The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 703

Chapter 703: Not Dead Enough

What else could it be?

A jackpot, apparently!

Ding.

Ding!

Ding!

DING!

Ah, yes, the unmistakable sound of heaven’s gates opening for one golden-eyed money grubber whose entire spine straightened like a man blessed by fortune itself.

If only everyone else felt the same way.

Because while Luca’s heart sang hymns of profit and discovery, the rest of the soldiers were seeing something completely different.

Far away from the delighted cadet whose mecha had sprinted forward to investigate the "gift," the mortified soldiers stationed at the cliffside outpost clutched each other like widows watching fate unfold in slow motion.

From their perspective, the scene was less "scientific breakthrough" and more "instant obituary."

The young ones on the field seemed to treat every monstrous strike and explosion as an opportunity—a faster way to collect more loot. Every twist, every reckless dodge, every acrobatic mecha movement was done with CP—ehem, with protection in mind.

But to the waiting adults watching from afar? It looked like a collection of death-defying stunts.

Each impossible angle, each midair turn that standard-issue mechas couldn’t dream of pulling off, made the officers wince harder. Every slash that sent up sprays of contaminated water or sparks from those massive tentacles had even the toughest soldiers grinding their teeth.

It was clear that the cadets were gifted pilots—no question there. But as people who had never piloted mechas with zero delay, all they could imagine was that these kids were only surviving out of sheer instinct and impossible anticipation.

And of course, it didn’t help that their battle looked utterly terrifying.

Tentacles thicker than bridge supports kept smashing into the waves and reaching for the sky. Each one was larger than a mecha’s wingspan, and the way they moved—fast, unpredictable, almost intelligent—made every onlooker’s pulse spike.

Not to mention the explosions.

Explosions that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, bright and loud, making even veterans flinch.

And just when they thought it couldn’t get worse—

It did.

Because that was when the monster spewed out a mass of corruption the size of a hovercraft straight from its godforsaken mouth.

"WHAT THE—?!"

"Oh god. We’re going to die," muttered one soldier under his breath, gripping his coat like it could somehow protect him from reality.

Even back in the Imperial battleship, where officers were tracking the battle from Nico’s terminal feed, chaos erupted.

Every officer who had been calmly observing strategy a second ago was suddenly on their feet, chairs screeching, as the giant corrupted mass filled the projection feed.

See, corruption was corruption—but even corruption had its own categories.

So far, there was still a huge difference between newly corrupted zones and mature ones. The mature corruption zones, or MCZs, had long since adapted to their environment. The corruption had blended into the very fabric of beasts, plants, and even the soil itself. It had become stable in its own twisted way, so the corrosive goo wasn’t usually their main worry.

But that?

That massive, viscous, glowing heap that the monster had just vomited out?!

Everyone could only pray it was a one-time thing.

But how could anyone be so lucky?

Marshal Julian felt his pulse skip a beat when he saw Luca’s mecha darting straight for the corruption mass that had splashed dangerously close to the shore. If he hadn’t known that the boy could purify corruption, he would’ve called the whole team back without hesitation.

But in the end, he didn’t need to.

Because, to their collective shock and confusion, the cadets suddenly pulled back and flew toward the satellite shelter instead.

Apparently, there was a "slight issue" that must be addressed.

Seeing their retreating backs sent the medics into a state of chaos. They scrambled to prepare and deploy emergency gear in case anyone returned contaminated or injured, because why else would those cadets rush to return?

Only, when the mechas landed, no one looked injured.

Even their mechas had no visible damage.

If not for the seawater still dripping from their frames, the soldiers might’ve thought they had just gone out for a casual spin around the sea. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

And then—

Thud!

Everyone jumped.

The ground trembled as the white-and-gold mecha stepped forward and, with casual ease, dropped something enormous just outside the barrier of the temporary shelter.

A giant tentacle.

It was wet. It was twitching. And it was absolutely horrifying.

Gasps echoed all around.

"Oh shit!" one soldier shouted, staggering backward.

"Is it still alive?" another hissed.

"It’s moving! It’s definitely still moving!"

And so far, many things matched.

But then Luca said something that made Marshal Julian tense.

"The reason we came back," he said, "was because we needed to warn everyone about what we’d confirmed."

Everyone straightened.

Without further ado, Luca walked forward, gesturing toward the giant tentacle they had placed outside the barrier. "Let me demonstrate."

Gasps filled the air as he lifted a rock from the ground using spiritual energy. Everyone’s eyes followed as the floating rock hit the severed tentacle.

Nothing happened.

Murmurs broke out.

Luca nodded as if expecting that result. "As you can see, there was no reaction. The trigger requires more than contact."

He then took something else from his space—a simple wood plank that glowed faintly with spiritual energy to those with visual resonance. With the same motion, he hit the tentacle again.

This time, the reaction was immediate.

"!!!"

A rapid series of sharp, cracking sounds filled the air as dozens of protrusions shot out from the tentacle’s surface. The spikes were so fast they almost missed them entirely—if not for Marshal Julian recording and replaying the footage in slow motion.

On the screen, the harpoon-like needles could be clearly seen—each one the length of a human leg—shooting upward to cover the part that had been struck.

The soldiers collectively flinched.

Luca calmly pointed toward the screen. "As you can see, it still stings even when detached from the monster."

Silence.

He continued, his tone steady. "Just as Lieutenant Sera mentioned before, these stingers carry paralyzing properties. With that much force, they could pierce most mecha armors."

A few soldiers paled.

"So any tentacle we cut must be stacked carefully or disposed of properly," Luca said, scanning the group. "Otherwise, someone could get stung by accident."

Whispers spread immediately.

Finally, one soldier spoke up. "Is it not possible to just leave them in the water?"

Luca hesitated, then glanced at his friends. Xavier gave a small nod, while Kyle and Jax both looked grim but supportive.

"It’s fine," Xavier said quietly. "You can tell them."