Chapter 26

### Chapter 26: Dungeon Practice (3)

My words made Nam Daeun stop in her tracks.

Nam Daeun, Rumi, and Lee Byunghoon were all looking at me.

"So, what are you going to do? There's no wind here. And from the monsters we met on the way, there's no creature that would leave traces on the ground."

Lee Byunghoon, surprisingly, was a thinker.

He knew the basics of conquering a cave-type dungeon well.

The flow of air and the traces of monsters.

Of course, if there are basics, there are also advanced and specialized techniques.

The characteristic of a cave-type dungeon is its high mana density.

Since this is a 'dungeon' that you move through via a portal, it's entirely possible that there's no wind due to the lack of entrances and exits.

However, even if there's no wind, mana is still flowing.

Most people can't feel it because the density is too high and the movement is too subtle.

In fact, using the flow of mana to find the exit is a method that even most hunters don't use. It's not only inaccurate but also difficult to attempt.

"Just wait a moment."

But I'm different.

I can sense mana and observe its flow, so it doesn't make sense that I can't see the movement of mana.

'Kaiyan'

Zing-

My eyes turned golden, and my pupils dilated.

I observed the subtle flow of mana that filled the space.

"There it is."

I raised my index finger and pointed to one of the ten passages.

The third passage from the left.

All the mana was passing through that passage. That was the way out.

"What's with those golden eyes? Sorry, but how can you be so sure? I'd like some explanation, even if it's just a rough one."

Lee Byunghoon expressed his doubts about my words.

"… Even if I explain, you won't believe me, right? If I just say to go this way, you won't go?"

"It's about my grades. Would you just let it go if you were me?"

With my widened vision, I glanced to the side and saw Nam Daeun quietly looking at me.

It seemed that Nam Daeun wouldn't let it go without a proper explanation either.

Rumi was clasping her hands in front of her chest and blinking. Since she didn't seem to have any complaints, it looked like Rumi was fine with whatever I did.

"I read the flow of mana. All the mana from the passages passes through the third passage, so I concluded it's the third one. Don't ask how I read the flow."

"Isn't it unrealistic to read the flow of mana at a student level…."

Lee Byunghoon still didn't seem to believe it.

But it didn't matter.

It seemed that our team leader thought differently.

Pabat-

Nam Daeun ran towards the third passage first.

"Eh? Eeh?"

I grabbed Rumi's arm and chased after her.

Lee Byunghoon ran behind us, grumbling, "Ah, damn it. I don't know what to do."

For about 15 minutes, we ran, with Nam Daeun handling the occasional monsters and me casting spells in between to gradually build up points.

We came to another fork in the road. This time, there were eight passages.

"The fourth one."

Tada-

I pointed the way while running, and Nam Daeun didn't slow down, heading straight for that passage.

"Really, can we trust this… Ah, fine. I'll follow. I'll follow."

We had been running through the dungeon to the point where it was getting boring.

Of course, other teams would be on edge, preparing for battles with monsters, but our team had a dedicated monster bus driver.

"Rumi."

"Yes?"

"Put a shield on Nam Daeun. You need to earn points too."

"Ah, I didn't think of that because you were handling the monsters so quickly. It's such a basic thing…."

No matter how significant a character she might become later, she's still a student for now.

This is Rumi's first practical training, so it's understandable that she might make mistakes.

But since Rumi's role is a support mage, just putting up a shield will earn her some points.

I'm also guiding the way and casting spells whenever I see an opportunity to earn points.

Our team will definitely earn all the points.

…Or will we? It feels like I'm forgetting something.

Swish-

Nam Daeun sliced a lizard by herself.

The lizard didn't even realize it was dead, still glaring.

Maybe because I kept using [Kaiyan] to find the way, Nam Daeun's movements were more clearly visible.

The lizard's body, which she had cut, was cleanly sliced, like a cross-section.

Many people think her power is instant acceleration. They might think her abnormal cutting ability is a skill, but both are wrong.

Her power is spatial dominance.

The acceleration ability speeds up the flow of time in the space around her body.

