Two days have passed since Ace had halted his training to rest. Still, today is when Ace finally resumes his training with Razor.

When Ace came to the dining area for breakfast, only a quarter of his class was eating while the rest were already gone off early to train.

"Good morning Ace, You alright now?" Alan asked.

"Yeah, I feel stronger than before." He replied.

"Haha, what kind of reply is that? Rest is important to become strong you know?" Alan continued his laughter until a tear busted out of his right eye.

Ace rested his body for the past two days. He looked more defined than before. His muscles were much more refined and bulging. When Ace looked around, he noticed the very same result from everyone else. His entire class had undergone some sort of transformation looking a bit more physically built than the last time he saw them, these were classmates whom half have never partaken in physical activities and

After looking around, he grabbed a plate from the kitchen and picked up whatever he desired for breakfast. He sat next to Alan and dived into his meal.

"Wow, very surprising to see you here. A dreamy sight to look at for the morning. And to add that, even Alan is here with you too." Hilda said in a flirtatious tone.

Hilda is one of the popular girls in their school. She's kind to everyone and would often playfully compliment someone in any way. Hilda always had a gag to flirt with Ace to get some sort of emotion from him, but so far, she won't get a new expression from him today.

Ace, who kept eating, wasn't fazed at the compliment.

"...Glad to see that you're doing fine."

Hilda's mask eventually broke, giving out a tired sigh.

"I'm just... trying to keep myself together. All the guys are trying their hardest, and I have to do my part like everyone else. Even Aria, someone I didn't expect volunteered to be a front liner..."

"So the situation has gotten to you too."

Ace noticed that even Hilda wasn't her usual self. The fact that everyone is forced into such a war affects everyone's attitude to the current situation.

"Yeah, but when I look at Aria and the others, I feel like I need to put in extra effort. I could've sworn she was going to be a part of the backline." Hilda replied.

"Technically, her class is positioned in the middle alongside Bryce since he's a templar, right Bryce?" Alan focused his attention on Bryce, one of Alan's friends sitting beside him.

"True, but her class is more for offence compared to mine since mine was made for defence. That's why she should be at the front and me at the back protecting the backline." Bryce answered Alan.

Templars are a defensive class that uses a polearm and a shield. Bryce tried his luck if he could be one as Alan and some others were rejected by his trainer. This class uses a variety of barrier-type spells and status buffing. Like the Spell Warrior, the templar has long-ranged spells but its abilities focus on support and defence rather than offence.

"Aren't you concerned that Aria is at the front Ace...?" Hilda said.

Ace still held the same nonchalant expression thinking nothing of Aria's decision.

"You're also a frontline aren't you?" Ace fired.

"My stats were all strength no magic! Like I had any choice." She replied.

"What about a archer like Freya?"

Hilda's class is a Valkryie. Back in their original world, Hilda was already in a good physique which allowed her to have higher strength stats than all girls. Wanting to even the jobs taken, she took on a close-ranged role.

"Then you could've followed Freya's footsteps and become a archer."

"I think we have enough archers! Besides, I'm not talented in the bow!"

"Good morning... what were you guys talking about?" Aria walked into the dining room, surprising the four people sitting in the room.

"Hilda was just worried that you're a front liner." Ace answered.

"But... You and Bridget are also front liners." Aria replied rubbing her eyes.

"Well, we needed to even the numbers! And you had the choice to stay back!" Hilda said.

"No one was forcing you," Bryce replied.

"Now, now Hilda. We all know you volunteered for the front lines so the other girls didn't have to." Alan joined in the conversation.

"We all know how kind you are," Bryce added.

"If anything it helps us a lot." Ace said.

Hilda's eyes widened holding her embarrassed expression from the praises she received.

"If you say it that way... Then I'm glad to do it." Hilda held a bright smile.

"There she goes, accepting our compliments like she's a kid." Bryce fired.

"It doesn't matter cause I felt the sincerity!" Hilda pointed her finger towards the trio of guys.

Ace turned his attention to Aria, who was already dressed for training.

"Didn't you come here for something Aria? Did Razor come to get me?"

