It was finally the day of the Trial of Frieden Academy.
The representative from Frieden Academy, accompanied by six youths, listed the names of the challengers who wanted to undergo the trial.
"This year, each candidate is allowed to bring a maximum of two companions.
"It used to be four, but after a dramatic increase in candidate deaths due to rogue companions, we have decided to change the rules. In addition, every companion must wear this bracelet. Tamper with the bracelet or break any other rule, and the academy’s Seekers will personally punish you.
"So, don’t think about breaking this rule. Or else..."
The professor and the six third-year students would stand guard by the dungeon entrance and ensure that the rules were followed.
"Usually, only one or two people will take the trial from this village," Professor Elias stated while looking at Alex, Charles, and Lavinia. "But it seems that three people are going this year."
The professor then shifted his attention to Cairo and Roselia, who were going to accompany Alex and Lavinia respectively.
Since candidates teaming up inside the dungeon wasn’t an issue, they could take Charles with them without problems.
For the academy, the Trial of Beginnings wasn’t really a big deal.
It was more like a formality since the true trial would start in the academy.
That trial had a very high failure rate.
In fact, only one out of every five hundred people passed every year.
There were even years when no one passed the trial at all, leaving many ordinary folks disillusioned about ever making it into the academy.
"The trial doesn’t have any deadline... is what I’d like to say, but it actually does," Professor Elias explained. "The second trial will start in Frieden Academy after five days. So, you need to get into the academy before then.
"If you’re lucky, you’ll finish the trial in a few hours. If not, and you get lost, it might take days. But don’t worry. We’ll head in after five days to rescue any straggler stuck inside."
Professor Elias then glanced at Cairo and Roselia before nodding his head in satisfaction.
He could tell that the two of them were strong, so he deemed that the three candidates they were accompanying would likely clear the trial without much difficulty.
"Just remember this: killing a candidate inside the dungeon will automatically disqualify you from the trial," Professor Elias declared. "Not only that, but you will also be banned from entering the academy for life. So complete this trial fairly and don’t be stupid!"
Alex, Lavinia, and Charles nodded.
They had no intention of killing people inside the dungeon, so this wouldn’t be an issue for them.
"You and your escorts need to wear these bracelets," the professor went on. "It’s the rule of this year’s trial."
He then watched as Alex, Lavinia, Charles, Cairo, and Roselia wore the bracelets on their wrists.
"Dim Dim?" Dim Dim pointed at itself, asking the professor to give it a bracelet as well.
"Familiars don’t need bracelets," Professor Elias said in amusement. "Sorry, little one."
Dim Dim looked very disappointed and looked at him with puppy-like eyes.
"... Even if you look at me like that." Professor Elias scratched his head. For some reason, he felt like he shouldn’t make the little one cry.
The middle-aged man would normally ignore something , but since he had many bracelets in his possession, he gave in and passed one to the Dim Sum God.
Since Dim Dim’s hands weren’t big enough for the bracelet to fit, the Professor simply placed the item on top of the white bun’s head like a crown. Dim Dim smiled happily.
"Anyway, the trial will start in an hour," Professor Elias said after looking at his pocket watch. "You are free to enter the dungeon then."
Just as Alex was about to brief everyone on his plan one more time, he noticed two familiar people running in their direction.
"Alex!" Efa shouted while waving her hand.
Running behind her was Elaine, who had traveled alongside Efa, to Briarwood Village via airship.
They had just arrived, and both were feeling anxious because they thought that they had already missed Alex and Cairo.
"Sorry, we’re late!" Efa said as she hugged Alex tightly. "The airship had some problems, so the flight was delayed."
Lavinia, who saw that Alex was being hugged by the pretty and petite lady, tugged on her brother’s clothes.
"Who is she?" she asked.
"They are Alex’s friends from the Town of Thaloria," Cairo replied. "The girl hugging Alex is Efa. She is a Scout. That Swordswoman over there with the long red hair is Elaine. They have a good relationship with Alex."
"Why are they here?" Lavinia inquired.
"If I remember correctly, they told Alex that they would help him clear the trial as a way to repay their debt," Cairo explained. "He saved them from Goblins in the past, and the two of them are indebted to him."
"Are they just his friends?" Lavinia eyed the ladies, who were now both hugging Alex from the front and the back.
Seeing Alex’s reaction, he seemed genuinely happy to see Efa and Elaine in Briarwood Village.
"They are just his friends," Cairo replied, knowing what his sister was thinking. "At least for now."
Lavinia nodded. She could see that Alex was at ease when interacting with the two girls. From that alone, she could tell that they were very close to him.
The young lady had been taught about the arts of espionage at a young age, so her observation skills were better than most.
Coupled with her innate superhuman senses as a Catkin, her observational skills were enhanced by a notch, allowing her to read the body language of people and know when they were lying or not.
The two girls were a bit touchy, but she could tell they were just teasing Alex to see his reaction.
"Since the two of you are here, that means that both of you are now Rank 3, right?" Alex asked.
"Yes," Efa replied with a smug smile on her face. "We are now stronger than before. In fact, when we went to the temple, we found some interesting Job Classes we didn’t expect would open for us. Elaine and I chose the best. Just wait. We’ll show you how strong we’ve become."
Elaine nodded with a confident smile on her face. "Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you pass this trial easily."
Professor Elias approached Alex and asked if the two of them were his hired help for the trial.
"The two of them will be guarding him, not me," Alex pointed at Charles, catching the latter by surprise.
"Me?" Charles pointed at himself.
"Yes, you." Efa, who was quick to befriend people, approached Charles and shook his hand. "My name is Efa. I am a Rank 3 Shadow Scout. Pleased to make your acquaintance!"
"My name is Elaine, Rank 3 Flame Swordsman," Elaine introduced herself.
"I-I am Charles," the teen boy replied. "Rank 1 Jobless."
The teenage boy then glanced at Alex, using eye contact to ask him to explain the situation.
"Efa and Elaine are my friends from the Town of Thaloria," Alex said. "They wanted to help me in the trial, but since each candidate can only bring two companions with them, it is best if they accompany you instead.
"You already know this, but we will need all the help we can get, right? So just let them protect you this one time."
Charles had a conflicted look on his face because he knew how dangerous this dungeon run was going to be.
For ordinary people, it might only be a walk in the park.
But for Charles, it would be a life-and-death situation.
He didn’t want to involve others in this dangerous situation as much as possible. Because if anything happened to them inside the dungeon, he might not be able to handle the guilt.
"Trust them," Alex said firmly. "Don’t worry. As long as you follow the plan, we will not fail this mission."
Charles took a deep breath before looking at Efa and Elaine with gratitude.
"Thank you for coming," Charles said. "Please take care of me inside the dungeon."
"Of course," Efa replied and patted the teenage boy’s shoulder. "I didn’t know that Alex’s friend is also a good-looking guy. I like good-looking people, so I’ll make sure to protect you."
"Um, the two of you should wear these bracelets first," Professor Elias interrupted. "This is part of the protocol for this year’s test."
After giving the bracelets to Efa and Elaine, the professor once again explained the rules of the trial.
An hour later, the Trial of Frieden Academy officially started.
And with it, Alex and the others finally executed their plan.