'…No. I shouldn't worry about it.'
Artel gave Karen a brief nod and turned her eyes back to her book.
The appointment with Jeron today wasn't a personal meeting anyway.
It was official business for conquering the dungeon.
So it didn't matter who participated.
Whether Karen tagged along or someone else did.
What she had to do today was clear.
Gain real combat experience in the dungeon.
Draw new inspiration from watching Jeron's magic.
And perfectly execute the technique she'd practiced last time.
Then Jeron would see it, take interest, and praise her, saying she'd done well, that she'd worked hard…
No. No. The last part wasn't that important.
Artel shook her head slightly, scolding herself for drifting into strange thoughts without realizing it.
Of course, being acknowledged by an outstanding mage like Jeron was a good thing, but it shouldn't become her goal.
Her purpose, above all, was to grow stronger.
But even after steeling herself like that, she couldn't focus on the book.
'Jeron definitely said that night in the flower bed was the first time he met Karen…'
So why were they close enough now to invite her on a dungeon conquest?
'Did she pull some kind of scheme again?'
Thinking back, Karen had been the one to grab Jeron's hand first that time.
She must have hidden some ulterior motive behind that innocent face and clung to him this time too.
'In that case, maybe it is something I should pay attention to.'
Jeron—her friend, her senior in magic, and a key talent in the Magic Department.
She needed to keep a close eye on him so he wouldn't fall for tricks from some shady swordswoman with unknown intentions.
It was an utterly rational and reasonable judgment.
"Hey, everyone."
Right on the dot at the appointed time, Jeron appeared looking relaxed.
'How does he always arrive exactly on time like that?'
Artel found it amazing.
Still… Given Jeron's inherently lazy personality, he could've easily been late, but the fact that he remembered and kept their appointment made her feel a little better.
The one thing that still bothered her was the uninvited guest in that appointment.
"So the three of us are partying up to conquer the dungeon today. Artel, Karen—you've greeted each other?"
"Oh? Cadet Artel is coming to the dungeon too?"
Karen said with a startled look on her face.
Then she quickly beamed and stuck out her hand.
"Even better! My first love is swordsmanship, and my second is the strong! I'm always welcome to adventure with powerhouses like Cadet Artel."
"…"
Artel shook her hand, her grip full of wariness.
***
To be honest, I briefly considered showing up late to our appointment today.
It was a pretty trashy thought, but I couldn't help it. Being late? That's prime sloth material—the system would love it.
I'd probably rake in a nice chunk of points.
At the expense of my party members' affection, though.
Especially Artel—she was described as someone who really hated people breaking appointments.
Hmm. Short-term laziness or long-term relationships?
I pondered for a bit before deciding.
'Think long-term.'
Laziness points could come from elsewhere anyway.
But Karen and Artel would be huge helps in future story progression.
Plus, for some reason, things were going really well with Artel's affection right now. No need to mess that up.
So I headed out exactly on time, just like when going to the academy.
After introducing Artel and Karen to each other first. (There was a weird vibe flowing, probably because Swordsmanship and Magic Departments were rivals.)
Before setting off, I shared the dungeon briefing materials with them.
The parchment enclosed with the entry ticket from Professor Zephyr had brief info on the dungeon we were tackling.
Type, location, special notes, etc.
"[Underground Crypt] dungeon, huh."
Artel murmured as she scanned the materials intently.
That's right.
The dungeon we had to conquer was the [Underground Crypt].
Among green-grade dungeons, the Underground Crypt was known as one of the highest difficulties.
Because it featured powerful undead-type monsters.
Even typical academy cadets would struggle with just three people.
But.
"Ooh! This'll be fun, right?"
The crew here wasn't typical.
Karen, disciple of the Sword Saint, and Artel, genius of a magic noble house.
They were powerhouses who could handle this level without breaking a sweat.
Karen looked downright excited.
"Alright, let's grab a carriage then."
