The second layer of the Academy Dungeon.
The shattered temple stood silently in the eternal gloom like the skeletal remains of a giant's trampling.
Deep claw marks and fine lines left by shattered ice crystals covered the broken walls and debris, silently recounting the fierce battle that had taken place not long ago.
In the center of this messy battlefield, an all-black cat sat squatting beside a pile of rubble.
It pawed at the dirt beneath its feet with focused and meticulous movements, dust kicking up under its claws with a soft rustling sound.
Before long, it dug up an irregular, dark red stone tablet from beneath the dust.
The black cat leaned close to the tablet and sniffed it gently with the tip of its nose.
It remained still in this posture for a moment, then raised its head, its amber slit pupils gleaming deeply in the darkness.
“Although Her scent is on this as well, it isn't as strong as what I smelled on Greg. In other words, he didn't get her scent from this tablet...”
It scanned the shattered surroundings.
“...Which means She really did come here once?”
Nightmare took elegant and steady steps, walking up to the completely destroyed humanoid stone statue.
The upper half of the stone statue was entirely shattered, leaving only the remains below the waist barely maintaining its original outline.
Nightmare sat down before the ruined statue, her tail gently wrapping around her front paws, her amber slit pupils staring at the broken silhouette.
“Since you had the power to come here and even made contact with my other half...”
She tilted her head slightly, as if pondering an inexplicable puzzle.
“Then why—why didn't you kill us?”
Silence.
Only the occasional drip of water in the distance echoed through the empty space.
“Is it out of amusement? Or charity?”
Nightmare's voice remained calm, but within those amber slit pupils, something was slowly burning.
“Or... is there some other reason?”
She closed her eyes, feeling the nameless, surging anger in her heart.
That anger was not a flame erupting outward, but rather a quiet, persistent rage like an undercurrent beneath a thousand years of ice, yet it was enough to erode everything.
A moment later, she opened her eyes again.
Within her amber slit pupils burned a near-obsessive resolve.
...
A week quickly passed after the events of Act Two drew to a complete close.
During this week, academy life gradually returned to a superficial peace.
The sound of chalk in classrooms, the rustling of pages in the library, and the occasional explosion from the Department of Alchemy intertwined into a daily symphony.
Yet beneath this calm exterior, preparations for the Hundred Academy Exchange were underway in full swing.
The representatives for each year-level had all been selected.
On the day the roster was posted, the bulletin board was crowded with onlookers, with gasps, cheers, and sighs of disappointment rising and falling in succession.
And the one who felt the most shocked and incredulous was none other than Alice.
When she stood before the bulletin board and saw the two names listed side-by-side—Greg Sass (Second-year Representative) and Victoria Cecil (First-year Representative)—her mind went completely blank for several seconds.
Although Greg had already told her about being selected as a representative in advance, she hadn't expected Victoria, a girl from a commoner background, to be chosen as well.
Two supreme talents under one master!
When this thought surfaced in her mind, she almost believed she was dreaming.
But the looks from the surrounding professors, which used to be filled with disdain, had now turned into surprise, envy, and even a faint hint of jealousy.
This confirmed the reality of it all to her.
Right now, walking along the path to her laboratory, Alice felt the gazes directed at her from all directions, her steps feeling a bit light.
Her oversized professor's robe swayed gently with her steps. She instinctively gathered her sleeves, trying to make herself look more composed, but the uncontrollable upward curve of her lips betrayed the sheer joy in her heart.
“I never expected that I would enjoy this kind of treatment one day...”
She muttered in a low voice, her ice-purple eyes sparkling with a near-dreamlike light.
“Maybe I really should thank them properly.”
She even began to calculate in her mind that when she saw her two disciples later, she must praise them thoroughly and then treat them to a great meal to celebrate.
Carrying this wonderful mood, she pushed open the wooden door of her old laboratory.
Creak—
The door hinge let out a familiar grinding sound.
Alice reached out to feel for the switch by the door and pressed it.
The old magic lamp on the ceiling suddenly lit up, casting a dim, yellow glow that illuminated the worn-out tables and chairs, the shelves piled high with books and experimental equipment, and—
two figures who had already been waiting inside.
“Waaah—!!!”
Alice let out a short, startled shriek, jumping back half a step as her oversized professor's robe nearly slipped off her shoulders.
“Y-You two—why are you here so early!?”
Alice's voice was slightly out of tune from the fright.
Greg struck down his self-proclaimed imposing JOJO pose, took two steps forward, and spoke with a smug smile:
“Dummy, because our goal is the sea of stars, of course!”
He then pointed a finger and began his speech:
“This exchange isn't just about debates; there's also a presentation phase for our achievements. If we want to truly make a splash at the exchange, we must put all our effort into preparing every aspect. Only then will we have the chance to make everyone remember our names!”
These words of his actually came from the bottom of his heart.
Over the past week, Greg had repeatedly pondered how to approach the current Saintess of the Holy Church of Light at the exchange.
But with his current status and position, wanting to approach the Saintess, who would be surrounded by layers of guards, was nothing short of a pipe dream.
But if he could perform exceptionally well at the exchange—so outstandingly that no one could ignore his existence—then the situation would be entirely different.
Even if I cannot actively approach her, I can make her want to actively contact me!
This was a simple and effective strategy.
And to achieve this goal, he had to display overwhelming strength and talent in every single phase of the exchange!
Beside him, Victoria nodded, her gray eyes flashing with the same fighting spirit:
“That's right. Since we're participating, we must take first place!”
Her reason was much simpler and purer—she had heard that winning first place came with a handsome cash prize.
For someone of a commoner background who had been exceptionally obsessed with money since childhood, this reason was more than sufficient.
“You guys...!”
Looking at her two disciples before her, Alice was instantly overcome by an indescribable wave of emotion.
She ice-purple eyes welled up with a thin layer of tears, and her hands beneath her oversized sleeves trembled slightly with excitement.
For she truly saw in their eyes a thirst for knowledge, a pursuit of honor, and a longing for the future.
What pure, fiery gazes those were!
Alice even began to deeply condemn herself in her heart—how could she have misunderstood such good students in the past?
She had actually believed that Greg was a good-for-nothing prodigal son, and that Victoria was just a commoner student with no future.
This was truly unacceptable of her!
Rate on N.U.
