Chapter 74 - Unexpected Discovery
(Vael’s POV)
As the group of us were exiting the second floor, we started talking about the splitting of the low-tier mana stone we got from the monsters among ourselves.
"We got a surprisingly good amount in just a short run."
Zion said with a wide grin, slinging his arm behind his head as he held the leather pouch full of glowing crystals.
These stones are valuable and are used as fuel and energy for the new technologies and stuff.
In the current market, even lower-grade monster cores from the second floor could fetch a decent amount of credits. For students like Zion and me who worked part-time jobs just to cover our daily expenses, a steady supply of mana stones was practically a goldmine. We can sell these within the academy to earn extra money.
"You three can keep our share."
Cordelia said with a quiet smile, waving her hand lightly to dismiss the pouch.
"That’s right. The monetary value of these lower-tier stones isn’t something we particularly require."
Crystal added smoothly, adjusting her staff as she walked beside her.
’What a flex.’
I thought.
Must be nice being born into absurdly wealthy noble households where money is literally the last thing on your mind. Well, Vael is like that too, but it wasn’t like that anymore when I took over his body.
What Cordelia and Cryster are after is just the extra grades they earn each time they go dungeon diving.
Every confirmed entry and official monster hunt recorded on our student passes directly contributed to our overall practical assessment scores. For them, getting top marks and maintaining their high academic standings was the real prize.
And so, the three of us just split the mana stones among ourselves evenly.
"Awesome! Thanks, you two!"
Zion exclaimed, happily dividing the crystals into three equal piles and stuffing his portion into his coat pockets.
Cindy silently accepted her share with a small nod of appreciation, while I slid my portion into my satchel alongside the ones I had collected during my solo run two nights ago.
And just like that, we continued on our way.
We walked up the wide stone stairs leading back toward the upper level, chatting casually about our coordination during the Kobolds fights.
... ... ...
Though, when we arrived on the first floor, I suddenly stopped walking.
"You guys go ahead first. I’ll stay behind for a bit,"
I said, bringing my hand down off the stair railing and stepping off to the side of the main corridor.
"Is something wrong, Vael?"
Cindy asked me, confused and worried, Cordelia was looking at me weirdly as well. Zion and Crystal were just curious for the reason.
Cindy’s brows were furrowing slightly as she took a step back toward me.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"Did you exhaust too much mana during that last wave?"
Cordelia inquired, looking at me with a skeptical glance.
"Why stay behind now? We just cleared the entire second floor sector."
Crystal pointed out, tilting her head.
I just shrugged my shoulders--
"I’m not hurt or anything... I just plan to do a bit more of solo hunting to train and exhaust myself for a goodnight’s sleep."
Then I told them that I will be just doing a bit more of hunting by myself, and that I want to practice my swordsmanship a bit more too.
I have a relax smile on my face, tapping the hilt of my silver dagger with my finger.
"The monsters on this floor are weak enough that I can test out new parrying angles without any real risk. Even the headmaster trusts me to allow me go solo hunting on the first floor."
I stated.
"Oh! In that case, let me stay with you! We can double-team the remaining Kobolds or run a quick two-on-two sparring set right here!"
Zion offered to help after hearing that, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. He exclaimed that, taking a step forward with [Excalibur] resting on his shoulder.
"No thanks, Zion,"
I immediately refused, shaking my head with a light laugh.
"I can focus more when training alone... And that I don’t want to spoil you for our next sparring."
I told him with a smirk.
"If I let you see all my new tricks now, you’ll just adapt to them before our next duel."
Zion laughed loudly after hearing that, slapping his hand against his knee.
"Fair enough. I’m definitely looking forward to our next spar then!.
He grinned, waving his hand as he turned back toward the exit path.
The others just decided to not think much of my actions, believing my simple explanation since I had always been meticulous about my daily physical conditioning.
"Don’t push yourself too hard,"
Cindy reminded me quietly before turning around.
"We shall see you later in school, Vael."
Cordelia added with a polite nod, and with that, the four of them left.
"..."
I stood completely still in the middle of the cavern tunnel, listening to the fading echoes of their footsteps as they walked further up the stone pathway toward the portal gate.
I waited in complete silence for a good five minutes.
I made sure they were really far away, ensuring their mana signatures had completely left the first floor zone.
And after that... I walked on my own, my steps confident as I memorized the paths.
Tap- Tap- Tap-
I turned around, stepping off the main beaten trail and heading deep into the lesser-known side tunnels of the first floor.
