Ace stumbled into the dorm, his movements unsteady thanks to the alcohol he had consumed with Razor. At first, he had stuck to light drinks, but Razor had eventually convinced him to try more drinks that were even stronger. Now, Ace found himself struggling to keep his balance as he made his way across the room.

"Shit... that bastard, how many drinks did I have with him?"

Thud!

Ace's body hit the wall and he fell onto the sofa, only to realize that he wasn't alone in the room. Freya was there, and she shared some of the same blank expressions as Ace, but she was more expressive than him.

"Ace... what the hell? Wake up!" Freya exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. She was about to slap Ace awake but stopped mid-swing.

"Freya, back off... I'm just trying to regain my balance," Ace said, trying to focus on her.

"Seeing you crash like that... I don't think you're in any condition to be up and about. And is that alcohol I smell? At a time like this?!" Freya stared down at him, but Ace's dizziness made it difficult for him to maintain eye contact. She gently took hold of his arms, helping him to stay upright and focused.

"Thanks... I just need some water," Ace said, feeling a little more awake.

"I'll get it. I can't believe that in this world, I still have to watch out for you. I'll be right back," Freya said, before heading off to get some water.

Freya and Ace were cousins, and after Ace's parents passed away, he stayed with Freya's family for a few years. Eventually, he moved back into his own house, but Freya still felt responsible for him and checked on him whenever she could. Normally, Ace was responsible enough to take care of himself, but tonight was an exception.

Freya returned with a glass jar of water and a cup, but Ace grabbed the jar and chugged it down, feeling more awake and in control.

"Sorry... Razor pressured me to keep drinking, and I lost track of time when I got here," Ace explained, rubbing his head.

"Hm... it would've been interesting if you had acted out of character. Will you be okay for tomorrow? We're exploring the dungeon, and who knows what kind of dangers we'll face. And then there's the war after that," Freya said, frowning.

"I know..." Ace replied, feeling a little sheepish.

"You and I are the only ones who can kill without hesitation, so we need you in peak condition. I swear if you have a hangover tomorrow, it's going to be bad for us." Freya continued, sounding concerned.

"I know... but killing animals and humans is different in a moral sense," Ace countered.

"And isn't the sensation of killing an animal similar to that of killing a person?" Freya countered.

"Killing people is completely different than hunting a deer. That's a whole new level of violence that we'll be dealing with in the war. It's morally different."

"You're right. I just know that we're mentally stronger than the others." Freya said, letting out a small sigh.

"Aren't you confident?" Ace said sarcastically.

"I've made my decision, Ace. And I'm ready to face whatever comes our way," Freya replied, her expression determined.

Ace could tell that his drunken state was starting to wear off, as he was able to hold a normal conversation with Freya without showing any signs of drunkenness. Freya looked at him closely with a sigh of relief.

"Looks like you're starting to clear up. At least you're back to normal if you can speak to me like this. You're lucky that I found you first. Otherwise, everyone would've judged you," Freya said, sounding relieved.

"I don't really care what they think," Ace replied, not seeming like he cared much.

"You're always like this, 'I know' and 'I don't care,' when I'm just trying to look out for you," Freya said, crossing her arms.

"I could say the same to you. I watched over you just as much as you watched over me," Ace countered.

"If you understand that much, then come on. You're on kitchen duty with me. Glenn and Mia are also on duty, so make sure you grab them when they return. They're out getting ingredients," Freya said, turning to leave the room.

"I know," Ace replied, following after her.

Eventually, everyone returned from their last training session with their trainers, and the dorm became noisy with the chatter and relief of seeing their classmates again. Some people trained alone with their trainers, while others trained in groups, so everyone returned at different times.

They all sat down at their tables and helped themselves to the meals that Ace and his group had prepared for them. Normally, the meals were cooked by the castle chefs, but everyone wanted to cook for themselves, knowing that the king would grant them an allowance to buy whatever ingredients or meals they wanted, as long as they stayed out of the lower districts. This not only served as a way to earn extra income but also as a way to remove the king's influence over them, preventing him from overhearing anything suspicious that the class might discuss.

"I'm not really hyped about the whole war thing, but exploring a dungeon with the whole class sounds like a lot of fun. After all this training, I want to see what we're capable of in action," Caspar said, breaking the silence during dinner.

"This isn't something to take lightly, Caspar. Come on, you're better than that," Hilda replied, sounding stern.

"Ugh... getting lectured by Hilda of all people hurts," Caspar said, continuing to eat.