"Yeah. He said we'll be doing a joint training regiment today."

"Alright, I'll be there." Ace says, beginning to stand up.

"Are you sure you should be training with that Razor guy as well Aria?! Ace collapse the last time I saw him!" Hilda leaned forward towards Aria's direction showing great concern.

"I'm fine. Honestly." Aria looked tired of hearing someone else's nagging about her decision.

"Well seeing such an annoyed look from you is new. Oh...! Why don't we come and watch? Our trainers gave us a break today I want to see your determination up close! If Razor over trains you guys we can jump in to stop him!"Hilda said.

"Aren't you scared of my trainer?" Ace asked.

"We can win in numbers," Hilda replied pumping her fist.

"I think Olivia would stop Razor even without your help." Aria replied.

"This is the first I've heard of you guys watching other people's training. Is that allowed?" Ace asked.

"Yeah! I observed Warren and Vella's training on my last rest day before." Hilda answered.

"I was with her, so if it's fine with you..." Bryce said.

"Well, do what you want." Ace ended it like that.

Ace and the others followed Aria outside the dorm to their designated training grounds where Olivia and Razor were waiting. They were surprised by the sudden group of people but didn't seem to care as they exchanged a few words with each other about the group.

"Good morning glad to see you a bit more healthy than last time." Razor looked to Ace to greet him, heavily patting Ace's back. "I'm glad you've rested up. I should've paid more attention to how you were feeling."

"It's fine, it was my fault for not listening to my body."

"Hm? You brought your friends?"

Razor noticed the group of three tagging along, looking slightly surprised. "I did hear some of you guys observing the other trainers, so this is what they meant. Well, the audience will add to the atmosphere when you guys spar."

"Sorry for coming," Alan apologised on behalf of the group.

"It's fine. You're just watching a duel, if that's entertaining. I'm not like the knights, so do what you want." Razor shrugged his shoulders.

"Huh? He seems more normal than I thought." Hilda says whispering in Bryce's ear.

"Yeah, more laid back than I thought he would be."

Olivia overheard their whispers holding a smile over to Razor.

"Hehe, they were scared of you."

"Shut it." Razor said, in annoyance.

"A duel...? I was expecting something else." Ace grabbed his usual wooden weaponry and wore the training gear left for him.

"Yep, it's exactly what it looks like. With the audience here it will look like an arena." Olivia added.

"Should we be worried? Ace fighting Aria seems like..." Alan looked concerned for Aria as she was more of the underdog than Ace.

Aria, who grabbed a wooden spear, practised her twirls and thrusts. There were signs of proficiency in how she handled the spear, surprising the three students who followed.

"You two begin warming up. You guys just sit there. Unless you want to join in for Arts practice after, I'm focusing on Utility Arts today it will be hellish though." Razor said to the small crowd.

"We're good... I practised hard yesterday." Bryce said.

"Yeah what he said." As Hilda hid behind Bryce.

"Well don't distract the two. You can learn something once you observe from there." Razor pointed to the benches at the back.

Moving to the two that will spar against each other, Aria, who grabbed a wooden spear, practised her twirls and thrusts. There were signs of proficiency in how she handled the spear, surprising the three students who followed. Ace practised doing quick swings dashing around as if he was trying to imagine stabbing through someone's vital points.

"Woah! Look at Aria twirling it around! She looks like a dancer rather than a spearwoman. Can't you do that as well Bryce?" Hilda commented as she was in awe of Aria's movement.

"No, I have a shield on my other hand remember?" Bryce replied.

"Geh... boring..." Hilda gave a disappointed look as she leaned on her chin

"Why don't you try doing that?" Bryce pointed over in Aria's direction.

"Ace fighting Aria, that's not something I would've expect at all." Alan commented.

"Don't look down on Aria. You'll be amazed by her progress, you all think she's the underdog right? Well, you'll think otherwise once they start this duel." Olivia went to join the three where they sat.

When they looked at Aria, she saw Ace in front of him and lost her composure immediately, her face went red as she lost herself in Ace's eyes. Her hands start to shake as she holds her spear.

