I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City Chapter 55

In Abyss City, the way monsters co into existence varies depending on their type.

So monsters reproduce by mating within their species, while others, such as chanical or elental beings that lack conventional reproductive thods, appear in this world through special processes.

These special processes can be divided into two main categories.

The first is dinsional rifts, presud to connect to other worlds. These rifts often appear suddenly in mid-air, causing widespread destruction. Among the most infamous examples is the Void Whale. This creature, capable of creating dinsional rifts inside its massive maw, completely wiped the southern superpower, Solarea, off the map.

The second is the black obelisk, the Monolith, which had just swallowed Rohan and the two girls.

While Monoliths differ in form from dinsional rifts, they share the sa trait of spawning monsters. However, at so point, they also began to exhibit a new phenonon—transporting people within a certain range to another space.

"And that ‘soday’ just so happens to be today."

The spaces guided by Monoliths would later be referred to as dungeons in Abyss City. Even without stepping inside, the term feels intuitive.

“...”

Rohan, who had been lying on the ground, opened his eyes. The first thing that filled his vision was a blazing sun high in the sky.

He turned his head from side to side to survey the area. Fortunately, there were no dangerous creatures in sight.

What he did see were shattered statues, broken stained glass, and cracked walls that let sunlight stream through.

"This isn’t a church... it’s that temple..."

The structure suggested that there should have been a ceiling above the walls at so point. The vines clinging to the statues and walls indicated the place had been abandoned for a long ti.

The temperature against his skin felt as hot as midsumr. The faint breeze slipping through the cracks in the walls was more like a scorching gust.

It was obvious to anyone that this place was no longer Academy City, Elysium.

“Ugh…”

“Mmm…”

Rohan gently patted the backs of Clara and Shion, who had collapsed on top of him, murmuring in their sleep.

Since they had clung to each other tightly at the last mont, they ended up in this heap. It was fortunate he was the one pinned on the bottom.

'No injuries, it seems.'

Both Clara and Shion appeared to have simply fallen asleep.

They exhaled rhythmic breaths, their soft touch and faintly sweet scent flooding Rohan’s senses.

Normally, this would have been the kind of situation where he’d be singing the national anthem in his head to calm himself.

But his mind was already ice-cold, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

The ominousness of the Monolith, the tension it had instilled, still made his muscles rigid.

“Phew…”

Letting out a long breath, Rohan began organizing his thoughts while waiting for the two girls to wake up naturally.

It was a brief but precious mont of quiet reflection.

His thoughts were jumbled, and he needed to sort through the information.

‘The first dungeon… was supposed to be the protagonist’s encounter.’

If this was the first dungeon brought about by the Monolith, then again, there was no need to speculate—he knew this place.

Could being caught up in this be dismissed as re coincidence? The sense that he was stepping into the protagonist’s role grew stronger with each passing mont.

[ The Nation That Worships the Sun ]

◇ Quest Objective: A Monolith, the symbol of chaos, has appeared in Academy City. Escape the twisted space safely with your companions!

◇ Type: Ergency

◇ Rewards: 3,000P, Full Party Recovery, 1 use of Seneca’s Luck

◇ Failure Penalty: None

"The Nation That Worships the Sun… and the temple..."

Rohan carefully read the notification window, reviewing the information.

He recognized this dungeon. While its difficulty wasn’t insurmountable, having prior knowledge was a stroke of incredible luck.

‘Points are always good, full recovery is great, but… what’s Seneca’s Luck? I’ve never seen that before.’

As he pondered the unfamiliar reward, Clara and Shion began to stir.

“Ugh… Oppa…?”

“Ugh! Where is this…?”

The two girls, spurred by Rohan’s gentle patting, groggily lifted their heads.

“Are you both okay? No injuries?”

Clara, startled, quickly scrambled off of him. Shion blinked a few tis before sitting on the stone floor and swiftly checking her body.

“I-I’m fine…”

“All my equipnt is intact, and I’m uninjured. The question is, where are we?”

Freed from the weight on him, Rohan slowly sat up. Simultaneously, he started the tir on his smartphone to track the ti.

After completing that, he looked out through the cracks in the walls to check their surroundings.

‘As I thought.’

The place they were in evoked the feeling of so ancient cultural relic. Beyond it, however, was a cityscape filled with modern buildings rivaling those of Academy City.

But there were no people. The area lacked any signs of life.

