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Northern Ice Fields.
A man with a massive axe on his back sits atop a huge ice boulder.
At his feet lie the corpses of dozens of gray wolves.
The man frowned deeply, looking out at the distant mountains, seemingly furious.
A moment later.
A man with two curved swords and a man in a wizard's robe leaped onto the ice boulder and bowed their heads.
"Lord Kain!"
"Did you find out?"
"Yes! I went to the nearby village to check, and it seems to be those guys again."
Kain's expression twisted violently.
"Again?"
"Yes. They went to the village, told them they had completely destroyed the dungeon that was about to undergo core amplification, assured them they could live in peace, and then left."
"Those bastards... what was the name of that Elton Academy club?"
"Yes. It's called the Dungeon Exploration Club, and Davian Naone belongs to it. I believe there are a little over 10 members."
"Davian Naone..."
It's a name he's heard quite a bit.
He's been interfering with all sorts of the organization's operations.
Recently, he even personally dealt with the deputy branch manager and the branch manager of the X-7 base.
A memo had even been issued, designating him as one of the top priority targets to watch out for if he ever crossed over to the Pax continent in the Alkancia Kingdom.
Kain asked the man in the wizard's robe.
"Has our map been leaked? How are they always one step ahead of us, destroying dungeons and leaving?"
"Lord Kain, the probability of the map being leaked is close to zero."
"So, you're saying it's all just a coincidence? This is the fourth time we've made a wasted trip because of them."
The wizard bowed his head deeply.
"It seems their paths are overlapping with ours because they're also looking for dungeons about to undergo core amplification."
Bang!
Kain punched the ice boulder with his fist.
Crack, craaack.
The massive ice boulder split in half.
"Immediately predict their route and change our movements. We need to get into the dungeons before they do. And if we happen to run into them, even better. Am I, Kain, supposed to be chasing after a bunch of academy brats?"
"Yes, Lord Kain!"
Elton Academy.
The Dungeon Exploration Club's clubroom.
Club president Ariel Frontia looked around at the club members.
"Good work today, everyone."
Vice-president Nabero replied.
"You too, Ariel-senpai. D-rank dungeons are too easy now."
"Still, we can't let our guard down. If core amplification happens while we're inside, we'll have to face a C-rank monster wave."
Vice-president Nabero looked at Davian, who was sitting across from him.
"With President-senpai and Davian here, what's there to worry about?"
Ariel Frontia also turned her gaze to Davian.
'That's true.'
They've already destroyed 10 dungeons during this first semester.
Some were relatively easy.
Sometimes, there were crises.
But.
Davian was always the first to take on the monster waves.
At first, she wondered why he was so obsessed with monster waves.
But no matter how she thought about it, there was only one conclusion.
He was stepping up to the front to prevent the other club members from getting hurt.
'Davian Naone.'
He has incredible skills.
A humble and kind personality, of course.
And he's also a true hero who is willing to sacrifice himself for others.
He zones out sometimes like he is now.
In the club's meeting room, Davian was staring blankly into space.
It might look to Ariel Frontia or the others like he's staring into space.
But he was actually checking his mana point status.
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[Mana Points: 466K]
―Magic Power: 512K
―Inner Strength: 536K
―Outer Strength: 116K
―Points remaining until absorption of the Archmage's Heart: 370K
=====
He gained 126K points from clearing the Lich's area mental magic level quests.
In addition, he gained 320K points from the dungeon monster waves during the semester.
'I'm really glad I kept the Dungeon Exploration Club alive.'
After gathering a little more mana points.
If he distributes them to Magic Power or Inner Strength.
One of the two will rise to the 8-star level.
A high level of attainment that only a few dozen people across the continent possess.
And.
More importantly than that.
The points remaining until he can absorb the Archmage's Heart is only 370K.
At this rate.
He can absorb the Archmage's Heart and drastically increase his Magic Power before the end of his second year.
In addition to his current Magic Power, he will gain the 9-star level Magic Power left behind by the Archmage.
Converted into Magic Power points, that's a whopping 2,048K.
'If I can just get the Archmage's Heart...'
At least in the Alkancia Kingdom, there will be no one left who can stand against Davian.
'From now on, I need to be even more careful with the distribution.'
If he pours points into Magic Power, he can reach the level of a 10-star magician at the same time as obtaining the Archmage's Heart.
But instead, he will inevitably neglect the increase in Inner Strength and Outer Strength.
Or, since he will have 2,048K of Magic Power anyway, it might be better to invest the points in Inner Strength and Outer Strength.
'I need to make a careful decision based on future quests, enemies, and situations.'
That's why Davian hasn't distributed his 466K mana points yet.
Samantha Codis, who was sitting next to him, nudged Davian's arm.
"Davian, what are you thinking about? President-senpai is calling you."
Davian turned his head and looked at Ariel Frontia.
