A glow pulsed from the crumbled stone tower.
Formless.
The [Magic Cartridge], flickered like a flame.
'It's just as I saw in the game.'
I reached for the glow.
Silence.
The light flowed into me as if it had been waiting all along.
"······ugh."
The left side of my body began to burn, engulfed in intense heat.
The sensation was painful.
[You have cleared the Hidden Quest. You have earned 2 shop gold coins as a reward.]
: Acquire Hidden Piece (Repeatable)
[You have acquired a Hidden Piece. You have received 4 shop gold coins as a reward.]
[Total Reward: 6 Shop Gold Coins]
However, the sight of the quest completion window eased my pain instantly.
······6 shop gold coins.
Adding the 2 coins I obtained from subjugating the mutant spider earlier, I had earned 8 coins within half a day.
At this rate, I would soon be able to purchase a valuable trait.
Moreover, I obtained [Magic Cartridge].
Curiously, I touched my left side, the exact spot where the [Magic Cartridge] had embedded itself.
The same spot Neike had it in the game.
'If [Magic Cartridge] had a physical form...'
It simply seeped into me. All I could do was accept it.
Neike, always the pushover, would've gone ahead and said, "Instructor~ I found something strange in the dungeon~ Did I do well? Hehehe~," and handed it over.
'Huhu.'
I stifled a chuckle.
I had invested half a day for an artifact along with 8 shop gold coins.
The future has changed, and at this rate, it's a whole new game.
···Just as I was relishing in this small triumph.
I felt a gaze.
My enhanced [Observer's Eye] scanned the shadowy corners.
"······."
A suspicious figure lurked behind a distant wall.
It was most likely Aisha.
I darted towards the wall.
"······!"
As I thought, it was indeed Aisha.
Her wide eyes trembled with surprise.
"I, I was just······ I was told to scout."
Aisha averted her gaze, unable to meet my eyes.
"···It's not a big deal. You're just doing your job."
With those words, I moved to leave.
In the end, only I knew [Magic Cartridge] existed.
There were no changes of being found out.
"Th-thank you. But I, um······.”
"What is it."
"How did you... cause the stone tower to crumble?"
"···How much did you see."
"I. Uh, I saw, uh-”
"I won't tolerate any lies."
I locked eyes with Aisha.
···Just how much had she seen?
Hopefully not the three taps left, three taps right.
A wave of embarrassment surged within me.
"I saw... you did some strange dance in front of the stone tower. You were hopping around, and even punched the tower... Oh, oh! It was really impressive."
"............"
This was beyond embarrassing.
Quickly, I boosted [Dignity of the Twisted Noble] with [Amplification Orb].
"But um... how did you do it? It didn't seem like you were hitting it with much force..."
Casually, I licked my lips.
"I discovered it from old documents at home."
An excuse plausible enough to move past this awkward moment.
Aisha likely couldn't access the Waldeurk family's records yet.
She wouldn't have access to the family's secrets until her third year at the academy.
Even with the accelerated timeline, it wouldn't be now.
"......I see."
After a brief pause, Aisha nodded.
It seems like she bought it.
I moved faster.
"Let's return quickly, then."
"......Yes."
After our break, we quickly resumed our search for the marker.
Soon, a strangely conspicuous rock that didn't fit its surroundings appeared.
"It must be near here, right?"
"Let's move that odd rock."
Noctar and Ralph lifted the rock.
Beneath it lay numerous worn-out coins, heaped in a pile.
"Is this it?"
"But it's too obvious... it makes me suspicious."
Each teammate had their thoughts.
Noctar looked at me.
"Theo, is this it?"
"Yes."
It's exactly the same as in the original game.
Those tarnished coins served as markers that the instructors had placed beforehand for this practical evaluation.
They had kept it simple, considering the first-year students' skill level.
One could compare it to the difference between a boot camp and the actual battlefield.
In a real dungeon, artifacts are not as easily discovered as these markers.
