She gestured awkwardly toward the crater, like pointing at it might make it less obvious that a human being had been launched into it.

  The silence that followed was brutal.

  It stretched on long enough for Austin to feel his spirit detach from his body and hover above the scene in secondhand embarrassment.

  That has to be the weakest cover story of all time, he thought, fighting the urge to bury his face in his hands. Still… he appreciated the attempt. Defending Logan right now was like trying to explain why a bull had exploded through a china shop.

  Lady Elvareth's eyes narrowed a fraction more.

  "I see," she said flatly.

  Her tone carried the exact energy of a teacher who knew someone was lying but hadn't yet decided how much effort to spend punishing them.

  Before Lira could dig the grave deeper, Ariana stepped forward with dramatic confidence, placing a hand over her heart like she was delivering testimony in a royal courtroom.

  "Lady Elvareth," Ariana began smoothly, "you must remember that Logan is—how shall I put this—hard-headed."

  "Ariana," Lira hissed, mortified.

  "And," Ariana continued, utterly unfazed, "dare I say… stupid."

  A few students behind Lady Elvareth made choking noises trying to smother laughter.

  Ariana pressed on in her best polished presentation voice. "Unlike my smart and inquisitive Austin, Logan was likely startled by a rabbicorn, tripped over his own feet, and consequently suffered a most unfortunate collision with that wall—thus rendering himself unconscious."

  Behind them, someone snorted outright.

  Even Cedric's shoulders twitched, though he pretended to cough into his fist.

  Lady Elvareth stared at Ariana, expression unreadable.

  Then she looked at the crater.

  Then at Logan.

  Then—slowly—back to Austin again.

  Austin held perfectly still, throat dry, heart hammering. The green glow from Selvara's healing lit the edge of his knuckles, and the realization sank in with cold clarity:

  Whatever happened next, he wasn't just some random guy in a dungeon anymore.

  He was noticed.

  Austin pressed his lips together and turned his head toward Ariana, doing everything in his power to keep his face neutral.

  It was a losing battle.

  His cheeks twitched. His throat tightened. A laugh threatened to burst out of him like a sneeze.

  Okay, he thought, that cover story was just as terrible as Lira's—only with more words and the kind of confidence you'd expect from someone presenting a school project they didn't actually research.

  Still… the impulse behind it warmed something in his chest.

  They tried. Both of them. Even if it sounded like they'd rolled for persuasion with a minus-two Charisma and a broken dice.

  Lady Elvareth, however, was not the type of person whose patience could be stretched indefinitely—especially not in a dungeon, with students watching, and one noble heir currently decorating the floor.

  Her expression hardened. She lifted her chin slightly, like a judge about to deliver a sentence.

  "My patience has long since passed," she said, her voice sharp and cold—like ice cracking across stone. "And I will not stand for any more of these ridiculous explanations."

  The air seemed to tighten.

  Even the whispering students behind her went quiet, as if they'd collectively remembered they had lungs and should maybe not use them right now.

  "While Sir Logan's behavior toward his peers is…" Lady Elvareth's eyes flicked briefly toward Logan's unconscious form, "…lacking in maturity," she continued, "his claims of skill are not unfounded. He is indeed one of the most durable students in this academy."

  Her gaze slid to the dent in the shield, then up to the crater in the wall. The frown on her face deepened until it looked carved there.

  "That being said," she went on, "I do not believe any rabbicorn could best him in a fight—especially not while the rest of you are present."

  Then her attention shifted.

  Directly.

  To Austin.

  Her eyes locked onto him like the targeting reticle of a high-level boss.

  "This leaves you," she said.

  Calm tone. Clean words.

  Not pleased in the slightest.

  Austin felt the dungeon grow heavier, like someone had poured lead into the air. Oh boy, he thought, here it comes.

  "I am not able to recall every student by memory as of yet," Lady Elvareth said, her eyes narrowing, "but I most certainly do not remember hearing of you… nor your sovereignty clan."

  The silence after that was brutal.

