I fixed my gaze straight ahead.
An open hall stretched in every direction, and right at its center, an old book lay abandoned on the ground.
Exactly as Travis had described.
This marked the second branching point of this ghost-type dungeon.
'Hmm, this place too... It's just like the original game.'
The moment I scoop up the old book resting in the heart of the room, debuff magic will activate within a certain radius from the book, followed by the appearance of small zombies from all directions.
The strategy here is pretty straightforward.
Just like the first branching point, someone takes the lead and lifts the old book at the center.
The rest of the team members only need to confront the small zombies swarming in from every direction.
I turned around and told my team,
"I'll pick up that suspicious-looking book. Just like before, stand by outside. If any monsters appear, deal with them."
They agreed, each brandishing their weapons.
Travis held a spear, Monica a one-handed mace and a shield, Piel had a rapier, and Andrew, in true flamboyant mage fashion, was unarmed.
A pretty solid team.
...Well then, let's go.
Step, step, step─
I approached the very center of the hall.
Then, I bent over and picked up the old book.
The moment I did, my vision blurred and quickly turned pitch black.
'······It's the [Blind] spell.'
Fumbling with my hands, I swiftly pulled out a [Debuff Recovery Potion] from my bag, opened the lid, and drank it.
Just like at the first branching point, I executed the move smoothly and cleanly.
In less than 10 seconds, I dispelled the [Blind] magic.
Then, I looked around.
From a distance, countless small zombies moved toward me with sluggish steps.
······ weren't there too many?
At least three times more than what I saw in the original game.
'Why is that? Turning White wouldn't have tampered with a regular dungeon like this.'
Soon enough, I figured out the reason.
A very simple one.
Our team had more members now than in the original game.
In the original, depending on the route, Neike entered this dungeon with a maximum of three people.
Now our team consisted of five members.
By simple calculation, a maximum of twice the number of small zombies should appear, but the original game wasn't that kind.
The more team members, the exponentially greater the number of monsters that appear.
"It's, it's zombies! They're coming from all sides!"
"There are... there are so many! What... what do we do?"
The procession of zombies, their innards trailing behind.
Overwhelmed by the sight, Travis & Monica looked at me.
Their legs quivering like those of a puppy that needs to pee.
I quickly racked my brain.
Honestly, there wasn't much time to think.
The wisest way to escape here was to break through in one direction.
In other words, it's a single-point breakthrough.
Zombies are inherently slow, so they can't keep up with our running speed.
And nearby, there's a separate room with a sturdy iron door that also serves as a resting place.
All we need to do is escape there and lock the door.
While I was organizing these thoughts—
[Sudden Quest: Subjugate the small zombies. (Creatures subjugated by team members are also counted.)]
Reward: 5 shop silver coins per entity
Time Limit: 1 hour
Suddenly, a quest window popped up.
The same window that popped up during the 'Artifact Exploration' practical evaluation earlier.
The only change is that the target for subjugation has shifted from mutant giant underground spiders to small zombies.
It's not just the ones I defeat that count.
Just subjugate them, and you get 5 silver coins from the shop for each one.
100 shop silver coins equate to one shop gold coin.
I couldn't just dismiss a quest that carried such an enticing reward.
Considering there are easily over 100 of them, if we sweep away all those small zombies, we'll secure at least 5 shop gold coins.
I shouted.
"We'll break through to the west! Ignore the zombies coming from other directions for now. Wipe out all the zombies swarming from the west!"
The strategy is to first break through on one side, secure a position, and then defeat the slow-approaching ones individually.
It's a strategy that's always worked in the main game.
Holding back my rising laughter, I quickly put the old book into my bag and joined my team members.
Perhaps to overcome their fears, they all shouted out.
"Understood! Let's move immediately!"
In contrast to them, I drew the practice longsword from my hip with a sly smile.
'5 silver coins per entity!'
This is a real party!
An hour later.
[You have cleared the sudden quest. As a reward, you have obtained 2 shop gold coins.]
