Suddenly, the giant underground spider in front of us twitched slightly.
You could easily miss the subtle movement if you weren't looking for it.
But my sharp [Observer's Eye] didn't miss the creature's tiny twitch.
"Aisha, back up─"
I couldn't finish my warning.
Aisha had already moved back and was gripping her bow, ready for battle.
'Her stance changed so quickly.'
Although I was curious, I put it aside.
"Everyone, get ready for battle."
Our first task was to defeat this giant underground spider.
Its body was shielded by a hard exoskeleton.
Ordinary spiders have soft shells, but this monster, though a spider, was armored.
Usually, you'd have to wear down its eight legs before striking its head, but─
'That's too slow. Given my current team's skills, we can do better.'
I turned to my armed teammates.
"Travis, draw its attention. You handled the Cockatrice well last time, I know you can do this. Noctar, Ralph, while Travis keeps it busy, sneak up and flip it over."
"Got it, I'm on it!"
""Understood.""
I leaned towards Aisha.
"When it's flipped, aim for the red spot on its belly. That's your target. You only get one shot."
"Yes, understood!"
Aisha was tightly clenching her teeth, her gaze fixed on the giant underground spider.
Good. She's focused.
If they follow my plan, this should be an easy fight.
Aisha's mana arrow could penetrate its hard shell, but that wasn't the best plan.
Using mana to power up a bow isn't efficient.
You have to spend a lot of mana to kill just one creature.
And we still had more monsters to fight as we moved up.
“Huuuuu......”
Aisha took a deep breath.
Her eyes never left the giant underground spider.
"Then I'll trust you, Aisha."
To help, I ran towards Travis.
We brought it down quickly.
While Travis and I kept its attention, Noctar & Ralph, coming from the side, flipped it over.
The powerful creature tried to get back up, but in the moment it was flipped, its life ended.
Aisha's piercing mana arrow had found its mark─ the red spot on its belly.
I looked at my teammates, pleased.
"Well done, everyone."
"Huh, really? I didn't do much. Just ran around a bit."
Travis scratched his head.
"No, everyone did their part perfectly."
And that's the truth.
Teamwork is key.
Even in the easiest and lowest difficulty wizard route would have been dangerous if Neike was alone.
So, for someone like me, teamwork is crucial.
The giant underground spider we just defeated was an easy target because I knew how to handle it.
It's not weak.
At this point, even Neike would have struggled to take one down alone.
That reminds me, something seems off.
A round red mark is left where the giant underground spider died.
Just like when we defeated the Cockatrice in the previous 'Monster Subjugation' evaluation, monsters in the magic dungeon vanish without a trace once they're dead.
Only one place could pull this off.
Turning White.
They must have intervened.
The area-wide blind magic, the unusually large underground giant spider.
It wasn't like this in the original game.
Last week, I dealt with Francis, but it seems there's another troublemaker hiding in the academy.
'These incidents are happening too often.'
Events that should have taken place at the end of the first year are already occurring.
This means that the academy's destruction, where students, instructors, and professors die one by one, is getting closer.
In the original game, it started in the third year, but at this rate, it might start at the beginning of the second year.
It could even happen by the end of the first year.
I can't let the academy fall before I graduate.
For now, I'll get out of this dungeon first before making a plan.
The most important issue is the present.
I glanced at the red mark, the size of a grown man's fist.
"We should take that red mark with us. It will earn us extra points."
"Understood, I'll handle it."
Travis darted over and picked up the red mark.
A sticky, gooey liquid trickled from the it.
Travis didn't flinch.
He took off his coat and wrapped the mark in it.
'Ugh... It's revolting.'
I cringed.
Just looking at it makes my stomach churn.
As for Travis, I didn't know him well since he was a minor character, but he was surprisingly useful.
If this were a competition of tact, he'd easily take first place in the Hero Department.
"Got it!"
"Good job."
I looked around at my teammates.
