Chương 103: Chapter 102

Professor Veythra stared at Jacob Cloud and gritted her teeth. She isn't naive. She can already tell that whatever Skill Jacob had obtained, it's at the level of a Royal Grade Skill. She can feel the meditative power through sheer proximity, and that she can feel it from a mere Platinum Skill indicates just how powerful it must be. Cloud must have not only picked a powerful Skill to evolve through Minor Enlightenment, but one that has merged well with the power of Minor Enlightenment.

She can tell it has high compatibility because it maintains the golden halo from the Level 100 version of the Gold Rank Skill despite ranking up. It has merged perfectly. Even just the knowledge of whichever Skill he used to evolve Minor Enlightenment could be worth so much coin…

"Heavenly Intuition," Jacob suddenly speaks the name of the Skill, making Professor Veythra's eyebrows rise in surprise. She has never heard of that Skill in her entire life. She suddenly realised that the outcome of the bet is already written in stone; there's no way he can fail now. Jacob Cloud completes the fourth and fifth movement, then, to add insult to injury, performs the whole circuit once more, taking but a minute to complete.

Professor Veythra hasn't just lost a bet, but part of her own pride as an Infernal, and she feels her hand curl into a fist. * Careful now, try not to offend her any further, King Baalrek reminds me. You've been rather lucky with Infernals so far. But remember, Infernal WOMEN are NOT to be trifled with. I know, I know. I'm waiting for her to say something. I know this must have been humiliating, but I think I've been reasonable considering that she wanted to cripple me and force me from the Academy.

But when she looks at me, there's no longer just anger in her eyes, but a gleaming curiosity. She places the red Skill Crystal, the Blood of the Ancients, in my hands and cups my hands in the process. She looks me straight in the eyes, the intensity of her gaze making me flinch. Despite being older than Iskara, I can clearly see the resemblance between the two women. Professor Veythra is as beautiful a woman as her niece.

"Cloud," she says in a low growl, "it looks like you're my new project now."

"Huh?" I ask, scared and confused.

"Whatever karma you carry, I want a piece of it. You completed a test that should have been impossible for you under any circumstances." She leans close to my ear and whispers so only I can hear, "I think you're destined for great things. And I want a piece of that. No matter what." I shiver, and I hear King Baalrek's voice in my ear. This is unfortunate. It appears you have piqued her interest. When it comes to Infernal women, this is arguably worse than just making them angry at you.

* The next few days are uneventful. I had my first lesson for Traps and Cracks 301, which, surprisingly, was the most boring Class of the lot. It's a lot of theoretical lessons about trap design flaws, how to build traps, and so on. Honestly, it's all knowledge covered by the Grimoire, which is why I am finding myself bored. Thankfully, the Professor, a Goblin, said we're going to start practical field lessons and trap building soon. The Runic Notation 201 Class has yet to start, oddly enough.

Apparently, the Professor has been gone for a while, and no one knows when he's set to return. Lancelot, or as I have lovingly nicknamed him, Fatty, has also been making progress. He's started coming with me to lessons, and now that a week has passed since the term began, we've finally come together for some extra training. Our days have been packed with classes and assignments, so I'm eager to finally start training with Fatty.

Right when I am about to finally start absorbing the Blood of the Ancients, I hear someone enter my room.

"Eliskar? What's going on?" I turn to see the leader of Princess Iskara's Squires.

"All Champions have been summoned," he says solemnly.

"Come." * I look around uncomfortably, and I see that every single Champion has already arrived before me. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Asterion, Vyrrak, Iskara, Sabrina, Kai, Kaelrik, Boomgar, Orrivane, and Zibrek. I exchange glances with Fatty, raising my eyebrows at the chaos of an office filled with Champions and Squires.

Kaelrik, or 'the Orphan', is accompanied by a woman in wizard robes as his Squire—someone who looks as strong as any Knight I've seen this year. Before I can start chatting with anyone, I hear footsteps, and everyone turns to see Vice Principal John entering the room. He moves to the front of the room with little ceremony and clears his throat.

"Good morning to all of you. As you might have inferred, I'm here to award you all with your first Special Quest. As you may already know, Champions have far greater responsibilities than normal Knights do. While Quests are usually voluntary, Special Quests are mandatory. You're to be the greatest protectors of this world against the hordes. So, as long as you're Champions in the Academy, you will be unable to refuse the calling of a Special Quest." I wrinkle my nose at that, but I don't say anything.

