LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 60
The next day. It was the second class day at the Academy.
“This is today’s class location.”
The Academy boasts several facilities created by the Ivory Tower and Dwarves, one of which is the artificial ruins.
As the name suggests, it’s a man-made ruin where traps and golems that replace monsters automatically revive when infused with magical power.
“I believe everyone is aware of where this place is. It’s one of the Academy’s prides, and it’s likely the ruins you’ll visit most often before going into actual combat.”
Looks like half are paying attention, while the other half… not so much. I’ll remember their faces. Assignments are coming.
“Since everyone is familiar with how to conquer ruins, I’ll skip the basics. Now, before we dive into the ruins, we need to form parties…”
Just like in the game, this is the moment I get to move around with the main characters for the first time. So, let’s create a party for Arisha.
“Form a group with your friends. I won’t say it’s too harsh because I’ll go first. Arisha, Ludwig, Lumina, Ripa— you are Group 1. And for the next…”
Forming teams simply, some looked satisfied while others appeared displeased. But hey, if the instructor says so, the students have no choice but to comply.
“I’ll also join this exploration, so don’t worry too much. Plus, it won’t affect your scores, so don’t stress.”
“Instructor! When can we go into the ruins just by ourselves?”
“You can start going solo once you can conquer the ruins without my help. And when your conquest rank for the artificial ruins reaches B or higher, then you can go for actual ruins.”
In the main story, after clearing Chapter 1’s boss, they’ll finally be able to explore the ruins on their own. It’s quite a shame, but I can’t join then. But that doesn’t mean I’m off the hook.
I turned my gaze to Arisha and her band of misfits. As they prepared to enter the ruins, one student raised their hand.
“Instructor, you have to enter the ruins continuously. Are you okay with that?”
“How considerate of you! Excellent. Here, take a praise sticker.”
“Oooooh!! But where do I put this?”
“If you collect ten, I’ll grant you a wish. Anyway, don’t worry about me. The Academy’s instructor isn’t that weak.”
If I get exhausted just from a few visits to artificial ruins, I’d never dream of reaching the true end.
After that student, others began sending me worried glances and cheering me on with “Hang in there!” Such transparent kids.
“Alright, Group 1, start entering. The rest of you, wait while reading the ruins conquest guide. Anyone scoring below average on the pop quiz after class will receive penalties.”
“What happens if we accumulate penalties?”
“You’ll be held back.”
“……”
So being held back is terrifying, huh? Everyone reluctantly began to read the guide.
Watching that, I shifted my gaze back to Arisha’s party.
“Let’s go in.”
The exploration of artificial ruins was essentially the tutorial in the main story.
Originally, it was supposed to teach about character controls and combat mechanics, but since this is real life, it won’t be that soft.
“Who knows the basics of ruins conquest?”
“To tackle traps, a specialist in trap disarming must take the lead. Others should follow their instructions, but warriors with heavy armor or shields must stay in the second row to prepare for monster ambushes. In the third row, there should be mages or long-range attackers capable of support, and the fourth should hold healers or support providers in case of large-scale aid.”
Lumina raised her hand and answered, and it was a valid response.
“Now, what should we do now?”
Arisha, the fighter; Ludwig, the swordsman; Lumina, the mage; and Ripa, the magical engineer. Their party composition was a bit different from the basic setup.
Thus, they pondered, and Arisha cheerfully raised her hand.
“We need to deal with traps using the mage’s magic or ranged attacks!”
“And for detecting traps?”
“We can use the fighter’s detection skill… or maybe just let the observant people go first?”
“Exactly. Praise sticker for you.”
“Yay~!”
Arisha happily jumped while securely putting the praise sticker I gave her into her pocket.
Meanwhile, Ludwig looked at her with envy and asked, “What wish would you make when you collect ten?”
“Hmm… It’s a secret!”
“That’s so unfair…”
“…Shouldn’t we be heading out soon?”
Yeah, it’s not like we’re on a picnic.
As Arisha mentioned earlier, she took the lead.
About ten minutes into using her detection skill as a fighter, thud thud, a golem appeared.
It was the tutorial’s first monster, a golem.
Although it’s called a golem, it’s made of mud, so fighting it won’t be too challenging.
“I don’t really need to mention tactics, right? Just do well and fight.”
“Yaap!!”
“Ugh!!”
“Fire Arrow!!”
“Fire Arrow!!”
Arisha and Ludwig swiftly charged forward to attack the golem, while Lumina and Ripa supported them with their magic.
It was their first combination attack, but since everyone had the basics down, the golem fell before long.
“Ha! That was easy.”