'I'm more concerned... Aria's lucky to have such a kind trainer but having Aria fighting Ace seems a bit excessive.' Hilda thought.

"She's not like this usually...! It's just an experiment how well she does against someone else that's a lower level than I am!" Olivia became flustered for Aria.

'They're kind of the same...' The three of them thought.

"Alright. Warmed up yet? [Offensive Arts], and so on are allowed. This is so you guys are used to fighting people when the time comes for war. You guys come to the circle here, have some reasonable distance between each other and I'll let out a signal." Razor explained.

Both Aria and Ace did what Razor asked, distancing themselves by a few metres.

"Don't go easy on me, Ace."

"I won't, it's not a spar otherwise."

"Alright, that's some good distance there. I'll begin a countdown." Razor shouted.

Both Aria and Ace gripped their weapons. In this situation, Aria has an advantage due to her weapon range, while Ace is only equipped with a short wooden sword in his right hand and a dagger in his left.

Aria prepared a stance. After taking a deep breath, her usual aura disappeared, shocking everyone in the area. Ace noticed her intent to kill, unfazed by her sudden transition.

'How scary. Seeing that expression again.' Ace thought to himself.

"That's Aria...?" Alan looked astonished at Aria's murderous aura.

"Hehe. She's got a screw loose when it comes to fighting." Olivia held a proud pose with a grin on her face.

"I seen that expression before...!" Hilda looked at Aria's expression, recalling a memory of when everyone was in their first years. Her eyes widened, and her mouth began to chatter.

"What do you mean...?" Alan asked, tilting his head.

"There was a time when Aria pushed to the ground. You know that event when she had a box cutter! At that time, she held that same expression. If we didn't stop her, there would've been a bloodbath!"

"Oh? that's what happened. I actually made Aria imagine a scenario, to give the sort of kill or be killed moment but Aria must've thought of something different..." Olivia says.

On Aria's current expression, the only thing on her mind was to defeat whoever was in front of her.

"Yikes... Our school was one step into a murder there... Thank goodness you and Ace exist." Bryce said.

Razor began his countdown from three to one. Once he finished, he rang a magical bell from his magic inventory with the two charging towards each other.

"[Offensive Art: Quick Strike!]" Aria shouted out, she let out a devastating thrust of her spear, aiming for Ace's head.

There are a variety of skills in this world. These are referred to as Arts. What Aria used was Offensive Art, a typical offensive skill used in combination with a compatible weapon depending on the Art used. It takes time to learn a new Art. Still, with everyone's [Hero's Progression] ability, everyone can learn these new skills rapidly.

That was close. Ace barely dodged the attack and circled Aria trying to get an opening.

Amid the battle, Ace would let out attacks whilst moving around Aria. No one expected Aria to last this long as she maintained to parry Ace's attacks with ease.

Aria struggled to be on the offensive as Ace took that role away from her the moment she missed her attack. In a moment, to get Ace from attacking, she twirled her spear around herself, acting like a mini whirlwind forcing Ace to jump back and plan for another attack.

"She's good!" Hilda commented.

'That may be the case but Ace looks like he's playing a bit too easy. Aria is already tired from Ace's quick attacks.'

Razor observed the fight, analysing what Ace and Aria should be doing and whatever wrong movements they needed to fix. So far, they have not made such errors impressing both Razor and Olivia in their progress.

'[Utility Arts: Overdrive] [Quick Step]'

It became Ace's turn to use his set of Arts, activating them one after the other. Utility Arts are buffing Arts used to increase your combat ability, increased agility, speed or strength. These can turn the tide of a battle if used effectively.

There is, however, a mental strain on using Arts itself. It doesn't matter what type of offensive, defensive or even utility. Arts are powered by the willpower and aura of a person. However, through excessive use, the user's mind will undergo mental exhaustion affecting both mind and body.

Aria couldn't keep up with Ace's speed. His [Overdrive] increases attack speed, and [Quick Step] increases speed overall, making the situation even more difficult for Aria.

