The dungeon chamber had become completely silent.
The enormous body of the Crystal Ogre King lay collapsed in the center of the battlefield.
Its purple energy slowly faded as the life drained from its body.
Broken pillars, shattered stone, and dust filled the chamber.
Several academy instructors rushed inside.
Instructor Garrick stood at the front, his sharp eyes scanning the scene carefully.
His gaze stopped on the dead boss.
"…Unbelievable."
Dungeon bosses were extremely dangerous creatures.
Even trained instructors usually needed a coordinated team to defeat one.
Yet here—
A group of first-year students had killed it.
Garrick slowly turned toward the four students standing nearby.
Lucien Aurelius looked completely calm.
Adrian Solhart leaned slightly on his sword but still stood tall.
Seraphina Draven appeared relaxed as always, though dust covered her cloak.
Elena Valtieri quietly adjusted her gloves while catching her breath.
Garrick folded his arms.
"Explain."
Adrian spoke first.
"The dungeon mutated."
"The boss awakened suddenly."
Another instructor examined the monster's body.
"He's right."
"Several crystal spikes were destroyed."
Garrick's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Who broke them?"
For a moment, no one answered.
Then Seraphina casually pointed toward Lucien.
"Him."
All the instructors immediately looked at Lucien.
Lucien didn't react much.
Garrick stepped closer.
"You destroyed the boss's core stabilizers?"
Lucien shrugged lightly.
"It looked like a weak point."
Several instructors exchanged glances.
That wasn't something an ordinary student could identify during a chaotic battle.
Garrick studied Lucien carefully.
"The Aurelius heir…"
Lucien simply smiled politely.
Garrick eventually sighed.
"We'll discuss this later."
He turned toward the other instructors.
"Secure the dungeon."
"Evacuate all students immediately."
Half an hour later—
Students had gathered outside the dungeon entrance.
Rumors spread rapidly through the crowd.
"Did you hear?"
"A boss appeared!"
"No way!"
"I heard someone killed it!"
"Who?"
"Some say Adrian's team…"
"No, it was Lucien Aurelius!"
The courtyard buzzed with excitement.
Inside the academy hall—
Lucien, Adrian, Seraphina, and Elena sat across from Instructor Garrick.
Several academy elders had joined the meeting.
One elderly professor spoke first.
"A dungeon boss awakening this early is highly unusual."
Another nodded.
"The dungeon core may be destabilizing."
Garrick looked at the four students again.
"You did well."
"Without your actions, many students might have died."
Adrian remained humble.
"We just reacted to the situation."
Seraphina leaned back in her chair.
"And had some fun."
Elena quietly added,
"The final blow was Adrian's attack."
Garrick nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"But the weakening strikes were crucial."
His gaze shifted to Lucien.
"Your shadow techniques played a major role."
Lucien remained calm.
"I simply did what I could."
The instructors continued discussing the incident for several minutes.
Finally, Garrick spoke again.
"The academy has decided to reward your team."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Reward?"
Garrick nodded.
"You will each receive 200 merit points."
Seraphina whistled softly.
"That's generous."
Merit points were extremely valuable within the academy.
They could be exchanged for training resources, rare materials, and special techniques.
Garrick continued.
"And one additional reward."
He placed four small black tokens on the table.
"These are Elite Training Tokens."
Elena looked surprised.
"These are usually reserved for senior students."
Garrick nodded.
"You earned them."
The meeting ended shortly afterward.
As the four students walked back toward the dormitory area—
Seraphina suddenly turned toward Lucien.
"You're hiding something."
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"That's a bold accusation."
Seraphina smiled.
"You moved too perfectly during the fight."
"You knew exactly where to strike."
Lucien chuckled softly.
"Instinct."
Seraphina stepped closer.
"I don't believe in luck."
Their eyes met briefly.
Then Adrian interrupted.
"Enough."
He looked at Lucien seriously.
"You're strong."
"But next time…"
"…warn us before you jump into something that dangerous."
Lucien laughed lightly.
"I'll consider it."
The group eventually separated near the dormitory buildings.
But news of the dungeon battle had already spread across the academy.
By evening—
Every student was talking about it.
And one name appeared most often.
Lucien Aurelius.
Inside one of the academy's high towers—
Several important guests had also heard the news.
A tall nobleman wearing dark crimson robes stood near a large window.
His eyes were cold and calculating.
"So…"
"The Aurelius heir defeated a dungeon boss."
Beside him stood a young man with golden hair.
His expression looked irritated.
"That shouldn't be possible."
The nobleman nodded slowly.
"Perhaps."
"Or perhaps the Aurelius family has hidden more talent than we expected."
The golden-haired student clenched his fists.
"Lucien Aurelius…"
"I'll deal with him myself."
The nobleman smiled faintly.
"Patience, Cassian."
"The academy year has only begun."
His eyes turned toward the distant academy courtyard.
"The rise of a powerful heir…"
"…always attracts enemies."
Meanwhile—
Lucien walked alone through the quiet academy garden.
Moonlight illuminated the stone pathways.
The system interface appeared in front of him again.
Major Event Completed
Dungeon Mutation Arc
Reward Granted: Shadow Relic Energy +20%
Story Divergence: 31%
Lucien looked at the glowing numbers thoughtfully.
"The story is changing faster now."
In the original novel—
Adrian Solhart gained most of the fame from this dungeon event.
But now—
The spotlight had shifted.
Lucien's shadow had begun spreading across the academy.
And the more the story changed—
The more unpredictable the future would become.
Lucien smiled faintly.
"That's exactly what I want."
Because a villain didn't need destiny.
A villain simply took what he wanted.
And somewhere inside the academy—
Several powerful forces had already begun watching him.
The game had truly begun.