The first layer of the Academy Dungeon, the Lord's Lair.
The ceiling of the cavern was high and vast, shrouded in gloom. Only scattered patches of luminescent moss on the rocky walls provided a faint light, casting the twisted shadows of jagged stones and tattered webs across the surrounding mess.
Thick spiderwebs, shimmering with a silver-gray luster like damaged drapes, hung in layers between the cavern walls, stalagmites, and collapsed stone pillars, partitioning the massive cave into several isolated spaces.
On the ground, the skeletal remains of various creatures were scattered, piled into chilling little mounds—silent testaments to the former owner's cruelty and greed.
In one corner of the cave, far from the most conspicuous ruined nest at the center, a figure was quietly busy.
Greg crouched before a relatively intact rock wall. Holding a sharp small knife, he was carefully cutting away a certain filamentous substance from the crevices of the rock and the residual webs.
This was no ordinary spider silk, but a special thread that reflected a faint, warm golden glow even in the dim light.
It was thinner than a human hair yet exceptionally strong. It felt cool to the touch and possessed a strange, silky smoothness.
Greg worked patiently, winding strand after strand of the golden silk around a smooth piece of wood to collect it.
What he had told Silvia before they parted wasn't entirely an excuse.
He did indeed have things to do.
Collecting this Golden Glow Spider Silk was the purpose of his trip.
This task wasn't so urgent that it had to be done immediately, as the dungeon's ordinary monsters would respawn over time. However, once an Area Lord like Lady Eight-Legs was defeated, they typically would not reappear.
Greg had chosen to come and collect it now purely out of a pragmatic desire to avoid having to grind through the small mobs to clear the path later.
This Golden Glow Spider Silk was the Royal Silk that spider-type magical beasts like Lady Eight-Legs produced over long years by mixing their pure mana with special secretions, used specifically for laying eggs in the core of their nests.
Not only was it far tougher than steel, with excellent mana affinity and conductivity, but it also possessed a rare quality of slow self-repair and energy storage.
In the late-game setting of the original game, it was a material required for crafting various high-tier alchemical items.
For instance, indestructible mana threads, the core material for adaptive protection robes, and the base for high-tier sealing scrolls all required Golden Glow Spider Silk.
However, this value was something only Greg, who had played the original game, was currently aware of.
At this point in time, no one in the academy or even in the human alchemical world had discovered the true value of Golden Glow Spider Silk.
The young professor who would later rise to fame for her original silk alchemy in the late game was currently obscure, and her research was far from beginning.
Therefore, Greg wasn't worried about this treasure being snatched up by someone else.
"Speaking of which..."
As Greg wound another strand of golden silk onto the wood, he thought:
"That genius professor who invents silk alchemy in the future... her name was Alice, wasn't it? She happens to be my tutor right now, doesn't she?"
The corners of his mouth curled into a subtle arc.
"It seems when the time is right, I can find a way to inspire her. Then I can naturally have her help me process this silk and craft some good items... Yes, the perfect laborer."
Just as he was focused on collecting, his sharp perception caused his movements to pause slightly.
From the direction of the cavern entrance, light but clear footsteps approached, accompanied by deliberately lowered voices.
Someone was coming.
And more than one person.
Greg immediately stopped his movements and held his breath, merging his body completely into the shadow of a depression in the rock wall. He peered out through the gaps in the tattered webs.
Several figures stepped into the massive lair from the main entrance passage.
They were all wearing the Glory Cael Academy uniform, but their arms bore unique armbands signifying their status in the Student Council.
Several of them held illumination magic crystals, cautiously surveying their surroundings with looks of scrutiny and surprise.
"As expected..."
One boy whispered to his companions, his voice echoing slightly in the hollow cavern.
"That massive spider corpse we found buried under the rubble earlier... it really was Lady Eight-Legs. Look here, the nest is completely empty."
"But this doesn't make sense."
Another student frowned, their gaze sweeping over the massive, throne-like web base in the center of the nest before looking back toward the entrance.
"Lady Eight-Legs was a typical territorial monster, extremely dependent on her nest environment for combat. Why would she leave her old home, run so far away, and then die there? Could she have been... deliberately lured out by something?"
The Student Council members looked at each other, seeing the same confusion in one another's eyes.
The Lord's corpse being far from the nest, a battlefield that had caused a large-scale collapse... all of it reeked of something abnormal.
Unable to reach a conclusion through discussion, they all turned their gaze toward the figure at the rear of the group, who had been standing silently and observing everything calmly since entering the lair.
It was a young girl.
She stood a bit further back, as if maintaining an invisible distance from her surroundings.
Her face was as exquisite as if carved from ice and snow. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and every line of her features was perfectly placed, combining into a flawless beauty that lacked warmth.
Her waist-length, lake-blue hair was like the finest silk, flowing with a cold luster under the glow of the illumination crystals, meticulously tied into a neat high ponytail.
She stood tall, wearing the same style of academy uniform as the others, but the material and tailoring were clearly superior. Over it, she wore a dark blue short cape, and a silver badge representing the Student Council President was pinned to her collar.
"Whoa, I didn't expect her to personally enter the dungeon..." Greg raised an eyebrow in the shadows, feeling slightly surprised.
Of course he recognized this blue-haired girl.
Vivian Kahn.
The Eldest Princess of the kingdom, the Second-year Representative, the current Student Council President, and also... the half-sister of the Primary Heroine, Lilith Kahn.
Rate on N.U.
