"Knock it off!" Terrwyn yelled. She slapped her shield on the fire and extinguished it! Marshal Cadogan spent an enormous sum of money to hire an enchanter to add magic-nullification to this equipment. Although the enchantment wouldn't work against high-tier magic, it was effective against lower-level spells.
"I was only joking!" the fire mage groused.
Luka had activated his Spatial Sense while in the air. Thus, he became aware of what happened within his party. The mage discovered an invisible ceiling a thousand feet above the ground. Moreover, giant sandworms navigated under the sand and created pitfalls to trap unwary travelers. But the most pressing issue facing his class was the giant lizard stealthily approaching from the south. Its skin was yellow and indistinguishable from the landscape.
Luka returned to the floor and released Bel and Gripper. The mage sent a mental map of the vicinity along with the lizard's current location.
The two animals immediately departed and approached the stealthy monster.
The Elite Class watched in horror as a lizard with two carriages' length came out of the dune and tried to swallow the rabbit.
Bel hopped away, and the monster's jaw snapped shut behind him. Bel immediately kicked its head, followed by an uppercut to its chin!
Gripper came out of the sky and slammed his fists on the lizard's skull!
The head dropped to the ground and created a cloud of sand.
Bel took advantage of this obscurement and released his proper form. The purple-skinned demon king slammed his bony right heel and crushed the monster's head.
The lizard's eyeballs popped out from the explosion of pressure. Its brainy tissue oozed out of the new holes, followed by a river of hot blood, which rapidly discolored the nearby sand.
Bel quickly returned to his rabbit appearance and climbed on Gripper's head. The two stood near the carcass until the dust cloud cleared up. They nonchalantly returned to Luka's side.
"What the hell happened?" someone shouted.
The kids felt scared when they saw the battle's outcome took under a minute to complete. They assumed that the gorilla delivered the finishing blow and killed the giant lizard outright. The fighters swallowed hard as they imagined themselves fighting the monster and considered how long the melee would last. None of them thought of duplicating the two animals' feat.
Moreover, the students noticed the black droplets descending from the lizard's teeth and eroding the ground with a sizzle. Their spines curled upon realizing that the monster was poisonous! The fighters became thankful that Luka sent his powerful minions to fight it. Otherwise, the poison would damage their expensive equipment.
Luka noticed their discomfort and quietly returned his pets to dimensional storage.
However, this action did not relieve their collective shock. After all, the aftermath of the battle remained in sight. The lizard's gruesome death provided evidence that the class didn't imagine this event. In their eyes, that tiny, cute white rabbit was an evil monster in disguise. Anyone who foolishly harasses the animal deserved to die thousand times over.
Luka politely drew their attention away with a scouting report of the dungeon floor. "Giant sandworms are lurking underneath along with pitfalls which they dug up. I will take the lead and show you a path to avoid their detection. There are other desert creatures here as well, but the giant lizard was closest to us. I asked my friends to take it down immediately, or else the monster would stalk and pick us off one-by-one," he explained.
"Did you locate the exit?" Terrwyn raised her question.
Luka shook his head. "This floor is too big. All we could do is walk around and hope that Altima will guide us." The scout pointed at the sky. "The ceiling extends a thousand feet in the air. I assume the light source and heat are magical. That means we can't use the sun to keep track of time."
"In other words, we'll be sleeping with the bright light shining on our heads," Evanora concluded.
"It's a good thing we all bought the camping bundle. We'll build tents and sleep inside," Celyn noted. She wore heavy armor and served in the rearguard beside the class rep.
Luka chose to head north and released Bel and Gripper to back him up.
The two rangers followed two yards behind the scout. Neither person believed that Luka could successfully navigate the landscape without stepping on the sand worm's pitfalls. However, they appreciated him volunteering to stand at the forefront position. To their surprise, Luka walked for several hours without encountering the worms or other creatures.
"Let's take a lunch break!" Terrwyn called out.
