Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Despite his words, Fels didn't delve deeper into the matter. Even though he couldn't let it go, it felt like receiving a divine revelation. Having decided to trust his master, the sound of him continuing his work emanated from the crystal.

"How's the situation on your end?"

Uranus asked a question.

Fels answered with a slightly excited tone, like a child who had received a toy:

"Very smoothly. Thanks to the man-made labyrinth (Knossos), I unexpectedly obtained a huge 'Atelier'. With it, my previous 'research' has also made progress."

Located in the southeast of the city, far from the guild's underground altar.

Fels is busy installing equipment inside the man-made labyrinth (Knossos) beneath Daedalus Road.

"After all, my 'research' requires an incredibly vast environment. Uranus, thank you for strictly ordering Lloydman to seal off this area and providing me with this entire floor."

The maze that once caused Belle, Winnie, and others so much suffering has been completely transformed.

In this large cavern, which currently only has one magic stone lamp, making the scene quite dark.

You can see a mountain of books piled up against the wall, and a white owl resting on a thick log.

Magical instruments and numerous flasks made using technology from the magical superpower (Altna).

And cylinders filled with various mysterious liquids.

This scene, indistinguishable from a suspicious experimental facility, was nothing short of a "magician's lair."

"Heh heh heh, watch me go even further with this modification. My magician's nature makes me eager to try it out...!"

The artificial labyrinth (Knossos), which fell completely under the control of the heretic (Zenos), is now under the management of the "Guild".

To be precise, it fell into the hands of Uranus, and the old god then entrusted this place to the former "wise man".

The man-made labyrinth (Knossos), once a breeding ground for "evil," will be able to make an immeasurable contribution to future plans.

First, its depth and scale are comparable to the "middle level" of a dungeon, and it also has hidden facilities where various magical tools, such as the "whip" used by the tamer (Jarlo), have been developed. All of the above is very useful to Fels, which means that it has brought him a great asset.

This ancient ruin, connected to the underground city and built by the master craftsman Daedalus, is perfect as both a "secret base" and a "resource facility." Fels has decided to build a magical production facility here for herbs and elixirs, and is considering recruiting Asphie to assist with the research. This effectively signals that the ultimate overtime work schedule for the currently on-leave Perseus is now set in stone.

"I never had such a huge 'Magic Factory' in my lifetime, not even in that hateful hometown."

"You're not really dead yet."

"Haha, now that I've lost my flesh and blood, I'm practically halfway into my coffin."

Fels chuckled as he uttered this ruthless self-deprecating remark that he would never normally utter. The reason for his unusual behavior was that even though his body was now nothing but a skeleton, his "wise" nature as a mad magician was stirring within him.

The artificial labyrinth (Knossos) is no longer the second entrance to the underground city, but has been gradually transformed into a "main stronghold" for Fels' exclusive use.

How is the generation aspect?

"The relevant knowledge and theories reside in my brain... in my soul. As for the equipment, simply using the remaining celestial magic formulas from the man-made labyrinth (Knossos) will make up for most of its shortcomings. I will definitely build an underground palace that rivals the magical superpower (Altna) for you to see."

Fels decided to dedicate all his efforts to completing the work that needed to be done next.

They even went so far as to use the labyrinth magic technology left behind by the Evils, which would surely be quite disgusting to Hayate (Ryu).

"Now that the 'school district' has returned, I brought back all sorts of materials with Torion... Ancient dorfer, Stellas alluvium, and Sparkle from Elpis... Once we replenish these, all the conditions will be met."

I'm so grateful to the "school district"—that black robe swayed gently with laughter.

This colossal ship that travels around the Netherworld is both a vessel capable of transporting vast amounts of resources and a "key element" for Fels and his companions.

That's right.

All of this is for the sake of "saving the world (μαχη)".

"...The process of generating it has already begun."

Fels stopped in front of a certain piece of equipment.

There are five extra-large flasks from which liquid is poured in from various cylinders.

You can see "gems" floating inside, emitting an eerie red light.

"Is it too late?"

"Although I can't make it right away, I will do everything I can to finish it before the Black Dragon is defeated... no, before the 'promised time' arrives."

Because the gears of time have already begun to turn—

The black-clad magician's whisper was sucked into the depths of darkness.

My second day attending the "school district" (temporarily).

