"Whoa... so this is the Void Dungeon."
"I've seen videos of it online, but still..."
"It's different when you see it with your own eyes."
The students exclaimed as they stood in front of a massive, sunken hole that seemed to stretch endlessly into the abyss.
They stared down into the darkness, trying to peer through the void, but there was nothing but an eerie blackness.
Yet, all around the dark pit, there were shops, stalls, and buildings with people going about their day, enjoying themselves as if the abyss didn't exist.
And it didn't bother them at all.
They were used to it, and the presence of students in white uniforms didn't draw much attention either; it was expected.
Every year around this time, the first-year students of the Hero Academy would come to the Void Dungeon, and during this period, no one else was allowed inside for the next five weeks.
The students were scheduled to stay for five weeks, tasked with conquering the first four floors of the Void Dungeon.
Naturally, with 527 students divided into 20 classes, they wouldn't all be entering at once.
It would be impossible to send them all in together—unless they somehow intended to conquer the entire dungeon at once, which was clearly beyond the capability of any student, or likely anyone else alive.
Instead, they followed a staggered system: the first three classes would enter the dungeon first.
Two days later, two more classes would follow.
In the next week, once a few classes had conquered the first four floors, three more classes would enter in the same manner.
"Alright, everyone, be quiet now."
Instructor Ranni's voice cut through the air, commanding the attention of every student as she and the other instructors stood in front of the cadets, positioned between them and the Void Dungeon.
Instantly, all the students fell silent and straightened their backs, facing her with full attention.
Even the people nearby stopped what they were doing to listen, finding the spectacle entertaining, no matter how often it happened each year.
"You've all been briefed on how this works, so I won't waste time going over that again. Instead, I'll get straight to the point. Normally, we would have one of the instructors supervising and acting as a guide, but this year, we're changing things up. Cadet Jasmine, please step forward."
As her name was called, the students began murmuring among themselves, watching as Jasmine stepped forward to stand next to Instructor Ranni.
"Cadet Jasmine will be guiding you all to the fifth floor. Once the first class reaches the fifth floor, she will move on to guide the next class in the same way. The instructors will only be present for emergency situations, but don't rely on them."
Her eyes narrowed, and the students broke out in cold sweats, not daring to avoid her gaze.
"If you try something stupid, don't expect them to save your life."
Many of the students gulped audibly at her words, though they couldn't shake the suspicion that she was bluffing—after all, they couldn't just let students die.
"Also, don't expect Cadet Jasmine to fight for you. She will only guide and intervene if necessary. Other than that, you're on your own."
The cadets nodded solemnly, taking in every word of Instructor Ranni's warning.
"Now that this is clear, let's get started. HCS-1, HCA-1, and HCB-1—you three classes will be the first to enter the Void Dungeon today. For now, all other classes should return to the hotel. You three, be back here by 8:00 PM sharp. The instructors will be waiting. And enjoy those luxurious beds while you can—once you enter the Void Dungeon, you'll definitely miss them."
As if spurred by her last warning, the cadets hurried back to the hotel, eager to savor what might be their last moments of peace for the month.
Naturally, Cadet Jasmine followed the students as well.
"My dear sister, shouldn't you be resting? We only have two hours before we have to leave."
Azriel's voice was exaggerated as he stood in front of Jasmine, who was lazily sprawled on his bed.
"Eh? But I'm resting here by soaking up my vitamin A."
Azriel blinked, puzzled by her reference to vitamin A.
He shook his head with a sigh.
Sitting down on the bed, Jasmine propped herself up and moved closer to him.
"Are you going to be okay?"
Azriel looked at her, slightly confused by the question.
A smile soon spread across his face.
"You're worried about me entering the Void Dungeon..."
"Yeah, I mean, the last time you faced void creatures..."
"Was when I was in the Void Realm and Europe."
Azriel finished her sentence, and she reluctantly nodded in agreement.
She must be worried about the scars from his time in the Void Realm and Europe—experiences that would understandably leave anyone traumatized.
Azriel gave her a reassuring look.
"Thanks, but I'll be fine. Besides, you aren't going to let anything happen to me, right?"
Jasmine nodded firmly.
"Of course, your dear big sister will protect you from any danger!"
Her bright expression was cheerful, and Azriel chuckled.
'I'll do the same for you then.'
Suddenly, without warning, obsidian-like panels flashed in front of his vision, causing him to open his eyes slightly.
"Is something wrong, Azriel?"
Azriel shook his head, smiling at her.
"It's nothing. I was just a little disappointed that I still can't merge my affinities for a longer period of time."
Jasmine nodded in understanding.
"You need to practice more. Besides, using both affinities at the same time consumes a lot of mana."
Azriel nodded absentmindedly.
His focus was no longer on her; instead...
it was on the quest right in front of his eyes.
[• Main Event: Birth of Genesis]
[• Main Quest: Defeat and capture the leader]
[• Side Quest: Defeat and capture the leader's allies]
[• Side Quest: Prevent any cadets from dying in the Void Dungeon]
[• Event Experience: Gainable]
[• Quest Reward: Gainable]
Azriel glanced at the panels in front of him, a disappointed sigh escaping inwardly as he refrained from smiling sadly.
He had anticipated this and was beginning to wonder when the system would make its appearance.
He started to think the system might be malfunctioning.
'Well, better late than never...'
The quest rewards were tempting, but only if he completed the main quest.
And the main quest was an audacious one, even for him.
'So a piece of soul armor instead of a skill this time...'
The side quests appeared to be as challenging as the main quest.
Azriel had prepared beforehand, but the system likely anticipated that, which was why it assigned such difficult tasks.
'At least I'll gain a lot of event experience from this.'
If all went according to plan, he should be able to complete at least the side quests.
Even though the deaths of students would contribute to the protagonist's development, Azriel needed to delay that type of character development for now.
From the book, he knew that the deaths here would do more harm than good.
It wouldn't benefit anyone.
The world didn't revolve around Lumine, even though the God of Life favored him.
The more people who survived, the better.
What was crucial right now was thwarting Neo Genesis's plan.
'Still... it's not the same main quest Lumine had in the book.'
He was curious if Lumine had a similar main quest now.
Not that it mattered much.