I Became The Academy’s Narrow-Eyes - Chapter 96: The Dark Forest

< Chapter 96 – The Dark Forest (1) >

A foolish young man, who, having passed the academy entrance exam with top honors, believed himself to be the protagonist of the world.

As a result of his ignoring the advice of elders and being stubborn.

-This isn’t it…

-Haha, see, what did I tell you.

That was the scenario Hallow had imagined.

Hallow was organizing advice in his head for the reckless and spirited young man.

During the hour Dorn was dispelling the barrier, he planned to give him practical, compressed advice that would be as good as blood and flesh to him.

Before seeking efficient dungeon exploration as a veteran adventurer.

For the sake of a promising young man as an adult!

“Uh…”

But what is this?

The result of the spirited young man ignoring the advice of adults was a success.

Hallow was at a loss for words.

“How did he do it…?”

“Is that what’s important now? Seeing that makes me feel so refreshed.”

“Is, is that so…?”

“Just like Bolton said. It’s indeed exhilarating.”

The Daltasian party was almost ecstatic at the sight.

“How on earth…!”

“Dorn, now’s not the time to worry about that. Our elder is speechless against that youngster.”

“Merely breaking a barrier is no magic; this is magic. At this moment, I felt the true mystery.”

“…Indeed.”

Even Hallow’s party members, including Dorn, showed a thrilled response to Hallow being at a loss for words.

It seemed they, being younger than Hallow, had been quite troubled by his nagging usually.

The dungeon exploration team, which had been divided into two, achieved a grand integration.

The hero who brought about this integration attracted all the attention.

They each praised Ceylon in their own ways.

‘What is this…’

Ceylon was bewildered.

Anyone would think he had just defeated the final boss of the dungeon with a single strike.

He realized anew the stature of a man named Hallow.

“Hallow sir?”

“Huh?”

Hallow, who had been staring blankly at the stone door, regained his senses and looked at Ceylon.

“With this, can we consider the information I have as reliable?”

Hallow looked back and forth between the stone door and Ceylon, then nodded his head.

“Definitely.”

“Oh?”

Ceylon was momentarily surprised by Hallow’s unexpectedly pure acknowledgment.

“But how did you dispel the barrier?”

Ceylon took a deep breath to calm his body and mind.

Using a dispel to negate the barrier of a level 5 dungeon while concealing his power was quite a burden.

He wanted to feel a strong sense of fatigue as if his stamina and mana had been sliced with a knife.

Though he wanted to boast about it as a form of reward-

What needed to be appealed here was not his ability, but the credibility of the information he had.

[Guys, does this dungeon’s stone door also have an erogenous zone?]

[Why would a stone door have that, you crazy?]

[Unfortunately, the stone in stone door means rock, not SUCK ㅠㅠ]

[No, sometimes there are dungeon stone doors that open when you attack a certain spot without needing to dispel anything]

[Erogenous zone lol crazy]

[That’s called a weak point, who calls it an erogenous zone;;]

[Please stop reading Hitomi for a while]

Ceylon made up an excuse based on a very memorable post he had seen on a community site.

“According to the information I had, there was a hidden mechanism in the stone door. If you inject mana into a specific part of the stone door, the mechanism activates, and the door opens.”

“Hmm, it’s a keyhole. A device made separately by the dungeon’s master for free passage. It’s not feasible to destroy and recreate the barrier every time one needs to enter or exit.”

Hallow said, looking at Dorn.

“Did you find a keyhole?”

Dorn shook his head.

“Not a trace was visible.”

The same conversation happened on the Daltasian party’s side.

“Hey Elysia, what about you?”

“Do you think it’s easy to find a keyhole in a level 5 barrier? Dispelling the barrier is the standard.”

Hallow stroked his chin, which had faint traces of a beard, and despite looking displeased, he said,

“Well done. Thanks to you, Dorn’s effort was greatly reduced. Concentration is a limited resource, so your contribution will definitely have a significant impact on the dungeon exploration. I express my gratitude.”

Dorn looked at Ceylon and nodded slightly.

Ceylon was about to respond with a smile when,

“But!”

