The dungeon was interesting, to say the least. It was a good mix of modern and fantasy worlds, its landscape almost apocalyptical in structure.
The town still had buildings standing up but they were abandoned and in bad shape. Many would collapse if you even stepped into them and the others had toxic substances coating their surface.
So naturally, Horas did not take the risk of entering any building. All he did was collect samples for the other team to investigate and a few other tinkers that might prove to be useful in the future.
On the other hand, Nash was busy running around, trying to catch monsters to study and scan. Her net-like projectiles had gotten much more powerful and were able to stop bigger monsters now.
Other than that, they also mapped out the main areas of the dungeon and marked down the open-world challenges. That was what the first investigation was all about.
“I think we have done enough looking around. We should head back now and hand in all our samples.”’
Nesh looked tired when she suggested this. She was covered in grim and other questionable substances while Yohan was relatively cleaner. It was most likely due to the nature of their work.
“Alright, If you want to go back then we can. I am about done with my side of the work as well.”
Horas agreed easily enough once he bottled the water.
It looked contaminated and unhygienic to drink. But it was the most precious resource in any dungeon so they needed to know what it could contain.
“By the way, we found quite a lot of puzzles and trails down here. How did you even find that many in such a short time?”
Nesh sounded curious when she asked Horas. She had looked around the whole day as well but she had not found even 1/3rd of the content Horas had found out.
It was as if he knew where he needed to go if he wanted to find a hidden door or a trap. And he had also pulled Nesh away from some hidden traps she had not noticed.
“Ah-haha, it must be luck. I’m sure I just got lucky this time and happen to stumble upon some of these hidden trails. Let’s not think too much about this, alright?”
Horas quickly turned the topic to a safer one. He did not want to talk about how he knew where some of the hidden traps were.
After all, he could not just come out and say that he knew these hidden locations because he was the one who created them in the first place.
This dungeon had been the very first he had written in detail so Horas remembered a lot about it. As such, it was easy for him to decode it despite it being his first time here.
“Well, your luck sure managed to strike this time. Man, I cannot wait to take a hot shower once I head back home.”
Nesh stretched her body out, trying to get the pains and other aches out of her joints. She had been running around the whole day and it was beginning to take a toll on her body now.
Horas was sore as well but he was more worried than he was relieved.
‘We did not see the roaming boss of this dungeon. I will have to be especially vigilant when we come back.’
The boss of this dungeon was a roaming-type creature. There was no fixed boss room and the adventurers needed to be careful when coming face-to-face with such a boss.
Horas remembered writing about many unimportant characters dying during the protagonist’s first time here. The roaming boss had taken their party off guard and killed off a bunch of them.
The protagonist, who had not realized his powerlessness when sealed, had tried to fight the boss, only to get defeated and almost killed off before he had been saved by the infamous ‘blood hound’.
And that had been Reed Whinstone’s introduction in the story as well as the beginning of her obsession with Howard Spencer.
‘In the end, neither the boss nor Reed showed up. Should I consider it as success or failure?’
Horas sighed as he followed Nesh out of the dungeon. The entrance was sealed behind his back and then the connection was cut off. No one else would be able to go in and out of this dungeon.
“If you are done, then hand your samples over. You are free to head out once you are done.”
The scientist who was in charge of this operation informed the pair. He gestured toward the side table where containers to keep the hidden goods were located and Horas deposited his inventory into it.
“I’ll be right back once I hand the monsters over to the research. Don’t wait up for me Horas.”
Nesh left the room with a bounce in her step. She seemed excited at the notion of a bath and Horas decided not to wait around for her.
He headed back to the academy but the day had already ended. It was time for everyone to be in their beds and prepare for the next day.
But Horas knew from experience that most students disregarded this rule and had fun on a Friday night. They took full advantage of having their weekend off.
Horas could have fulfilled his role as a teaching aid and gone after these people, but he decided not to in the end.
These children deserved to have a good time and Horas was not going to take it away from them. They could do what they wanted to, as long as they stayed safe and on private property.
“Aid Horas? What are you doing out here?”
Horas flinched when he heard Emma’s voice. The younger girl had managed to sneak up on him.
‘Ugh, I can take it when *normal* students are breaking curfew but not one of the protagonists. It always spells trouble when they do.’
Horas was tired and sleepy but he still knew he could not allow Emma Dew to break curfew like this. Something would surely happen if she was out and about like this.
“Must I remind you Miss Dew that I am a staff member and it is my petrol duty the school around to look for those breaking curfew? And you are certainly breaking it by being out here.”
Emma looked taken aback, her face going red and then pale. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again.
Her hands had a small first-aid kit which seemed to have been recently used.
“I-umm, that is to say–I did not mean to?”
Emma Dew seemed to be at a loss for words and getting more and more flushed by the second. Her face was as red as ever and Horas could swear that steam was coming out of her ears.
‘Maybe I should tone my scolding down a little bit. I don’t think Emma can take much more.’
After all, Emma Dew had been a spoilt brat in the original work. Her rich family background as well as advanced training made her one of the most influential people later on.
She was also shrewd and black-hearted, only being soft for her childhood friend - Howard Spencer. So maybe Horas should treat her a little better.
“I’ll be heading in now.”
In the end, Emma ended up running away, leaving Horas all alone in that hallway. Horas decided not to think about this encounter too much and go to sleep.
Tomorrow was the first day of dungeon exploration after all.
…………………………
‘C-Calm down Emma. Everything is alright and Horas let you go. Don’t be so self-conscious about yourself.’
Emma scolded herself even as her face got redder and redder. She had not meant to talk back to Horas like that but it had happened naturally.
Moreover, her heart had skipped a beat when Horas had talked to her and her insides had tingled uncomfortably.
‘What else could it be but my crush taking over me? Why else would I feel hot and cold at the same time when talking to a guy? Even Howard never made me feel this way.’
Emma was a little confused by her feelings since this was nothing like what the books described as ‘having a crush.’
The mushy and gushy feeling that other girls described to her when they fell in love. It was also different from what she felt when she was with Howard and spent time with him.
‘B-But I am sure that the feeling of my heart skipping a beat is due to love. I am not sick and Horas is not scary. I just need to get closer to him to find out my true feelings.’
Emma’s mind did a good job of convincing herself of her beliefs. She was ready to face him the next time Horas came to her.
‘I need to figure out what I feel for him. I cannot allow my feelings for Horas and Howard to keep on mixing up with each other. I need to be decisive and take a stand on whom I like more.’
Emma was conflicted but determined. She needed to fix her indecisiveness and go after her target with full force. She would not give up and she would not lose.
