A restless energy saturated the campus fields as hundreds of students gathered, their chatter a nervous hum in the sharp morning air. Suddenly, a deafening metallic clang echoed across the grounds. Grey stood at the center of the crowd, his expression grim and unyielding. The sound instantly silenced the assembly.

  "Listen up!" Grey commanded, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Today is the day your training bears fruit! This exam is your chance to prove your worth, to show us lecturers everything you have cultivated in these halls!"

  A ripple of tension shifted through the students.

  "The requirement is simple: form a group of six," Grey announced. With a flick of his wrist, his massive claymore shimmered and reverted into his wand. "Once your team is assembled, your representative will report to me."

  Chaos erupted. The once-ordered crowd dissolved into a frantic scramble as students shouted and searched for partners. Aria immediately seized Carol’s arm, her grip iron-tight.

  "Come here," she said, pulling Carol toward the rest of their circle: Noire, Revir, Rein, and Saria.

  "I half-expected you to skip the exam entirely, Carol," Revir noted with a playful, sharp smile.

  "Why would I run? It’s just an exam. It’s not like it’s a death trap."

  "I think you’re underestimating the situation," Noire warned, his gaze darting toward the horizon. "There are rumors that someone or something, entered the dungeon a few days ago. People have reported hearing howls that don't sound like any normal monster."

  "Does everyone know about this?" Carol asked, her voice flat and devoid of fear.

  "It’s just a rumor for now," Rein chimed in, adjusting his robes. "Nevertheless, the stakes are high. If you fail or fail to participate, you won’t just be disqualified as a student, but also be stripped of your status as a Margia entirely."

  "That’s... brutal," Carol admitted, her eyes narrowing.

  "And that is why," Aria stepped in, her eyes burning with a fierce determination, "we cannot afford even a single mistake. I assume we all have our own reasons for carrying these wands, don't we?"

  The group nodded in silent agreement. Saria, however, only squeezed her wand tighter, her knuckles white against the wood. Once the teams were formed, Grey’s voice boomed again.

  "Representatives, report to the faculty now!"

  "So, who’s the boss?" Carol asked.

  Aria flashed a confident, shark-like grin. "Obviously, it should be—"

  "I’d choose Carol, honestly," Noire interrupted casually.

  Aria froze, her eyes wide with indignation.

  "Me? Why?" Carol asked, genuinely taken aback.

  "You're the only one I've seen who keeps a cool head and follows logic in the middle of a mess," Noire explained, shooting a side-eye at Aria. "Besides, why would we follow a battle-maniac who charges in without a plan?"

  "Care to repeat that..?" Aria whispered, her wand sparking with a menacing crackle of magic.

  "N-nothing!"

  Carol thought for a beat. "I suppose I can give it a shot."

  She walked toward Grey to register her team. As she approached, he let out a weary sigh of disbelief. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

  "Am I surprising you, sir?"

  "I suppose so, Carol. I didn't think you’d push yourself into a leadership role," Grey said, a small, knowing grin touching his lips. "Usually, your only priority is your vengeance."

  "It still is. However..." Carol looked down at her palm, a flicker of a crimson emblem flashing in her mind's eye. She shook her head, banishing the memory. "It can wait. It’s not like I have many clues to chase right now, anyway."

  "Is that so? Good. Report your team, Representative Erlikh."

  Once the registrations were complete, Grey addressed the silent crowd one last time.

  "Your objective is at the heart of the dungeon, a site of high Ender density. The goal is straightforward: reach the deepest level and conquer the Wyvern guarding it."

  A wave of confident murmurs broke out; many students felt the task was beneath them.

  "However!" Grey’s voice snapped like a whip, reinstating silence. "I require the Ender Stone from its carcass as proof! Without that stone in my hand, your results are void!"

  Disbelief washed over the students.

  "Isn't that too dangerous, sir?" one student called out, his voice cracking. "Bringing a raw Ender Stone to the surface will attract every monster in the vicinity. They’re cunning enough to sniff out that much concentrated energy!"

  "So?" Grey asked, his tone dripping with cold annoyance.

  "B-but—"

  "I don't need excuses," Grey cut him off. "This exam is meant to test your absolute limits. I won't provide an easy path just because the goal is high-risk."