  Austin could hear his own heartbeat, loud and stupid in his ears. He could almost feel every set of eyes in the tunnel turning inward, tightening, waiting for him to mess up.

  Lying was off the table. Not with her. Not after those pathetic attempts at damage control.

  Alright, he thought, truth it is. If this goes south, I'll just have to sprint down one of the tunnels and pray no one has a spell that turns people into ash.

  He straightened his posture—not because he felt brave, but because he knew slouching would make him look guiltier.

  "My full name is Austin Lucas," he said, voice steady despite the dry scrape in his throat. "And I'm not part of any faction. I'm not an heir to any sovereignty."

  Lady Elvareth raised one eyebrow. Her expression didn't soften. It didn't harden either. It simply… waited.

  Austin pushed forward.

  "I'm new to the town," he continued. "I met Lady Lira when I first arrived. When I saw her again today, she invited me to come along and watch her team—so I could see how an experienced noble party operates down here."

  He swallowed, then added quietly, "I truly didn't mean to cause trouble."

  He meant it.

  Every word.

  And the sincerity in his tone was enough that even Ariana—who looked like she lived for dramatic chaos—stopped smirking for once.

  Lady Elvareth studied him for a long moment, gaze sharp and searching.

  "Whether you intended to cause trouble is not the matter," she replied. "What matters now is the situation at hand."

  Before she could continue, Lira stepped forward quickly, like she couldn't stand the weight of the moment another second.

  "Lady Elvareth, please," Lira said, respectful but urgent. "Do not be so hard on Austin. It truly wasn't his fault."

  She hesitated, then glanced toward Logan—still unconscious, still being healed by a very irritated Selvara whose green light pulsed with reluctant competence.

  "It was… more of a misunderstanding," Lira continued, voice strained. "Between Logan's pride… and Austin's honesty."

  Lady Elvareth's gaze flicked between them, unimpressed.

  Lira took a small step closer, lowering her voice. "Also," she added more quietly, "Austin has been a great help to me since his arrival. I wouldn't even be here today if not for him."

  She leaned in, speaking softer still—too soft for anyone else to fully catch. Austin couldn't hear every word, but he caught fragments. Illness. Help. The first days in town.

  And then—unfortunately—he heard the phrase strength test incident.

  Austin inwardly winced. Of course that part made it into the summary.

  Lady Elvareth's eyes changed almost imperceptibly. Not warm—never truly warm—but the sharpest edge dulled. The heavy frown eased by a fraction, as if Lira's words forced her to reconsider her first impression.

  When Lira finally stepped back, Lady Elvareth straightened, folding her hands behind her back with composed authority.

  "It seems," she said slowly, "that I may have overestimated Sir Logan's toughness… if someone who frequents the first floor can cause this level of damage."

  Austin blinked.

  Wait… was that a compliment?

  Or a roast?

  Before he could decide, Lady Elvareth continued, voice crisp.

  "Either way, I will be having a word with him later."

  The way she said a word sounded less like a conversation and more like a scheduled execution.

  "As for the situation between you, Mr. Lucas, and Sir Logan," she went on, "I will overlook it—given that he invited the strike."

  Austin exhaled so hard his lungs almost protested. His shoulders loosened a notch.

  Thank God for small miracles.

  Cedric, who apparently could not help himself, adjusted his glasses with a thoughtful gleam. "I do have to say," he murmured, "that kind of impact is… impressive. For someone to generate that force, their Strength stat would likely need to exceed the target's by at least fifteen levels."

  Lady Elvareth turned toward him so sharply he practically flinched.

  "Now is not the time for your calculations, Cedric."

  Cedric froze mid-motion, hand lowering as though gravity doubled. "Understood, Lady Elvareth."

  "When you are in a dungeon," Lady Elvareth continued, voice biting, "you would be better served focusing on how to aid your team so they do not get launched into a wall."

  Cedric nodded faintly. "…Fair point."

  Lady Elvareth's attention shifted back to Lira, and the temperature dropped again.

