Five teams were formed, each consisting of three members. Aria and the other examinees were led to the entrance of the dungeon, located just below the town. To reach the dungeon entrance, they had to traverse a cliff that descended into what appeared to be an ancient burial site, a catacomb. Upon arrival, they unpacked their belongings, with some setting up tents. The proctor, James Llarme, informed them that the test would begin at midnight, allowing them time to prepare and get to know their teammates. Aria, now paired with some troublesome individuals, sat down with the others, the lantern in her possession, in an attempt to break the silence. "H-hi! I'm Alice Aephine, an apothecary. Nice to meet you!" However, her introduction was met with silence, as the two individuals seemed disinterested, their gazes fixed elsewhere. Aria felt a mix of worry and embarrassment. She feared that she would fail the test and disappoint Dorothy after all the effort she had put into helping her. She nervously twiddled her hair, contemplating what to do next. "I'm outta here. I don't need you losers to slow me down. Just give me the lantern and wait for me here," the young elf archer boy declared confidently. With his long blond hair, blue eyes, and long elf ears, his pure elven heritage was apparent to all. He stood tall and slender, wearing light leather armor, a head protector band on his forehead, a short sword on his hip, and a Golden bow with a quiver full of arrows slung across his back. He walked to a secluded corner, examining his tools. Aria gazed at him, feeling intimidated and unable to find the words to change his mind. Suddenly, she noticed the drow mage girl observing her. Aria's embarrassment grew, and she averted her gaze to the floor. The drow girl, who appeared to be around Aria's age, displayed her drow lineage through her short silver hair, light purple skin, and yellow eyes. She wore a red cloak and hood, revealing her head. Her attire consisted of an old tunic, and she carried a cheap-looking wand on her hip. Aria gathered her courage and attempted to make eye contact with the drow. "You're weak," the drow casually remarked to Aria. Aria tightened her grip on her satchel as her confidence shattered upon being called weak. "But, I bet that stupid elf is weaker. Let's say you're half as weak as him, you know what I mean?" The drow girl rested her hand on her head, smirking at Aria. The drow's comment was meant as a slight towards Aria's mixed heritage as an elf. "I'm going to sleep until the teacher comes back, so don't disturb me, got it? Anissa or whatever," the smug drow mage girl said, mispronouncing Aria's fake name, before lying down on the ground to rest. Left with no other choice, Aria sighed and stood up to prepare her tools and equipment.
In her corner, Aria reviewed her items. She recognized this place as a burial site, having seen many similar ones during her adventures with the heroes. Therefore, she prepared her concoctions for potential encounters with undead and unholy monsters. "This place will likely have ghouls and skeletons," Aria muttered to herself as she prepared a concoction made with Goddess' Tears, or holy water, combined with moonlight dust from finely ground moonstone. This mixture would make invisible creatures visible, especially in the dark. She named it 'Lágrima de Luna', one of her original concoctions. She managed to make ten batches in just under five minutes. Unbeknownst to Aria, her work had attracted the attention of the others, who slowly gathered behind her to observe. Aria then made ten batches of the standard health potion using Solaceleaves and antidotes from Detoxroots. She checked her bag for her smoke cans and blinding vials, which were meant for escape. She also created a new concoction from her Master's notes, an additional escape tool made from mandrake throat and slime feelers. She named it 'Doncella Gritando'. Suddenly, Aria felt the gazes of the others on her. Turning around, she was shocked to see the crowd behind her. Paralyzed with embarrassment, Aria froze. "Hey missy, you're good. Even I know how amazing it is to create those potions so quickly!" An older dwarf warrior from another team praised Aria, and the others agreed. Too stunned to speak, Aria wasn't used to people observing her work. She had always done this only with the Hero's Party. Embarrassed, Aria tidied up her setup. Her fellow examinees whispered among themselves, and she clearly heard one phrase: "She's weird." The crowd eventually dispersed and returned to their spots. After tidying up, Aria moved to another corner and sat down. As she observed the people and the place, her mind drifted back to a time when everything still made sense.
