Getting hit with a nasty surprise right at the start, Tursey's expression was… quite a spectacle.
To put it simply, her face turned pitch-black like Sea Tiger when he snaps—and she even vented her anger on a nearby gravestone.
Seen that way, this young professor truly wasn't putting on airs. She didn't mind letting others see when her mental defenses had completely collapsed.
Youth really does come with youthful energy. Even in her fury, she snapped a gravestone apart with her bare hands. The fierce scene startled Roger, and he realized something for the first time:
Defensive magic barriers could also be wrapped around your hands and used like gauntlets.
Why hadn't he thought of that?
No wonder she was a professor.
After that, their formation changed.
Gapar led in front. Roger was stuck between a sulking Tursey and an expressionless Hades, desperately cracking jokes to lighten the mood—but it didn't help at all. He was essentially the team's pressure-soaking MVP.
Right now, he really wanted to curse Set in his heart. But remembering that Set had done this for the sake of his thesis, he could only swallow the pressure.
What could he do? He was the junior among them. If Drew were here, he'd definitely be laughing at Roger's miserable state while downing another barrel of ale.
Roger sighed silently.
"Whirr…"
The elevator descended.
Both professors were carefully studying the mechanism, observing its operating principles with intense focus.
Ordinary adventurers cared about how strong the monsters were, how good the rewards were, or how difficult the map might be. Professors were different—they were interested in anything related to magic.
It's just a magic-powered device. Haven't you seen plenty of these before? Do you really need to stare that hard?
Roger grumbled inwardly. Complaining in his head was the only way he could relieve stress.
"We're here," Gapar said as the elevator came to a stop.
"To reach the Academy, we need an item called a Transfer Certificate. I'll take you to find it."
As expected of the Sword Saint… this mature reliability is irresistible.
Roger silently complained again.
The endlessly looping corridor immediately caught Tursey and Hades's attention.
"Illusion magic?" Tursey asked.
Hades shook his head.
"The magic density here is too high—it's interfering with perception," she clicked her tongue. "Elemental Lords would love a place like this. If possible, they might even settle here permanently."
She attempted to explain the loop using magical theory, proposing more than a dozen hypotheses. Each one made sense… yet none felt entirely convincing.
Because they couldn't detect any unique magical fluctuations here. Any active spell should emit a distinctive wave pattern.
But the corridor contained nothing except stable ambient magic.
So if it wasn't magic, was the corridor governed by some kind of rule?
"Interesting."
Tursey smiled. Just as the rumors claimed, Sein's Dungeon was full of fascinating phenomena.
Even if her first impression had been terrible, she wasn't stubborn. She could adapt.
Gapar explained how to locate the hidden door that led to the Transfer Certificate room. He genuinely enjoyed sharing knowledge that others didn't have.
"Last time, the hidden door was right here."
He strode confidently into a classroom and tapped the wall with his scabbard.
Boom—
The temperature in the corridor surged instantly.
Gapar stepped back out with singed hair and a dark expression.
"Damn it. The location changed."
Tursey kindly restored his burnt hair… and then couldn't help laughing.
Kindness first, then mockery.
If she showed goodwill first, he wouldn't feel too awkward about being laughed at.
Not that Gapar would hit a professor anyway.
Since the hidden door had moved, they would have to search carefully, room by room.
"I'll handle it," Roger volunteered.
He stood outside the classroom, gathering magic. His plan was to sweep the entire room from beyond the trap's effective range and trigger it safely to reveal the hidden door.
Not a bad idea. Gapar had considered the same approach.
Flames gathered at the tip of Roger's staff. It was only a weak, low-tier fire spell, but as long as it dealt damage, it could activate the mechanism.
Tursey crossed her arms and watched, thinking that Set's students really were like their mentor—always finding clever shortcuts.
But just as Roger was about to release the spell, a powerful hand grabbed his wrist.
"W-What's wrong?!" he jumped.
"Wait. I have a bad feeling," Gapar said seriously.
The unease had come out of nowhere. It felt like triggering traps from outside wouldn't kill him… but would leave him horribly embarrassed instead.
After thinking it over, he attributed it to spending too much time in Sein's Dungeon and developing an instinct for its "personality."
When Sein pulled down his pants, Gapar already knew what he was about to do.
The biggest lesson he had learned about this dungeon was:
It never gives adventurers easy shortcuts.
Triggering traps from outside was too simple. No thinking required.
Gapar frowned deeply.
It felt as though he were trying to outwit Sein's Dungeon… or perhaps fighting thin air.
In the end, Roger extinguished his flames. Gapar chose the simplest method—entering each room personally and tapping every wall.
This time, Tursey cast a magic barrier on him.
