Chapter 257 – Chapter 257 Hero Academy (3-64)
In the meeting room at the top of the ivory tower, elderly people were sitting around a round table and chatting noisily.
They ranged from at least 60 years of age to elderly people who looked like they were in their 80s.
Most of the walls of the meeting room were made of glass, and just looking outside was creating a dizzying scene, as if falling from a high altitude.
However, the old people in such a dizzying place were indulging in chatter as if they were not interested in the outside world.
“Oh, what a struggle at this age….”
“Stop arguing about your age. Anyone who sees you will know that you are a hundred years old.”
“No, shit…. Unless you’re 100 years old, can’t you even say you’re sick?”
At those words, the conference room became a sea of laughter.
“I rather like my grandson…. Where can I talk to kids like that at my age?”
“That’s a day or two…. I’m exhausted after just five minutes of talking with the gyats….”
“On the other hand, it’s over tomorrow, so it’s sad.”
As we continued our conversation, the door to the meeting room opened and a child came in and greeted us.
“Everybody was there. Sorry for being late.”
“It’s too late…. Rather, we came too soon.”
“Old people like us, if we try to come on time, we can’t come on time, so we have to come early.”
Everyone smiled and welcomed Yeriel, who smiled at them as he sat down in her chair.
“I think this is my advice, and I will come sooner next time.”
“Hi and….”
Yeriel, unlike her appearance, was the oldest in this conference room, and in that way she let loose the atmosphere as she punted with them.
But even during that time, it soon began to get to the point.
“This tour… Thank you for all your hard work.”
“What are we doing?”
“It seems that the instructors are having a hard time waking up to notice us.”
Most of the magi instructors belong to the tower.
And from the point of view of the instructors belonging to such a tower, the Hyunseongs were director-level executives in a company.
Employees and executives.
The tower is not a perfect vertical system like a company, but they couldn’t have acted lightly while watching the wise men.
“I need that kind of experience. First, let me explain why I called you guys.”
Until now, all demons and classes had been distributed to several dungeons, so there was no need to meet each other.
But tomorrow was different.
“The place we will go tomorrow is… It is a labyrinth dungeon.”
***
I lay in bed and pondered.
‘What should I give you? .’
Cho Seohyun’s birthday was tomorrow, Saturday.
However, she has been thinking about what to give her as a gift, but has not decided.
Considering the relationship, a gift that is not too burdensome would be nice, but a gift that is too light was perfect for disappointing the other person.
My relationship with Cho Seo-hyun right now was like that.
Such a time to cross while riding a precarious line.
‘Practical? Luxury? Or just a flower?’
[I think it would be nice to have a decoration that you can keep looking at in your room.]
‘That’s nice.’
I didn’t have to bother to go shopping.
As long as it’s not a really special item, it can be made with Enel.
Rather, if it was a simple luxury item, it could be said that it was convenient because it could be made with Enel.
The problem is….
‘… What should I give you for that ornament?’
It is a mountain beyond a mountain.
‘Should I give Jeju Dolhareubang ornaments if I can’t?’
[… Even if you ask me to make it, I will not make it.]
‘….’
Why? That’s cute….
I ended up going to bed all night without picking out a birthday present.
..
..
Seong Soo-ah and I put on a puzzled expression as we watched the crowd of people.
“This… It’s a mayhem.”
“What the hell is going on….”
Until now, each class had practiced in a designated dungeon, but today all the students and instructors gathered in a large empty lot.
Actually, Yeriel, who called us here, hadn’t appeared yet.
While everyone was confused about what was going on, Yeriel finally appeared.
She climbed onto a podium in the clearing, put her mouth into the microphone as if giving a speech, and began to recite.
“Sorry for the sudden change of schedule on the last day. However, I thought that there would be a lot of regrets from the field trip if I just beat the monster until the last day.”
“….”
“That’s why we gathered here today to experience a slightly special dungeon. That’s right….”
Yeriel looked all around her, then raised her eyes and said,
“It’s a maze dungeon.”
“… ?”
The cadets questioned her instructors, not understanding what she was saying, and the instructors, hearing her words, sighed in relief and began to explain to her cadets.
And on our side, Seong Soo-ah started to explain.
“I’ve only heard of it, but it looks like this is where the dungeon is located.”
“What kind of place is it?”
“Maze Dungeon… There’s nothing special about it, it’s called a maze dungeon just because it’s like a maze.”
She said that if there is a difference from other dungeons, the internal structure keeps changing and the gimmicks are on the side.
However, she explained that she was somewhat safe because the number of monsters was small.
“Most of the time, the advance team goes in and organizes things, so I’ve never been there either. You probably won’t experience much of the maze dungeon unless you are in the advance team.”
As Seong Soo-ah finished her explanation, Yeri-el, who was at her podium, opened her mouth.
“Now, I think everyone has heard enough of the explanation.”
Yeriel said so and added an additional explanation.
He said that the maze dungeon he was going into now had a lot of exploration, so there were almost no monsters, and a lot of gimmicks had been destroyed.
Originally, the levels of monsters and gimmicks were low-level, but it was said that it would be as safe as there were none.
“And, of course, the wise men will accompany you this time too, so if there is a problem, they will deal with it right away.”
It was a moment when the cadets and instructors were relieved by those words and relaxed.
