Artifact (2)

"Right. Good to see you, Travis."

I returned Travis' greeting.

"Haha, we really are lucky. Who would've thought we'd all end up together? There's Theo, Ralph, Noctar, and even Aisha!"

Travis beamed, taking in our assembled team.

In contrast, Ralph stared at me with a stern expression.

"...We sure keep crossing paths, Theo."

"Do we?"

I was honestly not sure.

Had Ralph and I crossed paths that often? Our interactions were minimal at best.

Sure, Ralph had been my opponent in the previous practical evaluation, but he hadn't been in my thoughts much since then.

"Seems like lots of familiar faces here."

Noctar swiveled his thick neck, surveying the group.

Then, he looked at Ralph.

"You're Ralph, right? I remember."

"...Forget about the evaluation. I may have lost then, but things are different now."

"No, how could I forget? You gave it your all, didn't you? Even warriors can't always be victorious. The key is learning from defeat. The Great War God once said, 'To be a true warrior, you must accept your past failures.' It was an impressive performance."

"..."

Ralph looked up at Noctar.

A moment later, the corners of his mouth twitched.

"…Thanks, Noctar. To be honest, your match impressed me the most. I assumed you'd be at a clear disadvantage, but you defied all expectations."

Ralph extended his hand towards Noctar.

"Ha, I can't just lose to a wizard."

Noctar, grinning ear to ear, clasped hands with Ralph.

"..."

They seemed to get along surprisingly well.

Watching the pair, Travis, still wearing his broad grin, turned to Aisha.

"But Aisha hasn't said a word? She's the hero who nabbed the culprit of the Magic Dungeon incident. It's fate that we're on the same team, so don't be shy."

"…Ah."

Aisha's eyes fluttered nervously.

She quickly threw a glance in my direction.

"…Yeah. Say something."

I looked at Aisha coolly and urged her.

"I, I'll do my best! This time, I won't let anyone down!"

"Ay~ What do you mean 'let anyone down'? If anyone is a burden here, it's us. Isn't that right, everyone?"

Travis looked at us, his smile unwavering.

"Absolutely. Aisha is ranked 6th overall, but she's also first in theoretical grades, isn't she? To be honest, I struggle with the thinking part. Just tell me what to do."

"I agree. A true warrior should use his brain, but it's wise to follow if there's a proven tactician."

Ralph and Noctar chimed in.

The two echoed each other perfectly.

"Um, uh..."

Once again, Aisha looked at me and started speaking.

"I, I'll give it my all!"

She whimpered, reminiscent of a rabbit terrified of a looming wolf.

It was as if she was broadcasting her fear for all to hear, 'I'm scared~ What should I do~'.

It almost made me feel like the bad guy.

Travis and Ralph, confused, offered Aisha their encouragement.

"Haha, Aisha, you must be worn out today~ That's understandable. Being the center of attention can be tiring. But once we enter the dungeon, you'll snap back into your clever, dependable self, right?"

"Aisha always delivers when it counts. We trust you, Aisha. We'll need your skills for the evaluation."

"Ah, ah-"

Aisha seemed to be at a loss for words.

"······Hmm."

I felt the need to intervene.

If Aisha continued in this state, it could become problematic.

"Aisha."

"Yes, yes?! Oh, Theo. You were... uh, saying?"

"······."

Her current state was indeed concerning.

How had such a shrewd character, always so aware of her surroundings, been reduced to this state?

First, I needed to diffuse Aisha's nervousness.

"Come over here for a moment. I want to discuss something."

"Uh, uh... Yes, yes."

Her already trembling eyes began to quake as if there was an earthquake.

She responded, yet she remained rooted to the spot, seemingly unable to move.

··· Sigh.

I approached Aisha and whispered into her ear.

─Just act as you normally would. Don't be so nervous.

"······!"

It was only then that Aisha met my gaze and,

"Yes, yes!"

She nodded vigorously, her petite face bobbing up and down.

Roughly 10 minutes had passed.

'Her nerves seem to be easing somewhat.'

I observed Aisha interacting with the other students.

