"You've prepared enough for the test, right?"
Ms. Claire’s voice rang out.
Not in the usual classroom, but somewhere else.
That’s right.
This is the dungeon entrance—exactly what our dear author has been begging for.
…But why is there no reaction?
"Author-nim?"
[Y-Yes?!]
"Were you asleep?"
[N-No?! I-I was just nervous. Heh, hehe…]
Why would Author-nim be nervous?
Oh, maybe it’s that fluttering feeling you get right before watching a movie you’ve been dying to see.
I was starting to feel sorry for Author-nim’s pathetic state when Ms. Claire spoke again.
"From now on, you will enter the D-rank underground prison, the Palace of Knossos. Find your pre-assigned teammates and move out."
So that’s the name—Palace of Knossos.
Pretty grand for a D-rank dungeon.
But how strong is D-rank, anyway?
No idea. I’ll just assume it’s weak.
They wouldn’t send students who just enrolled into a dangerous dungeon, right?
Author-nim wouldn’t pull a fast one like, “It’s D-rank!” and then suddenly drop us into an S-rank dungeon…
…Right?
A sudden wave of unease hit me.
"…Author-nim, this is definitely just a D-rank dungeon, yes?"
[Huh? It’s a D-rank dungeon, so what else would it be?]
"Ah, right. Never mind."
[?]
Thankfully, Author-nim didn’t seem cruel enough for that.
Or maybe they just didn’t think of it.
I decided to believe in Author-nim’s kind heart.
Because if they *hadn’t* thought of it, that meant I’d have to suffer even more.
I started scanning the area for the protagonist.
Luckily, he wasn’t hard to spot.
That familiar back of the head stood out in the distance.
He was tall enough to be easy to find.
Damn him. I wish someone would chop off 10 cm of his legs.
I wasn’t that tall even when I was a guy, so it was a little infuriating.
Maybe I should mess with him a bit?
I slowed my steps and circled around him.
Everyone was busy looking for their teammates, so the noise around us naturally drowned out my movements. Before I knew it, I was right behind him.
Tap. Tap.
I lightly tapped his back.
"…Who…?"
Kuk.
Just as he turned his head, I poked his cheek.
It might’ve been a rude prank for someone he wasn’t close with, but hey—he’s the protagonist.
Even if it’s a bit forced, it’s better to get friendly fast.
If he gets upset, I’ll just apologize.
"Hello?"
"W-Wah?! …Oh, it’s Arte."
What the hell? Why is he so startled?
If it was just a jump scare, I wouldn’t have thought much of it.
…But this was like he’d just seen a horror movie.
He looked like he’d seen something terrifying.
Why?
What did I even do?
A slight sense of crisis washed over me.
If we don’t get along, the story’s going to be a pain to write.
Sneaking around to observe him every day has its limits.
Worried the mood would get awkward, I forced myself to keep the tone playful.
"You don’t hate me that much, do you?"
"Sorry. You just surprised me."
"Hehe, it’s fine. So, should we go find the other teammates?"
"Uh, yeah."
Does he have gynophobia?
No, that can’t be it.
He gets along just fine with Amelia.
It’s not gynophobia, is it?
…Wait, does Yu Siwoo have no friends?
A sudden thought flitted through my mind.
Now that I thought about it, he didn’t seem close to anyone except Amelia.
Of course, it hadn’t been long since we’d enrolled in the Academy, but…
Maybe he was the type who struggled to make friends.
"I hope you take this chance to get closer to your new classmates."
Eh, whatever.
I spouted empty pleasantries even though I knew it wouldn’t happen.
Friends? One of them was about to exit the story, and the other was just an extra. There wouldn’t be time to get close.
A protagonist doesn’t need to mingle with extras.
It’s enough to befriend the main and supporting characters—those one-liners who get written in and then disappear.
With those pointless thoughts swirling in my head, Yu Siwoo and I found Laira and the rest of our team.
Along with an unremarkable male student and Laira—still just an ordinary student at this point—we approached Teacher Claire.
"Hmm, good. Yu Siwoo plus three. Check."
[Thump, thump…!]
"Go on in. There are surveillance cameras inside the dungeon in case of emergencies, so don’t worry."
Teacher Claire launched into her usual lecture.
Ugh, she really drags on with the nagging.
Even the author seemed forcibly calmed by the endless barrage of scolding.
[Ugh… having a PTSD setting from losing comrades is a bit much. Too much lecturing.]
I agree. It’s way too long, seriously.
…It’s just dragging on forever.
With no end in sight to the lecture, I had no choice but to cut it short by entering the dungeon.