'That's unfair... Ace managed to learn Razor's Arts.' Olivia commented.

Olivia quietly observed the fight and felt she didn't train Aria enough. She was indeed proud of her student lasting this long Ace. However, she didn't anticipate Ace using one of Razor's personally made skills.

Aria grew more tired when Ace finally opened up Aria's defences breaking through her guard. Razor knew that Ace was holding back onto Aria this whole time, as his incredible stamina and speed are in another league compared to everyone else. Even with Razor as his trainer, he already knows Ace will eventually surpass a well-known Rogue like him.

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Ace was just behind Aria with his wooden dagger knifepoint in an instant. Aria's throat would have been slit off in a real-life or death battle.

"It's my victory." Ace said.

Aria dropped to the ground, trying to catch her breath. When Ace noticed, he reached out his hand offering support for her to stand up.

"Next time, I'll beat you." Aria smiled.

"Looking forward to it."

The victor of the spar was Ace, with everyone amazed at the fight. Although it became one-sided in the end, Aria is probably the only one who can last the longest in Ace. Even Alan and Bryce, who have strong defensive capabilities in their classes, admit they cannot win if they ever fought Ace.

"Nice job you two! You guys were amazing!" Hilda walked down to cheer the two.

"I still need to train a lot..." Aria said.

"To be honest, If magic was allowed I'd probably lose." Ace added shaking his wrists.

With Aria as a Spell Warrior, she isn't just limited to her spear alone. It is both a warrior and mage-like class that utilises either an axe or a spear. There are other variations of these classes, such as spell monk and spell blades, but only Aria was gifted to have such growth rates that suit these classes.

"It's a good fight. I have nothing to critic about your technique Ace. You made your style and displayed it. You just need a few more ways of approaching your opponent."

Ace nodded back. He replayed certain scenes in his head that could've worked even better in his favour.

Olivia went up to Aria with a smile. She was proud that Aria had come this far as a spear user. Olivia gave her critiques, and Aria nodded at the feedback.

"Well... Utility Arts are what you need but you still make unnecessary movements with the spear. Ace saw that through you and that's what broke your guard. Though you deserve a cake, of course, it's my treat."

Aria's expression brightens up upon hearing the idea of having cake. Though it's just a small reward, her sweet tooth has hungered for such a treat for so long.

"Before that, I'm doing Utility Art training with you Aria and Olivia's doing training with you Ace. For the spectators do you care to join? Just a warning, it's going to be tiring on both ends, but I'll teach my personal utility arts, how about that?" Razor held a smile, though the there spectators had nothing but tired looks on their faces.

"No, I'm good." Bryce immediately responded.

"Sorry, this is a rest day. My trainer is going to be tough on me tomorrow again..." Hilda pouted.

"Ancel promised me he'd teach me a new Holy Spell later today, but I appreciate the offer Razor." Alan bowed.

The three students left the training field leaving just Aria and Ace with their trainers. It was unusual for trainers to switch their students. Still, since they had already finished the basic class training, all they needed to do was either practice new spells or Arts.

"Tsk, they ran away. I was going to actually teach them some useful stuff too."

"It's because you look scary Razor."

"Not my fault, I can't really see out of my other eye can I?"

"Maybe if you took off the eyepatch." Olivia teased.

"I'm still blind with that eye regardless."

"Well, I leave my cute little Aria to you Razor. While I steal Ace from you for the time being. Follow me Ace."

"Right..."

Ace followed Olivia's instructions to go to the other half of the training grounds.

He found it weird to be taught by Olivia, who was given simple instructions to follow. Olivia demonstrated the usage of imbuing mana onto her weaponry. It was a simple procedure that anyone could do as long as they practised. Although Ace is not talented in magic, his strength will make up for the imbuement of magic, primarily used to pierce and penetrate through armour. Such a simple thing can also harm enemies with no physical bodies, which require this skill to defeat.

The moment Ace's weapons glowed a bright grey, Olivia knew he was successful and did not need further instructions right after that. The mana colours vary from person to person. Aria's is bright pink, Olivia's is red, and Razor's is the same grey colour Ace has.

