The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 40

“Wow, how could you reject someone so cleanly?”

Lee Han muttered to himself, scratching his head in disbelief.

The word “No” had been echoing in his mind since earlier.

There hadn’t even been a hint of hesitation.

Lee Han, the top student of the second year, who had never lost first place since entering the academy, and who had been called a genius more times than he could count.

But how could someone say “no” without a moment’s pause?

“I didn’t expect to get turned down like this.”

For Lee Han, it was a blow to his pride.

The students who had been present at the time had paused, taken aback by the cold atmosphere. Even his fellow group members, Natalie and Adela, had looked shocked.

There was nothing to be disappointed about.

No matter who he teamed up with, Lee Han was confident he could easily clear any dungeon.

The other students were just helpers, nothing more and nothing less.

And yet, he was so flustered that he ended up saying something foolish.

‘I’ll definitely pull my weight.’

‘You’ll do more than that.’

‘Then why?’

Why, indeed…

“That was so pathetic. Ugh…”

He must have lost his mind.

It was inconceivable that he, a top student known for maintaining his composure better than his peers, had been so shaken in front of such a lowly underachiever.

Especially for someone like Lee Han.

But what made it worse was Han Siha’s follow-up response.

‘I don’t really need you right now.’

‘What?’

‘We already have enough people.’

He couldn’t forget the way Han Siha had looked up at him with such an unshakeable gaze, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Any other student would have dropped the weakest member, Won, and accepted Lee Han in an instant.

Lee Han kicked the table and sat down, lost in thought.

Maybe it was just because Han Siha was someone with strong principles.

Or maybe…

“Loyalty?”

He might have refused to betray Won, his dorm roommate, with whom he was always seen hanging out.

Most Ardel Academy students prioritized their grades, so loyalty wasn’t something that came up often. But if Han Siha valued his friendship more…

“…What the hell.”

Lee Han frowned as he reflected on his impression of Han Siha.

If it had been last year’s Han Siha, such an idea would have been laughable.

Back then, he would have sold out his fellow students without hesitation if it meant joining the dark magic organization.

But this year, Lee Han was gradually realizing that his judgment of Han Siha had been wrong.

At least when it came to Han Siha.

He used to be a despicable piece of trash that made Lee Han furious even to talk about, but the recent rumors were completely different.

The student who had saved Natalie, captured Frankenstein in Professor Ernest’s lab, and exposed Professor Divert’s crimes.

At first, people had attributed those deeds to Adela, but it had all been Han Siha.

‘Why didn’t he say anything?’

He could have easily bragged about it.

Despite being suspected by many, Han Siha hadn’t said a word in his defense. From an ordinary perspective, that made no sense.

After deep thought, Lee Han came to a conclusion.

“Contrary to appearances…”

He really is…

“A loyal guy.”

He was probably a much better person than Lee Han had initially thought.

It was still a bummer to have been rejected, though.

* * *

“Someone must be talking about me.”

My ears had been itching for a while. I rubbed my aching head and let out a short sigh.

Adela glanced at me with a tired expression.

We had been at this for two days now.

We still hadn’t decided on a strategy for clearing the dungeon.

It was no wonder Adela looked exhausted after a night of discussing our options.

“So, you’re thinking about the Haunted Forest?”

Adela frowned as she looked over the list.

The Haunted Forest, classified as a B-rank difficulty dungeon. It wasn’t exactly easy, but it might be a bit lacking if we were aiming for a high score.

Since I was concerned about our grades, it was only natural to be a bit cautious.

“Honestly, with our skills, couldn’t we go for a higher rank?”

“Hmm.”

“Let me correct that. Maybe not easily, but it’s worth aiming for, right?”

Adela wanted to tackle the Witch’s Lodge, an A-rank dungeon.

With our group of four, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but it was definitely within reach.

Of course, it was a level that ordinary students wouldn’t even dream of attempting. It’s just that we had two monsters in our group.

I totally understood her point, but still…

“I don’t think I’d have any regrets.”

Whether a dungeon was cleared or not was determined by the items obtained from it.

The key item from the Haunted Forest was the Ghost’s Lamp, but that wasn’t all.

The Haunted Forest also had a hidden item that couldn’t be found in even an A-rank dungeon.

A hidden dungeon that only appears under specific conditions.

If we could get our hands on that hidden item, it would earn us more points than any A-rank item.

This was also the hidden piece that third-year Lee Han discovers in the Academy.

Sorry, Lee Han. I’m going to borrow your achievement a year early.

“So why? Too dangerous?”

“I’m not planning on just clearing the dungeon in a straightforward way.”

“Then?”

Unlike the typical way of dividing dungeons, there were some that offered additional rewards for meeting certain conditions.

The Haunted Forest was one of those dungeons.

For instance, completing the dungeon solo, or only defeating the boss monster. These quirky dungeon quests could be used as a plausible excuse to lure her in.

Adela, who had seemed uninterested earlier, now showed a spark of interest in her voice.

“You want to go for the extra rewards?”

“We don’t know what might come out.”

The main objective of this dungeon was to safely return with the Ghost’s Lamp, which illuminated the desolate, whispering forest.

But if you managed to defeat all the monsters perfectly, you’d receive an additional reward.

If we could bring back something extra, it’d be worth it.

Professor Grint had mentioned this as well.

“If you bring back something useful besides the designated item, it will also be recognized for extra points.”

“That’s an interesting approach. It’s the kind of thing Professor Grint would like.”

