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The losses from gambling were their responsibility, not mine.

“They all think they lost money because of me.”

“I don’t think that’s it…”

Limberton pointed to the skewer I was holding.

It seemed that those who lost money couldn’t even afford such a luxury and were filled with envious jealousy.

“Oh, so that’s why they’re drooling.”

“You can be really nasty sometimes.”

I smirked and took a bite of the skewer. The sight of me eating made those watching gulp and glare even more intensely. Once I finished, I waved the untouched skewer at them.

“Hmm, now I have trash. If someone throws this away for me, I’ll give it to them.”

They smiled brightly, acting like they hadn’t been glaring just moments before.

The competition was fierce.

“Me! I’ll throw it away for you!”

“Move! I was here first!”

After giving the trash and the skewer to the first person, I made my way to the classroom.

Monsterology was a joint class for all first-year students, both knights and mages, regardless of dormitory. Everyone looked exhausted as they sat in their seats. A female professor stood on the podium.

“This will be our last class for a while.”

In two days, all first-year students would head to the Dungeon.

“Feeling nervous? Don’t worry too much. The place you’re going to is near the entrance, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

The professor twisted her braided hair with her finger and sighed.

“Still, it’s an unexplored area, so stay alert. Now, let’s take a look at the map you’ll be using.”

She used a conjuration spell to project a large holographic map.

Between the mortal realm and the Dungeon, there was a long boundary line, much like a national border. The entire line could be considered an entryway. Ṝ

“As you can see, the path to the Dungeon is quite wide.”

Markings along the boundary line indicated buildings, which served as entry points maintained for adventurers. The adventurers’ guild even provided facilities nearby.

“These buildings mark well-maintained roads. Some roads are wide enough for carts to transport large monster carcasses. Nearby, the adventurers’ guild offers convenience facilities. But what’s our job?”

Ricks raised his hand energetically.

“To pave the way so civilians can eventually create such facilities!”

The professor clapped approvingly.

“Correct. As pathfinders, we explore uncharted territories. We don’t take the easy paths. We’ll be going through untouched land, and our destination will be in the wild.”

The female professor glanced at a male professor standing by a black tent. He was a professor from the knight department.

“Please begin.”

Without hesitation, the knight professor pulled back the tent.

Inside was a wolf bound in chains. It had three heads and wore muzzles.

Previously, in monsterology, we only covered theory, but this time, they brought in a dangerous specimen.

“This is a three-headed wolf from the Dungeon you’ll be entering. I’ll teach you how to handle it, so watch closely.”

The knight professor dragged the chained three-headed wolf onto the podium. Limberton scoffed.

“Huh, it looks weak compared to what we saw in the dungeon.”

“Don’t be fooled by appearances. The third trial was set to a beginner level by the professors.”

For a first-year student to safely handle a three-headed wolf, it required at least two people working together. This standard was based on students from Adelle Hall; for Schlaphe Hall, it would take about five students to barely succeed in capturing one due to its challenging conditions.

“But the sentinels were on another level.”

“That’s something even the professors can’t control.”

The sentinel was like the dungeon boss. Regular monsters were placed in manageable numbers and positions, but sentinels were untouchable even if the dungeon was tamed.

“Excluding the sentinels, the quality of the Dungeon monsters will be much higher than those we faced in the dungeon trial.”

Dungeon monsters moved like puppets. This varied by dungeon, but the ones we faced in the third trial fell into this category. Dungeon monsters, however, were relentless hunters with enough intelligence to retreat strategically or exploit weaknesses.

“Surviving in such an environment is no small feat.”

“Ugh…”

The knight professor wielded a wooden sword and removed the muzzles from the three-headed wolf. The wolf immediately lunged.

Tack!

The professor easily dodged the first head, countered the second with a strike, and kicked the third to create distance. He then expertly maneuvered the chains to subdue the beast.

Donatan, impressed by the professional display, commented.

– His movements are better than expected.

‘Well, he is a professor.’

Though I had a poor impression after seeing Leana defeat him, that wasn’t entirely fair. She was a monster on par with Arkandric, and the professor had been tasked with capturing, not killing. Holding out until Rockefeller arrived was no small feat.

“The three-headed wolf is known for its rapid attack tempo. Always expect follow-up attacks when fighting it.”

The female professor then took over to demonstrate handling the wolf with magic. She showed brief examples of using electrical magic to shock it and curse magic to silence it.

This was just to prevent the wolf from howling.

Awooooo!

“This is howling. It’s a signal to call other wolves. To avoid being surrounded, you must incapacitate all three heads simultaneously. If even one is conscious, you’ll be in trouble.”

With that, the female professor killed the wolf, causing it to explode.

Boom!

Blood splattered on the students’ faces, leaving them pale.