But after capturing it, striking a pose like that… Arisha pouted a bit at Ludwig, who was planting his sword back.
“Instructor! Don’t you think that’s too weak?!”
“Don’t worry. As we progress, you’ll face more enemies. Move along.”
After defeating the golem, we moved on to disable a trap.
Next, more enemies would appear.
Just as I thought this, I suddenly heard krak… krak…—the sound of the ruins collapsing.
At the same moment, a monster with saw-like teeth revealed itself as the wall crumbled.
It was a Giant Rockworm.
This greedy monster, which could chew through rocks and swallow what’s inside, had appeared here.
Uh-oh… This isn’t supposed to happen in the main story.
“Look out! It’s a Giant Rockworm!”
Lumina’s voice quaked with fear.
And who could blame her? The Giant Rockworm was known for annihilating parties that encountered it.
It’s only natural they’d be terrified upon unexpectedly meeting such a creature.
“Step back.”
I drew my sword and charged at it. With my first strike, its rock-hard shell cracked, exposing its inner flesh. I punched in and unleashed magic.
“Lightning Spear.”
Zzzzzzaap!!
The electric shock burst forth from inside the Giant Rockworm, causing it to thrash around before collapsing and going limp.
It had fainted.
Now, I should finish it off properly.
I approached its head and used Moonlight Slash to behead the creature.
“Though there was a slight incident, it wasn’t a big deal, so let’s just move on.”
According to the Academy instructor’s guideline, in case problems arise that the instructor can solve, they can decide whether to continue the class.
The Giant Rockworm was something I could handle effortlessly, and I doubted there’d be any further significant problems, so I voted for continuing the training.
“Yes! Instructor!”
Arisha remained her usual bright self, but not the other three.
“…Hey, slight incident?”
“That was a Giant Rockworm?!”
“Aaah…”
While Arisha seemed fine to continue, the others wanted to retreat.
To those reluctant faces, I spoke as kindly as possible.
“Oh, are you scared?”
“N-No, who’s scared?!”
“This is nothing!”
“…Sniff… I can keep going…”
As expected, the magic words worked like a charm.
Immediately, the three regained their spirits and began to push on.
Thus, they continued the ruins exploration and eventually arrived at the rewards room without any significant issues.
“I can give an overall evaluation of A.”
Besides a minor hiccup, nothing significant happened. So it’s only natural to give an A.
*
“What could possibly be important to that person?”
Ludwig mumbled, unable to hide his unease as he read the guidebook.
Seeing Lee Hyun, who was entering the ruins with other teammates, made Lumina sigh.
“He was like this before too. He said it was no big deal capturing the great demon beast in the kingdom.”
“After he fought the Great Demon, he said something similar.”
“Looks like everyone knows the instructor.”
Except for Ripa, the other three had all met Lee Hyun in the past.
They exchanged glances and slightly nodded.
“Why did such a remarkable person come to be an instructor at the Academy? He could hold a high position anywhere, right?”
“That’s true. My father said he could offer Lee Hyun a spot among the Five Element Generals…”
“My father said he’d give him a chancellor position too.”
But he turned them both down.
Though being an instructor at the Academy is an honorable position, it doesn’t quite compare to being one of the Empire’s Five Element Generals or the kingdom’s Chancellor.
And so, Arisha thought to herself.
‘…Could it really be? That he came to the Academy to see me…’
That thought echoed relentlessly in Arisha’s mind.
After class finished, she went to the cafeteria for a brief break, where she encountered Lee Hyun, who was once again reading documents alone.
Not wanting to just pass by, she rushed over and sat in front of him.
“Instructor! Are you all alone again?”
“You came, huh?”
With a gentle smile.
It was the same smile she had seen before.
Returning his smile, Arisha now placed the cookies and strawberry drink she ordered in front of her and showed interest in the documents Lee Hyun was examining.
“What’s that?”
“It’s nothing special. Just one of my instructional duties.”
“To you, everything seems like it’s no big deal; catching the Great Demon is no big deal, conquering the great demon beast is no big deal, and taking down the Giant Rockworm is also no big deal. What’s actually important for you?”
“What’s important to me… Well, it’s that you’re doing well at the Academy, I suppose?”
“…Here we go again. Seriously~. Instructor, if you keep saying things like that, others might misunderstand. So please, don’t say it to anyone else but me, okay?”
With her finger poking at his hand, Arisha laughed brightly.
But behind that smile, her white cheeks flushed a subtle shade of peach.
.
.
.
The face of the Academy dean turned pale after reading a certain letter.
“…W-Why is the Sword Saint visiting the Academy…?”
The news of an absurd VIP visit had just come in.