Chapter: 426
I can’t believe what I’m about to do is so ridiculous.
Using dot damage to kill everyone at once without any info from the monitor?
In a community so stale that even chaos has disappeared, if I pulled this stunt, I’d probably be called a crazy bitch or a lunatic.
But hey, I’ve always been the crazy one anyway!
Adding a screwball or two isn’t gonna change much.
The first thing I did when I decided to take down your boss in one shot was to measure my damage output.
I had to check how much damage my mace inflicts to estimate the boss’s HP, ya know?
Thanks to the monsters in the Academy Dungeon, I was able to gauge my attack power while swatting them away.
After that, I calculated their HP, raided the back alley for poison and bombs, devised a strategy, and put it into practice.
Unlike in the game, I can’t see the numbers, so there were plenty of trial and error, but not anymore.
I’ve corrected all the discrepancies perfectly, so there shouldn’t be any more issues.
Isn’t it usually when you’re this confident that you end up falling flat?
‘You think I’m stupid? I’m not like Joy!’
I shot back at Grandpa, took a deep breath, and enhanced my body with divine grace.
Considering how much time I’ve wasted, my friends are probably already at the 100th floor.
Being cooped up here has likely given them a hint that they wouldn’t have gotten stuck here.
But hey, I haven’t lost yet.
No matter how much time I waste, if I clear the 100th floor first, I win, right?
I’m confident!
After thirty tries, I’ve optimized the route.
The theoretical time it takes to take down all your bosses is just thirty minutes.
Within thirty minutes, I’ll move to the next room and take down the boss in one shot—victory!
I’ll shove it in the faces of those professors who doubted me and repay my friends for the disgrace of the past!
With everything ready, I stepped forward towards the first path.
My running surpassed human limits, fast enough that it could be described as flying through the void.
No monster in the first dungeon could even grab my clothes.
In just five minutes, I arrived at the first boss room and observed the movements of the massive creature with eight arms.
As it raised its top two arms, I burst forward, laughing.
You don’t remember? I’ve fought you to boredom already.
I know exactly how you’ll come at me.
And the first move you’ve chosen is the one that makes it easiest for me to smash you.
I take one step back to evade the two arms.
Then, I dart in, dodging the follow-up attacks, and carefully strike its torso with my mace.
Don’t let emotions in. Stay calm. Hit like a machine with only the designated force!
Seeing the boss, bent like meat just before being made into a cutlet, I forced its mouth open and fed it poison before heading to the second boss.
Taking down the second boss was much easier than the first.
It didn’t matter as long as this one didn’t die.
After smashing the Golem’s limbs, I kindly placed a bomb on its head and moved on to the next boss.
For the third dungeon’s Wraith, I didn’t even need a strategy.
I knew if I slammed in divine grace, it would go into a near-death state instantly.
While it screamed, burning in divine grace, I set up a divine area above it and swiftly headed to the next boss.
So far, so perfect.
None of the mistakes from before were present.
Now all I need is to time the death of the final boss just right.
‘Grandpa! How many minutes have passed?!’
It’s been about ten minutes since you poisoned the first boss. Five minutes since you set the bomb.
As I ran towards the fourth boss, Grandpa quickly replied to my question.
‘Please tell me when the time comes!’
Toying with the last boss wasn’t too hard.
After all, I’m a holy knight.
If I wanted, I could force the opponent to stay alive.
As soon as I faced it, I smashed its head, putting it in a near-death state, and used weak healing magic to keep it on a tight leash.
Now!
And as Grandpa signaled, I snuffed out its life.
With the guardian of the room gone, silence fell, and I raised my alertness.
The door back to the dungeon hasn’t appeared. That means I haven’t failed yet.
But it’s not time to be happy yet. Any discrepancy could occur at any moment.
Having experienced crushing disappointment after getting my hopes up, I calmed my breath and waited for something to change.
Moments later, I heard the sound of machinery moving.
A sound I’d never heard before.
Upon hearing it, I immediately dashed out of the dungeon toward the place with the four paths.
There, a fifth path had appeared that hadn’t existed before.
I did it!!!
To succeed in something that seemed impossible brings a thrill all of its own.
It felt the same this time.
I leaped in jubilation, having accomplished something that would sound absurd to anyone!
This is what challenges are about!
Battering my head against what seems impossible!
The more ludicrous it appears, the greater the joy when I succeed!
Look, Grandpa! I told you I could do it!
Who would’ve thought this was possible?
This is the glory of the Apostle of God! Do you understand?!
After flailing my arms like a kid, I covered my face with my hands when the excitement settled down.
After so many tries, I was so happy I did something foolish.
Grandpa said I was cute like a child of my age, but that’s the problem!
Being called cute is a humiliation in itself!
Haha. You don’t have to act so tough around someone who knows you so well.
Grandpa seemed to enjoy my embarrassment and kept making various comments.
‘Can you stop acting so silly?!’
What’s wrong with calling something cute cute?
I’m afraid you’ll end up like that sloppy fox!
…Even I can’t tolerate that insult! There are limits!
Changing the topic by bickering with Grandpa, I took another deep breath and headed toward the 100th floor.
What awaits me at the end of this dungeon?
After paying so much attention from the lower floors, I doubt the last one will be a light opponent.
While pondering which boss might be the most daunting among the Academy Dungeon, I finally faced what awaited me on the 100th floor and realized the academy had put its heart into it.
Waiting for me on the 100th floor was a small girl.
With spotlessly white skin, her silky red hair tied in twin tails, and sparkling eyes like jewels, she wore a look of mischievous glee on her doll-like face.
Lucy Allen.
What awaited me on the 100th floor was me. Well, more like a golem mimicking me.
Wow. To see one of the hidden bosses that you can encounter in the Academy Dungeon after clearing all stories there is something else.
It seems the dungeon I created has really fired up the professors at the academy.
Chuckling, I felt a lightness in my heart.
The academy’s special doppelganger is definitely a challenging opponent.
A doppelganger that perfectly mimics the user means the user’s hard work weighs heavily on them.
However, there are clear weaknesses.
Unlike doppelgangers from other games, Academy Dungeon’s doppelganger has its limits.
For example,
The academy’s doppelganger can’t fully replicate the Apostle’s powers.
It can imitate, but it’s only a diluted version.
Also, the academy’s doppelganger can’t mimic stronger opponents that exceed the dungeon’s output.
It’ll end up in a state worse than not mimicking due to overload.
Beyond that, the academy doppelganger has several weaknesses and has thus retained a low reputation since its first discovery.
Having played a part in giving it the nickname ‘the weakest among hidden bosses,’ I felt no burden even faced with myself.
Well, aside from the difficulty aspect, I’m feeling some other pressure.
A pang of conscience.
As I looked at the giggling kid, I recalled the old Lucy.
You want me to attack that adorable girl with my mace!?
This is a matter of being human before being rotten!
Wow. What kind of trash were those things attacking me until now?
No matter how much I might have been a bit cheeky, to think they’d try to violate such a girl without a moment’s hesitation!
Seriously, I’m less than human.
Wow. Hi there, cute sister!
Huh?
You’re super adorably cute, but why are you holding something so clunky? Are you a fool who doesn’t realize her own beauty?
…
If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll wrinkle away in no time! You’ll turn into a wrinkly grandma!
Oh… um.
If you already look small, when your back bends to your waist, you’ll look just like a baby! Hehe! An ugly, wrinkly baby. Is that worth living?
Feeling the twinge of my conscience fade while looking at the giggling kid, I tightened my grip on the mace.
Right now, I could teach this sassy little brat a lesson without a second thought.
