Arthur and his team’s dungeon raid had been progressing smoothly.

Up until they cleared the sixth floor, they hadn’t faced any significant challenges.

They knew exactly which monsters would appear, how the paths were laid out, and what traps awaited them. With Arthur as their excellent leader, they navigated the dungeon without any trouble.

Moreover, as they advanced through the dungeon, they were growing stronger.

Arthur’s leadership became more precise, Jakal grew more adept at handling monsters on the frontlines, and Matthew’s holy magic became increasingly accurate and timely.

The proof of their growth was in the time it took them to clear each floor.

Initially, it took them around thirty minutes to clear a floor, but by the time they reached the sixth floor, they had reduced that time to twenty minutes.

Considering the difficulty increased with each floor, their growth rate was extraordinary.

Just as the entire group was becoming confident in their victory, a light began to emanate from the crystal orb that Luca had brought with him.

"Professor, what’s that?" Arthur asked, his curiosity piqued.

Luca smiled as he pulled out the orb. "It’s a communication orb connected to the outside. I requested to be informed of Lady Allen’s progress after two hours."

"Oh," Matthew showed interest, while Jakal made a joke. "Do we really need to check? She’s probably still stuck around the second or third floor."

Arthur, however, remained serious. He knew better than to underestimate Lucy Allen’s abilities.

‘Professor Luca,’ a voice came through the orb. ‘Lucy Allen has just cleared the 20th floor and is heading to the 21st.’

The atmosphere around Arthur’s group, which had been filled with excitement, turned icy cold.

The 20th floor?

How was that even possible?

Arthur’s team, who had been performing exceptionally well for first-years, had only just cleared the sixth floor, and yet Lucy Allen was already on the 20th?

As they all fell into stunned silence, Jakal tried to break the tension with a nervous laugh. "You’re joking, right? There’s no way she’s on the 20th floor."

‘I wish I were joking,’ came the reply. ‘But they are currently clearing each floor in about five to six minutes. They’re rewriting the academy’s dungeon history.’

"This can’t be real," Jakal muttered, clearly shaken by the confirmation.

How could anyone clear a dungeon floor in just five minutes? It took nearly three minutes just to defeat a single monster, so how was this possible?

As the detailed explanation from the orb continued to dampen the group’s morale, Luca struggled to contain his laughter.

Lucy Allen!

What are you?

You dominated the entrance exam with overwhelming scores, saved all your party members during Agra’s intervention, defeated the future Swordmaster candidate Freyr Kent, and now you’re rewriting the academy’s dungeon history as well?

Indeed. Indeed!

The prejudice was mine.

I didn’t consider the true extent of your talent and evaluated you based on my limited understanding.

What a foolish mistake.

Oh, Lucy Allen, I must thank you.

For giving this fool a lesson.

For cornering Arthur Solardin.

Luca glanced at Arthur’s face as he stared at the orb.

His tightly pressed lips, his trembling eyes, and his mouth struggling to form words.

On the outside, he appeared composed, but inside, his confidence was crumbling.

This won’t do, Prince.

If you let the cracks show, I’ll be tempted to pour black ink into them.

"Thank you. Please contact me again later," Luca said, ending the communication.

After the orb went dark, Luca approached Arthur with a concerned expression.

"Prince," he called softly.

"Can that person be trusted?" Arthur asked, his voice wavering.

"Yes. He’s one of the staff responsible for monitoring the dungeon. He’s not the type to joke around."

Hearing that there was no mistake or joke, Arthur’s face darkened with worry.

Can we catch up to Lucy Allen at this rate?

No matter how desperately we push ourselves, won’t she just keep pulling further ahead?

This can’t be happening. It shouldn’t be happening.

This is the battlefield I meticulously prepared to secure my victory!

This duel was forced to ensure you would face humiliation!

All the conditions are favorable to me, and yet you plan to overcome them with your talent alone?

Don’t be ridiculous.

If this continues, it will look like this was merely an opportunity to prove that you’re a genius.

It will seem as if I, Arthur Solardin, was just a small creature trying to eclipse the sun that is Lucy Allen, only to be consumed by its flames.

"If we continue like this, you will lose," Luca’s voice broke Arthur out of his spiraling thoughts.

"Indeed," Arthur replied.

No matter what normal methods I employ, I won’t be able to defeat Lucy Allen.

Her overwhelming talent won’t allow it.

"What will you do?" Luca inquired.

Arthur fell silent.

There was a way.

If he couldn’t win using conventional means, he could choose another method.

Arthur’s hand moved to the magic tool hidden in his coat.

Not long after deciding to duel Lucy Allen, one of the academy’s professors had approached him.

This professor was someone who had recently joined the academy after accomplishing significant feats elsewhere.

He claimed to want to prove his loyalty and said he couldn’t bear to see someone with Arthur’s talents humiliated.