  He looked directly at Carol. She met his gaze and gave a single, solemn nod, a silent promise. A brief look of relief crossed Grey’s face.

  "Without further ado," he announced, as the lecturers raised their wands. "Let the exam... Begin!"

  A massive magical symbol erupted in the sky. With a unified roar, the students charged into the dungeon entrance.

  Deep within the lightless depths of the lowest level, a low rumble echoed from above. The mysterious hooded figure’s shoulders shook with a silent, jagged laugh.

  "Finally. The main course is served," he whispered.

  Behind him, a sea of monsters stirred, their crimson eyes glowing like dying embers in the dark.

  The moment Carol’s group crossed the threshold, the metallic scent of blood hit them like a wall. The corridor was a graveyard. Monster corpses littered the floor, many with clean, singular holes through their chests, a testament to the lethal efficiency and haste of the students ahead of them.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "They really are in a hurry," Carol noted, covering her nose against the rising stench of decay.

  "Look closer," Rein said calmly, stepping over a mangled form. "The wounds are too precise. Every monster was taken down with a single strike."

  "Doesn't matter. We need to keep moving," Carol commanded.

  "Wow, listen to you. You're actually acting like a leader," Revir teased.

  "S-shut up..." Carol muttered, her ears turning pink as they pressed deeper.

  They continued onward, passed more and more carnage along the way, until a soul-piercing scream cut through the air. Without a word, the group sprinted toward the sound.

  "What the...?" Carol whispered, her voice thick with disgust.

  The scene was a slaughterhouse. Piles of student corpses were scattered across the floor, blood painting the stone walls. In the center of the carnage stood a Chimera—a grotesque fusion of beasts, its maw dripping with fresh gore. Its malevolent eyes were fixed on the lone survivor, a boy paralyzed by terror.

  "A Chimera," Aria noted, her voice steady but her hands tightening on her blade. "A fused entity. They’re a nightmare to deal with."

  "Thanks for the lore, but we have a survivor to save," Rein said, drawing his wand.

  "Even so-" Before Aria could finished her sentences, Saria took the first action instead.

  "Vergus: Norin!" Saria’s voice cut through the tension. Her wand transformed into a bow of pure, shimmering light. She loosed an arrow that erupted in a blinding flash, searing the Chimera's vision.

  "Run! Now!" Saria shouted, her voice shaking with adrenaline.

  The survivor gave a frantic nod and scrambled toward the surface, leaving the group alone with the beast.

  "You're full of surprises, Saria," Aria said, a genuine look of shock on her face.

  "I-is it okay..?" Saria stammered, her usual nerves returning.

  "It was perfect. Don't worry," Carol said, stepping forward. "You guys know the drill, right?"

  The group transformed their wands in a unified sequence of light and steel.

  "Time to see if that training was worth the sweat," Carol noted.

  Aria, her broadsword glowing with an intense, radiating heat, charged without a sound. Rein followed, his spear leveled. The Chimera, disoriented and roaring in agony, swiped blindly. Aria ducked beneath a massive claw and delivered a searing gash across its leg, while Rein’s spear found a soft point in its flank.

  In the back, Revir began a complex chant, his wand glowing with an intricate pattern. Noire stepped in front of Saria, his shield expanded and ready to intercept any counter-blow.

  "Revir, now!" Carol commanded.

  Revir finished the incantation, and the ground surged, heavy stone bindings wrapping around the monster’s limbs. The creature snarled, snapping its jaws in a frenzy.

  "Wind Agnis!" Carol shouted. A magic circle erupted beneath her boot as she vanished. She reappeared in the air above the creature’s neck, her blade crackling with high-frequency wind.

  "Not so fast, Priestess."

  A chilling, distorted voice echoed from the shadows. The mysterious figure raised his grimoire, and a dark aura surged into the Chimera. With a deafening roar, the beast shattered Revir’s stone bindings and slammed a fist into the ground. A shockwave rippled through the stone, sending Aria, Rein, and Carol flying back.

  "Persistent, aren't you?" Carol muttered, shielding her eyes from the rising dust.

  She charged again, her blade hummed. She dodged a volley of stone shards launched from the beast's mane, but a sudden blast of frost-breath forced her to leap. She swung, but the Chimera raised a massive, armored arm to protect its head.