It's not that Nam Daeun is getting faster, but the space she exists in is getting faster.

Of course, to others, it looks like acceleration.

The same goes for her abnormal cutting ability; it's the power to cut through the space where her sword exists.

I knew this much from the setting.

And no matter how obsessed the creator is with the setting, they wouldn't describe a method of accelerating the space around Nam Daeun's body in the game setting.

So, I didn't think this was possible.

The possibility of using someone else's power.

Powers are inherently something a person is born with, and others can't use them, according to the basic setting.

However, ultimately, the power of abilities and skills all comes from mana.

Nam Daeun's spatial dominance ability, specifically the mana manipulation for accelerating space.

My [Kaiyan] was reading her mana manipulation in real time.

Perhaps, I might be able to mimic her power.

*

The students who completed the dungeon practice training started to gather one by one.

Our team's breakthrough time was, of course, overwhelmingly first.

It was a bit disappointing that we finished so quickly and didn't get to see Do Jinhyuk.

Other teams had torn clothes and dirt, and some students were bleeding, but our team was all clean.

At most, a little monster blood was on Nam Daeun's clothes.

"Ugh. It hurts…."

"Don't whine just because you're bleeding a little, boy."

The injured students were lining up in front of Baek Ayoung, waiting for treatment.

Since our team had finished the strategy and was resting, I approached Baek Ayoung to see what she was doing.

"Huh, huh, haa."

Baek Ayoung was treating the students with strange sound effects, just like in the game.

No matter how many times I heard it, it sounded different from the groans of someone who was tired.

Others didn't seem to feel the discomfort, or maybe the 'saint' title didn't evoke any strange thoughts.

"You must be working hard."

I spoke to Baek Ayoung, who had just finished treating a student.

"Ah, Ho Yeon. No, this is my job."

Despite sweating profusely, her smile never left her face.

"Your job satisfaction seems pretty high? I've seen healers who are all exhausted."

Healing not only consumes mana but also one's own stamina.

So, healers usually end up exhausted and lying around after healing, but not Baek Ayoung.

"Yes. Healing and saving people is always rewarding. I really think it's my calling. And I earn a lot of money. Hehe."

Although she ended with a playful tone, I could feel it from her words and actions.

Baek Ayoung finds joy in the act of helping people.

After treating all the injured, Baek Ayoung looked really tired.

Her blouse under her wet suit revealed her pink bra.

Sweat was trickling down her deep cleavage.

Swallow. I couldn't help but feel a surge of lust.

No, isn't this strange?

She's making strange sounds while sweating, and it's for healing, so no one is suspicious. Am I the only one who finds this strange?

Am I the only one making a fuss?

I unconsciously glanced at Baek Ayoung's chest and met her eyes.

Damn. I was caught.

"Ah, ah. I'm glad. I tried not to get hurt so that you wouldn't be too tired, Ayoung."

"Thank you. Hehe…."

I managed to change the subject naturally, and fortunately, she didn't notice.

… Did she notice?

*

After all the teams finished the dungeon practice training, the students gathered as they did at the beginning.

Some teams that seemed to get along well earlier were now in a cold war, while others who didn't get along became close friends.

Surprisingly, our team remained the same.

- 1st place: Team 13 (Nam Daeun, Lee Ho Yeon, Lee Byunghoon, Rumi)

- 2nd place: Team 7 (Seo Minjun, Kim Seoyeon, Jung Yujun, Ellis)

- 3rd place: Team 8 (Do Joo-won, Ha Seoyoon, Chae Soo-a, Lucy)

We were watching the first team's performance on the hologram when the top performers were announced.

"All team videos will be uploaded to the A-Class SNS for reference. In the next class, I will point out the good and bad aspects of the dungeon practice training."

Professor Kim Jinhyuk said this and left.

The remaining students chatted and then dispersed.

Our team was about to disband when I stopped Nam Daeun, who was about to disappear somewhere.

"Nam Daeun."

"…?"

At least, she didn't ignore me completely, probably because we had developed some camaraderie during the dungeon.

