I somehow ended up making a student farm recovery items for me. The System might adjust the difficulty out of spite.

[Bead: Seriously… To do all this and then claim you don’t understand why the kids follow you is practically criminal, criminal.]

Bead, that’s because you haven’t seen truly good people. Same goes for these kids.

It’s true that ‘Chris’ has the devoted teacher roleplay, but objectively speaking, she’s far from being a good person.

If a renowned educator from Korea saw this, they’d be appalled. Making kids do her bidding with a few shallow words and pretending to be a real professor.

[Bead: But this world is lacking exactly those few words.]

That’s… probably because the original title includes the word ‘rampage.’

* * *

The next day.

I woke from an unpleasant dream caused by the hard forest floor, only to discover that I had become a cozy ball of fur.

Huh?

It was only after hurriedly propping myself up that I could make sense of the situation.

‘Good grief. I thought the System had pulled another stunt and nearly had a heart attack.’

My body was simply buried in the embrace of a furry ball of a beast.

“Brrr, brrr…”

That creature was, of course, the Healer, fast asleep and snoring away, nose and all.

‘What is she doing here like this?’

She was covered in dirt from head to toe, suggesting she had worked hard at something all night before passing out on the spot. Were these herbs tangled around my feet the result?

“Hah.”

A hollow laugh escaped me first. It clearly wasn’t just one or two. ‘Piled high’ would be an apt description.

Opening the Bedallua Academy map with a sinking feeling—

“She’s insane.”

I genuinely couldn’t say anything other than ‘insane.’ All those numerous recovery item markers had completely vanished.

She gathered all of these in a single night?

‘No, how desperate was this kid for money to go this far…!’

Sincere tears blurred my vision. I should have just paid her upfront. I felt like I’d made a pure-hearted new hire, brimming with passion and guts, voluntarily work overtime.

Well, an ordinary person wouldn’t have the stamina or strength to pull this off even if they wanted to.

This is why overpowered freaks are terrifying. They always casually leap right past common sense.

“Kkeut, hmph…”

Even so, she’s still just a kid who mumbles in her sleep with a foolish face.

Rising as quietly as I could, I took off my cloak and bundled up the herbs the Healer had gathered.

Thanks to this, I now had breathing room for the quest. I could gather the kids and explain the dungeon at any moment—but—

‘…Maybe I’ll start this morning’s class a little late.’

They only ever did self-study anyway, and ‘Chris’ was a capricious person, so it would be fine.

I set off to find the Model Student, X-Class’s official loudspeaker. Announcing things to him alone was convenient since word would spread quickly.

[Bead: You’re not going to claim this was a considerate decision for that kid—Bell, was it?—still sleeping over there, are you?]

Still not getting the roleplay, Bead? Obviously, ‘Chris’ knows nothing about consideration and simply acted on a whim. Today’s sunlight, temperature, and humidity were just perfect for postponing class.

[Bead: Uh-huh, sure. I won’t tell you what you’re deluding yourself about, either.]

Huh, there’s something like that? Wait, what?

[Bead: Just make sure you’ve got money ready for the kid. You romanceless creature.]

Cheap bastard. Leaving me hanging mid-sentence. Still, it wasn’t entirely wrong. This was the only way ‘Chris’ could express gratitude.

* * *

A dungeon suddenly appearing inside the school was enough to draw the attention of magic-obsessed professors and students alike.

In other words, there were quite a few competitors this time.

“I think the faculty should go in first to assess the situation. It could be dangerous for students to approach, don’t you think?”

It sounded like a reasonable statement, but that professor’s hands were already loaded with every gathering tool imaginable.

“Phenomena like this are usually handled by the mages of the Magic Tower. My uncle happens to be there, you see? If you accompany us, we should be able to get in as well.”

It sounded plausible, but that third-year’s eyes practically screamed ‘graduation project ideas.’

Of course, I had the cheat key of ‘it appeared in my room, so I have the right to enter first,’ but I didn’t bother stopping them.

Why?

‘They won’t be able to clear it anyway.’

They should consider themselves lucky if they only get a rough experience.

Sure enough.

That afternoon, a group of students who had sneaked into the dungeon came bursting out screaming.