"Everyone okay? Any injuries?"
"None. It was just like a walk in the park."
"Same here."
"Me too."
"Alright, let's keep moving."
Trudge, trudge, trudge...
After two more fights with the giant underground spiders, our team made it to B2.
'Three battles are the bare minimum.'
In the original game, we had to fight five times before ascending to B2.
The pace is definitely good.
"Hmm, are we the first ones here?"
Travis scanned the area.
"···Hmm."
I surveyed the surroundings with my enhanced [Observer's Eye].
There were no traces of anyone else passing through.
It's clear.
Our team is the first to set foot on B2.
Everything is progressing as planned.
Unless an unexpected event arises, we should remain in the lead.
‘Hehe.’
A feeling of accomplishment washes over me.
Enough to want to shout, "Neike, Piel, what are you two even doing-", but such unrefined behavior is not allowed for me.
Contrary to my elated heart, my exterior remains calm.
I looked at my team members with a composed gaze.
"Confirming again, no one is injured, right? Anyone tired?"
"Only this much? It's a breeze."
Noctar grinned, evidently in high spirits.
The other three also confirmed they had no issues.
"Alright, let's press on. We need to maintain our lead."
My stamina, boosted by [Natural Power], is comparable to Travis's.
Obviously, Aisha, Noctar, and Ralph have higher stamina than the both of us.
If I'm not tired, they won't be either.
So, our team killed five more giant underground spiders on B2 and ascended to B1.
Travis whistled.
"Ah~ Just one more level to climb and we're done~. Hard work is always rewarded~! All thanks to you guys. For the first time since we enrolled, I think we'll secure first place. Hehe."
"Fortunately, there are no monsters in sight..... Ah."
Aisha sighed.
All the team members, except me, turned to look at Aisha.
Travis swallowed nervously.
"Aisha, why....what's the matter?"
"···It's not that there aren't any. There is exactly one. But it seems to be twice as big as the ones we've been fighting...."
Then Aisha looked at me, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Noctar spoke while swinging his arm in a 360-degree circle.
"Hmm. What's the plan, Theo?"
"······.”
What indeed.
"Aisha. Where abouts is it? And are there definitely no other monsters around?”
"It's close by. About a minute's walk from here. I don't see any other monsters besides that big one."
The team members looked at me, their eyes filled with apprehension.
‘A mutant monster, huh.’
Every once in a while, certain regular monsters are born with extraordinary power.
These are called mutant monsters.
A mutant monster is significantly stronger than a regular one.
The probability of our usual strategy—flipping it over and aiming for its weak spot—working is quite low.
Since there are no other monsters around, it's not a 'named' monster. The prerequisite for a 'named' monster is the presence of a swarm of regular monsters surrounding it.
Regardless, it's about a minute away.
Underground giant spiders have practically no hearing, but their vision is decent.
Since it's a mutant, its fundamental attribute—vision—is likely amplified.
If we advance a bit more, it'll see us.
One misjudgment against such an entity could result not only in my demise but also the death of all my team members.
“······.”
Finally, I settle on a course of action.
A strategy emerges in my mind.
I locked eyes with the team members and spoke.
“...I have a solution”
“What is it······?”
“But there's something we need to make clear first.”
“And what's that?”
"So far, we've been winning easily, but now death is definitely a possibility. There is also the option to give up first place and call the instructor.”
“······.”
I was serious.
My strategy can only succeed if the team members trust me unwaveringly.
I concluded my words.
"Calling the instructor is not a shameful act. I just want to hear your honest opinions. My plan... are you able to follow my orders without the slightest doubt?"
"······.”
A moment of silence.
Then.
Noctar placed his hand on my shoulder, Aisha nodded her head.
"···Yes. We trust you, Theo."
***
I usually switch between 'original story' and 'original game' depending on which element of the original he is talking about but I decided to just stick with 'original game' from now on.
5/5 Enjoy the chappy!
Coming soon!
