Harem System In A fantasy World - Chapter 114: Dungeon Dive II

Chapter 114: Dungeon Dive II

As soon as they stepped onto the first floor of the dungeon, Selene’s sharp voice rang out. “Weapons out. Everyone, now.”

Her tone left no room for argument, even though it might have seemed like overkill to some. Every student present was a proven talent, each one of them strong enough to reach at least the tenth floor on their own, but dungeon rules were unforgiving, accidents like monsters escaping from the lower floors were not uncommon, and caution was a habit drilled into them from day one.

Elion calmly reached behind his back and drew a simple sword from its sheath. It was a common-grade weapon, with a flat edge, a thin but long blade, and no decorations to speak of.

The moment it appeared, a few snickers rose from William’s group several meters away, accompanied by looks of open disdain. To them, a weapon like that was something only desperate or incompetent fighters would use.

William, clearly enjoying the attention, drew his own sword with a flourish. The blade gleamed with a rich golden sheen, wide and imposing, radiating quality even to the untrained eye.

“What grade is that?” Jared asked loudly, his voice full of exaggerated excitement, though it was obvious he already knew the answer. The question was less curiosity and more performance, meant to put William on display.

“Of course it’s rare grade,” William said proudly, swinging the broadsword a bit too recklessly through the air. Several students nearby turned to look, murmuring in admiration. Elion, however, didn’t even spare them a glance. Instead, he gently swung his own plain sword a few times, testing its weight and balance. His expression looked thoughtful and focused.

Since this was the first time he was actually using it, he wanted to get a proper feel for it. The blade responded smoothly, feeling light but stable in his grip.

“Decent weapon,” he thought, giving a small, satisfied nod. He had bought it from the system store just before entering the dungeon, specifically for this excursion.

There was no way he was going to use the sword his father had given him for something like this. That blade was only an uncommon grade weapon, nothing impressive in terms of value, but to Elion, it was priceless.

It was the last thing his father had ever given him, and the only physical reminder he had left of his late father. He wasn’t about to risk chipping it, breaking it, or losing it over something as trivial as a routine dungeon run.

After that, the whole moved together through the passages of the first floor.

They moved deeper into the dungeon in a tight formation, their boots crunching lightly against gravel and loose stone. The first floor was quiet, almost too quiet, but that was to be expected with a group this large.

The faint growls and skittering sounds that usually echoed through these upper levels faded as they advanced. Low-tier beasts relied heavily on instinct.

And instinct told them one thing—

Run.

The mana signatures of over a bunch of talented first-year mages were overwhelming. Not to mention the three professors. Even the more aggressive creatures lurking in the shadows chose to retreat rather than challenge such a force. A few pairs of glowing eyes peeked out from cracks in the stone walls, only to disappear moments later.

“Well,” Jared muttered as they descended a wide stone ramp toward the third floor, “this is anticlimactic.”

“Be grateful,” Tessa said dryly from nearby. “The last time it wasn’t anticlimactic, someone almost died.”

A brief silence followed that comment.

William scoffed. “That was incompetence, not danger.”

Elion didn’t respond.

They continued downward, passing floor after floor without resistance. A few scattered corpses of dungeon beasts lay abandoned in corridors, likely taken down by other adventurers earlier in the day.

By the time they reached the tenth floor, the atmosphere had changed slightly. The air was heavier here, the mana denser.

Selene stopped walking and turned to face them.

“Alright,” she said, cracking her knuckles. “This is where it starts getting interesting.”

Eveline stepped forward gracefully, her eyes scanning the group. “We’ll divide into smaller teams from here. Mobility is key. Large groups become slow and predictable.”

George adjusted his glasses. “Three instructors. Four teams for each of us, of four students per group.”

Selene pointed casually. “I’ll take Tessa, Elion, Lyra, and Jared. and…” She named a bunch of other names who walked over toward her.

Tessa grinned immediately. “Nice.”

Lyra crossed her arms but nodded. Jared looked disgruntled.

Elion simply stepped forward without comment.

Eveline’s voice followed smoothly. “I’ll take Mira, Isolde, Aria, and Tian. and….”

Aria blinked. “Oh,”

Mira smirked slightly. “Looks like we’re babysitting….”

Isolde glanced briefly at Elion before moving toward Eveline’s side.

George began selecting the remaining students for his own group, his tone calm and measured. “William. You’ll be with me.”

William lifted his chin slightly. “Naturally.”

A few of his usual companions quickly positioned themselves near him.