Since the student dormitories on the residential floor had not yet been vacated, I spent the night in Professor Lyon's faculty room and officially began my campus life today.

That's right, I'll start classes today.

After meeting Nina in front of the "Temple Tower" in the center of the academy, we headed to the school building together.

My first lesson was "Ancient History" --

"Dear students!! Are you enjoying your youth?!"

"There is ──────────────────────────────!"

—That's how it should be, but for some reason, in the classroom where all the magic stone lamps were turned off, a spotlight suddenly shone on the podium, where a stunningly beautiful blonde goddess appeared incredibly excited from early morning.

"Let's all maintain a youthful mind and body at all times! Pay attention in class too! Let's embrace our youthful spring!"

"The innocent spring of youth!!"

The students were thrilled to the point of climax by the alluring wink from the stunning goddess.

As I sat in my chair, ready to concentrate on the lesson, I couldn't help but glance at the girl next to me who was looking down.

"Miss Nina?"

"It shouldn't be like this...! It's just that sometimes some deity will suddenly appear and take over the class...! Professor Adela's teaching style is much more normal! Speaking of which, why is it that the goddess of youth (Goddess Eden) has to teach the class?!!"

Because of the current situation, I couldn't help but address Nina with a more respectful title, while she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, her pointed ears completely red. Although she looked a little pitiful, she was honestly quite cute.

The goddess tossing her long, beautiful hair on the podium… Eden, the goddess, seemed to be adored by many students, who would cheer her on for her innocent, youthful charm. After thoroughly heating up the atmosphere, Eden said, "Let's begin class~", and the classroom instantly lit up, then the lesson started as normal. Was it really necessary to build up the atmosphere first?

"Before the dawn of the Age of Gods, large-scale famines occurred several times in the northeastern part of the continent. What were the indirect causes of these disasters? Let's have a classmate answer this~ Well... let's have someone who remembers to study 'The Fresh Spring☆Newcomer Rabbi' answer this!"

"Huh!? That...!?"

(Rabbi, this is the "Dragon Visit Problem".)

"The issue of visiting Long!"

"You got it right! It would be even better if you could answer it yourself next time!"

Seeing me jump up from my seat in a panic, Nina whispered the correct answer to me, but Eden, with her ever-changing, childlike smile, saw right through it all. Blushing, I sat back down amidst the snickers of the other students, exchanging a wry smile with Nina.

The lessons were really difficult.

Watching Goddess Eden tiptoeing and writing the key points of the lesson on the blackboard was quite a challenge for me, as I wasn't used to copying these into my notes. But the main problem was that the goddess would always ask each student from a divine perspective why the facts spoken by a god who knew everything about the past and present differed from the history passed down by the inhabitants of the lower world. In order to catch up with the students in the "school district" who were already used to this way of teaching and actively asked questions, I could only concentrate on the lesson with all my might.

"Today's lesson will be based on the data collected by the students in the 'Combat Technology Department' through field surveys."

There will be a short break after each class, and then the next class will begin.

This class was "The Theory of Final Responses," which Professor Leon recommended I take. Professor Adela, who finally made his appearance, was a dwarf wearing a monocle. He operated a magic projector, jointly created by the "Alchemy Department" and the magical superpower (Altna), and played various images in the dimly lit classroom.

"────"

What came into view was a burned-down village and a destroyed elf village.

Destroyed streets, and countless refugees.

"As you all know, in recent years, various powerful monsters have appeared in 'Dragon Valley,' and the casualties caused by these dragons breaking through the barrier set up by the 'School District' have been numerous. If any of you decide to stay in Orario in the future, I hope you will keep in mind the tragedies happening around the world—"

I listened somewhat absentmindedly to the teacher's instruction, my eyes fixed on the tragic images, and then I couldn't help but ask Nina beside me a question:

"...Nina, before you came to the port city, did you witness similar sights?"

"Hmm... I've seen it. So many people are crying, and I feel so distressed because I feel helpless about it."

After speaking, Nina narrowed her eyes with a sorrowful expression.

"This is... what the world looks like now... I only learned about this when I entered the 'school district'."

The same applies to me.

Until Professor Leon recommended this class to me, and until I came to attend the "school district," I was indifferent to the outside world. Although I've been busy trying to survive as an adventurer since arriving in Orario, I now finally understand the "realities of the Nether."

