The sun loomed high above as the instructor's voice echoed across the open training grounds of Lumina Academy. The students stood in disciplined rows, uniforms crisp, eyes filled with both eagerness and uncertainty.
"The first trial will be a Dungeon Hunt," the instructor declared, his coat fluttering in the wind. "You'll be sent into a nearby monster dungeon. The deeper you go, the harder it becomes. The academy with the most kills... wins."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Zane narrowed his eyes. Beside him, Sera cracked her knuckles with a confident smile, already imagining herself flying through combat.
"To make this fair," the instructor continued, "you will be split into pairs. The system will decide—randomly."
Zane and Sera exchanged glances. "Let's hope we get lucky," she whispered.
A blue screen projected in the air, flashing with rotating names as the system sorted everyone.
"What?" Zane muttered, shooting a glance at Sera, whose expression had turned sharp. Her smile was gone, replaced by a glare aimed straight at Valerie, who looked way too pleased.
"Looks like I got lucky," Valerie said, stepping beside Zane and gently nudging his arm. "Let's make it count."
Zane stepped away without saying a word, glancing back at Sera, who was fuming. Adrien stood beside her, arms crossed, electric sparks dancing around his fingers.
"Let's move!" the instructor barked. "Dungeons won't clear themselves!"
The students were soon teleported in bursts of light to the outskirts of a massive forest. The nearest dungeon loomed ahead—dark, jagged, and pulsing with faint energy. Its entrance was carved into stone, a void of shadows.
Zane gripped his Endblade, now in its compact form, and stepped forward with Valerie reluctantly following.
As they entered, the dungeon's atmosphere shifted—the air dense, mana thick, and growls echoed through the stone corridors.
Valerie looked around, calm and calculating. "I'll cover our rear. Try not to get hurt, Zane. I can't have that... yet."
Zane rolled his eyes but stayed focused. This isn't about her. I'm doing this for our academy... and for Sera.
Elsewhere in the dungeon, Sera and Adrien charged in with explosive force, already taking down smaller monsters with ease.
But the dungeon was only beginning.