Lightning or fire wouldn't harm him now.
Roger stared in astonishment.
That seemingly casual barrier Tursey had cast was equivalent to a King-tier spell.
No wonder she was a professor.
Just how massive was her mana reserve, to treat spells like that as disposable?
The hidden door opened.
Three glowing lights appeared on the podium—Transfer Certificates for Roger's group.
Gapar didn't need one. Once obtained, the certificate remained permanently bound to its user, but it could only be used by that person.
"Using it will take us to the Academy," Gapar said, secretly feeling a trace of excitement.
He wanted to see their reactions to the Sorting Hat.
See which mentors they would be assigned.
Maybe even watch their stunned expressions when they were parried by Carian Knights.
Wait… that last thought was a bit evil.
When did I become like this?
"Wait," Tursey suddenly said. "Can we not go just yet? I want to fully study this corridor."
No one objected.
Her approach was simple.
Keep walking. Indefinitely.
"I've already cast anti-illusion magic. The corridor didn't disappear, so it's not an illusion. If it's teleportation magic, it must consume energy."
She analyzed calmly as they continued forward.
"I've seen similar constructs before. When magic consumption reaches a certain threshold, a defensive mechanism activates."
She pointed to a portrait of Azur hanging on the wall.
"Every time we pass this portrait marks one completed loop. I want to determine how many loops it takes to trigger the defense."
Very professor-like thinking.
Who else would deliberately study a dungeon's defensive system?
They walked endlessly.
When tired, they floated forward instead.
Roger tried counting at first, but eventually gave up.
"Will anything even show up?" he asked after half an hour.
Tursey pointed ahead.
"Didn't you notice? It's already here."
Darkness gathered in the distance.
And something terrifying.
Everyone prepared for battle. Roger was the last to react.
I really don't belong in this team!
He hurriedly pulled out his staff and rapier.
"ROAR—!"
A thunderous roar blasted down the corridor.
It wasn't an ordinary roar—it carried sound waves with tangible destructive force.
Only Roger struggled to endure it until Tursey shielded him.
The corridor trembled.
Something massive charged toward them.
Hades cast light.
And they saw it clearly.
A dragon.
A black dragon.
Dark, armored scales. Powerful legs. Murderous eyes. Unmatched speed.
A living cannonball.
It was a subspecies of Tigrex—stronger and far more savage:
Brute Tigrex.
Tigrex loved charging, and a straight corridor like this was perfect terrain.
Tursey smiled.
She believed defeating it would break the loop.
She raised both hands.
A massive barrier enveloped them.
The Brute Tigrex slammed into it with a crash powerful enough to knock unconscious any ordinary person.
But it didn't stop.
It kept charging.
Its overwhelming strength pushed the barrier backward along the corridor.
Tursey's expression changed.
Even Gold-rank adventurers would die here.
How were you supposed to dodge a Tigrex in such a narrow corridor?
Slide underneath it?
She tried her calming magic—the same warm mist she had used on the skeletons.
It failed.
The Tigrex grew even more enraged.
They were forced backward… until Roger spotted the elevator behind them.
Soon, they would be crushed between two ends.
"Mr. Gapar, could you assist us?" Tursey asked with a strained smile.
Gapar assessed the monster and the terrain.
He couldn't kill it instantly.
If he failed to stop its momentum, they would all be flattened.
They still had the magic classroom and research area ahead.
It wasn't worth dying here.
He struck.
His heavy slash landed on the Tigrex's head, shattering scales—but the beast only roared louder and continued charging.
Not enough.
So he chose a different solution.
"What are you doing?!" Tursey shouted.
Gapar shoved the Transfer Certificate into her hand while Hades injected mana into it.
Before she could protest, the certificate activated.
They vanished.
Boom!
The barrier shattered under the Tigrex's final impact.
Could anyone truly defeat a Brute Tigrex in terrain like that?
[Raya Lucaria Academy]
Magic words appeared before them.
Tursey crossed her arms and pouted.
Understandable. They had agreed to help her study the corridor, yet retreated at the critical moment.
Still, she calmed herself quickly.
Adults needed emotional control.
They had already wasted enough time. Next time, she would come alone—and win properly.
Just then, Gapar opened a classroom door.
A cheerful voice echoed directly in their minds:
"Oh! So many new students! I'm so happy!"
The hat swayed excitedly.
Before it could properly introduce itself, Gapar used a Philosopher's Stone to repair the message terminal, then placed the hat on his head.
"So eager? Hoho! Your mentor is Gandalf!"
Gapar wasn't sure whether to feel pleased or disappointed.
He took out his student ID and handed the hat to Hades.
"Hmm… difficult to assign… very well."
"Your mentor is Sellen!"