Chapter 70: Practical Dungeon Exam (III)
"Ahem."
Otto cleared his throat, his voice echoing across the room.
"Enough chatter. From this point forward, your lessons will focus on practical applications rather than theory. You will learn by stepping into the unknown yourselves."
He lifted his right hand and, without any dramatic chant, simply waved it through the air.
The world around them warped.
Desks bent and stretched, walls melted like wax, and the ceiling dissolved into streaks of light.
In an instant, the classroom was gone.
The students now stood on uneven ground covered in moss, surrounded by towering trees whose leaves glowed faintly green in the dim light.
Strange bird-like cries echoed in the distance, mixing with the low hum of insects.
And in front of them, just a few steps away, spun a swirling portal of light blue, its surface rippling like water disturbed by a stone.
"The dungeon lies beyond this gate," Otto’s calm, deep voice explained.
"Your groups will form once you pass through."
He clasped his hands behind his back, eyes glinting beneath the natural shadows of the forest canopy.
"Your exam begins... now."
FWOOOOSHHH!
Without giving the students a chance to breathe, the ground vanished under their feet as Otto flicked his wrist once more.
The portal expanded in an instant, swallowing the students like a tidal wave.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"WHY THE HELL LIKE THIIIIIIISSSS?!"
"KYAAA, MY SKIRT!!"
Their screams echoed wildly as bodies were dragged into the swirl of light, twisting and tumbling until everything dissolved into a blur.
.
.
.
.
When the world finally stopped spinning, Gray opened his eyes to darkness.
Rough stone walls pressed close on either side, the air heavy with moisture and the faint stench of moss.
Faint blue crystals glowed weakly from cracks in the cave ceiling, just enough to paint shadows across the uneven ground.
"Phew..."
[Looks like this is the dungeon.]
Jasmine muttered inside his mind.
Gray’s gaze shifted ahead, and his lips curled.
"Well, well... three girls, huh? Seems I got lucky," he smirked faintly.
The three turned toward him. Instead of gratitude or even curiosity, their eyes sharpened and their lips curled.
"Tch."
"Disgusting."
"Don’t get ahead of yourself."
One of the girls, tall with short chestnut hair and sharp green eyes, folded her arms.
Her voice was clipped, like she didn’t even want to waste words on him.
"...Mira. Earth affinity. Defense specialist."
The second girl, slimmer with long black hair tied into a ponytail, gave him the side-eye, her tone flat and uninterested.
"Selina. Water-user. Support and control. Don’t slow me down."
The last one, a redhead with freckles, actually wrinkled her nose when her gaze landed on Gray.
"Claire. Fire element. Attack focus." She let out a short scoff. "Just stay out of my way."
"Harsh welcome..." Gray tilted his head at them.
He gave a light shrug.
"Anyway, Gray. That’s my name."
The moment the word *Gray* left his mouth, all three pairs of eyes widened, recognition flashing instantly across their faces.
"...Wait. You’re that Gray?" Mira’s tone was already dripping with more distaste.
"No way..." Selina muttered, frowning like she had just smelled something rotten.
Claire openly groaned, rubbing her forehead.
"Of all people to get stuck with..."
Gray chuckled lightly at their reactions. He leaned back against the damp cave wall, his hands casually sliding into his pockets.
"And as for my specialty..." His grin sharpened.
"Let’s just say... conquering girls."
The silence that followed was thick with disgust.
"...You’re actually pathetic," Mira muttered.
"Gross," Selina said flatly.
Claire shook her head in disbelief.
"This team is definitely doomed."
"Tsk. No appreciation for honesty these days." Gray only sighed and shook his head slowly, like they were the disappointing ones.
Not reacting to his comment, the three girls quickly pulled into a loose line, ignoring Gray like he wasn’t even there.
Their voices carried down the damp corridor as they walked.
"So... Mira, right? You’re defense. I’m Claire, offense. We’ll probably be working together a lot." Claire’s tone had already softened from earlier, the fire in her voice replaced with something almost friendly.
"Mm. Got it." Mira gave a short nod.
The last girl, the one with the black ponytail, finally spoke up, though her tone was still flat.
"Selina. Water. I can slow enemies down and heal minor wounds. But don’t rely on me too much."
"Hey, don’t sell yourself short," Claire said with a small grin.
"Support’s just as important as hitting hard. Honestly, I’m glad we don’t have to deal with three hotheads in one team."
Mira chuckled at that.
"True enough. Balance is better."
Selina gave a faint shrug but didn’t argue, which seemed to be her way of agreeing.
They kept chatting, voices growing more casual by the minute, the earlier hostility gone... at least toward each other.
Meanwhile, Gray trailed a few steps behind them, hands tucked into his pockets. He sighed softly through his nose, muttering inwardly.
"...They bond fast, huh."
[Unlike you, scumbag.]
Jasmine replied dryly.
[Anyway, focus. Do you feel it?]
Gray narrowed his eyes at Jasmine’s words.
"...Yeah," he muttered under his breath, tone low enough the girls ahead wouldn’t hear.
"There’s something... off. Like the air’s... more polluted than it should be. It’s something disgusting, maybe dark, almost rotting."
[Yeah. This place... it’s not a normal dungeon. The air, the stench... I’d bet it’s a dark-species nest.]
Gray tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing at the glimmering crystals above.
