CHAPTER 23: DUNGEON EXPLORATION [1]

The clash with the Gnawlings ended quicker than Oliver expected. Jason’s group handled the brunt of it, with Daniel easily cutting down anything that tried to slip past. Amy’s magic bolts pierced through their jerking bodies, while Alice’s holy light incinerated the few that broke formation. By the time Shizuka’s crackling lightning spell went off with a loud snap, there were barely any enemies left to fry.

Captain Samuel raised his gauntleted hand.

"Good. That’s what I expect. Keep your heads steady. Next time, rotate the vanguard. Everyone needs battle experience."

His calm, steady tone was more effective than shouting. The students, who moments ago had been buzzing with excitement at their first "real" kill, quickly sobered up. The knights exchanged nods but kept silent. They had seen this countless times before—newcomers thrilled at crushing weak dungeon fodder, forgetting that deeper levels held far more dangerous things.

Still, pride lingered. Jason’s shield stance had been solid, Daniel’s swordplay sharp, and the rear mages’ coordination was admirable for their first outing. Evelyn, watching from the side, gave an approving smile to her students, though her gaze lingered a little longer on Daniel.

Oliver, meanwhile, had been standing behind the formation the entire time. His job—like always—was to stay back and not get in the way. He hadn’t even raised his voice to chant. Not that he could. His "Linguist" class didn’t have flashy attack skills, nor any spells people recognized. All he could do was observe.

For the next few halls, the routine repeated. Groups rotated, weaker beasts rushed, and the students got their turn to swing weapons and chant spells. Some fights were over before Oliver could even blink. Wolves with stone-like fur, slime-like creatures that melted armor, and flying bat-things that spat needles. Each was cut down swiftly.

"Too easy," Jason muttered after cleaving a slime in half with his axe.

"Don’t get cocky," Samuel warned, his eyes narrowing. "First floors are meant to lull you into dropping your guard. Stay sharp. Dungeons kill the arrogant first."

