I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

30

Compared to the ‘Trial to Overcome’ we went through with Milige last time, this dungeon is a very conventional setup.

Defeat the minions as you progress, encounter the boss, defeat the boss to open the clear room.

In the clear room, there is a treasure chest as a reward, and an exit leading outside.

─Grrr!

A giant hand made of rock passed by Calen and me several times.

The boss of the dungeon is a Twin-Headed Golem.

As a growth dungeon for beginners, its pattern is simply swinging its large arms in all directions while making ‘Grrr, Urrr’ noises, but its wide attack range makes it difficult to find openings.

Nevertheless.

“Calen, go around to distract it while I strike from behind.”

“Understood. What about next?”

“I’ll go to the opposite side. If it seems out of sight, strike the golem’s ankles with the elemental sword. It will stumble and be unable to move for a while. Then we attack together.”

It’s not impossible.

Calen nodded, ready, and I wielded the branch to cast a spell.

“[Inferior Fire Elemental Magic: Fireball], [Inferior Wind Elemental Magic: Wind Blade].”

A flaming sphere formed at the tip of the branch.

[These two spells can be synergized!]

[They will be automatically combined!]

“[Inferior Fire, Wind Elemental Magic: Fire Blade].”

The wind intensified.

─Kwakwakkwang!

Flames flying in all directions.

The magic that flew hit the two heads of the large golem head-on, and a large smoke swirled around as the heads spun around.

─Gwawawawawa?

At that moment, Kalen leaped to the right, and I also veered to the left.

Then, the golem tried to chase us but ended up bumping their heads together.

─Gwah? Gwah? Gwahwawa?

“Now is the…”

Before I could finish my sentence.

“【Attribute Sword: Truth】!”

─Chyaahh!

A sword imbued with a pure white chill sliced through the golem’s ankle side by side, causing the golem to stagger and then collapse.

Thud!

But it didn’t end there.

“Haht!”

He leaped and used the attribute sword once more.

“Hmm.”

The first strike hit the golem’s left neck.

Kalen’s exclusive weapon, ‘Will of the White Eye,’ was still a good item at this point.

Perhaps that’s why the golem’s throat was cut in two slices, and in the midst of losing their ally, the golem let out a furious cry.

─Gwaaah!

The attacks became even more ferocious.

The large hand scraped against the wall, pounded the ground, and approached us to grab us.

“Come to think of it, it’s fascinating.”

Kalen swung his sword again without hesitation, cutting the golem’s arm in half as it came towards him.

“Golems are precise magical machines made of stone, not living beings, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Yet, how do they produce sound? Do they have vocal mechanisms?”

Hmm.

It doesn’t seem fitting to discuss that topic while chopping off the golem’s arm with a sword right now.

I lightly dodged the golem’s left arm flying towards me with a branch of a spirit tree and replied.

“It’s by vibrating the internal magical power mechanism, the core, to produce sound through the throat. Hm, golems are supposed to lack emotions. It’s intriguing why they make sounds.”

“It is intriguing.”

She said that, then spun around and cut off the rest of the golem’s arm with the attribute sword.

As a result.

The golem stumbled to its knees with its ankle cut, losing both arms, and stared at us.

“…Looking at it this way, it’s a bit pitiful.”

“Well, perhaps it fell here due to errors and malfunctions. Moreover, it attacked not demons but us ‘humans.’ A golem created to protect humans attacked humans.”

“I see….”

After tilting her head, Kalen climbed up the massive golem’s body and…

She thrust a sword into its neck.

“Grrroooaaa….”

The golem turned towards her, howling menacingly.

Meeting its orange gaze, she said, “I guess it’s time for you to die.”

Clang!

As she casually dropped the remaining limbs, the light that gleamed from the golem’s helmet vanished.

“Exactly 15 minutes, huh.”

“Was it quick?”

“It was the expected time. Well done, Kalen.”

…Now.

It’s time to confirm the reward.

At that moment, the ground in the cave trembled.

“Adrian!”

“Don’t worry.”

The vibration soon subsided. Kalen looked around in surprise.

“That’s the clear room…”

“It appeared with the recent vibration. Let’s go, it leads to the exit.”

As I walked ahead, Kalen followed nervously, warning of the danger.

Honestly, why is she so worried?

The clear room was half the size of the boss room.

And…

“Oh, that’s…”

Kalen and I both stopped in our tracks.

“There’s a treasure chest.”

“Ah…”

A treasure chest half our size.

She gasped softly, and before I opened the chest, I read the message that appeared before my eyes.

[Congratulations! You have cleared the weekday dungeon ‘Underground Defective Golem Warehouse’!]

“It’s your first clear of an earth attribute dungeon! You’ll receive a special reward for clearing your first weekday dungeon! The dungeon clear reward will definitively increase by one more item!]

Oh.

I gained an extra reward as a bonus.

I hoped to find equipment suitable for him here.

Thinking so, I walked forward and placed my hand on the treasure chest.

Taking a deep breath, I opened it.

