In the end, my artifact was approved, and I got my license.
"We'd like you to come back here once you become a full-fledged adventurer. Someone who can snatch that pretty treasure surely has potential."
With that, the retired adventurer grinned at me and gestured for his assistant to call in the next person in line.
Now...
I hope I'm not running late to meet Agatha's group.
Once I exited the Green Tower, I looked up and saw that the sky had turned a light orange—signaling that the sun was starting to set.
"Why do these things take so much time?!" I complained to myself as I began running north toward the Red Tower.
Anyone else might think I'm just wasting time—they were expecting me in the afternoon, after all.
However, with the current changes in the plot, I need to ensure their safety.
Maybe I was too busy with other things, but the fact that Vi is the princess of the Viavoule Kingdom is something I completely glossed over.
Originally, since the game's main storyline focused on Aurum Academy, the Viavoule Kingdom didn't play much of a role.
The most we ever got was an NPC mentioning that the relationship between the Viavoule Kingdom and the Academy had broken down—but the reasons were left vague.
Now, with the knowledge that Vi is a princess, and connecting her to the original dungeon incident—the one where her whole group died except for Agatha—I can start to piece together what really happened.
In the game, Vi's death caused a major diplomatic rift between Aurum Academy and the Viavoule Kingdom, especially considering how doting her father appeared to be.
But since I changed that outcome, the Viavoule Kingdom will remain friendly with the Academy.
This changes the plotline involving Kaida's journey across the kingdoms in search of the legendary weapons wielded by the old heroes.
Now, the Viavoule Kingdom should be more accepting of Kaida when we get there in the future.
That is... as long as Vi stays alive. The moment she dies, the Viavoule Kingdom will cut ties with the Academy.
"I'm getting close... to where we were supposed to meet."
I really hope I never have to go through the tedious process of registering an artifact again.
No... I'll definitely need more artifacts if I want to keep up with the difficulty spikes in the late game.
Once I reached the meeting spot...
I saw them!
They were already there, fully geared up in armor and weapons.
Eusta was doing push-ups while Agatha sat on his back, reading a book.
Vi watched them and giggled as she sat on a nearby bench.
Enrick, meanwhile, was chatting with the coachman who would take us to the dungeon.
"Oh, there he is! Alen!" Vi was the first to spot me. She stood up, prompting Agatha to hop off Eusta's back, and Eusta to stand up as well.
"Little man! What took you so long?" Eusta asked with a wide grin.
"You think these are acceptable hours to arrive?" Agatha sighed, shaking her head.
"I'm really sorry, guys... I swear I didn't mean to keep you waiting," I said, bending over and resting my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath after sprinting the whole way.
"It's okay, Alen. We all agreed to wait for you... even Agatha, despite how she may act now" Vi said gently, rubbing my back to calm me down.
"You're lucky we owe you a lot!" Agatha huffed, standing next to me. "But don't expect us to wait next time."
"Next time, I'll come looking for you, little man!" Eusta laughed.
"You had me waiting this long... for that?!" the coachman yelled from the carriage, pointing at me.
That? Have I just been demoted from person to object?
"Hey, old timer!" Enrick growled, grabbing the coachman by the collar. "Not a single word against our friend. Got it?"
"Heek!" The coachman flinched under the pressure of the red-haired student. "He wasted time I could be—"
"Doing what?" the fox-eared girl interrupted. "Once we arrive to where the dungeon is, you're just going to sit around anyway. What's the difference between doing nothing now and doing nothing later?"
"I-if he'd come earlier, you could've finished the dungeon sooner, and I might've gotten another quick job in!" the coachman stammered.
"We already agreed to pay you extra for the wait. You're complaining because you want to, not because you have a good reason," Agatha said, stepping into the carriage.
"This wouldn't have happened if we'd hired the more expensive one like I suggested. A few more coins for someone more professional..." Vi muttered as she followed Agatha inside.
"It's not just a few more coins. It's way more than we can afford right now," Eusta replied, entering after them.
"I could chip in more. My dad gives me a huge allowance, remember?"
Enrick let go of the coachman's collar and stepped inside. "You know we don't like relying on your father's money."
"You should let me spend more of it on us. If not for you guys, then who else?"
Now, all the members of the second-year party were inside the carriage—except for me.
"Hmm...?"
They noticed I was still standing outside.
"What's wrong, Alen? Come on!"
"S-sorry," I shook my head and climbed inside. "Thank you all so much for waiting for me... I'll make it up to you by giving it my all in the dungeon!"
It's not just about Vi's safety to ensure a good future for the whole world. Enrick, Eusta, Agatha—I want to make sure each and every one of you comes back alive.
I want to protect them—not just because it's beneficial to keep them alive for the world' story, but because I truly want my friends to live.
"We told you it's okay, Alen. You've already done so much for us. You don't have to prove anything," Enrick said, doing one last check of our gear.
"It's not about proving anything. I just want to do my best for my friends. That's what I'm going to do."
I don't have much to prove, honestly. I still only have tier-one spells.
"Hey, little man. That cloak..."
"Yeah, it's that one. I was late because I had to get a license for it. Since I spent so long registering it, I might as well use it," I said, showing off the furry cloak.
The outer fur—of an unknown monster—can regulate temperature to some extent, and it's also durable enough to offer solid physical protection.
"What does it do?" Vi asked, clearly wary of the cloak since it once belonged to the lich who nearly killed us.
"Right now? It just sucks up my mana. That's all."
Agatha let out a small giggle. "That sucks..."
"It really does..."
"It belonged to that lich, right? It must be useful in some way."
"Isn't necromancy part of dark magic? Do you know anything useful, Agatha?" Vi asked excitedly.
"Uh... I didn't take the dungeon or artifact studies courses last year. So, not really."
"Don't the teachers ever mention good artifacts?" Eusta asked.
I see where he's going with that. Learning to improve your magic inevitably means dealing with artifacts.
"There are thousands of artifacts out there. I might know a few, but it's impossible to keep track of every single one, especially when there could suddenly appear a new one out of nowhere." Agatha replied.
I understand her point. I know the basics from my game knowledge—but this is no longer a simple game. New artifacts could appear at any moment.
"Guess I'll have to go with trial and error," I said, laughing.
"Hey, Enrick. What level is the dungeon this time?" Vi asked as she used a cloth to polish her staff.
"It's a rock entrance, so it should be fine."
"No difficulty spike mid-dungeon, right?" Eusta asked with a laugh—though it was a real concern. None of us wanted a repeat of last time.
"I made sure it's a standard rock entrance. Average goblin dungeon. Nothing special about it," Enrick confirmed.
Speaking of dungeon levels—
The level of a dungeon is determined by its entrance.
The weakest is a Stone or Rock Entrance dungeon.
Then the order of difficulty goes: Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli, Ruby, and Obsidian.
Most consider Ruby to be the highest, since there's only ever been one Obsidian dungeon in all of Terra's history.
The only dungeon deserving of that rank was the one where dragons came from—alongside the Dragon God.
Enyoll Iaves talked about how Aurum Academy students generally graduate with the ability to complete a Lapis Lazuli level dungeons. Although the range varies from class to class, Lapis Lazuli is the average level an Academy graduate can complete.
Of course, not complete them alone, always with a group.
Given how big the higher level dungeons get, tackling them alone would be a suicide.
That's why I liked the game a lot now that I think about it. I loved the team building aspect, seeing all the different characters I could use.
Following Kaida' story felt like creating a true army from zero.