Academy's Silver Gatekeeper-Chapter 62

That's why state ability users are handling it now. And even they're short on numbers, hence requesting support from the Academy.

"Everyone, stay alert. We're inside the dungeon. Focus, focus."

At my gentle warning, the students fell silent.

Even in the easiest dungeons, casualties can still occur. The opponents we'll soon face are monsters that view humans as food.

That's why not even a moment's carelessness is permitted. Not if you don't want to die.

"Lizardmen approaching from the front."

A Gold-ranked male student at the rightmost position calls out with a stop signal. Immediately after, all of Squad 3 can see the group of Lizardmen approaching our formation.

"Twelve of them! All warriors, I think. No archers or shamans visible!"

Kang Hana is the first to assess the enemy's composition. She's not just serving as a dealer but also as a beacon for the squad. That's why there's a saying about "reliably using Platinum ranks."

"I won't say much. Just do as you normally would, without making mistakes."

At my words, the students nod and begin their combat preparations.

Keek— Kiruk—

The group of Lizardmen, having spotted us, began to approach slowly.

"Magic cast complete! I'm starting, Examiner!"

Kang Hana's magic signaled the beginning of the battle.

"Ice Piercing!"

With her sharp cry, a translucent ice awl flew toward the Lizardmen. Its speed was so fast that blocking or dodging was simply impossible.

Pureok—!

One Lizardman died without even screaming. The one right behind it also seemed severely injured, as it thrashed around unable to get up.

'As expected of Kang Hana. As expected of a Platinum. Not just her magic, but her battle sense is good.'

There's a mistake that magic types occasionally make.

Getting too excited, and seeing too many approaching monsters, they carelessly use wide-area magic right from the start.

Why is this a mistake? Because if you do that, your magic power runs out quickly. And using wide-area magic repeatedly can mess up your allies' vision.

It means you might miss the monsters' movements. In more serious cases, your wide-area magic might even sweep through your own formation.

From that perspective, Kang Hana was perfect.

Using a single-target spell to eliminate one target completely, causing no damage to allies. At the same time, conserving magic power in case of emergencies.

As a Platinum rank, she could have wiped them out if she wanted to. But instead, Kang Hana gave the combat experience to the students. Meanwhile, she remained prepared to use magic whenever necessary.

'No wonder she's going to join Lee Hyunwoo's party.'

I gave Kang Hana a smile before diving into the battle.

Dungeon raiding isn't a game. It's about methodically working through each challenge. You could get hurt by a comrade's swinging weapon, punch, or flying spell. You need to move like precise gears, not in a haphazard manner.

Keeek—! Kruk—!

The moment we clash with the Lizardmen, they're swept away. They have a slight numerical advantage, but our side consists entirely of Gold rank or higher. Even by dungeon standards, we're sufficient for B-rank dungeons, so it would be strange if we were pushed back.

'Looks like there's nothing for me to do here?'

That's fortunate. It would have been quite awkward to use my Gatekeeper trait. At this rate, all I need to do is evaluate each student individually.

After all, that's what a supervising professor is supposed to do anyway.

"More Lizardmen approaching from behind the current group!"

Hmm, a wave in the first battle. This confirms once again what an annoying place this is, both in terms of environment and enemies.

*

The first battle ended. To conclude, my worries were unfounded.

I had been concerned that the students might make mistakes due to excitement or nervousness. For example, moving excessively and depleting their stamina.

But the students sliced through the monsters with remarkable composure.

They didn't break formation, waste magic power with excessive skill use, and no one was injured by blind attacks.

A perfect battle with no unnecessary moves, a victory without casualties. A great start.

'At this rate, I don't need to step in. If I do, I'd just be depriving the students of experience.'

Kang Hana seemed to share my thoughts. In subsequent battles, she continued to conserve her magic, only stepping in when absolutely necessary. She was conserving magic while giving Gold ranks more combat experience.

"Examiner. This seems to be the driest land around. The elevation is also slightly higher than elsewhere."

"You're right. Alright, students. Let's rest for 10 minutes, then move on."

A short break after two more battles.

No student is showing signs of fatigue yet. Everyone still seems fine. But it's good to take breaks whenever possible.

"Everyone's doing well, aren't they?"

I glanced over to see Kang Hana offering me a water bottle. I replied "They are," took the bottle, and had a sip.

"Thank you. I haven't really done anything."

"You fought with the lizards in the beginning. You stepped back afterward, but that's because you're conserving energy and magic like me, in case of emergencies."

I wasn't particularly trying to conserve energy, but if that's how she wants to interpret it, that's fine by me. Instead of answering, I just took another sip of water, which made Kang Hana smile.

"You're different from the professors who just observe from a distance."

That is actually the correct approach. Why would a professor need to be in the midst of students? External support is ultimately an extension of the lecture. Students need to work through it. The combat, the decisions—everything should be left to the students for their own benefit.

"Maybe you've gotten used to worrying about Bronze and Silver ranks."

"Hmm. That could be it. But don't worry. Everyone will do fine."

After our brief conversation, I gave the signal to move out again. We've encountered quite a few groups of Lizardmen, so it's about time to meet the boss.

A dungeon is cleared by defeating the boss monster that exists inside it.

You can either advance slowly, clearing the surroundings before tackling the boss, or ignore the lesser monsters and quickly defeat the boss. The approach to clearing usually follows one of these two methods.

And currently, Squad 3 has chosen the former method.

'Because right now, it's not just about clearing.'

That's the reason we entered the safest dungeon.

Experiencing as many environments as possible, spending more time, dispelling any remaining tension and fear as much as possible. Even preparing an appropriate response in case something unexpected happens.

"Lizardmen group spotted ahead. Five of them. Likely a scouting party."

Once again, the student leading the way quickly reports the enemy. If it's a scouting party, they can be easily defeated. The students know this.

"Wait."

However, I stopped the students in their tracks.

"Examiner?"

The reason was a strange sense of discomfort I felt upon seeing those distant Lizardmen.

"Student Kang Hana. Magic first."

Despite my sudden instruction, Kang Hana obediently followed my words.

"Ice Piercing."

An ice awl flew from Kang Hana's fingertips, cutting through the air.

As before, a C-rank monster like a Lizardman should die instantly, unable to even react. Even if it does react, it's already too late and should still suffer a critical wound.

Kiruk—!

"...Huh?"

But the Lizardman properly reacted to Kang Hana's magic. While it couldn't completely avoid injury, what should have pierced its torso only cut its arm.

Kyaa—!

The creatures, having spotted the students, began approaching through the swamp. And as they drew closer, the ominous feeling grew stronger.

"What's going on? Why are they so fast!"

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"Is that really a Lizardman?!"

A Lizardman that had approached striking distance swung its spear. One student was hit by the attack and staggered back with a grunt.

The student hadn't been careless. They weren't lacking in skill, nor were they fatigued. They had been fighting Lizardmen just fine until now. Yet they were pushed back in an instant.

'Shit, don't tell me. No, that wasn't supposed to happen until the second semester.'

An incident mentioned at the end of the vacation episode. A harbinger of disaster.

But from what I remembered, it was supposed to occur after the vacation. That's why I thought we had time. I believed everything was still fine.

'I was too complacent. I should have kept that possibility in mind.'

To summarize the current situation, it's this:

Ability users aren't the only ones growing stronger with time.