Jason grinned sheepishly but said nothing more.

~~~

"Hold." Samuel raised a gauntleted hand. The knights spread slightly, scanning.

That was when the sound came — a skittering scrape, sharp claws against stone. Dozens of tiny red lights blinked into view from the cracks in the walls. Then the walls themselves seemed to erupt.

They came pouring out — hunched, muscular, fur-matted creatures with scarlet eyes and sharp fangs. Not rats, not quite men, but a twisted mockery of both. Their claws gleamed wet in the dim green glow.

"Their name’s Fangspawn!" Samuel barked. "Quick, vicious, but not strong. Jason’s group, forward! Everyone else, fall back!"

Jason’s eyes lit with eagerness. He drew his sword with a grin and planted his feet. Amy, tense but steady, readied her shield beside him. Daniel unsheathed his weapon with practiced ease, his calm presence bolstering those nearby.

The Fangspawn screeched — but to Oliver, it wasn’t just screeching.

’Kill the armored one.’

’Flesh for the broodmother.’

’Rip the soft throats.’

His eyes widened. They were talking. No one else seemed to hear it — only him. His classmates merely saw monsters rushing at them. But Oliver could hear the coordination, the intent behind their movements.

Jason roared and met the first with a swing, cleaving into its chest. Daniel’s blade flashed, parrying claws before stabbing through a Fangspawn’s throat. Amy absorbed a strike with her shield and countered with a precise thrust. Their teamwork was sharp, trained, and bolstered by their gifted classes.

Behind them, Evelyn’s group began chanting. Alice and Emma’s voices rose in unison, weaving spells. Shizuka, the excitable one, added her voice, though her eyes sparkled with nerves.

"Wind, gather in blades unseen. Rend their bodies—[Gale Cutter]!"

"Flames, coil and devour—[Spiral Burst]!"

Magical projectiles surged past the front line, tearing through the charging beasts. Some Fangspawn were cleaved apart by invisible wind, others engulfed in fire, their screams echoing before fading into silence.

Within minutes, the hall was strewn with smoking corpses. Not a single student outside Jason’s group had been touched.

Cheers broke out from a few students, relief and exhilaration flooding their faces.

"Hah! That wasn’t so bad!" one boy laughed.

"Too easy!" another said, though his voice wavered.

Captain Samuel’s sharp glare cut their celebration short.

"Don’t relax. These are only upper-floor beasts. Overconfidence gets you killed in here." His tone was flat, hard.

The students quieted, though some still exchanged smug glances. Oliver remained silent, his mind racing.

He had heard them. He had understood every intent before the creatures even acted. If he had spoken up earlier... if he had warned the others where they would strike, whose throat they were aiming for, perhaps the fight would have gone even smoother.

But who would believe him? Who would take "the F-rank Linguist" seriously?

They pressed on. The dungeon was a labyrinth of halls, each chamber different — some narrow with twisting corridors, others vast and cavernous. The further they went, the more Fangspawn appeared, sometimes in packs of a dozen or more. Each time, the formation held. Jason’s group took the brunt, the mages supported, and the knights directed.

And each time, Oliver listened.

’Circle them.’

’Take the rear.’

’The little one is weak. Easy kill.’

He clenched his fists. Every whisper made his chest tighten. They wanted to kill Shizuka, they wanted to overwhelm Amy, they wanted to pull Daniel down under sheer numbers. And nobody else could hear it. Only him.

After the fourth skirmish, they paused in another dome-shaped hall to rest. The students slumped down, panting lightly, while the knights checked equipment and recovered mana.

Samuel addressed them again.

"Good progress. We’ll continue to the tenth floor before returning. Remember — traps may appear from here on. Don’t touch anything suspicious."

Oliver sat near the edge, silent. His classmates ignored him as usual, joking among themselves. Daniel encouraged Jason with a slap on the shoulder, Amy smiled faintly at her teammates, and Evelyn offered advice to her group of mages.

The group resumed their march after a short rest, deeper into the underground. The faint glow of crystals guided them through twisting passages. The walls seemed to breathe with quiet pulses of magic, the very air pressing heavier with every step.

At first, the students’ nerves had dulled into cocky chatter, but by the eighth floor, the mood had shifted. Battles grew more frequent. Fangspawn no longer attacked in small, scattered packs — they appeared in swarms, their claws clicking against stone like a hundred knives scraping at once.

Jason charged ahead with his usual recklessness, sword flashing silver arcs in the dim green light. Amy backed him, her shield intercepting claws and teeth, her face steady despite the constant battering. Daniel’s calm movements carved through attackers with effortless precision, each strike clean, efficient, lethal.

"Keep your lines tight!" Samuel barked, intercepting a beast that tried to slip through. His shield slammed into it with bone-cracking force, sending it sprawling.

Behind, Evelyn and her students unleashed coordinated spells. Emma’s wind blades ripped limbs from sockets, Alice’s fire swallowed bodies whole, and Shizuka — voice trembling yet determined — conjured bursts of lightning that left Fangspawn twitching and smoking on the floor.

The teamwork looked smooth, flawless even, to any outsider.

But Oliver heard the truth.

’Break the shield wall.’

’Two steps left — strike there.’

’Aim for the healer. Bite the throat, silence the voice.’

He clenched his teeth, hands curling into fists. They weren’t just beasts throwing themselves forward. They were coordinating, targeting weak points, testing defenses. And though the others couldn’t understand, he could hear their intentions seconds before they acted.

At first, he thought it was coincidence. A whisper about striking Amy — then claws raked against her shield. Another about circling the mages — then three Fangspawn broke formation and lunged right for them.

It wasn’t coincidence. It was his skill.

"Oliver! Keep your head up, don’t fall behind." One knight snapped at him, mistaking his silence for fear.

"...Yes." He forced himself to reply, though inside, his thoughts churned.

By the time they reached the tenth floor, the students’ excitement had dulled into grim focus. The battles were constant, the air thick with the stench of blood and burning fur. Even the cockiest among them no longer boasted.

Samuel called for another rest in a wide chamber marked with moss-covered pillars.

"We’ve reached the first milestone. Beyond this, the beasts grow sharper, their movements less predictable. Do not assume your earlier victories will carry you further."

Jason grinned, wiping Fangspawn blood from his sword. "Let them come. I’ll cut down as many as they throw at us."

Daniel shot him a flat look. "Don’t get careless. The deeper we go, the less forgiving the dungeon will be."

Evelyn added, her voice calm but edged with warning, "Pay attention to traps as well. Magic wards are common past the tenth floor. Rushing will cost you."

The group nodded, their earlier arrogance fully replaced by wariness.

They pressed on.

~~~

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