He insisted that Arthur should be prepared for the worst and had forcibly handed him the magic tool.

It was clear that the professor had ulterior motives, likely hoping to gain favor by offering a bribe.

Normally, Arthur would never have accepted such an item.

Getting entangled with a fool who openly displayed his ambitions would yield no benefits.

However, Arthur had accepted the bribe this time because of Joy’s words.

If Lucy Allen truly possessed extraordinary talent, as Joy had suggested,

If she had a light so bright it could overcome all the disadvantages Arthur faced,

Then there was a chance he might lose this duel.

That fear had driven him to accept the tool.

And now, that fear had become a reality.

If the magic tool functioned as the professor had described, using it could turn the tide of this battle.

It would give him a decisive advantage that he could never have obtained through normal means.

But it would also be cheating.

After all, he had proposed a fair duel, only to be the first to break the rules.

Yet, the allure of that decisive advantage was as sweet as honey, and it clung to Arthur’s thoughts.

"I have a plan," Arthur finally said, his voice firm as Luca listened intently, pretending to be clueless.

By the time they reached the stairs leading to the 30th floor, Vissy could no longer hold back and threw up.

I guess pushing so hard after the 20th floor was a bit too much.

I couldn’t afford to take it easy with Vissy because even the slightest delay would significantly impact our time.

Hmm, maybe we should take a break.

I had initially planned to clear the entire dungeon today, but with Vissy in this condition, that doesn’t seem possible.

The higher we go, the more extreme stunts I’ll have to pull, and there’s no way Vissy can endure that.

For now, we’ll clear up to the midpoint today and come back later when I’ve raised Jakal’s favorability enough to bring him along with Freyr.

Jakal may not be as exceptional as Freyr, but he’s still capable of keeping up with me to some extent.

As I set down my shield and leaned against the wall to recover my stamina, a light began to emanate from Carl’s pocket.

‘Carl…’ “Lowlife, what’s that?”

"It’s a communication crystal the academy uses for urgent messages. Something must have happened."

Watching Carl step aside to take the call, I felt a surge of unease.

Luca. That madman better not have done something crazy.

Not with all these people watching.

And especially not when the targets are the young heir of the Burrowe Duchy and the Third Prince of Solardin.

Would he really risk everything for his ideals?

Yeah, he would.

Because that guy is that kind of lunatic.

There’s a reason why he was called a troublemaker among Soul Academy players.

When Carl returned from the call, he had a conflicted expression, as if he didn’t know how to break the news.

"Arthur’s team has disappeared inside the dungeon. They haven’t exited, so they’re still somewhere inside, but they’re nowhere to be found."

‘Tell me more.’ “Lowlife, don’t hold back. Tell me everything.”

Arthur’s team was clearing the sixth floor when Arthur took out a compass-like object from his coat.

Then, instead of following the normal dungeon path, they veered off into an unknown area.

When they reached a certain location, Arthur muttered something, and they vanished.

The academy staff have searched everywhere in the dungeon but couldn’t find any trace of them.

After hearing Carl’s full explanation, I understood exactly what had happened.

Luca, you madman.

No, wait.

While he’s responsible, it was Arthur who decided to go through with this plan.

That idiot.

I understand you forgot your mother’s final words in the shock of her death, but this is too much!

What are you doing cheating?!

This is one of the quests in Soul Academy.

The trigger is being a student talented enough to catch Luca’s interest but mentally weak enough to be tempted.

If these conditions are met, one of the academy’s new professors will approach the player and offer them a compass-like magic tool.

The story they give varies each time.

Follow where the compass leads, and you’ll gain a blessing.

Or you’ll find a rare item.

Or discover a hidden path that allows you to clear the dungeon quickly.

But it’s all lies.

The compass actually guides you to the place in the academy dungeon where the effects of its magic are weakest.

And once you arrive, the magic of the academy is nullified, and the students are teleported to another dungeon entirely.

A dungeon outside the academy, one that was prepared not for students but for those who seek to kill them.

Can Arthur and his team clear that dungeon?

No. Of course not.

They’re not strong enough.

They couldn’t even defeat me, so how could they possibly clear that place?

Ah, damn it. I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.

Let’s think this through.

Can I save that idiot with the resources I have on hand?

...It’s definitely possible.

I’m glad I thoroughly prepared for this speedrun.

If I hadn’t, this would have been a lot more daunting.

‘Carl…’ “Lowlife, did you get the coordinates of the dungeon where the Pathetic Prince ended up?”

“Yes, I received them during the communication.”

Good. Then getting to the dungeon where Arthur was sent shouldn’t be a problem.

‘Let’s move. We have to save that idiot.’ “Let’s go. We need to save the Pathetic Prince who got scared of losing and did something stupid.”