She still wasn't completely relaxed, but... given a bit more time, she should recover.

Tension can be detrimental to a hero before a mission.

Even hot-headed types like Ralph or Eshild, who charge into battle at the mere sight of an enemy, are arguably better off.

"Hmm."

Noctar, who had just been debating with Ralph over whether an axe or a mace was the superior weapon, strolled over.

"Theo. What did you say to Aisha earlier?"

"Nothing of particular importance. I just told her to act as she normally would."

"Hooho─ I see."

"Why do you ask?"

"It's fascinating that a single sentence could ease her tension. It's an unusual sight."

Noctar tilted his head.

"Well, it's nothing really."

I nodded slowly.

"Anyway, it looks like it's about time to start."

Multiple portals─ entrances to the magical dungeon─ started materializing near the forest.

Shortly after, Rok summoned the students once more.

Naturally, my team was the first to be called.

Rok glanced at our team, more specifically at me, and began to speak.

"Team 1, proceed."

"Understood."

Typically, in scenarios involving portals or dungeons, the students with higher ranks enter first.

Aisha was the first to step into the magical dungeon.

In her wake, Ralph, Noctar, Travis, and I made our entrance.

"Phew."

I exhaled briefly, hoping that the future would remain unchanged this time.

Let's proceed.

"Where are we?"

Upon entering the magical dungeon, Travis surveyed our surroundings.

"During the 'Monster Subjugation', it was in grasslands. But this... it looks like a basement?"

"Umm... Regardless of the angle, it doesn't seem like we're on the surface. A basement more likely."

Aisha's red eyes glittered as she scanned our environment.

Noctar, standing next to me, directed his gaze downwards.

"Theo, is this a basement?"

"Yes."

It's a basement dungeon.

'Luckily, it's exactly the same as in the original.'

In the game, the place had felt merely dark and gloomy, but being here in person, it was somewhat stuffy.

'Ah, I need to locate the artifact quickly and escape.'

My body seemed to reject this place.

Our team's current location is basement level 4—B4 of the dungeon.

The artifact exploration evaluation concludes when we secure the marker situated on basement level 1—B1 and ascend to the surface.

In essence, the crux of the task is to navigate our way to B1.

With Aisha's [Sharp Vision], it should be much easier.

Her trait exerts an overwhelming influence when it comes to finding paths.

The evaluators aren't fools; they've stationed a guardian at B1... however, with heavy-hitters like Ralph and Noctar, we should be able to handle it easily.

'Good, we need days like this.'

I balled my hand into a fist.

The artifact I need to secure, [Magic Cartridge], is also located at B1.

Just like the previous time when I acquired [Natural Power], I need to input a special pattern to obtain the [Magic Cartridge].

If you know the pattern, it's relatively simple.

Naturally, I've committed the pattern to memory.

"Umm..."

"Aisha, is something wrong?"

"Yes. As you all know, my trait allows me to see clearly even in this level of darkness, but..."

"But?"

Travis eyed Aisha with a troubled expression.

Aisha shook her head.

"I can see... but it's not crystal clear. It appears there's some magical device obscuring vision within this basement."

"Ah... No wonder I couldn't see anything at all."

Travis exhaled heavily.

"So, what's our next course of action?"

Ralph swung the mace in his hand, warming up.

"Honestly, at present, it seems we don't have any ideal options. We either dismantle the magical device or we proceed cautiously, learning from trial and error."

Aisha raked her fingers through her hair.

"We're in for a slog."

Travis and Ralph sighed in unison.

"..."

Ah, why can't things ever be simple?

Time is of the essence.

My objective is to secure the [Magic Cartridge] and simultaneously, rank first.

I cast [Magic Nullification] upon myself.

'Sure enough, there's magic at play in this space.'

Now, I can see with crystal clarity.

Meanwhile, everyone else is virtually blind.

'It wasn't like this in the original game.'

From where did this butterfly effect originate?

Of course, it's beyond my capacity to predict.

If I had such an intellect, I'd already have confronted the rascal who hurled me into this world.

"Everyone, focus for a moment."

All I can do is do my utmost to overcome this hurdle.