Chapter 71 - A Goodnight’s Rest

At night...

I finished wiping down the last wooden table in the dining room, placing the damp cloth back into the bucket near the service counter.

The restaurant was finally empty, with only the faint smell of roasted meat and herbs lingering in the air after another long dinner rush.

"Good work today, you two!"

The head chef called out from behind the kitchen window, sliding two small pay envelopes across the counter toward us.

"Thanks, boss!"

Zion exclaimed energy, taking his portion and tucking it securely into his coat pocket.

"Thank you, boss."

I replied with a nod, taking my envelope and checking the contents inside before sliding it into my satchel. Working these part-time shifts was definitely tiring after a full day of academy lectures, but having a steady income made it completely worth it.

"Are you heading straight back to the dorm, Vael?"

Zion asked as we stepped out into the cool night air, unbuttoning his collar to let the breeze cool his skin.

"Not yet. I have somewhere I need to drop by first."

I told him, adjusting the belt holding [Frost] and my silver dagger at my waist.

"Ah, right! You’re going to check out the dungeon, aren’t you?"

Zion asked, a bright, curious grin spreading across his face.

"Yeah. I just want to do a quick run on the first floor and so a bit of a solo hunting."

I replied, keeping my tone light and relaxed.

"Don’t stay out too late, man! We still have early morning lectures tomorrow!"

Zion called out with a warm laugh, waving his hand as he turned down the path leading to the student quarters.

"I won’t. See you tomorrow, Zion."

I waved back, watching him walk away until his figure disappeared down the dimly lit stone corridor.

Once I was by myself, I turned on my heel and headed directly toward the practical combat building located near the eastern edge of the campus.

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*****

The stone corridors of the practical building were quiet and completely deserted at this hour of the night.

I did encounter some staff guarding the place, but after showing them the plaque and telling them my intention of coming, they let me through pretty easily. They just gave me a black bead bracelet that has protection shield casted on it.

I just put mana in it and the shield will be deployed, it will also send signal to the patrolling staff members inside the dungeon, so I can call for help if ever I was in trouble.

TAP-

Moving on... I stopped in front of a heavy reinforced steel door guarded by two high-tier security magic circles floating on either side.

I pulled out the silver plaque Headmaster Sebastian had given me, holding it up toward the central glyph embedded in the middle of the door.

CLICK—

The high-tech lock chimed softly as the blue runes dissolved into light, allowing the heavy iron frame to slide open with a deep rumble.

And once I was inside, the small chamber stood a glowing, arch-shaped portal gate humming with stable spatial mana.

"Time to start training."

I mumbled to myself, gripping the hilt of [Frost] as I stepped directly into the swirling blue light of the portal.

SWOOSH~

The familiar sensation of spatial displacement washed over my body, lasting for only a fraction of a second before my boots touched down on solid ground.

When I opened my eyes, I was standing inside the entrance clearing of the evaluation dungeon.

The damp, earthy scent of subterranean soil filled my nose, accompanied by the dim, bioluminescent glow of blue moss growing along the towering cavern walls. The rich minerals around are still just as eye-catching.

It was the exact same floor where our group had entered during the freshman evaluation test a few weeks ago.

I reached down to my waist, drawing [Frost] with my right hand while keeping my left hand positioned near the hilt of my silver dagger. [Frost] is already in the form of a rapier.

’The monsters on the first level are mostly standard Goblins and Mutated Bats.’

I recalled from my memory, stepping out of the safe portal zone and entering the wide stone tunnel ahead.

In the original game, players used this dungeon to farm basic crafting materials and practice spell-casting timing without facing lethal danger.

For my current goals, it was the perfect place to test my dual-wielding mobility and refine my frost mana management.

And of course... to level up.

TAP- TAP- TAP-

My footsteps made faint, measured sounds against the damp stone floor as I navigated deeper into the labyrinthine passage.

-Grrr...

A low, guttural growl echoed from the dark shadows up ahead, followed by the patter of clawed feet scraping against the rock.

Three Goblin Scouts emerged from the darkness, their red eyes glowing as they raised their rusted iron daggers in a hostile stance.

"Right on cue."

I whispered, taking a deep, steady breath as cold frost mana began to circulate smoothly through my veins.

-KIAAAAAAAK—!

The lead Goblin shrieked, kicking off the cavern wall and leaping straight toward my neck with its rusty blade raised high!

SWOOSH!

I didn’t step back. Instead, I glided forward on a thin sheet of ice created beneath my boots, sliding beneath the monster’s mid-air leap.

FWIP—! STAB!

I thrust [Frost] upward in a sharp, effortless jab, piercing the creature’s chest before it could even land.

-KIIEK?!

The lead Goblin collapsed onto the dirty floor, its body instantly freezing into a solid block of ice from the cold mana burst.

Without losing a single shred of momentum, I spun on my heel to face the remaining two monsters.

-Grrr... HAAA!

The second Goblin lunged forward, swinging its rusted dagger in a desperate horizontal slash toward my waist.

CLANG!

I snapped my silver dagger down with my left hand, catching the Goblin’s blade right near the hilt and sliding its direction harmlessly off to the side.

Using the exact same redirection technique I practiced against Zion, I completely disrupted the monster’s balance.