Aria remembered a time, a year after she joined the Hero's Party, when they were on a mission for the King in King's Harbor. They were low on funds, so they accepted the King's request to subjugate a zombie dragon that had nested beneath the catacombs of his city.
"Another stroll through the catacombs," Thalia commented lazily on their mission. "Unholy vermin must be cleansed from every corner of this world!" Luna proclaimed enthusiastically, her upbeat attitude making Thalia dizzy. "I'll fight whenever, wherever, and whoever, but does it have to be this cramped?" Draco exclaimed, his loud voice echoing throughout the place. He was annoyed by the narrow passageways that caused him to get stuck at every turn. Zephyr simply observed the surroundings while levitating. The Hero was silent but alert to potential dangers. Aria was at the back, clutching Draco's drapes as she was easily frightened by sudden scares, especially in the dark. Suddenly, a zombie appeared out of nowhere at a blind curve. "Eeek!" Aria shrieked, her voice echoing throughout the catacombs. In a force of habit, she threw one of her blinding vials, which effectively blinded the zombie... and the entire party! After the mission, Aria received a scolding from Luna. The others were a bit more forgiving; Draco and the Hero laughed it off, Zephyr was patient and merely gave Aria a slap on the wrist, but Thalia was upset with Aria for a day, complaining that her shriek had sobered her up.
Aria was brought back to reality when the proctor, James, announced the commencement of the examination. It was already midnight, and it was time for them to enter the catacombs.
Aria stood up and searched for her teammates at the entrance. Most of the other teams had already gone in, leaving only a few stragglers behind. Aria could hear some people plotting and others expressing fear about entering the dungeon. Suddenly, Aria was approached by her teammate, the elf archer boy. "Hey, give that to me," he demanded, his voice dripping with condescension as he waved his hand, indicating that he wanted her to hand over the lantern. His eyes bore a serious expression. Aria trembled nervously, questioning whether it was a good idea to entrust the test item to someone so aggressive. "I'm not going to ask you again," the elf boy growled, growing more impatient and pushy. After a few tense moments, he had reached his limit. He reached out to grab the lantern from Aria's belt, but before he could, a swift whip slapped his hand away. "Ow!" the pompous elf yelped, retracting his hand and rubbing it in pain. It was the drow mage girl, wielding her wand, who had whipped his hand away. She looked unamused by the elf archer boy's behavior. "Who died and made you king?" she retorted, her voice laced with annoyance. The elf boy, fueled by anger, threatened the drow and hurled an offensive slur at her, associating her yellow eyes with demons. The drow, taking offense to the slur, became enraged and readied her magic to attack the elf boy. Aria didn't know what to do. She lacked the confidence to intervene and break up the escalating conflict. She was reminded of how Luna or the Hero Arlan would assert their authority and put Draco and Thalia in their place whenever they fought. Luna and Arlan would show them who was boss, whether through words or strength. But Aria, being a meek half-elf apothecary, didn't possess such assertiveness. Just as the elf and drow were about to engage in a fight, the proctor, James, appeared behind them and swiftly pulled their ears. "You guys again," he sighed, disappointment evident in his voice. "I'm disappointed. I thought the Adventurer's Guild only accepted adults, but it seems they accidentally let some children in." Although he wore a smile, it didn't reach his eyes. James showed them who was in charge, both through his words and his strength. Aria felt relieved and amazed by the proctor's display of strength and wisdom. After releasing them, both the elf and the drow rubbed their ears to soothe the pain. "This is your final warning. The next time I see you fighting during this examination, you're all going to be disqualified," James proclaimed, his gaze fixed on Aria. Aria sensed that she was partly to blame for not intervening. "Fine," the pompous elf archer boy grumbled. "Whatever!" the prideful drow mage girl exclaimed. Then, both of them entered the dungeon, with Aria following closely behind. As they ventured deeper, Aria could still hear the proctor's voice echoing from the entrance. "Remember, the exam ends at sunrise!"
