Since Luka was the only spatial mage within his party, he assumed that the other members were stranded. Thus, his top priority was to retrieve everyone while seeking the exit. Luka used Touch the Horizon to quickly move across vast distances. He picked a random direction and activated his magic. At each stop, the mage paused and used his detection to check for signs of life. Then he teleported to the next location.
Luka traveled for over an hour before he discovered a lifeform resting on a large, barren rock. It possessed a hard shell like a crab and rubbery tendrils underneath. Two stalk-like eyes stared at the human traveler. Suddenly, Luka felt a mental intrusion, and something tried to take control of his body! He immediately used light magic to enhance his mental defense, and the psychic pressure lessened.
The alien crab hopped off his shelter and flew toward Luka! The creature extended his tentacles and tried to wrap them around his body.
Luka Blinked to avoid capture. Then he cast Spatial Blade to cut them off.
"Wah!" The enemy cried out in pain as large, purple droplets floated out of its wounds. When Luka tried to cut its main body, the crab pivoted and blocked with its shell. Clang!
The attacker was shocked because his blade was supposedly unblockable! Luka believed that the carapace possessed unique properties to resist spatial elements. The mage immediately switched tactics. Luka gathered light essence in his hand and cast Laser Beam! An intense ray of light struck his target.
The monster struggled but couldn't move away. There were no rocks nearby for it to land. Its carapace began to change color from its usual gray to orange, pink, and finally red. The eye-stalks popped like small firecrackers as more purple blood oozed out.
Once Luka confirmed that the creature was dead, he used Void Step to approach the body and stored it in his dimensional storage. This encounter made him more vigilant, and Luka decided to be extra cautious in approaching the lifeforms within his detection net. He came across several more space crabs and disposed of them from long range with offensive light magic.
Although these monsters were marooned on rocks and never threatened Luka, he took the initiative to kill them for two reasons. First, these crabs were aggressive and hostile. If an unaware traveler happens to pass by in the future, they will kill the innocent people. Thus, Luka felt reluctant to leave these creatures alone.
Second, he recognized the unlikelihood of locating the exit in this vast space. Hence, Luka should attempt to score more points by killing all the monsters that he comes across on this dungeon floor and storing their bodies.
The hours quickly ticked away while Luka traveled alone in outer space. Despite his frequent search, he failed to discover any hints of the whereabouts of his missing classmates. Luka worried that the dungeon master had randomly teleported them across a distance of a light-year (5.88 trillion miles) or more. If so, he would not be able to find them during the remainder of this field trip.
This lonely journey made Luka confront the limitations of his abilities. He couldn't bring his pets out of storage because the owner couldn't duplicate the life-saving film to surround their bodies and help the animals breathe. Furthermore, his Spatial Sense wasn't powerful enough to span a light-year.
Luka couldn't help but worry about his classmates because they were virtually sitting ducks on this seventh-floor. The aggressive crab monsters would attack humans on sight. But melee students couldn't physically break through the crab monster's shells.
Kayne could roast them with her fire magic, but the other mages would be helpless. Additionally, humans lacked methods to propel themselves through space. Even if they pushed off against rocks, the movement would decelerate before coming to a complete stop.
The time finally expired for this school field trip, and every participant instantly teleported back to campus. Headmaster Ladis transported the students by each class out of his dungeon, and the Elite Class was the last group to return to the schoolyard.
The disoriented kids sat on the ground and stared at the headmaster.
"Welcome back, everyone," Ladis began his address to the students. "You worked hard and fought bravely during your visit to my dungeon. Please return to your dorm rooms and rest. Next Monday, the Freshman Class will gather for a special assembly. Dismissed!" The headmaster teleported away.
Chapter 67
Celebration
After dismissal, the individual classes began to discuss their plans for the evening. Some students wished to sleep immediately, while others remained energetic from the adrenaline lingering inside their bodies.
