AI: Artificial Isekai

The next two days of forced rest are spent in outward lethargy—broken up by a get-together with Erysis and Nexen—and inward assiduousness. Many projects are progressing with unparalleled success. Though it is not yet certain if they will even be effective. Projections are grim, but perseverance always pays off. Mana really is both a blessing and a curse.

With my quota of edgy phrases for the day already satisfied, I wake up, a free man. What is on the agenda for today. Let's see... Ah, yes. It is time to leave the humble F-rank and ascend to new heights—E. Descend? I am going backwards in the alphabet. Also, did the Adventurers' Guild knowingly gamify their whole classification system? Or is this one of the markers for the Meta Universe Blueprint Theory. Name pending. Could be, or maybe, I am just overthinking again, and this is just an easy way to separate dungeons by difficulty and adventurers by skill. Nope, too farfetched. Multiversal conspiracy it is. Alright, let's go with... maybe both? Who knows.

As I enter the Guild, my ruminations about the nature of our reality come to an end.

Come on, fingers crossed, and... A ponytail. Okay, that's fine.

I approach. Today, I timed my arrival so there would be someone in front of me for a bit. Just as a buffer period, and to let me read the flow.

The adventurer finishes, and I am next in line. "Hello, Attendant Ania."

"Hello, Lucius." Okay, getting better. "How may I help you?" No smile. I repeat, we have no smile. "Are you interested in challenging The Duke's Abode, or perhaps, you would like to cleanse the Eye by yourself?" She smirks.

I shake my head, looking serious. "Maybe next week." She covers her mouth and chuckles softly. "I would like to take the Promotion Exam to E-rank."

"Of course. Allow me a moment to check if anyone is available." She pulls out a book from under the counter and flips through it. The pages move in a blur, too fast for a normal human to even recognize their contents. She stops the turning on a particular page and marks something down. Then she stands up. "I'll be right back." I nod, and she goes deeper into the building.

A few minutes later, she returns with company.

"This is Attendant Tryss." She turns to him, passing the conversation along.

"Hello, Lucius. I will be your examiner for today. Before we start, are you fully prepared?" I nod. "You have your equipment and supplies for at least a few days?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I am required to ask, and for good reason. You would be surprised how many adventurers forget stuff. Always pays to double check." He tugs on his shirt, attempting to smooth it down. "Right, if you'd follow me." I oblige.

Attendant Ania addresses me just as we start walking, "Good luck." I smile and nod appreciatively.

As I am being led to the familiar teleportation room, I closely observe Attendant Tryss. Is he nervous? Not exactly. Apprehensive? That seems more likely. Have I already gotten a reputation? Can't a guy uncover one devious plot without becoming infamous.

We step inside the circle on the floor and get flash-banged to another space. We appear to be in a stone room with no exits. The room is big enough to accommodate the dungeon gate and nothing more. There is a singular, dim source of light, positioned in the center of the ceiling.

"Whenever you are ready," Attendant Tryss says.

I take out my armor and my sword from my storage. The equipment is fastened on with practiced precision.

Once I am done, I nod and walk through. My examiner follows closely behind me. We are once again moved to a new space. This time, the light is much brighter, almost welcoming. The artificial sun gives everything around a warm orange glow. The air is also comfortably warm, but maybe a little too damp for some tastes. My feet squelch in thick mud, and my boots are flooded with murky water. Tiny flying insects immediately swarm my face, trying to find purchase and extract my sweet nectar. I slap myself a few times. The volume of pests does not reduce. A thick bubble forms in the brown water a few meters from me. It pops with a deep and almost resigned sound, freeing a cloud of bright green gas. It smells of decay. The vegetation is dense and unwieldy, making traversal through the dungeon an arduous task. Strange birds make even stranger sounds, their songs sounding wrong. Deep croaks can be heard, echoing from between the trees.

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I am probably the giddiest I've ever been. It's honestly getting hard controlling my shell to appear annoyed. A genuine swamp level. This is the best day ever.

