"You're well-prepared."

Luca’s voice carried a tone of admiration as he observed Arthur and his team, who had just completed the first floor of the dungeon.

"For first-years to clear a dungeon this cleanly is impressive."

It wasn’t sarcasm or anything else; it was pure admiration.

Luca, having served as a combat instructor at the academy for several years, had seen many freshmen.

Among them, there were always those labeled as prodigies or promising talents.

But none of them had ever shown such outstanding performance on their first dungeon raid.

It was only natural.

The most crucial aspect of dungeon raiding is experience.

No matter how much knowledge you possess, if you lack the experience to apply it, what good does it do?

Even if you’ve trained together for a long time,

Even if you’ve gathered plenty of information about the dungeon,

Even if you’ve prepared numerous supplies,

If you can’t use them effectively, what’s the point?

But these students were different.

The three, led by Arthur, displayed a level of competence that reminded Luca of the academy’s upperclassmen.

"It’s thanks to the prince’s thorough preparations," said Matthew, the clergyman, to which Jakal nodded in agreement.

However, the one who should have been pleased with the praise, Arthur, didn’t seem particularly happy.

"There were too many minor mistakes. We could have cut down the time even further."

Even though they had completed the first floor in roughly thirty minutes, Arthur wasn’t satisfied, despite the low difficulty of the floor.

He’s someone with a strong desire for improvement.

No wonder he’s been called a genius despite his less-than-ideal lineage.

Luca, now convinced that Arthur was indeed a worthy talent, smiled inwardly.

This year’s freshmen are quite interesting.

Not just these three here.

Lady Kent, Lady Parthan, the Saintess, and of course, Lucy Allen.

Even among the obvious standouts, there must be many more who have yet to reveal their potential.

Being a professor is really rewarding.

"Prince, you don’t need to be so hasty. How could Lucy Allen possibly be faster than us?" Jakal’s suggestion that they could afford to take it easy made Luca nod in agreement.

No matter how talented Lucy Allen might be, she’s still just a first-year.

She didn’t prepare as thoroughly as Arthur.

She didn’t assemble a party of individuals with talent surpassing theirs. How could she possibly be faster?

"No. In a competition, there’s no room for complacency. An overwhelming victory is better than a defeat due to overconfidence. Let’s go."

But Arthur shook his head, refusing to let his guard down.

Even if he knew he had the upper hand, he wouldn’t relax.

He has talent, and his resolve is firm.

If this man had been born into the right lineage, the kingdom would have flourished.

As Luca followed Arthur and his team, he thought to himself, Lady Allen, I believe this match will be your defeat. Your talent may surpass that of the Third Prince, but your arrogance has cost you the victory.

I wonder, will you crumble under the humiliation of this defeat, or will you grow stronger? Given the blood of the Allen family, I’d wager on the latter, but I’d prefer the former.

Those who crumble are easier to tempt.

Vissy’s face, as she hung onto Lucy’s shoulders like a sack, was pale.

There were multiple problems.

First, Lucy Allen’s speed was astonishingly fast, almost as if she were faster than a horse-drawn carriage.

Second, being slung over someone’s shoulder gave her no sense of stability.

And most importantly, Lucy seemed to have forgotten that she was carrying Vissy, as she continued to perform all sorts of reckless maneuvers.

Like now.

Lucy had charged straight at a headless executioner blocking their path without stopping.

Then, just as the executioner raised its axe, she swiftly retreated.

Bang!

As the axe slammed into the ground with a force that could split a person in half, Lucy darted past the executioner and continued forward.

Lucy repeated these death-defying stunts as casually as if they were part of her daily routine.

Given the circumstances, it was no wonder that Vissy, despite being carried, felt both physically and mentally uneasy.

She should probably be praised for not having thrown up yet.

"Lady Allen! Can’t you go a little more safely?!"

"Shut up, Noble. What are you so scared of? You won’t die in here anyway. Are you a little kid who wets the bed because you’re too scared to go to the bathroom at night?"

Vissy’s plea was met with Lucy’s firm rejection.

Who doesn’t know you can’t die in here?!

Even if I know that, it’s still scary!

Isn’t it weird that you’re moving as if you’re throwing your life away?!

You monster of a delinquent!

Vissy complained inwardly and then sighed.

At least she didn’t leave me behind.

Compared to Lady Kent, I’m nothing but a burden.

Lady Allen is a monster, but Lady Kent is no less formidable.

How does she keep up with this troll of a delinquent… huh?

"Lady Allen?!"

"What?"

"Over there, Lady Kent is..."

Lady Kent had raised her sword, ready to strike at the headless executioner.

Judging by her expressionless eyes focused on her target, it was clear what she intended.

As soon as Lucy noticed this, she dashed over and grabbed Lady Kent by the back of her neck, pulling her away.

"You troublesome lowlife swordsman! Are you a brainless chicken?!"

"But it looked strong."

"Save your brainless charging for when you’re alone, you damn battle-maniac!"

Lady Kent looked longingly at the headless executioner but didn’t charge back at it.

Despite these various incidents, their progress was remarkable.

The ten minutes it took to clear the first floor had only been due to considering the burden that Vissy posed.

Once Lucy Allen began to take things seriously, their speed in clearing the dungeon was far greater.

