Outside the dungeon, the scene was a mix of chaos and excitement. Students were emerging from the dungeon, some with torn clothes and bruises, looking like they had just survived a deadly battle. The most disheveled ones looked like they could start begging on the street if they had a bowl in hand.
However, the real attention wasn't on those battle-worn students but on three others—Jeff, Emily, and Jack. Despite looking a bit roughed up, they were in much better shape than most. And standing out like a sore thumb was Lucas, completely unharmed, looking as fresh as if he'd just taken a casual stroll through the dungeon.
"Did Lucas just find a nice corner to play video games?" a student joked, laughing.
Thorne's teammate, Elowen, wasn't as kind. "You're not wrong. While Jeff and the others were fighting for their lives, Lucas was hiding in the back… playing games!" He sneered as he said this, his face full of disdain.
Seraphina, standing nearby, didn't say anything, but her disappointment was clear. She had hoped Lucas's slump was temporary, but now it seemed like he was hopelessly addicted to gaming, a shadow of his former self.
Hearing these rumors, the crowd laughed even harder. This was typical Lucas, always unpredictable and seemingly indifferent to everything around him.
Yang stood nearby, listening to the students' chatter with a frown on his face. "Such a promising kid… It's a shame he's fallen into gaming like this. Maybe the Federation needs to crack down on these unhealthy distractions. Reading books should be enough entertainment. Why waste time on online games?"
Amidst the mocking and gossip, Lucas simply glanced up at the crowd, his face calm. Turning to Jeff and the others, he said, "You guys go hand in the energy stones. I'll be on the bus playing games." With that, he walked away without a second thought.
For Lucas, the Summer Dungeon Hunt rankings didn't matter much. He only joined the event to see how real-life dungeons compared to the ones in his games. Whether he placed first or not was of no concern to him.
But Lucas's nonchalant attitude only made everyone else more irritated. Watching him stroll off without a care in the world, the onlookers shook their heads in disbelief.
Only Jeff, Emily, and Jack exchanged knowing smirks. Lucas had surprised them at first, but now they were smart enough not to reveal his true abilities. If word got out about Lucas's skills, they'd never be able to team up with him again. Despite swearing they'd never team up with Lucas again, the allure of easy wins was too tempting. Who cares about pride when there's a guaranteed first place on the line?
At that moment, Yang stepped up and shouted, "Everyone, gather around to report your energy stone totals."
No one moved immediately; all eyes were on Thorne's team. They were the acknowledged favorites, and everyone was eager to see how many energy stones they had collected.
Thorne, looking confident despite his torn-up clothes, stepped forward and handed over his team's collection of energy stones to Yang.
Yang inspected the stones and nodded with approval. "A total of 110 energy stones. Ten from evolved goblins and 100 from regular ones."
He smiled and praised them, "Impressive! Taking down ten evolved goblins as beginner-level players is an outstanding achievement."
The students watching murmured in admiration. "They're amazing! We almost didn't make it with just two evolved goblins."
As Thorne's team finished, other teams began turning in their stones. Most had only managed to take down two or three evolved goblins, and even the better teams had barely handled four or five, which was already a big deal.
Finally, it was Jeff, Emily, and Jack's turn to hand in their energy stones.
Yang's eyes widened slightly as he counted the stones. "Eighteen evolved goblin energy stones… Are you sure you hunted all of these?"
The crowd erupted in shock. "What?! That's impossible!"
Thorne's confident expression faltered. His team had struggled immensely to kill ten evolved goblins, and now these three had killed eighteen?
"It's gotta be the beginner armor!" a student shouted angrily. "That stuff shouldn't be allowed in low-level dungeons!"
Suddenly, it all made sense to the students, and they began grumbling in frustration. "This is cheating! Buying their way to first place? What a joke!"
"Disgusting! If I had beginner armor, I could've killed eighteen evolved goblins too!"
The anger and envy directed toward Jeff's team were palpable. After all, Jeff, Emily, and Jack were known as some of the worst students academically. If they took first place, it would be a slap in the face to everyone else.
Hearing the complaints, Jeff sneered and said, "If you're so mad, why don't you just buy your own beginner armor? Too broke for that, huh?"
"Yeah, exactly! Get some resources, losers! Maybe if you hustle now, your kids can be rich someday!" Jack added, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Emily rolled her eyes, regretting not following Lucas back to the bus earlier. "These two are asking to get punched," she muttered under her breath.
In the crowd, fists clenched in anger, and the situation was on the verge of turning violent.
Sensing the tension, Yang quickly stepped in. "Alright, alright! While it's true they had an advantage with their gear, they still earned their result. The rules are the rules."
The teachers gathered around, whispering among themselves. "It's a bit embarrassing that the lowest-ranking students are taking first place. Won't this hurt the school's reputation?"
"Maybe we should adjust the results," Thorne's teacher suggested. "Put his team in first and Jeff's in second. It'll keep the students happy."
"I don't think that's necessary," another teacher countered. "These kids need a reality check. Life isn't always fair, and they'll learn that soon enough."
As the teachers debated, Yang's expression grew complicated. But before the discussion could continue, a calm voice interrupted.
"Where's the gamer?"
An elderly man with a white beard had appeared in the crowd. His kind eyes scanned the students, but he didn't see Lucas. The man was none other than Principal Laszlo.
Yang's face lit up with surprise and respect. "Principal Laszlo! What brings you here in person? Are you referring to Lucas?"
Principal Laszlo smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, I'm just here for a quick look."
With the principal's arrival, all the talk of changing the rules faded away. No one would dare argue when Principal Laszlo was around. But his interest in Lucas left everyone curious—why would the principal care about a guy who was more interested in video games than anything else?