Chapter 90: Became a Mafia in the Academy

After that, Jin-woo and I wandered around the first floor of the dungeon, but for some reason, we didn't encounter any other living creatures except for bugs.

“Ugh… Boss, was this place always this big? It didn't seem this vast when we came here before.”

Perhaps he was tired from the continuous search. Jin-woo wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered.

As Jin-woo said, this place was far too large to be the dungeon we knew.

“The dungeon must have changed when it merged. We should probably explore the surroundings more thoroughly.”

“Now? Boss, do you know the way around here?”

“Mapping the terrain shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Feeling that just walking around wouldn’t yield any more results, I decided to use the skill “Aether Sonar” again.

[Activating “Skill: Aether Sonar”.]

Bug. Bug. Pillar. Bug. Bug.

“...It seems there’s nothing on the first floor.”

“Boss, you knew right away when those guys were coming. Was it because of some skill? Boss radar... amazing...”

Just when I thought he had grown, Jin-woo started mumbling nonsense again after the battle ended. I ignored him and tried to spread more aether when I sensed something that shouldn’t be there.

“What’s that doing here?”

* * *

“...What’s going on here?”

When Yeong-je opened his eyes, he found himself in a maze filled with processed bricks.

Nausea and dizziness immediately overwhelmed him upon waking.

However, it was crucial to quickly regain his composure and assess the situation, as he had no idea what had happened.

“...Distinto (Clearly).”

By casting a spell to strengthen his mental focus, Yeong-je managed to overcome the nausea and headache. He then looked around the area.

Thanks to the torches hanging on the walls, his vision was somewhat clear.

During this time, Yeong-je noticed someone lying next to him and carefully examined the face of the fallen person.

“...Seo-a?”

The person lying next to him was Kim Seo-a, a member of the Familia and a classmate.

She lay there expressionless, as if she were asleep.

“Maybe it’s not the worst...”

After confirming Seo-a’s condition, Yeong-je let out a sigh of relief and decided to wake her up.

Given that they had landed in an unfamiliar place, it was crucial to explore the surroundings, especially since a spatial mage could easily resolve the issue.

“Seo-a. Kim Seo-a?”

Even when he gently shook her, Seo-a showed no signs of waking up.

There were no visible injuries.

Yeong-je judged that she was simply still asleep, like he had been, and sighed, gathering mana on his index finger.

“Lamentoso (Sadly).”

Translucent droplets began to fall from the tip of his finger, landing on Seo-a’s face. As the water’s intensity increased, Seo-a’s expression began to change.

“It hurts! It hurts so much! Seo-a! The ceiling is leaking again... Huh? Where are we?”

Seo-a abruptly sat up, startled by the continuous water droplets.

“Are you awake?”

“Mr. Yeong-je? What’s going on...?”

Seo-a wiped the droplets from her face with her sleeve and looked around. She then realized they were not in Class A and rubbed her eyes.

“This isn’t a dream... but what...?”

“Are you okay? Do you feel nauseous or anything?”

The first thing Yeong-je asked was about her physical condition.

He had experienced severe nausea and a headache when he woke up, so he thought she might have similar symptoms.

“Yes? Well... my head is a bit throbbing, but I’m fine... Where are we?”

Perhaps because Seo-a was a spatial mage, she only complained about a slight headache.

Yeong-je shook his head and said, “I just woke up too, so I’m not sure. This doesn’t seem like an ordinary place. Can you detect the surroundings?”

“Yes? I’ll try.”

Seo-a, who had equipped her unique armament on her right hand, as Yeong-je suggested, flicked her fingers.

A faint purple mana spread out from her, like sound waves, and the terrain around them began to appear on the ground.

“Here’s the layout... something seems off.”

The terrain in front of them resembled a maze.

Yeong-je couldn’t predict what Seo-a was trying to say, so he listened carefully.

“I calculated the coordinates... it seems like a place we’ve been before...?”

“What?”

Yeong-je was surprised by the unexpected statement.

“You’ve been here? You?”

“Yes. Mr. Yeong-je must have been here a few times too. The coordinates here are the same as those of the dungeon under the Familia’s office.”

Seo-a’s words made Yeong-je’s pupils tremble.

Pulled into a dungeon in the middle of the academy?

And specifically, the dungeon under the Familia’s office?

“...Are you sure?”

“It’s a bit different... the coordinates seem twisted... or reversed... but it’s definitely related to the dungeon under our office.”

As Yeong-je listened to Seo-a, he began to recall past memories to understand the situation.