It took just three minutes to pass through the second floor.

And for the other floors, their pace was faster, never slower.

Forty minutes after entering the academy’s dungeon.

The boss room on the tenth floor came into view.

Standing in front of the boss room, I took a moment to catch my breath.

Running while carrying dead weight is a surprisingly good workout.

Maybe I should increase the weight for my morning runs next time.

I surveyed my surroundings.

Carl, who had faced even more challenging tasks in the Allen family, seemed fine, but the other two were different.

Freyr, who had to keep up with me on her own two feet, looked visibly exhausted, and Vissy, who had been slung over my shoulder, started dry-heaving the moment I set her down.

Both of them are so weak.

I can understand Vissy, since she’s barely mentioned in the game, but Freyr getting tired from this is odd.

Where’s the overwhelming power of the top-tier melee character?

Reality does have its annoyances.

In the game, I never had to worry about the stamina of NPCs.

Ugh. Having to waste time during a speedrun like this is frustrating.

Even at this very moment, the timer is ticking!

"My lady, there’s no need to be so anxious."

Carl, who noticed my impatience as I anxiously watched the two of them, smiled and offered me some advice.

"Your speed in this dungeon is nearly transcendent. Even if we rest for an hour, the Third Prince won’t be able to catch up."

I suppose he’s right.

No matter how excellent Arthur is, he’s still just an NPC.

It’s not like I’m racing against another veteran player in a speedrun.

‘Thanks for the advice, Carl.’ “Lowlife, stop giving useless advice.”

“Haha, my apologies, my lady.”

After resting for a bit and allowing Freyr to regain her strength, I opened the door to the boss room.

Vissy? She still looked half-dead, but it’s fine.

She just needs to sit back and watch.

Waiting inside the boss room was an opponent I’d seen before.

The golem knight from the entrance exam.

This time, it wasn’t holding a greatsword but a spear, though the difficulty was about the same.

“I’ll go first.”

‘No, there’s no need.’ “Lowlife swordsman, don’t do anything unnecessary. Don’t make me put your leash on.”

I reached into the pocket dimension bag I borrowed from Alsetine and pulled out one of the items I had prepared.

Tada! Corrosive potion!

With one shot of this, golem-type bosses are helpless!

Sure, in higher-level dungeons, there are crazy enemies with corrosion resistance, but that’s something to worry about later.

A beginner boss like this wouldn’t have anything like that.

The golem with the spear moved slowly, its weight hindering its agility.

As a result, it couldn’t dodge the potion bottle I threw and was hit directly.

The golem, now drenched in corrosive potion, began to glow red as it tried to move.

Its heavy body rumbled as it approached, the ground shaking under its weight.

But so what?

It’s been softened up by the corrosive potion.

Even a rookie could probably cut through its armor now.

And our crazy dog’s bite is much stronger.

‘Freyr, go for it.’ “Lowlife troublesome dog, bite.”

“Should I bark too?”

Freyr, unusually joking, lunged at the golem.

“So, as I was saying…”

“Oh my, oh my.”

Joy was participating in a tea party with other noble ladies, maintaining her social connections, but she couldn’t focus on the conversation.

Lady Allen, what confidence did you have to refuse the information I prepared?

I don’t doubt your skills, but there’s a big difference between raiding without any preparation and having the necessary information.

And you’re not just facing some random nobody, but the Third Prince! A person with genius-level talent!

To face someone like that without any preparation and just put on airs…

What if you lose and the Third Prince makes you do something?

Oh, no. This won’t do.

“Lady Parthan?”

“I need to check on the dungeon entrance.”

“Are you worried about the Third Prince?”

“That’s an unnecessary worry. Of course, the Third Prince will defeat that arrogant Lady Allen.”

But that’s exactly what I’m worried about!

Joy screamed internally but smiled outwardly.

Seeing her smile, none of the noble ladies at the tea party stopped her.

As soon as she stepped outside, Joy headed straight for the dungeon entrance without hesitation.

The only ones who could see what was happening inside the dungeon were the professors of Soul Academy.

But there was one piece of information accessible to students.

The ranking of the top 100 students in each grade, based on how many floors they had cleared.

Right now, more first-years hadn’t entered the dungeon than those who had.

So, as soon as someone entered, their name would appear on the ranking.

By checking the ranking, I should be able to see how the match between the Third Prince and Lady Allen is unfolding.

“What’s going on?”

“Did it go up again?!”

“Isn’t there some cheating involved?”

“This doesn’t make any sense.”

As Joy approached the dungeon entrance, she heard the murmurs of the crowd.

What? What’s going on?

Unable to comprehend the situation, Joy grabbed a nearby student and asked them a question.

“You.”

“Lady Parthan! I apologize for not greeting you earlier…”

“That’s not important. Why is everyone so worked up?”

“Well, I think you’ll understand if you look at the first-year dungeon ranking.”

Ranking? Is the Third Prince setting some kind of record with his meticulous preparations?!

Lady Allen! Why didn’t you listen to me?!

Joy, inwardly screaming, quickly checked the ranking.

‘Lucy Allen: 20th Floor’

...Am I under a hallucination spell?

The 20th floor?

Not the 2nd?!