  "On the other hand," she said, tone colder, "since you failed to prevent harm to your team and did not recognize the danger in time, I will be reporting this incident to the head principal. We will also be having a private discussion later."

  Lira's eyes widened, color draining slightly from her face. "Lady Elvareth, please. It was Logan's recklessness, not—"

  "Enough," Lady Elvareth said, cutting her off with a small, final gesture. "You will have your chance to explain later."

  Lira's mouth shut, but the tension in her jaw screamed that she wanted to argue anyway.

  Then Lady Elvareth turned back toward Austin.

  "As for you, Mr. Lucas," she said, voice firm, "it would be best if you leave the dungeon for now."

  Before Austin could respond, she motioned sharply to two armored guards who had been waiting just behind the student group.

  "Escort him out," she ordered. "I would rather not have any more… surprises."

  Austin lifted both hands slightly, palms out, in immediate surrender. "No arguments here," he said. "I was planning to leave voluntarily anyway."

  The guards moved to flank him, metal boots scraping stone. Austin glanced back at Lira's team—Logan still out cold, Selvara still glowing green with irritation, Ariana still looking amused, Cedric still trying not to look fascinated, and Lira… tense and worried beneath her composure.

  Austin offered an apologetic half-smile.

  "Sorry for the mess," he said quietly. "Guess I don't know my own strength."

  Lira's face tightened as Lady Elvareth's order settled over the group like a weight. For a moment, her expression faltered—caught between guilt and frustration, like she was watching something unfair happen and being forced to swallow it. She looked as though she wanted to take a step forward, to argue, to insist this wasn't right.

  But then she met Lady Elvareth's gaze.

  That steely, immovable stare didn't just warn—it stopped people.

  Lira's shoulders drew subtly inward, the fight in her dying down into something quieter and sharper. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she looked away, eyes dropping to the stone floor. She didn't speak again, but the tension in her jaw and the stiffness in her posture made it obvious she was simmering beneath her composure.

  Ariana, however, did not simmer.

  She boiled.

  "He should stay!" Ariana blurted, stepping forward before she could catch herself. Her voice rang through the cavern, bright and defiant. "At least until Logan wakes up and confirms he asked for it! It's not fair to kick Austin out when he didn't even start it!"

  The statement hung in the air like a thrown gauntlet.

  From across the cavern, Selvara glanced up from where she knelt beside Logan's limp body, hands still glowing with soft green light. Even she—sharp-tongued and perpetually unimpressed—looked irritated on Austin's behalf.

  "She's right," Selvara said, her tone clipped but firm. "Austin wasn't the one picking the fight."

  The dungeon seemed to hold its breath.

  For a long, tense moment, the only sound was the steady drip… drip… drip of water somewhere deeper in the tunnels, each echo stretching just a little too long. The magical wall lamps flickered, throwing shifting shadows across Lady Elvareth's crossed arms—arms that made her look less like an instructor and more like a statue of judgment carved from stone.

  Her disapproving stare didn't waver.

  Not for Ariana's outrage.

  Not for Selvara's agreement.

  Not even for the fact that Logan was still sprawled out like he'd been struck by divine punishment.

  Austin looked from face to face—Ariana's stubborn glare, Selvara's quiet support, Cedric's carefully neutral expression, and Lira's worried eyes that kept darting between him and Lady Elvareth like she was trying to calculate a way out of this without making it worse.

  Something in his chest softened.

  A small, tired smile tugged at his lips—not because the situation was funny, but because… somehow, these people had still tried. They'd defended him, even when it was inconvenient, even when it earned them a glare that could freeze blood.

  "It's fine," Austin said gently, shaking his head. He kept his voice calm, almost casual, like he could smooth this over by refusing to make it a bigger problem. "Really."

  He lifted a hand slightly, an easy gesture—though inside, his nerves were still humming.

  "You guys have training to finish," he continued, eyes flicking briefly to Logan's unconscious body and the ruined shield. "And I've got my own kind of training to get back to."

