Chapter 49

"Exit! We made it, the exit!"

The examinees who had been advancing together rushed towards the exit, led by a rookie who seemed inexperienced.

"Wait a minute! Something's off!"

"Hey, hold it! Something's not right, hah!"

Even the veteran mohawks sensed something suspicious, so it must be true.

Sure enough, the young adventurers who thought they had slipped through the exit disappeared into the darkness.

"Darkness? Why!?"

The dungeon's exit was shrouded in darkness.

Shouldn't an exit be bright? The outside should be brighter than the inside of the dungeon, right!?

"But more than that, this deep, dark feeling seems familiar...! And it feels like I just encountered it recently...!?"

"Sure enough, bro, your instincts are good...!?"

The mohawks seemed to share my thoughts.

The examiners' skill, <De-Dungeon Spot>, which had dropped us deep into the dungeon, opened a 'hole' that was pitch black at its bottom.

The darkness covering the dungeon's exit was identical to that bottom.

"So this is also... a 'hole' created by that examiner!?"

"The passage is completely covered! We can't even go around!?"

And since we have to go through this passage to reach the exit... we're effectively trapped.

"Bro! There's no time to think about this! Let's charge in!"

"Charge in? Into that 'hole'?!"

"Already some of them have been sucked in! We need to catch up quickly, or they might be thrown into a monster house and won't survive!"

The mohawks are right.

The scariest thing in a dungeon is getting separated from your companions.

To save your companions, you must be willing to jump into danger without hesitation. Those who call such people 'fools' are not fit to be adventurers.

I heard this somewhere.

Without hesitation, we followed our vanished companions into the 'hole'.

◆

"Ugh!?"

Falling through the hole, we landed... back inside the dungeon.

At the exact same spot where we were first dropped.

"Back to the start...?"

"Let's take a headcount, everyone!"

The mohawks quickly confirmed everyone was present.

It's a relief everyone is safe, but the harsh reality of the situation is sinking in.

"It's an infinite loop...!?"

Just as we were about to reach the goal, we're sent back to the start.

This is the work of someone who can manipulate space and time, but if this continues, we'll never reach the goal.

We'll just keep going in circles, won't we!?

"One thing is clear... they don't intend to let us pass."

One of the mohawks said.

"The examiner doesn't intend to let any of us pass. Otherwise, they wouldn't set such an impossible task."

"That's not true."

A voice echoed from above.

Looking up, we saw another 'hole' in the dungeon's ceiling, acting as a megaphone.

The examiner, Senten, who uses spatial skills.

"I believe in you. Even if the task seems impossible, I believe you can clear it in a way that surpasses my imagination."

"Ridiculous!"

"I'm being sincere. Weren't you supposed to show your strength without skills? To be able to fight back against those with skills, even without them. Without that kind of spirit, you won't be given the A-rank qualification for <Skill-less>."

Ridiculous.

His true intention is clear. To completely exclude <Skill-less> with an impossible task.

He's just using a plausible excuse to justify his actions.

"I'll be counting on your 'indomitable spirit.' Of course, you can give up at any time. The rescue team is always ready."

With that, the 'hole' closed, ending the communication.

It was a clear message of contempt.

"They've always looked down on <Skill-less>, but to take such an overt exclusionary action...!"

It might be my fault.

The exam venue today had Prince Zemnant of the Centorian Kingdom.

As a relative of Reslazer, I'm his enemy. He must have instructed the examiner to exclude me.

If my companions are also disqualified because of me, I'll feel terrible.

I've somehow developed a sense of camaraderie!

"...There's no choice, we should declare our surrender...!"

"!? No way, are you giving up on becoming an A-rank adventurer!?"

"Being an adventurer means having the courage to retreat. First, let's get out of here and appeal the unfair exam content to the Guild Council. That's our best chance."

The mohawks don't seem to be completely giving up, but is there any other way?

Even if it's just a pause or a prelude to a counterattack, I don't want to yield to them even once.

...Huh?

What's wrong, Abinion? A message?

"Even if we repeat the same route, our physical and mental state will be worse on the second lap. We've used a lot of items. While we might be okay, some of the weaker examinees will be in trouble by the second lap."

"An adventurer must consider the weaker members. Think of this as training for making decisions in extreme situations...!"

If it's a decision in an extreme situation, why not choose the more challenging option?

"I'm going down."

"Wha...?"

My sudden declaration left the mohawks tilting their heads in confusion.

"What are you talking about? Have you gone crazy under pressure?"

"The dungeon's exit is only up. Going down will just lead to the bottom of the dungeon."

"Thinking it's cool to go against the norm only works until your mid-teens."

They're looking at me with pity.

But I'm not. I've thought this through!

"What I need is precisely the bottom of the dungeon."

"Huh?"

"Isn't there a dungeon core?"

Abinion told me this through the communication.

At the bottom of the dungeon is the dungeon core, the source that generates and maintains the dungeon.

"If we destroy the dungeon core... the dungeon will collapse."

"Hey, you can't be serious...!"

"Destroying a dungeon core is no easy task. It's always located at the deepest part of the dungeon. Depending on the dungeon, it can be as deep as the 20th floor underground."

"Getting there will also mean facing monster attacks. Even A-rank adventurers are said to find it impossible to reach the deepest part!"

They're worried about me.

I appreciate it.

That's why I want to pass with them.

"I'm fine."

I punched the dungeon floor with all my might.

A loud, powerful cracking sound echoed, and the floor gave way.

"The floor... penetrated...?"

"We can see the lower level...!"

At my current level of about 8 million, a serious punch can do this.

"At this rate, reaching the lowest level will be quick."

"Using brute force to solve problems isn't what an adventurer should do!"

As I started to descend, the mohawks took their companions and headed back up.

I want them to wait just before the exit.

Once I destroy the core, the dungeon will collapse, and the space will distort. When the examiner can no longer maintain the 'hole,' I want them to escape immediately.

"But bro, what about you?"

"Destroying the core means you'll be at the deepest part when it collapses. Can you escape in time? You might get caught in the collapse...!"

I'll be fine.

I'm not at a level where I'd make such a mistake.

"To become an A-rank adventurer without skills, you have to be a fool, right?"

If you're a fool, a bit of recklessness is expected, isn't it?

The mohawks laughed confidently.

"Hahahaha! You're absolutely right!"

"Maybe the spirit of the mohawk has taken root in you, huh!?"

"Let's make you a matching mohawk, too!"

I'll pass on that.

I managed to push through my idea by exploiting their silly side.

Now that the plan is set, it's time to execute it.

From here, updates will be every other day. The next update will be on December 3rd (Thursday). Thank you for your continued support.