"In all seriousness, though, I don't blame you for thinking that way. Just think about it. How many people disappeared back in our world? At least hundreds, and none of them ever came back. And the previous heroes summoned to this kingdom are confirmed dead," Alan added, bringing up some harsh facts.

Caspar, who was usually the optimistic one, had a change of expression. Alan was right, and hearing his friend speak in such a serious tone was enough to make him reconsider his thoughts.

The mood in the dining room became heavy, as the mention of the previous heroes with no news of their fate weighed on everyone's minds. No matter how hard they trained, they didn't know what they would face in their first real battle against other people.

"I think it's fine to have that naive way of thinking, Caspar. It's like a real-life dungeon exploration with party members, except with the whole class. I don't blame you at all for thinking that way. A change of pace can lighten the mood," Ace said, speaking up.

"See? Even Ace thinks it's... wait what did you say before that?" Caspar asked.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Everyone smiled at Ace's comment, and it was enough to lift the mood in the room.

"Don't worry, if we watch out for each other, that's all it takes for us to survive," Ace said, reassuring his classmates.

"That's the spirit," Ryu agreed, slamming his fist against his palm.

"Ace is right," Mia added, nodding her head.

"But remember, everyone, this isn't a game. We'll be putting our lives on the line in order to make it back home," Alan said, addressing the group.

"That's pretty obvious, don't you think?" Ace asked him.

"You know what I meant," Alan replied.

"Of course I do," Ace said, standing up from his seat. "I'm going outside for some fresh air. Let me know if anything happens."

Ace left the dining room and walked outside, heading towards the garden next to the dormitory. He sat down on one of the garden chairs and pulled out his wallet, looking at the pictures inside and reminiscing about his life before he was summoned to this world. Underneath the pictures in his wallet, there was a hidden third one.

The photograph showed a younger Ace standing next to a girl. It wasn't Aria or any of the girls in his class. The girl in the photo was a few years older than Ace, as she was already in high school while Ace was still in late middle school. Even from looking at the photo, it was clear that the girl had an intellectual air about her, and the fact that the background in the photo was inside a library only reinforced that impression.

'Even though I have a class to worry about, I still can't let it go, not yet.' That was what Ace thought as he looked at the photograph.

He put the photo and his wallet away, remembering all the memories he had with the girl in the photograph until someone interrupted his trip down memory lane.

"Ah... sorry for not grabbing you. I just..." It was Aria, who was hesitant to admit that she wanted to talk to Ace, but he already understood what she wanted.

"I know. Take a seat," Ace said, gesturing to the empty chair next to him.

Aria sat down next to Ace, who was focused on staring at the night sky.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Ace eventually made eye contact with Aria, who was fidgeting nervously with her hands.

"Ah... I was wondering... I know something's been on your mind lately. So... I just wanted to ask what that's about," Aria said, sounding shy.

Ace expected that Aria would catch on eventually. His determined actions in asking Olivia and Razor about the former heroes had surely piqued her curiosity, and she must have noticed the look on his face whenever the topic came up.

"It's about me asking about the former heroes, isn't it?" Ace said, cutting to the chase.

"Ah, as always, I'm still easy to read," Aria replied.

"You've been paying closer attention to me, so I'm doing the same for you as well."

"Are you looking for someone? Someone who may have teleported here?" Aria asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Something like that," Ace replied. "I just want to know whether they're truly dead or alive."

"May I ask who it is?" Aria pressed, even though she knew it was a personal question.

She was determined to learn more about Ace, no matter how deep into personal territory she delved.

"A good friend." Ace said with a reminiscent smile.

"I see... what's their name?" Aria asked, slowly leaning closer.

"A name...who cares if I give you a name," Ace said looking a bit confused.

"What do you mean?" Aria asked, feeling a little angry as she stood up from her seat.

"Haha, I'm just joking. Don't worry about me, we should head back. We have an early day tomorrow." Ace said, walking back towards the dorms.

But before he could get far, Aria reached out and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"So you're just avoiding the question?" she asked, her tone accusatory.

"Let's just get inside. We don't want to catch a cold at this time," Ace said, trying to defuse the situation.

'He's dodging the question...'

- Flashforward an hour later -

Mia, Freya, and Vella all joined Aria in her room, trying to analyze what Ace had told her. They mainly turned to Freya for help, as she was the one who knew Ace the best.

"Pfft... that sounds like something he would do," Freya said with a small chuckle.

"Ugh... shut it!" Aria replied, annoyed.

"Still, the idea of Ace looking for someone in this world is interesting," Vella said, steering the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"I think he just wants some comfort of their status." Aria added.