"Wow, you learnt that quick. Why don't we check if you have any affinities with any magic elements? A rogue must be versatile after all."

"I have no problem with that. Though will magic even prove useful to me?"

"Yep, it's useful for everyone. Even if you lack the stats to use such an ability. It's similar to how you unconciously imbue additional aura into your weapons? If you're tired to use aura, use a different energy source."

"Oh? That can be helpful." Ace replied.

"Of course! But to be really strong, you can imbue both aura and mana into your arts and abilities. They add the extra attack power you need."

"That's possible?"

"Yep! I also realised you don't shout your Arts when you were facing Aria."

Ace recalled Aria's powerful shout as she called out the move she was about to use. He realised that Razor also shouts out his moves as well throughout their sparring sessions. He always thought that it felt exaggerated and made it easier for his opponents to recognise their attacks.

"...Is there a point? I don't really understand why you would call out your attacks, you're pretty much stating your intention."

"Hmm, I guess it is true. It must sound stupid from your perspective, right? Like... I'm going to attack you with my special move! I do recall Aria looking at me funny when I kept naming my attacks when we sparred."

Ace gave a judging stare onto Olivia thinking about what she had just explained.

"Hmm, I guess I can show an example. Grab that wooden shield there Ace. And prepare to take on my attack." Olivia pointed to a nearby shield laying near the weapons rack as she picks up a wooden spear beside her.

Ace followed what Olivia had instructed before taking a stance.

"Now I'm going to attack. Just be ready to guard in... now!"

Olivia's wooden spear glowed red, empowering her weapon in both aura and mana simultaneously. Ace on the other hand felt shivers down his spine. He took a defensive stance and unconsciously empowered his shield in coated aura.

'This boy catches on quick.' Olivia smiled.

CLONK!

She took a step forward and strike Ace's shield with one powerful thrust forcing Ace to step back.

"Tch...!" Ace's hands began to feel numb from Olivia's attack.

"Nice block! Wow! Razor was right, you do learn quickly! The way you held that shield was perfect! Now, that was me using a [Quick Strike] without me shouting it out. I hope you can keep standing after this one. I'm going to not give you time to prepare now."

Olivia took another stance imbuing her spear in energy once more.

'Can I even block the next one?!' Ace ran his thoughts as his eyes were glued onto Olivia's spear.

"[Offensive Art: Quick Strike]!" Olivia gave a powerful shout. She delivered her attack towards Ace again. But this time, Ace couldn't hold on to Olivia's power. His wooden shield imbued in aura had broken through completely. Ace was forced to take a few steps back as he felt the kinetic shockwave running through his arms to the rest of his body.

"What the-?"

"Now how's that? It's a physical incantation to improve your abilities, The tradeoff is worth it don't you think? It actually uses a bit more energy since your voice is giving more weight to your attacks."

"So you're saying if I shouted my utility arts..."

"You'd run and attack even faster. But of course, there are scenarios to not shout out your arts. Usually, in a head on fight where every bit of power matters, such battle cries are worth the attack." Olivia answered Ace's hypothetical.

"I see... so theres more to the combat in this world." Ace mentally noted this information in his head.

"Exactly Ace. Just remember your stats are just a baseline on how strong you are as a person overall. But proficiency, willpower, experience and many other factors make you stronger in an actual fight. Even if you have higher stats than me or Razor we will still win because we're more experienced or we're more desperate for our goals. Just remember that." Olivia says, poking Ace's forehead.

"Understood."

"Having a purpose, goal or desire is also a strong fundamental to someone's strength. Aria has her desires making her stronger but what about you Ace?"

Ace was recalling the disappearance of his upperclassmen, class 2-3. Ace was only in junior high school when it happened. After being teleported here, he might have his chance, yet he knew full well he would be distracted by this goal.

"To get everyone back. That's my purpose of fighting."

"I see... something like that is all you need to survive. Good answer."

"Why are you telling me this? You're going a bit too far for me. I assume you said something similar to Aria as well."