Luka stopped walking. He turned around and drew a big rectangle in the sand with his staff. "Please remain inside this area," he requested.
The classmates looked at him skeptically.
"Do it!" the class representative urged. The party's lack of monster encounters convinced Terrwyn of Luka's scouting ability. And she strongly desired to avoid fighting the sandworms and waste their energy on the first level of the dungeon. "We'll take ten minutes for meals before moving on," she ordered.
The students sat on their backpacks and began to eat the dry rations. The ones who wore armor had to drink more water to replenish lost body fluids under the hot sun.
Luka cast Create Water to refill their canteens and received thanks for his care. Then the mage used his Void Step to scout his surroundings again. Luckily, Luka discovered the exit -- buried a few hundred feet below the sand! Moreover, he noted a guardian nesting before the portal. He frowned and returned to the ground. "I found the exit, but it's buried underground and guarded by a variant sandworm," Luka reported.
"It's about time we fight some monsters!" Wickkuil shouted gleefully and raised his bastard sword. The bearkin was unhappy because he wanted to fight monsters and earn points for his student evaluations. Luka performed his scouting duties too well to suit the battle maniac.
The Elite Class forcefully marched toward the gateway. Every time Luka suggested a break, the classmates declined and urged him onward. A few hours later, the party stopped at a seemingly serene landscape. The smooth, even sand lulled the visitors into lowering their guards.
Luka activated his Spatial Sense and confirmed that the exit was under his feet. He turned around and said, "Let's take a five-minute water break. Then I'll remove the sand and uncover the portal. Get ready to fight the boss monster."
"You don't need us to dig out the sand?" Terrwyn asked incredulously.
The mage grinned. "I have a way to accomplish this task by myself," he supplied a vague answer.
The class rep pouted at his attitude. Terrwyn sat with her small group of rearguards and drank some water.
The party watched as Luka slowly drew a big rectangle in the sand with his staff. They were surprised to see that its dimensional was the size of their classroom! However, the students kept silent to avoid disturbing his work.
When the break period ended, Luka released his pets. He crouched and touched the ground. Suuussss! The sand began to disappear as if the mage vacuumed it. He used spatial magic to transfer the sand to dimensional storage. This transference occurred at a rate of ten feet per second. Soon, the guardian became exposed to public view.
The sandworm uncurled its body and lunged at the closest person -- Luka!
Suddenly, Terrwyn dashed forward with her tower shield to intercept. "Charge!"
The fighters followed her lead and began to attack the boss monster.
She ran straight into the worm and activated Shield Charge! Gong! Her shield knocked the monster away, but her body flew back under the force of the collision!
Wickkuil tried to catch her but fell to the ground. He held Terrwyn tightly, and she landed on top of him.
The fighters split into three groups; each subparty included a shielder and three melee combatants. The shieldmen taunted the sandworm and drew its attention in turn. The teammates immediately attacked the monster's backside.
Meanwhile, the bowmen and mages continued to fire their arrows
and magic at the monster's midsection to avoid hitting their classmates accidentally.
Luka quietly reinforced the fighters with buffs. He also used Spatial Sense to check the vicinity because the mage feared that the boss might call minions to join this fight. To his relief, the guardian seemed to act solo.
The party took a good ten minutes to carve the variant monster's health down to zero. It collapsed abruptly and created a plume of dust. The students accidentally inhaled the dirt and coughed violently.
Luka created a gust of wind to disperse the dust cloud. He began to check the fighters in his party one-by-one and healed their wounds. Fortunately, they sustained only minor bruises from failing to dodge brushbacks with the worm's body. None fell victim to its poisonous bite.
Once the healer finished treating his classmates, Luka asked aloud, "Should we camp here for tonight?"
"What time is it now?" Terrwyn asked.
Kherherac took out his pocket watch. "It's nine-fifteen," he announced.
"We'll camp here. The fighters and rangers will set up a night watch," she declared.