As I stepped to the roadside to hail a passing carriage, Artel stopped me with a puzzled expression.
"Why take a carriage? It'll take forever."
"Huh?"
What, walk?
"How else are we going?"
"There's a teleportation station near the school. I saw the dungeon's in the northeast forest outside Ether City—there's one close by too."
"…I'm broke?"
Artel… Do you know how much teleportation costs?
"I'll cover it."
"?"
Artel said it like it was nothing.
In the game, using the teleportation station auto-deducted from your gold.
100 gold per trip—a fortune.
I didn't have enough even if I emptied my pockets.
I'd ruled it out automatically, but she's offering to pay?
'Whoa. This is old-money vibes.'
Daughters from chaebol families are different.
As I gazed at her with admiring eyes, Artel cleared her throat and looked away.
"…Don't stare like that. It's for saving time. Purely an efficiency thing."
"I'm all for it too! I wanna get there quick and swing my sword!"
Karen chimed in.
Oh yeah, she's the Sword Saint's daughter too. You're loaded as well.
Just me who's poor.
And so we headed to the teleportation station near the academy.
It was a massive magic circle blended with intricate machinery, giving off a full arcanepunk vibe.
The manager recognized Karen and Artel and greeted us politely, escorting us to the VIP magic circle.
"Transmission coordinates locked. Mana stabilization complete."
With the manager's words, the circle under our feet blazed with brilliant light.
Flash!
The scenery changed in an instant.
***
'Thanks to Artel, we got here faster than planned.'
After arriving at Ether City's teleportation station, we headed toward the dungeon in the northeast forest.
How long had we walked the forest path?
Not far off, we spotted a stone gate thick with moss.
That was the dungeon entrance.
A gateway to a new world.
"Halt. To enter the dungeon, please present your entry ticket."
Several guards stood watch at the entrance.
I showed them the ticket from Professor Zephyr, and after a quick identity check, we were cleared.
"Anything can happen inside the dungeon, so please stay extra vigilant."
One man who seemed to be the head honcho warned us.
"The dungeon will open in one minute. Prepare yourselves."
A short wait.
That's when I said to the two of them,
"Wanna make a bet before we start?"
"O? A bet, you say?"
Karen's eyes lit up with competitive fire, and Artel looked at me with clear interest.
"Yeah. All rewards from this dungeon go to whoever contributed the most. Sound good? At the end, we vote based on our own consciences."
"Ooh! Sounds great! This'll be fun!"
Karen agreed immediately. Artel thought for a moment, then nodded.
Of course, I had my reasons for suggesting it.
"Opening the dungeon!"
Rumble!
The massive stone gate groaned open with a heavy sound.
We stepped inside the dark entrance without hesitation.
The moment we passed the gate, the bright sunlight vanished, and the air turned damp and chilly.
Just like in the game—a classic underground crypt feel.
Moss covered the walls, and open, weathered stone coffins littered the place haphazardly.
"Whoa, totally creepy!"
Karen shouted. But contrary to her words, her voice sounded as excited as if she were on a picnic.
Artel, meanwhile, scanned our surroundings with sharp, wary eyes.
And I was just chill.
My party members were too reliable.
"Ah! Skeleton pack ahead!"
Then Karen spotted them first—bones creaking to life in the distant darkness.
Shing!
Karen instantly drew her sword from her waist.
Artel summoned a cold chill at her fingertips, readying for battle.
I couldn't be shown up.
I pulled my secret weapon from my Subspace Pocket, prepared specially for this dungeon run. Namely…
Crunch!
'Mm, tasty.'
Popcorn.
Fresh and savory popcorn, kept warm in my Subspace Pocket like it was just fried.
"???"
Artel and Karen both tilted their heads in unison.
But I ignored them and popped another kernel in my mouth.
'Guys, handle the trash mobs for me. I'll watch while eating popcorn.'
My first strategy for the Underground Crypt dungeon conquest.
It was none other than bus-riding.