I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 61



60 – Monolith -8-

[ The target is given a weakness to physical attributes. ]

Ugh!

Rohan thrust his hands into the gap between the iron plates he had cut with his dagger.

And then he tore it apart. Ignoring the writhing vines, he flexed his forearms and pried the iron plates open.

Baaang!!! Booom!!!

The car, which had been moving on all fours with the vines, spun its wheels as if they were about to burst.

The horn blared like a scream. The dagger that had been lodged in the bumper fell out as if it were being vomited out.

Was it because the parasitic monster instinctively felt the danger, or was it writhing in pain?

Unfortunately, whichever it was, Rohan’s grip did not weaken.

Crunch!!! As Rohan roughly dismantled the door with his hands, the vines supporting the body lost their strength and wobbled.

With a final kick, the car toppled over onto its side.

[ +3P ]

A sure sign that the monster was dead.

Then, with a loud crash beyond the wall, points poured in.

[ +3P ]

[ +2P ]

[ +2P ]

[ +3P ]

The work of Zion and Clara.

Rohan wiped the sweat off his brow as he confirmed that the two girls who had dealt with the horde of monsters returned unscathed.

‘Wow, this crazy weather.’

The closer they got to their destination, the more the level of the monsters was clearly rising.

The problem was not just the level of the monsters, but also the temperature, which was rising abnormally.

If it weren’t for their magically enhanced bodies, they would have surely perished in this murderous heat.

He didn’t know if this phenomenon was due to getting closer to the center or if it was happening over time.

He didn’t want to know either.

Whatever the answer, there was no path forward but ahead.

“Oppa! The path is clear now!”

“Fighting against motorcycles and utility poles… this battle felt like an especially ridiculous nightmare.”

It was so hot and humid that one might suspect this was hell, but the girls showed no signs of irritation or conflict.

Rohan particularly admired that part.

[Purchased bottled water.]

“Good job, both of you.”

He handed a cool bottle of water to Sion and Clara. Then, he moved on, insisting on staying in the shade as much as possible.

Leading the way, Rohan checked the timer on his smartphone.

‘…28 hours and 6 minutes.’

They had spent more than a full day in the dungeon.

Other than checking the elapsed time, he didn’t use the phone, so the battery was just below half. There was still some leeway.

For now, the priority was to be careful not to let the heat damage the battery.

Step. Step. Step.

He walked quickly under the precariously tilted buildings that supported each other.

Passing them, he saw the overpass. Two pedestrian bridges laid out in an X shape, shattered.

Rohan approached nonchalantly, recalling the familiar structure.

‘It took the protagonist’s party three days to reach this point.’

He recalled the rest event in Abyss City.

And he compared.

‘Good. Much faster than expected.’

He had expected it to take at least two days to get this far, but as Zion and Clara began to sync, that expectation was pleasantly shattered.

Having fought together all day, the three had grasped each other’s styles and were in harmony.

Crossing the front lines, they seemed to have grown closer than before, which made him happy. Zion also seemed to have figured out how to talk to Clara.

Rohan approached the shattered overpass and carefully checked for vines.

He suggested to the two girls following him.

“Shall we rest here for a while? There’s quite a bit of shade.”

“Yes!”

“Let’s do that.”

As soon as Rohan started resting, he took off his jacket and threw it down carelessly, then took off his shirt.

He twisted it like a pretzel, wringing it out regardless of the wrinkles. Sweat dripped onto the ground.

Zion also hid behind a fragment out of Rohan’s sight and wrung out her tank top in her underwear.

But Clara only went as far as taking off her thick, long boots.

Among the three, Clara sweated the least, but that didn’t mean she didn’t sweat at all. The problem was her outfit, which was difficult to deal with.

“Clara. Do you need more water?”

“I still have some water left…”

Rohan, with his shirt messily crumpled, sat next to Clara.

The anxiety that had been visible when the girl first fell into the dungeon was no longer there.

“Are you hungry? Or do you want something sweet?”

“We just ate not too long ago. I’m fine.”

Clara answered Rohan’s question with a shy smile.

She could feel Rohan’s kindness as he constantly checked on her and Sion’s condition.

‘Really, I’m so glad to have you, oppa…’

In moments like these, she truly felt that Rohan was older.

It was an intuition that couldn’t be proven, but skills were just a part of Rohan’s abilities.

Following his broad back, she was certain they could escape this dungeon. It made her feel at ease.

“Rohan. Wouldn’t it be better to eat during the next break rather than now?”