"Why are the mages and Kherherac excluded?" someone complained.
"Do you trust a thief to watch our backs?" Tozkin snorted. The Homelka baron family heir came from a long line of knights. He disdained people who didn't follow the way of the sword.
"Kherherac has the lowest constitution in our class. He needs extra rest. As for the mages, they also need rest to recharge their magic power," Noram explained. He possessed a sophisticated aura and was known for his intellect in the class. He served as Terrwyn's informal advisor.
"I'll also set up a separate rotation with my pets," Luka volunteered. "Let's go to bed by ten and get up at five. That gives us seven hours of sleep. Two people will keep watch per hour."
The class representative hesitated to accept this proposal because she didn't want Luka to act separately from the rest of the class. However, Terrwyn saw everyone nod in agreement. "Fine, we'll go with your plan," she agreed reluctantly.
Chapter 61
Morninglory Dungeon (Part 2)
The students rested in front of the portal without any incidents overnight. They woke up on time and ate breakfast quietly. Then the class packed their belongings. The party followed Terrwyn and entered the black, swirling portal in single-file.
Luka found himself standing alone inside an enormous labyrinth with ten-foot walls. The ceiling acted as a lid that tightly covered the walls and prevented him from climbing over. He felt annoyed at the headmaster's dirty trick in randomly teleporting the party members to different sections. The mage activated his Spatial Sense and quickly discovered a handful of students nearby. He yelled out. "This is Luka! Stand where you are, and I'll come right over!"
"Okay!" The sound echoed throughout the giant maze.
Luka took a moment to study the map created by his skill. His brows arched upon seeing the numerous dead ends. Although Rorlim was the closest person, Luka would need to navigate through several lengthy corridors to reach him. He decided to create shortcuts and go through the walls instead. Thankfully, these obstacles were thin and breakable with sufficient force.
Luka brought Gripper and Bel out of dimensional storage. "I need you guys to break through these walls," he ordered.
Hoot! The gorilla was eager to engage in some physical activities.
However, Bel stopped Gripper. [Are you sure you won't get in trouble for breaking through the maze? The administration might regard this as cheating.] The rabbit expressed his doubt to Luka.
"I'm thinking outside the box, and I highly doubt the headmaster will penalize me for seeking to find my party members ASAP," the student declared confidently. Luka didn't see any rules or restrictions regarding the dungeon in the student handbook. Thus, he prepared to argue if the administration penalized Luka for his action.
Bel swiped at Gripper's butt. [Go ahead!]
The lackey showed his teeth and punched the wall with all his might. POW! The obstacle immediately turned into rubble! Gripper pounded his chest proudly.
[Keep going, you idiot!] The rabbit slapped his ass again.
Hoot! Gripper stepped through the broken wall and punched the next one. Under Luka's guidance, the gorilla turned into a wrecking ball while making a customized path through the labyrinth.
When the wall broke apart in front of Rorlim, his jaw dropped. The student couldn't believe his eyes!
"We found a shortcut," Luka said mischievously and winked.
"If you say so," the other person remarked with a shrug. Rorlim quietly followed Luka and watched as Gripper continually broke through the labyrinth.
Unfortunately, this dungeon level was five miles wide. Therefore, Luka wasted almost the entire day retrieving all the party members.
When the Elite Class gathered for supper, Terrwyn took the opportunity to voice her complaint. "This is ridiculous, headmaster!" she yelled loudly. The student was confident that the faculty and administration were monitoring students inside the dungeon. However, the class rep doubted that they could hear conversations. Thus, she chose to voice her displeasure vocally.
Moreover, Terrwyn felt annoyed because this level seemed tailor-made for Luka to shine. Since she couldn't badmouth the rescuer publicly before her peers, the short-tempered girl used Ladis to vent her frustration instead. Also, the class rep feared that she was falling behind Luka in the student evaluations. If the next dungeon floors remained similar, then Terrwyn would never get a chance to overtake her rival!
