The students split into teams, each comprising five members. Charos and his group took the far-left passage, venturing ahead first. Meanwhile, the others deliberated before dispersing into the remaining four tunnels. Originally, Eugene had suggested they explore together, but Glenn's reasoning swayed them—splitting up would allow them to cover more ground at a faster rate.
While Charos's team braved the unknown alone, the other paths were taken by combined forces: the first tunnel held four teams, the second has five, the third has one, the fourth another one, and lastly, the fifth was solely occupied by Charos's team. Each passage was designated a name—Tunnel 1 Team, Tunnel 2 Team, and so on.
---
Tunnel 1 Team...
"I wonder what kind of monsters we're gonna face." A carefree young man with a bowl-cut smirked, striding confidently ahead."Maybe a minotaur..." He smirk as he dreams of beating one alone.
"Please don't stray too far away." A soft-spoken girl, dressed in a witch's robe, warned cautiously.
"Relax. There's no harm. This is just the first floor, right?" he replied nonchalantly, stepping further into the darkness."It is said that even a beginner adventure has no trouble beating the 1st floor of a dungeon."
"But..." The shy girl hesitated, withdrawing into herself. That was when a well-built young man approached her. He had the physique of a warrior, yet he was no swordsman—his true strength lay in magic. With brown hair and deep-set eyes, his sturdy frame belied the fact that he was a pure mage.
"Don't let him get to you, that's just how Belo is." he said, voice calm and reassuring.
"Is that so..."
"My name's Wiz. Wiz William. What's yours?"
"K-Kalina... Kalina Katherine."
"Kalina, huh? That's a beautiful name," he said with a warm smile. "Don't stress too much. Even if things go sideways, the instructors won't let us die."
"..."
"Well, according to the booklet they gave us, we should be encountering a monster soon, namely a shadow wolf." One of the students stepped up.
"Seriously!?" Belo exclaimed in excitement and proceed ahead leaving everyone behind.
As Kalina hesitated in uncertain silence, he continued, his voice steady but measured.
"Remember what they told us? There are ways to reach out if things go south. If we want to surrender, all we have to do is say the words—something like 'We give up.' And if death is inevitable, they'll pull us back to the preparation stem without warning. But if something truly unforeseen appears..." He paused, his gaze sharpening. "They'll come in person."
In that moment, Williams said "Hopefully" in such a low tone that no one could hear it except himself. As if sensing something is wrong.
She exhaled softly, the tension in her shoulders easing. "I see… Thank you." A faint blush touched her cheeks, barely noticeable in the dim light.
He offered a small nod. You're welcome, it's the least I could do. After all, not everyone could recover from that incident so quickly—let alone return to battle just a month later." His words carried a weight beyond mere gratitude, laced with an unspoken understanding of the scars they both carried.
"Aaaahhhh!!"
Shortly after he finished speaking, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.
"That voice!"
The team sprinted toward the sound, arriving just in time to see one of their own clutching his arm—or what remained of it. Blood gushed from the severed limb, pooling onto the cold stone floor.
"What happened!?" one of them demanded, voice shaking.
"I... I don't know." The victim's body trembled violently. "It came out of nowhere. A bite—sudden, fast—I didn't even see it."
"Where's Belo?"
The injured student swallowed hard, his breath ragged. "I-I don't know. It was dark... the monster... it was like a shadow and—LOOK OUT!"
A beast lunged from the void.
"Fire bolt!"
William reacted instantly. Flames burst from his fingertips, a firebolt striking the creature mid-air. It let out a piercing screech before collapsing into ashes.
"Is everyone alright?" he asked, chest rising and falling rapidly as he surveyed the shaken group.
"Where's the monster?!" The bowl-cut Belo arrived breathless, sword at the ready—too late.
"Where have you been?" William asked Belo.
"I just went ahead and Karot was left behind as he couldn't keep up with me." Belo explained. " I thought that if I went ahead, I would be the first to experience and witness the monsters... I didn't know it'll turn out like this."
"Nevermind about what had already happened. Right now we have an emergency."
Everyone stared at Karot in exasperation.
Then—
A chilling silence.
A breeze that should not exist in a cave.
Then they came.
Shadows detached from the walls, taking form, snarling with gleaming fangs. The wolves struck all at once.
"Everyone lookout!" William warned.
The wolf lunged, fangs bared, its breath hot and rancid against his skin. William barely had time to react. Instinct took over. With a flick of his wrist, he cast Fire Bolt. The air sizzled as a streak of flame shot forward, striking the beast mid-leap. The force of the impact sent it hurtling backward, its charred body collapsing in a smoldering heap.
But there was no time to breathe.
Another wolf was already upon him—its unnatural speed a blur of dark fur and glinting claws. There was no room to chant, no moment to summon a spell.
Too fast!
Before he could think, he moved.
His hand shot out, fingers clamping around the creature's throat just as it neared. A snarl twisted its snout, but its attack was cut short by a violent crack. With a surge of raw strength, William slammed the wolf into the ground. The impact sent tremors through the earth, dust and debris scattering from the sheer force.
