After the First Years finished getting sorted by the Appraisal Stone, the Headmaster of Brynhildr Academy, clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Now, it is time for the yearly tradition of Brynhildr Academy,” Professor Rinehart with a mischievous smile on his face. “Every year, around this time, the new batch of students in the academy will do the Initiation Ceremony after they have been sorted to their respective Manors.
“This year’s challenge was painstakingly prepared by our Dark Magic Professors. I’m sure that all of you will have fun, so without further delay, I wish all the First Years good luck in their first challenge.”
Professor Rinehart then pointed his wand at the center of the Plaza of Beginnings and said…
“Inceptos Porta Aperiam!”
A second later, a giant blue portal appeared, which almost made Ethan jump back in surprise.
Before he could even understand what just happened, the four teenagers beside him, who were part of the Pillars of the first year, ran towards the portal without any hesitation.
The other First Years did the same, which made Ethan wonder what was going on.
“You should get going too, Ethan,” Professor Rinehart said kindly. “Great rewards will be given to the first ten people that are able to clear this quest.”
“Um, what is this quest, Headmaster?” Ethan inquired. “Can I not take it?”
Professor Rinehart chuckled after hearing Ethan’s words. He then lightly tapped the blue-haired shoulder with his wand with a smile.
“No, everyone must go,” Professor Rinehart replied. “Are you going to go by yourself, or should I help you?”
The blue-haired boy sighed in his heart before walking towards the portal with a look of anxiety on his face.
The students in the plaza looked at him with various expressions, making him feel as if they were all making fun of him.
When Ethan was only a step away from the portal, he took a deep breath before taking that last step to the unknown.
As soon as he entered the portal, it disappeared, leaving the First Years no way out of the challenge that was given to them as their Initiation Ceremony.
—————
“You’re the last one to come,” A beautiful woman with red hair, and wearing gray clothes said as soon as Ethan appeared in front of her. “Do you have a wand with you? Or would you prefer to use a magic weapon instead? You will need it in order to clear the exams.”
“Wand? Weapon?” Ethan blinked in confusion. “What kind of exam are we doing?”
The beautiful woman smiled as she gave the blue-haired boy a long and hard look.
“Have you ever been to a Dungeon before?” the beautiful woman asked.
“Dungeon? What’s that?” Ethan asked back.
“I see, I understand now,” the beautiful woman smirked. “Well then, choose a weapon of your choice first. After that, I will explain how you will pass this test. Make sure to choose wisely because your life depends on it.”
Ethan didn’t like the way the beautiful professor phrased the words “your life depends on it”. However, since her words had an effect, the blue-haired boy inspected all the weapons that were available in the room one by one.
After seeing everything, he looked back helplessly at the beautiful woman and asked a question.
“D-Do you have a Pitchfork?” Ethan asked.
“A Pitchfork?” The beautiful woman arched an eyebrow. “Why do you need a Pitchfork?”
“I grew up on a farm, and it’s the tool I am most familiar with.”
“I see. Well, if that is what you want then I’ll accommodate you.”
The beautiful Professor smiled as she grabbed something from the air. A minute later, she was holding a round, metallic ball and handed it to the blue-haired boy, who looked at it in confusion.
“This is called a Moulding Ball,” the beautiful Professor explained. “It is made from Magical Cold Iron and will transform into any shape that the user desires. This cost me 200 Gold Coins to make, but I’ll lend it to you free of charge. Now, close your eyes and visualize a pitchfork in your head.”
Ethan obeyed the Professor and closed his eyes. The Moulding Ball in his hand felt cold, and yet, there was a sense of familiarity in it.
A moment later, the metallic ball transformed into an Iron Pitchfork.
Ethan felt the moment the ball transformed, and when he opened his eyes, he was holding a Pitchfork in his hands.
‘A-Amazing,” Ethan thought as he gave the Pitchfork a few practice swings as he tested its weight. ‘It has the right length, weight, and balance. It is as if this Pitchfork was perfectly made for me.’
