Free Web NovelRelying on the forged identity card, Vieya passed smoothly through the large-scale academy barrier, slipping into the dungeon entrance while no one was looking.
It had been less than a full day since her daughter entered the dungeon—no big problem.
After all, this Magic Academy examination lasted ten whole days. The first day had only just begun—the very first step of the thousand-mile march. Vieya believed that even if her daughter were the most hopeless deadweight imaginable, she shouldn’t be able to trigger a defeat CG on day one.
She had watched Jasmine’s hard work over the years with her own eyes.
Even so, when she walked past those tents outside, Vieya still felt a creeping anxiety.
Xiao Lü had told her that the dungeon beneath Talin was far more dangerous than others—if dungeons had a danger ranking, this one would easily make the top three.
As for why it was dangerous—even Xiao Lü didn’t know. All she could do was analyze fragments of information brought back by adventurers and pioneering teams.
The summary: not enough people had died yet to reveal the real horrors, but it was clear that something truly terrifying lurked deeper down.
“Let’s hope it’s really that strong... the stronger it is, the more treasures Anna can dig up from the depths. Maybe she can ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ even find a way to resurrect Flaviel?”
Well, a little daydreaming was good for health.
The slime girl yawned, her eyes drooping. By habit she should have been lying in bed at this hour.
“Hey! Kid over there—where’s your team?!”
Far ahead, a mage team shouted at her in the darkness. “Yes, you! The white-haired 1.4-meter-tall kid!”
“...Stealth failed.”
Vieya paused, then activated Authority Six: Invisibility. She vanished without a trace.
“!!!”
Holy—
The white-haired little girl disappeared!
In the dead of night— freewёbnoνel.com
The mage team who had been shouting loudly a second ago instantly went pale, cold sweat pouring down their backs.
Their captain rubbed his eyes hard. “Damn it—did you guys also see a little white-haired girl here earlier?”
“S-saw her! And then she just—shoo—vanished!”
“We didn’t just see a ghost, did we? They say when this dungeon manifested, the surface collapsed, burying an entire village! That girl—could she be the soul of someone who died here—AH! Captain! I... I feel someone touching my head!”
“Captain! Me too—someone’s blowing on my ear—AH!”
“It’s over! We’ve run into a ghost! And a white girl ghost at that! Run! After we get out we need a priest to purify us!”
The three mages shrieked incoherently and sprinted away like terrified monkeys.
At the spot they fled from, Vieya held a small twig and twirled it. Obviously, she had been poking them and stirring air around with the twig.
“This generation of young people is too weak. What kind of ghost is as righteous as I am? They run around screaming like monkeys... boring.”
Vieya tossed the twig aside and refocused.
How on earth was she supposed to find Jasmine in this enormous, labyrinthine dungeon?
Finding people was always troublesome to her. Thankfully, she hadn’t sensed any strong monsters so far. Only weak magic sources—slimes, goblins—and even those were quickly decreasing. Other mages must be farming points.
Thinking thus—
Vieya pulled out her forged ID card. Even though Xiao Lü had faked it, it had all the required functions.
It connected to the academy’s exam network, displayed ranking requirements, and showed rewards for different placements.
“Rare magic crystals, Elf-Goddess-Wood staff, Replica Doll, Greedy Chest, Tier-Seven Magic Cube... hmm. First place in the beginner mage teams only gets these?”
She flipped to the intermediate and advanced mage team rewards.
Vieya felt nothing. Her evaluation: children’s toys.
“Hm. Jasmine should be in the beginner mage teams... let’s check her ranking. Nineteenth? Out of only thirty-six beginner teams? No way—no way—is she that low...”
“What the hell did Anna teach her?! All that investment I poured in—she turned my daughter into this? No. I’m raising her interest rate. And increasing Jasmine’s homework.”
She shut the exam network in a foul mood.
Sleepiness vanished instantly. She paced in place.
...
At the same time—
After eating a few roasted potatoes, Jasmine’s tense nerves finally eased.
She had touched the resurrected mage sister’s hand earlier—it was warm. And under the firelight, the three of them cast proper shadows—not undead.
The food wasn’t poisoned, the water was fine. They didn’t appear to be hostile.
But there was one problem.
They didn’t remember being ambushed and killed by goblins.
“What’s wrong, little one? The food isn’t tasty?” The female mage refilled a pot with water and hung it above the fire to boil, frowning at the three nervous little girls across from her.