In the lesson that made me realize these horrific situations weren't so far removed from my own life, the dwarf teacher spoke solemnly at the end.

The world yearns for the arrival of heroes.

"Rabbi, are you ready?"

"Horse, come right away!"

As I was getting dressed in the deserted dressing room, I heard Nina's voice coming from outside the door and quickly responded.

I put on the rabbit-tail pants prepared by Baldr, Hermes, and others, adjusted my brown bangs, and only after confirming that the wig with rabbit ears was on properly did I open the door.

"Wow! This combat suit suits you really well!"

This is a combat suit that every student belonging to the "Combat Technology Department" will be issued. The top and pants are mainly red and white in appearance. The material is both light and elastic. In terms of "armor" performance, it is in no way inferior to the combat suits of adventurers.

As for the extra dagger pouch, the thought that it was probably prepared for me by the god Hermes made me smile wryly—by the way, to avoid revealing my identity, I carried almost no personal belongings, except for the 〖Goddess's Blade〗, which I kept in my backpack and carried with me at all times.

Nina was also wearing a red and white combat suit, but it was slightly different from the male student suit I was wearing; the lower half was a skirt. Her weapon, fixed to her back, was a long staff, suggesting she was a defender.

"By the way... Nina, what's your level?"

"Me? I'm Lv.2."

"L, Lv.2...!!"

Although I hadn't confirmed it, hearing that Miss Eina's family members possessed the strength of advanced adventurers left me feeling either shocked or horrified; in short, my feelings were inexplicably complicated.

Nina looked at me with a puzzled expression as I leaned back in fright. After passing through the corridor with magic stone lamps, we came to a place under the blue sky.

Looking out, one can see a wide, reddish-brown field that resembles brick and tile, surrounded by white stands.

This is the arena, built of white corundum, located within the academy grounds.

"Now that everyone is here, the 'Comprehensive Battle' shall officially begin."

After Leon, still wearing his regular faculty uniform, finished speaking, the students in their combat gear gathered around.

This was also a course, which I remember was also called "skills".

Unlike subjects that require sitting in a seat to study, this is, frankly speaking, physical training.

Regarding the "required subjects" for students in the "Combat Technology Department," the school stipulates that they must choose at least three "skills" throughout the year. The three courses I chose were "Swordsmanship" and "Martial Arts," which Nina recommended, and this "Comprehensive Combat" course.

As its name suggests, this course does not teach techniques that specialize in a single area, but rather allows students to learn a wide variety of combat skills.

"Since the 'Special (Dungeon) Internship' is just around the corner, I want to remind everyone today of the original intention of fighting monsters. Afterwards, we will re-examine the tactics according to the characteristics of each 'team'. Please be on your guard."

As Mr. Lyon explained today's lesson to the students, I felt incredibly nervous, just like always.

Despite the diverse races of the students, they had all, like Nina, already [leveled up]... each exuding an aura of excellence, making it seem as if they could almost all directly join a core faction in the city (Orario).

"Teacher, may I interrupt for a moment?"

"Is there something you need, Kayte?"

"This is a rare opportunity, and I'd like to see what my new classmate is capable of!"

"—Huh!?"

As I was lost in thought, I was suddenly called out by name, which startled me so much that my whole body trembled.

Immediately following this were cheers like, "I want to know too!", "Since they joined the 'Combat Technology Department' during this time, they must be quite capable, right?", and "I'm also very curious!"

While I couldn't help but widen my eyes beneath Liu Hai's gaze, Nina alone held the opposite opinion.

"Wait! How do you all want to test Lavi's abilities? If it's going to involve him doing something dangerous, then I strongly object!"

"Since he's already chosen the 'Combat Technology Department,' he has no choice but to be involved in dangerous situations, right?"

"After all, he looks very weak. I understand you're worried about him, Nina, but isn't overprotecting him a bit much?"

"Even so...!"

After her male and female classmates pointed out the true nature of the "Combat Technology Department," Nina was rendered speechless. The term "overprotective" hit the nail on the head; it was probably because I had repeatedly shown my weak side in front of Nina that she was genuinely worried about me. And she had indeed said that she was truly concerned about me.

But what should I do now? I don't know what my classmates want me to do, but I can't reveal my identity, so I should avoid this kind of thing if possible...!

"I remember he was only Level 1, right? If we were to do a simulated battle, Nina would probably strongly object..."