Every glass window was shattered, and the signs were either crumpled or overgrown with vines. There wasn’t a single spot that seed to have electricity.

The ground, too, alternated between cracked asphalt, broken paving stones, and areas completely upturned.

‘It’s not entirely without problems.’

Upon closer inspection, the issues beca apparent.

While Abyss City had portrayed dungeons in a stage-like format, the actual size of a materialized dungeon was never simplified.

This one was absurdly vast.

When Rohan turned back from the wall, he saw Shion and Clara waiting for him to explain what he had seen.

"Oppa, are we...?"

"It’s okay, Clara. Don’t worry. I’ll handle this sohow."

First, Rohan needed to calm Clara, who was particularly unsettled by the mysterious location and phenona. Only then could she perform at her best.

"Rohan, did you see anything?"

"For now, there are no people, and I can’t see any monsters either."

"Hmm."

Shion stepped closer and peered through the cracks in the wall to confirm for herself.

"The temperature’s strange. This isn’t Academy City’s weather."

"It feels like midsumr. Are you okay with the heat?"

Both girls nodded in response to Rohan’s question, which was a relief.

"I’m not great with the cold, but I can handle heat just fine."

"This is tolerable for now, but if we move too much, we’ll probably start sweating."

Clara clung closely to Rohan, her eyes fixed solely on him, while Shion began surveying their surroundings.

Shion, convinced that the architecture of the building they were in differed from the modern structures outside, voiced her thoughts.

"This might be so sort of religious facility."

"Close enough."

"You sound like you know sothing. Do you have any information?"

"It’s a temple dedicated to the sun."

"The sun?"

"Yeah, that one up there."

Rohan pointed to the blazing orb high in the sky. Clara, following his gesture, understood faster than Shion. Her eyes widened as the connection to Rohan beca clear in her mind.

"A temple dedicated to the sun? If there’s a nation with that kind of faith, the only one that cos to mind is Solarea… but that country doesn’t exist anymore…"

"Exactly. It’s a country that’s no longer around. You know your history well."

Rohan confird Shion’s murmurs without hesitation. At the questioning look in the princess’s eyes, he elaborated further.

"That doesn’t an we’re in Solarea, though."

"You’re certain? Have you been to the south before?"

"It’s where I’m from."

"...!"

Shion’s lips parted slightly in surprise at the unexpected revelation. anwhile, Rohan casually made his way toward a vine-covered door.

Tug! Snap!

He began pulling apart the tough vines, which remained full of life despite the intense sunlight, preparing to open the door.

"Oppa, let do it!"

Clara, clutching Rohan’s sleeve, drew a balisong from her pocket. In the hands of soone skilled, the small blade was more effective than an ordinary machete. With a swift motion, she sliced through the vines with precision, leaving the doorway clear to be opened with a firm pull.

Before opening the door, Rohan turned to face the girls.

"Before we step outside, let explain what’s going on. You’ve learned about Monoliths at the Academy, and I know a bit more from my own experience."

"That would be helpful. I have no practical experience with this, so I’ll listen carefully."

" too!"

There wasn’t much need for Rohan to go into detail. Escaping a dungeon created by a Monolith was straightforward: destroy the Monolith hidden sowhere in this vast space. That was it.

Whether the Monolith created the space or transported them here didn’t matter. What mattered was that a Monolith drained of magic beca weak and could be destroyed.

"Even if we don’t see any monsters now, there’s a high chance there are so outside."

"I see. I’ll be ready."

Hearing that they could escape, Clara seed to regain her composure. She wasn’t afraid of combat or monsters.

"Does anyone have a weapon I can use?"

"W-wait a second!"

Clara hurriedly fumbled to produce a weapon other than her balisong, but before she could, Shion handed a dagger to Rohan.

"I have a spare. Use this."

"Thanks. I’ll ask Clara next ti."

"Okay!"

Rohan noticed Clara’s lips start to pout in disappointnt but relaxed when she nodded with a satisfied expression.

"Does anyone need more ti before we move? Let know."

"Rohan."

Shion drew their attention with her voice. Both Rohan and Clara turned toward her.

"How long might it take for us to escape this place? Could it be days?"

"It could."

"Hmm..."

Shion touched her slender chin, deep in thought, her face unable to hide her growing concern.

Clara didn’t understand why Shion was hesitating, but Rohan imdiately grasped the princess’s dilemma.