A phenomenon he had definitely heard of somewhere.

A phenomenon similar to this... came to mind!

“Overlapping dungeon.”

“Yes?”

“A phenomenon that occurs when a new dungeon appears very close to an existing one! We learned about it in Dungeon Studies class!”

Yeong-je shouted, looking very refreshed, while Seo-a looked puzzled.

“To form an overlapping dungeon, a new one must appear very close to an existing one. That means a new dungeon has appeared under the dungeon in the Familia’s basement. Then why, of all places, underground... Ah!!”

The conclusion was simpler than he thought.

Someone had intentionally triggered a dungeon underground.

Someone. Why. Why now?

And the culprit quickly became apparent.

The song that played from the speakers before the overlapping dungeon phenomenon. The chaotic period of the academy’s welcome party for new students. And the pretext of a terrorist attack in a critical area.

“...The Villain Alliance.”

Yeong-je couldn’t think of anyone else who could pull off something like this.

And he knew exactly what needed to be done next.

“We need to regroup with others.”

“Yes?”

“The current situation is likely a terrorist attack by the Villain Alliance.”

“Terrorist attack? You mean we’re being attacked right now?”

Seo-a, who hadn’t even considered terrorism, widened her eyes in shock.

“Nothing else explains the current situation. We need to increase our numbers before other villains find us. It’ll be safer that way. So, can you quickly check if there are any other people nearby?”

“Y-Yes... Just a moment. I’ll check right away!”

Seo-a moved her fingers as if playing an invisible keyboard.

“According to my detection, there are three people at 2 o'clock!”

“Three people?”

Since he couldn’t be sure if they were villains or academy students, Yeong-je took out a fountain pen from his front pocket and cast a spell on himself and Seo-a.

“Fioco (Weakly).”

A gentle breeze brushed past them.

“What... is this?”

“A spell to lower our presence. If we approach carefully, they won’t notice us.”

“Invisibility...!”

“We don’t know if they’re villains or other students.”

With all preparations in place, the two of them slowly moved in the direction indicated by the detection spell.

The dark, cavernous space resembled the interior of an old castle.

With only a few torches hanging on the walls providing light, they had to proceed even more cautiously.

Then, they began to hear the irregular clashing of metal.

Raising their alert level, the two cautiously approached the source of the sound.

As they walked, Seo-a suddenly stopped, startled.

‘Wait, Mr. Yeong-je...!’

‘What’s wrong all of a sudden?’

‘The number of people has decreased from three to two...!’

‘What? What do you mean?’

‘Well... there are usually two possibilities in such cases: they lost consciousness... or they died...’

“What?!!”

Yeong-je, who had inadvertently shouted, quickly covered his mouth.

‘Then what sound is that?!’

‘I don’t know! If one person collapsed but they’re still fighting, it must be academy students fighting the villains, right?’

“Then this isn’t the time to be cautious! Let’s go!”

If academy students were still alive and fighting the villains, it was more important to help them quickly before others fell victim.

“Allegro (Quickly)!”

Yeong-je, activating a speed buff, ran towards the source of the sound.

Seo-a, startled by his sudden departure, ran hard to catch up.

“W-Wait! I’ll come too! Give me a buff too!”

As Seo-a’s voice grew more distant, they turned a corner and saw two people engaged in battle.

The two were fiercely clashing swords.

However, something was strange...

“Die! Die, you bitch!”

“That’s not enough to kill me. You should have pulled your wrist and let it flow from there.”

“Shut up! Just shut up!”

“...But your skills are truly pathetic.”

“Gaaaaah!!”

The man, covered in blood from numerous minor wounds, and the girl, who was blocking his sword with ease and without a drop of blood on her.

“Here, you should have pulled it up...”

“Shut up! Please, just shut up!”

“Ultimately, you’re not even fit to be fertilizer.”

“This... damn...? Cough!”

“Honestly, it wasn’t enjoyable... but yes. Goodbye.”

In the end, the man, pierced in the chest, died without making a sound.

The girl, who had been silently watching with a blank expression, suddenly looked up, sensing their presence.

This led to the two recognizing each other.

“...Academy uniform? You’re not a villain, then?”

“...You are.”

Yeong-je was surprised and pleased by the unexpected appearance.

The reason was that she was one of the top swordsmen in the academy.

One of the names always mentioned when discussing the strongest first-year students.

“Choi Yeon?”

Choi Yeon.

She smiled at Yeong-je, who was wearing the same uniform as her.

“Hello.”