The beast twitched once—then fell still.
William exhaled, his grip tightening for a second before releasing. His pulse pounded in his ears, but his mind remained razor-sharp. These wolves weren't normal. Their speed, their aggression—this wasn't the challenge of a first-floor dungeon.
"Were they always this powerful?" William thought to himself.
"Everyone proceed ahead, Belo, Kalina and I will look after Karot and hold the wolves at bay." William suggested.
"Understood!" The students agreed without hesitation as they couldn't waste any more time. They must proceed ahead and not waste their friends sacrifice.
Everyone went ahead. Now the battlefield belongs to those left behind.
"Get down!" William shouted but it's too late, the wolf was already too close.
Kalina barely had time to cast a barrier before razor-sharp claws tore through the air, raking across her shoulder. Pain flared, but there was no time to react. A teammate was yanked down beside her, his scream cut short as fangs sank into his throat. The healers rushed forward, their hands glowing with frantic spells, but the beasts came in waves, relentless and unyielding. Within moments, their formation had crumbled.
"It hurts!" Kalina hissed, staggering back just as another set of claws slashed toward her.
William moved in a blur, yanking her out of the way. The creature's strike missed its mark by mere inches, leaving him with only a shallow cut.
"Be careful," he muttered, holding her steady. His grip was firm but fleeting. "Can you cast Luminous Glow?" Even as he asked, his palm pressed against her wound, golden energy knitting the torn flesh back together.
Kalina bit her lip, then gave a silent nod.
"Belo!" William called.
"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" He responds struggling with the creatures.
"I want you to keep them distracted while Kalina charge her magic."
"What do you think I'm doing now?" Belo slip and kick away the wolf plunging into him. " Arrrghh, Lancelott!" Belo used his special move.
With that a surge of blue energy ran through his body and he cleared out twenty shadow wolves in a zigzag pattern in the blink of an eye.
"I'm counting on you." His voice was quiet, but weighted with trust. William let go, stepping back as she began her chant.
Then came the screams.
Agonized cries filled the ahead tunnel, echoing through the darkness as one by one, they fell—some clutching severed limbs, others barely able to move as blood soaked the stone floor.
"No way!" Belo exclaimed.
"It couldn't be.."William gritted his teeth. He had seen battle before, but this… this wasn't normal.
"Fiery Field: Selective Breathing!"
A surge of flame erupted from his core, tendrils of red and gold racing outward. The fire moved with intent, licking at the monstrous wolves, consuming them in searing heat—yet not a single ember touched his allies.
"Let's go!" He said as he buried Karot inside the wall for protection.
For a moment, it seemed to work. The beasts recoiled, their charred forms crumbling into ash.
But William's unease only deepened as they progressed.
"This is getting out of hand. It's not normal," he thought, eyes darting to the shadowed depths ahead. The air was thick with the scent of blood and burning fur. He steadied his breathing, his grip tightening on his weapon.
His sense was screaming at him to retreat... Yet he's still in doubt.
This is only the first floor… so why does it feel like we're already doomed? What's going on? Wait... Why is it so quiet?
"Huh! Where's everyone?" William asked as he noticed.
He looked around and couldn't see past five meters. Everything is pitch black.
He trust his instinct this time and quickly initiate a retreat.
"Everyone, if you can hear me, Fall back! It's a Trap!" William shouted, gripping Kalina's wrist. But the bowl-cut warrior refused.
"No way—I can still fight!" He swung his sword, slashing through one beast, but another pounced before he could react. Jaws clamped onto his leg, then his arm, then another. He screamed, collapsing under their weight as his limbs were torn apart, piece by piece.
They may not noticed but the rest of their teammates are on the verge of death on the way. They were taken out mysteriously.
"We're giving up!" William bellowed, his voice raw with urgency. "Do you hear me?This test is over!"
The wolves launched their ambush and bit his left leg and right arm. Rendering him useless.
Another went and bit Kalina shoulder, she got scratches on the back by one of them as well before being sent flying by a wolf charging at her. William tried to help her by casting a spell bur his spell was interrupted.
"What!"
What just happened? He asked himself.
Out of nowhere and explosion occur and the top of the tunnel crumbles into pieces and fell on them. Belo was holding on his own until they all bit his arms.
"It hurts!" Belo raged sending them away but at that moment the rubble fell on him rendering him immobilize.
The wolves disappear without trace, leaving only the shadow of their steps as they already toyed with their prey.
The instructors arrived moments later, lightning crackling through the cave as they cleared the shadows and broke through the rubbles.The battle was done, but the damage had been done as well. The team lay broken, their wounds severe.
Only William and Kalina remained conscious ,breathless, battered—but alive. Their inexperience had cost them dearly. The rest are unconscious and on the verge of death.
They had no choice but to accept the bitter truth: they weren't ready.
"You did well surrendering." The instructor said as he used his magic to wrap everyone.
A surge of black thick smoke move through the tunnel, wrapping each of the students.
"Warp!" The instructor cast his spell and teleported every students away, all the meanwhile casting as passive healing.