TRPM 224

chapter 224

Right after the midterm exams ended, the teacher collected the papers and stepped out of the classroom. Immediately, Elena came over to me and asked,

“Sir, you didn’t forget about today’s date, did you?”

“You mean the dungeon.”

Since Elena had deliberately chosen words that could be misunderstood, I corrected her and asked,

“What kind of dungeon? The one you’re trying to enter.”

Elena was strong.

Right now, Eliot was strong enough not only to graduate from the Academy but also to rival most veteran Awakeners—and Elena was even stronger than Eliot.

Of course, Elena wasn’t the type of Awakener who fought directly with her body, so her raw combat ability might be lower. But even so, she was stronger than most veterans.

‘So, even a dungeon that seems dangerous to Elena with that level of skill…’

There were a fair number of dungeons that difficult, but typically, those were tackled by veteran Awakeners who formed raiding parties.

So what was Elena thinking, trying to enter such a dungeon?

‘From the way she talks, it sounds like the Association assigned it to her unilaterally…’

I looked at Elena with that question in mind. She didn’t bother to hide anything and smiled as she explained,

“That dungeon has such a strong spirit power, it could practically be called spirit-user exclusive.”

Spirit power—so, it meant the place was overflowing with natural energy.

For a Spirit Master, such a place wasn’t just advantageous in battle, but also an opportunity to absorb that energy and grow stronger—a kind of blessing.

‘Still, it’s surprising that the Korean Association allowed that. Even if she’s royalty, Elena is a foreigner, and yet they gave her access to that dungeon…’

Usually, such dungeons were allocated to Korean Spirit Masters, since it benefitted the country more if their own Awakeners grew stronger.

“I don’t really know why the dungeon was assigned to me, but in any case, a good opportunity is still a good opportunity.”

“Hm…”

I didn’t get it.

If there was any reason, it was probably some sort of deal between the British and Korean Associations.

If that was the case, then it wasn’t my concern. No point in overthinking it.

“So we’re heading there right after homeroom?”

“Yes. Oh, and it looks like it takes about an hour by taxi from here, so we might get back a bit late.”

Back in the day, dungeons used to pop up just thirty minutes away by bus, so someone might think this one was too far.

But now things were different.

Thanks to the low-frequency generators I registered in the Awakener system’s database, dungeons no longer appeared in heavily populated cities.

‘Still, an hour by taxi is quite the distance.’

At least today, since midterms had just ended, we’d be dismissed earlier than usual. If things went smoothly, we’d be back before dinner.

As long as the dungeon raid didn’t drag on.

Slide.

“Did everyone do well on their exams?”

Just then, our homeroom teacher, Son Ji-hye, entered the classroom.

Students either checked their answers with one another or started packing up quickly so they could leave right after dismissal.

Elena, who had been talking beside me, also went back to her seat.

“Don’t go crazy just because midterms are over, okay? See you next week.”

“Yes.”

“Okay~.”

Being the sensible teacher she was, she kept dismissal short, and naturally, the students rushed out of the classroom like they were in a race.

Elena and I left the school along with the others, then caught a taxi nearby.

Once inside, we gave the driver the dungeon’s location, leaned back in our seats, and looked out the window.

‘The others… they’re all planning to go play, huh.’

The kids leaving the school all looked bright, happy to be freed from the burden of exams.

Before my regression, I was the same way, so I couldn’t fault them for it.

High school was the time to think about the future, sure, but most kids only prepared vaguely for university or the Academy. Few thought beyond that.

Hardly anyone would be heading to a dungeon like us.

As I thought about that…

“Gunwoo.”

“Hm?”

“In this dungeon… could you just watch as much as possible?”

Elena made that request.

I could already guess her reason.

“You want to try doing it with your own strength?”

“Yes. But if you think it’s too dangerous or it’s taking too long, you can help.”

It wasn’t unusual. When people entered dungeons with far stronger Awakeners, they often asked the stronger one to hold back so they could gain real combat experience.

“You’ve never entered a dungeon like this in the UK?”

“I have, but only with escorts my brother Arthur or my uncle arranged for me—and those were all much lower-level dungeons than this one.”

In other words, this would be her first time entering a dungeon suited to her own level.

And it was well-proven that fighting opponents at your own level accelerated growth.

If it was for Elena’s growth, then agreeing to her request was the right call.

“Alright. I’ll hold back as much as I can, so give it your best.”

