Chapter 70: For the Fun of It

After leaving the Dungeon Security Guard behind, Max and the Academy Guard quickly secured a carriage and traveled directly to the academy. Max sat in the back of the compartment, silently pondering the events that had transpired so far, while Marlak clung to the window, mesmerized by the city's sights.

Time had not passed in the real world while Max was in Marlak's world. When Max asked how much time had elapsed, the Academy Guard told him that approximately three hours had passed, which was roughly the amount of time he had spent exploring the Dungeon before entering Marlak's world.

Thus, spending an entire day at that pond had not affected the time in the real world.

This was fortunate for Max. If he had spent a whole day inside a Level 4 Dungeon, people would definitely have suspected him of causing its closure, and their doubts regarding Marlak would have increased. Now, however, since the time elapsed was consistent with a regular Dungeon expedition, suspicion would be reduced.

Furthermore, Marlak had mentioned that the Dungeon had been continuously leveling down from Level 200, which would serve as an additional indication that its closure was natural rather than artificial.

However, that was not Max's primary concern at the moment. Someone was targeting him, and he suspected the Royal Officials were behind it.

His inquiry into the incident was still pending, and he guessed that once he reached the academy, he would be called in for a Truth Seeker investigation. Although his uncle had assured him that the new Academy Head would take care of it, he still felt that the situation would not go smoothly.

The carriage reached the academy safely, and nothing happened during the journey.

"Let's report to the Security Department Head," the guard said.

Max nodded and followed him.

"So this is your academy?" Marlak asked, sitting on Max's shoulder.

"Yes. And do you know what an academy is?" Max asked, surprised that the frog knew the word.

"Of course I do. I have been stuck in that Dungeon for 400 years, and I have heard all kinds of discussions between young adventurers," Marlak said.

"So that's how you know about Grave-Bloom Ganache Cake as well," Max said.

"Yes, I have heard people talk about food, skills, artifacts, their personal secrets, and much more. How do you think I managed to stay in that Dungeon for so long? Listening to all that was my entertainment," Marlak explained, describing how he had spent his free time listening to other people's blabbering.

"So, what do you think? Was it worth suffering for 400 years?" Max asked, noticing how excited the frog was after seeing the city's buildings and other structures during their journey.

"Hahaha, I love it! I am enjoying everything this world has to offer," Marlak declared, revealing his latest ambition. "Don't forget your promise."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll buy the cake this evening. But I'm not sure whether pets are allowed inside the academy, so we'll have to wait and find out. If they're prohibited, you'll have to live on your own," Max said.

"Hey, I can't live alone in a new place. I'll get killed! I don't have my previous strength anymore," Marlak said in a panic. "Don't forget your oath to take care of me."

---

They eventually reached the other side of the academy, a place Max had never known existed. The building was much larger than the other structures that housed department personnel. Max could understand why, considering that students frequently left the academy for Dungeon expeditions, especially first and second-year students. Therefore, the academy employed a large number of guards to escort them safely.

The Academy Guard quickly led Max into the Head of the Department's office. The room was similar in size to the Academy Head's office. The Head of the Department was an old man, even older than the former Academy Head. He had a bald head and a long white beard. Upon entering the room, Max offered a brief greeting and stood silently.

"Marcel, tell me what happened," the old man asked the guard.

"Sir, we were suddenly ambushed in front of the Dungeon. We neutralized one enemy who actively attacked us. However, we couldn't determine how many other attackers were present, since no further attacks came after the first attacker died," Marcel reported.

"Very good job, Marcel. You saved a young Awakener and prevented a potential catastrophe that could have occurred if the assassination had succeeded," the old man said.

Hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared on Marcel's face, but he maintained a neutral expression.

"I don't think I deserve that praise, sir. I was incompetent. The person who neutralized the assassin was Student Maximus," Marcel said, pointing toward Max. "Furthermore, Student Maximus was also the reason we managed to escape successfully."

"Hahaha, don't underestimate yourself, Marcel. You did a good job. A team has already been dispatched to investigate the ambush and search for the attackers. We will find out soon who those assassins were," the old man said, praising Marcel rather than dismissing his efforts.

