Chapter: 300
The Dungeon Studies Professor Jessel submitted the dungeon created by Lucy the very day they had their discussion.
He never even thought about rejecting it.
It’s true that the other professors are a bunch of old geezers who shove all the annoying stuff onto younger folks, but they too became Dungeon Studies professors because they were fascinated by dungeons.
Seeing the marvelous dungeon created by Lucy, how could he even entertain the thought of rejecting it?
If he were to say bring something else after witnessing that, he’d better be ready to get hit with seniority, or whatever.
How could someone who doesn’t recognize the greatness of this dungeon teach Dungeon Studies?
And then, a few days after submitting the dungeon, the head professor of Dungeon Studies called Jessel to his office.
The ostensible reason was a personal conversation, but Jessel didn’t trust him.
With all the chaos of managing his family and conducting research, when did he have time to sit around and sip tea?
It must certainly be because of the dungeon he submitted yesterday.
Convinced of that, Jessel prepared various materials, hoping to push his arguments no matter what came out of their discussion.
By the time he arrived at the head professor’s office, he was reminding himself of his will to fight for his academic pride, but that resolve scattered the moment the office door opened.
“Professor Jessel. You’ve come?”
“It’s been a while. Was the last time at the last gathering?”
“Oy, look at your stiff face.”
“You’re not the one working hard with the first-year students. Of course, I wouldn’t be rude if you called me for tea.”
“I’m sorry to call someone as busy as you.”
In the head professor’s office, it wasn’t just him.
All the professors of Dungeon Studies who rarely gather due to their research were all in one place.
“…Hello, professors.”
With a cold sweat dripping, Jessel quickly bowed his head, recalling the nightmares of his past dissertation assessments.
“What brings everyone here?”
“Haha. Is a reason necessary for researchers of the same field to gather?”
“We gather when there’s something to discuss. Isn’t that right?”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Seeing them chime in as if they had coordinated their comments, Jessel’s mouth twitched.
What kind of reasonless gathering is this? People who avoid going outside as if their office is their own dungeon.
What’s going on? Why are the people who rarely show up even when the dean begs them to come all here?
“Hey, come on. You all expect Professor Jessel to be troubled?”
“When you left this up to us, look at the situation now.”
“He’s such a peculiar guy.”
“Enough! Let’s cut to the chase. The reason we called you here is because of that final exam dungeon you submitted.”
The moment the head professor mentioned the final exam dungeon, Jessel found the current situation even harder to understand.
If they were simply rejecting the dungeon, it could have been done with the wave of a single hand from the head professor.
“Professor Jessel, you know there have been quite a few incidents at our academy lately, right?”
“The entrance exams, the Third Prince’s kidnapping, the Apostle of Evil God attacking the streets.”
“What about that? The fact that Lady Allen cleared the academy dungeon in just a day. Because of that, some idiots are going around whining about how easy the dungeon must be.”
“Professor Magote, keep your dignity.”
“Did I say anything false? The head professor summoned us because all those idiots are criticizing us, right?”
“Magote! Be reasonable. I’m talking to Professor Jessel right now!”
“Oops, my bad.”
After Magote bowed his head with a mischievous grin, the head professor cleared his throat once again and looked back at Jessel.
“Due to all these incidents, the honor of our Dungeon Studies Department at Soul Academy has been tarnished. Do you understand so far?”
“Yes, I understand, but what does that have to do with the final exam dungeon?”
“Your submission. The dungeon that Lady Allen was in charge of designing is of exceptionally high quality. Anyone knowledgeable about dungeons would be in awe.”
“Well, that’s obvious.”
Even Jessel, who had only thought of putting Lucy down, had to be impressed by the dungeon she created. What need is there to say it’s amazing?
“The plan is to restore our tarnished honor by widely promoting the reputation of that dungeon.”
“…What?”
“I’ve looked over the dungeon’s structure many times, but due to the limited resources, there were many compromises made. Please tell Lady Allen not to worry about limitations and to unleash her talent freely.”
No limitations on what gimmicks can be added?!
As Jessel’s eyes lit up thinking of all the gimmicks discarded due to real-world reasons in their discussions, the head professor smirked.
“It’d be good if you could also mention that all academy students will take their final exams through that dungeon. We’ll handle the grading per grade, so don’t worry about that.”
After that, the head professor told Jessel several things he needed to convey to Lucy.
Flashing through Jessel’s mind was the thought that with so much to say, wouldn’t it be easier for him to simply tell her directly? But she kept that thought to herself.
The reason is obvious, right? Because she feared what Lucy might say when they met face to face.
“That’s about all I have to say.”
“Ah! And if you have any doubts during the dungeon creation process, ask Professor Magote.”
“Hey! What nonsense is that? Your lab is already filled with researchers!”
“In a bit, one of them will be graduating and leaving!”
“Also, if you could let them know that Professor Banorg asked for tea, that would be great.”
“Come on, spare me the false hopes. She’s the sole child of the Allen family; how could she become a professor?”
“Shut up!”
“Don’t bring reality into this!”
“If the unpredictable Lady Allen is to make a change, who knows?”
Watching professors with considerable authority compete to pull one person under them, Jessel relayed his greeting with a bow and hurriedly slipped away from the scene.
*
“That’s the gist of it.”
