Chapter 259: The Problem Children
The students from the Academy District, Liam Moon among them, passed through the southwest gate of Orario. As they did, the citizens of the city greeted them with an extraordinary warmth.
Residents lined the city walls and the sides of the streets, leaning out of their windows to shower the students with pre-prepared flower petals. Liam was completely taken aback by this welcome. He knew the Academy was a global talent pool, and he figured the residents of Orario were so enthusiastic in the hopes of convincing more of these talents to stay.
When it came down to it, Orario was the center of the world. And the Academy was its reserve of talent—as well as the world's reserve of knowledge and technology. As prosperous as Orario was, it was still just a single, wealthy, neutral city. There was a limit to its scale.
However, because Orario had the largest number of high-level adventurers in the world, any nation that tried to conquer it by force would be effortlessly crushed. A single Level 6 adventurer was enough to rout an army of ten thousand ordinary soldiers. All the Level 6 would need to do is kill five hundred to a thousand of them in a short time, and the entire army would break, throwing down their armor and fleeing.
This was the core reason why Orario stood at the pinnacle of the world. The more talent Orario possessed, the more prosperous it became. And the more prosperous Orario became, the more its ordinary citizens could enjoy the dividends of its growth.
As the Academy students entered the city, the entire street was transformed from how Liam remembered it. Stylish restaurants and cafes had appeared, and the street itself was clean to the point of being spotless.
Adventuring was a profession constantly accompanied by danger. Adventurers returning from the Dungeon each day would bring with them exhaustion and damaged gear. But on this street, he couldn't see a single tired-looking adventurer. It was clear that all of Orario was putting on its best face to welcome the students.
It was just like how the various Familias in Orario tried their best to recruit outstanding and promising individuals. They would sift through countless ordinary people to find recruits. Even so, more than half of all adventurers would never level up, remaining at Level 1 for their entire careers. The high-pressure ordeal of having to break through one's limits in the face of death was enough to halt the progress of many.
When gods recruited for their Familias, they were naturally looking for high-potential investments. And every single student from the Academy was a blue-chip stock. Most of them were already Level 2; Level 1s were the minority. And even those at Level 1 possessed knowledge far beyond the average person.
For Orario, every student from the Academy was a precious human resource.
At that moment, Nina, walking beside Liam, had a troubled expression. He turned to her. "Is something wrong?"
"Gieg, could you handle the registration at the Guild Headquarters for me? I need to go prepare some items."
Liam nodded. He didn't ask if her sister was Eina. If he did, he would have a hard time explaining how he knew. But based on his impressions of both Eina and Nina, he guessed they were related—if not sisters, then at least cousins.
Nina and the others headed for the weapon and item shops, while Liam went to take care of the paperwork for himself and his team. The document in question was an Internship Permit. This certificate allowed Academy students to operate within the Dungeon even before officially becoming adventurers. Under normal circumstances, only adventurers who had joined a Familia in Orario were permitted to enter. At the very least, they had to belong to a god who was on good terms with the city. The Familias of gods who had declared war on Orario were, of course, barred from entry.
Later, the Third Squad regrouped at the entrance to the Babel Tower. The artificial labyrinth was currently being shared by the Hestia Familia, Loki Familia, the former Freya Familia members, and the Guild. Members of other Familias had to obtain a temporary use permit from the Guild or the Hearthfire Manor. Of course, adventurers below Level 3 were generally not allowed to apply for access.
It had been a long time since he had entered the Dungeon through the Babel Tower.
Liam's party began their descent down the labyrinthine stairs. As you travel from the surface into the Dungeon, you can feel the atmosphere gradually change. The feeling is especially intense for first-timers. Liam could clearly sense the breathing of Nina and the others becoming more rapid.
Is it because it's their first time in the Dungeon?
It reminded him of his own first encounter with the place. His heart had pounded then, too, as he excitedly and cautiously observed his surroundings.
Once they were inside, Liam began to unseal his Demon Hand. He removed the two suppressor devices from his left arm, along with the chain connecting them, and placed them in his backpack. As the seal was released, his night vision sharpened. Not only that, but he discovered a new magical element within his body. As the veins beneath the skin of his left arm turned black, dark-elemental magic began to surge into him.
The Oni Power reawakened within him, and this resurgence slightly amplified his desire to fight.
So this is the Oni Power!
Liam felt like he was in prime condition. His mind became crystal clear. He pinched himself and noticed his pain tolerance had also increased. Furthermore, his ability to sense both negative undead and living creatures was enhanced.
Is the Oni Power dark-elemental?
Liam's Third Squad gradually overtook the other teams. As they did, everyone instinctively looked toward Liam. Even though he was only Level 1, his considerable firepower had made him the core of the team. In addition, since the Gieg persona Liam was playing was a legendary dark elf, the others had placed him in the center of the formation, with the rest of the team protecting him. They simply assumed his low level was because he had only recently enrolled. No one in the squad doubted his future potential.
Their current formation was a circle, with Liam at its very center. The other members were positioned on the periphery, standing guard.
He wondered what they would think if they knew the person they were protecting was actually a Level 6. Their expressions would probably be priceless.
Am I supposed to be guiding the Third Squad because of their personality flaws, or is there a more fatal issue?
