I Became The Academy’s Narrow-Eyes

< Chapter 97: The Dark Forest (2) >

"Euratcha!"

Hallow charged at a demon beast resembling a bear that was targeting his colleague.

Had the support from his colleagues been delayed even slightly, he would have been put in danger, yet there was not a hint of hesitation in his movement.

If he hesitated, the colleague targeted by the demon beast would be exposed to danger.

Thanks to him, his colleagues could engage in battle without any burden, and they were able to support him at the right moment without any faltering.

The demon beast, whose movement was halted by Hallow.

His colleagues unleashed a barrage of violence upon it.

Thanks to their perfect coordination, the Level 5 Steel Leather Bear was subdued in an instant.

"Phew!"

Having cleared the area, Hallow let out a satisfied sigh.

"With the young ones cooperating, things are so simple!"

The frail-looking mage, Dorn.

The swift-looking woman, Irene, with a bow on her back.

The barbarian warrior, Derek, wielding a giant scale spear.

Hallow's colleagues seemed bored with his words.

‘It's only easy because you're exceptionally good at playing the vanguard. If you bring those young ones along for cooperation, things would be even simpler, wouldn’t they?'

Their expressions seemed to suggest such words were on the tip of their tongues.

Having been with Hallow for many years, his colleagues knew all too well how foolish it was to try and persuade him from their junior position.

They would pray every time they undertook a mission with Hallow.

That this time, Hallow would show incompetence.

Show greediness!

If only that would happen, they could leave this damn party without any regrets!

However.

Each time, this human named Hallow would invariably show exemplary behavior as the party leader.

He never shies away from putting himself in danger, and the benefits obtained at the party level are distributed equally among the party members.

He never undertakes reckless missions for the sake of achievements.

He always selects the most stable and lucrative missions.

His fellow adventurers often envied those who were Hallow's colleagues.

Saying they get the least injured and earn the best.

Hallow's colleagues felt the presence of a fair god through his existence.

As if the fair god had created the character of Hallow too perfectly, they gave him that annoying personality to balance it out.

"Th-that's right… just as you said, Mr. Hallow…"

"Mr. Hallow's words are always right…"

"Indeed, it's Mr. Hallow…"

They muttered with dead eyes.

"Hahaha! What did I tell you! If you listen to your elders, at least you won't rot from the inside! Miss!!! It's all clear!!! You can come now!!!"

Pleased with his colleagues' merry mood, Hallow moved the corpses of the demon beasts to the side, preparing for the soon-to-arrive miss.

Then, he looked straight ahead.

A fork in the road lay before them.

Choosing the wrong path could mean at least a waste of time, or at worst, falling into a trap.

But worry not.

Every adventurer knew what to do when faced with a fork in the road in a dungeon.

Hallow took out a coin from his pocket.

This coin contained mysteries that transcended magic.

Faith itself!

It was known as the Coin of Luck.

Hallow tossed the coin, caught it on the back of his hand, and then covered it with his palm.

Heads, go right.

Tails, go left.

Hallow lifted his palm to check the coin.

"The Goddess of Luck tells us to go left!"

"Are you sure it's the Goddess of Luck's word?"

"Last time it was the Devil of Misfortune, so this time it must be the Goddess of Luck's turn to bestow her grace!"

Just as Hallow's party was about to head left without hesitation.

"Mr. Hallow?"

Ceylon, who had joined them late, spoke to Hallow.

"Hm? What is it, Ceylon?"

"Well, according to the information I have, we should actually be going right here."

"Haha! That might be true. But Ceylon, didn't you agree to respect my way of doing things in this dungeon expedition?"

"I apologize if I've offended you. However, if my information is correct—going left might put the Square Shield party in great peril, so I felt compelled to speak up."

Dorn, Irene, Derek.

The three of them looked at Hallow with hopeful eyes.

"Hm… No! My adventurer's intuition is telling me! Left is the right way!"

Choosing to trust his own intuition over the novice's information, the three nodded in agreement with Hallow's decision.

As expected!

They knew it would be so!

They don't even expect anything different now!

"In that case, could I perhaps keep my distance and accompany you just this once? I want to see if my information is correct."

"Hmm…"

"Additionally, I'd like to observe Mr. Hallow's combat for the sake of learning."

Oh.

Ceylon's emphasized words made his eyes sparkle.

Mr. Hallow, whom all the young people tired of, always craved the admiration of the youth.

"If you promise not to intervene in the battle no matter what and prioritize your safety above all."

"Of course."

"Ha, you're incredibly stubborn, too. Understood!"

‘Who's the one being incredibly stubborn here?'

Those who were observing the conversation thought the same thing to themselves.

* * *

"What a diligent young man I see after such a long time!"

Hallow changed his assessment of Ceylon.

From a young man with a frivolously light-hearted aura at first glance.

To a promising, earnest young man.

When was the last time he encountered a youth who showed respect to elders while seeking guidance?

