Chapter 030. Cleaning (2)

The dungeon, which is often compared to a living giant organism, possesses countless unique characteristics.

First of all, just the fact that the entrance exam is held in the academy's underground dungeon shows both the advantages and disadvantages of such a special place, as it continuously spews out creatures as if creating monsters.

Low-level monsters like goblins, skeletons, and kobolds are easily found in any dungeon.

However, the academy's underground dungeon is home to numerous monsters beyond those. A prime example is the group blocking their path.

"Chirp! Human! Catch! Breed!"

"Wow, it's an orc."

"This is my first time seeing a dungeon orc in my life."

At the reactions of the group, Veris and Gunther shuddered.

Whether the girls knew or not, orcs have a special breeding method.

True to their reputation as a failed creation of the gods, orcs cannot reproduce on their own. The reason is simple: the orc race has no males, only females.

Because of this, orcs kidnap human males from other races to exploit their seed.

"Brother, be careful."

"What?"

"Well, you look like you have a good seed just by looking at you."

"Damn it."

Veris shuddered again at Gunther's sharp warning.

Just the sight of the orcs' lustful black eyes made it clear what they were imagining. Thus, Gunther's words resonated even more.

"How dare you!"

It seemed Arwen had some knowledge of orc ecology.

Instead of her usual expressionless face, Arwen, with a tense look, shouted loudly.

"Chirp! Female! Get lost!"

However, the orcs seemed uninterested in the human women present, greedily scanning only Gunther and Veris...

Swish.

The sword that had been sheathed was drawn. Arwen's signature sword, imbued with the power of spirits, immediately began to shine brilliantly.

"I've never seen a monster with intelligence before."

It seemed Maria, with her innocent face, was unaware of what the orcs were after as she watched the orc group. But it was none other than Gunther who shattered her peace.

"Do you know the habits of orcs?"

"Huh? I don't know."

"Orcs have no males. They kidnap males from other races to exploit their seed."

"W-What! Is that true?"

Maria, not dull enough to misunderstand Gunther's words, quickly turned red.

Goodness! Is that even possible? To kidnap males from other races and reduce them to breeding stock, or rather, breeding animals!

As that thought crossed her mind, Maria subtly glanced at Veris.

Only then did Maria recall what the orcs had said. They had definitely mentioned breeding and such.

'So that's why Arwen is so angry.'

Maria and Arwen were not particularly close. Even so, she knew that Arwen cared deeply for Veris, so she could understand her furious demeanor.

"Chirp! Kill all the women and rape the men!"

Eventually, the orcs began to draw their weapons and charge.

The creatures that uttered such horrifying words were spewing pure desire to an extent that it was hard to believe they were creations of this dark dungeon.

Swish!

One orc, charging at the front with gleaming eyes, lost its life to Arwen's sword.

Despite the death of one of their comrades, the orcs did not stop their advance. No, to be precise, they charged even more fiercely toward the men of the group...

"Three lights that illuminate the heavens, save the lambs here now."

─Woom!

Their goal was so clear that the group quickly gathered around Veris and Gunther.

Then, the special ability of the Saintess was activated: the blessing magic.

As the special buff magic that dramatically increases the target's vitality, mana, attack power, and defense power was unleashed, Arwen began to swing her sword wildly again.

"Oh, the spirit sword is indeed amazing."

Gunther, who had only heard that Arwen had newly awakened the power of the spirits, looked at her with a surprised expression.

The power of an elf wielding a sword of spirits, which was regarded as a legend or myth, was truly astonishing.

"Aren't you going to join us?"

"It's more important for you to grow than for me."

"Truly, your heart is like the vast sea."

In response to Veris's considerate words, Gunther also drew his sword. The enemies' intentions were glaringly obvious, but Gunther was also known as a genius swordsman of the empire.

─Swish!

"Your seed belongs to my sister!"

"What a madman."

Veris clicked his tongue at Gunther, who silently swung his sword.

