Chapter 336: Dark Demon and the Dungeon Escape Device (4k)
In the increasingly enthusiastic applause, Dark and Wit walked through the aisles on either side, returning to their respective seats.
Indeed, their demonstration had a great effect.
One positive, one negative, they perfectly demonstrated the two key points to be mindful of during a silent duel.
Professor Jones then gave a detailed explanation of the issues they had shown during the duel.
The students gradually shifted from watching the demonstration to absorbing the knowledge.
The silent duel ended faster than they had anticipated, but that seemed to be its essence—deciding the outcome swiftly in a silent environment.
Though they wouldn’t need it now, once they were permitted to enter dungeons for adventures, silent duels would become crucial for resolving disputes within dungeons.
After Wit sat down, Robert couldn’t help but say, “Don’t be discouraged, Dark’s mana spirits are truly exceptional. I thought you might have used the ‘Holy Sword Spell.'”
Wit smiled awkwardly and said, “How could I use the ‘Holy Sword Spell’ in class? I’m indeed not as strong as him, but with continued effort, I’ll catch up.”
Robert clenched his fist and encouraged him, “I believe in you. After all, Professor Metia said you’re destined to be a hero!”
Wit sighed softly and muttered, “A hero… it’s not just about sitting around… dungeons? I heard the seniors get core materials from the dungeons…”
Robert: “What did you say?”
Wit: “Nothing.”
…
Dark easily whispered something to Diana and Rose before continuing to listen to the lecture.
He had largely grasped the key points of silent duels.
Apart from the ‘Silence’ prohibition, the biggest feature was using a one-star mana spirit as a substitute for the mana guidance ball.
One-star mana spirits were usually very weak. If summoned, they could be easily killed by a one-hit kill if the spirit had an area-of-effect ultimate skill.
Alternatively, one could choose a high-speed assassin-type mana spirit to avoid direct confrontation and eliminate the one-star mana spirit.
In such fast-paced duels, summoning high-star mana spirits would be impractical and draw too much attention.
Before silent duels, it was best to communicate with mana spirits, helping them understand the duel’s mode and rules, enabling autonomous actions upon being summoned.
Normal mana spirits, despite having only a 2.0 intelligence level, could understand commands and pre-set tactics.
Thus, silent duels were like pre-arranged battles where magi summoned mana spirits according to predetermined tactics, leading to a direct clash of strategies.
…
The duel class ended with the young magi feeling unsatisfied.
Some almost forgot that dungeon adventures awaited next.
Engaging classes were so captivating.
But when the end-of-class bell rang, students’ minds instantly switched gears, becoming excited again.
Dungeons, as an essential part of the academy, had been there since their enrollment. Curiosity was inevitable.
Rationality told them dungeons were dangerous, and Professor Nina was unreliable.
But emotion told them dungeons were intriguing, and adventures were thrilling.
Moreover, after two months of beast mastery studies, they had some understanding of the creatures inside dungeons.
Each student also had a full deck of mana cards.
Some secretly dreamed of hunting monsters as adventurers!
If they successfully hunted monsters on their first adventure, it could become a lifelong boast.
Following Professor Nina’s notice, many students rushed directly to the castle entrance, their faces filled with excitement.
Their duel textbooks were entrusted to a few students who would bring them back to the dorms.
Dark carried Diana and Rose’s textbooks, accepting their requests calmly and returning to the dorms.
Once inside, he put away the books, then carefully wrapped the multi-layered lunch box with a picnic cloth, adding more apple juice and dairy cow grass juice to his emptied backpack. He packed writing tools, sketchbooks, and survival items.
Most importantly, he carried a special “Mana Needle” for dungeons.
Magnetic fields inside dungeons were chaotic, making compasses useless.
However, each floor’s entrance had special magic markers. Using the “Mana Needle” to record these markers allowed continuous confirmation of direction.
This was a vital tool for navigating dungeons.
Typically, each small adventure team included a map recordist with good directional sense.
If lost, they could activate the “Dungeon Escape Device,” a secret escape device.
But it was expensive…
“I wonder if Professor Nina prepared dungeon escape devices for us?”
While pondering this, Dark placed a small book in his backpack for entertainment during lunch.
With everything ready, he turned to the eagerly awaiting mana spirits and asked, “Which one wants to come with me?”
The mana spirits glanced at his small, full backpack and understood his mischief.
Yet, the excitement of traveling with their master overshadowed the discomfort of carrying the pack.
“Mii—”
Eevee raised her antenna first.
But Dark shook his head, indicating she wasn’t qualified.
Eevee looked disappointed.
Her younger version, Lil’Eevee, withdrew her foot.
Meanwhile, Huhu, the dream spirit, Piplup, and the trash slime, who weren’t suitable for carrying, stepped back.
Deoxys, however, smirked slightly and took a half-step forward, hoping to be chosen.
“Wahcha!”
“Moo…”
The wrestler eagle and big milk jar flapped their wings and stomped their hooves, showing they were capable.
The imp beast observed from above, proud of his status as a familiar.