Starting the same thing for the third time was going too far.
"Then, we’ll head in first."
"Ah, Arte! I wasn’t done talking yet!"
"Hurry up, everyone. Who knows how long the teacher will hold us here?"
I barged into the dungeon without hesitation, and the rest of the team followed me inside.
[It’s really starting! Hehe, I’m excited!]
Just as the author said, it was the beginning.
Not the Academy’s exam—well, that was starting too, but…
Something far more important had begun.
The start of the main story, crafted together with the author.
Yeah, the world’s chaos had begun.
Webnovels always come with the world’s chaos, after all.
"Hup!"
Swish!
Yu Siwoo’s sword gleamed brightly under the light, and crimson blood splattered across the marble floor.
A monster with green skin—a goblin’s body collapsed, and after a brief moment, its corpse turned to ash and scattered.
All that remained was a single violet gem lying on the ground.
…Right, that violet gem everyone thinks of.
A Magic Stone.
The author went on and on about it being the next-generation energy source or whatever in their worldbuilding.
I don’t really get it. I’ll just take it as is.
[Dungeons mean goblins! Dungeons mean Magic Stones! Kyah, the protagonist is so cool! Fight more!]
The author cheered excitedly at Yu Siwoo’s exploits.
Not that he could hear her.
Like shouting at a soccer player on TV, knowing they can’t hear you?
Except in this case, the author’s voice was directed at me instead of Yu Siwoo. I wish she’d keep it down.
With only four of us in a quiet place, if I responded to the author, I’d get labeled a crazy bitch in an instant. So I had no choice but to endure it.
This is deafening.
"…Phew, that wasn’t too hard."
"Well, isn’t it because Yu Siwoo did a good job?"
"Hey."
"Huh?"
"Why aren’t you fighting?"
So it’s finally starting.
I was wondering when it would.
She’s been looking pissed off this whole time.
"That guy and I are fighting up front, and that other one’s scouting. …What are *you* doing?"
"As I told you, I have to watch our backs in case we get ambushed."
Well, that’s just an excuse.
I was ready to make up all sorts of excuses, but the scout and Yu Siwoo just nodded without complaint, so it passed more easily than I expected.
Why avoid fighting and slack off?
Because of the girl glaring at me right now—Laira.
My ability gets worse the longer I fight.
The cost skyrockets the more I use it.
At first, it’s harmless stuff like stockings or half-gloves.
But if I keep using it…
…Let’s not imagine the worst.
I don’t want to turn into a slut.
Anyway.
I already knew Laira would cause trouble in this dungeon, so did I really need to fight?
But then she started yelling at me for not doing anything during the exam.
…Okay, she’s not wrong.
But weren’t you planning to drop out of the Academy anyway?
Shouldn’t *they*—Yu Siwoo and that other guy—be the ones mad, not you?
"Cut the word games. …I can’t take it anymore. I was going to wait until we took down the boss, but I’m done."
Laira, who’d been scratching her head the whole time, drew her greatsword.
What? Already?
…Why is she so impatient?
"L-Laira! Please, calm down—!"
CLANG!
Sparks flew as the greatsword clashed with a blade.
Yu Siwoo had somehow appeared and blocked Laira’s strike at the other student.
"…What the hell, you’re fast."
"Thanks. Hey, can you go tell the teacher something for me? There’s a traitor among us."
"B-But you guys—!"
Glance.
Siwoo turned to look at me.
…Huh? Why?
Wait, does he think I’m the heroine or something?
W-What do I do here?
Should I smile?
I forced an awkward smile at him.
"…Go, now! Quickly!"
"A-Alright!"
He made up his mind, set his jaw, and turned back to Laira.
Oh, so he *is* the protagonist, huh?
Pretty cool, actually.
He’s evacuating a weaker comrade, and—well, I’m not the heroine, but still.
Facing off against a traitor with a pretty girl by his side.
This scene is *delicious*.
[…]
The author seemed so immersed they’d even forgotten to breathe.
And honestly, it *was* a scene worth that.
So, Yu Siwoo.
What are you going to do now?
Facing the Academy’s traitor who’s after you.
With a beautiful classmate at your back.
What choice will you make?
"Tch, if you’d fought with me, we might’ve had a chance to survive. Idiot…"
"…Opening!"
"Huh?! W-Wait, where—?!"
But the protagonist, Yu Siwoo, shattered my expectations.
I thought he’d say something like,
"Fight with me," or
"Leave me and run."
But no.
He seized the moment when Laira let her guard down and *sprinted* deeper into the dungeon.
Toward the boss room.
…Wait.
And what about *me*?