After hearing the whole story from the Dungeon Studies professor, I couldn’t hold back a sigh.
Seeing the quest handed down by the Sloppy God, I was left wondering what on earth was going on. So this kind of conversation was happening when I wasn’t around.
The pride I had as a stinking mess, only to have a fantastic dungeon created influence things to turn out this way. I really never imagined it.
“…You look unwell. I thought you’d be happy.”
Was her reaction unexpected? The Dungeon Studies professor cautiously glanced at me for a reaction.
I understood her perplexity. Just days before, I would have shouted for joy at the thought of creating the desired dungeon without caring about limitations.
Political reasons?
Complaints from various students?
What do I care about that?
What’s important to me is creating a perfect dungeon!
In the past, I surely would have rejoiced, believing I could get closer to my ideals. I would have done my best to draft the dungeon.
But now, I couldn’t do that.
Even after learning I could incorporate all sorts of elements, I couldn’t feel happy about it.
Because of the clueless Sloppy Trash God handing me that quest.
[Your Pride]
[Create a dungeon that no one in the academy can conquer!]
The dungeon I envision is one that gets completed once someone conquers it.
How could a place you step into where failure is inevitable be called a dungeon?
A dungeon that is impossible to conquer isn’t a dungeon; it should be called a grave, or so I think, which is why even when creating the final exam dungeon, I had designed it assuming someone would succeed.
Why do you think I desperately begged my friends to conquer it in front of them?
Because I thought that if nobody conquered it, the dungeon I created would remain unfinished. I even promised to do anything to persuade them to help!
But that damn shoddy pervert dungeon-illiterate gave me an impossible quest to create a dungeon that no one could conquer!
How can a God not know what their Apostle wants?!
Why do something that would get them cursed?!
If it’s not a dire situation like Menestel or the Burrow territory, couldn’t he think before throwing my way such a quest?!
[Reward: Increase in Reputation. Unlock three hidden conditions of the tutorial. A clue about the Seed of the Hero.]
[Failure: Something humiliating that will become a disgraceful history.]
What’s even more infuriating is that there’s no need for me to succeed at this quest.
Sure, the reward upon success seems interesting, but it’s not something I absolutely need right now, and the punishment for failure isn’t extreme like a game over.
What if the reward for success was absolutely crucial for me?
What if the condition for failure was losing my life?
I would willingly create a dungeon that no one could conquer because it was forced by the Shoddy God.
It’s not that hard. I could just pull a few gimmicks from the numerous crazy dungeons I conquered in the past, and I’d have a grave for students.
But our Shoddy Trash Pervert God didn’t include such extreme terms like usual.
He gave me a half-baked reward and punishment while leaving it up to me whether I want to do it or not.
I was given a choice, pitting me against my own beliefs of whether to maintain my pride or abandon it to avoid punishment and earn the reward.
It’s a hellish dilemma that makes you want to curse!
Thinking about why the perverted scumbag would hand out such a quest?
This guy’s aiming for one thing.
He wants to induce me to break my stinking pride so I’d receive a punishment.
Presenting me with “something humiliating that will become a disgraceful history.”
That punishment is undoubtedly something filled with the twisted sexual desires of the pervy trash God.
If the Perverted Apostle saw it, he would resolve to head toward the Goddess he worships.
And what’s more, even the Crow Goddess there would probably faint with a nosebleed!
So, if I want to keep my dignity.
If I want to prevent the Shoddy God from getting what he desires.
I know I have to create an outrageous dungeon to shove a sweet into the melting mouth of that guy.
Yet… I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
sigh I can’t just grotesquely remodel the very first dungeon I made.
I don’t know what punishments the infamous God of Sexual Crimes might have prepared.
But, it likely wouldn’t be too different from when I recently wore a bunny girl outfit or possibly something even worse.
It’s true that Armadi is more interested in traversing walls than virtue, but still—he’s a God.
There’s no way he’d want to make his talented Apostle rethink her path.
He’d be taking a huge risk without me, so surely he wouldn’t do something like that, right?
So, regardless of whether the quest succeeds or fails, I’ll focus on creating the dungeon I want.
With this resolution, my heart felt lighter.
Let’s think positively.
If someone is touched by seeing the end of the dungeon, I’ll feel happy even if I receive a punishment.
If no one conquers the dungeon, I’d be sad, but I could find solace in receiving a reward.
With my worries settled, I stood up after receiving the dungeon drafting paper from the Dungeon Studies professor.
“Lady Allen, there’s one thing I need to ask before leaving.”
“What is it?”
“Get to the point. Unlike you, my time is valuable.”
“Is there anyone among the Dungeon Studies professors you’d like to meet?”
The moment I heard Jessel’s question, a chill ran down my spine.
Isn’t this it?
It’s a suggestion for slavery!
Is my dungeon going to be so appealing that it surpasses Lucy Allen’s notoriety?!
“…No?”
“Is that a question? Do you think I’d want to meet some old, stinky, washed-up elder?”
I appreciate the compliment, but I’ll pass on the suggestion of being a slave!
I briefly entertained the idea of wanting to be a professor, but not to the point of enduring a life of slavery!
“Hm. If it’s not an old man…”
Seeing the glimmer in the Dungeon Studies professor’s eyes, I bolted out of the professor’s office.