Honestly, she also found it strange that the first time these three children saw them, they were terrified into rolling on the floor.
If she and her teammates hadn’t stopped them in time, they probably would’ve run straight to the second floor of the dungeon.
If the first floor scared them like this, the second floor would be instant death.
“Actually, the monsters on the first floor are only goblins and slimes—low-level creatures that can’t even withstand a basic Fireball.”
The mage sister spoke slowly. “The only thing to watch out for is green-skinned trolls. They have tougher defenses, and beginner magic won’t hurt them much. So you need to aim for their weak points—eyes, throat, buttocks, things like that.”
“I-I see...” Jasmine replied timidly. She already knew all that, but everything she had experienced tonight was too bizarre—bizarre enough that she felt an urge to give up.
But then she remembered—the three resurrected mages not only weren’t hostile, they even helped them. Wasn’t that... good?
And quitting now—
Would surely disappoint her mother, right? If she disappointed Mama, she wouldn’t be able to ask for unreasonable things anymore... And Anna had once told her humans had a habit: “If you ruin the main account, you start a new account.” If this “main account” Jasmine was ruined, Mama would find a stepfather and throw away this little burden of a child.
Absolutely unacceptable.
“Can’t give up. Must win...” Jasmine murmured.
...
The next day.
A gray haze filled the dungeon. Jasmine’s team packed their gear, preparing to say goodbye to the mage seniors and set off separately.
At this hour, the dungeon was just as dark as night—they needed torches to proceed. ƒrēewebnovel.com
“So dark... Captain Jasmine. I think we’re walking in circles. We’ve been here before.” Maixi warned. After walking so long, they seemed to end up in the same place.
Sure enough—
Right outside the passage, they bumped into the mage trio lying down again.
“Huh? You girls again?” The female mage blinked in surprise. Her teammates were packing their luggage as if preparing to leave.
Before anyone else spoke, Maixi rushed forward pitifully. “Big sister, the fog is too thick—we got lost.”
“Haha! Looks like your spell experience still needs work!” said the male mage who had died by pickaxe earlier. He thumped his chest confidently. “But it’s okay—everyone’s like that the first time! We were planning to head toward the outer area anyway.”
“R-really? Thank you, big brother and big sister!” Maixi bowed sweetly, acting every bit the polite, well-behaved child.
The man’s vanity swelled. Laughing triumphantly, he strutted like he had a living map in his head.
Jasmine said nothing, simply followed like a quiet tail.
Six people in two teams walked and stopped amid the fog.
Despite being beginner mages, the revived trio clearly had far more experience. They weren’t rattled at all.
Jasmine felt a little discouraged. She’d hoped she’d be as strong as Mama... but it seemed she still couldn’t leave the warmth of Mama’s wings.
Uu... Mama, I miss you...
Jasmine didn’t want an adventure anymore...
In the deep, heavy fog, the man suddenly halted. Jasmine recognized it—he’d lost his sense of direction again. But he had gone far deeper than she had.
Soon, though, he closed his eyes, seemed to cast magic on his ears and nose, and regained his bearings. He stuck to the ground and crawled slowly like a hunting dog.
So he had some sort of tracking-support spell—rare, but useful in moments like these.
Jasmine quietly noted it. She planned to ask Teacher Anna about it later.
After about an hour of walking—
A cool draft blew through, making goosebumps rise all over Jasmine.
“We’re here! The smell of treasure!”
The male mage couldn’t hide his excitement. “Didn’t think there’d be a missed treasure chest on floor one after all the looting!”
Eh? Weren’t we going out? Why are we chasing a treasure chest?
Jasmine’s trio exchanged looks—fearful, worried—but also curious about this “treasure chest.”
“You think the chest is inside that cavern?” the other male mage grew excited. “Let’s blow open a wall and go straight in?”
“This cavern has only one entrance. There might be elite monsters. Be cautious,” the female mage said sternly—but her desire for the chest was obvious.
“Little schoolmates, there’s a treasure chest inside that cavern. Want to go in and take a look?” The male mage smiled.
The female mage frowned but said nothing.
A bad feeling surged in the three girls’ hearts.
“Big brother... should I go alone first?” Maixi gulped, stepping in front of Jasmine and Rorina. “I’m fast...”
The male mage chuckled, looking down at the three little ones.
He shook his head slowly.
His once-gentle voice turned cold and vicious.
“No. The three of you—get in there together. Move.”