Several classmates motioned their heads like chickens. A handful of them experienced claustrophobia when they teleported inside the maze and stared at walls indistinguishable from each other. The air was stale and stifling. Although the stranded students heard Luka's yell, the echo made it impossible to understand what he said. Instead, they worried that monsters were approaching their locations and prepared to defend themselves. The occasional explosion (from Gripper breaking down walls) only exacerbated their anxieties.
Luka's rescue made these students ecstatic. Once the adrenaline faded from their bodies, they experienced mental exhaustion and lost consciousness.
The stronger students carried them in turn as the class followed Luka along. None of them wished to remain behind.
As soon as the last student (Jarnui) reunited with the Elite Class, the party retired for the night. Some well-connected members heard from alumni what they encountered in the past. But this field trip was very different from the previous ones.
A minority of the class suspected the dungeon master remade this place for one person: Luka Heavensfell! After all, the essay in their admissions examination targeted him as well because it questioned the conventional wisdom of his father's sacrifice. Since the headmaster controlled this dungeon, he could be doing this to rechallenge Luka.
Some Elite Class members felt angry at Luka and wished he didn't enroll in the school. But others were sympathetic to his plight. Luka lost his dad before he was born. They also heard of his injury from an assassination attempt at the young age of five. He proved his academic, physical, and magical abilities by becoming co-valedictorian of the incoming class.
Despite his power and prestige, Luka never bullied anyone in school. He came to school on time daily, completed his homework assignments, and generally served as a model student. Lastly, Luka went out of his way to rescue all the stranded students in the Elite Class instead of going ahead to the dungeon's next floor. And in doing so, Luka lost an opportunity to pull ahead of his competitors in the class.
"Although we haven't encountered any monsters inside this labyrinth, I suggest we maintain our night watch rotation tonight," Luka said and broke the silence.
"I want every class member, except Luka and his pets, to serve as lookouts," Terrwyn declared. "Luka's subgroup worked hard to round up everyone, and they need extra rest. The first five slots will have three watchers on duty for an hour each. I will serve double-duty during the final slot, but I need three more people
to join in. Who will volunteer?" she solicited.
"I'll do it," Wickkuil raised his hand.
Viggo also volunteered.
The class rep waited a moment, but no one else offered to serve an extra hour of duty. With a frown, Terrwyn picked the last member. "I want Kherherac to join me."
"Why me?" the thief complained.
Terrwyn showed her dazzling teeth. "You didn't serve a turn yesterday, so it's only fair that you make up for it tonight."
"Oh, fine!" he huffed. Frankly, Kherherac needed to disassemble some gadgets and remove sand from them. Two hours should provide sufficient time to complete his maintenance work. But outwardly, he needed to show opposition to doing extra work, or else the bossy class rep will pick him again in the future.
Luka declined to oppose her plan. He realized that her noble pride was the primary reason for making Luka skip watch duties. She didn't care all that much about him. Instead, Terrwyn wished to reduce his limelight and made herself appear fair and just before her peers. Frankly, Luka didn't care about her motivations either. Thus, he brought out Bel and Gripper and quietly slept while snuggling against their furry bodies.
The next morning, Luka led his class to the exit, located in a small chamber at the labyrinth's center. He stood at the doorway and peered into the room, which was ten feet by ten feet. The scout noticed two stone statues guarding the portal. Each figure depicted a barrel-chested warrior with six arms and carrying six swords! The left sculpture showed an angry scowl while the other revealed a sneer.
Luka used his Spatial Sense to check for traps inside the room but found nothing. Nonetheless, he felt troubled by this situation because the room was too small for their upcoming battle. If the entire party entered and fought the two bosses, the members would inevitably collide while evading a dozen blades. Additionally, the monsters' stone skin was probably difficult to cut through. Hence, Luka assumed the guardians possessed some degree of physical resistance, too.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 50