Kayne took the initiative to act before everyone separated. "Let's have a party!" she chirped. The glamorous girl noticed Luka trying to sneak away and immediately stopped him. "Oh no, you don't!" she said and pulled on his left arm. She pressed her bosom against his limb. "Luka, you are our MVP, and we can't have a proper celebration if you're missing!" Kayne admonished him. "You MUST attend!" she insisted.
Terrwyn felt embarrassed at the girl's shameless flirting in public. "Luka will be coming. Now, get off him!" she yelled.
Kayne let go with a pout.
"Hahaha! It must be nice being so popular with girls!" Wickkuil said while thumping Luka's back. However, his eyes betrayed his jealousy.
Luka winced in pain and stepped away from the beastman. "I'll come, but I won't stay for long," he answered. He figured that this compromise would satisfy his classmates' demand for everyone to attend the social gathering.
"Where are we going?" someone asked.
All eyes turned toward Kayne.
"How about The Glass Blossom?" she suggested.
"Where's that?"
"It's an eatery that's famous for its boar steak. We beastmen love that place," Wickkuil answered. His mouth began to water at the thought of eating there. Although the restaurant was too expensive for him to eat often, he thought The Glass Blossom was the perfect setting to celebrate because it welcomed all guests regardless of race or background.
The class rep had a mixed reaction to this name because Terrwyn didn't expect a noble like Kayne to suggest visiting an establishment outside the Noble District. But then again, most restaurants she frequented would not accept beastmen as patrons and barred them from entering.
Due to their fickle nature, beastmen often fought over the tiniest of slights, and nobles were experts at dishing out insults. Thus, the establishments understandably wished to avoid trouble between prominent nobles and their beastmen counterparts.
Since Wickkuil enjoyed eating at The Glass Blossom, that meant the shop accepted non-human customers. Terrwyn secretly thanked Kayne for her helpful suggestion. If the class representative took her classmates to a place that banned beastmen, Wickkuil and others would think poorly of her. Terrwyn couldn't be sure because she never considered this issue when visiting restaurants as a human patron.
Kayne grabbed Luka's hand and pulled him along. She led the Elite Class out of the school campus and into Tirli City. After a half-hour walk, they arrived at a rowdy place.
Luka saw a two-floor building taking up half the city block in the Commercial District. It had a red-brick exterior and many open windows on the first floor. The boisterous patrons inside the dining room engaged in loud conversations while drinking, arm wrestling on tables, playing cards and gambling, or eating quietly.
Kayne caught his faint smile and became surprised because she thought Luka would hate this lively scene. With a grin, she pulled his hand and entered The Glass Blossom. When the foxkin hostess accosted the group, Kayne said, "I have twenty people in my party. Is there a private room available to accommodate everyone?"
The employee's red tail twitched in delight at the unexpectedly large number of guests because this meant more tips to split among the staff tonight. "Yes, we do. Please follow me!"
The boys couldn't help but stare as her generous hips swayed from side-to-side as the group followed the hostess up a flight of stairs. She brought them to a big room with a long table and two dozen chairs.
Candles on the table and along the wall illuminated the private dining room. Elegant silk drapes dyed in dark-red color framed the three open windows on the wall facing the exit.
The guests rushed into the room and claimed their seats; Kayne and Evanora sandwiched Luka before other girls could do the same. His pets took their spots at the far end of the table. The remaining students formed their mini-cliques and sat together.
Wickkuil raised his hand to draw his classmates' attention. "Let's make it simple and order boar steak for everyone here," he suggested.
"Yes, that's a good idea," Terrwyn agreed. She thought it would be troublesome for the hostess to take individual orders from the students. The employees could make mistakes in serving specific meals to which person. Besides, having the same food was a demonstration of class unity. If a patron didn't like the food, then the two gluttonous animals could finish it.
The Elite Class felt peer pressured into accepting this arrangement. Although some students didn't like the idea of eating boar meat, they didn't wish to make a spectacle of themselves. Thus, everyone gave their consent to Wickkuil's proposal.
When the wait staff distributed drinks, Luka returned his honey mead and asked for juice instead.