Selene clapped her hands once. “Listen up. We’re not here to play hero. You fight smart, you support each other, and you don’t overextend.”

“Tch, why am I with this group?” Jared muttered under his breath.

Selene shot him a grin. “What, you don’t like it here?”

“N-no ma’am!” That drew a bunch of amused laughter. Once the groups were ready, they all began heading out in separate directions.

Eveline added gently, “Focus on coordination. This isn’t about individual glory.”

George’s eyes swept over his group. “And remember, strength without discipline is useless.”

Selene rolled her shoulders and turned toward a darker tunnel branching off from the main chamber. “Alright, my group—let’s move.”

Elion adjusted his grip on his sword and followed without hesitation as they split off into separate corridors.

Selene led them into a side tunnel branching off from the main chamber. The light from the mana crystals grew dimmer here, and the air felt thicker, heavier.

The walls were rough and damp, with faint scratch marks running along the stone where beasts had sharpened claws over time.

“Stay sharp,” Selene said casually, though her eyes were alert. “Tenth-floor beasts won’t run like the ones above. Tessa, Elion, Lyra, and Jared. You are leading the charge!” They nodded in agreement.

Lyra walked a little ahead, her ears twitching slightly as she listened for movement. Tessa rolled her shoulders, loosening up, while Elion moved at a steady pace beside them.

Jared, however, was clearly on edge.

He kept glancing around, gripping his weapon tighter than necessary. Every small sound made his head snap in that direction. When a pebble shifted under his boot, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Tessa noticed first.

“You alright there?” she asked lightly.

“I’m fine,” Jared replied quickly. Too quickly.

A low growl echoed from deeper in the tunnel, and Jared flinched again, almost stepping into Elion.

“Careful,” Elion said calmly, not even looking at him.

Jared stiffened as if he’d been caught doing something wrong. “I—yeah. I’m sorry.”

Lyra glanced back briefly, a faint frown on her face. Even Selene’s lips twitched slightly, though she didn’t comment.

They continued forward until a pair of stone-horned hounds emerged from the shadows ahead, their eyes glowing faintly red.

“Finally,” Selene muttered with a grin. “Your problem.”

The beasts lunged.

Lyra reacted first, charging forward with a low growl of her own, claws flashing. Tessa followed instantly, her fists igniting with controlled bursts of mana as she met the first hound head-on.

Elion stepped in smoothly, intercepting the second beast with a clean, efficient slash. His plain sword cut across its shoulder, not deep enough to kill but enough to redirect its momentum. He pivoted calmly, avoiding the counter bite without wasted motion.

Jared hesitated for half a second too long before firing off a spell, his attack landing late and slightly off-target.

The fight was over within moments.

“Wow!” The others, following a few steps behind, didn’t even get a chance to move a muscle before the leaders had dismantled the beast.

Tessa cracked her knuckles as the last hound collapsed. “That it?”

Selene snorted. “Warm-up.”

As they resumed walking, Jared kept stealing glances at Elion. It wasn’t admiration. It was something closer to caution. Like he was constantly measuring his distance.

Tessa eventually leaned slightly toward Elion and lowered her voice just enough for Jared not to hear clearly.

“You realize,” she said with a smirk, “you’re scaring him without even trying.”

Elion blinked. “Scaring who?”

She tilted her head toward Jared, who stiffened the moment he noticed them looking his way.

“See?” she chuckled. “He’s walking on eggshells around you.”

Elion glanced at Jared for a brief second. The guy immediately looked away, pretending to inspect the wall.

“I haven’t said anything to him,” Elion said calmly.

“That’s the problem,” Tessa replied with amusement. “You don’t have to. You beat him and William half to death, and don’t even say a thing after.”

Elion huffed lightly. “I don’t feel like wasting my breath.”

“Is it?” she asked.

Ahead of them, Jared tripped slightly over uneven ground and quickly regained balance, shooting another glance back at Elion as if expecting an attack.

Tessa laughed under her breath. “See? You’re just existing, and the poor guy thinks he’s about to get dismantled.”

Elion shook his head faintly. “I’m not interested in dismantling him.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she replied. “Reputation does the work for you.”

Selene called from ahead, “Less gossip, more focus!”

Tessa grinned and faced forward again. “Yes, ma’am.”

Elion simply adjusted his grip on his sword and continued walking, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips as Jared carefully maintained a safe distance from him for the rest of the corridor.

He was kind of enjoying watching the poor guy suffer.