Chapter 83 - A Split Second
Weekends arrived not long, and currently... I’m inside the dungeon with Zion.
That’s right, it’s just the two of us.
Cindy is back in her house, spending the weekends with his older sister, Ahri.
Cordelia and Crystal are back with their families as well to attend some events.
That’s why the two of us are the only ones left in here.
Fortunately, even with our party missing most of its members—Headmaster Sebastian allowed us to climb to the second floor.
He gave us the okay sign when I told him about the situation.
Though, we can’t go further than the second floor, he said.
"The two of you have shown exceptional teamwork and combat composure."
Headmaster Sebastian had told us with a warm smile in his office before granting the clearance update.
"However, without your other members, safety comes first. Do not venture past the second floor’s threshold."
It’s not like we plan to anyways, so Zion and I just thanked the Headmaster and we went on our way.
*****
It’s been about five hours since we entered the dungeon.
We’ve been on the second floor for quite a while now, hunting Shadow Crawlers and Kobolds.
"Here they come! Three on the left path!"
Zion called out, dropping into a low stance as the heavy footsteps of Kobold warriors echoed through the cavern.
-GRRRR—!
BAM!
Three fairly armed Kobolds lunged out from behind a large rock formation, their jagged iron weapons flashing in the dim purple light as they closed the distance in a fraction of a second.
They raised their rusted blades simultaneously, aiming straight for Zion’s exposed upper torso.
Zion braced his blade, but the angle of their synchronized assault left him little room to dodge without opening his flank.
I didn’t hesitate.
TAP—SHHHHHK—!
I stepped hard onto the ground, my eyes cold as sub-zero frost mana surged violently down my legs and into the floor. The freezing energy travelled instantly from the floor and a few meters in front of him—
CRASH—!
A massive, thick wall of solid ice immediately erected between Zion and the Kobolds.
THUD! THUD! CLANG!
The Kobolds’ swung weapons slammed hard into the dense structure, their rusted weapons embedding deep into the frozen barrier.
-GEERRGH?!!
-GEHH?!!
Their arms jolted from the blunt impact, leaving them wide open as they desperately attempted to yank their weapons back out.
"Now, Zion."
I said in a calm voice.
"GOT IT!"
WHOOOSH~
Zion roared with a smile on his face, his golden aura exploding around his arms.
Zion poured concentrated energy on his blade... Then he swung horizontally with all his strength—
ZZZZT— S L A S H!
A blinding golden arc of pure mana tore through the air.
The radiant slash cut the ice wall along with the Kobolds in one go, bisecting the icy barrier and the trapped monsters simultaneously into sparkling, dissolving particles of ice and mana cores.
"Nice setup as usual, Vael!"
Zion grinned, wiping a streak of dust from his forehead as he sheathed his sword with a clean click.
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
"Of course it is, who do you think I am? I’m the greatest support character around."
I replied, smiling slyly at Zion.
"Support character? Oh please, you’re more like a protagonist."
Zion told me.
’If you only knew.’
I thought, shaking my head internally.
*****
The day is still far from over, so Zion and Vael decided to hunt some more.
The two of them went deeper into the second floor to continue their dungeon diving... They killed every monster that they came across with.
... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...
A few more hours had passed, if Vael had to guess... the sun was probably already setting on the surface world.
Vael turned to Zion, stretching his shoulders slightly to loosen the faint stiffness in his arms.
"We should head back now and get ready for our part-time shift."
He said, checking the time on his student device.
"Man, agreed."
Zion sighed with a tired yet satisfied laugh, resting his sword sheath against his shoulder.
"My legs are feeling it. We really cleared a ton of sectors today."
They spent most of the day inside the dungeon... they wanted to rest already.
It was already tiring when there were five of them, but it was definitely harder right now with just them two.
*****
Tap- Tap- Tap-
Zion and Vael, the two of them began making their way back up the stone staircases.
And when they got to the first floor again, they started tracing the paths they took to get back.
However, as they navigated through the upper sector, they obviously had to pass by the wide cavern chamber where Vael had discovered the secret passage being used as a base by the traitor.