Olivia's expression froze then went back to normal. She didn't expect Ace to ask such a question since Olivia was so used to teaching Aria, but she held a sad expression when she answered.

"Ah, well, I'm sure you're curious about this but, I lost students... I never told them these simple concepts but it's just a big motivator if you're in a pinch in battle. I don't want to lose anyone again... If my advice can increase your chances of survival then it makes it worth it." Olivia lowered her tone. She fiddled with her ring again as a way to settle herself down.

The atmosphere around the two felt depressing and dull. Their atmospheric bubble blocked out the sounds of Razor lecturing Aria as he was training her. Personally, Ace didn't concern about her since she did not give up and continued training and focused on Olivia, who is teaching him now.

"Hehe sorry killed the mood. Now let's get your magic affinity tested." Olivia grabbed a magic orb from her magic bag and held it out to Ace. "Ok, just place your hand there and just try to inject some mana into it, as you did with your weapons."

Ace followed Olivia's instructions. Once he did, the orb glowed a bright purple surprising both Razor and Olivia. They saw the ominous glow emitting from the crystal sphere.

"Dark Magic...?! That's rare amongst humans!" Her eyes began to widen at the dark glow.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Hmmm...? You can aslo be mistaken for a Demonfolk if you emit that sort of thing," Razor peeked in on the conversation after hearing the commotion.

'Same affinity as me... I can perhaps teach him further techniques then...'

"Still a dark affinity, too bad you aren't gifted with mana manipulation compared to Aria. Look here, the flow is not really stable." She analysed the flow of magic within the orb.

"Is that bad?"

"Just an inconvenience, just means you need extra time to unlock such an ability. It allows you to pretty much manipulate magic to your unique spells. For example. Aria was pretty much gifted to have it from the start, maybe because of her magical stats. I thought you'd be the same."

Olivia cladded her spear in a raging fire which was not directly affecting her despite the flames raging through her hand holding the spear.

"By having mana manipulation, I can freely fire a magical projectile and using my fire affinity..." She fired the flames through a thrust of her spear, burning through a target penetrating the iron and hitting the wall.

BAM!

"I have a lot more options on how I can defeat my opponent in creative ways."

The flaming projectile went through burning a bit of the wall.

"Show off." Razor commented from a far.

"It's just an example! I manipulated my imbuement of mana with my fire affinity like so. Making it to a spell that I can use. If you try to use another element you're not compatible with, it won't be as good as your elemental affinity and you'll drain too much of your mana. That being said you'd have to spend a lot more time to train your affinity for mana. But we don't have much time to do that, instead, we'll go to sparring I'll show you what happens when you're facing a stronger spear user." Olivia then went on to read her stance.

"I'll try use what you've taught me today." Ace grabbed his weapons taking a stance.

"Hehe, let's see how much you've improved by knowing such information." Olivia did the same, holding a smirk.

An hour later, Ace had lost every fight against Olivia without even landing a single hit on her.

Ace's level wasn't relatively as high as Olivia's. Still, he managed to stand his ground against her despite her advantages with a spear.

"You're strong Ace I had a hard time trying to fight against you." She was trying to catch her breath while Ace was full of bruises and marks around his body.

When it came to Aria, she required a potion after Razor did a full roundhouse kick onto her body. A problem occurred when Aria unleashed a counterattack causing Razor to stop holding himself back, listening to his instincts in trying to defeat Aria as quickly as possible, resulting in a large bruise on her face.

"Sorry, Aria! Crap...!"

"Oh no! That was a bad hit...!"

Olivia went to check up on her. She felt Aria's intimidation even though she was further away from her. It was unexpected that she would be blessed to have this sort of battle instinct. Any normal person would freeze if they had fought Aria in her zone.

"No, it's ok. It's a good wakeup call. I can go on again for another spar!" She stood up, but her arms kept shaking as she struggled to hold the spear since her body was already tired from the previous utility art training.

"No! We're finished for the day! Everyone needs a break and that's now!" Olivia scolded Aria. "Oh dear, your pretty face is going to swell... I have some ointment hold on a sec."

