"Do you finally plan to clear the dungeon this time?" Dwayne asked Alex.
"Yes," Alex replied. "Before that, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?" Dwayne frowned.
"What would the academy do if a dungeon outbreak occurs during this trial?" Alex inquired.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Dwayne’s frown deepened. "How could that be? Before the trial, the professors double-checked the chances of a dungeon outbreak. If it was that risky, do you think the Academy would keep the trial going?"
Before Alex could answer, the third-year student continued, "Besides, the academy sends its staff to the Dungeon of Beginnings each year? In any case, a dungeon outbreak during the trial is just as possible as the sun rising from the west."
Alex crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Dwayne steadily. "I’m talking about the teeny tiny chance it happens," Alex insisted. "What will the academy do then?"
Finding this question incredibly absurd, Dwayne didn’t even bother to reply. He was inclined to believe that Alex was just messing with him, so he decided to no longer entertain his questions.
"Don’t waste my time. Just go inside the dungeon already." Dwayne was very tempted to kick the annoying young man who was more handsome than him.
Alex sighed. It was pointless, so he no longer bothered the pitiful student, who had no idea what was about to happen.
"We will go as planned," Alex said as he faced Charles. "Master, Efa, and I will go first. Once we deem that the coast is clear, Efa will come out and tell you to come in. Don’t forget our battle formation. Understand?"
Charles nodded. "I understand."
The young man then shifted his gaze to Lavinia, Elaine, Efa, and Roselia.
"Let’s survive no matter what," Alex said.
Everyone nodded seriously, which elicited smirks from Dwayne and the other third-years.
"You’ll only fight Rank 1 Monsters," Dwayne pointed out. "Why are you being overly dramatic?"
Alex and the rest ignored Dwayne and walked to the entrance of the dungeon.
"Are you ready, Dim Dim?" Alex asked his partner in crime.
"Dim Dim!" The Dim Sum God nodded.
The young man took a deep breath to calm his nerves before stepping into the dungeon.
As soon as he entered the dungeon, he activated his Map of Forgotten Paths to check if there were still any trial takers left inside.
Fortunately, there were no other green blinking dots on the map aside from the ones that represented Cairo and Efa.
"Coast is clear," Alex said. "Bring him in, Efa."
Efa nodded and left the dungeon to fetch Charles and the rest.
As soon as Charles entered the dungeon, Alex felt a faint ripple of energy pass through him, expanding to the rest of the dungeon.
Without question, he understood that it was caused by the passive skill of the person he wanted to protect.
The skill that had made Charles Lambert’s tutorial quest an impossible mission.
"Follow me!" Alex shouted as he started sprinting.
Cairo and Efa ran along his left and right side, serving as the vanguards who would eliminate any of the monsters that would block their path.
Lavinia and Charles were right behind them, while Roselia and Elaine guarded the rear.
It was a race against time. The sooner they reached the exit, the safer they would be.
Suddenly, the ground beneath seemed to tremble, and Alex’s expression turned solemn.
"Turn right!" Alex shouted.
He was directing everyone to take the shortest route to the exit, regardless of how many monsters blocked their way.
As soon as the group made a turn, a dozen Crag Wolves lunged at them with jaws ready to strike.
Cairo and Efa drew their weapons and insta-killed the monsters with a single strike.
By the time the monsters turned into particles of light and dropped their cores, Alex and his group were already past them.
The longer they ran, the more monsters blocked their way. And this time, they faced thirty Horned Rabbits that bounced off the walls, making their attack patterns unpredictable.
Unfortunately for these monsters, their tactics had no effect on Cairo and Elaine, as both were faster and stronger.
"Turn left!" Alex said.
Like before, they were once again ambushed by a larger group of monsters. This time, dozens of Black Bats and Feral Boars charged at them as if they had gone mad.
Cairo, Efa, and Alex dealt with them, cutting a path for them to continue their journey.
’So far, so good,’ Alex thought before glancing at his map. ’If we continue at this pace, we might reach the exit in two hours.’
He had already put some markings on the map, so even if the effect of the Map of Forgotten Paths disappeared, he already knew where he needed to go to reach the exit.
Half an hour later, the team managed to annihilate a monster group that had come from the second floor to the first floor.
They were still Rank 1 Monsters, so they were easily subdued by the vanguards.
"We will be passing one of the paths that lead to the second floor," Alex stated. "Expect monsters to pour out from there, so everyone be careful!"
Cairo and Efa were not using any skills or big attacks to conserve their stamina.
They were still far from the exit, and the battles would only grow in intensity as they neared their destination.
Roselia and Elaine were positioned at the back for this reason. They could focus on running, thus preserving their strength.
Once the vanguards get tired, the two ladies would switch spots with them, giving the former a chance to rest even as they continued moving.
"Ugh!" Alex groaned as he blocked the attacks of three Red Caps, which were Goblins wearing red bandanas.
They were stronger than the average Goblin and were very agile monsters.
Red Caps were Rank 2 Monsters commonly seen on the third floor of the Dungeon of Beginnings.
For them to appear now only meant one thing.
The monsters on the third floor of the dungeon had finally arrived on the first floor.
"Prioritize breaking through. Don’t fight every monster you face!" Cairo shouted. "I will clear a path!"
Everyone understood that they shouldn’t remain in one place for a long time.
If they stopped advancing for even a minute, they would find themselves surrounded from all sides with nowhere to escape.
The last thing they wanted was for the monsters to create a blockade, hindering them from reaching the exit.
After brute-forcing their way against a dozen Red Caps, Alex once again shouted directions to his companions.
"The second path on the left!" Alex yelled.
The first path on the left was another entrance that led to the second floor, and he could already see a few monsters emerging from that path.
But just as Alex’s group was about to enter the second path on the left, something golden flashed at the corner of his eye.
A moment later, a pained cry reached his ears, prompting him to look back.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as Alex saw Charles getting rammed by the golden antlers of a purple stag that came out of nowhere.
The teenage boy was sent flying by the powerful impact.
Alex watched as Charles slowly slammed into the wall of the dungeon before falling on the ground face-first.
Time once again moved normally as Alex screamed at the fallen teenage boy, whom he had traveled to Briarwood Village to protect.
"Chaaaaaaaaaaaarles!" Alex shouted as he raised his shield to charge at the purple stag, which had come to butcher those who dared challenge the Dungeon of Beginnings.