“Thank you.”

As we chatted, the taxi driver asked,

“Students, according to the GPS, this is the spot. Can’t go any further by car.”

“Oh, thank you. Here’s the fare.”

“You want me to wait here until you’re done with the dungeon?”

“No, it’ll probably take a few hours, so you can go.”

It seemed the driver didn’t recognize me.

My face occasionally appeared in the news, but if someone wasn’t interested in the Awakener world, it wasn’t strange they wouldn’t recognize me.

So he probably assumed we were just some kids taking dungeon jobs out of necessity and offered to wait out of concern.

‘No way I’m making him sit here for hours—that’d just be rude.’

There didn’t seem to be any taxis running nearby, but once the raid was over, we could just call one.

“Dungeons take hours to clear?”

“Some end sooner, but usually, yes.”

“Young folks sure have it tough.”

The driver returned my card after the payment went through, told us to do our best, and drove away.

“… I think he thought we were broke kids forced into dungeon work.”

“Hm? Really?”

Now that she mentioned it… his attitude earlier did suggest that. Not impossible.

“Well, too late to clear it up. Let’s get to the dungeon. Where’s the exact spot?”

“Hold on… looks like it’s halfway up the mountain. We’ll need to climb a bit.”

After checking the coordinates, Elena and I began hiking.

The mountain had a trail, but the dungeon was off the path, which was a little annoying—but nothing difficult.

I had the stamina to handle it easily, and Elena used wind spirits to lift herself, making it effortless for her.

“It’s around here.”

“There it is.”

So, it didn’t take long to reach the entrance.

“Let’s see…”

As soon as I stepped inside, I surveyed the surroundings.

I didn’t sense any monsters nearby, and the dungeon didn’t feel especially large.

Just as Elena had said, the spirit power—the natural energy—was abundant.

‘Not only are we in the middle of a forest, but there’s a pristine stream right beside us. And over there… a waterfall? The breeze is cool too… no wonder she said the natural energy here was rich.’

With the refreshing wind and clear water, it truly was paradise for a wind or water Spirit Master like Elena.

“(…Aah… this feels amazing…! I just want to float away like this…)”

In fact, Elena stretched and muttered that in English, completely forgetting I was standing next to her.

I couldn’t feel it myself, but I supposed there were sensations only Spirit Masters could experience.

‘Come to think of it, I once considered learning spirit arts myself.’

Specifically, back when I first met Elena and saw her use them—I managed to perceive spirit power.

But I never followed through.

Even if my Harmony Divine Art would accept it, I just didn’t feel the need.

‘My inner energy can already mimic magic and psychic powers. I could mimic spirit arts too, but the efficiency would be terrible.’

Spirit arts force natural phenomena by channeling spirit power.

For me, it was far easier to just manifest phenomena directly through inner energy.

‘Even the Samadhi True Flame I often use is practically a higher version of fire spirit arts.’

Not that fire spirit arts were bad—it was just inefficient for me, specifically.

Anyway.

“Snap out of it.”

“Ah, sorry.”

I nudged Elena, who had gotten lost in the wind’s embrace.

If I left her like that, she might’ve stayed entranced forever.

Shaking it off, Elena spread her wind outward.

She was probably using it to sense monsters.

“Luckily, there aren’t any nearby.”

If she’d done that right upon entering, I’d have praised her—but spacing out and leaving herself open was careless.

We were fortunate I was with her, and that no monsters lurked near the entrance.

If she’d come alone and gotten surrounded while entranced by the wind?

‘That would’ve been the end.’

Realizing her mistake, Elena blushed and apologized.

“Sorry. I knew it in theory, but I thought I could resist it.”

“It’s fine. Just don’t let it happen again.”

If she were already a graduate, it might be less excusable, but she was still just a high schooler, not even an Academy cadet yet.

No one’s perfect—mistakes happen.

What mattered was not repeating them.

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

She turned her gaze forward.

The reason was simple.

A monster had picked up on the wind she released earlier and was heading our way.

‘And only one, specifically.’

Meaning she’d controlled her wind well enough to lure a single target, rather than a horde.

… GROOOOAAARRR!

A hulking figure emerged from between the trees.

An Ent.

A giant with the form of a tree.

It usually hid among trees, pretending to be one of them, until hostile intruders approached—then it struck.

The moment it appeared—

Wind Spirit Art: Biting Wind.

Elena’s summoned gale shredded it into pieces.