"Ok..." Aria took off her training gear as Olivia was gently patting her face.

"Sorry Ace, I'll tend to Aria's injuries first and then yours."

"So how was it to face Spell Warrior Olivia in action?" Razor asked.

"I think you're a bit more tricky." Ace replied.

"Well, you haven't seen when Olivia and I go serious-" Just as Razor was about to finish his sentence. Olivia had cut him off.

"I wish Razor would go a little easier!" Olivia shouted angrily.

"Hey, I apologised okay? Aria is too gifted with her battle instincts, it's practically roaring to my body."

"I can say the same." Olivia sighed. "Ah, hold on Aria I can use a basic healing spell sit tight."

Ace watched the two interact with each other. It looked similar to a mother figure tending to her child. Aria's injuries were slowly fading away as Olivia gently waves a white flame over her bruises.

"Want to grab lunch? You were interested in my former students so we can discuss the topic while we eat."

"If you're willing-"

Before Ace can finish his reply, Olivia intervened in the conversation inviting herself between the two.

"Ehem! Don't you want to hear from my side too? Let both Aria and I join you guys for lunch, and Ace can get what he wants from the both of us." Olivia hid her true intentions from Razor, who looked annoyed at the beautiful woman smiling at him.

"...Fine, I do need to pay you back for that time still." Razor gave up reluctantly, letting Olivia join their lunch. It's only because Olivia would get a free meal out of Razor's pocket and will pay for Aria as well.

The group of four exited the castle, but Olivia led the way to the restaurant that she wanted to go to in the higher districts, completely disregarding where Razor wished to go, which was also why Razor was so reluctant to let Olivia join them.

The houses and buildings in the high district were built with perfection. The whole area felt expensive to walk through. The cleanliness of the entire area made the atmosphere shiny. Each house wore white marble walls, and the sizes of each home stood out from the other districts where one could tell there was a hierarchy between the rich and poor as they looked far into the lower sections from the top.

The restaurant they entered was quite popular due to the number of people dining in. The four managed to get seats and made their orders.

"So that will be 3 silvers." The waiter said.

"The man with the eyepatch will give you the money." Oliva pointed directly at Razor.

Razor angrily grabbed his pouch and paid for the meals Olivia recommended to everyone.

"You know the meals at the pub are cheaper and just as good right? There's no damn alcohol in this restaurant!"

"Relax. This is a better place." Olivia smirked.

Both Ace and Aria ate their food quietly as they sat down, facing each other with Razor and Olivia still arguing about why Olivia chose this place until Razor eventually lost.

"The food tastes great don't you think? Reminds me of the restaurant we went on that trip." Aria tried to fire up a conversation with Ace while still focusing on the meal.

"Oh yeah, you're right..." Ace replied but was lost in his thoughts.

He had other things going through his mind. He can finally ask the two trainers who their students were and if they taught anyone from class 2-3.

"I'd like to ask, what happened to your former students? I guess that's the first question I want to ask you two."

Ace looked at the two trainers, who were slowly enjoying their meal. Razor placed his spoon back into his plate and answered first.

"Dead." Razor concluded with a disconnected tone.

Ace already knew that was a possibility, but he wanted to hear more details on who and see if they were part of the missing class.

"Hey! I know that's true but that isn't the full story isn't it?!" Olivia angrily fired her statement towards Razor.

"*Sigh* I trained two students, their names were Clark and Robin. They weren't as skilled as you Ace but they held potential. Previously before you guys came here, the Heroes were forced into the frontlines as soon as I finished training them. Half training in the dungeon and a half fighting the war. Both my students fought in the war where I heard they died while sneaking on a fortress. The King never relayed this news to the Heroes in the dungeon so they weren't hindered on such thoughts."

'Clark and Robin...? Right... I don't remember the names of Class 2-3. It'll be hard to connect their whereabouts with her...' Ace thought.

"Aria, do you remember the names from the class that disappeared?"

"No sorry... I just knew they were gone when we weren't even at the school."

Ace looked slightly distressed but turned to Razor to ask another question.

"So did you remember their uniform colour? Or anything they mentioned about their school?"

