The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] - 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.

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!”

Sera and Nia, who had only ever seen the tentacles from inside their mechas, froze in place. Seeing it up close was a completely different experience.

“…It’s thicker than my whole mecha,” Nia whispered, voice cracking.

Sera’s eyes widened. “Thicker? Can you imagine the actual length?! This was probably just the tip!”

She wasn’t wrong. Even lying limp, the severed limb towered over several of the stationed officers.

People muttered prayers. Others just stared in pale, horrified silence.

Then Duchess Amelia stepped forward. Calm, poised, and entirely composed in a way that only she could manage, even with an eldritch limb sprawled in front of her.

Her eyes softened when she saw the returning cadets.

They were all safe.

Luca actually looked a little too bright for someone facing a crisis, while Ollie, who was in his debut, looked particularly relaxed as Kyle carried him down. Then again, how could he not be after drinking fruit shakes for psychological support?

The duchess was quietly relieved. She knew what the cadets were capable of, but no amount of ability could erase a mother’s worry—especially not after watching a sea monster throw up corruption the size of a vehicle.

But that had been earlier.

Now that she was staring at the massive tentacle her son had brought home like a souvenir, “insurmountable” sounded like the right word to describe the situation.

“Luca,” she said, her voice calm but edged with disbelief, “why did you bring that?”

Her son looked up at her innocently, his expression a little shy.

“Uhm, Mom,” he said, scratching his cheek, “I think I’m familiar with maybe a relative of this creature. Or at least something similar to what it could’ve been before it turned into that.”

“!!!”

The duchess blinked.

So did everyone else.

There was definitely a lot of disbelief.

Because how could a cadet possibly know about something like that?

But before anyone could question him further, Marshal Julian raised a hand. “Let him continue.”

Luca nodded gratefully and began his explanation.

He told them about a group of animals called Cnidarians, their biology, and a famous member, the sea anemone.

At first, the room was quiet. Then gasps rippled through the crowd as Luca described the similarities he had observed—the creature’s structure, its movement, its nerve-like responses.

And when he began explaining why they had tested different attack formations, the entire command center went silent again.

Apparently, every single test they had done—the split formations, the baiting, the simultaneous strikes—had been to verify his theory.

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.”

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