Chapter 29 - The Dungeon Chronicles (Finale)

In the observation chamber above the testing grounds, the atmosphere was thick with anxiety—suffocating, like the weight of an unseen hand pressing down on every soul present.

Vice Dean Caelum Thorne stood at the center, arms folded behind his back, his silver eyes narrowed at the flickering projections of the dungeon. They were no longer stable; the illusion screens buzzed with distortion, revealing jagged glimpses of students running, fighting, surviving.

Behind him, instructors stood in a stiff semicircle—pale, drained, many clutching their robes in tightly clenched fists. Fear hung heavy in the room, but none dared speak first.

"Status?" Caelum’s voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade.

One of the instructors stepped forward cautiously. "Not fully clear, sir. But it appears most students are retreating toward the outer perimeter. Elowen’s team has been actively rescuing and directing them outward."

Caelum nodded once. "That’s good. And Vincent?"

Silence. A pause that stretched too long.

His eyes sharpened. "Speak."

Another instructor swallowed hard and spoke, voice barely above a whisper. "He... along with Aiden Everhart and Selena Weiss... they attempted to confront the dungeon boss. But... they were defeated."

The word hung in the air like a death sentence.

Caelum’s expression turned to stone. His jaw clenched. His fingers twitched slightly behind his back, though no one noticed.

"I can breach the dungeon in thirty minutes," he said, his tone calm but laced with restrained fury.

Another instructor muttered, "Thirty minutes outside means... nearly six or seven hours inside."

A fresh wave of silence spread like frost.

Then—

The doors burst open with a bang.

High Priest Emeron stumbled in, robes disheveled, sweat beading his brow. His breath came in sharp, shallow bursts.

Caelum turned at once. "Emeron. Report."

The priest doubled over, gathering enough air to speak. "Vice Dean... someone has used a corrupted treasure inside the dungeon. It’s... it’s the source of the sabotage."

Gasps erupted.

Several instructors instinctively backed away as if the words themselves were cursed. A few clutched their amulets, others went pale.

Caelum’s eyes narrowed. His tone darkened.

"Corrupted treasure? Are you certain?"

Emeron nodded frantically. "Yes. The residual mana traces are unmistakable. Ancient. Violent. It predates the system’s entire mana grid. There are runes active that haven’t been recorded since the Dark Cataclysm nearly 7000 years ago."

A heavy silence fell. The kind that made your heartbeat louder in your ears.

"Do you understand what this means?" Caelum said slowly, voice dangerously calm. "These artifacts do not appear by accident. They are sealed. Guarded. Forbidden."

Emeron’s voice dropped into a whisper. "That’s what I’m trying to say, Vice Dean."

He took one more breath.

"There is a traitor among us."

The silence shattered.

Murmurs turned to shouts.

"Impossible—!"

"A traitor? Inside the academy?!"

Caelum raised a hand and silence returned—swift, absolute. His expression was unreadable, but the frost in the air deepened.

His next word was a command. Sharp. Cold.

"WHOO?"

Emeron hesitated. Trembled.

Then spoke the name like a curse.

"The one who is not present among us right here, right now."

He continued, "Prof....professor Seraphina."

Inside the dungeon, Luca stood alone before the dungeon boss, twin sabers clenched in his hands. The monstrous creature loomed over him, pulsing with corrupted mana, eyes glowing with hatred.

Luca exhaled slowly, his gaze steady.

"How the hell did it come to this..."

With a shout, he dashed forward, blades flashing. He slashed at the dungeon boss—again and again—but it was like striking a wall of steel. The blows barely scratched the surface.

Luca gritted his teeth. "Tch. How humiliating. I swear if this were a game, my damage output would be so low they’d think I brought wooden sticks."

He ducked a swipe from the boss, barely avoiding being flattened. "Okay... okay... note to self—saber techniques? Not enough. Power? Also not enough. Strategy? Still on track."

He muttered under his breath. "Even a housefly can annoy a lion if it buzzes loud enough, right?"

The dungeon boss finally roared and lunged at him. Luca took off running.

As he sprinted through the underbrush, he thought back to the plan.

"We can’t defeat him in his own terrain," he had said, pointing at the map. "We need to lure him out."

Selena’s voice had been as cold as always. "Easier said than done. How do you even plan to do that?"

Luca smirked. "Leave that to me. I’ll be the bait."

Kyle and Elowen immediately objected. Aiden, too, had frowned.

"That’s dangerous," Elowen said. "You can die as well."

"I know," Luca replied calmly. "But we don’t have a choice. It’ll take the instructors six or seven hours to break in. Until then, we do what we can. Please... trust me."

Everyone had nodded reluctantly.

