The announcent ca on a Wednesday morning.
It wasn’t loud or dramatic — just a notice projected across every dorm terminal and classroom screen at the sa ti, the kind that made students stop mid-conversation.
[Academy Directive: Mid-Term Practical Examination – Dungeon Assessnt. Attendance is mandatory. Failure to participate will result in disciplinary action or expulsion.]
Arios stared at the notification for several seconds before finally lowering his cup of tea. Liza leaned over his shoulder, reading aloud with a slow, unimpressed tone.
"’Failure to participate will result in expulsion.’ They really know how to motivate us."
Lucy, sitting on the edge of his desk, crossed her arms. "Dungeon practical... that ans they’re sending us into the actual underground network beneath the training wards, right?"
Arios nodded. "That’s what it sounds like."
Liza sat back down beside Lucy. "I thought those dungeons were sealed to the higher divisions only. If first and second years are being called, it ans sothing’s changed."
Her, flipping through her tablet beside the window, spoke without looking up. "The notice says it’s a collaborative point-based assessnt. Teams will be ranked based on monster subjugations, item retrieval, and survival ti. Low-ranking teams will face redial sessions... or removal from the current academic batch."
Lucy blinked. "So they’re actually serious about the expulsion threat."
"Yeah." Arios exhaled slowly. "It’s not just a mock exam."
The room went quiet for a mont. Outside, the early morning fog drifted past the dormitory windows, pale light breaking through the haze. For weeks now, life had finally settled into sothing peaceful — classes, als, a few quiet afternoons with Lucy and Liza teasing each other while Alia occasionally joined in despite herself. But this new announcent broke that rhythm instantly.
Liza drumd her fingers against the desk. "It’s too sudden. The sester’s midpoint was supposed to be theoretical evaluations. Why change the entire schedule?"
Arios turned the screen toward her. "Because this test isn’t about theory. It’s about control. After the Garron incident, the administration probably wants to test every student’s stability in a real environnt."
Lucy frowned. "You an they’re still worried about system-related anomalies?"
"Exactly." Arios closed the screen. "They’re probably checking for behavioral risks — students who can’t maintain control under combat stress."
Liza leaned back in her chair. "So in short, we’re being thrown into a dungeon to prove we’re not dangerous."
"That’s one way to see it."
Lucy finally looked up. "There’s another line here," she said quietly. "The exam will be observed by external evaluators from other academies."
Arios glanced toward her. "Observers?"
"Probably to cross-reference our results," She said. "They want legitimacy — no favoritism, no inside grading."
Liza groaned. "So we’re entertainnt now."
Lucy stood, stretching her arms. "Whatever. If it’s a dungeon, we just clear it. I’ve been training harder since the last incident. I want to see if it paid off."
Her determination earned a small smile from Arios. "That’s the spirit."
shut her tablet. "You’ll need strategy more than spirit. This won’t be like a normal expedition. The floors are randomized, and monsters are scaled by collective combat ranking."
Liza glanced at her. "So the stronger we are, the harder it gets?"
"Pretty much," Lucy said.
Two Days Later
The academy’s southern field had been converted into a deploynt area. Massive archway gates lined the open yard, each glowing with containnt sigils. Behind the cordon stood professors, system monitors, and automated drones, all scanning equipnt and mana resonance levels. The students — grouped in teams of four — stood waiting for their numbers to be called.
Arios’ team stood together in uniform gear:
Lucy adjusted her gloves, Liza checked her short blade, Alia scrolled through her datapad for floor layouts, and Arios tightened the straps on his gauntlet.
Around them, other groups whispered — so nervous, so confident. The sound of chanical hums and mana stabilizers filled the air.
Instructor Helvin stepped up to the announcent platform. "This will be your first major practical assessnt. Your objective is simple: clear as many dungeon floors as possible within the ti limit. Each team begins with one hundred points. Lose mbers, sustain serious injuries, or fail an objective — you lose points. Survive, clear monsters, or recover artifacts — you gain points. Expulsion awaits any team with a negative score at the end."
Murmurs spread quickly. A few students turned pale.
Helvin raised a hand. "This is not a death trial. There are safety failsafes. But consider this your only warning: panic, and you fail. Adapt, and you survive."
Lucy whispered, "That’s... comforting."
Liza smirked faintly. "Comforting would be staying in the dorm."
Arios’ gaze drifted toward the distant corner of the field, where Chase and Regulus stood with their own squad — Class A’s elite formation. Regulus caught Arios’ eyes for a mont and gave him a smirk. Chase didn’t even bother looking; his focus was sowhere beyond, calm and unreadable.
Arios turned back to his team. "Stick together. Don’t overextend."
Lucy nodded. "Got it."
Alia pocketed her datapad. "I’ve preloaded so floor data. But since this dungeon is illusion-generated, layouts might shift depending on our resonance."
"aning?" Liza asked.
"aning the dungeon adapts to our mana types and skill patterns," Alia said. "It’s dynamic. If we don’t coordinate, it’ll scatter us."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "So it’s alive."
"In a way, yes," Lucy replied.
The call ca soon after.
[Team 47 — Arios pureheart, Lucy Nightshade, Liza Garnet, Verin Pokner. Report to Gate 5.]
The four walked forward. The portal pulsed with faint blue light, the mana hum vibrating through their bones. Arios took a steadying breath.
