Chapter 81 - Act Normal [5]
(Vael’s POV)
The rest of the afternoon passed without any further incidents, though the bizarre encounter with Lilia was still circulating among the freshman rumors.
I can feel a lot of eyes on me.
By the time our final lecture wrapped up, the sun had already begun its slow descent behind the distant mountain peaks surrounding the academy grounds.
"Alright, everyone!"
Zion announced loudly as he slapped his hands onto his desk, turning around to face the rest of us.
"Classes are done for the day! Are we heading straight to the practical building for our dungeon run?"
"Yes."
Cindy replied, neatly packing her notebooks into her bag.
"Cordelia and Crystal said they would meet us near the dungeon portal gate right after their private tutoring session."
She was reading the messages of the two sent on their group chat.
"Awesome!"
Zion grinned, slinging his heavy blade over his shoulder.
"Let’s grab our gear and head over."
I stood up, adjusting [Frost] and my silver dagger at my waist.
"Let’s move."
I said, keeping my tone relaxed as the three of us stepped out of the classroom.
As we walked down the wide stone corridors toward the practical building, I kept my senses subtly flared outward. Even though Professor Ulfar and Headmaster Sebastian were actively monitoring the three high-ranking faculty suspects behind the scenes, I knew better than to drop my guard completely.
’Surveillance takes time...’
I thought to myself, watching the shadows lengthen across the paved walkways.
’Until the headmaster makes his move, I need to keep building my strength.’
When we reached the thw dungeon area of the practical building, Cordelia and Crystal were already standing near the glowing blue portal gate, waiting for us.
"You three made good time."
Cordelia greeted us with a warm, polite smile, her water whip coiled neatly at her hip.
"Our schedule cleared up slightly earlier than expected."
Crystal added, resting her hand on her wooden staff.
"Shall we proceed?"
"Let’s go."
I said, stepping up to the security desk and presenting my silver plaque key to the staff member on duty.
The guard scanned the it, verified our five-member party registration, and stamped the ledger without a word.
CLICK—
"Enjoy out there."
The spatial portal hummed softly as the blue runes flared to life, inviting us inside.
Without wasting a single second, the five of us stepped through the swirling archway, leaving the surface world behind once again.
*****
SWOOSH~
The familiar sensation of spatial displacement washed over us, and a moment later, our boots touched down on the cool stone floor of the dungeon.
Instead of lingering on the first floor, we moved through the upper tunnels at a rapid pace.
Any stray goblins or mutated bats that attempted to ambush our path were instantly cleared by Zion’s heavy sword strikes and Cordelia’s swift water whip.
So in a short amount of time; we reached the wide stone staircase and descended straight onto the second floor.
The ambient air immediately grew heavier, carrying the familiar damp, metallic scent of monster blood and iron. Glowing clusters of dark purple crystals embedded in the high cavern ceiling illuminated the wide, rocky terrain ahead.
-Grrr... WROAAAR!
The moment we stepped off the final stair, a massive wave of Iron-Hide Kobolds and agile Shadow Crawlers emerged from behind the giant stalagmites.
"Standard formation!"
I called out, my eyes quickly evaluating the layout of the cavern.
"Zion and Cordelia take the center line! Cindy, watch the high ledges! Crystal, set up wide-area wind bursts from the middle! I’ll cover the rear and lock down their elite vanguards!"
"On it!"
Zion shouted, charging forward with [Excalibur] raised high.
BAM—!
Zion drove his golden blade straight into the lead Kobold’s wooden shield, shattering the defense into flying splinters and knocking three monsters backward.
"Water Arc: Torrent Sweep!"
Cordelia called out, snapping her wrist to release a high-pressure wave of water that swept across the right flank, preventing the horde from encircling our front line.
WHACK—!!
"Shadow Crawlers dropping from the ceiling!"
Crystal alerted us, raising her staff as three black-scaled spider-like monsters leaped toward her position.
TAP! CRACKLE—!
Before the monsters could complete their descent, I stomped my right boot onto the cavern floor, pumping a dense wave of frost mana straight into the ground.
CRASH!
Four thick pillars of jagged blue ice erupted upward, catching the leaping beasts mid-air and flash-freezing their torsos completely.
"Wind Pressure: Gale Shatter!"
Crystal reacted instantly, releasing a sharp burst of compressed air that detonated against the frozen beasts, turning them into a harmless spray of sparkling icy particles.
"Nice cover, Vael!"
Crystal called out, maintaining her casting stance.
"Keep your focus forward!"
I replied, stepping smoothly alongside her while keeping my cold aura circulating.
I glided across the battlefield on thin ice paths, slipping behind the larger Kobold commanders to deliver quick, numbing strikes with my silver dagger.
PHUCK!
Every time my blade touched their skin, the chilling frost seeped into their nervous systems, draining their physical speed and leaving them completely wide open for Zion and Cordelia to finish off.
For the next two hours, our party moved like a synchronized machine.
We cleared chamber after chamber, sweeping through the eastern and central sectors of the second floor with incredible efficiency.
By the time the cavern fell quiet once again, the stone floor was covered in dissolving monster remains and sparkling, low-grade mana crystals.
