Chapter 53 - The Test [10]
I continued hunting passing Hobgoblin Warriors for a few more hours.
The steady rhythm of combat kept my senses sharp as small patrols periodically marched through the main corridor of the second floor.
Cordelia remained near, watching me and just giving me instructions about my mana control. She was a really good teacher.
She stood near the shadow of the large rock, offering concise pointers on how to smooth out the flow of my mana to eliminate unnecessary waste every time I came back after fighting a group of Hobgoblins.
I felt like the distance between us started to grow smaller and smaller as well, and the awkward silence was gone.
The subtle lingering tension that had stretched between us since our first meeting was finally dissolved completely into quiet, natural cooperation. Which was good because I don’t want to have a complicated relationship with one of the main characters.
Maintaining a smooth, comfortable dynamic with her will make group coordination easier and it will clear away unnecessary social distractions during dangerous encounters.
And then, after a few more while—
"It’s time to go back and wake up Zion, it’s his turn to stand guard now."
Cordelia told me that when I got back to her after finishing another group of five Hobgoblin Warriors.
She stepped out from the shadow of the boulder, checking the quiet atmosphere of the wide hallway before looking back toward me.
"Hmm, okay."
I simply replied with a nod of my head.
I smoothly sheathed [Frost] at my side, letting the dark wooden scabbard settle comfortably against my hip. I retracted the frozen blade from it, and it became a normal-looking stick again.
Even with my huge mana pool and absurd stamina, I’m starting to feel a little fatigue from all the fighting I did.
Executing high-speed slides, constant thrusts, and continuous crowd control over several consecutive hours had taken a mild toll on my muscles.
It’s not something that will hinder me, actually.
My baseline physical stats were still more than enough to handle sudden ambushes or lead the front line if an unexpected threat appeared right now.
But there me nothing wrong in staying in top shape, especially when you’re inside a dungeon.
Maintaining peak combat condition at all times was a fundamental survival rule that every hero should know.
’Ahri told me and Cindy this when she heard about the test via text.’
She had stressed the importance of proper rest rotation back when we were preparing our tactical gear list at the dorms. She’s really a big sister through and through.
*****
Cordelia and I went back to the temporary camp, and there—everyone was still sleeping soundly. I can feel their quiet and calm mana through their tents.
The small, hidden chamber was completely peaceful, filled only with the soft, steady sounds of breathing echoing off the dry stone walls.
"Zion will have questions if he sees you awake as well, go back to your tent and rest now."
I told Cordelia.
I kept my voice down to a quiet whisper, pointing toward her tent near the far edge of the campsite.
She understood this and nodded her head before silently heading back to her tent.
She stepped softly across the stone floor so as not to make a single sound as she slipped through her tent flap.
Once she did that, I made my way to Zion... He doesn’t have a tent, he was just sleeping on the ground in his sleeping bag.
He was sprawled out near the center of the camp, completely unbothered by the cold stone floor beneath his thin travel padding.
’He probably forgot to bring a tent... what an idiot.’
I thought with a smile on my face before shaking him lightly.
I reached down and nudged his shoulder firmly, giving him a few light shakes to pull him out of his heavy slumber.
"Huh...?"
He slowly opened his eyes, saliva was still dripping from the corner of his mouth, evident of his deep and comfortable sleep.
He blinked heavily against the dim light, rubbing his eyes with the back of his arm while looking up at me in complete confusion.
Zion finally looked at me all confused, and with the smile on my face—
I leaned down slightly, keeping my expression light and amused as he tried to figure out what time it was.
"Time to switch."
I told him that. I tapped my wrist loosely, letting him know that his scheduled watch shift had officially arrived.
"..."
I saw his face crumble into a frown... He definitely wants to sleep more.
He stared at me with wide, groggy eyes, letting out a deep sigh as the reality of losing his comfortable sleep set in.
But unfortunately for him—I want to rest now as well.
I had already pulled guard duty for the first half of the night while hunting monsters on the side, so it was strictly his turn now.
"Ugh..."
Zion groaned as he forcibly stood up.
He dragged himself out of his sleeping bag, shaking his head to clear away the leftover drowsiness before grabbing his sword hilt.
"Got it, you can rest now."
He said to me, not complaining even a bit. His face is showing his dissatisfaction though.
Zion stretched his arms high above his head, rolling his broad shoulders once to force himself into an alert state.
"I suggest swinging your sword to wake your spirit up."
I gave him a quick, encouraging tap on the shoulder as I passed by him, stepping directly into my small tent.
Once inside, I laid down on my sleeping bag, and just moments later... I fell asleep.
The physical exhaustion from hours of continuous solo hunting finally hit my body, pulling me into a deep, dreamless rest the second my head rested on the padding.
... ... ...
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*****
Vael was only able to take a couple of hours of sleep.
The quiet morning hours passed quickly inside the silent cavern, the soft ambient glow of the cave crystals staying completely steady.
But that was more than enough.
His internal system had fully processed the recent combat gains, restoring his energy reserves back to their maximum ceiling in a short time frame.
His mana and stamina was already recovered, he was ready for another day in the dungeon.
He stretched his limbs comfortably as he unzipped his tent, feeling completely refreshed and light on his feet once again.
"Now that we’re on the second floor, what’s our plan now?"
Zion asked the group as they were all packing up their camp.
He rolled up his sleeping bag tight, securing the leather straps around it before looking toward the rest of the party members.
"I’m going to be honest with you... Reaching the second floor was our only plan, and once we got here; we’ll just slay the monsters and rack up points."
Crystal stated. She folded her travel blanket neatly, placing it back into her bag while addressing the squad with her usual calm, organized tone.
"It’s just that our main plan was accomplished very fast because of Vael, so it feels like we’re doing nothing now."
She added, eyeing Vael, who was already done packing up his things.
She gestured lightly toward him as he zipped up his lightweight travel pack and adjusted [Frost] at his side.
At her words, everyone agreed.
Cindy gave a quiet nod from the side while Cordelia adjusted the strap of her gear, both silently agreeing with Crystal’s assessment of their situation.
They all initially thought that reaching the second floor would be hard, that it will take them a long time and a lot of effort.
They had mentally prepared themselves for a brutal, exhausting crawl through endless goblin hordes and complex tunnel mazes.
But because of Vael, someone who has knowledge from the game, everything went smoothly for them.
His precise routing, instant crowd control tactics, and perfect awareness of enemy behavior had completely bypassed every single hurdle on the first floor--EVEN AGAINTS THE FLOOR BOSS!
"Are you all bored?"
Just then, Vael asked that.
He stepped toward the center of the small chamber, slinging his pack over his shoulder as he looked at the four of them with a smirk. Crystal will store all of their items inside her spatial storage, by the way.
Anyway, everyone’s eyes turned toward Vael and they stopped what they were doing... All of them were curious about what he was going to say next.
Zion paused mid-strap, while Crystal and Cindy turned around to listen closely to his next words.
"If you’re all bored because we have nothing else to do now... Why not just make another goal for our group?"
He suggested.
Vael leaned back slightly against the stone wall near the exit, keeping his voice calm and casual.
"...?"
The group tilted their heads, they were all interested.
They exchanged brief, intrigued glances with one another before turning their attention right back to Vael.
"What do you suggest our new goal is?"
Cordelia asked him.
She stepped forward a pace, her quiet voice carrying a clear note of genuine curiosity.
Vael smiled.
"Something easy."
He shrugged, then opening his mouth again—
"Why don’t we try hunting the floor boss of the second floor as well?"
He declared that.
Vael looked at all four of them with a confident smile, proposing that the group completely wipe out the second floor’s main objective before the evaluation period even ended.