I Became the Academy's Disabled Student-Chapter 370: 2nd year dungeon practice (2)

"I've never been slapped like this before..."

[I'm sorry]

Aiden, with a stunned expression, gently rubbed his slapped cheek. The wing flap was so gentle that no marks were left.

"What on earth did you do to deserve a slap?"

"I didn’t do anything. Is it a crime to stay alert and keep an eye out in the dungeon?"

"Hmm, maybe there's another reason..."

"Damn."

Aiden's face scrunched up at the joke that followed from Nam Yeon-Jung, who had just entered the dungeon.

Though they were joking with each other, there was no sign of relaxation. They maintained an appropriate level of alertness, ready to respond immediately.

"...Fortunately, there were no ambushes right after we entered."

The group members, cutting through the swirling space, made their way into the dungeon. Among them, Yusei, who had drawn his supply sword, checked the front and rear of the cave.

"The space is larger than expected. It won't be inconvenient to swing a sword right away."

"But who knows about the path ahead? It might get narrower."

"Exactly. We should adjust our formation, keeping that in mind."

After finishing his sentence, Yusei turned to look at me.

[All members are in. We will begin the exploration now.]

I nodded in acknowledgment, my wings neatly folded.

[As discussed, I will take the role of support, acting as a magician and healer.]

I tapped the ground lightly with the supply staff I was holding. The vibrations from the ground made everyone nod in understanding.

"Honestly, it would be easier if we just closed our eyes and took a bus..."

"But then, not only would we fail the individual and cooperative assessments, we wouldn’t grow at all."

While it's dangerous to slack off in a dungeon, with a level 2 dungeon, I could easily cause chaos by myself.

But that would leave the others with nothing to do. Since this is a cooperative task, it's important to distribute roles and carry them out.

‘If this were real combat, it wouldn’t matter, but this is an exam.’

I raised my left arm slightly, showing the purple wristband tied to my wrist. It was a safety device provided by the vice-captain.

As long as this band is on, in life-threatening situations, an emergency escape will be activated.

Thanks to this excellent insurance, the students of Shiyoram Academy can gain real-world experience in dungeons within the facility.

And I can grow by fulfilling my role like this, or I can take on other training separately.

[Lorraine, how’s the detection result?]

"...There are no nearby entities. No traps either."

Meanwhile, Lorraine, who was in the inner formation with me, reported.

Lorraine, a superhuman with detection abilities, was assigned the role of detecting and searching in this exploration.

...But while reporting, she kept glancing at me. She seemed to be quite worried.

[Yes, please continue the detection and reporting.]

"Got it."

[Then, as planned, we will proceed.]

Our group’s task in this dungeon practice was exploration and map-making.

In short, it’s similar to the mission of a dungeon advance team. Instead of actively hunting monsters, the task is to carefully assess the danger factors and conditions.

The group continued walking.

The formation had Nam Yeon-Jung and Yusei in the lead, followed by Lorraine and me, with Aiden taking the rear.

Each step on the uneven ground echoed through the cave.

"...Trap ahead, on the floor."

"Confirmed."

Lorraine, who was both sensing and mapping at the center, spoke.

Nam Yeon-Jung nodded and slowed his steps. At the same time, he took a steel ball from his spatial pouch and infused it with magic before throwing it onto the distant floor.

A brief vibration rang out. Thud! The steel ball pierced through the rising spikes. The spikes, not stopping, lodged themselves into the ceiling.

Thud! A heavy vibration spread in all directions. Aiden, who trembled, looked unsettled.

"...The traps are still here?"

[Since it's a level 2 dungeon, even if it was deactivated before, the trap regeneration cycle is short, so it must have reset.]

Traps automatically generated in the dungeon. There weren't many in the level 4 dungeon we encountered last year, but they're much more common in a level 2 dungeon than expected.

We passed the rising spikes.

As Yusei had just said, the cave was wide enough. Even if the five of us walked side by side, there was plenty of room, and the height was ample as well.

"...It's narrowing."

As we continued, the cave gradually became narrower. Nam Yeon-Jung, holding a long spear, furrowed his brow.

"It’s getting even narrower ahead. There are parts that widen occasionally, but it’s quite uneven."

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

"Trying to take out and put in weapons while considering that would be troublesome. I expected this since we entered the cave."

In the end, Nam Yeon-Jung stored his spear in his spatial pouch and drew a shorter sword.

"Yusei, will you be fine? That blade looks a bit long."

"No problem. I trained to use it skillfully in confined spaces."

"Ah, I see. I’ve also trained, but not to that extent..."

"Ambush!"

In the middle of our casual conversation, Lorraine’s sharp voice cut in. Ambush. At the mention of the word, everyone, already in alert mode, scanned the surroundings.

"Floor, walls, ceiling!"

The simple words were understood by everyone.

A monster leaped toward the leading leg. Yusei and Nam Yeon-Jung quickly stepped back and flashed their swords.

Thud! The monster’s body was sliced. Nam Yeon-Jung narrowed his eyes.

"Rock?"

The monster that sprang up was a worm. However, its girth was as large as a human torso, and its surface was covered with cracks like the earth, with stones attached to it.

Because of that, it wasn’t cleanly cut. It was more like it was torn off like chopping wood.

The ambush wasn’t limited to the front; it also came from the center and rear. Worms popped out of the floor, walls, and ceiling. Their round mouths were filled with yellow, sharp teeth.

"Ugh!"

The first to respond was Aiden, who was stationed at the rear. Slash! His flashing sword cleaved the worm’s neck in one swift stroke.

I wasn’t standing still either.

Though I was playing a support role, in an ambush situation, I wouldn’t just stay passive.

In fact, Lorraine also drew her sword and was slashing at the worms.

Wham! The worm hit by the staff bent.