Thrabruil, who sat across the table, noticed and made fun of him. "Hey, Luka! Why are you getting a kid's drink? Can't you handle a little bit of alcohol?"
The two girls sitting next to Luka heard the ridicule and glared at the loudmouth, who shrank into his chair.
"I have things to do afterward. So drinking alcohol would be harmful to my schedule," Luka explained politely.
"Like what?" Evanora pressed.
Luka paused for a moment because he wished to avoid disclosing his nightly visits to the shadow realm. "Homework."
"Hold on! You prefer to return to your dorm and do homework than spend time with these lovely ladies? What a nerd!" Thrabruil ridiculed. He thought the two girls were foolishly wasting their time courting a prude, especially when eligible suitors like himself sought their attention.
Luka refused the bait. He calmly shrugged his shoulders and pointed at Terrwyn. "That's the problem I have with being the incoming co-valedictorian. If I don't study hard and do my homework assignments, she's going to surpass me," he replied.
"That's right!" Kayne eagerly took the opening to defend Luka. "I'm a competitive person. If I'm in the top spot, I will also work hard to fend off my pursuers. I guess we're lucky to have Luka setting the pace for the rest of our Elite Class to follow," she remarked and winked at Luka.
"Luka, what did you encounter on the seventh floor of the dungeon?" Thoma asked abruptly. He was stuck in the middle of nothingness and floated in outer space until time expired. The enchanter assumed that Luka had a different experience on that level.
"I found some crab monsters on floating rocks," Luka answered honestly. He created an illusion depicting the alien creature and showed it wiggling the tendrils.
The class became quiet as they observed the phantasm hovering above the dining table.
"Did you kill it?" Zivadin asked. He came across one of these, but his sword couldn't cut through its hard carapace. In the end, the fighter used his weapon as a club and knocked it away. Thankfully, the lack of resistance in outer space made it simple for the student to push the monster aside.
In response, Luka showed a video of him cutting off the limbs and then boiling the monster with a Laser Beam.
"Tch! I can't do that," Viggo sucked his teeth in annoyance. The ranger possessed a bit of wind magic, but it couldn't cut through the hard shell.
The classmates turned toward Kayne, who shook her head. "Yes, I could blast it apart with my flames. Unfortunately, I didn't come across any of them. I floated for several hours," she said.
"That's my experience, too." "Me, too." The other students offered similar comments.
Kherherac raised his hand. "When I walked through the sixth floor's portal, I immediately landed on a rock. I started to explore when the monster popped out and ambushed me. After it wrapped me with its tentacles, the crab sat on top of my chest and absorbed my body heat," he admitted with an embarrassed look.
"The crab didn't bite you?" Wickkuil asked with a grimace at the thought of becoming a monster's bedwarmer.
The victim shook his head.
"Luka, how many of them did you defeat?" Terrwyn asked.
The mage flashed six fingers in the air.
The class representative groaned because she realized that Luka was the only person to score points on the seventh level of the Morninglory Dungeon. Terrwyn felt ambivalent because Luka's accomplishments will help the Elite Class maintain its hold over the first place. But within the party, his lead over her increased even more.
If Luka insisted on taking the class rep position, it rightfully belongs to him; Terrwyn must forfeit. However, he showed no hint of interest in taking over. Instead, Luka remained aloof from his classmates and spoke very little.
Terrwyn saw how hard Kayne and Evanora tried to engage him in conversations, and she pitied them. If Terrwyn was pursuing Luka for marriage, she imagined doing similar things like those two girls.
After Luka finished his boar steak and drink, he quietly stood up. "Thank you for the meal. I must return to my dorm. Don't stay out too late because we have assembly tomorrow morning," he warned.
Bel and Gripper climbed out of their seats and strolled over to his side.
"Good night, Luka!" The classmates bade him farewell.
Luka waved goodbye and exited the private dining hall. He descended the stairs and sought out the hostess. "I will pay the bill for my class," he said and handed her a platinum coin. "Will this cover the cost?" Luka asked while groaning inwardly at giving up the valuable currency.
