“Please meet with your groups. You will now enter the dungeon.”
As the sound of the instructor came, every student, one by one, grouped with their group. It was the same for me since this practice was mandatory to attend.
Even though one’s grades being low is not something to take disciplinary action on, if the students were to miss a practical training without an excuse, the case might even go up to the explosion, which is not something I want for the time being.
In any case, as I slowly walked, I immediately noticed the girl with amber hair and red eyes looking at me with an annoyed expression. Her demeanor hadn’t even changed slightest.
‘Irina is the same as usual.’
The other two were also there. Nora was looking at me with an awkward expression, clearly wanting to talk with me. She was not a girl that could easily ignore someone.
And Goerge was as usual. He looked intimidating and big, but his expression gave him away as he looked shy.
‘He was such a guy.’ I once again reminded myself.
As if on cue, Irina couldn’t contain herself, and a scoff escaped her lips. “Great, the invisible guy again.”
Her disdainful tone was uncannily reminiscent of our initial encounter, and it was clear that her attitude hadn’t softened in the least. George shifted uncomfortably beside her while Nora’s expression showed a mix of unease and sympathy.
“Is that so,” I answered with an indifferent tone.
My indifference to her hostility probably baffled Irina, but it was better than letting it get under my skin.
“Tch.” She clicked her tongue as she turned her attention to the boy whom she wanted attention from.
It was obvious who he was, so there was no need to explain.
The atmosphere got awkward. I could see Nora and Geroge wanted to talk, but Irina’s picky behavior and her attention being elsewhere was making them hesitate.
Just like that, a little time passed until our number was announced.
“Team 13. Enter.” As the instructor shouted, our group moved into the dungeon and entered. Since it was the academy mock dungeon, that uncomfortable feeling of teleporting was slightly reduced.
The moment we materialized within the dungeon, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The ambient light dimmed, and a shroud of darkness seemed to envelop everything around us. It was a stark contrast to the previous classroom setting.
‘As expected, there was a reason why they put the achieving condition to reach the end. There are probably a lot of traps in front of us.’ I concluded.
This event was not detailly shown in the game since there weren’t many things to show, but I guess real life was different.
“I will take the lead,” Irina said with an annoyed expression. It seemed she disliked being in the dark, her hands igniting with flickering flames.
The firelight cast dancing shadows on the walls, revealing the outlines of the passageways before us. As our leader, she seemed more focused and determined than ever, her fiery magic acting as a beacon in the darkness.
But looking at her like that, I knew the thing she did was something everyone could do, and the instructors must have already prepared a specific response for such a thing.
‘Acting before making a thorough assessment and plan. As expected, this girl doesn’t have the qualities of being the leader.’
SWOOSH
The moment I thought about that, suddenly, the fire surging through the atmosphere diminished.
No, rather than saying it diminished, the true word would be slightly different. Its light diminished, and the warmth radiating from the fire was still there.
‘This must be the environment of the dungeon.’ I concluded. Dungeons were special environments where things that wouldn’t be imaginable happened. Such a phenomenon happening was rather normal.
“What?” Irina asked with a dumbfounded tone. It was blatantly obvious that she had never expected that the light from her fire would dimmish like that. “What is happening?”
She tried to conjure another bunch of fire and illuminate the surroundings, but I could see a small veil surrounding us.
‘Does it react to light and stay around it?’ I thought, trying to understand its essence.
“Tsk.” She clicked her tongue as she looked at her fire.
“Any of you got any idea?” She asked, turning her attention to Nora and Geroge.
“I don’t.”
“Me neither.” The two responded real quickly.
“Sigh….” I could see Irina sighing as she looked into the road before, ignoring me completely.
‘If you don’t want the answer, then so be it.’
“Then, we need to go blindly; we can’t afford to waste any more time. Be careful of your step.”
As she answered, she started walking in the corridor, her senses alert. I could see the atmosphere was tense; after all, it was dark, and nothing could be seen.
At least, this was the case for them. Since I could easily see whatever was happening around me thanks to my traits. All of them were more suited for darkness. This was my territory.
Also, the fire Irina had ignited already showed us the path before the darkness sank, so they should also be aware of the path ahead up to some point.
‘I now understand what this test wants from us.’
For the hunters, perception and reading of the environment were also very important, just like combat prowess. There are countless situations that can happen inside the dungeon, and it is essential to think and act fast.