“But isn’t it a bit too reliant on luck, since we don’t know what we’ll get?”

“Professor Grint might give more bonus points for random items. Han Siha’s right.”

It’s true, it’s not a bad way to earn extra points.

And it’s safer than attempting an A-rank dungeon with a high chance of failure.

After much consideration, Won quietly raised his hand.

“The Witch’s Lodge feels a bit risky.”

“The synergy isn’t perfect either. I think the Haunted Forest might be safer, especially with the possibility of bonus points….”

“Right? I told you.”

But no, those random items are total trash.

They don’t even compare to A-rank dungeon rewards.

I wanted to tell them that wasn’t the real prize, but instead, I just smiled brightly.

Selling something is definitely my forte.

Everyone is taking the bait nicely.

“Alright.”

Once Adela gave her agreement, the plan moved forward quickly.

The Haunted Forest had a simple condition: defeat all the monsters.

The dungeon’s structure was straightforward, with no major complications except for the tricky entrance.

The monsters weren’t particularly challenging, except for a few ghostly caspers that tried to launch mental attacks.

“Natalie can open the entrance, and Won can block any monsters that try to get through.

Adela and I will take the lead, so just stay calm and follow us. We can take it slow and steady.”

“Sounds good!”

“Let’s crush this.”

“This doesn’t seem too hard.”

“Since the dungeon only opens at dawn, let’s meet in front of the library at 4 a.m.

Other than that, just research the dungeon’s characteristics and prepare accordingly. It doesn’t seem too difficult.”

“Let’s clear it in one go.”

Then, for now…

“Alright, that’s it for today’s meeting!”

“Yeah, let’s do this!”

Now that the urgent stuff is settled…

“Ugh.”

Time to start thinking about something else.

* * *

The day before the dungeon exploration.

The weather outside was anything but pleasant.

No, to be honest, it was downright terrible.

A flash of lightning illuminated the dorm room, followed by a loud crash of thunder.

I clicked my tongue as I watched the relentless rain.

“It’s indoors, so it shouldn’t matter much, right?”

“I guess. Haven’t you been to a dungeon before?”

I’ve actually been to more than a few.

Dungeon weather isn’t affected by what’s happening outside.

The Haunted Forest is a dungeon within the academy, so it’s even less relevant.

But seeing Basilus whimpering like that made me worry.

He was trembling under the bed.

For a dragon, he sure is a scaredy-cat.

Unable to watch any longer, Won called out to him.

“Want some cheese?”

“…Cheese!”

Won teased Basilus with a half-opened piece of cheese before eating it himself.

The hopeful sparkle in Basilus’ eyes turned icy in that instant.

“Ah, that was delicious… Ahh!”

He had it coming.

As I watched Won get his well-deserved punishment from Basilus, I clicked my tongue.

“Spare me…”

It probably hurt more than it looked.

Basilus, who had initially looked like a typical hatchling, had grown a lot in a short time.

Kids grow up fast, and Basilus’ horns were bigger now, and his wings had become much larger.

His wingspan had expanded to the point where he exuded a distinct dragon-like intimidation when he spread them fully.

But the most significant change was… undoubtedly his intelligence.

Level: 11

Mana: 61

Strength: 70

Agility: 45

Intelligence: 21

[Flame Breath Lv 3] [Mana Shield Lv 1] [Poison Resistance Lv 3] [Flame Vortex Lv 3] [Fire Spike Lv 1]

“Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!”

“Uh, there’s no ghost here.”

He can now speak simple words, albeit clumsily.

If he gets a bit bigger, he might polymorph and sit like a person… or maybe not. That would be a bit too much.

“What?”

“Uh, I was just saying how great that would be.”

I can’t speak carelessly anymore, now that he understands everything.

I cleared my throat and grabbed a thick book.

While Won kept Basilus occupied, I planned to do a final scan of the dungeon’s structure.

Even though getting the random item was relatively easy, finding the hidden piece required meeting some pretty tricky conditions.

After running through several simulations in my head, I turned my gaze back to them.

By now, Basilus was hopping around and mumbling to himself.

Won, who seemed half out of it, turned to me for interpretation.

“Ghost! You! Ugly!”

“Hey, Han Siha. What’s he saying?”

I knew right away.

“He’s saying you’re ugly like a ghost.”

“…What did that little…?”

“Gweh!”

Basilus was going through the dragon equivalent of the terrible twos, or in his case, terrible seven months.

Startled by Won grabbing him by the neck, Basilus retaliated by spewing a breath attack.

Ah, that’s not good.

…We’re screwed.

“Ahh! The bed sheets are on fire!”

“Hey, hey! You lizard! Come here.”

“Gweh!”

“The sheets are on fire!”

“Oh, this is just chaos!”

It was pure bedlam.

The dorm room was so small that their roughhousing kicked up dust, making the thunder almost inaudible.

And then, suddenly.

Bang!

A loud noise echoed, enough to drown out all the ruckus.

Won froze, his eyes wide in surprise.

It sounded like something outside, like the door had been hit with a force strong enough to shake it.

Basilus, too, stared wide-eyed, gulping nervously.

I suddenly remembered. The dorm’s soundproofing is terrible.

“Hey, did our neighbor get angry?”

“Looks like it?”

“I’ll check it out.”

Won strode over to the door.

When he opened it, he froze, staring blankly.

I thought it was our neighbor, but it didn’t seem like it.

“What’s going on?”

“What is this?”

Won picked something up from the floor, his face filled with confusion.