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Chapter 25
The gym, where the exam had not yet ended, was filled with many students.
Of course, members of Chelsea’s group, who had been eliminated earlier, were also present.
“Chelsea.”
“…They’re still fighting?”
“Let’s just wait and see.”
Mellin, Elaine, and also Royce and Claire—everyone in the group waited tensely, their hands clasped together.
“What’s going on? Why isn’t it over yet?”
“…Could it be that they’re really taking on the final boss?”
“That’s ridiculous… but could they actually succeed?”
“No way, that can’t happen.”
“See? I told you, it’s impossible.”
“Time?”
“If they come out right now, they’ll definitely take first place. It’s a reversal for sure.”
Other students chatted among themselves, waiting for the exam to end.
Meanwhile, three monsters seemed to mutter quietly to themselves, wishing ill upon Camon.
“I wish they’d just die inside already.”
“Hey, someone might hear you.”
“…Just saying.”
Among all these mixed emotions in the gym, only one person wore an obviously uncomfortable expression.
“How much time is left?”
“…About three minutes.”
Watching the clock on the ceiling, someone answered, and Princess Fransia folded her arms, keeping her gaze fixed on the portal.
“It should be about time to come out now…”
Confident that the dungeon raid would fail and the participants would be eliminated, she focused solely on the spot where failed candidates would appear.
Then,
“Hmph… lasting this long is impressive.”
“Hmm, what?”
“Well, considering they entered the final boss battle at around the same time as us, and yet they’re still not eliminated, it seems both Chelsea and Camon really do have ability.”
Fabian muttered, intrigued, and Kyle tilted his head, asking,
“Could they actually succeed?”
“What?”
Fabian gave him a look of disbelief before bursting into laughter.
“Wow, it’s been a while… that was funny.”
“Yeah, it was kind of amusing,” Fransia added with a faint smile, slipping into their conversation.
“Even just reaching the final boss shows how outstanding Chelsea is. Truly, being top of the class isn’t for everyone.”
Intentionally or not, Princess Fransia left Camon’s name out. Kyle shook his head and said briefly,
“I’m not joking.”
“Excuse me?”
“I really think the two of them could succeed and come out.”
“Ha… ha! Really? Shall we make a bet then?”
“Oh, I’m in, Princess.”
The two continued to joke, insisting that Chelsea and Camon wouldn’t succeed. Fabian, in particular, was confident he would win the bet.
‘No way anyone can beat them.’
Ah, no… maybe if someone sacrificed themselves completely, it could work?
But who would do that? Chelsea? Camon?
Picturing it seemed impossible, and Fabian chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
‘What a pointless thought…’
Yes. At most, if luck, coincidence, and fortune all aligned, maybe they could succeed.
But could they even beat the record they set?
[50:10]
With less than a minute left to beat the initial record,
‘No way, absolutely impossible.’
Glancing at the portal with such certainty, Princess Fransia’s delighted voice rang out.
“Alright, time’s almost up. The highest score will… oh?”
Ziiiiing!
“Po-Portal?!”
A massive cluster of light swirled as a blue portal opened.
“What…?”
“A portal has opened?”
The fact that it was a single blue portal meant that the participants would not be summoned separately…
Step by step.
And then, a girl appeared, carrying an unconscious boy on her shoulder.
“Che-Chelsea?”
The girl emerging from the blue portal was none other than Chelsea Artin.
“Waaahhh!”
“Cheeeelssaaa!”
Her teammates, holding their breath and waiting for the result, rushed toward her, on the verge of tears.
“Did she really succeed?”
“The second one has cleared it!”
At the same time,
“Time?”
Fabian, who had been observing the scene, quickly turned to check the clock.
[50:57]
“What? Fifty minutes, fifty-seven seconds?”
Staring at the time in disbelief, Fabian muttered,
“One second faster than us?”
“So… Chelsea’s group is first place?”
“What?”
The news spread instantly, causing a buzz among the crowd.
“And Chelsea’s group beat Kyle’s. Chelsea’s group is first place!”
“The highest score goes to Chelsea’s group!”
By an incredibly dramatic one-second margin, cheers erupted everywhere.