“But wouldn’t it be fun if we just continued like this?”
“… ?”
Yeriel said with a smile at the people staring at her.
“I put some products in this dungeon. Some of you might not expect it, but for the cadets… I’ve put something you might like, so I hope everyone will be motivated to find it.”
With those words, the cadets began to hum and motivate themselves.
It was the same on our side.
“It feels like we are on a picnic.”
“Iknow, right. I think Yeriel-nim is enjoying it more than I thought.”
Even while we were talking like that, the surroundings were agitated, and Yeriel, who was on the podium, opened her mouth with a shallow smile as if she was satisfied with everyone’s reaction.
“Okay then let’s begin.”
..
..
A labyrinth dungeon.
The difference from other dungeons was that there were not just one or two entrances.
As there were many entrances, it was common to wander through the dungeon and come out through the wrong entrance.
Yeriel opened his mouth as we entered the dungeon.
“Me and Hyeonseong will not serve as guides. Everyone is a gilchi, but….”
Haha….”
“I only gave instructions to hide the box, I don’t know exactly where it is.”
He explained that the small amount of goods Yeriel mentioned were in a box that stood out at a glance.
He said he didn’t confuse them by hiding them behind rocks or burying them in the ground.
‘Isn’t this one or two roads?’
[It’s definitely a different atmosphere from the dungeons I’ve experienced so far.]
Unlike dungeons, where one or two branches sometimes appear, the road continued to diverge, giving confusion about the location.
‘Armonia, just in case. Write me down.’
[We are continuing to record with the current map. You won’t have to worry about going down a repeated path.]
‘OK.’
Remembering the map like that, he led the cadets through the dungeon.
And with each progress, the cadets showed a desire to find the treasure, and the urgency began to be seen.
“Instructor! Go this way!”
“If you go there, it’s the way you came back earlier.”
“Aha….”
And not long after, Sung Soo-ah looked at me and asked.
“How about going a little deeper?”
“That side probably faces outward.”
“Ah….”
It was like this.
Even if everyone was concentrating, it was noticeable that they were gradually losing their sense of direction after entering the dungeon.
In contrast, I continued to stand in the lead while looking at the map Armonia had floated in front of me.
Seeing me like that, the cadets started whispering.
“Wow… Instructor Seong Soo-ho, is this enough for navigation?”
“Awesome, isn’t that kind of skill?”
“I wish I had that ability too.”
Most of the cadets in the magic department belonged to the weak side.
Maybe because he had a talent for magic, he had a great talent for memory, but there were many cases where he had a completely bad direction.
At first, I remembered the road well, but at some point the direction was confused and the memory was rather messed up.
Comparatively, the memory of the cadets was on the low side compared to the cadets of the magi department, but they belonged to the side with excellent direction.
In other words, it meant that all the guys here had the attribute of Gilchi.
Including Seongsuah and Yeriel….
“Wow, Instructor Seong Soo-ho, you are amazing.”
“I know… I envy you.”
Haha….”
Aside from finding the treasure prepared by Yeriel, I was fortunate enough to get a good score.
After walking around like that for about an hour, we decided to make one big decision.
“Should this be scattered?”
He was already repeating meeting and parting ways with some other cadets and instructors.
And the other group seemed to be scattered and searching.
“Then let’s split into two groups.”
“Then, first of all, Instructor Seong Soo-ah and I should divide the group and then place the cadets.”
And Yeriel came into the group where I was.
Even if there are few monsters or gimmicks, if an unexpected situation arises, I will be at a more disadvantage.
“Then, since Yeriel-sama is by your side, it would be better for the author to follow Instructor Seong Su-ho.”
“Yes….”
Seo Ji-eun, looking at me with questioning eyes, quietly took her seat behind me.
“First of all, Instructor Seong Soo-ah, please go in a straight line as much as possible. I’ll focus on places I don’t pass by.”
“Okay, then see you later.”
So we divided into two groups and continued our search.
..
..
Yeriel murmured as he followed me with his cadets.
“This is a miscalculation. I never thought he would be a person with such a good sense of direction.”
Haha… I’m used to being a guide.”
If it were the advance team, they would have made a proper map and meticulously checked and explored it, but the cadets and instructors who had just entered this dungeon were not in that situation.
The key was to find the box by quickly progressing through the dungeons that had already been completed.
As a result, I had no choice but to speed up, and I couldn’t afford to make maps or examine things meticulously.
On the other hand, I didn’t have to worry at all because the map checked it for me.
‘It seems like it’s been a while since I found this, but it’s harder than I thought.’
[Considering the size of the dungeon, it should take a long time, but I don’t think it will take long as there are a lot of people looking for it.]
‘I want to go to the tower to pick out a birthday present for Cho Seo-hyun after finishing the treasure hunt sooner rather than later….’
It was when I was walking in the lead with such low motivation.
In the space in front of the cave where visibility was not secured, I saw something swaying in a black shape.
‘What? Is it a different group?’
But it was too conspicuous that it was unnatural for such a thing.
At least it looked like three people, but it was noticeable that their movements were a little different from people.
The guy who can’t keep his balance right… And even the guy who crawls on the floor on all fours….
It wasn’t until the shape came into view that I was sure.
‘That… Aren’t they the ones from last time?’
[… You’re right.]
Three humanoid monsters covered in purple started running towards us.
