.

’But… It’s still a great opportunity to test my new abilities!’ his lips curled up slighly.

He didn’t have the time to test the [Nine Thunders Thunder Claw], so those monsters would be a perfect test subject for him!

’I should also take the time to get their Qi Orbs to converge it to Demon Energy. This kind of little progress still helps in later stages…’ he added inwardly.

Unlocking Jasmine’s power was an absolute priority for him.

Swish…!

The projection suddenly changed as the map dissolved into the image of a massive serpentine outline coiling through darkness.

“Now… onto the boss!” Her voice turned a little serious.

The creature’s image sharpened.

“It is described as a mutated Abyssal Fang Serpent. Length estimated at over fifty meters. Scales reinforced by condensed mana layers. Natural affinity toward poison and constriction.”

A low murmur spread.

“Mutated how?” Cassandra asked calmly.

“Its mutation appears to stem from prolonged exposure to unstable core energy within the dungeon’s nucleus. As a result, its bloodline has partially deviated.” Ellen nodded approvingly at Cassandra’s question.

The serpent’s eyes in the projection glowed faintly crimson.

“In its normal state, it remains at Peak Great Grandmaster.”

“And the berserk stage?” Seraph’s voice cut in, quiet but sharp.

Ellen’s gaze flickered toward her.

“When critically wounded or when its core is threatened, it enters a forced amplification state. During that stage, its mana output spikes beyond its natural limit.”

She paused.

“It can temporarily step into the King Realm.”

The classroom fell completely silent.

“How long does that state last?” A girl asked quickly.

“Unknown. Reports suggest between thirty seconds and two minutes, depending on damage received.”

“Two minutes is enough to wipe us,” someone muttered.

Ellen did not deny it.

The projection shifted again.

Around the serpent’s image, several smaller but still imposing figures appeared.

“Minions,” she stated.

“Four confirmed.”

The silhouettes sharpened into massive, scaled entities with elongated bodies and blade-like crests along their backs.

“These are its direct offspring or fragments formed through mutation. Each stands at Intermediate Great Grandmaster.”

“So they’re stronger than anything else in the dungeon except the boss?”

“Yes.”

“Do they act independently?”

“They guard the inner core chamber. Coordinated. They respond to the main serpent’s aura fluctuations.”

“Meaning if we injure the boss, the minions will react violently.” Maelis leaned slightly forward.

“Correct.”

“Poison resistance?” A girl near the window frowned.

“High,” Ellen answered. “Physical resistance is also above average. Their scales deflect standard mana blasts unless concentrated.”

“Weak points?” The same girl raised her hand again.

“The eyes. The inner jaw. The joint is beneath the third scale segment behind the head.”

Gray’s eyes sharpened faintly at that detail.

“What about terrain?”

“The central chamber is circular. Roughly one hundred meters in diameter. Mana vents along the walls. Limited cover.”

“So we’ll be exposed,” Cassandra muttered softly.

“Yes.”

Ellen let the projection fade.

“You are not required to slay the boss if the risk becomes unacceptable,” she said. “However, full subjugation will yield exceptional academy rewards.”

At the word rewards, several students straightened.

“What kind of rewards?” someone asked immediately.

Ellen’s gaze flickered toward Gray before answering.

“The dungeon will belong to you, students, meaning that everything in it will be thoroughly shared between all of you. Of course… some things might be given to you and not to others based on your contribution, as we will be watching.”

The room buzzed again.

“Everything… like core fragments?”

“Mana stones?”

“Serpent blood essence?”

“All of the above,” Ellen confirmed.

Her eyes settled on Gray one more time.

“The question is not whether the dungeon is dangerous.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

“The question is whether your leader can guide you through escalating pressure, coordinated elite threats, and a pseudo-King Realm berserk phase… without losing control of the field.”

Every kid of gaze turned toward him.

Expectation.

Excitement.

Nervousness.

Even obsession, in certain pairs of eyes.

’…She’s really putting the weight on my shoulders.’

Ellen allowed the silence to stretch for a few seconds longer before closing the projection with a soft flick of her wrist.

“That will be all,” she said calmly.

“You will gather at the southern battleground in thirty minutes. Travel formation will be handled by the academy’s spatial array.”

Her gaze swept across the room.

“Bring standard combat equipment. No unnecessary baggage. You will not know how long the internal time distortion lasts until we enter.”

A few students stiffened at that.

“Internal time distortion?” A girl frowned.

“Yes,” Ellen replied. “Labyrinth-type dungeons often alter temporal flow. An hour inside may be several outside… or the reverse.”

“Great. So we might come out older.” Another girl groaned softly.

Ellen’s lips twitched faintly.

“Dismissed.”

Chairs scraped against the floor as the class erupted into conversation.

Gray had barely risen from his seat before he was surrounded.

“What’s the formation?”

“Do we conserve mana in the early layers?”

“Are we rotating the frontline?”

“Should we save our trump cards for the serpent?”

Many questions bombarded him.

Gray glanced around once, taking in their faces before nodding lightly.

“I have a plan for this dungeon.”

The noise died down almost instantly, their eyes shining in expectation after hearing his words.

At this, Gray smiled and started explaining his plan.

Although he could easily deal with the whole dungeon alone, helping a class full of girls wouldn’t be much of a problem, right?

The only thing he needed, after all, was the boss’s core.

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