"From here on out, this is the second layer. Although it's still just the shallow section, the monsters that appear here are generally a step up in strength compared to the first layer—they're considerably more troublesome in terms of aggressiveness, defense, and special abilities."
After passing through a long, sloping stone tunnel, Greg was the first to step into a wider underground space.
He paused and turned sideways to warn Vivian, who followed close behind. His tone carried his usual sense of caution, but lacked the casualness he had on the surface, taking on a touch of the vigilance unique to exploring a dungeon.
"So, from now on, be extra careful with every step you take. There are no professors to call a time-out here, nor are there any medics coming to rescue us."
Vivian nodded slightly, quietly observing this realm completely foreign to her with a look of pure curiosity in her ice-blue eyes.
Unlike the first layer, which was entirely made up of natural caves, the second layer featured the ruins of ancient structures, creating a much stronger sense of oppression.
Ahead, ancient stone pillars that had broken for unknown reasons leaned haphazardly in every direction like the bones of giants, supporting structures or half-buried in rubble and dust.
The ground was rugged and uneven, strewn with rocks of various sizes and unrecognizable debris.
Because Lady Eight-Legs had previously occupied the entrance leading to the second layer, the students participating in the trials had their activities restricted to the deep section of the first layer at most.
Thus, even as the Student Council President, this was Vivian's first time actually stepping foot into this unknown realm known as the second layer.
The wild yet oddly attractive scene before her quietly revived her long-dormant curiosity.
"Let's keep moving."
Greg's voice interrupted Vivian's observation.
"The shallow section around here has basically been cleared out by Little Gr—er, cleared out by me. There's nothing worth lingering for."
He had almost let slip "Little Gray," but fortunately corrected himself in time.
Although he didn't know how Vivian currently viewed Victoria, bringing up another girl in a situation like this didn't seem quite appropriate.
With that, he set off, taking the lead toward the deeper fork in the road. He skillfully avoided obstacles on the ground, his posture appearing agile and alert in the dim light.
Vivian withdrew her gaze, casting one last glance at the mysterious symbols remaining on the broken stone pillars. Then she stepped forward, following neither too close nor too far behind Greg, maintaining a distance of about two or three steps.
Her steps were equally steady and light; even on the uneven ground, she made almost no unnecessary noise, displaying excellent balance and body control.
The remainder of the journey passed in a nearly stagnant silence.
There were only the faint sounds of the two stepping over rubble and the rhythmic echoing of water dripping in the distance, interweaving into the subterranean world's sole background noise.
"..."
Amidst the silence, Greg couldn't help but quietly tilt his head, catching a glimpse of the person behind him out of the corner of his eye.
Her long ice-blue hair seemed to emit a soft glow in the dim light, and her delicate profile looked somewhat surreal amidst the interplay of light and shadow.
Vivian pressed her lips together slightly, her ice-blue eyes occasionally scanning the stone walls on either side or the faint contours in the distant darkness. Her expression was focused, yet carried a strange sense of calmness.
She simply followed, not asking about directions or questioning the route. She didn't even show the slightest surprise or curiosity regarding Greg's overwhelming familiarity with the dungeon environment.
"This feels a little weird..."
Greg muttered to himself.
"Even if I said I could help her increase her strength, isn't this... trusting me a bit too much?"
After all, this was a dungeon, a place where lethal danger could strike at any moment.
She just follows me like this without a word, without questioning my motives, asking about my plan, or even reacting to my familiarity with the dungeon environment—far beyond what an ordinary student should possess?
Could she really not be worried that... I'm intentionally leading her into a dangerous spot, or that I have some other ulterior motive?
An absurd thought suddenly popped into Greg's mind, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch slightly:
"Could it be... that this Her Highness Princess and Student Council President, who seems calm and self-possessed on the surface, is actually the type who looks shrewd on the outside but is naive at heart—the kind who'd happily count the money after being sold out?"
This idea caused him to inexplicably feel a wave of guilt and a hint of... subtle remorse.
Although his original intention was indeed to make use of Vivian's power to clear the Boss while helping her level up along the way, being trusted so unreservedly by her actually made him feel a little uncomfortable.
As if trying to dispel that strange sense of guilt, Greg slowed his pace. Once Vivian walked up to be almost side-by-side with him, he cleared his throat and took the initiative to break the silence:
"Um... Vivian."
"Hm?"
Vivian turned her head at his voice, her ice-blue eyes looking at him calmly, seemingly waiting for what he had to say next.
"Don't you... have anything you want to ask?"
Greg weighed his words carefully, his gaze scanning the gloomy ruins surrounding them:
"Like... why I'm so familiar with the second layer of the dungeon? Or... whether what I told you in the Student Council office about helping you increase your strength was actually true? Or what the exact plan is for coming here?"
He tossed out a string of questions, trying to nudge Vivian into questioning him, or at least showing a bit of proper vigilance.
However, Vivian's reaction was completely beyond his expectation.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she stopped in her tracks, turned around, and faced Greg directly.
In the dimness, her ice-blue eyes were like two bottomless pools of cold water, gazing quietly at him as though trying to see right through his amber eyes to the deepest recesses of his heart.
After a brief silence, she spoke. Her voice was as cool and quiet as ever, yet the question she asked was entirely unrelated to anything Greg had anticipated:
"Greg... do you hate me?"
"Huh?"
Greg was completely stunned, his mind temporarily unable to process what was happening.
He blinked, almost suspecting he had misheard.
Hate her?
What kind of question was that?
Was now really the time to be discussing this?
He instinctively answered:
"Hate you? Why ask that all of a sudden? I've never hated you."
He said this with absolute certainty.
Because in his own perception and judgment of Vivian as a character, the word "hate" had indeed never existed.
Having received her answer, Vivian didn't press further, nor did she explain why she had suddenly asked.
She simply gave a gentle nod. Deep within her ice-blue eyes, something infinitesimally small seemed to melt away without a sound.
"Mm, I see."
She uttered a soft response. Then, turning back around, she stepped forward and resumed her walk, leaving Greg with nothing but her straight, quiet back and a light, airy remark:
"I have no other questions."
Greg: "..."
Standing on the spot, he watched Vivian's unhesitating figure. He subconsciously raised a hand to scratch the blond hair on the back of his head, his face a complete picture of confusion and bewilderment.
Wait... that's it?
She just asked such an... irrelevant question?
And then had no other questions?
Where was the logic in this?
"Is she... could she really be a silly girl?! An ice-beauty on the outside, but actually naive and gullible on the inside?"
Greg felt his understanding take quite a hit.
He began to seriously doubt whether his judgment of Vivian had suffered from some fundamental misunderstanding right from the start.
Yet ahead of him, on Vivian's ice-like, perfect profile, her tightly pressed lips subtly curved upward into an almost imperceptible, microscopic smile—at an angle Greg couldn't see.
Rate on N.U.