He was so engrossed in calculating mana points and making plans for the future that he didn't even know who was calling him.
When Davian made eye contact, Ariel spoke again.
"Davian, what do you think?"
Davian leaned towards Samantha and whispered.
"What?"
The kind Samantha also leaned slightly towards Davian and whispered in response.
"Moving in two groups."
"Ah..."
Davian looked at Ariel again.
"I'm against it."
That was unexpected.
Ariel made this plan purely because Davian was there.
The Dungeon Exploration Club has 14 members including herself.
Right now, they're moving together every weekend, but at this rate, it will take too long to clear all the dungeons about to undergo core amplification.
In the meantime, core amplification might occur in several dungeons, endangering the people around them.
But then, Davian Naone joined as a new club member.
She heard that he had destroyed several dungeons with Samantha alone.
She confirmed that Davian's skills were more than enough by experiencing monster waves with him several times.
So, she made a plan to divide the club into two groups to destroy dungeons faster.
A plan that she wouldn't have been able to make if Davian hadn't been there.
She's already roughly divided the members.
"Can I ask why?"
"Because we're not the only ones going around dungeons."
"What? Are you saying someone else is destroying dungeons about to undergo amplification like we are?"
Davian shook his head.
"The opposite. There are those who are triggering core amplification."
Vice-president Nabero was shocked and asked.
"Triggering core amplification? How? No. More than that, who and why would they do such a thing?"
Davian briefly explained the Marino Empire's plan related to dungeons, although not as detailed as he did with his friends.
Ariel asked with a serious expression.
"So... the ultimate goal is to create a passage to the Demon Realm on our continent, right? So that demons can pour over."
"Yes."
Vice-president Nabero shouted.
"Then what is the royal family doing?"
Sailen Tium, a 6th grade classmate like Nabero, replied.
"I heard that it's already full of guys who would sell the country to the Empire."
Oh.
Davian turned his head and looked at the 6th grader Sailen Tium.
He has a pretty good understanding of the kingdom's situation.
Another 6th grader, Aaron Antonio, said to Sailen.
"Is it okay to say that so recklessly?"
"What does it matter? It's just us. It's not like anyone's going to arrest us."
"Anyway, watch your mouth. One wrong word and your family could be wiped out."
But.
Sailen Tium was not the type to be careful with his words.
"It's all that damn king's fault..."
"Stop."
Ariel Frontia stopped Sailen's words.
"Political statements are prohibited in our club. We're just destroying dungeons for the sake of good people who are not protected in blind spots."
"...Yes, Ariel-senpai."
Ariel looked at Davian.
"Is there no way for us to find those guys first and get rid of them?"
"It's not easy to find them on this vast continent. But maybe..."
"Maybe?"
"Maybe they'll come looking for us."
"They'll come looking for us?"
"Because our target dungeons will overlap. We're going to destroy them, and they're going to promote amplification."
The 6th grader Sailen Tium said to Davian.
"We're getting in the way of their plans?"
"Yes."
"Then shouldn't we split into two groups, as President-senpai said, and destroy the dungeons faster?"
"It could be dangerous if we meet them that way."
"We'll lose?"
"Unless we combine our strength."
Ariel nodded.
"If what Davian says is true, it might be dangerous to split up or anything like that."
Everyone nodded.
"Okay, then we'll do as we've been doing. Instead, let's increase our speed a bit. For the time being, think of it as there are no more weekends."
Vice-president Nabero clenched his fist.
"It's for the sake of the continent! I feel even more pride!"
Some time later.
Western Continent.
Outskirts of Manesi.
Dominic, the captain of the 2nd Company of the 5th Royal Guard, looked around at the Royal Guardsmen standing in formation.
"As briefed before departure, the core amplification of this B-rank dungeon here is imminent. Right next to it is the large city of Manesi. You all know what will happen to Manesi, where a large number of citizens reside, if core amplification occurs."
"Yes!"
About 30 company members replied in one voice.
Everyone was wearing shiny armor, and the gorilla emblem symbolizing the 5th Royal Guard was engraved on their chests.
"That's why our 2nd Company of the 5th Royal Guard has come all the way to this distant place. Our mission is to completely destroy this dungeon today."
"Yes!"
"Are there any among you who are dissatisfied that the Royal Guard has been mobilized for such a simple dungeon destruction mission?"
"No!"
"Good. It's for the sake of protecting 1 million citizens of Manesi. Feel pride!"
"Yes!"
"Now, let's hurry. If core amplification occurs before we completely destroy the dungeon, we'll be trapped in an A-rank dungeon. Of course! Even an A-rank dungeon monster wave poses no threat to our 2nd Company!"
"Waaaaah!"
The fact that they're boosting morale with these words.
Means that it could be a threat.
The company members also know this fact.
But.
No one showed any signs of fear.
"Now, Rhinoceros Royal Guard 2nd Company! Enter the dungeon!"
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