I didn’t smash them to pieces but carefully pushed them away. I cleared out any that were excessively heading toward Lorraine, and some I raised to make it easier for Aiden to cut.

Understanding my intentions, Aiden’s sword accelerated. In an instant, the sword path was drawn in the air. Underneath it, the bodies of the worms overlapped.

Thud thud! The chopped worms poured onto the ground.

[Oh]

My mouth slightly opened. I had raised them for a clean hit, but even so, his attacks were quick and precise.

I lightly tapped the chopped portion with the end of my staff. The surface where the rock had stuck. The sword dug into the gap between the rocks.

[Aiden, you’ve really grown, haven’t you?]

"...Hearing that from you sounds strange."

[Oh, I didn’t mean to be sarcastic.]

"No, I know you didn’t mean that... Hmm."

The ambush ended. Swish! Aiden shook the blood off his sword with a peculiar expression.

"It’s been a year since the entrance ceremony, so it’s natural that I should have grown."

"Kid, stop twitching your mouth. It's gross."

"Shut up, you bastard."

Aiden clenched his teeth at Nam Yeon-Jung’s teasing.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Meanwhile, Yusei narrowed his eyes at the monster sprawled on the floor. He poked at the chopped part with his sword and tilted his head.

"Were there any monsters like this in the previous dungeon information?"

"One moment."

Lorraine tapped her hologram. Though the external connection was cut off, some internal programs were still accessible.

"...No, there isn't."

"Of course, it wasn't in the information."

"Also, it's not a registered monster in the monster encyclopedia."

"What? Not even in the encyclopedia?"

Nam Yeon-Jung, who had awkwardly been caressing his sword handle, opened his eyes wide and came closer.

Lorraine, searching the encyclopedia on her hologram, nodded.

"The closest match is Amgu Rockworm. A rock worm? It’s a standard level 7 monster."

"Is this a variant?"

"Could so many variants come out at once?"

"I don't know. The dungeon itself could have mutated, and now the variants are the average... Ah, was that why we were sent here?"

"Hmm..."

Meeting variant creatures in a dungeon isn’t all that rare. But seeing so many variants pouring out like this is strange.

Anomalous phenomena. It’s the kind of situation that must be approached with the highest caution in a dungeon.

"...We’re still at the entrance of the dungeon, so there’s not much we can deduce. Above all, this is a Shiyoram dungeon, and since we don’t want to risk our lives, there’s no reason to retreat."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Yusei shrugged his shoulders and, caressing his purple wristband, turned his attention to me.

"Leader, I leave the decision to you."

[Didn’t you just decide everything?]

Wasn’t that what we decided when we gathered? I tilted my head, and Yusei smiled.

"Final authority always rests with the leader."

[You just said there was no reason to retreat... Well, let’s continue.]

"Good judgment."

I shook my head in disbelief, and everyone laughed.

"By the way, about those wings. Can you tell me why their color changed?"

Before continuing to traverse the cave, Yusei suddenly pointed behind me.

Behind me were three pairs of wings neatly folded.

The difference from earlier was that the once white wings had now turned a dark brown color.

[The wings? Ah, there are spirits inside. Just in case, I’ve stored earth spirits in them.]

"...Spirits inside an artifact?"

Yusei, along with everyone else who /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ had been listening to my answer, blinked in surprise.

The wings flapped once. The wings of the sky, filled with earth spirits, rippled with energy.

"Elia? Are you feeling bad? Your expression seems a bit down... I guess dinner wasn’t that great? Hey, Yusei. Look at this. I told you not to mess with my cooking."

"Shut up. I just thawed and cooked a ready meal."

"Your clumsy hands somehow manage to do that. That's really a realm of its own, you know? How can you be that bad with your hands?"

"Why are you starting a fight all of a sudden? Do you want to be thrown out of the barrier?"

"What, are you saying that even though I'm angry, you're telling me to just die outside the barrier?"

"Why? Or do you want me to kill you myself?"

In the center of the temporary base, the sudden bickering among the group members, who were gathered around the heat magic tools, made Elia blink.

But then she realized it was just a little performance to lighten the mood for her, and she let out a laugh.

"...Ahaha. It's not like that. I was just lost in thought for a moment."

"Hmm... Elia lost in thought... So, it’s about that person, right?"

That person. The question, referring to something great and secretive, made Elia shrug her shoulders.

"Wow, you're even thinking about that person here? Really dedicated."

"But does that person have anything to worry about? I’d believe it if you told me you could blow up a dungeon in one day."

"Exactly. I think I could go into a level 1 dungeon alone and easily conquer it and come back out."

The following jokes were made thinking about Ihayul’s reputation, which everyone knew.

But there was truth in it too.

Because it was Ihayul.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

If we just consider his big achievements, he single-handedly hunted down the two-headed dragon that became a commander, and he swept through the entire academy during the birth ceremony.

Recently, there’s also his activities during the disaster called Imen.

He was no longer at the level of a student. Even in active duty, he was at the top, far from the average, so there was no reason to worry.

However, what Elia was worried about wasn’t his strength.

‘...I wonder if he can sleep well.’

If we had to break it down, it was more of a mental concern.

Elia couldn't hide the worried look in her eyes as she brushed her hair back.

A large tent, spacious enough to be used alone.

Though it may seem simple, it was a special product infused with all kinds of magic. Even if someone like Aerus tried to scratch it for a hundred days, it would be hard to leave a mark on it.

[...]

Inside the tent, I sat on the sleeping bag, hugging the pillow, blinking absentmindedly.

I couldn’t fall asleep.

A warm embrace, tender touches, a warm body temperature, the sweet scent of skin, affectionate gazes...

None of that was there.

I corrected my earlier words.

I didn’t want to sleep alone.