"I see, this is the first I've heard of this, then again he's always been like that. Still, if I don't know about them maybe he's looking for a girl?" Freya said, eyeing Aria.

"They say personality is more important than looks," Mia chimed in, joining Vella in staring at Aria.

"Huh...?" Aria was confused by the statement.

"Anyway, back to the mystery girl topic. I remember that Ace used to go to the library a lot more often in middle school. I just assumed it was because his mother was a writer," Freya said, trying to recall any relevant information.

"What did he say about the girl, anyway?" Vella asked.

"Huh? We're just going to assume it is a girl just based on what little we know about this mystery person?" Mia pointed out.

"Well, I know nothing about this 'Good friend' of his. So I wouldn't know any better." Freya replied. "But I'm still surprised, that he was willing to open up about this situation to you. Maybe you two are a little closer than we thought." Freya held a cheeky smile.

"Huh?" Aria was confused by the reaction.

"He never opened up to me like that when he was living with me. Hmmm~ I wouldn't mind seeing you two hitting it off." Freya teased, winking at Aria.

"I think we should focus on surviving, not on the potential Aria and Ace love life." Vella pointed out.

"Well, it has been a while since we've been able to talk freely without worrying about the war and survival," Mia said in agreement.

"That's true," Freya said. "Now that I think about it, I remember when Ace seemed a bit more down during middle school and seemed happier later on, perhaps this was when he met this friend of his."

"I'm surprised you can tell, Ace usually holds a bored look like you do, Freya." Mia added.

"Well, we are related, so it's a bit easier for me to read his emotions than it is for others. That being said, 'someone' thought Ace and I were a couple because we look so similar," Freya said, directing the comment at Aria with a blank expression.

"Hey-! Why am I getting attacked today?!" Aria exclaimed, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"Pfft, I do remember that, the times when Freya walked to school with Ace, and people thought they were an 'ideal couple' because they looked so good together," Vella said with a laugh, joining Mia in laughing at Aria's expense.

"It didn't help that exited from the same house! I thought you know..." Aria cut off her sentence with her face flushed with embarrassment.

"And what conclusion did you have of us leaving the same house, hmmm?"

"I don't know... don't ask me that..." Aria said, blushing even harder.

"Well, jokes aside. When Ace was feeling down again, it was around the time that Class 2-3 disappeared. I can't believe I never connected the two things together I thought it was just a relapse in grief with his parents." Freya said to herself.

"So this girl was from that class. If Ace is as desperate as we heard, he would've asked one of us for help," Mia explained.

"But no one knows anyone from that class. We were all in middle school when it happened. Do we even know any of their names?" Freya pointed out.

"No, we don't. And if they did come here, would they be in another kingdom or...?" Vella trailed off.

"Dead," Aria said coldly, finishing Vella's sentence. "Ace just wants to know if they're dead or alive."

"I see, Ace never told me anything about this girl, but then again, he's always been like this," Freya said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't mean to be rude, but we should all get some rest for tomorrow. As interesting as Ace's unknown story is, we have bigger problems to worry about," Mia said, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

"Mia's right. I'm going to turn in for the night. I can't afford to be sleep-deprived tomorrow," Vella said, standing up and heading towards the door. "Good night, everyone," she said, before leaving the room.

Everyone said good night to her, and soon it was just Mia, Freya, and Aria left in the room.

"The topic was certainly interesting. I didn't even know about it. It would be exciting if we somehow met this girl," Freya said, her curiosity piqued.

"Then Aria's love life would be over the moment Ace reunites with her. It would be like a romantic love story," Mia added, teasingly.

"I'm not sure if I would be able to let go. Ace has always..." Aria trailed off, deep in thought.

"We know all about it, but it's time for us to leave now. We all need our beauty sleep," Mia said, standing up and stretching.

"Good night, Aria. Don't stay up too late thinking about this," Freya said, before following Mia out of the room.

"Do you need a calming melody before you go to sleep? I'm going to play a few tunes before I go to bed." Mia asked, before leaving.

"I'll be fine. Good night, you two," Aria said, smiling.

Once everyone was gone, Aria was left alone in her room, still thinking about the mystery girl that Ace was looking for. She stood up and looked at her spear, which had been gifted to her by Olivia.

'Though we have our own problems to face right now...'

Everyone who was left in their beds focused on the potential dangers that lay ahead in the Sacred Dungeon. The only information they had was that the life forms within had been bred and created by the former demigods to protect their treasures.

It was only a matter of time before they would have to face thousands of enemies on the battlefield.