Seeing how amazed the blue-haired boy was, the beautiful professor wasn’t able to stop herself from giggling.
‘How innocent,’ the Professor thought. ‘It reminded me of the time when I first discovered magic.’
The Professor wanted to reminisce, but she knew that now wasn’t the time. She then began to explain to Ethan what the test was about, and made sure that the teenage boy understood every word of it.
“So, I just have to find the exit in order to clear this test?’ Ethan inquired.
“Yes,” the Professor. replied. “Monsters will be spawning randomly inside the dungeon, and you either run from them, or fight them. The choice is yours to make. This test also has a deadline. After two hours, the test will end and all the students will be kicked out of the Dungeon automatically. So, you don’t have to worry about not being able to get out if you get lost. Just do your best to survive.”
Ethan patted his chest after listening to the Professor’s words. “So, I just need to wait two hours, and I’ll be kicked out of the Dungeon, right?”
“Yes,” the Professor replied. “But, you should do your best, young one. There are some amazing prices that we prepared this year. They are much better than that Moulding Ball you are carrying right now. Well then, time for you to go. The clock is ticking.”
The Beautiful Professor didn’t even wait for Ethan’s reply and dragged him towards the only door in the room.
“Goodluck, I’m rooting for you!”
Those were the last words that the Professor said before she pushed Ethan through the door, making the latter’s head almost fall headfirst on the ground.
As soon as he regained his balance, the blue-haired boy looked at his surroundings, and came across a young lady with light-brown hair, who was leaning on the wall of the Dungeon.
“Took you long enough,” the young lady walked towards Ethan with a huff. She then placed her hands on her waist as her beautiful green eyes locked onto his face, making Ethan take a subconscious step backwards.
“C-Chloe, fancy meeting you here,” Ethan stuttered. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were a Witch?”
“And why didn’t you tell me that you were a Wizard?” Chloe asked back as she took a step forward, which made Ethan take another step backwards. “If I knew that you were coming to the Academy, I would have gone with you.”
Ethan kept on taking a step back until he felt the wall of the Dungeon pressing against his back. Although he got along very well with Chloe, she was like a wild honey-badger when she got angry and would not hesitate to smack anyone, including him when she felt like it. 𝗈𝒱𝗅xt.𝗰𝓞𝐌
The boys in the village where he lived were all afraid of her because she would smack them silly if they teased her, or Ethan whenever they were together.
However, Ethan knew that Chloe was a very kind girl.
She just had this bad habit of punching people when she became embarrassed, especially because their friends called her “Ethan’s Summer Girlfriend”, whenever she visited the farm during her summer break.
“Wait, Chloe, there is a good explanation for this,” Ethan said. “Actually I got here by acc–mph!”
As soon as Ethan was going to say that he got there by accident, he suddenly found himself unable to talk. This was similar to what happened to Alice in the Plaza of Beginnings when her Aunt used a Silencing Spell on her.
Chloe, who saw that something seemed to be wrong with her cousin, lightly tapped his chest with her wand.
A moment later, a faint purple glow shone on Ethan’s chest, which made Chloe frown.
After thinking for a few seconds, she made a gesture for the blue-haired boy to lower his head, so that she could whisper something to him.
“Someone used a special silencing spell on you,” Chloe whispered. “Let’s talk about it later. First, we need to find the exit of this Dungeon.”
Although Ethan was still a bit confused, he nodded his head and agreed with Chloe’s proposal.
“The Professor earlier said that this Dungeon is dangerous,” Ethan said before holding Chloe’s hand. “Let’s go and find the exit together.”
“Okay,” Chloe replied and allowed herself to be pulled by the blue-haired boy to start exploring the dungeon.
Since Ethan was looking in front of them, he didn’t see the faint blush that appeared on Chloe’s face, as they walked hand in hand in a place where the Undead sought the warmth of the living.