Finally, the weekend has started.
I couldn't enjoy last weekend because I fell unconscious, so I want to take full advantage today.
Especially because today I finally get my pass to explore dungeons.
Hellen Goldenlaw told us that whatever we needed to discuss with teacher Zagressa, we'd talk about it on monday.
So the only thing I have to do is see if my pass is ready for me to take, and go to explore a dungeon as soon as I can.
"Huh? Well, if it isn't one of the brats"
What's Zagressa doing here, on Goldenlaw's office?
The director simply gave me a calm but teasing smile.
"Student Alen, good morning" the blonde director said as she rested her ear on the back of her hand.
"Sorry, I seem to have arrived at a bad time" I tried excusing myself so that I'm not in the same room as that tiger demi-human.
I quickly closed the door, but it was easily opened on the other end by the teacher who wanted to see me drop dead.
She simply just grabbed me by the arm and yanked me inside the director's office.
"You're not escaping, you brat!" I could hear the anger on her voice as she stood behind me.
"I'm guessing you're here for that, student Alen?" Goldenlaw was clearly enjoying how I couldn't stand to that teacher.
"U-uh... yea..." Zagressa's presence behind me is really making me feel more uncomfortable by the second.
"What is this brat here for?"
"He's here for this thing" the blond held out a silver badge with her fingers "He's the first student in the first year to achieve it"
"You're not serious, Goldenlaw. How can this sorry excuse of a warrior even survive a dungeon?"
She grabbed my whole head with her hand, putting enough strength on her grip so that it hurt me.
"Both teacher Enyoll and I agreed on giving him this pass" she knew how much it affected Zagressa, so she just smiled from ear to ear.
"What is he thinking!?"
Please, I just want that pass to earn money. I spent my last coins yesterday on those cupcakes. I haven't even had breakfast today!
"And you, Goldenlaw! I don't know what's your plan is with this weakling..." she gripped my head with both her hands, crushing me by my sides "But I do not approve of this brat"
Goldenlaw just chuckled softly.
"You don't have to approve of it, teacher Zagressa" she stood up, her long blonde hair flowing as she began walking towards us.
"This is a just personal investment for the future"
With those words, Zagressa finally let go of me. I dropped into the ground and started rubbing my head.
"I swear that this brat won't survive this weekend"
With that comment, she just turned around and left the office.
"My, you seem to finally have piqued her interest, student Alen" she dropped that silver badge in front of me.
"I don't like what that implies"
She let out a single soft laugh.
"I do like the implications of her being interested in you"
"You made it sound a lot more weird just now"
I grabbed the small badge, clipping it on the left side of my uniform.
"You'll have to clip it to whatever piece of clothing you're wearing. And don't lose it, they're very expensive and students pay for them if they lose it"
I'd like to ask her more things.
Like, why is she giving me special treatment? Or what's the deal with Zagressa?
But I have more important things to do right now.
"Is there a dungeon I can explore today?"
She tapped her chin and tilted her head.
"There is a party you could join"
"Please, I need to explore a dungeon right now!" I applied the ever so useful dogeza position.
My future depends on how much money I can make right now.
The blonde went to her desk and wrote something on a small piece of paper.
She then gave me that piece of paper.
"Go there if you want to explore a dungeon. But be quick, they'll depart to the dungeon in any minute"
I snatched the piece of paper and started running to my destination. But I stopped once I got to the door of the office.
"Thanks..."
I'm no caveman, and if someone helps me, I show my gratitude.
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Thanks to the large number of people who can cast spells and control mana, Aurum Academy city's mana is always filtered and clean enough so that no dungeon gate can spawn on it.
It's not the same outside of it.
The mountain range that surrounds the north and west of the city is extremely chaotic, not only because of the harsh conditions of those mountains but also because of the constant spawning of dungeon gates.
Thankfully, for Aurum Academy, the level of these dungeons doesn't go past the intermediate level.
Which makes them perfect to send students to train them.