Aria has never seen Ace act this desperate for information before. She knows he's trying to find more about Class 2-3, but she has no idea why he's so intent on doing so.

"No... they talked about going home. Doing one for the team in participating in the war. I just did my job in training them because I only had less than two weeks training them."

No lead from Razor... what about Olivia...? If she mentions her name, then I'll just give up my search.' That's all Ace cared about, whether she was alive or not.

"I guess it's my turn. I trained two students, one for dungeon exploration and one for war. Their names were Rose and Marnie. Marnie was the one that participated in the war, but she was killed by another Hero from another kingdom. No one can tell who is a Hero or a regular soldier if your Heroes are from the same world. It'd be difficult to identify each other unless you knew the other person. For Rose, she died in the dungeon with the other half of her friends.

Olivia looked saddened as she explained what had happened to her former students.

"Hm, no recognisable names... do you guys have any of their former belongings? I'm mainly interested if their uniform is the same as ours." Ace asked.

"No, the King throws them out once all Heroes are confirmed dead. They say the Heroes protected the King that escorted them but... they were escorted by Holy Knights... I still don't know how... he died!" Olivia's sad tone eventually transitioned to anger recalling a certain event.

Olivia fiddled with her ring even more. It was getting to the point where Razor stopped her from anxiously getting agitated over the past.

"Calm down. We don't know how strong that golem was for them."

"Golem...?" Aria asked.

"So this dungeon you will be exploring has many sacred treasures but at the same time, there are a lot of traps and hurdles inside. The golem we mentioned is one of them. The lowest the kingdom has been to is floor 75 it holds a huge door that requires the [Blessing Of The Gods], a Hero's passive to open the doors through some sort of Mana recognition. No one else but the heroes can make that door open. But the King has orders for you guys to stop exploring the dungeon once we reach floor 75. Since the golem that killed them is still there." Razor explained.

"So is the golem that strong?" Aria asked.

"David was with them! He's wasn't that weak to just die like that!" Olivia slammed the table bringing everyone's attention to her. After noticing everyone's concerns, she backed down quietly and returned to her meal.

"David...?"

"Ahh... sorry that was something personal of me. David was... my fiance... to clarify. Sorry I made the mood depressing again." Olivia answered with a dejected tone.

'I have no leads. Nothing about Class 2-3. From memory, no one in our class was related to them when it comes to a familial relationship. No one else was friends with them, all I knew was one person. Is it possible she's alive in another kingdom? It's 50% that she can either be dead or alive.'

"How long ago did these heroes appear?"

"Hmm a few years ago I guess? I don't really remember." Razor answered.

"I see."

Ace was limited with his information, but all he could do was refill the desire he once had before 'she' disappeared.

"Don't worry... we'll be on guard one we reach that floor." Ace said.

"Please do so. Well to lighten the mood, I promised you I'd buy you a cake Aria. Let me fulfil my promise to you right now." She returned to her usual cheerful self. She went to the bakery side of the restaurant.

"Want one? I'm buying one too."

"Uh sure... get me whatever." Ace knew Razor's attitude had softened but he didn't expect him to be this friendly about spending some time together.

Razor and Olivia went together to buy cakes for the table, leaving just Aria and Ace. Aria wanted to ask why Ace was asking for information. But she knew that there is a chance that these people are already dead. This factor alone made her hesitant to ask such a question.

After a few moments of waiting. Razor and Olivia came back. Unexpectedly to Ace, Razor had a box of cakes that did not look fitting for his character.

"... You don't look like a sweet tooth," Ace commented.

"Oh, it's for someone at home."

"Isn't it good that I brought you here Razor?" Olivia asked in a playful tone.

"Shut it," Razor said in an annoyed tone.

Ace turned around seeing Aria's face light up.

"Ahh! It's strawberry!" Aria's face brightened up at the sight of her favourite slice of strawberry shortcake.

Ace's agitation with class 2-3 ended once he saw a bright smile from Aria returning to his usual calm self. He eased in with the current atmosphere everyone was sharing at the table.