The Author's Playground-Chapter 22: You reap what you sow (1)

Chapter 22: You reap what you sow (1)

The Headmaster's Office

"Headmaster!! The dungeon has spawned—it's devouring the entire academy!"

The doors slammed open as a panicked instructor rushed in.

"I know..." The Headmaster's voice remained calm, yet. Her gaze was fixed on the swirling chaos outside.

Beyond the glass, the once-proud academy lay in ruin, swallowed by a chasm of writhing shadows. Above them, an enormous, unblinking eye loomed in the storm-darkened sky.

"What else could explain that Eye of Nightmare watching us from above?"

"But does this even make sense?" The instructor's breath was ragged. "A dungeon of this magnitude… appearing the moment the Aegis was broken?"

"There's no explanation other than 'coincidence'." The Headmaster turned away from the window. "No...This is even too much of a coincidence, as if someone—" she exhaled sharply, "—deliberately lured it here."

"No way... there's no nightmare with that intelligence, nor any human who is capable of controlling a dungeon."

"A god's doing, perhaps?" the head master replied. "Has anyone responded to our call for aid?"

The silence stretched between them before the man shook his head, his expression grim.

"Unfortunately... it seems..."

"No one is willing to help us, huh?" The Headmaster's lips curled into something between a smirk and a grim. She then clenched her fists, and, in a sudden burst of frustration, slammed her hand against the desk.

A crack of impact was visibly seen in the office.

"I reap what I sow." Then, straightening her posture, she drew in a deep breath. "Call the instructors. We will fight with everything we have."

She hesitated for only a moment before adding, "And… ask the students. If any among them are willing to stand, let them fight beside us."

*****

On the other side

Victoria's breath hitched as she gazed at the sky.

Her body went rigid.

Cold sweat slid down her cheek.

"That eye... what is that...?"

And then, the screaming started.

"ARGHHH! HELP!! NIGHTMARES! NIGHTMARES ARE HERE!!"

"IT'S A DUNGEON OUTBREAK!"

"MOVE! MOVE AWAY!"

Panic exploded through the academy grounds.

Students shoved and scrambled, a wild stampede of bodies surging in every direction.

Victoria barely had time to react before someone slammed into her.

Her grip loosened—her parasol slipped from her fingers.

Then another body crashed into her.

And another.

She staggered, breathless, lost in the chaos—

Until strong fingers caught her wrist.

"Princess," a voice drawled, pulling her back close.

Elijah.

She blinked up at him, dazed. He held her parasol in one hand, his grip firm on her arm with the other. And despite the madness around them, he still wore that insufferable smile.

"You wouldn't want your pretty face getting scraped, right?" he mused.

"You—!" Victoria sucked in a sharp breath, her heart hammering. "Why are you so calm?!"

Elijah tilted his head, visibly confused. "I don't think panicking is an option, considering…"

His eyes flickered toward something behind her.

Victoria froze.

Slowly, her body moved almost unwillingly as she turned.

And then...

—a low, guttural growl.

A massive shape loomed in the shadows, damp fur remained black under the eerie red glow of the sky. It took a step forward—glass-like crystalline shards juts from its rotting flesh like an amethyst jewel. Hollow sockets bled ink-black ichor, the twisted remnants of its eyes.

A bear.

Or what used to be one.

Its massive jaw was unhinged, saliva pooling between jagged, bloodstained teeth.

The air was suffocating.

Cold.

Wrong.

"A… D-rank Nightmare…" Victoria whispered, trembling.

"Like I said, Princess," Elijah sighed, rolling his shoulders. In a single motion, he pulled free a short sword and dagger. "No time to panic."

The undead bear roared.

It lunged.

Elijah moved.

A single step forward—and then he was gone.

His body blurred, and a streak of silver flashed between the nightmare's outstretched claws. The bear's massive paw crashed down where he had stood, shattering the stone beneath its weight.

—but Elijah was already behind it.

It took only a single slash.

His dagger carved into the rotting muscle at the beast's hind leg. The creature roared, twisting violently, but Elijah was faster.

He ducked under a sweeping claw, twisting his wrist. The dagger spun in his grip—

—and then he drove it straight into the bear's throat.

Black ichor spurted out. The monster staggered, snarling in rage before it disappeared like a mist.

"I-its dead?" Victoria flinched as she stared at the bloody mess of Elijah's uniform.

Of course, she was scared, when did she ever even be sent to a battlefield?

But... looking back to that 'F' class student, she rather felt ashamed.

Elijah, however, didn't seem to share her hesitation. His expression remained unimpressed.

Compared to fighting a B-rank wolf multiple times, this monster seems like a baby for him. Almost... boring?

"Princess it's not yet done."

A guttural snarl echoed through the Academy grounds, followed by another.

Victoria's breath hitched.

The shadows shifted as three more nightmares emerged from the wreckage.

Three more bears.

The hulking figures had the same twisted bodies beyond recognition as the previous ones. And its matted fur peeled away in places, revealing flesh marred with jagged, glass-like crystal formations.

One of them, larger than the rest, had shards of bone protruding from its spine like jagged spires.

The second was missing half of its face, exposing the blackened remains of its skull.

The third twitched violently, its body barely stitched together by thick strands of necrotic energy.

Three against two.

Victoria swallowed hard.

Elijah rolled his shoulders, unfazed. "Of course. They never come alone."

He shifted his grip on his weapons just as the first bear lunged.

Elijah moved in an instant, sidestepping as the beast's claws came crashing down. Stone shattered beneath its weight. He twisted midair, his dagger flashing in a clean strike, slicing through the tendon of its front leg.

The bear roared in agony.

The second bear charged at Victoria.

She barely had time to react before it closed the distance.

Her mind blanked.

Move.

Her fingers snapped up instinctively, sending a gust of wind toward the monster.

It was too weak.

The bear pushed through it effortlessly, raising its massive claws.

Elijah intercepted it in an instant.

He kicked her back just out of range while his dagger buried itself into the nightmare's outstretched paw.

"Victoria," Elijah this time, called her name. "Focus. You can't possibly lose to someone who barely uses any mahika, no?"

Her breath came in ragged gasps.

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Focus.

She could do this.

No...

She had to do this.

The third bear lunged at her from the side.

Victoria inhaled sharply and thrust her arm forward.

Wind howled.

She swung her parasol open, twisting the air around her into a spiraling vortex.

The force snapped forward, drilling into the bear's side with brutal speed.

The impact sent it crashing into the stone rubble.

For the first time, Victoria saw the monster stagger.

It worked.

Her heart pounded.

Elijah let out a low whistle. "Not bad, Princess."

The nightmares that were wounded and still standing dragged themselves forward despite their severed tendon.

Elijah didn't even look as he flicked his wrist, sending his dagger flying, then began slashing aimlessly, letting the blood fountain through.

The blade struck clean through each skull.

And, the remaining nightmares collapsed, vanishing into mist.

Victoria's breathing was uneven, but her hands no longer shook.

She met Elijah's gaze.

"I w-w-won!"

"Yes, you won."

"I defeated them! With my own strength! I-... I can no longer call myself useless!!"

"Yep you did... good job...so..." Elijah smiled, pointing to the other pathway. "Let's go clear out for more?"

"Eh... Pardon?"