The damp air grew cooler as I navigated the winding rocky passages, relying on my memory of the cavern layout..
And then, arriving at one of the chambers of the cave.
I slowed down my pace, stepping over fallen stalagmites and moving toward the dark crevice tucked far away in the back corner of the room.
I was back to the secret entrance leading somewhere with the silver plaque at the entrance of it.
It was the secret door that I had encountered two days ago when I entered alone after gaining access to the dungeon.
The faint, ancient stone frame sat hidden behind the rocks, its worn-out runes shimmering softly under the dim blue light of the cavern moss.
Right in the center of the archway, the metallic silver plaque embedded above the frame glistened quietly, engraved with the ancient crest of the academy founders.
’Time to see what’s actually hidden in here.’
I thought to myself, drawing a deep breath as I reached into my coat pocket.
I pulled out the silver plaque Headmaster Sebastian had handed me—the master clearance pass that acted as the activation tool for these forgotten administrative sub-structures.
The key immediately began to vibrate in my palm, emitting a warm, radiant blue light that resonated directly with the runes on the stone arch.
TAP—
I stepped up to the hidden door, placing the tip of the silver plaque straight into the door lock.
CLICK—
And a sharp, clear mechanical chime echoed through the quiet chamber.
The ancient blue runes carved along the stone arch flared up dramatically, washing over the dark crevice in a brilliant wave of mana.
RUMBLE...!
The heavy stone door split down the middle, sliding backward into the cavern walls with a low, heavy thud.
A faint breeze rushed out from the dark passage beyond, carrying the dry, preserved scent of aged parchment, old wood, and concentrated spatial magic.
I gripped the hilt of [Frost] in my right hand and slid my silver dagger out with my left, maintaining my dual-wielding guard as I stepped across the threshold.
Tap-
SWOOSH~
The moment my boots touched the polished floor inside, magical braziers lined along the high walls ignited automatically one by one, filling the long corridor with a warm golden light!
The damp, muddy dirt of the dungeon was completely gone.
Instead, I was standing inside a meticulously preserved underground archive built with polished white stone tiles and towering mahogany bookcases that stretched high into the arched ceiling!
’This really is a hidden administrative room...’
I thought, my eyes wide with amazement as I surveyed the vast library layout.
In the original game, this entire sub-section didn’t exist on the player map.
I walked down the central aisle, my boots clicking softly against the clean stone floor.
Row after row of ancient leather-bound books, research journals, and sealed scroll cases sat neatly arranged along the shelves.
At the far end of the hall stood a massive stone desk holding a glowing crystal orb and a single, thick leather ledger resting open in the center.
I approached the desk, keeping my eyes peeled for any automated defense traps or lingering magical barriers.
Nothing attacked me.
The room was completely quiet, preserved in perfect stasis by the ancient spatial runes operating behind the walls.
I stopped in front of the desk, looking down at the open ledger resting beneath the crystal orb.
The pages were yellowed with age, written in elegant, dark ink that detailed old institutional records, student transfers, and historical dungeon monitoring logs from decades ago.
’Wait...’
I leaned closer, my eyes narrowing as I scanned the names listed on the recent entries near the bottom of the page.
While the older records were covered in a thin layer of dust, the very last entry on the ledger looked noticeably cleaner.
The ink was dark, fresh, and clearly written within the last few weeks.
I traced my finger along the line, reading the text written in sharp cursive:
[ Experimental Mana Channeling: Subject Batch C-12 ]
[ Status: Unstable. Secondary catalyst required for full activation. ]
My heart skipped a beat as a cold chill ran straight down my spine.
’C-12?’
I thought to myself, my mind instantly flashing back to the joint sparring matches from three days ago.
Jodan Headbrawler was a student from C Class.
And the match assigned to him on the holographic board was Ring 12.
’Batch C-12...’
I stared at the fresh ink, my knuckles turning white as my grip tightened on the hilt of my dagger.
This wasn’t just an old forgotten archive left behind by the founders.
Someone inside the academy had recently accessed this secret room, using its isolated spatial properties to record and monitor their illegal dark mana experiments on current students!
Jodan hadn’t been targeted by random chance.
He was part of an organized, calculated experiment conducted by a traitor operating directly from within the academy’s inner ranks.
’Whoever is running this... They have master clearance, just like me.’
I thought, my gaze shifting from the ledger to the dark, silent bookshelves surrounding me.
The conspiracy running beneath the academy was far deeper, far more organized, and far closer to us than I had ever imagined.