There was a dungeon beneath the Academy.
A very secret place, known to so few that even the instructors could count the number of people aware of it on one hand.
The reason for keeping the place hidden was simple—it was extremely dangerous. More importantly, it was a place no one was allowed to enter.
‘Dinua… Can I bring her in?’
Ian turned to look at Dinua.
For beings from this world to enter the Infinite Dungeon, they had to form a party with a player. And only those who had appeared in the game at least once could party with a player.
‘She was in the game.’
Indeed, Dinua had made an appearance once. Not as an ally, but as an enemy—a boss monster.
Whether a boss monster could become a companion was a question for another time. For now, Ian summoned Noah from the Academy.
“What’s going on?”
Noah appeared without the slightest hint of annoyance, her posture exuding an exaggerated cuteness.
She had never acted that way before. It was easy to guess who had influenced her.
‘Ivenoah…!’
That woman had tried every trick to push the engagement between Ian and Noah.
Even so, Ian was confident he wouldn’t fall for it.
Watching Noah’s antics, he smiled faintly and revealed the reason for which he had asked her to come.
“I want to go there again… It’s been a while.”
“There?”
Noah glanced at the person standing behind Ian—Stella and Dinua, both combat personnel.
It wasn’t often that such individuals gathered together. Though Noah hadn’t received formal education, she wasn’t ignorant.
“You don’t have Syrah with you?”
“She hasn’t arrived yet.”
As expected, the entrance ceremony was scheduled for Monday, and only a fool would arrive on the day itself.
That fool was Syrah. Maybe she was cutting things close to save time.
“It’s fine if Dinua fills in for Syrah. They serve the same role.”
“…Um, Ian?”
“What is it?”
“You keep saying we’re going and all… but where exactly are we going?”
Dinua, who had been quietly listening, finally asked the question.
Only then did Ian realize Dinua had no idea what the Infinite Dungeon was.
For someone from this world, the concept of the Infinite Dungeon was not easy to grasp.
“We’re going to a new world.”
There was no better way to put it.
***
Beyond the barbed wire and danger signs, Ian and his party stood before the entrance to the Infinite Dungeon.
Seeing the massive, ominous gate looming before them, Dinua looked visibly unnerved.
“H-Hey, Ian? What is this place?”
“It’s the entrance… It’s a pain to explain, so let’s just head in.”
Without hesitation, Ian gave Dinua a push.
Dinua instinctively resisted, but her frail body was no match for Ian’s strength.
The moment they entered the Infinite Dungeon, a monster appeared—one that was familiar to everyone except Dinua.
“Ahh! H-Hey—!”
“Dinua, don’t be scared. These are weak. We can handle them.”
“R-Really?”
“Of course.”
Though Ian sounded confident, he didn’t personally fight to prove it. Instead, he summoned his summon and dealt with the monster from afar.
—Kieeeek!
Crushing the squirming, newly-born monster underfoot, Ian advanced to the next level without pause.
There was no time to hesitate in a place like this.
‘I need to level up Dinua’s summons today…’
With that thought, Ian continued clearing the dungeon.
Each time Dinua killed a monster, she flinched and shut her eyes tightly.
“Dinua.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Open your eyes and look carefully.”
Ian placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her to stand behind him, making her watch as a demon died.
Monsters were humanity’s enemies. They were lethal creatures that could easily kill.
Closing your eyes in front of such an enemy was suicide.
Disgusted? Scared? Those feelings didn’t matter. Surviving was more important than anything else.
“If you close your eyes and that thing spits poison or saliva, how are you going to dodge it?”
“B-But it didn’t spit anything…”
“There’s always a chance. Your summons aren’t strong enough to protect you, so never take your eyes off the enemy.”
On the next level, Ian told her to kill the monster directly using her summon.
By then, perhaps due to growing used to the monster’s appearance, Dinua killed it without hesitation.
After the monster fell, she clutched her trembling hands and turned to Ian.
“I… I did it?”
“Yeah. That was great.”
“Hehe… Ian, I can do anything for you…”
Dinua’s eyes slowly began to darken.
Her gaze, once filled with life, stared blankly at Ian.
Ian noticed and stiffened.
“…Dinua.”
