“Is the weekend starting tomorrow? Finally, a break.”
After the afternoon lecture ended, Cain stretched and spoke.
“Eriol, what are you doing over the weekend?”
“I’m going to read.”
“…….”
From Monday to Friday, there were lectures, but Saturday and Sunday were lecture-free days.
However, not having lectures didn’t mean they were completely free days. Right now, there was plenty of spare time, but as the academy progressed, the workload would increase, making weekends busy as well.
“What about the twins? What are you doing over the weekend?”
“Hmm, I’m planning to go hiking. Would you like to join me?”
“I made plans to check out the shopping district with the other girls. Want to come along?”
“Damn it…….”
Hearing Charis and Milia’s answers, Cain slumped.
“Oh, Senia, what about you?”
“I’m planning to review and prepare for classes.”
“You’re too much of a model student! Studying on a precious weekend?”
“There are just too many difficult topics to keep up with…….”
“That’s so boring…….”
Hearing Senia’s uninspiring response, Cain let out a deep sigh.
“Hey, Eriol. Let’s go out and have some fun this weekend. You can’t just read books for two whole days, can you?”
“I’m going to read books for two whole days.”
“Ah, seriously……! You can’t waste a golden weekend like that!”
“Why exactly should I spend a golden weekend hanging out with you?”
“You’re so cruel!”
While we were having this conversation,
Several people walked into the classroom, where everyone was getting ready to head home.
“Who are they?”
“Aren’t they the teaching assistants from the Department of Transcendental Studies?”
They were familiar faces from the lectures.
“There are still quite a few of you here.”
The oldest-looking male assistant stepped onto the podium and glanced over the students.
“This is sudden, but the Department of Transcendental Studies has decided to hold a special experience event this weekend.”
A special experience event.
The unexpected words caused the students to murmur.
“You should be grateful to Professor Klein for arranging this opportunity. This event was specially prepared for the top-tier freshmen, so I recommend you don’t miss out.”
What kind of experience event could it be?
“Those who are interested, gather at the entrance to ‘Labyrinthos,’ Gate 3, tomorrow at 9 AM! Our Department of Transcendental Studies will let you experience a dungeon!”
Labyrinthos.
The moment that name was mentioned, the students erupted in excitement.
“Labyrinthos?”
“Are they letting us enter the dungeon?”
“Isn’t that dangerous? We haven’t had any training for it yet.”
“As long as the transcendental studies mages are accompanying us, there’s nothing to worry about!”
“I can’t miss this opportunity! I’m definitely going!”
As the students became more excited, I quietly closed the book I had been reading.
‘Labyrinthos, huh…….’
Labyrinthos was the dungeon located beneath the academy.
It was a vast underground facility believed to have been built by an ancient civilization, and the academy itself had originally started as a group of mages studying this dungeon.
Even after centuries of exploration, it remained incompletely mapped, and even today, many mages ventured inside to continue their investigations.
‘It’s full of dangerous traps and monsters, but you can also find rare materials and ancient relics that can’t be obtained anywhere else…….’
If it had been any other kind of experience event, I wouldn’t have been that interested.
But Labyrinthos was the setting for many adventure novels.
More importantly…… it was the primary setting of one of my favorite novel series, The Memoirs of a Labyrinth Explorer.
‘Getting to see the setting of a novel with my own eyes…….’
I felt my heart race.
This was a rare opportunity to personally experience the world’s greatest underground dungeon, often depicted in fiction.
Spending a day of the weekend on this seemed worth it.
‘Plus, it will make reading the book later feel even more vivid…… I should definitely participate.’
The next morning.
Nearly all the top-tier freshmen had gathered at the entrance to Gate 3.
Even Charis and Milia, who had other plans, were present.
“Looks like everyone is here.”
Professor Klein appeared, leading a group of teaching assistants.
“As you all know, the Department of Transcendental Studies focuses on inheriting and preserving magical legacies from the past. Because of that, we play a major role in the exploration of Labyrinthos.”
“…….”
“Labyrinthos is believed to have been built by an ancient civilization—one that existed long before any history we know of. Even though the relics found here are clearly ancient, many of them surpass modern artifacts in performance. Studying these relics to uncover the truth of that lost civilization is one of our department’s goals.”
Pausing his lecture-like explanation, Klein gave a small smile.
“But today, you don’t need to worry about any of that. This is the world’s largest dungeon, a thrilling underground world full of mysteries. Just enjoy the experience. Our transcendental studies mages will ensure your safety. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Hearing the students’ loud response, Klein nodded.
“We will be entering the upper layers of Labyrinthos through this Gate 3 entrance. Form two lines and follow the assistants.”
Klein took the lead, and we followed, guided by the assistants.
“Wow……!”
Gasps of amazement filled the air.
A massive underground space unfolded before us.
“It looks like a natural limestone cave, but research has already confirmed that it was artificially constructed. The entrance was disguised as an ordinary cave to hide the fact that this was a man-made facility.”
