The prompt for the system quest update came as no surprise to Greg.
This was because the Hundred Academy Exchange was being held in the Imperial Capital, and directly beneath the city lay one of the massive Five Great Dungeons.
He had long since prepared a contingency plan: if the system updated to the Phase Three quest by then, he would simply clear the Imperial Capital Dungeon to complete it.
After all, for the sake of his future happiness, he was definitely attending the exchange event.
The only difference lay in the change in the number of targets to conquer.
In the Academy Dungeon, he only needed to defeat the Floor Boss of the third layer to complete the task.
In the Imperial Capital Dungeon, however, he would need to defeat all three Floor Bosses from the first to the third layer in sequence.
At first glance, the difficulty seemed to skyrocket, but for him, it actually made things easier.
This was because the Imperial Capital Dungeon did not have a restriction at its entrance like the Academy Dungeon did.
Which meant he could summon his super-enforcer, Allie, to conquer it alongside him!
With a partner whose swordsmanship verged on the divine holding down the fort, let alone the third-layer boss, he could even give the fourth layer a shot.
Thus, the Phase Three quest would present no actual difficulty for him whatsoever.
However, another matter completely exceeded his expectations.
He clearly remembered that across all routes and side stories in the original game, there was no setting where Alice served as Victoria's Instructor.
That timid, research-obsessed purple-haired Instructor and this stubborn gray-haired girl of commoner background should never have formed a direct mentor-disciple connection.
So when Victoria appeared before him as his Junior Sister, Greg felt genuine surprise.
He quickly made up an excuse for the disciples to get acquainted first, pulling Victoria to a relatively quiet corner at the edge of the training grounds.
The afternoon sunlight was blocked by the high wall, casting a cool shade that separated the two of them from the noisy crowd not far away.
"Little Gray."
Greg crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly, scrutinizing the gray-haired girl in front of him.
"Be honest. How did you end up as Alice's disciple? Don't tell me you picked her as your Instructor on purpose because you have a secret crush on me?"
Hearing this, Victoria froze for a second, then held her head high as if she had just heard the most hilarious joke. Her long gray hair swayed gently with the movement, and her gray eyes were filled with undisguised disgust.
"A crush on a scumbag like you? Don't make me laugh!"
She put her hands on her hips, her tone dripping with ruthless mockery. "I didn't even get the chance to choose an Instructor before I was directly assigned here, okay!? If I had known I'd be assigned to the same Instructor as a guy like you, I'd have rather died than agree!"
Directly assigned?
Greg's brow twitched slightly.
He remembered that in the original game, students could submit applications to their preferred Instructors based on their exam scores.
Yet now, she had been assigned under Alice's name...
Could this also be a butterfly effect caused by some of his previous actions?
He fell into thought.
While Greg was pondering, Victoria suddenly grew quiet.
Her gray eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had noticed something unusual, her gaze scanning back and forth across Greg.
First, she sized up his overall figure, moving her eyes from his shoulders down to his waistline, and then to the contours of his arms.
Then, before Greg could react, she suddenly stepped forward, reached out, and squeezed the muscle on his arm without any hesitation.
Victoria's fingertips lingered on the firm muscle for two seconds, as if verifying something, before she pulled back.
Her expression rapidly shifted from confusion to gravity.
"Greg."
Her voice suddenly dropped, carrying a judge-like severity. Her gray eyes fixed on him like two cold coins.
"Kneel down first. I have a question for you."
"?"
Greg froze for a second, then burst out laughing in disbelief. "Heh, Little Gray, who do you think you are? You actually expect me to—"
"Did you take that item we got last time and secretly go clear the dungeon again without calling me?"
Victoria's voice was calm, but it struck like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.
Greg's voice cut off abruptly.
The smile on his face froze for half a second. Then, with an awe-inspiring smoothness, his knees bent and he dropped obediently onto his knees, a somewhat flattering smile plastered across his face:
"Hehehe, my dear Junior Sister, why bring that up? That's far too distant! Look at the relationship between us, right—"
Victoria continued to stare at him, her gray eyes unwavering. "Did you secretly get stronger behind my back again?"
Greg's eyes wandered as he tried to change the subject: "Ah, look, those potato chips over there seem to be on sale, we should—"
Victoria gave him no chance to evade.
She lifted a foot and stepped directly onto Greg's thigh, leaning forward slightly to look down at him from above.
The posture caused her gray hair to drape down, forming a hazy veil between the two of them. Her voice harbored suppressed anger, each word driving like a nail into Greg's ears:
"You've got some nerve, Greg. Using the item we got together to hog all the action?"
Greg capitulated instantly, his tone so humble it was a textbook-level smooth slide:
"I'm sorry, I was wrong! I'll definitely compensate you guys properly later! Please forgive this ordinary scumbag!!!"
"Eh—Victoria? What are you doing with Senior Greg?"
A soft voice suddenly sounded nearby, carrying a hint of surprise and confusion.
The two turned their heads simultaneously, greeted by a familiar shade of pink.
Silvia stood there, her hands lightly clasped in front of her as she tilted her head. Her gentle eyes were filled with confusion as she took in the bizarre scene before her—a gray-haired girl stepping on a blonde boy's thigh while looking down on him, while the one being stepped on knelt on the ground devoid of dignity, a flattering smile plastered on his face.
She began to ponder seriously: Could Senior Greg actually prefer this kind of thing?
"Silvia!"
Greg almost yelled out, his eyes shining with the brilliance of seeing a savior. "Quick, help me talk some sense into her—"
Victoria pulled her foot back, stood upright, and took a few steps to Silvia's side, hands on her hips:
"Listen to me, Silvia! This guy Greg actually used the item we got together to hog all the action! He secretly got stronger by himself without saying a word!"
"I-Is that so...?"
Silvia blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. She looked at Greg, whose face was filled with aggrieved innocence, and then at Victoria, who was puffing with anger.
Then, she stepped forward, gently pulled Victoria's arm, and persuaded her in a soft voice:
"But Senior Greg must have had a reason for doing that, right? Besides, Senior said he would definitely compensate us, didn't he? So, please forgive Senior this once?"
Victoria huffed, but her tone noticeably softened. "I know this guy Greg must have had a reason... but..."
She shot a cross glance at Greg, who was still kneeling on the ground, her gray eyes carrying a lingering trace of suspicion:
"I just have a feeling... this isn't the first time he's hogged all the action behind my back."
Rate on N.U.