Marcel gave Max a final nod before leaving the room.

"Student Maximus," the old man called out once the guard had left. "Take a seat," he said, gesturing toward a chair.

"That is a very unusual pet you have. Did you pick it up in the Dungeon?" the old man suddenly asked, looking at Marlak, who was still sitting on Max's shoulder.

"Yes, sir. It seemed capable of performing mundane tasks, so I decided to bring it with me. In fact, without it, we wouldn't have escaped the attack. It used its teeth to dig a tunnel for us," Max replied.

"That seems to be a capable Dungeon creature. However, pets usually bond with Awakeners before agreeing to become their pets. I don't see any bond between this creature and you. It seems to be free," the old man said.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

God damn it, Max cursed inwardly.

The old man was capable of detecting whether a pet had bonded with someone. That showed how much experience and knowledge he possessed, along with his capabilities. Max had never thought that people could detect a bond between a pet and its owner. Usually, when a creature wanted to become a pet, its compatibility with the prospective owner was checked first. Furthermore, the bond created a kind of partnership that established dependencies between them. Although it was a partnership, the owner always held the upper hand, meaning he could give commands to the pet.

Without that bond, Max could not give Marlak a command that the frog did not want to follow. He had never thought this would cause such a serious problem, but someone had already noticed the lack of a bond.

"We haven't established a bond yet, but we have a mutual agreement," Max quickly explained.

"No, no. It is very rare for Dungeon creatures to agree to stay with Awakeners without forming a bond. That makes this situation unusual, but not impossible. Just make sure you bond with it eventually, since that is the rule in this kingdom. Allowing a Dungeon creature to roam freely in the outside world without a bond is dangerous," the old man said.

Throughout the conversation, Marlak simply sat on Max's shoulder, maintaining the appearance of an innocent, ordinary Dungeon creature.

Max nodded, understanding the reasoning. Dungeon creatures usually possessed low intelligence and tended to avoid leaving their Dungeons for the real world. Therefore, if a creature agreed to leave without forming a bond, it suggested that the creature possessed high intelligence and could pose a danger to the outside world. Such creatures were capable of suddenly attacking cities.

If Max remembered correctly, Marlak had told him that he had suddenly gained an instinct to detect his surroundings after entering this world.

Perhaps Marlak's original strength had been stripped away after he left his world, but entering a new world also carried the possibility of gaining new skills. If Marlak grew stronger because of a new skill bestowed upon him by this world, he could eventually become a problem. For now, it listened to Max because it was weak, but if it gained enormous strength like it claimed it use to be through his innate nature, he might start ignoring Max's instructions or even go berserk. Max looked at his shoulder and saw an innocent-looking, small creature sitting there.

However, Max would not fall for this act. He already suspected that Marlak's desire for freedom might be a ruse and that the entire situation had been planned by the evil pond. Therefore, he would definitely establish a bond to keep things under control.

"Now, let us move on. We have yet to determine who those assassins were or what their motive was. However, considering that this is the second incident involving you within a short span of a month, I can assure you that someone is trying to kill you. Therefore, we may have to restrict your Dungeon visits until we investigate this matter thoroughly and find out what is happening," the old man said.

"Furthermore, the series of unfortunate incidents at our academy has tarnished its reputation, and this latest incident has only damaged it further. Because of that, first-year students have been largely restricted from visiting Dungeons."

Hearing this, Max could not help thinking that everything happening at the academy pointed directly toward him. First, he had been allowed to join without taking the entrance exam, followed by a poison assassination attempt at cookhouse. Then, their former Academy Head Teacher had attacked his own students over a pass, which would not have happened if Max had not helped the seniors. Now, finally, another assassination attempt had occurred.

The academy's reputation had taken another serious hit. However, Max was not bothered by that. A single good deed from the academy could restore its reputation, provided no more unfortunate incidents occurred.

"This restriction will not be permanent. Things will return to normal as soon as we find the culprits," the old man said. "All right, that is all for now. You can leave, and you will be summoned when needed."

