Three days later, Nox could finally leave the infirmary and participate in the lessons. Walking felt normal again, but each step reminded him of how close he had come to never walking at all.

  “You’re here,” his three teammates said in unison. Their steps and expressions seemed overly concerned, as if he might collapse at any moment.

  “Are you sure you’re fine? You should rest a bit more,” Lina said, her tone strict and commanding. Her gaze swept over him with the precision of a healer examining a patient, scrutinizing every movement.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Nox instinctively answered, a flicker of intimidation crossing his face.

  “She sounds like my mom,” he thought with a smirk, shaking his head slightly.

  “Everyone, please sit down and be quiet.”

  A middle-aged man entered the classroom. His brown hair was streaked with grey, and a short beard framed his face, giving him a solemn presence.

  “I’m Andre Berr, your new class teacher. I will teach you everything about the theory of magic and the history of Britannica.”

  His presence couldn’t be felt at all, but there was a weight to him—a sense that he carried far more strength and knowledge than a usual theory teacher.

  “We will start with basic knowledge today.”

  “As you all know, there are the four basic elements that everyone can use—fire, water, wind, and earth… but are there any other elements?” he asked, scanning the class.

  “There are light and darkness from the main stigmas, and many more with the side stigmas, such as telekinesis and gravity,” Lina replied, yawning softly.

  “That’s correct. But why are these considered fundamentally different from the basic elements?”

  “Because you can only use them with the respective stigma, and not without,” Lina answered.

  “Exactly. Everyone can use the basic elements to some extent without having the stigma, but not these so-called special elements.”

  “There are twelve main gods in the heavenly realm, but so far, we only know the symbols and identities of ten of them. The other two are considered the secret gods of the celestial realm.”

  The classroom fell even quieter at the mention of the unknown gods. Even the most confident students avoided eye contact, as if merely mentioning them could have consequences.

  After Andre continued to explain the strengths and weaknesses of each stigma, it was time for practical lessons.

  They stepped through the garden again and met up in a small combat arena.

  “Hello everyone. It’s nice to see you again, especially Nox,” Altair said, her gaze sweeping over him with careful scrutiny.

  Her eyes lingered just a second too long, giving the impression that she was memorizing him, not judging him.

  “Analus is temporarily suspended from the practical lessons, and I will deduct 200 points from his team.”

  Analus’s group shot furious glares at Nox, as though he were somehow responsible.

  “In a few days, you will attend your first mission, so you should be prepared,” Altair continued. She briefly glanced at the group, sending cold shivers down their spine.

  “That’s why you will get some items today.”

  Excitement rippled through the courtyard, mingling with an undercurrent of tension. Items meant power, and power sounded good.

  “You have to earn the items by yourself, of course.”

  “You have three days to get yourself an item. The team with the best one will get… 200 points.”

  For the first time since waking, Nox felt a surge of confident. Almost too much.

  “However, to make it fair, Nox’s group must split into two teams. You are not allowed to help each other.”

  “What? That’s so unfair!” Beatrice exclaimed.

  “You have three people with a main stigma. And you will get double the points if both of your groups manage to beat the others,” Altair added, smiling warmly.

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  “It will be difficult to win with only two people. One of the other groups even has a guy with the stigma of blacksmithing,” Lina thought, calculating their odds.

  “You can hunt whenever and however you want, but you can’t use external help.”

  When the practical lessons began, Nox turned to his group.

  “Alright, I’ll team up with Reg—”

  “Let’s do Regea and me in a group,” Beatrice interrupted. Her smile was mischievous, as if she had some bigger plan.

  Before Lina and Nox could react, she grabbed Regea’s hand and tugged him away.

  He didn’t resist, only looking back once. Confusion etched on his face, already dreading whatever scheme Beatrice had in mind.

  “Then I suppose we are in a group, huh?” Lina asked.

  “Yeah, seems so. Does the noble princess wish for a particular item?” Nox replied. He tried to hide his embarrassment by teasing her.

  “Ouch!” he cried as Lina trampled his foot.

  “If you find out about my secret side, there’s no going back,” she whispered.

  “W- What?”

  “Nothing… how about we go into one of the nearby dungeons?” she suggested.

  “We can’t go in there alone.”

  “That’s what the adventurer guild is for. Let’s find a party there.”

  The city thinned as they walked. Students became civilians. Magic robes gave way to work clothes. For the first time since arriving at the academy, Nox felt like he was part of the real world.

  They stepped along the main road and Nox could immediately tell which building she meant. A large wooden house loomed before them.

  One could immediately see that thousands of people had entered and left, accepting mission that could potentially destroy their lives.