Luca wasn’t reckless. He had considered every factor. The dungeon was forest-aligned; the boss, too, had a nature affinity. That made it slower. Less agile. He, on the other hand, had been training every morning. Sprinting. Dodging. Practicing.

And now, it paid off.

He spotted the marker.

He crossed it and shouted, "NOW!"

Step one: completed.

Vines erupted from the ground, roots thick as arms ensnaring the boss’s limbs. Elowen appeared beside him, her expression strained but focused.

She remembered what Luca had said earlier:

"To defeat it, we need to immobilize it first. Senior, I’m counting on you. You have the forest element affinity."

Elowen had smiled slightly. "Leave it to me."

Back to present ,

Now, all limbs of the dungeon boss were restrained.

"It won’t hold for long," Elowen said, arriving beside Luca.

"I know," Luca replied.

Step two: completed.

Selena and Lilliane appeared next, unleashing a barrage of fire and lightning spells. Flames scorched the monster’s bark-like armor. Lightning crackled through its body. It howled.

Earlier:

"Once it’s restrained," Luca had explained, "Ms. Weiss and Ms. Fairmoore—you bombard it with fire and lightning. Forest-type creatures are weak to them."

Selena and Lilliane had both raised eyebrows.

It was Kyle who had added confidently, "He’s right. That should weaken it further."

Luca had thought then, As expected of Kyle. A natural strategist.

Both Selena and Lilliane nodded.

Back in the present, the bombardment continued, causing clear damage, weakening the dungeon boss.

Step three: completed.

Elowen’s breath grew heavy. "We need to hurry. The vines are tearing."

"Got it," Luca said, then shouted: "Kyle! Aiden! NOW!"

Both of them charged, their weapons aiming at the creature’s chest.

The boss shrieked, clearly panicked. It thrashed violently.

Aiden and Kyle had looked at each other and smiled

Earlier:

During the planning phase, Vincent had objected: "Even if you hurt it, it’ll just regenerate."

Luca had responded: "Not unless we destroy the source. There must be something empowering its regeneration. A dungeon-wide artifact. And if Aiden’s earlier fight told us anything—it always guards its chest."

Vincent had paused. "...That’s why it sacrificed its arm. My strike was going to hit its chest. It didn’t even risk taking it."

Then nodded.

Kyle and Aiden replied at the same time "We’ll do it."

Now, Kyle and Aiden struck again and again.

Crack.

A fracture formed.

"Selena—on the crack!" Luca shouted.

A bolt of lightning surged through the opening.

The chest shattered.

A blood-red crystal pulsed inside.

Luca’s expression darkened. "Blood crystal..."

Elowen stumbled beside him. Her face was pale. "Luca, it’s panicking. I can’t hold it anymore."

She was starting to collapse, Luca smirked and said "You’ve done enough. It’s time."

Step four: completed.

Vincent appeared like a shadow, his blade already glowing.

Earlier:

Luca had asked, "Brother... can you use that slash again?"

Vincent had nodded. "But I’ll need time."

"You’ll have it."

And he did.

Now, while the others fought, Vincent had been channeling his power.

He slashed.

A wave of blood-red power burst forth, like painting the whole world red and struck the dungeon boss.

The crystal clearly split into two.The boss reared back, a howl ripping through the dungeon like a storm wind. Its massive body unraveled—petals of corrupted bark peeling away, dissolving into glowing embers—until nothing remained but fading light and silence.

And just like that... it was over.

Elowen collapsed beside Luca. He caught her gently.

She smiled faintly. "You did it."

Luca turned slowly. Selena, Kyle, Lilliane, and Aiden emerged from the smoke—limping, bloodied, but alive.Vincent stood a little apart, his sword lowering at last, eyes distant.

Then, finally, he turned back—and smiled.

Not a grin. Not pride.

Just quiet, exhausted relief.

And as Luca looked at each of them—at the pain, the resolve, the fire that hadn’t gone out—he said "We did it."

A serene voice rang out through the clearing.

"Thank the heavens you’re all safe and sound."

Everyone except Luca turned toward the source.

"Professor!"

"Thank god you’re here!"

"Is everyone else alright? Did everyone make it out?"

The robed figure approached slowly, calm and composed. Their face carried a gentle smile.

"Yes. Thanks to all of you. I will personally ensure you’re all rewarded. Your courage will not go unnoticed."

The tension in the group finally broke. Relief bloomed. Smiles spread. Shoulders slumped.

But not Luca.

He stared at the figure, a chill crawling down his spine.

That’s not right...

He narrowed his eyes.

What the hell is that person doing here?

It’s too early...

isn’t mock dungeon test the starting phase of 2nd Arc

.This shouldn’t be happening yet. Not for another week, And certainly not when I’m present.