Liza grinned at him. "Last chance to turn back."
"Not interested," Arios replied.
Lucy tilted her head. "Scared?"
"Always," he said evenly, stepping into the gate.
The world shifted in an instant.
Inside the Dungeon
The air was thick and damp. Faint blue crystals illuminated narrow stone corridors lined with moss. The faint dripping of water echoed through the tunnel network. The team appeared in a large open cavern where their HUDs imdiately flickered with notifications.
[Dungeon Floor 1: Active]
[Objective: Locate exit portal. Monster threat: Low.]
[Tir: 00:00:00 → Begin.]
Lucy scanned the surroundings. "Looks normal enough."
"Stay sharp," Pokner said, pulling out her scanning device. "Normal doesn’t last long."
The first few minutes passed quietly. They moved in formation — Arios front, Lucy right flank, Liza left, Pokner in the rear. Small scurrying sounds ca from crevices, but nothing attacked. Then, faint growls echoed deeper in the tunnel.
Liza drew her blade. "Contact?"
"Probably," Arios said. "Ready up."
The first wave ca fast — shadow wolves, smaller than dire wolves but twice as quick. Lucy engaged imdiately, her movents fluid. Liza backed her up, cutting through one that lunged from behind. Arios held the line, intercepting two with precise strikes, the wooden sword reinforced with mana.
"Left side clear!" Liza called.
"Front stabilized!" Lucy shouted back.
"Rear stable," Pokner confird.
[Sub-objective complete. 30 points.]
[Remaining monsters: 0.]
[Exit portal detected.]
They regrouped. Lucy wiped her forehead. "That was smoother than expected."
Pokner nodded. "The first floor always is."
Arios checked his mana gauge. "We move."
The second floor was narrower — a maze-like structure with high ceilings and dripping stalactites. Strange, floating slis drifted lazily through the air. Liza poked one experintally with her blade. It burst, coating her with sticky fluid.
She groaned. "Great. Ambushed by jelly."
Lucy laughed. "You look ridiculous."
Liza shot her a glare. "Keep laughing, and I’ll drag you into one."
"Try it."
she sighed. "Please focus."
Arios smiled faintly as the two bickered. For all the tension of the exam, their dynamic grounded the team. It kept things from slipping into that familiar edge of seriousness he used to carry through every mission.
They continued down the path, clearing the smaller monsters and retrieving core fragnts.
[Team 47 — Floor 2 clear. Total Points: 210.]
Hours Later
By the ti they reached the fifth floor, fatigue was starting to show. Their uniforms were scorched and torn in places, their mana levels gradually depleting. But morale was steady.
Lucy leaned against a wall. "Five floors in... and we’re still above two hundred points. That’s decent, right?"
Pokner nodded. "Very. We’re in the top percentile for now."
Liza pulled out a ration bar. "I say we rest five minutes."
Arios agreed. "Make it quick."
As they rested, Lucy looked toward him. "You’ve been quiet."
Arios shrugged. "Thinking."
"About the exam?"
"About the structure," he said. "Each floor is tied to resonance data. aning... the academy’s collecting combat teletry from every student right now. That’s a lot of personal data."
Pokner looked at him sharply. "You think this isn’t just about ranking."
"Maybe not." Arios’ voice was low. "It’s too elaborate. The dungeon’s coded to adapt to our systems. That’s overkill for a school test."
Liza frowned. "You think soone’s watching beyond the academy?"
"Possibly," Arios said. "But we don’t have proof."
Lucy’s brows furrowed. "Then we get proof while surviving."
He nodded. "That’s the plan."
When they reached the next junction, the atmosphere changed. The crystals dimd. The ground trembled. Pokner scanner flickered erratically.
"Sothing’s off," she said. "Mana density spike — abnormal."
Arios readied his weapon. "Brace."
From the far end of the tunnel, a large, distorted creature erged — half-ogre, half-tallic beast, its body pulsing with unstable mana streams.
Lucy whistled softly. "So much for a low-level test."
Liza’s tone hardened. "No running, right?"
Arios stepped forward. "We hold formation. Alia, support range. Lucy, Liza — side flanks."
The battle lasted several minutes — harsh, coordinated, and loud. The creature’s roar shook the walls. Lucy’s blade lit up with red mana as she deflected a strike; Liza slashed through its leg joint, destabilizing its balance. Arios finished with a concentrated burst of energy through the core.
When it finally collapsed, the silence that followed felt heavy. Their HUDs flashed:
[Mini-Boss defeated. 200 points.]
[Floor 5 clear.]
[Total: 410 points.]
Liza exhaled hard. "We’re alive."
Lucy grinned. "Barely."
Pokner adjusted her scanner. "That thing wasn’t supposed to appear this early. The exam paraters must have shifted."
Arios nodded slowly. "Or soone’s manipulating the paraters."
They exchanged a silent look.
Whatever this exam truly was, it wasn’t just about grading. Sothing was being tested — or hidden.
The gate to Floor 6 flickered ahead, faintly humming.
Lucy sheathed her blade. "We keep going?"
Arios nodded. "We keep going."
As they stepped through the portal, the light enveloped them — a new floor, a new danger, and a test that seed less like an exam and more like a ssage.
And for Arios, that ssage was becoming clear:
The academy was no longer just a school.
It was a stage — and soone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
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