While some students can die, Aurum Academy takes all the precautions necessary so that outcome doesn't happen.
I had to run northeast, all the way to the blue tower.
It's a tower that serves as a prison for all the criminals caught by knights, students, and the golden troupe.
Speaking of the golden troupe, the blue tower is their place. They are the ones that run that tower.
This tower doesn't lead to any path to the other side of the mountain range.
*Thud*
I bumped to someone as I was running.
The guy I bumped into was a grown man with grey hair and bear ears on top of his head. He looks to be around his forties, but his body still looks as muscular as if he was still young.
"Oh, sorry" he apologized as he helped me stand up.
"Sorry for bumping into you!" I yelled as I resumed my run.
That guy... he looks.... like I should know him.
Around his forties... bear demi-human... strong and muscular build...
Is he... that supposed teacher that Kaida and Yani fail to keep track of?
It was always a weird part of the game. Right after taking on [The Crossed] and finishing the tutorial, you waste a couple of days trying to follow this one guy.
Only for that storyline to be abandoned after failing for three consecutive days.
Yani swears that the man is a teacher who goes to the blue tower past visiting hours. But there're no teachers that look like him.
The whole reason as to why I was so keen on exploring a dungeon this weekend is because of that three day period where nothing happens.
I look behind me as I keep running.
And he hasn't moved a bit. He actually seems to be looking at me directly, scanning me with his eyes as I get farther away from him.
While my curiosity fights for me to stalk him and discover things I don't know about the story of this world. My lack of money is a higher priority right now.
I kept running and running.
And I found them.
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Having walked outside of the female house for students of class S, Franchesca Von Themys seemed to be in a really good mood.
And why wouldn't she be?
It's the start of the weekend and she can spend time with her friend.
"It's still really early, so I think that Alen and I could go to a café and have our breakfast there" she closed her eyes as she imagined them both sitting on a table and eating their breakfast.
She knocked on the door to the male class S student's house.
And a guy opened the door, a guy that wasn't Alen, so the white-haired princess had no intention of remembering his face.
"P-princess Von Themys!" The poor guy started sweating and shaking at the sight of the feared princess.
"Go and bring Alen, peasant" she ordered with a cold tone that made the guy repeatedly nod and close the door.
Quick steps could be heard that got farther from the door.
"Out of everyone in the whole academy. Why is Alen the only one that's worth anything? And he is a peasant... he doesn't even have a last name..." she started murmuring to herself.
"No, you go!"
The princess hummed as she heard the muffled conversation on the other side of the door.
"She'll kill me if I step outside"
"And she'll kill me!"
"Peasant talks sure are a waste of my time" she said to herself as she tapped her foot on the ground, growing more impatient by the second.
"H-hey, Cecil, prince Theo!"
"Y-yes, you two are princess Von Themys' friends, right?"
"N-not re-"
"Of course we're friends" Cecil claimed with a chuckle.
"Hum, only Alen is my friend" she crossed her arms and pouted.
Then, the door opened. And instead of the one person she was here for, the coward prince and his bodyguard stood in front of her.
"Princess Von Themys!" Cecil happily waved his hand.
The white-haired had to admit that Cecil's calm attitude with her was something she appreciated.
But he was no Alen in her eyes.
"I think I ordered that bug to bring me Alen, not you two"
A soft and high-pitched eek was heard behind the two boys.
"Well, princess Von Themys... Alen is not here" Cecil was the only one talking, as Theo was as equally afraid of her as any other student.
In just an instant, Franchesca Von Themys' mood was ruined. Her face, which had a calm and expressionless tone, quickly turned into a frown.
"What?" The low pitch of her question made Theo look away and step back, behind his bodyguard.
"I was also surprised. Apparently, he left really early, before sunrise" Cecil kept his usual and calm smile in front of the girl that caused fear to even grown men.
Fran simply turned around and started walking away from that house, not saying a word to the two boys.
How could he just leave without telling her.
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