  (It’s getting smarter,) Carol thought, struggling against the beast's raw strength. She broke the stalemate and skidded back, her boots sparking against the floor.

  She stomped again, vanished, and reappeared behind the monster, delivering a blow heavy enough to send the Chimera staggering. The beast roared, turning to unleash a flurry of savage strikes, but Carol moved with a practiced, liquid grace, dodging every claw and tooth.

  "How Troublesome," Carol hissed. She drove her sword into the floor, and a miniature hurricane erupted, clearing the thick dust in a single burst. Her friends were now visible, surrounding the creature from all sides.

  "Let's end this," Carol said, her battle stance narrowing. "...With a style."

  She became a blur of steel, slashing the Chimera’s hide repeatedly before leaping clear. Aria and Rein followed up with a coordinated strike at its legs. The Chimera screamed as its limbs were severed.

  Revir leaped in for a finishing blow, but the creature used its remaining momentum to backhand him, sending him crashing into a far wall. With its final breath, the Chimera lunged its head toward Saria, unleashing a final blast of ice. Noire dove in front of her, his shield groaning under the freezing pressure.

  "Whatever you're doing, do it now!" Noire roared.

  Saria nodded, her bow glowing with a terrifying intensity. "O Light, show me the true path... and destroy the evil that lurks in the dark!"

  The arrow of concentrated light pierced the Chimera’s chest. The monster’s form began to fracture, brilliant white light leaking from its seams until it exploded into nothingness.

  In the shadows, the hooded figure’s eyes flashed with fury. He slammed a fist into the stone wall, the rock spiderwebbing under his touch. "That damn girl!" he snarled.

  But the rage vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a cold, hollow chuckle. "Don't worry," he whispered, turning toward the deeper darkness. "The surprises have only just begun. Just you wait, my Priestess. I'll show you the true meaning of despair."

  Saria slumped to the floor, gasping for air, her mana completely drained. Rein and Noire rushed to Revir, checking him for broken ribs.

  "Looks like you're the MVP today," Carol said with a proud smile, walking over to Saria.

  "R-really..?" Saria’s face flushed, but a look of profound relief washed over her.

  "Yeah. Unlike some people," Carol teased, glancing at Aria.

  "Excuse me? I contributed plenty!"

  "Oh? Name one part where you weren't just a distraction."

  Aria glared, and the two locked eyes in a familiar, competitive stare-down. Saria could only watch, a small, tired chuckle escaping her lips.

  Suddenly, a violent tremor heaved the entire dungeon. A low, thunderous rumble filled the air as the walls began to spiderweb, raining dust and heavy debris. A cold sense of dread settled in Carol’s gut.

  "What now..?" Aria whispered, her eyes wide.

  "I have a very bad feeling about this," Carol noted, her voice tight. She looked at her friends and gave a firm, sharp nod. "Everyone, out! Now!"

  At the surface, Grey waited alone. The other lecturers had already departed with the first wave of injured students. As Carol’s group finally appeared on the horizon, a palpable wave of relief washed over him.

  "Glad you made it back, Carol," Grey said, his shoulders slumping.

  "We’re back, sir," she replied, her voice raspy from the dust. "But something was... wrong in that dungeon."

  Grey looked past her to the ragged state of the other students. "The others were killed, weren't they?"

  Carol nodded solemnly. "And there was a creature inside that shouldn't have existed."

  A sharp unease struck Grey’s heart. "This is bad," he muttered, his expression darkening into something Carol had never seen before.

  "Sir?"

  "Get everyone to the evacuation point! Now!" he roared, his voice laced with a sudden, sharp urgency.

  Before Carol could ask why, the dungeon entrance behind them imploded. A massive shockwave of rubble and concentrated Ender engulfed the area. The force of the blast sent the group tumbling, separating them in a choking, grey mist.

  "Where is everyone..?" Carol coughed, her vision swimming.

  A chilling, calm voice emerged from the swirling dust.

  "At last, we meet."

  Carol’s instincts screamed. She transformed her wand into a sword in a single motion, the blade stopping just inches from the mysterious figure's throat. In that frozen heartbeat, their gazes finally met.