It was the only primary access route leading toward the portal gate.
Tap-
As they stepped into the high-arched stone chamber, they noticed a solitary figure resting near the edge of a flat rock formation.
"Huh? A person?" - Zion
"Hmm?" - Vael
The faint glow of the cavern moss illuminated vibrant pink hair and matching pink eyes of that person.
It was Lilia.
She was sitting quietly on a smooth stone, her white spear resting vertically beside her leg as she caught her breath.
"...?"
Lilia noticed them too the moment their boots tapped against the stone. She recognized Zion, but she especially recognized Vael.
Raising her hand, she offered a small, calm wave toward the two of them.
"Whoa, Lilia?"
Zion blinked in surprise, waving back with a bright grin before approaching her.
"What are you doing here alone?"
Vael did the same, stepping alongside Zion while keeping his expression completely neutral, though his senses instantly flicked into high alert.
"Just resting after a long run in the dungeon."
Lilia answered plainly, her voice steady and unbothered.
"I just finished coming back up."
"Coming back up from where?"
Zion asked, tilting his head with curiosity.
"The fourth floor."
Lilia replied simply.
"The... fourth floor?!"
Zion gasped, his jaw nearly hitting the cave floor as he looked at her in pure shock.
Vael’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Going solo in the fourth floor, where high-tier elite monsters and complex terrain traps roamed freely, was a feat usually reserved for upperclassmen strike squads or full party units.
That just showed how much of a gap the [Z Class] students had compared to them.
"That’s insane."
Zion laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"And here I thought clearing four sectors on the second floor with Vael was impressive!"
"It is impressive for your current tier."
Lilia stated neutrally, looking up at them.
"Anyway, we’re heading out to get ready for our evening shifts."
Zion invited warmly.
"Do you want to join us on the walk back? We’re leaving as well."
"Sure."
Lilia accepted without hesitation, though she remained seated for a moment longer to let her remaining stamina recover.
"Give me two minutes."
"Take your time!"
Zion said cheerfully, hopping up to sit on a nearby boulder opposite her.
The two of them continued talking casually as they sat on the rock, with Zion asking her about the monster types on the lower levels and Lilia providing brief, stoic answers.
"..."
Vael just watched them interact from the side, standing quietly with his arms crossed against his chest.
He didn’t want to interrupt the protagonist and the heroine.
In the original game’s narrative, Zion and Lilia’s bond was a vital cornerstone for the future grand arc. Their relationship needed to grow naturally for the upcoming story events to unfold properly.
But deep inside, Vael was still feeling a bit nervous.
His eyes subtly shifted toward the shadowy stalagmites lining the western wall of the chamber.
They were standing directly inside the perimeter of the traitor’s hidden base.
Vael knew for a fact from his conversation with Professor Ulfar and Headmaster Sebastian that the traitor hadn’t been caught yet—they were still under silent surveillance and lurking somewhere within the academy.
Staying inside this specific chamber for too long was inherently dangerous.
’The entrance...’
And as he was thinking about this... his eyes wandered to the secret entrance behind the rock crevice.
It was just for a split second, his gaze carrying a brief, wary sharp glint as he checked the hidden archway.
But as soon as he did that—
[So you know about my secret room, huh.]
A chilling, raspy voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire cavern chamber!
"?!!"
Vael’s heart slammed against his ribs, a surge of intense goosebumps washing over his skin instantly.
Lilia and Zion stopped conversing immediately after hearing the eerie sound. Both of them turned their heads, their expressions filled with utter confusion and sudden alarm.
"What was that...?"
Zion blurted out, his hand instantly flying to the hilt of [Excalibur].
Then in the next moment—
BOOM—!
A violent explosion of dark purple mana blew outward from the hidden entrance Vael had been looking at earlier!
The stalagmite cluster shattered into a rain of jagged stone fragments, and a suffocating, pitch-black shockwave swept across the chamber, locking all three students in the presence of an overwhelming, deadly threat!