"...Dark-species?" he whispered under his breath.
[Yeah. The kind that feed on rot, blood, and fear. Stronger than beasts. Smarter too. If I’m right, your exam just got a lot harder.
]His lips curved faintly.
"Heh. Figures."
Ahead of him, Mira turned her head just enough to catch his whisper.
"You say something?"
Gray only smiled.
"Nothing important."
The group pressed on. Their footsteps splashed lightly on damp stone, the cave air thick enough to cling to skin.
Ssssshhhhhhhhhkkk!
A sharp, scraping hiss echoed through the tunnel.
Selina froze first.
"Did you hear that?" Her voice dropped to a whisper.
The others followed her gaze. Just a few meters ahead, where the crystals dimmed into near-darkness, something shifted.
Two dull red glows appeared in the black.
A low, guttural snarl crawled through the silence, followed by the dragging sound of claws against rock.
The shape stepped forward, a hunched, gray-skinned creature with a mouth too wide for its head, rows of spiked teeth glistening with slime.
Its long arms scraped the stone floor, each finger tipped with claws that clicked as it moved.
"Our first monster, huh?" Gray’s lips curled.
He shifted a step forward, ready to test it. But before he could take another, all three girls snapped at once.
"Stay back!" Mira barked, hand already pressed to the ground, stone rising faintly under her feet.
"Don’t you dare!" Claire’s voice cracked like fire, eyes blazing at him.
Selina’s tone was sharp but low, her hand raised toward the damp air.
"Idiot, you’ll just get in the way."
Gray froze mid-step, blinking at the sudden chorus. Then he gave a small laugh, lifting his hands as if in surrender.
"Alright, alright. Ladies first."
And just at that moment...
FWOOP!
The creature lunged.
Its body was faster than it looked, claws slashing through the air with a screech of stone.
Mira reacted first.
CRACK!
She slammed her palm to the ground, causing a wall of spikes to burst up between them and the monster.
Claws scraped against it, sparks flying.
"Hold!" she barked.
Selina raised both hands, water condensing from the damp air.
A stream coiled into thin threads around her fingers before whipping forward. The strands wrapped the creature’s ankles, glowing faintly blue as they tightened.
The beast snarled, muscles bulging as it tried to pull free. The stone wall cracked under its weight.
"Now!" Mira shouted.
Claire’s hands were already burning.
Fwoosh!
She snapped her fingers, and then, a ball of fire formed, bright enough to paint the cave walls in orange light.
She hurled it with a sharp motion.
The flame struck the monster’s chest.
BOOM!
Heat rushed down the corridor as the smell of scorched flesh filled the air.
But the thing didn’t fall.
It ripped through the weakened wall with a roar, dragging Selina’s water chains like wet ropes.
Mira planted her feet, another slab of stone jutting upward.
She angled it this time, deflecting the creature’s swipe. Its claw scraped off the surface, leaving deep grooves instead of Mira’s face.
"Claire!" Selina called, strain in her voice.
She pulled her hands back, the water around the monster’s legs snapping tight again.
Its footing slipped for a brief second.
Noticing this, Claire clapped her hands together, fire rushing between her palms until it condensed into a spear of flame.
"HAAA!"
With a grunt, she flung it forward.
The spear pierced the monster’s side.
"GRAHHAGHHH!"
A screech tore through the cave as fire ate into gray flesh.
It staggered but swung wildly, claws slicing close enough to Mira’s shoulder that stone chips sprayed her cheek.
She grit her teeth, forcing another barrier to rise.
The impact rattled the whole tunnel.
Selina clenched her jaw, sweat beading at her temple as she jerked her hands sideways.
The water chains yanked the creature off balance, dragging its legs out from under it.
"Down!" Mira shouted.
Claire raised both hands, flames surging along her arms.
"DIEEEEEE!"
With a cry, she loosed another burst, this one a stream of fire that engulfed the monster’s head and chest.
The smell of burning rot filled the cave. The creature writhed, screeching until its movements slowed, then stilled.
...Thud.
Finally, it collapsed in a smoldering heap, smoke curling upward.
The cave went quiet again, save for the ragged breaths of the three girls.
Mira wiped sweat from her brow, shoulders heaving.
"One down..."
Selina’s hands lowered, water dripping from her fingertips as it lost form.
"That was... tougher than I thought." Her voice stayed calm, though her chest rose and fell quickly.
Claire shook out her arms, the last embers fading from her hands.
"Hah... felt good, though." She smirked faintly.
Behind them, Gray leaned against the cave wall, slow clapping echoing through the tunnel.
"Well, well... not bad," he said with a sly grin.
"I was almost impressed."
All three turned their heads at once, glaring daggers.
"Shut up."
"Pathetic."
"Stay out of the way."
Gray chuckled lightly at their words.
He pushed off the wall and followed after them, hands in his pockets, eyes glinting faintly in the glow of the crystals.
’...They’re extremely weak.’
[...Weak? That’s a Middle Advanced Realm beast..., and the three of them are at the Peak of the Intermediate Realm, surprisingly.]
Jasmine commented.
[Just because you have an overpowered skill, it doesn’t mean that the others also have one.]
"Whatever," he rolled his eyes.
He was quite sure that if they faced more than three of those beasts, it would be hard for them to fight.
So...
He would take that chance and swoop them!