[Total Rewards: 6 shop gold coins, 10 shop silver coins]
Satisfied, I looked down at the countless bodies of the small zombies scattered in front of me.
Honestly, it was easier than I expected given the rewards.
The small zombies are monsters with extremely low intelligence, but still─
"Phew. Feels like I've used up a month's worth of magic."
We owed our success to Andrew.
He took a deep breath and wiped the sweat streaming down his face with a handkerchief.
Small zombies are low-tier monsters.
Unlike some powerful monsters that have traits like [Hard Skin], they are extremely vulnerable to fire magic.
Andrew, a genius mage blessed with the ability to use magic of all attributes, excels particularly in fire magic.
So when I saw the approaching horde of small zombies, I focused on supporting Andrew, who seemed overwhelmed.
I continuously provided instructions.
The fireball he used in the practical skills evaluation against Noctar, infused with mana, not only incinerated a small zombie but also continued to burn the nearby ones.
Honestly, Andrew took care of 90% of them, and the rest of us, including me, dealt with the ones clinging to us.
'It's like picking low-hanging fruit.'
It's been a while since something went so smoothly... I can't even remember the last time.
I smiled contentedly and took out some water from my bag to hand to Andrew.
"·····Ah, thanks, Theo."
"You did well, Andrew."
I nodded appreciatively to Andrew.
I wanted to say, 'Thank you, Andrew! All thanks to you! Thanks to your effort, we secured an easy win!'
But I couldn't let such crude words pass my lips.
"You really pulled through, Andrew! All thanks to you! Thanks to you, we were able to get out of this!"
"Really! You're indeed a genius mage of the Hero Department! Oh, right. Andrew, you don't have a nickname yet, do you? How about [Heavenly Mage]? It seems to suit you well!"
It's as if they heard my inner thoughts.
Travis and Monica, who were standing next to me, said.
"Indeed, mages are the best when facing a large number of enemies."
Piel also chimed in.
"Ah, it was nothing, really."
Andrew's shoulders lifted, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards.
'How cute.'
While the rest of the team engaged in friendly chatter, I started to devise a new plan in my head.
Firstly, the rewards from this subjugation netted me 6 shop gold coins and 10 shop silver coins, which means I should soon be able to acquire an 'expert' level trait.
Currently, I possess a total of 16 shop gold coins and 40 shop silver coins.
'Should I go ahead and buy an expert-level trait?'
After a short contemplation, I shook my head.
Sudden quests have happened out of the blue before, and this time was no different.
There's a high likelihood that more sudden quests will pop up in the future.
Additionally, alongside these sudden quests, there are hidden and sub-quests─
'Alright.'
I've decided to keep collecting shop currency.
Indeed, a man's dream is a 'master'-level trait.
With my [Amplification Orb], if I enhance the 'expert'-level trait, it would become a 'master'-level trait.
But what if I enhance a 'master'-level trait?
In the original game, Neike handed over the [Amplification Orb] directly to the academy, so I couldn't test it.
I don't know what might happen.
However, it feels worth trying.
And with my current abilities, if nothing goes wrong, I should be ranked first in this practical evaluation.
When I hit the limit of my abilities, I'll worry then.
Having organized my thoughts, I said,
"Let's wrap up the dungeon exploration for today. Everyone must be worn out, and we've likely made the most progress. Let's head outside and rest."
It seems best to be content with this for today.
The dungeon exploration report is also shaping up nicely, and Andrew's mana is nearly depleted.
Though there is a resting place inside the dungeon, there's no way to avoid the thick, stale smell and the gloomy aura.
It's better to walk for a few hours and get outside, where it might be chilly but the environment is refreshing.
Honestly, I don't even want to eat inside this kind of dungeon. I'm constantly on edge.
"Understood!"
They all agreed.
On our way out of the dungeon, at the first branching point, we ran into Aisha and Siena's team.
Their faces were all pale, and some were aimlessly waving their hands in the air.
They must have been hit with [Confusion] magic.
Of course, they probably didn't have a countermeasure.
'Sigh, what a sight.'
I turned to my team and said,
"Wait here for a moment."