Max exited the office and walked toward his dormitory. It was around 5:00 PM. He could have practised his skill proficiency, but he decided to rest for the remainder of the evening. Although only a small amount of time had passed in the real world, he had spent an entire day fighting a monster, so his mind needed rest. He went straight to his dorm room.

"So, when will I get my cake?" Marlak asked as they walked.

"Didn't you hear that first-year students aren't allowed to leave the academy? You'll have to wait," Max said.

"Oh, man, I've been waiting a very long time to try that cake," Marlak said sadly.

“Do you even know what cake is?” Max asked.

“I know about it. I heard multiple people talk about it,” Marlak argued.

Hearing this, Max could do nothing but sigh.

"Don't worry. I'll arrange to get some through someone," Max assured him, thinking he could ask some canteen workers to buy it.

"Well, I could settle for some for now, but don't forget that our total agreement is for 10 kg," Marlak said.

Max did not reply. He simply continued walking when he suddenly heard a whisper.

"Something is coming toward us, and it is invisible."

"Toward us?" Max asked, confused.

Someone was attacking him, and that too inside the academy and invisible?. He quickly extended his mana and detected someone moving toward him. The figure was moving quickly, but not fast enough to cause immediate alarm. The attacker appeared to be someone from inside the academy.

"These noble brats," Max muttered, guessing that it was fellow student.

He stopped walking and looked directly at the mana signature. Suddenly, the person slowed down and stopped eventually.

"You know, your invisibility won't work on academy officials. They'll find out easily if you try to attack me while relying on it," Max said.

It would not take him more than a second to kill the guy, but academy rules were still academy rules. The academy was already under scrutiny because of its numerous problems, and if he were caught fighting another student on campus, the officials would not hesitate to expel him. Therefore, he had to talk to this person and find out what he wanted.

Even after Max called out to him, the person remained invisible, perhaps wondering how Max had detected him.

"Do you want to duel?" Max asked, seeing the person remain in the same spot as though Max would not notice him. "I'm talking to you."

Max pointed toward the person's location. After he did so, the person finally cancelled his invisibility. He was a slim young man with blue hair who wore a first-year student's uniform.

"Who the hell are you?" Max asked, having never seen the guy before.

Instead of answering, the guy asked, "How did you find out I was here?"

"Does it matter? Tell me what you were planning to do and why you ambushed me," Max asked in a tired tone.

"What else? You're the guy who's going to be the punching bag for the first-years. Of course I'm going to punch you," the guy said.

Punching bag, and he's going to punch me?

Max was dumbfounded by the reason the guy had given.

"You motherfucker, where did you get the idea that I'm a punching bag?" Max asked.

He had performed relatively well in everything so far. He had secured a good position in the Dungeon expedition and even won his first duel. Yet these guys still thought he was weak.

"Isn't it obvious that you can't use your skills or weapons? You won your first duel by fluke!" the guy said.

Hearing this, Max scratched his head. How did everything he did end up being undermined? He had worked hard to win that duel without using any offensive skills, yet they still thought he was weak.

"If you think you're stronger than me, why sneak up on me?" Max asked.

"It's just for fun!" the guy replied.

"You fool, that's called bullying," Max said.

"Whatever you call it, it's fun for us," the guy argued.

"Us? Are there more people waiting to attack me?" Max asked.

"Didn't I tell you that you're the academy's punching bag?" the guy replied.

"You know what? Let's duel. What's your name?" Max asked.

His intention had been to beat these guys anyway, so since they were practically volunteering for a beating, why waste the opportunity?

"I like where this is going. My name is Harry Kolker," the guy said.

"Oh motherfucker, you have no idea where this is going," Max replied, initiating a duel.

"I, Maximus Bransford, challenge you, Harry Kolker, to a duel right now!" Max declared.

"And I accept," Harry replied.

"Let's go and finish the duel," Max said.

"Today will be very special for you, as I'll be the one to punch the academy's punching bag," Harry said with a broad smile.