Her teammates hugged Chelsea, overwhelmed with joy. When they heard the announcement, they quickly looked up at the clock.
“Wow, the top score!”
“We’re first place!”
“Chelsea did it!”
Even Princess Fransia stammered, her voice slightly off,
“How… how did this happen…?”
Kyle, smiling lightly, asked,
“So… did I win the bet?”
“Chelsea! Chelsea!”
“Top of the class! I knew Chelsea’s group would take first place.”
Everyone celebrated and praised her.
But Chelsea only gave an awkward smile, forcing herself to accept the congratulations.
Then, finally, the teammates who had helped her conquer the dungeon appeared.
“Mellin, Elaine.”
“I knew you could do it, Chelsea!”
“Cheeeelssaaa!”
Elaine, tearful, along with Royce and Mellin, rushed to embrace her.
“Wait… I can’t breathe!”
Chelsea shouted in frustration, but they didn’t stop.
“It’s the highest score, the highest score!”
“We did it! First place!”
From a little distance away, Claire chuckled quietly at the scene. Chelsea yelled in vain,
“C-Claire… help me…”
“Eh!”
But even Claire ignored her plea, jumping behind the others, leaving Chelsea feeling even more trapped.
“…Ah.”
Though slightly shocked at her trusted teammate’s betrayal, Chelsea couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Alright… it’s all over.’
As she had wished, they earned first place with the top score.
Everyone celebrated, and Chelsea herself couldn’t help but smile.
Her gaze shifted somewhere.
‘Camon Bade.’
She looked at him lying unconscious on the floor.
The one who had made her recognize her own deep inferiority.
And yet…
‘Could I have cleared the dungeon exam without him?’
A fleeting thought, but she shook her head.
No point pondering possibilities now—either way, she had cleared it first.
‘What? He can’t use magic?’
Chelsea chuckled again and shook her head, realizing she couldn’t yet trust his words.
‘This time… I’ll let it slide.’
Then she saw Camon, seemingly having regained consciousness, sitting dazed on the floor.
Exhausted, scanning the surroundings, he looked up at the ceiling.
“….”
A small smile appeared on his lips.
‘He had a lot riding on this too, didn’t he?’
The thought of him being expelled if he failed the exam came to mind.
So…
“Ca—”
She tried to call his name, but…
“…?”
Camon, still smiling faintly, froze as he turned to face her.
“Chelsea! Over here! This way!”
“Wait, Mellin! Hey, don’t push! Waaah!”
Pushed by the others, Chelsea stumbled but quickly got back up, only to see that Camon was no longer there.
“Finally… they’ve cleared it.”
The assistant muttered as they confirmed Chelsea’s group had passed the dungeon exam. Professor Delon remained silent.
“Well done, juniors. But dealing with magical monsters isn’t easy.”
“It was just luck.”
“Luck? How can that catch monsters?”
“Think it was skill then?”
The assistant’s question was met with silence. Delon shook his head.
“The one who defeated the corrupted centaur as a first-year calls that skill? Ordinary people call it trickery.”
“Uh, that’s one thing, but this is another. Because of that, I ended up suffering under your guidance, professor…”
“Uh… suffering?”
“Ahahaha, I meant it figuratively! I continue my personal research and practice under your guidance, of course.”
The assistant smiled awkwardly, brushing off their slip, and muttered again while sorting papers,
“…Anyway, he won’t be expelled.”
“Huh?”
“Camon. He would have been expelled if he failed the exam, right? But since he cleared the dungeon fastest, he avoided failing.”
Handing Delon the sheet with Camon Bade’s name, the assistant nodded.
Delon received it and nodded.
“Yes. He avoided failure, and avoided expulsion.”
Writing something on the grade sheet, Delon’s gaze sparkled as he looked at Camon.
“Eh?”
“Up until now, he relied entirely on his family’s power to solve his problems. Now that he’s lost even that, can he truly face his own consequences alone?”
“Uh… what do you mean?”
The assistant didn’t quite understand. Delon chuckled softly and muttered,
“No need for you to know. Just… it might be interesting to watch. By now, he’s probably tense, realizing it too.”