*Creak.*

Kalen peered into the chest anxiously.

“There’s an old book and… this is…”

“A shield.”

I smiled.

It surfaced.

An old yellowed scroll.

And a rusty iron shield with dirt scattered here and there.

Kalenn raised the shield, covering only half of her body.

《Shield Infused with Weak Earthly Power》/ (★)

This shield, buried deep in the ground for a long time, has absorbed a faint power from the earth.

When worn, it slightly reduces the user’s chance of fainting.

It shows good defensive effects against all elemental attacks, including elemental swords.

If a ‘perfect defense’ is achieved, there is a 3% chance of imposing a 2-second ‘stiffness’ on the opponent.

However, it has little effect against magical attacks.

Requirement for wearing: Strength 10 or higher.

Appraisal value: 300,000 Elin.

Oh, something pretty decent surfaced.

It’s a proper find for a baby dungeon.

Up until Act 2, it’s a decent item to use.

“Sh, shield… It’s sturdy. Adrian, what do you think about this shield?”

While holding it, Kalenn gazed at the shield absentmindedly.

“Of course, I won’t use it. I probably can’t even lift it with my arm strength.”

“Then, are you going to sell it? It’s a reasonable weight… and the condition is good. With a bit of maintenance, you could easily sell it for around 400,000 at the general store. Yes, selling it seems like a good idea.”

To the guy who said that with a smile, I replied.

“You should use it.”

“A good idea… me?”

“That shield is yours. It suits you.”

“…Me?”

I chuckled slightly as I looked at the bewildered Kalenn.

“Today, without even training, I’m giving you this gift for following me. If you don’t like it, you can return it. But if you don’t accept it, your dorm room will remain barren.”

That was one aspect.

Kalenn is originally a tank.

Although she wields a sword now, in the original, she eventually becomes a tank who uses a shield.

But that’s a bit further down the line.

At least by Act 3, Kalenn will start using a shield.

It’s too far off to wait for that naturally.

So, I thought it would be nice to associate the shield, which is her class change item, and bring that moment a bit closer.

“You won’t accept it?”

“No, no. No, I won’t.”

She wiped the shield’s surface with her hand, then stared blankly at her reflection that appeared.

Hugging the shield covered in dirt, she smiled.

“Thank you, Adrian. I’ll cherish it like my heart.”

“…….”

It was a familiar smile, so I couldn’t find the right words to say.

The ending of Kalen Snowhite.

So, the laughter that erupted when she cast off all the shackles of curses and returned as ‘Hylin Snowhite’.

“I suppose we should add shield training starting today. Hmm, thanks to you, my workload has increased?”

At those words, I chuckled and grabbed my spellbook.

As familiar messages flashed by, I picked out only one crucial thing to read.

[Skill acquired: 【Low-tier Earth Elemental Magic: Ground Rock】.]

I had acquired my third low-tier magic.

“Well then, shall we head back?”

“Yes!”

* * *

Crossing the desert back to Selenium.

With a shield on her back and a sword at her waist, Kalen’s face, for some reason, looked very pleased.

“I’ve wanted to try using a shield for a while. I’ve always thought that protecting someone is better than cutting someone… you know?”

“Is that so.”

“But since I’ve only ever learned how to wield a sword… there were limitations to protecting with just a sword. I keenly felt that during the Lycanslope incident. So, I contemplated trying out a shield, but I hesitated, thinking it might be difficult to adapt to…”

She smiled again.

“Thank you for giving me confidence, for creating an opportunity.”

“If there’s any problem, consult with your roommate, won’t you.”

“Roommate…”

After pondering those words for a few moments, she nodded.

“I’ll keep it in mind. It’s still afternoon, and since I’ve just received new equipment, I’ll go train first.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“But isn’t pushing oneself how skills improve?”

With that, Kalen waved her hand and ran off towards the Knight Department.

Being able to run so swiftly with a sword and shield weighing over 10 strength restriction, indeed, the Knight Department is the Knight Department.

As I parted ways with her and returned to the central district.

“Adrian, I’ve been looking for you.”

Someone called out to me.

In the midst of the grand square, someone stood there.

“You are…”

A familiar face.

Short purple hair with a headband.

A mark at the tip of the eye.

Neatly dressed in a school uniform.

And on the arm… a green badge.

A badge.

The meaning that badge holds at the Selenium Academy is simple.

She lightly shook her left hand once to show the stamp and said,

“I am a member of the Student Council, Daisy von Schkross.”

“The Student Council?”

“Yes, the disciplinary result for Melwood Elion has been announced. Please come to the Student Council immediately. I will guide you on the way. Follow me.”

Hmm.

I thought she would come out soon.

“If you don’t come, we will forcibly take you. Just like during Lykanslope, you were involved this time as well. Since we don’t know what scheme you might be brewing, the President wishes to meet you in person to determine the truth.”

The Chief of the Magic Department. A member of the Student Council.

And Reyna’s eternal rival.

After declaring as such, Daisy von Schkross turned around and walked away.