  The smell of cooked food wafted out, and twenty or more pairs of eyes turned to watch as they entered.

  The guild hall buzzed with restrained chaos; laughing mercenaries, scarred veterans, and adventurers who looked one mistake away from retirement.

  “Welcome to the adventurer guild. How can I help you?” a young woman asked.

  “We would like to join a party for a dungeon raid,” Lina replied.

  “Sure, but you must register first. Please fill out this paper.”

  Nox took the paper and quickly filled in the information.

  He had hoped for some crazy mana crystal event and roaring thunders, but that seemed fine as well.

  Writing ‘Ice stigma’ felt almost dishonest, like lying to a contract. But it wasn’t like he had a choice now.

  “Thank you for filling it out. Both of you will start at F-rank. You can get higher ranks by completing missions from the academy or our guild directly.”

  “Okay, so now we can join a party, right?” Lina asked.

  “Yes, but unfortunately, no one is available right now,” the woman said. She glanced around the hall and then asked, “Would anyone take these two with them on a raid?”

  The room fell silent, everyone studying the two kids intently.

  “We’ll take them,” a small man said, raising his hand. Six young men stood by his side.

  Everyone turned around with a confused expression, having no idea why they would take up two F-ranks.

  As they gathered outside, the small man introduced himself.

  “My name is Olgar Somerhalder. I have the stigma of barriers. It’s a pleasure to work with you, princess.”

  “You recognize me?” Lina asked.

  “Of course. I once worked for His Majesty.”

  “Today we’re going into a D-rank dungeon. Are you sure you want to go with us?” he asked.

  “Yeah, that’s fine with us.”

  The group marched through the outskirts of the Holy Empire and left the city wall.

  A small, jungle-like forest extended over the grassland, a faint green glow emanating from it.

  “We are here,” Olgar said.

  Before them lay a small temple. Long vines stretched over the old, broken stone. Long stairs descended into eerie darkness.

  The deeper they went, the colder it became. Each step downward felt like leaving warmth behind. Stone walls swallowed sound, making even breathing feel intrusive.

  “We are on the first floor now. Our goal is to advance to the fifth floor,” Olgar declared.

  “I heard dungeons can have more than a hundred floors,” Nox thought, glancing at his stats.

  Stigma: Stigma of combination

  Strength: 7,9 (+5)

  Stamina: 6,1

  Agility: 6,9

  Mana: 11 (+5)

  Equipped items: Red stone sword (+5 strength), Mana ring (+5 mana)

  Skills: Earth spikes, Water release, Wind strike, Wind launch, Freezing wind, Ice crystal, Ice crystal launch

  “I should combine my new earth skill later… to create new elements,” he considered.

  Suddenly, five earth wolves appeared. They resembled the black ones from before, but their fur was brown and they were slightly smaller.

  Before they could attack, Olgar’s team neutralized them with precise strikes.

  “They’re fairly strong, but they’ll need help afterwards,” Nox thought, summoning blue ice crystals.

  As they reached the fourth floor, the monsters required a coordinated effort—four men per wolf to take them down. This was no longer a hunt; it was simply surviving.

  “They’re almost as strong as the goblin king I faced back then. But now the fight looks different,” Nox thought, decapitating a big wolf’s head.

  They walked through a long tunnel, magical torches threw long, eerie shadows on the stone floor.

  They reached the end with a small altar was located in the centre. A grey chest stood on it, waiting to be claimed.

  “It looks the same as on the other floors. Until now, Olgar always took the treasures, but I think we’ll split them based on contribution in the end,” Nox thought.

  “You guys can take this one,” Olgar said.

  “Sure.”

  Nox and Lina carefully stepped toward the altar, ready to face any trap that might erupt as they lifted the item.

  Name: Basic rare chest plate

  Grade: Rare

  Type: Armour

  Description: A piece of armour that forms from high mana concentrations, +9 defence

  Someone's defence corresponded to their strength value, which meant that Nox's defence would almost double with this item.

  “I was scared it might be a trap, but it isn’t,” he thought.

  “Which one is it?”, Olgar shouted.

  “A Basic rare chest plate!”

  Olgar's eyes gleamed with greed before he suddenly panicked.

  “Don’t hold that item! It’s cursed!”

  “Wha-”

  Throw it here!”

  Without hesitation, Nox obeyed, tossing the chest plate to him.

  Olgar caught it effortlessly and fastened it onto his chest. His gaze was calm and nonchalant.

  “Huh? I thought it was cur-”

  “…”

  Then, laughter erupted. The sound twisted and distorted unnaturally, bouncing off the dungeon walls.

  A barrier sprang up, separating Nox and Lina from the others.

  He finally understood—the real enemy was standing right in front of them.