Attendant Tryss does not share my enthusiasm. Hey, it's okay to be wrong sometimes. We can't all have objectively good taste.

Before I do anything, I turn back to him and stare expectantly. He meets my eyes. After a few seconds of nothing happening, his look turns quizzical. After a few more seconds, he slowly turns around, examining if something behind him could be drawing my attention. When the attendant confirms there's no great danger nor fantastical sight, he turns back to me.

"Um, you can start... If you'd like?" He tilts his head slightly, the final statement mixed with confusion.

"Oh, I thought you'd stealth."

He blinks a few times. "Why would I do that?"

Why would he do that? "Hall master did." I am losing all confidence. Was that like a him thing? But it makes so much sense, and it looked really cool.

Attendant Tryss tries to keep a professional demeanor. "Don't worry. My presence won't pose any additional risk to you."

"Okay." Well, that was embarrassing. Information around promotion exams is scarce and tightly controlled. And while adventurers are liberal with their sharing, that is one topic they do not broach.

I give a final glance back. Still fully visible. Feels weird.

Whatever, nothing will detract from my enjoyment of this superior dungeon design. You have the environmental hazards, the ever-changing terrain, the dangers lurking all around you. Will they come from between the trees, drop down from the canopy, or erupt from below. And what secrets does the swamp hold? What is hidden in the heart of the beast?

Okay, enough admiring. Let's focus up. The first issue—I was not given an objective. And the second issue—the question about supplies hints to a long completion time, maybe multiple days. How much should I hold back. Eh, I'll give myself some freedom. Time to embrace the infamy.

As I slap through the pleasantly warm waters, Attendant Tryss follows a dozen meters behind me. His steps make a distinctly different sound compared to mine. His feet make contact with the shallow water and displace it, but there is a thin membrane of air pushing against the liquid and sludge. The density of insects is also much lower around him. And those that are there find little luck with acquiring a tasty meal. Quite the handy use of magic. But even though he is thoroughly protected from the environment, his face is twisted into primal revulsion, worsening with every step.

The combination of a relatively clear channel of water and the mess of tangled plants is leading us toward a destination. Analyzing the dungeon does not reveal anything actionable. I'll just let myself get herded and take it from there.

A branch deep inside the vegetation moves. Curious. I stop and listen, purely performative, of course. Another branch moves. Oh, I see. A thick vine is snaking around the trees and silently enters the water. It's slowly approaching me, trying not to make a disturbance on the now stilling surface. I continue to perform my focused observation, until the vine wraps around my leg and pulls. The force immediately yanks me down, drenching me completely. I don't resist as it pulls me deeper into the swamp. Why would I? Now I can avoid all the pretend searching.

I tuck my limbs close and let the monster transport me to itself. A final tug, and I emerge in a small clearing dominated by a large tree. Numerous other vines rush toward me. Before they reach, I slice at the one constricting around my ankle. The plant matter offers almost no resistance. The taut vine still connected to the tree whips back, while the remaining part relaxes, freeing my leg. After that, I spring up and slash at the incoming attack with precision. The other vines are splashing in the water in pieces.

Seeing as its tactics are ineffective, my opponent decides to change things up. The tree starts shaking. Wood creaks from the strain. Branches violently shudder, dropping some of their leaves. Said leaves do not peacefully flutter down, no, they shoot through the air. I stomp down, hard. The wall of water and mud intercepts the projectiles, slowing and redirecting them enough for me to easily dodge out of the way.

Roots start pulling themselves out from the earth, slamming against the water. But before the Lesser Treant can fully free itself, I act.

The shallow water and sticky mud do not impede my swift advance. Each of my steps spray the obstacles away. I dodge a few vines and jump over a lightning-fast root strike. With another jump, I am halfway up the tree. Another slice cuts it into two, stilling the thrashing monster. I crash down together with the severed crown.

Attendant Tryss is not even remotely fazed by my performance, more concerned with avoiding any errant splash. Tough crowd. I even tried to add some suspense in there. Alright then, let's pick up the pace.