“Aaaagh!”

“Eeeek!”

“S-save me! Save…”

“Hey, guys! When did you even go in?! What on earth happened inside?”

They all answered the same way, trembling with gaunt faces.

“Never again… I never want to go in there again!”

Anyone watching would think they’d just returned from hell. That’s all because of insufficient preparation, preparation.

This dungeon’s difficulty drops dramatically with just one proper preparatory step.

“Ah, Keu-ssaem, you’re here? The Principal said she’d resolve the room issue as quickly as possible, so please bear with us a little longer.”

As I stood before the dungeon, Narrow Eyes approached with a smile. He seemed to have taken on the role of gatekeeper to prevent any more victims.

“But what’s that in your hands? A bundle and… cooking utensils?”

Narrow Eyes tilted his head. He’d come to stop someone he thought was here to attempt the dungeon, only to find them dressed for a camping trip—understandably confusing.

I replied with my usual insufferable attitude.

“I’m about to enter my own room. That’s a lot of unnecessary interest.”

“My interest in Keu-ssaem has always been considerable.”

“Beat it.”

When I returned a sour expression for his smooth talk, Narrow Eyes laughed lightly. Then, after a brief pause, he whispered softly.

“That thing you’re about to do—is it absolutely necessary? I mean, do you have no choice but to do it?”

At first glance, it sounded like an ordinary question about whether I really needed to enter the dungeon right now—

‘This peculiar feeling… It reminds me of last time.’

“You weren’t blocked, were you?”

“It’s my secret spot, but I’ll tell only you, Keu-ssaem. You’ll be able to find it easily. If you follow the map properly, you won’t be discovered by anyone, either.”

Even back then, Narrow Eyes had spoken in meaningful terms. Like someone who knew something.

‘If I interpret it that way, is he saying he’ll let me through if it’s something I have to do for the quest…?’

I answered without bothering to look at Narrow Eyes. In character as ‘Chris.’

“None of your business.”

“That’s… well… true.”

Narrow Eyes smiled bitterly.

“Because there are things you have no choice but to do.”

Then step aside. It’s fine if you want to film your own melodrama, but I’m a bit busy getting where I need to go.

And this is something I’ve been thinking for a while now.

“If you have something to say, say it properly. What are you worried about?”

“……”

“Bearing it all alone and hoping someone will catch your hints is a waste of effort, idiot.”

So stop needling people and just spill whatever it is openly, you bastard. How long are you going to keep up the mystic act? The quest alone is enough to give me a headache.

With those final words, I stepped into the dungeon. The scenery transformed in an instant.

[Bead: What is this place… A labyrinth?]

Indeed. This dungeon’s roleplay was a complex underground maze.

With various traps and monsters prepared throughout, it was perfect for losing your mind while wandering.

[Bead: Wait, you went into a place like that alone, on sheer audacity?! What are you going to do with a bundle of herbs and some cooking utensils?!]

Calm down, Bead. This dungeon’s difficulty scales with the number of people who enter.

Therefore, coming alone meant everything—traps and all—was set to the lowest level.

‘Of course, the battle with the boss guarding the innermost sanctum remained unchanged.’

However, the purpose of this visit wasn’t to clear it. I pulled a pen and paper from my cloak.

[Bead: Don’t tell me you’re planning to map out the maze structure from scratch…?]

Tackling a maze without a map? That’s insane. Conversely, having a map makes things incredibly easy.

The X-Class kids need to reach the boss as quickly as possible. The longer you stay in this maze, the more rapidly your stamina drops, making it dangerous.

‘In the original story, the extras who had swarmed in alongside the Protagonist ended up dropping like flies.’

Thanks to that, the work’s atmosphere had plummeted.

[Bead: Then what about your stamina? It’s completely abysmal… Ah.]

[Bead: Are you actually insane?]

[Bead: You’re going to sustain yourself by eating herbs the whole time? While wandering around until you’ve mapped this entire place?]

That’s exactly why I brought cooking utensils—in case I got sick of eating them raw. Not to mention how much trouble I went through to sneak out some seasonings.

[Bead: That’s the issue right now?!]

For a Korean, the flavor of food is the issue. What else would be the problem?