This dungeon was to test such skills. When darkness descends, the first thing a human will think is illuminating the surroundings to activate their vision.
However, by putting a light following darkness veil into an equation, the instructors can test the students’ interval sight.
‘After walking for a while, Irina’s fire will illuminate the surroundings for a second, probably. But, then, that veil of darkness will follow the light.’
It was a very good idea to test the students, as expected from the Academy.
With Irina taking the lead, the group ventured down the darkened corridor, the atmosphere heavy with caution. I trailed slightly behind, my heightened senses allowing me to perceive the danger lurking in the obscurity.
A trap was before us, and luckily none of the three had touched it. It was on my alignment, so I just slightly moved to the side and dodged the trap. I didn’t know what it was, neither did I have any intention to learn.
“AH!”
At that moment, a sudden, sharp noise disrupted my thoughts. Irina’s cry of pain mingled with the crackle of electricity. My attention snapped to her, and I could see her convulsing as she clutched her foot.
‘Electric Trap.’ I mentally noted to myself. I could see that she was in pain, but if someone didn’t want to cooperate with me, I wouldn’t do it either. I was just an observer in their world.
‘What goes around comes around.’ I thought.
“Irina!” As George saw Irina in pain, he immediately jumped to help. It was normal; after all, it was his role to tank normally.
But by doing so, he triggered another trap. A net fell from above, ensnaring him and hoisting him off the ground.
Following that, thanks to George’s big build, by falling to the ground, he activated another trap that was pretty far away.
SWOOSH SWOOSH
This time, I could see and feel a bunch of arrows coming to our faces.
CLANK CLANK CLANK
“Hey!” Nora cried out with concern, skillfully deflecting arrows with her sword.
The environment was dark, but it seemed Nora had already quite adapted to it. She threw a look at me. It was a look for help, but I simply stood there and watched her.
Even though she feared Irina, if you are not going against injustice because of your fear of strong while ignoring your values, then you are selfish.
And if you are selfish, you have no right to demand any other person to behave according to your wishes since they can be selfish as they want as well.
It is not that I am condemning her. It is just how it is.
As Nora made her way towards the two, she first approached George and cut the net, covering his foot with her sword.
At that point, Irina had already taken care of herself as well. Aside from small twitches, it seems the trap had lost its effects.
However, it was evident that thanks to Irina’s misjudgment and ego by marching forward as a leader on her own, the formation of the three was a mess.
‘This is a bit embarrassing.’ Considering these people would be the future best hunters, they had a rather long way to go. But it was not like they were not improving.
Their dynamics were shifting, adapting to the immediate challenges they faced. It was a test not just of their combat prowess but also their ability to work as a team under duress.
“George, take the front.” Realizing her mistake, Irina threw a look at George and put him in front. “I will try to look for a solution to the darkness, and Nora will cover me.”
SWOOSH
However, before they could reform the formation, a creature from the darkness had already leaped.
And its aim was me.
“Tch.”
Clicking my tongue, I released the string I had drawn.
SWOOSH
As the arrow I had knocked with my mana traveled, it pierced the neck of the monster and made it fall to the ground.
‘Now that I have revealed it let’s not pretend any longer.’
SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH
Firing at a rapid speed with my mana-imbued arrows, I shot three arrows at the monster flying in the air.
THUD THUD THUD
And with a smooth sound, all three of them fell to the ground.
“Huh?”
Both George and Nora were looking at me with surprised expressions. Even Irina had a small exclamation of surprise.
They probably didn’t sense the monsters, and it was normal. If not for my good vision in the dark, I would not be able to sense them either. 𝐕𝐥xt.𝑐𝞸𝔪
The tension was palpable in the aftermath of the confrontation with the monsters. Irina, George, and Nora stood in a semi-circle, their eyes fixed on me. It was evident that the unexpected revelation of my abilities had caught them off guard.
“Huh, you’ve got quite the sharp aim,” Irina remarked with a raised eyebrow, her tone dripping with arrogance. “Mind explaining why you didn’t tell us you could see in the dark?”
I could see she was angry. It seemed her pride was hurt.
‘I guess it is time to teach her a lesson and establish the hierarchy for future events. This was getting annoying too.’
With that thought, I raised my head and answered.
“No one asked.”