Ignoring their discomfort, the professor offered some encouragement.

“Remember, anything you find in the Dungeon belongs to you, even during training. While some items might be claimed by the empire, the emperor will reward you generously.”

Eyes lit up at the mention of rewards.

“Do you mean coins?”

“Coins? Usually, it’s gold coins.”

“Could we get coins instead?”

The students, preferring coins to gold they couldn’t use, seemed even more excited.

**

After class, I headed to Nille’s alchemy workshop. The representative greeted me warmly, while a woman stirring a pot looked displeased.

“Let me guess, you bet on me, and she bet against me?”

The representative laughed good-naturedly.

“Ha ha, well, I had to support our workshop’s investor, right? But Melda here thought it was nonsense and bet against you.”

“Don’t rub it in. I barely ate yesterday!”

“And I bought you lunch today.”

“That’s true, thanks for that.”

The representative turned to me, remembering something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You came for your items, right? Just a moment.”

He placed a bag on the counter. It contained custom potions and other items I had ordered weeks ago.

“You’re in luck. The creature you’ll face in the Dungeon is a three-headed wolf, right?”

“That’s right.”

“You’ve got good timing. It takes about two weeks to make these potions.”

The day before, the target monster had been announced, so it seemed like a stroke of luck to him.

“Well then, I’ll see you next time.”

As I was about to leave, Silla spotted me and quickly hid behind Leana. Ignoring her, I picked up my bag and started to leave. Leana glared at me briefly before turning to the representative.

“Do you have any potions for bone health?”

“Yes, but if your friend is injured, it might be better to visit the infirmary.”

Silla shouted in desperation.

“Then I won’t be able to go on the Dungeon expedition!”

I paused to look at Silla. One of her legs seemed to be bothering her. The representative must have noticed and suggested the infirmary.

‘Could she be injured from our fight?’

-Possibly. Her shin might have cracked when she kicked you in the neck.

Ah, that high kick to my neck. It happened a month ago, so it should be mostly healed by now… unless…

Lately, Adelle Hall’s first-year students had been undergoing harsh training under Bernthal. Their bodies wouldn’t have had time to recover.

I noted this and left the workshop.

***

Outside the citadel, Aslay and Limberton were waiting. They had bought better equipment with their recent earnings.

Aslay had a thicker shield strapped to his back and wore rough-textured gloves. Limberton proudly showed off a special metal bow he was holding, following his instructor’s advice.

“How do you like it? The draw weight is no joke.”

His arms seemed more muscular than before.

“Your arm strength has improved.”

“Yeah, but I can only shoot three arrows with it. I’ll save it for crucial moments.”

As we headed to Schlaphe Hall, we chatted idly.

“It’s surprising how much the average rank of Schlaphe students has risen.”

“I heard some seniors even scored higher than those from Adelle Hall.”

“I heard Bernthal lost 30,000 coins. Adelle Hall must be in chaos.”

As we approached the dormitory, Limberton asked.

“Isn’t it the same for us? The seniors have been acting strange. They ignore me and didn’t even reply when I talked to them today. Could they be upset about losing money?”

“That’s not it.”

After entering the lobby, I surveyed the area. I saw a peer talking to a senior, who turned away coldly, leaving the peer embarrassed.

“Don’t talk to me about the expedition.”

“….”

A professor watched from beyond. This was on Rockefeller’s orders, silencing the seniors. Plus, the seniors likely didn’t want to help their juniors.

Turning away from them, I asked Limberton.

“If someone tried to kill you, could you take their life without hesitation?”

“Uh? I’ve never been in that situation, but I guess I would? I want to live.”

“What if it were a child?”

Limberton’s eyes shook, and he couldn’t answer.

***

In a dark basement, a single candle flickered.

“Sires was killed by a black-haired man.”

“Then how will we get more orphans?”

Two men stood around a cot, discussing.

“We’ll find another supply chain. There’s never been a shortage of orphans.”

“Heh, true. There are always plenty of abandoned children.”

The roaming band selected its students differently than Frost Heart. They prioritized quantity over quality, gathering orphans and training them. Only those who survived the Dungeon were chosen for further training.

“Just like us.”

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

A young woman, just past puberty, entered cautiously.

“We’ve received the location from Frost Heart.”

One man took the papers and grinned.

“Ha, that’s why I like Rockefeller.”

“He knows refusing is pointless. We always find their training sites.”

The man left the room, walking down a long corridor. Beyond the iron bars lining the hallway were numerous young boys and girls, some as short as half the man’s height.

But their eyes were all fierce, like hungry beasts.

The man looked over the orphans and shouted.

“Prepare yourselves. We’re heading to the Dungeon! If you want to be taken in by the king, bring back their heads!”

The eyes of the young roaming band members lit up with a dangerous glint.