"If no one has any objections," Vice Principal John continues, "then let me explain your first mission as a group. There is a Colossal Dungeon in Florealia that has already killed a dozen or so Platinum-Ranked Knight Apprentices. We have since sent a graduate, an Intermediate Diamond Rank Knight, who has not returned since entering the Dungeon. We do not expect you to find him alive." While Ranks are useful to gauge someone's power, even a Diamond Rank Knight can perish if enough Platinum monsters swarm them.

"You are permitted to bring your Squires and allies on this mission if you so wish. You will all leave tonight at sunset. The journey will take four hours with one of our special vehicles. You're required to enter the Dungeon immediately." Vyrrak sighs, "Is this a Dungeon-clearing mission or just reconnaissance, Vice Principal?" The Vice Principal simply smiles back and says nothing. I look at Eliskar, who's situated between me and Iskara, with a puzzled expression.

"I don't get it."

"It'll be up to you," Eliskar says.

"You'll have to assess whether we fight or flee and report."

"Indeed," Vice Principal John says.

"All of you are powerful and resourceful, but we don't yet know the severity of this threat or what is causing it. Special Quests are often like this. While normal Quests require the party size you're taught to fight with in Monster Felling Classes, Special Quests require way more people and resources. As such, they usually appear at the scale of genuine military campaigns. Are there any questions?"

"How long is this Quest supposed to take?" Sabrina Margrave frowns.

"We have lots of Classes that—""Life's unpredictable for Champions, Miss Margrave," Vice Principal John cuts her off.

"You will have to make up for however long you'll be away. The missed Classes are your responsibility to make up for. Some Special Quests might even take months to complete. The whole point of these missions is for you to all learn to make the right decisions when nothing seems right. Will you prioritize coursework or Quests? Will you risk failing Classes if you can get more real-life experience? Will you be able to collaborate with people whom you don't like? That is all part of this Special Quest.

You will report to the docks at sunset. There will be stewards waiting there for you. For your first Special Quest, food and transportation have already been arranged for you. From now on, it'll be your responsibility to take care of all the logistics, too." Everybody exchanges stunned glances. Our responsibility? I frown. I don't even know where we'd get a lift for—"Now, go get ready." * Princess Iskara is already sitting waiting at the docks with Eliskar, the man in charge of her Royal Guard.

As she sees the other Champions and their Squires slowly streaming in, keeping a lot of distance between parties, she starts a conversation with her Squire.

"What do you think? Is it going to be dangerous?" Princess Iskara asks.

"I've already gathered some information," Eliskar replies with a curt nod.

"The Dungeon is called the Tomb of Fate. It is Platinum-Ranked and Colossal in size. The Boss is supposedly a Peak Platinum Rank monster. Its entrance is in the nation of Florealia, which is rather poor. It's a small nation, and they don't have sufficient resources to regularly delve into the Dungeon themselves. They regularly post Quests, and some Adventurers even roam to the Tomb of Fate by themselves due to its Unique Skill Crystal drops."

"I hate Dungeons that aren't regularly cleared," Iskara sighs.

"Colossal and uncleared, what were they thinking?" Colossal Dungeons are Dungeons so large that it might take months to explore them from start to finish. They contain massive worlds inhabited by monsters that are so big they are impossible to classify into floors or rooms. Every nation usually makes sure to regularly delve into its most dangerous Dungeons, as long as they have the resources to equip and train their men first.

For a Colossal Dungeon, it generally requires more resources to clear than one can get inside of it. They're often dangerous and unpredictable and, most importantly, can spawn hordes.

"You'll have to watch over Jacob," Princess Iskara tells Eliskar.

"Don't let him get hurt too badly. We'll have to keep him close at all times. My aunt has taken a liking to him, too. She has even asked me to get closer to him to reap more karmic benefits."

"He's coming, Princess," Eliskar says, squinting at Jacob Cloud and the figures behind him.

"Are those—""Elves," Princess Iskara says, smiling as she sees Jacob's Squire followed by three pointy-eared men.

"Don't the Elves hate him?" Eliskar asks, confused at what he sees before him.

"We're supposed to hate him, too, Eliskar," the Princess replies with a faint smile.

"Yet, despite him receiving another Royal Skill from my murderous Aunt Veythra, we all think his safety is important."

"Do you think that's what his Skill does?" Eliskar wonders. They have speculated that he might be hiding a very powerful Skill, but are still unsure what its true effects are.

"Skills don't work that way," Princess Iskara shakes her head.

"They're not this pervasive. It's just him, Eliskar. It's just… him."

"Hey!" Jacob says, waving at the Princess, ignorant that they had been talking about him.

"Are we leaving already? Let me introduce you to my friends, these are…"