The next day came in no time, and the students who had been preparing their minds to go on the Dungeon Expedition were greeted with the most shocking news.
"The Dungeon Expedition has been put on an indefinite hiatus."
As Grandmaster Conrad said this, surprise overtook the expressions of all the students.
Once again, he was accompanied by both Brutus and Lucielle, and his attire was regal.
However, the forlorn expression he had was new.
No one had ever seen him this serious… or anxious before.
The same face was given by both Lucielle and Brutus.
It was a grave, disappointed face.
In contrast to this, however, the twenty-eight students had multifarious expressions on their faces.
Some were relieved that the Expedition was canceled—either due to the fear of going there, or the prospects of spending the day exploring the town.
Others—mostly the boys, and a few girls like Trisha—appeared disappointed to hear the news.
They were most likely looking forward to fighting real Monsters, so it was a major bummer to hear what Conrad was saying.
'Adonis doesn't look surprised. He must have already known…'
Rey had this thought as he stole a glance at the stoic Hero.
The rest of his classmates were buzzing with shock, so he joined them in it. However, Rey wasn't the slightest bit surprised.
The last ounces of his shock had been exhausted the previous day. This news was already expected, especially when he thought about it rationally.
'They suspect that a very dangerous monster is on the loose within the Dungeon, so it's currently not very safe for us.'
The reason why Brutus and Lucielle went to check out the Royal Dungeon the previous day was to make sure there would be no surprises waiting for the students.
And now, there was.
'I'm sure those two are strong, and they are capable of protecting us within the earlier Floors…'
But, Rey was also certain that they doubted their ability to look out for every single variable and prepare against surprise attacks.
Dungeons were largely unpredictable, which was why scouting was essential.
Right now, neither the Grand Mage nor Head Warrior could explain what had caused so much carnage within the Royal Dungeon.
Unless they figured it out, or at least determined that the Dungeon was largely safe, then it was no place they would allow their biggest prospects into.
"There have been some complications in the Dungeon, which make it unsafe and unfit for training. Brutus and an elite few will have to thoroughly investigate the Floors to ensure your safety." The Grandmaster explained further.
Rey smiled as he noticed how Conrad skirted around the details, choosing to be vague on purpose.
'He probably doesn't want to scare us. I can understand why…'
If the students truly knew how terrifying monsters could be, and the current unknown threat that was supposedly lurking within the Dungeon, most of them would be discouraged from ever wanting to participate .
… Even after everything was finally resolved.
'I personally don't think a Monster did this. It's probably the mastermind who's pulling the strings here…'
The actions that were involved here—like looting and harvesting—could only be done by something very intelligent.
It was simply more reasonable to believe that a human did it than some unknown monster.
'By this goes to show that the malefactor is powerful and very resourceful. They have more resources than me at this point too, so I have to be extra wary.'
Rey could almost guarantee that Brutus and his team wouldn't be able to find a single clue about the monster, so they were probably going to explore the Dungeon very soon.
'I just need to gain an edge by killing SOME and not ALL the Monsters in my free time, so I can Level Up faster. There's also THAT issue…'
Rey could feel his lips curling up when he heard something else that he should have expected.
"In the meantime, Lucielle and a select few others will be giving you a practical course." As Conrad said this, Lucielle managed to force her signature smile and waved at everyone.
"I'll… erm… let her explain."
Conrad appeared to take a step back, and Lucielle bowed slightly before moving forward with her staple cheerful look.
"Okay, everyone… this is what we're going to do!"
**********
The alternative to Dungeon Exploration wasn't a particularly terrible idea.
It involved Lucielle and the few Summoners of the United Human Alliance.
This practical session would take place in a massive stadium that resembled a gladiator ring—still situated within the Royal Estate.
It was more than large enough to contain thousands of people, but for the purposes of the exercise, only twenty-eight students and about twelve instructors—a total of forty individuals—occupied the expanse.
And what exactly would they be doing here?
Well, it was both simple and complex.
"As I explained before, all of the instructors here are capable of using Summoning Magic. So, we're going to be summing Monsters for you to fight."
It was that simple.
Unlike Tamers, Summoners couldn't control the mind of whatever they summoned, hence the beasts had no allegiance to them.
They also weren't limited to the summoning of living things, but for the purposes of their Otherworlders, that was essential.
"Fighting Monsters will give you a better understanding of how to fight against creatures who aren't humanoid. Killing them also gives you EXP, though to a limited degree…"
Summoned Monsters possessed less EXP due to the nature of their Summoning. They were also considerably weaker than the real thing, so it was only a natural conclusion that the EXP they gave wouldn't be as lucrative.
Still… since they were still Monsters, they could serve their purposes well.
…. To be cannon fodder for the Otherworlders who desired to grow.
"This will replace your Dungeon Expedition in the meantime, so try your best, okay?"
As Lucielle flashed her smile, a lot of students reacted with wide grins.
Rey was among them, though his reason for doing so vastly differed from theirs.
'I know I shouldn't be excited since this is just a playground version of the real thing…'
And yet, his smile didn't stop growing.
That was all because of one thing.
'I can't wait to test out my new Class!'
*
*
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Thanks for reading.
Yes! You saw that right.
You've all been asking if Rey gets a new Class, so now you can clearly see that he does.
And right on time too.
WOOHOOOO! A hundred chapters, baby!
Don't ask me if I did this intentionally; dragging out the reveal so it would match the hundredth chapter.
All I can say is that I'm really grateful to all of you who have made it this far.
And I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
Cheers!