"Phew...!"
Zion let out a long breath, sheathing [Excalibur] back at his waist with a bright grin.
"That felt even smoother than before. We cleared four full chambers without taking a single hit."
"Our team synergy is definitely sharpening."
Cordelia noted softly, coiling her water whip while checking her student pass logs.
"Our clear times are almost comparable to upperclassmen squads now."
"And the mana stone harvest is excellent today."
Cindy added, holding up two heavy leather pouches packed with glowing cores.
"We have plenty of drops to divide."
"Good work, everyone."
I said, taking a moment to check my internal mana reserves.
My core was sitting at around eighty percent, and looking at the rest of the group, everyone was still in high spirits with plenty of energy left.
’Our combat flow is solid. The second floor is no threat to us now.’
I thought to myself, looking down the dark cavern passage leading deeper into the subterranean level.
"Vael?"
Cindy asked, noticing me staring down the corridor.
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
I replied, turning back to face the team with a small smile.
"I was just thinking... at this pace, we’ll be ready to attempt the third floor by the end of the week."
"The third floor?!"
Zion’s eyes lit up with intense excitement, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
"Man, now that’s what I’m talking about! That’s the maximum depth your clearance pass allows, right?"
"It is."
I nodded.
"The monster types shift to higher-tier elementals and armored beasts on the third level, but with our current coordination, we can definitely handle it."
"Count me in."
Crystal stated without hesitation, adjusting her staff.
"Exploring the third floor will yield significantly higher academic credits for our practical evaluation scores."
"I agree."
Cordelia smiled warmly.
"I will adjust my schedule accordingly so we can tackle the third floor together."
"Then it’s settled."
I declared, gesturing for the group to head back toward the upper stairs.
"Let’s wrap up for today, head back to the surface, and divide our loot."
"Alright!"
Zion cheered, pumping his fist as we turned around to begin our quiet walk back up toward the portal gate.
... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...
An hour later, after emerging from the practical building and dividing the mana stones evenly among Zion, Cindy, and myself, our party split up for the evening.
The sky above the campus was completely dark now, decorated with a sea of brilliant stars and a full, pale moon that cast soft light across the stone roads.
I walked down the quiet, tree-lined path toward the freshman dormitory block, keeping my hands in my coat pockets as the cool night breeze brushed past my face.
As I turned the corner near my building, I instinctively slowed my pace, scanning the tree line and dark archways.
Standing quietly near the base of the stone pillars, as sharp and motionless as a statue, was Professor Ulfar.
He was dressed in simple dark clothing, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his massive chest.
"Good evening, Professor."
I greeted softly, stopping a few paces away from him.
"Vael."
Professor Ulfar acknowledged with a low, deep nod, stepping out into the moonlight.
"Another successful run with your party?"
"Yes, sir."
I replied.
"We cleared four sectors on the second floor without any issues."
"Good."
Ulfar smiled faintly, his sharp eyes scanning the quiet perimeter around my dorm.
"Keep that momentum going. The stronger you and your party become, the harder it will be for anyone to target you directly."
"How is the situation on your end, Professor?"
I asked, lowering my voice slightly.
"Has the headmaster narrowed down the suspects?"
Professor Ulfar looked at me for a long moment, then let out a low, quiet breath.
"We have three specific faculty members under 24/7 surveillance."
Ulfar revealed in a hushed tone.
"Headmaster Sebastian tracked their spatial footprint from when they attempted to wipe the archive’s digital backup. They believe they successfully hid their tracks, so they haven’t made any aggressive moves yet."
"That means the trap is set."
I noted, a sense of relief settling over my mind.
"It is."
Ulfar nodded firmly, placing a broad, heavy hand on my shoulder.
"We are just waiting for them to make a single slip-up or attempt to contact their external dark network. The moment they expose themselves, we will crush them instantly."
He gave my shoulder a firm, reassuring pat.
"You’ve done more than enough, Vael. Go inside, get a good night’s rest, and leave the shadow hunting to us."
"Thank you, Professor."
I told him, bowing my head politely.
"Good night."
I walked past him, unlocked the entrance to my dorm building, and made my way up the quiet stairs to my private room.
Inside my room, I locked the door behind me and unbuckled my weapon belt, placing [Frost] and my silver dagger onto the weapon rack beside my desk.
I took a quick, hot shower, changed into comfortable clothes, and sat down on the edge of my bed.
I looked out the window at the peaceful campus grounds resting quietly under the starry sky.
Everything was moving in a clear, decisive direction.
The original game storyline had forced Vael into a tragic, helpless role, but step by step, I was rewriting the script.
I had forged a powerful, reliable party, earned the total trust of the academy’s strongest people, and set the stage to eliminate a major dark conspiracy before it could harm any more innocent students.
’Whoever you are...’
I thought to myself, narrowing my eyes as cold determination flared deep within my chest.
’Your time at this academy is coming to an end.’
I lay back onto my pillow, letting out a long, quiet breath as the comfortable warmth of the bed enveloped me.
I closed my eyes, letting the fatigue of the day wash away, completely ready to face whatever the next morning would bring.