Flash!
When the light disappeared, the location had changed.
It was still a cave, but a completely different one. We had arrived at the hidden stage after passing through the dungeon’s concealed portal.
Thankfully, everything was going according to my plan.
Now, all that was left was to clear the hidden stage and claim the special rewards of this dungeon…
“Hey! How could you just press that without thinking?!”
But unaware of all this, Lee Seo-jun yelled at me. I gave an awkward smile and apologized.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t expect this to happen either.”
My overly casual response made Lee Seo-jun stare at me in disbelief.
Honestly, I did feel a little bad. But considering that, in the original story, he was destined to fall into the hidden stage anyway, I figured I didn’t need to feel too guilty about it.
“…Don’t tell me you knew this would happen?”
“No way.”
His gaze was full of suspicion. But soon, he shook his head and looked around.
“But where are we?”
Feigning ignorance, I casually replied.
“The hidden stage, maybe.”
Lee Seo-jun snapped his head toward me.
“Hidden stage? In an artificial dungeon?”
“Even if it’s an artificial dungeon, it was still modified from a real one. It’s possible they missed a hidden stage portal during the modifications.”
Lee Seo-jun furrowed his brows at my words.
“You’re saying this is a real dungeon?”
“Yeah.”
“That doesn’t even make sense…”
Lee Seo-jun looked dumbfounded. I met his gaze squarely and stated,
“You know as well as I do—once you fall into a hidden stage, there’s only one way out. We have to clear the dungeon and defeat the boss in the final room.”
With Lee Seo-jun and Kim Sunwoo gone,
The Mage Academy was thrown into chaos.
The dungeon exploration class was immediately halted, and all students were sent back to their classrooms for self-study.
“What is going on?!”
“Get me the person responsible for modifying the dungeon, now!”
A crowd of instructors gathered in the dungeon control room, launching an emergency meeting on how to rescue the missing students.
“This is a disaster.”
“Who would’ve thought a dungeon that was cleared over ten years ago still had an undiscovered hidden stage?”
“What do we do about the missing students?”
But the meeting was getting nowhere—everyone was too flustered, just voicing their own concerns.
It was understandable. This was an unprecedented situation for them, too.
“Why did it have to be Lee Seo-jun of all people…”
“What about Kim Sunwoo?”
“What do you mean? The person who modified the dungeon should take responsibility. You all know that once someone enters a hidden stage, they can’t leave until it’s fully cleared.”
The tense atmosphere only deepened.
Once trapped in a hidden stage, the only way out was for the students to clear the dungeon by themselves.
But realistically, expecting two mere students—Lee Seo-jun and Kim Sunwoo—to conquer a hidden stage on their own was highly unlikely.
“Still, if it’s Lee Seo-jun, he might be able to do it.”
“Lee Seo-jun may be the most talented student in history, but he’s still just a student.”
“Sigh… If this gets out, it’ll be a scandal. How humiliating.”
“Is now really the time to worry about appearances? Those students are in serious danger.”
At that, Professor Lee Hee-young shouted in frustration.
Just then, another instructor spoke up.
“By the way, what about that Kim Sunwoo student who fell in with Lee Seo-jun? How skilled is he?”
“He’s been doing pretty well lately… but he’s nowhere near Lee Seo-jun’s level.”
Then, a quiet observer, Professor Jang Ancheol, finally spoke.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on both Lee Seo-jun and Kim Sunwoo.
They’re not just any students—they’re smart, capable, and resourceful.
I’m sure they’ll find a way to escape.”
[Countless people are worried about you.]
[You have received 3,000 points as a reward.]
“Something wrong?”
Lee Seo-jun turned to look at me as I stared at the notification window.
I shook my head.
“No, nothing.”
Lee Seo-jun gave me a skeptical glance but then continued moving forward.
The hidden stage was far more dangerous than a regular dungeon. The monsters were stronger, the traps more sophisticated—every aspect was amplified.
For someone like me, with weak magic, even a normal dungeon was challenging. A hidden stage would be even more difficult.
But I had an advantage.
I knew the original story.
I already had a solid grasp of this dungeon’s patterns, so I wasn’t too worried.
“…It’s really dark ahead.”
Lee Seo-jun frowned. Just as he said, there was almost no light in the cave, making it pitch black.
[Your eyes adapt to the darkness!]
But thanks to my “Secrets of Evolution and Adaptation” trait, I could still see fairly well. If anything dangerous approached, I’d be able to warn him in time.
Just then—
—KIEEEEK!
A monster’s shriek echoed from a distance.
Lee Seo-jun instantly assumed a battle stance.
Soon, a giant bat monster emerged from the darkness.
“It’s a Cave Horror Bat.”
“How do you know that?”
“Just focus!”
The creature spread its massive wings and charged toward us.
Startled by its grotesque form, I quickly gathered my magic. Just as I was about to unleash a spell—
With lightning speed, Lee Seo-jun slashed through the bat’s body, cleaving it clean in half.
—KIIEEK!
Thud!
The halved creature crashed to the ground.
“Whoa. As expected of Lee Seo-jun.”
I had worried he wouldn’t be able to fight well in the darkness, but he had relied purely on instinct to land his strike.
Well, that was Lee Seo-jun for you.
There was a reason he was called the most gifted talent in history.
In the original story, he had even defeated a B-rank monster in total darkness using just his senses.