Ah, as expected.

It seemed like it would come to this.

“Just because of this one instance, it doesn’t mean all the information you have is trustworthy.”

Was he upset about being outdone by the youth?

Hallow, filled with enthusiasm, began to speak energetically.

The topic was about acquiring and verifying information related to adventurer activities.

The lecture filled with Hallow’s experience as a veteran adventurer was undoubtedly beneficial.

To use his expression, it was a lesson that would become blood and flesh!

-What nonsense is he going to spout now.

Even the Daltasian party, who had been prepared to ignore Hallow’s talk at first, found themselves listening to him before long.

Therefore,

Those listening to Hallow’s lecture felt a great disappointment.

“Young folks, that’s why you don’t make it!!!”

“Thinking you know everything just by reading books, without listening to what people say!!!”

“Who wrote those books! Weren’t they written by people?”

“Then, from whom did those book authors learn?”

“After all, this wisdom and knowledge are meant to come from the past!”

“If only they would listen to the words of the elders, who are living witnesses of the past!!!”

“Just books! Books! Books! No flexibility at all!”

“You’re still young, but your heads are harder than these old ones!?”

“Back in my day!!!”

Even the beneficial lessons became unbearable to listen to because of Hallow’s way of speaking.

“Ah, I can’t listen anymore.”

“Elysia, is there a spell that makes us only unable to hear a specific person’s voice?”

“I can tear the eardrums and then regenerate them. It would cause some damage, though.”

“I seriously have to consider it if we’re going to strategize the dungeon with this person.”

They tried to pay attention to the quality of information in Hallow’s stories, but eventually, one by one, they dropped out.

By the time Hallow’s talk was over,

Ceylon was the only one still holding onto his sanity.

Perhaps it was possible because he had immunity (?) to mental attacks with the power of his trait.

Ceylon could only cautiously speculate.

“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Having listened to Hallow’s lecture to the end, Ceylon felt his perspective had broadened.

He understood what Hallow was talking about.

But apart from that-

‘Arrrrrrgh!!!’

He was internally writhing in frustration.

To summarize what Hallow was trying to say,

-Have you acquired and verified information as I’ve told you?

-No?

-So, just because one thing was right, it doesn’t guarantee the rest of your information is correct.

-You lack experience.

-On the other hand, I have plenty of it.

-So, it’s right to follow my opinion here.

-Any objections?

Objections?

Of course, there were.

“Yes, whether I understand or not.”

But Ceylon did not show it.

By this point, he had painfully realized,

It was absolutely impossible to persuade Hallow with words if one was younger and had less experience than him.

Eventually, Ceylon decided to follow Hallow’s experience and wisdom instead of his own information.

For now, at least.

* * *

The trees stood in a line, forming a wall.

Grass-covered paths were dotted with flowers and gravel.

The sky, heavy with clouds, seemed ready to pour down rain at any moment.

This was none other than the landscape inside the dungeon that Ceylon and his party had entered.

“It feels like we’re exploring a forest, not conquering a dungeon…”

Phibian , who had been visibly tense upon entering the dungeon, was now looking around with keen interest.

Ceylon spoke to her,

“Is this your first time on a dungeon expedition?”

“What, again? No, I’ve been here a few times before?”

Instantly, her intrigued expression turned to one of annoyance.

“I see. But why are you angry again?”

“Just thinking about you spouting nonsense again and getting on my nerves makes me irritated.”

“Getting irritated because you think you’ll get irritated, that’s very Phibian of you.”

“Shut up. Why did you even start talking to me?”

“I thought, since there’s not much else to do, why not have a chat with Phibian .”

“Did we come here for a picnic?”

“Being with Miss Phibian makes anywhere feel like a picnic.”

“Ugh, what are you on about?”

Despite her words, Phibian seemed to understand what Ceylon was trying to say.

-All set!

Hallow’s voice could be heard from the opposite side.

“Let’s go.”

Phibian moved forward straight away.

Ceylon and Daltasian, who were escorting them, promptly followed.

Soon, they caught up with Hallow’s party, which had moved ahead earlier.