“Yes?”
“Open your eyes. Keep them wide.”
After leaving a message telling her to stay alert, Ian continued the hunt.
How long had they been hunting? He had long lost count of how many floors they’d cleared.
Stella and Dinua’s summons responded.
“Stella! My body… something’s wrong!”
“Nyaoong—”
The rays of light grew more vibrant.
The darkness became even murkier.
Ifrit and Dim had evolved again.
“Ian!”
“Hey, Ian—!”
Stella, overjoyed that she had finally leveled up, and Dinua, hoping to be praised for the first time, both turned to look at Ian.
Clapping for the two of them in congratulations, Ian let out a hollow laugh and sighed with slight irritation.
‘Why me…’
As if all the experience points were being drained by the eight summons around him, Ian alone hadn’t leveled up.
By the time the expedition was over, even Noah’s summons had gained a level.
Yet Ian remained stuck.
***
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Ian… You can work harder next time!”
Noah approached Ian, who looked listless, and tried to comfort him. Unfortunately, her words provided no consolation at all.
Work harder next time?
If you’re not strong now, what’s the point?
It’s meaningless if you don’t see immediate results.
“…It’s okay.”
Still, Ian didn’t want to show his weak side. He tried to mask it with laughter—a clumsy laugh that made it obvious to the others that he was forcing a smile.
“There’s always tomorrow, so don’t worry?” Saying that, Ian walked away.
Noah let out a weak sigh, making no move to stop him.
She understood why he acted like that—but even if she held him back now, what would change?
Noah took back her outstretched hand and exchanged glances with Stella and Dinua.
All three of them seemed to be thinking the same thing.
“…Ian, what would he like?”
“Well—do we even know what he likes in the first place?”
“How about… a gift? Wouldn’t that make him happy?”
Stella nodded thoughtfully at Dinua’s suggestion, finding it not entirely unreasonable. The problem was… none of them actually knew what Ian liked.
Just in case, Stella raised her hand to get everyone’s attention.
“…Now that I think about it, does anyone here know Ian’s birthday?”
“I don’t.”
“Even you don’t know?”
“I don’t…”
Neither Noah nor Dinua—nor anyone else—knew Ian’s birthday. They didn’t even know what he liked.
They knew nothing about him!
“No way… How could none of us know!?”
“Ian doesn’t usually talk about himself…”
“Still!”
At that moment, the girls gathered there began to feel ashamed of themselves. They claimed to like Ian—but did they truly know him?
They might have known more about their classmate Charles than they did about Ian.
Realizing this, the girls immediately sprang into action.
Noble girls, after all, were second to none when it came to putting on a show.
The first thing they needed was someone who knew Ian well.
Someone who could actually be called his friend.
“…What?”
But the more they searched, the stranger things seemed. Ian didn’t have anyone he’d call a friend.
No matter how socially awkward someone was, they usually had at least one friend.
If Ian didn’t… did that mean he never got along with anyone?
“…He doesn’t have any friends besides us?”
“Is he… hiding something?”
“Maybe… could the rumors be true?”
“Umm, you mean the ones about him being too into girls, so he has no guy friends…?”
Shocked by the idea that Ian didn’t have any male friends, the girls even started to consider those false rumors about him being overly flirtatious.
Of course, from their own experience, they knew Ian actually avoided women like they were a religious taboo—definitely not the kind to flirt.
The only time they’d heard anything about someone who could be called Ian’s friend was when a particular person came to the Academy.
“Hey—it’s been a while! Did I keep you waiting?”
Syrah Acacia.
Heir to the Marquis of Acacia. And the only person who could almost be called Ian Clark’s ‘friend.’
Stella carefully approached her and asked, “You… Do you know Ian’s birthday?”
“Birthday? Yeah, I know.”
“…You do?”
Stella had only asked on a hunch, but the answer still caught her off guard.
Syrah knew something none of them did.
Suppressing a surge of jealousy and the feeling of being a step behind, she asked again, “When is it?”
“When?”
At the question, Syrah placed a finger on her lips and let out a light sigh, pretending to think.
Then, with a soft smile, she said—“I don’t know! I’ll ask him the next time we sleep together.”
huh?