  His words weren't a lie. He could feel it now—how far behind he actually was. How much he didn't know. How dangerous it would be to keep stumbling through this world without leveling up properly.

  Austin nodded once more to Lira and the others, offering an apologetic look that was meant to say I'm sorry this turned into a disaster, and then turned to follow the guards.

  As they led him away, the cavern's air seemed to grow colder, the tunnel swallowing him in dim light and damp stone. His footsteps echoed between the walls, mixing with the clink of the guards' armor. He didn't look back, but he could feel the weight of eyes on him all the same.

  And then came the whispers.

  Low at first, like the dungeon itself was gossiping.

  "Did he really take out Logan with one kick?"

  "No—no, it was a punch!"

  "Well, I'm glad someone finally put him in his place."

  "Yeah. He definitely had it coming."

  Austin kept his gaze forward, face carefully blank, acting like he didn't hear a single word.

  But the corners of his mouth twitched upward anyway, betraying him.

  Guess I've officially gone viral, he thought. At least in the noble academy rumor mill.

  He pictured it spreading through hallways, whispered between classes, exaggerated with every retelling until the story involved him shattering Logan's shield with one finger and launching him into orbit.

  Not exactly the quiet, low-profile life he'd been aiming for.

  The guards guided him through a stretch of tunnels before stopping at a wide stone archway where several passageways branched off like the veins of a living thing. One of the tunnels sloped upward, carrying a faint breath of fresher air that smelled less like damp rock and more like the outside world.

  The guard pointed without looking at him. "This way leads to the exit."

  Austin nodded. "Appreciate it."

  He gave them a quick, casual salute—half joking, half sincere—and then stepped into the tunnel alone. Muttering a simple phrase.

  "Um," a student said in the back. "Does anyone know what Skadoosh means? Is that a new incantation?"

  The dungeon's light faded behind Austin as he walked toward the exit, the echoes of whispered rumors trailing after him like shadows that refused to let go.

  Chapter nine

  Austin wandered down the dirt road that led back toward the city like he had all the time in the world, hands laced behind his head, elbows flared wide. The sun sat high overhead—bright and unapologetic—warming the top of his hair and the back of his neck. After the dungeon's cold dampness, the heat felt almost unreal, like he'd stepped out of a basement and into summer.

  Each step kicked up little puffs of dust. The road smelled like dry earth and crushed grass, and somewhere off to the side, insects buzzed lazily in the weeds. It should've been peaceful.

  But his mind wouldn't stop replaying what he'd just seen.

  Logan flying.

  The shield buckling.

  Lady Elvareth's stare pinning him to the ground without even a spell.

  And then Lira's team—moving through that dungeon like it was a practiced dance instead of a death maze.

  He exhaled through his nose, trying to shake off the lingering adrenaline. He'd planned to grind all day like usual—hours of rabbicorns, steady gains, simple routine. But after watching that party operate like pros, it felt… stupid to charge right back in without thinking.

  Man, he thought, those guys made the dungeon look like a playground. Like an easy-mode tutorial. I definitely need to step up my game.

  He'd been surviving. Barely. Scraping by on instincts and luck and the occasional clever trick. Meanwhile, they were playing an entirely different game—team synergy, buffs, rotations, heals on rhythm.

  He wasn't just behind.

  He was outclassed.

  By the time the city gates came into view, the sun had climbed a little higher, and Austin's stomach had started to remind him he hadn't actually eaten since… whenever. The air near the entrance was thick with movement—more people than he was used to seeing at this hour.

  Dozens of adventurers streamed in and out like a tide. Leather armor squeaked. Metal clinked. Blades bumped against scabbards with every step. Voices overlapped into a constant hum—boasting, bargaining, complaining, laughing.

  Near the gates, merchants had set up pushcarts and little makeshift stalls, like they could sense profit on the wind. Bottles of potion liquid caught the sunlight and glittered like jewels. A man shouted about discounted bandages. Another waved a short sword around like he was trying to hypnotize someone into buying it.