Not that there was much to do upon joining them; the remnants of destroyed or defeated dungeon obstacles were scattered around.

True to the forest theme, the guardians of the dungeon were mostly beasts transformed by the influence of mana – magical beasts.

Phibian frowned upon seeing the corpses of magical beasts strewn about.

“Miss, is there anything uncomfortable?”

Hallow asked, noticing Phibian ‘s sullen expression.

“Uncomfortable? It’s so easy that it’s irritating~”

“Hahaha! It seems the process of dungeon exploration wasn’t what you expected!”

“I thought I could gain some real experience.”

“That’s an excellent attitude. However, this level 5 dungeon is somewhat dangerous for gaining practical experience at your current level. I’d appreciate it if you could be satisfied with just getting a feel for the atmosphere this time. I fully understand your enthusiasm! There’s no need to rush. You are a person born with exceptional talent. Surely, in a few years, you’ll be at heights we could hardly reach!”

Whether she should react to being treated like a child,

Or respond to the purely well-intentioned advice,

Phibian ‘s expression was complicated.

“Hmm! Anyway, miss, I’ll be on my way now. Once everything is ready, let’s meet again then. Ceylon, and the rest of you, please continue to escort the lady!”

The words Hallow spat out were distorted even before they reached their ears.

As if to say, ‘Have fun playing nice here!’

Perhaps it wasn’t distorted but simply stripped of its wrapping.

In such a way, Hallow was treating them as objects that needed to be thoroughly protected.

A pernicious culture of exclusion was miraculously carried out with pure goodwill and good intentions.

“Ha, what in the world are we doing?”

Bolton kicked the innocent ground in humiliation.

“This is really… Everyone, I am truly, truly sorry.”

Then, startled by Ceylon’s words, he made a groveling face.

“Oh, Ceylon. What do you have to be sorry for, huh?”

Bolton wanted to firmly establish a connection with this promising young man—a commoner who had topped the academy entrance exam and had connections with Phibian , a lady from a noble family.

“We’re already more than satisfied just by having formed a connection with someone as outstanding as you, right? You know what I’m trying to say?”

His naturally bowing posture and the rubbing of his hands were just like a bald fly. Elysia and Daltasian felt the shame Bolton should have felt on his behalf.

“Right, Ceylon. What do you have to be sorry for? Rather, we should be the ones feeling sorry. Having received so much money and doing nothing…”

Bolton quickly went to whisper in Elysia’s ear.

-Don’t even mention giving back the commission fee!!! What if they actually ask for it back!!!

-Whack!

“Ouch!”

Elysia could no longer bear the sight of her pitifully incompetent companion and turned him into a splendid percussion instrument.

Watching their interaction, Daltasian lightly smiled and said to Ceylon,

“As the two said, we shouldn’t worry about it. However, it’s a shame. If we all worked together, conquering the dungeon would be much easier. At this rate, it seems- we’ll end up camping in the dungeon tonight.”

“What!? Camping!? Inside the dungeon!?”

Camping.

Phibian , a lady from a noble family, was appalled by this unfamiliar concept.

“Ugh…”

Thus.

Everyone had their own grievances with Hallow’s decision.

But there was no alternative.

How could they complain about conquering a level 5 dungeon filled with all kinds of dangers as if it were a simple task for a carpenter?

“A competent know-it-all, damn… What kind of hybrid is that?”

Everyone felt the same way as Bolton.

While everyone was lamenting, blocked by the wall of wailing that was Hallow,

There was one who remained calm.

It was Ceylon.

“Miss Phibian , don’t worry too much. We won’t be camping in the dungeon today.”

He reassured them with a relaxed tone.

“What? How do you mean-”

Ceylon looked around – observing the structure of the dungeon interior and then smiled meaningfully.

“In a little while, Mr. Hallow will bend his pride.”

* * *

[Why You Must Beat the Dark Forest at Level 40.EU (Link)]

[Looking at this jerk again makes me so angry]

[Why hasn’t that post been deleted yet?]

[That armband jerk says he won’t be the only one going down ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[The real problem with that jerk is]

[Up to the boss! He made it really smooth to progress]

[The guide is freaking well written]