"But... close the gap in talent? How could I possibly do that?"
Greg felt a wave of helplessness.
Strictly speaking, after all, he was an undeniably poor student himself.
"Tch. What a pain."
Just as Greg was getting a headache over this, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. The text on the System Quest Panel seemed to have changed.
He immediately focused his attention on it.
Beneath the words [Redemption of the Villainous Noble: First Phase complete], a new quest description slowly appeared:
[Redemption of the Villainous Noble (Second Phase): Successfully clear the Second Floor of the Academy Dungeon before the end of the Story's Second Act.]
"Hey, hey, hey! I only just finished one phase, and you're starting the next without even letting me catch my breath?! What am I, your personal pack mule?!"
Greg raged inwardly.
Clearing the First Floor had brought enormous rewards, but it had nearly killed him. It took no genius to know that the Second Floor would only be harder!
Just as Greg began to feel he could barely keep his own head above water, his brilliant mind suddenly came up with a wonderful idea.
"Why don't I just find a way to talk Vivian into clearing the Dungeon with me?!"
After all, fighting in the Dungeon was another way to grow stronger. Unlike learning from books, this method wasn't limited by talent!
In exchange, however, it was extremely dangerous. One careless moment could leave you buried in the Dungeon forever. This was the real world, with no option to reload a save.
Greg quickly calmed down and began rationally analyzing the feasibility of this crazy idea.
After all, he wasn't some selflessly devoted lapdog. Especially now, Vivian was merely a character he felt sorry for, so she