“For an ‘ordinary’ limestone cave…….”
“It’s too beautiful and majestic.”
We were all overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the underground cavern.
A mysterious blue light seeped from somewhere, casting an ethereal glow on the enormous icicles.
“Since groundwater comes in, many areas are submerged. The floors elsewhere are also wet and slippery, so be sure to walk only on the designated exploration paths.”
“P-Professor! I think I saw something move in that lake over there!”
“That’s a monster. It won’t come out of the water, but don’t get too close. If you fall in, survival won’t be easy.”
“……!”
Peeking out slightly, I saw a massive red fish, roughly the size of a human, swimming through the water.
The water didn’t seem all that deep, yet a creature that large was living there—how fascinating.
‘I have no idea what that is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in any monster encyclopedia.’
I had read many different monster encyclopedia, but detailed records of aquatic monsters were rare.
‘Could it be a species that only exists in the Labyrinthos?’
As I observed it in thought, I sensed someone’s presence beside me.
Senia was smiling as she looked at my face.
“What is it?”
“Oh, nothing.”
When I turned to her, Senia blushed.
“I just find it surprising that Eriol is interested in something other than books.”
“What do you take me for…?”
“Haha, well… I suppose you’re right.”
As we exchanged words, Cain spoke up from beside us.
“This is truly fascinating. Even someone who wasn’t interested before would get drawn in by this sight.”
Cain looked around in admiration.
“It’s such a mysterious spectacle. I never knew a place like this existed in the world.”
“Yeah… I agree.”
I nodded in agreement.
I had imagined this scene many times while reading books, but reality was far more impressive than my imagination.
‘Is this why people make pilgrimages here?’
As that thought crossed my mind, I heard Klein’s voice.
“The area we’re walking through now is known as the ‘surface layer.’”
Klein raised a hand as he spoke.
“The surface layer refers to the part of the labyrinth that has been ‘conquered’ to a basic extent by mages. Maps have been completed, the types of monsters that appear and the traps that exist are all documented. Paths, staircases, and ladders have been installed, and there are even shelters scattered around for emergencies.”
“……”
“But that doesn’t mean the surface layer is safe. There are still plenty of dangerous areas, and every year, a significant number of casualties occur.”
As we continued walking through the limestone cave, even the faint bluish light seeping from somewhere faded away, leaving us in total darkness.
If the instructors hadn’t used magic to create light, we wouldn’t have been able to see an inch in front of us.
“Raise your heads and look to the right.”
Following the instruction, I looked right and saw an iron fence installed along the path.
“If you go that way, you’ll reach the goblins’ settlement.”
“Goblins…!”
Goblins were two-legged monsters that primarily lived in caves.
They often attacked humans and appeared frequently in adventure novels.
“That fence is there to prevent goblins from crossing into this area. Without it, we’d already be under attack by now.”
“Professor, aren’t goblins weak monsters?”
One of the students raised a hand and asked.
“I heard they’re small and physically weaker than humans.”
“Do we really need such a large fence just to keep goblins out?”
It seemed other students shared similar doubts.
But Klein scoffed.
“You all have been reading too many adventure novels.”
“Huh?”
“Sure, goblins are weak. I could wipe out hundreds of them with a flick of my finger, and if you were to face a goblin one-on-one, most of you would probably win.”
“Then…”
“But if you entered this area alone… and encountered the same number of goblins, there would be a 99% chance of your annihilation.”
“……!”
The students were shocked.
The idea of being wiped out by goblins—often portrayed as the weakest monsters in stories—was hard to accept by conventional wisdom.
“Why do you think that is? Anyone want to answer?”
When Klein posed the question, one student eagerly raised their hand.
“We have no real combat experience, but goblins do!”
“Hmm. Can you elaborate?”
“Goblins have survived fierce competition against other monsters in the dungeon. They are, in a way, veteran warriors! In a simple contest of strength, we might win, but in real combat, that wouldn’t be the case!”
The students murmured in admiration at the answer.
“Indeed, in adventure novels, goblins are depicted as weak creatures that get exterminated early on. But in real battles, they are quite formidable.”
Klein nodded in approval, and the student who answered looked pleased.
“But that’s not the answer I was looking for.”
“Huh?”
“Anyone else?”
Ignoring the flustered student, Klein scanned the group.
It seemed he was determined to wait until someone gave the correct answer.
“……”
I glanced at Cain and Senia, but they were both deep in thought.
If it were a battle against humans, they might’ve been able to answer confidently, but it seemed they needed more time to consider the nature of monsters.
‘Guess I have no choice…’
I wasn’t particularly eager, but I raised my hand.
“They’re good at hide-and-seek.”
“Hide-and-seek?”
Murmurs spread through the group.
Some students even chuckled.
“What an interesting answer, Eriol Valencia.”
But Klein looked at me with a serious expression.
“Can you explain in more detail? So that every student here can understand.”