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The first hour they ventured inside the catacombs was eerily silent. They could hear faint scuttling sounds here and there, but no monsters showed up. Strangely, they hadn't encountered anyone from the other teams since the exam started. The catacombs were like a maze, with numerous paths and entrances. Suddenly, they heard clanking sounds up ahead. "Here we go," the elf archer boy said, licking his lips in excitement, eagerly anticipating the upcoming action. He nocked an arrow, ready for the monster to reveal itself from the shadows. However, the drow mage girl was eager to prove herself superior and shot a firebolt spell directly at the monster without casting. The spell illuminated the area, revealing a reanimated skeleton burning and clanking on the ground as it broke into pieces. The elf archer boy was furious and glared at the drow mage girl. "Too slow, Your Highness," the drow mage girl taunted, her face smug, as she walked past the defeated monster. Aria remained silent throughout, feeling as though she were invisible to her teammates.
They continued walking for a while, facing the usual array of monsters. The elf and drow competed with each other, leaving no opportunity for Aria to use her tools. Aria observed their surroundings and noticed a recurring symbol. It was an ancient language, but she was certain it translated to something along the lines of "turn back." Feeling uneasy, Aria finally spoke up. "Um, guys? I think we're going the wrong way." However, her words were met with silence as her teammates continued at a fast pace. "Wait! I think it's dangerous here!" Aria gathered her courage to warn her teammates, but she was immediately shut down. "Go back if you're so scared!" the prideful drow mage girl exclaimed. "Leave the lantern while you're at it," the pompous elf archer boy added, dismissively.
Clink! A dangerous sound echoed through the catacombs, catching the attention of Aria and her teammates. The pompous elf archer had stepped on a pressure plate, triggering a trap. Suddenly, an old-fashioned door trap slammed shut behind them, blocking their path and preventing them from going back. "You stupid elf!" the drow girl shouted, frustration evident in her voice as she took a step back. But before they could react, another clink was heard. The drow girl had accidentally stepped on a pressure plate as well, triggering yet another trap. A rolling sound reverberated from the direction they had come from. "Boulder!" Aria shouted, recognizing the familiar danger. Without hesitation, they all sprinted forward, not daring to look back. "Look! An exit!" the elf archer exclaimed, spotting a room illuminated by a soothing blue light at the end of the corridor. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, their hearts pounding in their chests, and leaped towards the blue-lit room. They narrowly escaped being trampled by the giant boulder, which came to a halt just inches away from the entrance, unable to fit into the room.
They all sighed with relief, narrowly escaping death. They were still trembling, now trapped inside a room. Panic began to sneak in amongst Aria's teammates. "I-I am not cut out for this!" The elf archer, on all fours, was hyperventilating. His confidence had shattered after a single encounter with a trap. "I-I want to go home," whimpered the drow girl, her eyes welling up with tears as she sniffled. She remained seated, her knees weak. Aria, observing them, realized that these were people who had not seen real danger before. They were individuals eager to prove themselves, much like she had been when she started.
Aria, who had already calmed down, approached the elf archer boy. She stood in front of him and held out her hand. "You were so brave when you killed those undead monsters back there," she complimented. The elf boy, who was shaken pretty hard, heard Aria's words. His eyes, which had been pale with despair, suddenly lit up. He looked at Aria and calmed down. He took Aria's hand and stood up, amazed at the girl in front of him.
Aria noticed the drow mage's wand on the ground. She picked it up and approached the drow girl, their eyes meeting. "Here," she said, handing the wand to her. "Being able to do magic without casting is amazing." The drow mage girl regained her confidence and said, "You bet it is!" She took her wand with conviction, smiled, and sniffled. Aria had managed to restore their confidence.
"How are you not panicking?" the elf archer boy asked, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at the mysterious apothecary. "Someone I admired would never panic in a place like this," Aria replied, her gaze fixed on something in the distance. Her glasses reflected the hand of the goddess, which was aflame with holy fire, casting an azure hue that illuminated the room. "I guess I wanted to be like him, " Aria said with a smile.