Preparing to Open a Dungeon

With that, she strode away, a corner of her white skirt lifting in the April breeze.

The people around them all wore expressions that said, "Just as I thought."

"See? I told you she just wanted to recruit Su Mu for a support role. And he actually turned her down. I really don't know what he's thinking."

"He wouldn't even latch onto an SSS-rank powerhouse. You've got to hand it to him."

"Maybe... top students really do have their pride. But can pride put food on the table? The college entrance exam is only a week away."

"An F-rank core card? What's he going to take the exam with? His head?"

Li Ming silently turned around and sighed. "Look, you turned her down, but you can't turn me down too. I'm serious, Brother Mu. Come with me, and we'll do this together."

Su Mu looked at him.

Li Ming had been his best friend since their first year of high school.

He wasn't particularly bright, but he was loyal to his friends. If he said he'd carry you, he'd stake his life on it.

"Li Ming," Su Mu said earnestly, "your Biochemical War is an A-rank technological civilization. Your best path in the future is special recruitment by the military.

"Technology-type themes get the best treatment in the military, and the path to promotion is clearest there. As long as you take it one step at a time, your future will be brighter than that of the vast majority of people. If I hold you back, I'll only disrupt the pace of your development."

Li Ming grew anxious. "Then, worst comes to worst, I just won't join the military!"

"Would your family agree to that?"

Li Ming opened his mouth but couldn't find an answer. Su Mu knew his family's situation. His father was a retired military logistics soldier who had spent his life waiting for his son to awaken a good dungeon theme and bring honor to the family name.

Su Mu smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I have my own plans. Have you forgotten my soul power and dungeon design grades?"

Li Ming froze.

Of course he hadn't forgotten.

Su Mu ranked first in dungeon design across the entire school, with a chasm between him and everyone else.

While others were still struggling to put three cards together without conflicts, Su Mu could already design a complete ten-card build cycle.

He had seen Su Mu's design drafts. Their precision and use of the rules were nothing like a high school student's.

Even with the most garbage theme, Su Mu could design something that exceeded expectations.

Su Mu had proven that fact through countless assignments and assessments over the past three years.

"Then... I'll trust you for now." Li Ming gritted his teeth. "But it's a deal. If your results aren't good later on, you have to come find me. If you don't, we can't be brothers anymore."

"All right." Su Mu smiled, his gaze serious.

The people around them found the sight of the two brothers' deep bond a little funny.

"What the hell good are good design grades? Give you a rock, and could you make flowers bloom from it?"

"The Monster Nest Trial will show what everyone's really made of."

"There's only a week left until the college entrance exam. What can someone who hasn't even designed a dungeon use to compete with everyone else?"

"Forget them. Worry about yourself instead. My core card's only C-rank, and I still haven't decided on a subject..."

The news that his class change was complete, his core card was F-rank, and his theme was a special type briefly stirred through the crowd for a few minutes. Then, like a stone sinking into the sea, it failed to raise any more waves.

Because for most people, something else was more important right now...

The college entrance exam a week away.

According to the procedure, after awakening, everyone needed to make the most of their time to familiarize themselves with their dungeon themes and design and build their initial dungeons. Then, under the school's organization, they would head to the north gate for the Monster Nest Trial, opened especially for students who had just awakened their dungeons, and test their dungeon designs in actual combat.

Their gains from the trial would have a direct bearing on the college entrance exam that followed.

And the college entrance exam would determine which dungeon creation academy they could ultimately enter and what level of resource allocation they would receive.

A single point could defeat a thousand people.

That slogan hung in every high school and every classroom on Blue Star.

"The awakening ceremony is now concluded."

The principal's voice came from the podium, drowning out the waves of discussion still surging below. His gaze swept over the more than three thousand students as he said in a deep voice:

"Next, everyone return to your respective classes. Observation equipment and information terminals have already been prepared in the classrooms. The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourselves with your dungeon themes and create preliminary designs."

After a pause, the principal continued:

"There are teachers assigned to your classrooms. If you run into problems, you can ask them directly. Once you've completed your basic builds and confirmed that your dungeons have combat capability, you can head to the trial nest at the north gate for a practical combat test. Remember... the trial nest has three difficulty levels: normal, hard, and hell. On your first visit, be sensible and start on normal. Do everything within your abilities. Don't gamble with your lives."

A chorus of acknowledgments rose from the crowd.

"Dismissed!"

The crowd surged toward the teaching building like a tide.

Su Mu followed the flow of people toward the classroom for Class Seven of the third year. Beside him, Li Ming chattered about how he would design his Biochemical War dungeon, as excited as a child with a new toy.

"I figured it out ages ago. I'll use the biochemical mothership as the core, set up a basic barracks area first, and then see if I can slot in a few biochemical weapon cards. There are loads of reference models for technological civilizations in the textbooks. I'll copy the pattern, and it'll take two hours at most." Li Ming turned his head as he spoke. "What about you, Brother Mu? Got any ideas yet?"

Su Mu smiled without answering.

Did he have any ideas?

He had far more than ideas.

From the moment he saw the words "Journey to the West" appear on the stone stele, the entire plan had already unfolded in his mind.

When he returned to the classroom, it was already a hive of activity.

Some people opened their information terminals and frantically searched for reference build templates for their theme categories.

Some had pens in hand, drawing diagrams and scribbling on scratch paper about how to combine things, allocate resources, and position their core cards. Others simply crowded around the teacher stationed by the podium, all talking at once as they peppered the teacher with questions.

"Teacher, my core card is a Lava Giant, and my theme is a volcanic region. If I want to focus on a creature-based system, should I add creature cards first or stack terrain cards?"

"Teacher, how do you improve the combat capability of a support-type theme? Can you pass the trial relying on traps and mechanisms alone?"

"Teacher! My theme category conflicts a little with my core card's attributes. Should I reroll it..."

The teacher was run ragged, answering them one by one.

Su Mu found a seat by the window, opened his information panel, and took a look.

Name: Su Mu

Soul power: 210/210

Dungeon theme: Journey to the West (special, unique)

Core card: F-rank Stone

Dungeon status: unopened

Unopened.

The word was plain to see.

All dungeon themes were in an unopened state when first awakened.

Like an embryo of chaos, a theme had to be expanded and shaped with the awakener's soul power before it could become a true dungeon space usable in battle.

Su Mu looked up at the large screen at the front of the classroom.

It displayed the steps and precautions for "opening a dungeon with soul power."

Step one: connect your consciousness to the theme's core.

Step two: expand the cloud of chaos with soul power to form a basic space.

Step three: build elements such as terrain, structures, creatures, and traps within the space.

Step four: place the core card in the dungeon to complete the binding.

Step five: test-run it, correct conflicts, and confirm its combat capability.