Sion, now properly dressed, came out and sat next to the two resting people.

“Shall we? Clara, is that okay with you?”

“Yes! I think it’s better to do as unni says.”

Before they knew it, the two girls’ way of addressing each other had changed.

It was a significant improvement.

“….”

The three of them leisurely enjoyed their rest under the shade created by the overpass.

They didn’t particularly engage in conversation. Yet, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Let’s move now.”

Rohan’s words after finishing his bottled water. Zion and Clara prepared without a word.

Clara began to put her feet into the boots she had taken off and started tying the laces, while Zion repositioned his goggles and stood up.

Zion moved his head around to check if he had dropped anything.

Rohan, while putting on his clothes, took in the sight of Zion.

And then he saw something curious.

‘Huh?’

It wasn’t a mistake. The corners of Zion’s mouth were slightly raised.

Rather than feeling pleased, Rohan’s heart sank at the sight.

‘What is this…?’

From noble mtl dot com

There was nothing he could think of that would make Zion so happy.

In this heat, with exhausting battles continuing, seeing a happy face was naturally worrisome.

When Rohan stopped adjusting his clothes and looked over,

Zion, reading his gaze, rarely covered his mouth with a cloth, as if embarrassed.

“…I must have looked ridiculous.”

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not crazy from the heat.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but…”

Rohan moved his hand again, but his face remained uneasy.

Seeing this, Sion replaced the faint smile on his lips with a hollow laugh.

He spoke his mind without hiding anything.

“I just… felt that spending time without being bound like this was quite enjoyable.”

Clara, who didn’t fully understand Sion’s situation, showed an ambiguous reaction.

But Rohan immediately understood why Sion was smiling.

“Sion.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll solve it as soon as we get out.”

“.”

The anticipation for Rohan’s actions in the dungeon had risen compared to before.

So Sion was at a loss for words. What should he say here?

“Let’s go.”

However, Rohan, not expecting an answer, grabbed his dagger and took the lead.

Clara, with a puzzled look on her face at their conversation, followed closely behind Rohan.

36 hours into the dungeon.

The number of monsters Rohan’s party had dealt with on their way here was countless.

The fortunate thing was that none of the three had been injured while dealing with so many monsters.

But Rohan knows.

‘The problem starts here.’

After finishing their meal and taking turns to nap, they were in the best condition they could be in for this situation.

He looks up.

The building they were aiming for came into view.

“Looks like we found it, right?”

“Indeed. It’s definitely different.”

“Haaa…”

You can tell by looking at the windows attached to the building. The inside is filled with vines.

Unlike the ones they had encountered so far, these vines had sharp thorns growing menacingly.

“Rohan. Are we entering this building now?”

“Yeah, we have to.”

“Then from here on, Clara and I should take turns leading, don’t you think?”

Clara nodded, biting her lip as if she wanted to say the same thing.

But Rohan shook his head firmly.

“No. I’m the one who has been professionally trained to deal with monsters.”

“Hmm…”

“Besides, even if my skills are lacking, I’m at least sturdy. It’s right for me to be at the front, taking the hits and dealing with them.”

Rohan spoke with the knowledge he had, but the two girls looked like they wanted to argue against his claim of being sturdy.

Still, by this point, they knew. Rohan would never yield.

“And not just from the front, but also consider attacks coming from behind. I’ll leave that to you.”

“…Understood.”

Sion and Clara nodded.

Rohan concluded the conversation there and opened the shop.

[Purchased the lowest-grade health potion.]

[Purchased the lowest-grade mana potion.]

The lowest-grade potions cost 100 points each. He bought three health potions and three mana potions.

The potions were about the size of a thumb, making them convenient to carry.

The health potion contained a red liquid that sloshed around, while the mana potion held a bluish liquid.

“Each of you take one. Don’t hesitate to drink it when you need to.”

“Is this… a potion?”

Sion observed the item with astonished eyes.

“Yes. We can get more, so don’t hesitate to use them. Clara, you understand too, right?”

“Y-yes…”

Rohan didn’t regret spending 600 points this time.

Even if complete recovery followed after clearing, immediate preparation was necessary.

Unlike Abyss City, they only had one life.

“Shall we go in then?”

At Rohan’s voice, the two girls took their potions.

They then assumed positions to be ready to deal with any monsters that might pour out immediately.

“One… Two!”

Boom! Rohan’s kick sent the door of the building flying.

The interior was revealed.