These orcs were somewhat... very different from the orcs he had known in his past life. Yet, as he watched, he noticed some similarities between Gunther and the orcs.

"By the way, Arwen is amazing."

While Veris had become someone who could no longer gain experience from low-level monsters, the other members of the group were diligently continuing the battle.

There was no way the academy's promising students would be in danger against orcs, so it was practically a spectator situation.

Among them, the one who stood out the most was Arwen. Blessed by a priestess, she moved across the battlefield like an elf from legends.

"Ha!"

─Slash!

"Grrr!"

With a momentum that could cut through anything. After a while, the dozens of orcs had all fallen to the ground, their bodies cold and lifeless.

"The situation is more or less sorted out."

"To what extent do you plan to deal with them?"

"Well, the dean's orders were to clean up, not to make a clear distinction." At Veris's explanation, Arwen nodded.

In fact, cleaning up was a ridiculous task. While it was true that monsters periodically surged and burst out of the dungeon's entrance, it was the students who were taking care of it.

"Then how about going a little deeper?"

"Deeper from here?"

"The academy dungeon is famous for having low-level monsters in large quantities. It could be dangerous, but it seems difficult to achieve results with the number we've taken down."

Veris nodded at Gunther's awkward but accurate insight.

Indeed, while they had cut down every monster they encountered upon entering the dungeon, the number was not large.

He suspected that the new students who had entered during the last entrance exam had been catching monsters like rats.

"Then let's go a little deeper and reconsider."

"Sounds good!"

At Veris's declaration, everyone agreed, and soon the group began to descend further into the depths of the dungeon.

* * *

"Lady Arwen."

"Yes? What is it?"

Had they been walking along the path of the mana dungeon?

Arwen turned to look at the voice calling her.

Though her name was Maria, it was merely a disguise. Her true identity was Maria Theresa, the daughter of the great imperial family. She had quietly called out to Arwen, who was walking alone.

"I have a question."

"...What is it?"

"I heard that Arwen grew up with Veris since childhood."

"To be precise, Veris was the young master of the mansion where I worked. I was a servant."

"Anyway! Since you've known Veris since you were young, do you know how he became so strong?"

At Maria's question, Arwen fell silent.

She had heard that Veris saved Maria during the incident at Professor Theon's dormitory. That meant this girl was one of the few who had noticed Veris's extraordinary nature.

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"...Even I don't know how he possesses such great power. But what is certain is that he uses that power appropriately and effectively."

At Arwen's vague explanation, Maria nodded.

Typically, people with outstanding talent or power are eager to express it in some way. But Veris, far from showing off, lived in the academy with an air of enlightenment.

Every time she thought of the man walking ahead, an endless curiosity arose. Thanks to this newfound feeling, Maria found herself walking through the underground dungeon with them.

"Right! So, he seems to have a charm that draws people in."

Maria candidly shared her feelings.

After all, this elven swordswoman knew her true identity and face, so what was the point of hiding it now?

"A charm that draws people in?"

However, for some reason, Arwen appeared quite displeased upon hearing that.

Whether she realized it or not, Maria continued excitedly.

"To be honest, he's incredibly handsome, capable, and has a refreshing personality."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"In the past, I begged my mother to annul an arranged marriage. But with someone like him, I think it would be okay to marry."

With a naive expression, Maria whispered, leaving Arwen with no choice but to stare blankly.

What did she just say? Marriage?

That was out of the question. If she were to ask why, embarrassing thoughts came to mind, making it hard for Arwen to respond, but it was definitely not something that could happen.

Arwen turned her head to look for Cecilia. Indeed, Cecilia, who had been walking slowly behind them, seemed to sense the strange atmosphere and was looking at Maria's back like a cat, perhaps realizing the subtlety in Maria's behavior.

"Oh, a door."

As they walked, lost in various thoughts, the group soon had no choice but to stop.

A door, similar to the one that had once put Veris and his companions in danger, had unexpectedly appeared in the dungeon wall.

[TL: If you can't wait on updates and want to read more, please support me to read the whole novel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/mythictranslations.]