However, while the markers are easily found, they have unexpected traps attached to them.
Travis picked up one of the coins.
"But what happens if we take them all?"
"Right. Can we just take them all? Would we be the only winners?"
"Indeed, it does seem strange."
The team glanced at me.
I vehemently shook my head.
"The professors and instructors are not fools. If they deliberately left such a large amount, there must be a catch. Let's take only one."
That's the trap.
In the original game, taking more than one coin resulted in a poor evaluation in the character assessment.
Each coin is equipped with a magical device, so they'd know instantly.
My teammates nodded.
"I see."
"Is it over now? I miss daylight."
No, of course not.
The Guardian was still waiting.
So we picked up one coin and prepared to surface...
"..."
But the Guardian didn't appear.
In the original game, a Flesh Golem always appeared.
'The mutated underground giant spider must be the reason.'
In fact, the mutant was even stronger than the Guardian.
Anyway, it seems like our team is in first place.
"Let's head to the surface."
I led the way up the stairs.
There's a lot to do.
I had to devise a plan to outwit 'Turning White'.
'First, I should show the evidence to Rok.'
Even though he is a bald, eccentric bachelor in his late thirties living alone, he was reliable and would be a big help.
Our team surfaced.
Near the Magic Dungeon's entrance stood Rok, arms folded.
"···You've come out much earlier than expected. You're in first place."
At Rok's words, the team erupted in cheer.
"Kuoooooooo─!"
"I knew the hard work would pay off, heh heh."
"Huh, it's the first time I've ranked first since enrolling... It's all thanks to you guys!"
"Everyone worked so hard!"
"······."
But I, showing no elation, approached Rok.
"Were there any distress calls from other teams?"
"...None."
"I have something important to tell you."
I narrowed my eyes.
Rok immediately sensed something was off.
"···Let's change locations."
So, our team and Rok relocated to a nearby cabin.
Creak─
Rok pushed open the cabin door.
"Welcome, Senior Professor."
Seeing Rok, the seated instructors instantly stood.
"Everyone. Please excuse us for a moment."
""Understood.""
In unison, the instructors complied, exiting the cabin.
Rok seated himself on an old wooden chair with a dignified posture.
"What is it that you want to talk about?"
"First, there's something I'd like you to see."
I sat across from Rok and gave Travis a look.
Quickly catching on, Travis unwrapped the evidence – the red marker – hidden in his cloak beneath the table.
"Hmm."
Despite his nonchalant response, Rok's eyes were alert.
He then looked at me, urging me to proceed.
"······."
I remained silent, studying him.
Rok turned to the students.
"I'm sorry, but could you all step out for a moment?"
"······Understood."
At Rok's request, all students but I exited the cabin.
'He is indeed a man who understands.'
Assured by this, I began recounting the events within the Magic Dungeon.
Aisha stepped outside the cabin.
She had contemplated eavesdropping on the conversation between Theo and Rok inside, but quickly dismissed the idea.
'Being curious here could... strangle me.'
What if she got caught?
She no longer wanted to do things she might regret.
But having a private conversation with the meticulous senior professor, Rok...
'He must be gradually earning his trust.'
It was also Rok who publicly announced the capture of the culprit from the previous monster subjugation incident.
As Aisha strolled towards a quieter spot, she found herself deep in thought.
She couldn't figure out Theo's intentions.
Even though he had forgiven them... for him to credit the capture to those six who had accused him baselessly, purely on suspicion...
There must certainly be some trick, but she absolutely couldn't guess it.
[Just act as you normally would. Don't be so nervous.]
She recollected his words from earlier, just before entering the magic dungeon today.
Was there a hidden meaning behind those words?
She truly didn't know.
"Phew..."
Unconsciously, she let out a sigh.
'He's on a different level...'
***
I changed all mentions of 'treasure' to artifact.. Author I think just calls all magical devices an artifact regardless of rarity/ability so...
2/5 Enjoy the chappy!
Coming soon!