Currently, Iglin was wielding a great hammer, and Reche was equipped with two short swords. Kris, a Pallum standing about 1.2 meters tall, was using a greatsword nearly as long as he was. Iglin, at 1.5 meters, was standard height for a dwarf. Reche was 1.6 meters, a few centimeters taller than Nina. Nina herself carried a long staff, specializing in healing.
As for Liam, he was currently equipped with a two-handed long katana. He had explained to the others that his role was a magic swordsman. While rare, magic swordsmen were still a combat class. A class that could provide more tactical possibilities for a team was usually as popular as a healer.
For an adventurer party to go far, it needed, at a minimum, a warrior, a mage, and a cleric. The warrior engaged the enemy, the mage cleared the field, and the cleric provided healing. The warrior role could be further subdivided into tanks, swordsmen, archers, assassins, and so on. Mages could be support, offensive, or status-effect casters. Clerics themselves were a branch of mages, generally divided into healers and combat medics, the distinction being whether they had area-of-effect healing abilities. But because mages and clerics were so scarce, it was very common to see parties composed entirely of warriors.
"Monsters approaching!" Liam called out.
Nina and the others were startled for a moment, then immediately raised their weapons into a combat stance. A pack of more than twenty goblins came running from a short distance away.
Iglin charged toward them with his heavy hammer. The whole team had changed into close-fitting combat attire. The moment he entered the fight, Iglin's muscles bulged. His hammer stirred the air, smashing goblin after goblin into a pulp.
Liam watched the dwarf's profile. His face was now a ferocious mask. The once-fussy but rude boy had turned into a frenzied berserker.
Liam's brow furrowed slightly. The guy was wasting far too much stamina. The Dungeon was no ordinary place; you had to remain vigilant at all times, which meant fighting as efficiently as possible to conserve energy. You only went all-out when facing a dangerous opponent where holding back would put you in peril.
Kris and Reche then joined the fray, engaging the goblins as well. As for Liam, he observed his classmates' fighting styles while simultaneously practicing control over the Oni Power within him. Because his strength was now on a completely different level, the side effects of the power no longer affected him at all.
The battle continued, and once the goblins were cleared out, the team pressed onward. Before they knew it, the Third Squad had reached the 7th Floor.
Iglin's gaze instantly locked onto a swarm of Killer Ants. "Go! Don't get in my way!"
Ignoring the rest of his team, he plunged headfirst into the ant swarm. With every swing of his hammer, Killer Ants were turned into paste. Soon, everyone except Liam and Nina was fighting their own battles, each picking their own opponents.
"So much for a formation," Liam muttered, a headache coming on. He looked at Nina. "Nina, were they always like this?"
Nina replied, lacking confidence, "Yes, they were. That's why our squad's evaluation has always been low."
"The Academy puts everyone in teams because working together is safer and more efficient! If you keep fighting like this, it'll be too late when you face a real life-threatening danger."
Nina gave an awkward laugh. "I'm sorry, Gieg. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Liam waved his hand. "These guys are just too full of themselves. You don't have to take all the blame."
After all the surrounding monsters were dealt with, Liam stepped before the group.
"Shouldn't you all have a better understanding of teamwork?"
"Teamwork? Why do we need teamwork?" Iglin sneered. "In this world, strength reigns supreme! You guys are just rivals who will steal my combat resources!"
Kris stabbed his greatsword into the ground. "I am going to save the world in the future! A superhero like me naturally needs to get as much practical combat experience as possible to improve my abilities and skills!"
Reche crossed her arms, completely ignoring Liam's words.
Liam glanced at Nina, the current leader of the Third Squad.
"Nina, I need command of the squad."
Nina looked at him, puzzled. "I can give it to you, but what are you planning to do?"
"It's simple," Liam said. "Me against the four of you. If I can defeat all four of you, then you will follow my instructions in the Dungeon."
Iglin snorted. "A Level 1 against four Level 2s? What are you dreaming about?"
"Afraid?"
"As if! Don't come crying to us when we're done with you!"
None of them—Iglin, Reche, or the others—believed Liam possessed such strength.
Liam suppressed his stats to Level 1, then let the Oni Power surge through his entire body. A black aura covered his left arm and legs. With his katana in his left hand, his movement speed increased dramatically.
"How is he so fast?!"
Iglin had barely raised his hammer before Liam was already upon him, the back of his blade pressed against the dwarf's neck.
Reche and Kris closed in on Liam simultaneously, but Liam was faster. In a flash of sparks from clashing steel, Liam, with a single hand, parried both of their strikes at once.
"How is that possible?"
The swordsmanship Liam had just displayed was extraordinarily refined and masterful, on a completely different dimension from theirs.
"What level of swordsmanship is that?"
Just as Nina was about to cast a healing spell, Liam flicked a dark energy bullet from his right hand. The staff was knocked clean out of the girl's hands.
"This is the strength of a Level 2? Weak! So weak!" Liam taunted. "You're this weak, and you still don't care about teamwork? In the Dungeon, adventurers like you don't last more than a few days!"
Iglin was clearly unconvinced. "This is your first time in the Dungeon too, what's so special about you?"
Liam stared him down. "Do I need to emphasize the death rate in the Dungeon? Do you all think you're the chosen ones? Do you think the world revolves around you?"
He swept his gaze over all of them. "Your learning ability, your stats, your level—which of these are at the top of the world? You can't even beat me, a Level 1, and you still naively think you can go it alone?"
Liam's rebuke made the problem children lower their proud heads. Their usual bravado vanished, replaced by silence.
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