Catching his breath, Lee Seo-jun looked ahead and muttered, “There’s more coming.”
―Kiiieeek!
―Kieeek!
―Kkeeek!
Once again, the cries of the cave monster bats echoed. This time, there was more than one. Judging by their presence, there were at least five.
There were too many of them to leave everything to Lee Seo-jun. I gathered the mana within my body and cast a spell.
As a bright white magical sphere emitted its light, the previously dark surroundings became brilliantly illuminated. At the same time, the grotesque forms of the monster bats were revealed.
With the area now brightened, Lee Seo-jun moved with more confidence than before, slashing through the creatures.
The battle was over in an instant. Every monster had fallen to Lee Seo-jun’s sword. I had prepared my spell, but I hadn’t even fired a single shot.
“…Oh.”
I let go of the mana in my hands.
At this rate, I wouldn’t even need to attack. Just illuminating the area with magic would be enough for Lee Seo-jun to handle everything.
Shaking the blood off his sword, Lee Seo-jun spoke.
“It’s much easier with clear vision. Keep the light up like that.”
“Got it.”
“Let’s move.”
“Yeah.”
Lee Seo-jun and I continued forward.
Three hours had passed since we fell into the hidden stage.
Thanks to Lee Seo-jun’s efforts, we advanced without any major obstacles. I played my role as a ‘vision shuttle,’ using magic to brighten the surroundings during critical fights.
“Hah… This feels endless. How much farther do we have to go?”
Lee Seo-jun wiped his sweat and muttered.
“Clearing a hidden stage usually takes about two days, so I guess we’ll take around that long too.”
That’s what I said, but I had no intention of staying here for two days. Using my knowledge of the dungeon, I planned to cut down at least a full day.
“Hmm…”
Lee Seo-jun nodded at my response. I casually asked him,
“By the way, aren’t you hungry?”
It had been three hours since we fell into the dungeon. It was about time hunger started setting in.
“Of course I’m hungry. But there’s nothing to eat.”
I opened the small bag at my waist. Pretending to take something out from inside, I actually retrieved some jerky from my subspace and handed it over.
“…?”
Lee Seo-jun looked at me with a bewildered expression.
He had a look that said, ‘Why are you carrying something like this?’
“Eat. You’re hungry, right?”
I already had a piece in my mouth. It was jerky I had bought in advance from the convenience store yesterday. A bit tough, but it tasted good if you let it soften in your mouth.
“Uh… Thanks.”
Lee Seo-jun put the jerky in his mouth and quietly chewed.
In the original story, Lee Seo-jun had resorted to eating monsters at this point. This was definitely a much better alternative.
“It’s good.”
“Have some more.”
I split the piece I was eating and handed him half. But Lee Seo-jun waved his hand.
“Hey, it’s fine. You eat it.”
“No, the one using energy should eat more. Besides, I have plenty.”
“…Really?”
Only then did he start eating the piece I gave him.
But he kept glancing at me from time to time, as if feeling guilty. It was starting to make me uncomfortable.
“Just eat. I have plenty of food left.”
“Alright.”
I took a piece of bread from my subspace and handed it to him.
“Eat this too.”
“Why do you have so much food in your bag?”
“You never know what might happen. Always be prepared.”
[The character ‘Lee Seo-jun’ feels bewildered by you.]
[You have received 1,000 points as a reward.]
“Anyway, thanks for the meal.”
After about ten minutes of eating, we got back on our feet.
Stretching, I said,
“This is getting tiring. Let’s hurry up and clear the dungeon.”
At my nonchalant remark, Lee Seo-jun chuckled.
“You do remember this is a real dungeon, right?”
“What’s the big deal? With your skills, we’ll be fine.”
“You always trust me so much. What exactly are you relying on?”
“Obviously, because you’re more than capable. Oh, look, there’s a path over there. Let’s go.”
As I took the lead, Lee Seo-jun followed without a word.
As we ventured deeper, the dungeon patterns became more complex.
It wasn’t just monsters anymore—barriers, traps, and intricate mechanisms blocked our path.
But with my knowledge of the original story and my advantages as an ‘outsider,’ I easily dismantled every obstacle in our way.
“Every time I see it, it amazes me. How do you disarm traps so quickly…?”
Lee Seo-jun muttered as yet another trap was deactivated before his eyes. A new path opened ahead.
I pointed toward the space in front of us.
“The next room.”
This chamber hinted at a different kind of challenge. On both sides of the hallway, murals depicted hordes of monsters. A summoning magic circle was drawn on the floor in the center of the room.
I had a rough idea of what was coming.
Boom!
As soon as we entered, the doors slammed shut behind us.
The summoning circle on the floor began to glow, and monsters started appearing.
Cave monster bats, monstrous wolves, giants, tentacled creatures… the variety was endless.
“Get ready for battle.”
I pulled out a mana elixir from my pocket.
Honestly, Lee Seo-jun could probably clear this room on his own without it. But my priority was my own survival.
Gulp, gulp.
“Ugh…”
No matter how many times I drank it, I could never get used to the taste.
I glanced at Lee Seo-jun. He was focused on the monsters, preparing for battle.
It seemed like he thought I was just drinking water—he didn’t pay much attention.
“They’re coming. Be ready!”
As soon as Lee Seo-jun finished speaking, the horde of monsters charged toward us.
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