Finally, seeing Dark about to choose between the wrestler eagle and the big milk jar, Deoxys couldn’t resist raising his hand and saying, “Choose me!”
Dark smiled and quickly said, “Then it’s Deoxys.”
Actually, he had wanted to choose Deoxys from the start.
But as a skilled educator, he knew fairness was essential.
Besides, carrying the pack was a tough job.
If mana spirits volunteered, it would be ideal.
Other mana spirits felt regret, but Deoxys had a ‘big sister’ vibe in Room 201.
If chosen, they would accept it.
Dark understood their thoughts perfectly.
Then, he returned the other mana spirits to their mana spirit cards and solemnly stored the “Paradise” card in his deck.
This “half-day dungeon tour” was unpredictable. Carrying “Paradise” provided extra security.
Also, he planned to utilize the evolved form of the “greedy slime,” “Greed Slime I.”
Since evolving the “trash slime” into “Greed Slime I” with “Greed II,” Dark hadn’t had a chance to use its ultimate skill, “Treasure Sense.”
Finding a chance to use it might yield unexpected rewards.
…
Even Dark couldn’t escape the allure of additional fantasies about the dungeon adventure.
…
After securing his deck, he carefully placed the small, full backpack on Deoxys’s shoulder and handed the wrapped multi-layered lunch box to the imp beast.
The imp beast grabbed the box, flapping his wings to hover above Deoxys’s left.
Satisfied, Dark said, “Let’s go.”
But just as he spoke, a déjà vu sensation hit him.
This scene seemed familiar…
…
Maintaining the mana consumption of a four-star mana spirit was relatively easy for Dark, whose mana recovery rate exceeded human limits.
Dark kept the “Deoxys” mana card hidden in his sleeve, constantly replenishing mana through skin contact.
The imp beast, as a familiar, didn’t need mana to move freely.
With two mana spirits, they soon arrived at the castle gate.
“Dark, you finally made it.”
Diana and Rose brightened, running over.
Dark examined the two girls. Despite wearing school uniforms, they wore cute accessories, reflecting their anticipation for this “spring outing.”
Their shared backpack was on Diana’s back.
Her heavy bag, filled with food and drinks, probably weighed twice as much as Dark’s.
But Diana carried it effortlessly…
This made people marvel, truly worthy of being called the Kingdom’s Bear.
Diana glanced enviously at Dark’s Deoxys and pouted, “If only I had so much mana.”
Rose held her hand, smiling, “Don’t envy her. Your mana is already powerful. And if you must envy, it should be Dark’s familiar. My rabbit can barely deliver messages.”
Diana mumbled, “My panda can be a pillow.”
…
Dark always drew attention.
When he appeared, the young magi would glance in his direction.
They were then drawn to the two mana spirits, one white and one black.
Suddenly, everyone’s minds opened like boxes, bursting with realization!
They couldn’t learn Deoxys’s existence, but they could emulate the imp beast’s presence.
Thus, students summoned their familiars.
In the academy, due to strict rules against summoning familiars in hallways, summoning them was rare.
Now, with everyone summoning their familiars, the remaining space in the crowd was instantly filled.
It became even livelier.
Dark observed his classmates’ familiars, amazed.
Familiars were mostly small, but exceptions existed.
Students’ familiars were diverse and impressive.
Suddenly, he noticed Wit and Robert summoning their familiars.
Because they hadn’t seen them in a long time, he almost forgot what they looked like.
Wit’s familiar was a knee-high minotaur, small but seemingly powerful.
Perhaps due to having “giant,” “two-headed ogre,” and “goblin warrior” mana spirits in his deck, Wit gradually accepted the minotaur demon’s presence.
He could view his familiar normally now.
Just that the little minotaur was too short, with a backpack dragging on the ground.
Robert’s familiar was a round robot with multifunctional arms and tank treads, looking quite useful.
Both hung their backpacks on the robot, feeling much lighter.
…
“Ring ring!”
When the ten o’clock bell rang, Professor Nina confirmed the numbers with representatives from each college and said excitedly, “Listen carefully. Don’t wander in the dungeon. Oh, division representatives, come up here. I’ve rented a batch of dungeon escape devices. You’ll wear them on your wrists.”
“It seems Professor Nina hasn’t forgotten the dungeon escape devices, but renting? What does that mean?”
Dark was momentarily stunned.
“Could it be that we have to return the dungeon escape devices after the adventure?”
Seeing the visible distress on Professor Nina’s face, Dark realized…
These dungeon escape devices were likely rented using her credits.
As a professor, it was embarrassing…
The temporary representative of the noble academy was a girl who often sat in the front row. She quickly distributed the dungeon escape devices with the help of several students.
After receiving one, Dark studied it closely.
The dungeon escape device looked like a wristwatch, which could be worn on the wrist.
Above the watch face was a lid that could be easily opened with a bit of force.
The lid material seemed soft and could be easily broken.
Opening the lid revealed a button, clearly a manual trigger.
It could be triggered passively or manually and activated with mana or manually.
This was the feature of the dungeon escape device.
But it probably wouldn’t be needed…
