Isekai Dungeon Architect

Riddle laughed. Not a loud laugh, not one of those belly-aching ones, but a small, quiet ripple of sound that managed to soothe and irritate me at the same time.

"Relax, Aria," she said, the corners of her lips tugging upward. "There is nothing for you to worry about."

"That's exactly the kind of thing people say right before something explodes in my face." I shot her a look.

She shook her head, still smiling, utterly unbothered by my dramatics, and gestured for me to follow her further down the corridor. The air here was a little softer, which did not help my anxiety one bit.

"You should at least understand how the Association evaluates adventurers," she continued, her voice slipping into that calm, measured tone she used whenever she explained something important.

Defeated, I just folded my arms. "Go on. Enlighten this poor, doomed soul."

"There are three Roles," she began without hesitation, ignoring my endless misery. "Every adventurer is placed into one of them depending on their strengths."

"Three Roles. Got it. Like three job categories in an org chart." That much was common knowledge association.

Reddy raised three fingers one by one, "Combat. Assistance. Research."

I arched my brow. "That's… refreshingly simple."

Unlike the complicated job categories with vague descriptions some of the orgs had back home, this was pretty easy to understand from titles alone.

She still ignored the interruption, though. "Combat Classes make up the majority. Swordsmen, archers, healers, combat mages— anyone who engages directly with monsters or supports those who do. Their focus is strength, resilience, and battle."

"Frontline soldiers and medics," I summarized instinctively.

I had seen them around the association hall earlier, as well as outside, the humans and other races that carried swords, shields, spears, magical wands, and a medium for their holy power for healing.

There were priests who heal, swordsmen, and mages who combat the monsters, and many unique classes like archers with a magical air to them, and those clad in assassin clothes flaunting their creed.

"Exactly. Then, Assistance Classes," she continued, "are those who empower adventurers outside the battlefield. Alchemists, blacksmiths, enchanters, artifact crafters. Even mages whose specialties lie outside of combat— for example, teleportation or agriculture— fall here."

I gave her a sidelong look. "So… the AWS infrastructure team."

Her brows knit. "The what?"

"Never mind."

They were perhaps the people who had storage and appraisal skills like mine or classes like Reddy's. Though I doubt many would be as proficient as we are.

Her lips curved almost imperceptibly, as if she was finally learning to filter out my nonsense. "And finally…" She shook her head with a sigh, "Research Classes."

I tilted my head. "That sounds ominous. Research what exactly?"

Riddle's eyes flicked to the far window at my question, where the dungeon's black silhouette loomed in the distance.

"The dungeons. The world. Knowledge itself. These are people with rare skills tied to information, languages, history, or unique perception." Her eyes were focused on me as she was saying that.

"They can appraise artifacts, interpret rune characters of the past, catalog creatures, and negotiate with non-human races. And some— though very few— choose to become Dungeon Explorers."

"Explorers…" I repeated softly. Not fighters, not builders, not crafters. They were people who went into the unknown just for the sake of understanding it.

"Hmmm…"

My chest tightened just a little. Would that be me, then? I wondered as our steps continued.

"And how do they decide which shiny little box you get shoved into?" I asked after a moment of self-reflection.

"That's where the tests come in," she answered as we finally reached another chamber.

Benches lined the walls here, and a steady trickle of nervous-looking candidates, some carrying weapons and swords, some with their magic wands, some non-humans, but all a little nervous, filtered past clerks. The air smelled of ink and parchment, heavy with concentration, nervousness, and questions.

"There are three tests," Riddle explained, pausing so I could follow along. "The written test, the skill assessment, and finally, the dungeon trial."

"Of course, there are three tests." I sighed. "It couldn't just be a handshake and a welcome package, huh?"

Written test as HR psych evals and personality surveys that everyone lies on. The Team-building workshops that never actually measured skills as a skill assessment. And probably the dungeon trials are something like Surprise field assignments, where the manager forgets you exist until you fail.

'Was this really the fantasy equivalent to what I was already used to?'

Reddy talked with the people in charge, who greeted her respectfully, as she ignored me once again and continued from where she had stopped.

"The written test measures understanding. History, dungeon knowledge, survival logic, and even ethics. But…" she raised a finger, "...if you cannot read or write, or if it is not your strength, you are allowed to have a proxy. Someone who will read, write, and explain the questions for you."

My eyes widened instantly. "Wait… you'll be my proxy?!"

Was it even allowed to have the guard captain, one of the high-ranking people of the city, who must have obtained that position with her own merits, as my proxy?

"Correct. I will be allowed to explain the questions, but not answer for you. You'll still have to give your own responses."

A grin split across my face. "Ha! Cheat codes unlocked."

She gave me a flat look immediately. "Proxy support is standard procedure, Aria. Not cheating."

"Tell that to my old college professors."

Her exasperation was tangible, one I have become familiar with. "After the written test comes the skill assessment. You are asked to demonstrate the skills you already possess."

I froze for half a second right there. "Demonstrate… like show them my status window?"

This is exactly what I was afraid of.

I can show off my knowledge and skills to some extent, but if they ask for the status window, which is something pretty obvious, I'd be in big trouble.

'Just like how the companies need all your documents, they would check the status window, this world's ID equivalent, wouldn't they?'

It was obvious, so… I braced myself to tell her I didn't want to give this test.

But, looking at me with eyes as sharp as a katana blade, Reddy shook her head.