"We got first place this time because of luck, but if you keep going solo next time, it will be hard to maintain first place."

"… I'll handle that myself."

Nam Daeun frowned for a moment and then disappeared.

"Sigh, even if I give proper advice, she doesn't listen."

Should I be grateful that her tone wasn't as aggressive?

Since she's still a freshman, I can tolerate her low cooperation, but if this keeps happening, I'll have to lower her score for cooperation.

Nam Daeun will likely lose her first place soon.

And the consequences she'll face… I don't even want to imagine.

She might regret it later, but no matter how much I explain now, she won't understand.

*

Bang! Boom!

"Is she a freshman? She could be immediately deployed to our guild's second team."

"That's why she already signed an exclusive contract with a guild. Rumor has it that even if they offered three times the signing bonus, she ignored it."

"Tsk. I think she has a weakness. There's no one in the industry who doesn't know about the bad reputation of the buyer guild. Why would she sign an exclusive contract?"

After the dungeon practice training ended, professors were discussing in a monitor room with dozens of screens.

Their attention was on a video of a girl leading the way, with three others following behind.

"She doesn't even give the others a chance to fight?"

"Indeed, she doesn't try to cooperate with her team members at all."

"Still, her talent is overwhelming. If she keeps this up, she'll have to be penalized next time."

"It's her first evaluation, so we should be lenient."

Among them was Professor Kim Jinhyuk, the A-Class homeroom teacher.

"Indeed, her personality is disappointing compared to her skills."

Kim Jinhyuk moved his finger over the hologram.

Next to Nam Daeun's name, he wrote, "95 points. But I will evaluate her personality more strictly next time."

- Ah, forget it! Just kill them all!

- Hey, hey! Wait a moment!

Boom!

Kim Jinhyuk turned his attention to the next monitor, where a loud magical explosion was happening.

The screen showed Lucy taking down dozens of monsters at once.

Her fighting style could be summed up as "attack is the best defense."

She minimized her own defense, aiming to take down the enemy before she fell, a typical shounen manga style.

If you put it nicely, it's a shounen manga style; if you put it harshly, it's a foolish fighting style.

For now, the monsters can't withstand Lucy's magical barrage and fall before reaching her, but this tactic won't work against higher-level monsters later.

I know that if this style is combined with her sister Rumi, it can create a great synergy, but that's only if Rumi is always with her.

In the end, Kim Jinhyuk left a note of 83 points next to Lucy's name.

"This year's freshmen are really something. The cute twins, Ellis, and Nam Daeun, they're all gems."

"True. There are also good students like Do Jinhyuk and Lee Ho Yeon."

'Lee Ho Yeon.'

Kim Jinhyuk found Lee Ho Yeon's video more interesting than Ellis's or Nam Daeun's.

Inserting magic between Nam Daeun's high-speed battles and reading the flow of mana to find the perfect path.

At the student level, reading the flow of mana suggests a specialized skill.

In fact, one of the reasons cave-type dungeons are difficult is the accumulated fatigue and stress from navigating the paths. Eliminating that is a significant contribution.

Considering the other team members were of lower levels because Nam Daeun was on the team, he could be seen as performing above his level.

He didn't show much in terms of combat power, but he was a student who felt extraordinary.

"Hmm…."

After some thought, Kim Jinhyuk left a note of 86 points, 3 points higher than Lucy's.

Kim Jinhyuk preferred intelligent students.

"Everything is good, but the mana capacity is a bit disappointing. The mana capacity is too low. The mana circuit is also narrow. Can it really be that he's only been practicing magic for less than a month? But his mana manipulation is too good. The purity of his mana is also very high. Is it a specialized skill? I should call him next… But to do research, I need to… Yes, this is all for the benefit of humanity…."

Mutter, mutter, mutter…

"?"

Kim Jinhyuk turned his head to the side, hearing a strange sound.

There, Professor Im Sol was writing something furiously while looking at Lee Ho Yeon's monitor.

"Professor? What are you doing here?"

Im Sol, who usually didn't attend such meetings, was enthusiastically evaluating a student, which piqued Kim Jin