TWHACK!

I followed up instantly by driving my right knee into the open side of the Goblin’s ribs, sending it stumbling backward into its companion.

-Gah!

Then before they could recover their footing, I channeled my ice mana into my left hand, coating my silver dagger in a sharp layer of cold frost.

CRACKLE—

Faint, freezing mist radiated from both of my blades as I stepped inside their attack range.

-GRAAAA!!!

And as they started attacking—

SWOOSH! TINK! SLASH!

I moved like a fluid shadow between the two creatures, deflecting their panicked strikes with my off-hand dagger while delivering precise counter-slashes with my rapier.

Every single time my blades grazed their hides, cold frost transferred into their muscles, slowing their reaction speed to a crawl.

And within less than two minutes...

-...kek...

-.....

Both Goblin’s were completely frozen solid, standing motionless like icy statues in the middle of the cavern tunnel.

"Phew..."

I let out a soft breath, retracting my weapons and watching the ice blocks slowly dissolve into faint blue particles of mana.

’My dual-wielding transitions are getting much smoother.’

I thought to myself, examining my hands with a sense of genuine satisfaction.

Being able to deflect incoming attacks with my left hand while setting up instant thrusts with my right was significantly less exhausting than relying solely on raw physical strength.

I picked up the small mana crystals left behind by the defeated monsters, sliding them into my satchel before moving deeper into the tunnel.

... ... ...

I spent the next hour clearing out three adjacent cavern chambers, hunting down scattered packs of Mutated Bars and Goblin Warriors.

... ... ...

With every single encounter, I experimented with different combinations between my ice magic and physical weapon strikes.

... ... ...

I practiced forming quick ice paths beneath my feet to accelerate my dashes, using the momentum to bypass the monsters’ guards effortlessly.

Then by the time I reached the entrance of the fourth chamber on the first floor, my satchel was filled with low-tier mana crystals and basic monster drops.

"Looks like that’s enough for my first solo run."

I mumbled to myself, checking my internal mana reserves.

I still had plenty of energy left, but I didn’t want to push myself too hard when I had mandatory morning lectures waiting for me tomorrow.

Just as I turned around to begin making my way back toward the portal gate, a strange sensation washed over my senses.

A faint, unnatural coldness filtered through the damp air of the cavern, completely distinct from the frost mana I was generating.

’Huh?’

My steps halted instantly.

I narrowed my eyes, looking toward a narrow, dark crevice nestled behind a cluster of large stalagmites near the chamber wall.

In the original game map, this specific corner of the first floor was supposed to be a dead end containing nothing but plain stone walls.

Yet right now, a subtle hum of spatial energy was leaking out from behind the rocks.

"...?"

Curious, I walked over to the crevice, using the glowing tip of [Frost] to illuminate the dark gap between the stones.

Hidden behind the fallen rocks was a small, ancient stone doorway decorated with faint, worn-out magical runes.

’A hidden room?’

I thought to myself, my eyes widening slightly in surprise.

I reached out, lightly brushing my hand against the cool surface of the stone frame.

The ancient runes flickered faintly in response to my frost mana, revealing a small specific shape located right in the center of the archway.

I pulled out the silver plaque Headmaster Sebastian had given me, holding it up near the keyhole to compare the shapes.

The silver plaque began to hum softly in my hand, glowing with a gentle blue light that matched the ancient runes on the stone arch.

’This key doesn’t just open the portal gate... It acts as a master key for the hidden administrative sub-structures inside this dungeon.’

I realized, a cold realization settling over my mind.

This was something that hadn’t been mentioned in the game UI or standard walkthrough guides.

The headmaster’s silver plaque possessed high-level clearance that unlocked hidden archive chambers built by the original academy founders.

I looked at the stone doorway for a long moment, weighing my options carefully.

’Going in right now without full preparation might be risky.’

I reasoned with myself, keeping my hand steady on the key.

I had already spent more than an hour hunting monsters, and my primary goal tonight was simply to test my combat readiness, not to dive into unexplored secret ruins.

"I’ll come back later with proper supplies."

I said softly to myself, making a mental note of the exact chamber coordinates.

I drew my hand back, sliding the silver plaque securely back into my coat pocket.

I turned away from the hidden stone archway, making my way back through the quiet cavern tunnels toward the blue portal gate.

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SWOOSH~

The spatial light enveloped my vision once again, instantly transporting me back out into the quiet room of the practical building where I was before.

CLICK—

The heavy iron door locked behind me as I stepped out into the hallway, leaving the dungeon behind for the night.

I immediately left the facility after informing the guards of my well being.

Then when I got outside... The moon was high in the dark sky, casting long, peaceful shadows across the paved roads leading to the student quarters.

I made the quiet walk back to the freshman dormitories, keeping my hands in my pockets as I reviewed everything I had accomplished tonight.

My dual-wielding fighting style was sharp, my mana control was improving every single day, and I now possessed access to a hidden archive buried inside the academy’s dungeon.

’I also feel like I past halfway from leveling up again.’

Whatever threats or unscripted events lay waiting in the future, I was building the strength needed to face them head-on.

... ... ...

I reached my dorm room not long, unlocking the door and stepping inside to get a good night’s rest before the morning bell rang.