"Yes, it will," the employee confirmed. A platinum coin converts to a thousand gold pieces. Each serving of boar steak costs twenty-five gold, and the guests received thirty servings in total. The drinks came free of charge with the meal. Thus, the bill was seven hundred fifty gold pieces. She reached under the counter for the coin box to return the customer's change.
Luka shook his head. "I'll leave the balance as a tip for your staff. Please relay my thanks for their hard work," he said with a smile and exited the restaurant. Since Luka was an upper-class aristocrat, his "noblesse oblige" required Luka to pay for his classmates' meals and leave a big tip at the restaurant.
The hostess bowed from her waist. She quickly informed the wait staff of Luka's generosity.
* * *
[What a big spender you are.] Bel chuckled as he rode on Luka's head.
Luka chose to walk on foot instead of teleporting back to the dorm room. He never visited Tirli City during the evening hours. Thus, he wished to enjoy this new experience.
[People are following you.] The rabbit warned after ten minutes of aimless wandering by the teenager.
Luka activated his Spatial Sense and sought a nearby alley to set up his ambush. He followed the internal map and reached his destination. Then Luka cast an illusion to blend into the walls. Although the mage could use shadow magic, Luka believed he might be under magical surveillance. Thus, he stuck with light spells instead.
Soon, heavy footsteps rushed over, and a few people entered the dead end. The four newcomers dressed like commoners and pretended to be simple thieves. However, their vigilant stance resembled highly trained assassins.
Luka dropped his magic and blocked their path. "Are you looking for me?"
The four men reacted immediately and split into two groups. Two assassins rushed forward and closed the distance instantly. One vanguard kicked off the wall, somersaulted in the air, and slammed his sword at Luka's skull! His partners slid on the ground and jabbed at the target's groin. The remaining attackers threw poisoned knives to distract their prey and soften him up for their comrades.
Luka calmly extended his Blink for an additional second so that all four attacks passed through his body like a ghost. Then he teleported and reappeared
behind the rearguards. With a big sweep of his arm from left to right, his Spatial Blade slashed through their necks like a knife through hot butter.
The two remaining assassins turned around and saw what happened. They threw smoke bombs on the ground in hopes of taking back the initiative by blinding their target. Alas, they didn't know about Luka's Night Vision and Spatial Sense.
The defender calmly teleported behind them. He used Spatial Blade to cull their lives like a grim reaper and promptly ended the battle. Luka worried that more assassins would arrive soon. Thus, he grabbed Bel and Gripper and teleported back to the school campus.
The student resisted teleporting directly into his dorm room because Luka realized that Drinara closely tracked the residents' comings and goings. Thus, Luka physically walked back to his residence hall. Along the way, the mage cast Cleanse to remove any bloodstains on his attire.
[It would have been nice if you find out who sent those assassins.] Bel remarked as he followed the teenager on the empty road.
Luka shook his head. "Based on their weaponry and fighting tactics, they won't carry any form of IDs. If someone witnesses the scene and sees my face, they could accuse me of murder. That's why I couldn't linger and search for clues of their employer," he explained.
When Luka entered the Larkspur Residence Hall and passed through the front lobby, Drinara rushed out to accost him. "Luka, there are faculty waiting to meet you," the dorm mother informed him. "Follow me." She led the student to her office, where two men sat quietly.
Luka recognized one of them. "It's good to see you again, Lord Evans," he greeted and saluted respectfully to his tutor. Although the nobleman tutored Luka for only several weeks, this preparation directly correlated with Luka's success in the entrance examination. Thus, the pupil was grateful to Lord Evans and thought well of the noble.
"Luka, I've wanted to see you, but I was busy. Congratulations on becoming the incoming co-valedictorian," Cloten replied as he stood up and shook his protégé's hand. The noble turned toward his companion. "This man is Kilmar, chairman of the Magic Department. He wishes to speak to you regarding the field trip."
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 55