"Ceylon! Watch closely, here is-"

"Ceylon, do you understand why I acted that way just now-"

"Ceylon, observe Irene's movements-"

Hallow incessantly bestowed his teachings on Ceylon, who was watching the battle from a distance.

"Ugh…"

"Who brought him here…"

"It's like a nightmare when I first joined the party…"

Even Hallow's familiar colleagues, who were usually critical of his nagging, looked upon Ceylon's attentive demeanor more favorably within the storm of advice.

"Hold on, Ceylon! You've gotten too close, move back!"

Even then, he maintained a distance, emphasizing, "I'm the adult here, and you're the youth."

"Huh?"

The path ended.

It was a dead end.

Meaning, the left path was a bust.

"This is-"

Before Hallow's party could express their disappointment, a sudden burst of mana enveloped them, transporting them to the middle of a swamp.

"Don't stop moving your feet!"

They had to keep moving constantly to avoid being swallowed by the swamp.

"Mr. Hallow, over there-"

The battle began in this unfavorable terrain.

-Roaaar!!!

From both sides, formidable Level 5 Steel Leather Bears approached, difficult opponents.

"Aaah!"

"Ugh, go away!"

Level 2 demon beasts in the form of birds and rolling stones flew around, distracting them.

"Damn, is it some kind of barrier…!"

"Ah, so annoying!! It was a bust last time too, why always me!? There's a reason I always lose at dice!"

"This is why I don't believe in stuff like the Goddess of Luck."

They joked around, pretending to be carefree, but their expressions clearly showed their frustration.

It was going to be the toughest battle of the day.

"It looks like this is as far as our dungeon exploration goes today."

Just as they were about to put all their effort into the battle.

"Huh?"

"What's this-"

The space, the barrier, began to collapse.

Instead of the swamp, they found themselves back on the blocked path.

Back at the original location, with no one around to witness, Ceylon had used a dispel to break the barrier without any restraint.

With a slight smile, Ceylon greeted Hallow's party.

"Ceylon, was it you again this time…?"

At Dorn's question, Ceylon nodded.

"Fortunately, it seems my information wasn't wrong."

Ceylon pointed to a corner.

A stone decoration, presumed to be the core of the barrier, was already destroyed.

"I promised not to interfere, but I couldn't help but meddle due to my concern. Perhaps I was overstepping, thinking Mr. Hallow could have handled it, but-"

Ceylon gave a bitter smile.

His apologetic smile somehow felt as if he was playfully mocking them.

"By the way, given this outcome, perhaps my information is quite reliable, isn't it?"

Oops.

Realizing Ceylon's intent, the three cautiously observed Hallow's reaction.

"…"

It was revealed that Ceylon was right and he was wrong.

Along with the realization of his own stubbornness.

"…"

Hallow sighed deeply.

Then, with a somber voice, he said,

"It seems so. If it's alright with you, could I ask you to lead the way in this dungeon?"

Dorn, Irene, and Derek were in disbelief.

‘Our elder has changed…!'

* * *

Daltasian supported Hallow's party without disrupting their flow, adding to their already stable dungeon progress with the addition of Ceylon's information, accelerating their pace and making progress swiftly.

"Will we end up camping out here, too?"

Phibian cautiously asked Elysia.

"With this pace, might we not be able to exit the dungeon before sunset?"

The prospect of regaining a hot bath and a clean place to sleep brought color back to the faces of the two women.

"As I've heard, your skills are remarkable, Miss Elysia."

"Daltasian, seems the rumors weren't for nothing, huh?"

"Hmm, Baldy. Quite capable."

The members of the Square Shield party did not skimp on their praises for Daltasian's party.

Almost as if they meant for Hallow to hear.

As if the brutal situation (?) of being subdued (?) by these youths served as a painful lesson of growth for Hallow, wishing he would gain even a bit of flexibility.

"…"

Perhaps due to their influence, Hallow bore a sullen expression, like a parent upset over their children breaking a dinner promise.

With that, Hallow silently unleashed his frustrations on the monsters, further speeding up their dungeon progress.

Before long,

They reached the deepest part of the dungeon.

The final area.

Its entrance was blocked by a stone door, similar to the one at the dungeon's entrance.

"Now, if we just break the spell on this stone door-"

Rewards await.

Just as Ceylon was about to break the spell on the stone door based on the content of a strategy guide he had read,

"Huh?"

Ceylon felt a sense of unease.

An ominous aura emanated from the stone door.

‘This is-‘

It was unmistakably the aura of black magic.

And a very powerful one at that.

By no means was this something they should encounter in a Level 5 dungeon.

‘This again!? The discrepancy between reality and game!?'

Ceylon sensed something was terribly wrong.

"Everyone, step back-"

Ceylon immediately attempted to destroy the magic on the stone door.

It was a beat too late.

As they approached from a distance, the stone door was already preparing to engulf them.

A coercive and ominous mana reached out to drag them elsewhere.

Ceylon could have evaded its grasp, but he deliberately accepted it.

Judging it too dangerous to send his party there alone.