Monday

“The combat exercise will now begin. It’s an unspoken tradition for the headmaster to be present for the first exercise, but since he’s busy with other matters, I will be acting as your overseer.” The senior professor’s voice echoed in the large gymnasium, increasing the tension among the already nervous students. All three higher classes were lined up, watching the professor on the stage intently. Despite the palpable tension in the air, the professor offered no words of encouragement and instead coldly continued,

“Once you arrive at the location, you will have 10 minutes to recover before the rules are explained to you,” Professor Pierce said, causing a wave of worry to ripple through the students. Recover? They seemed to be asking themselves, but they would soon understand the meaning of his words. I braced myself for the discomfort to come, clenching my stomach as a white light erupted from the ground, wrapping itself around everyone as the scenery changed.

A forest came into view, trees spreading out in all directions. The damp smell of rain reached my nostrils, prompting me to look at the sky, but no clouds were in sight. Around me, most of the students who had just appeared began to vomit, with some suddenly passing out. Of the more than 200 students transported, fewer than half were still on their feet. It was only natural—long-distance teleportation, regardless of how perfect your authority was, was a disorienting experience for many. But like any other rough mode of transportation, it takes getting used to, like a fighter pilot resisting the G-forces that come with increased speeds.

“That felt weirder than last time.”

“It kind of reminds me of my authority a bit,” Rin and Roran said as they approached me, seemingly unaffected. Ruby also followed them, and they all gathered around me. Since the content of the exams for the higher classes was vastly different from that of the middle classes, I was feeling a little anxious about what was to come. But even then, my goal remained unchanged: find Dante’s killer.

“Seems like some kind of survival test?” Rin suggestively asked, glancing at the trees around us. It was a good guess, considering our surroundings, but I shook my head and pointed upward, prompting them all to look up simultaneously, as if by instinct.

“It looks like multiple barriers are surrounding this place. It would be a rather cramped stage for 200 students to run around.” They all seemed to grasp my thoughts the moment they laid their eyes on it.

“Quite the perceptive one, aren’t you?”

That voice!

My eyes widened in a mixture of emotions as I turned to my side, a violent bloodlust rushing through my head the moment I laid eyes on the source of the voice. Despite all four of us being on high alert, he had somehow appeared close enough to become a part of our makeshift circle.

Why is he here!?

The man had short black hair and eerie dark eyes that didn’t seem to reflect a soul inside them. His pure white suit didn’t match the color of his soul, making him even more ominous. As I glared at him, perhaps sensing the intensity of my bloodlust, Rin and Roran quickly reached for their swords, while Ruby, seemingly recognizing who the man was, wore a complicated expression of fear and surprise.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The man suddenly disappeared from sight, reappearing between Roran and Rin, and forcefully grabbed both of their arms as they were about to draw their swords. He then raised their arms into the air as their expressions turned grim. Roran, being the fastest among us, seemed even more shaken as he slowly looked up at the man, fear evident in his eyes.

“I’m disappointed, Ian. You should train your dogs properly; they might bite an innocent person one day,” the man said with a smile as he released them, sensing that their fighting spirit was completely broken. But as if he suddenly thought of something, he extended his hand toward Roran’s face, who stood there, completely frozen in fear.

“No, this is a good opportunity. You must learn—”

“I think that’s enough, Sir Anthem.” Professor Pierce’s voice suddenly rang out before we could even see his figure. He stood next to the man he had called Anthem, bowing his head with a hand on his chest as he continued,

“Please excuse our students; they didn’t receive a proper explanation beforehand.” Professor Pierce bowed deeply to Anthem, whose expression immediately changed to one of indifference as he dropped his hand.

“Then let’s not make this longer than it has to be,” Anthem said in a low tone, turning around and walking away. Professor Pierce immediately followed, not even giving us a second glance. I guess it’s kind of my fault. If I hadn’t shown such bloodlust toward him, they likely wouldn’t have seen him as a threat.

“Everyone, please gather around so we can disclose the contents of the exercise.”

At Professor Pierce’s words, everyone immediately gathered toward him. He had made an elevated stage using earth magic, lifting himself and two of his companions, one of whom was Anthem, and the other was Professor Tom, so everyone could see them.

“W-wait, isn’t that Anthem!?”

“W-what!? Really?!”

“Y-yeah?”

As if an illusion had suddenly broken, multiple students started shouting in unison as they turned their attention to Anthem. Seeing that everyone was finally able to see him, Professor Pierce stepped forward to introduce him, gesturing toward him as he spoke,

“As this is a special occasion, we have brought in a guest from outside. I’d like to introduce you to the Clan Master of Drice, Anthem Dragnok,” he concluded, causing an uproar among the students. Some looked happy, while others were surprised, fear creeping in at the unexpected introduction. It wasn’t a strange reaction; after all, Drice was considered the second-best clan in the Empire, just behind [Purple] at number one. Does the Dragnok family have some kind of pull on the academy? Or perhaps the headmaster? I wondered amid the loud whispers.

The situation didn’t make sense to me. The barrier around this place was meant to prevent the location from being disclosed to anyone outside the academy, meaning that any radio signals, magic, or simple spells that tried to connect to the outside would immediately be blocked by the barrier. Bringing in an outsider like him didn’t make any sense to me.

Because of the headmaster’s absence, huh?

“No wonder we couldn’t reach him,” Roran said with a self-deprecating smile as a sigh escaped his lips. He seemed to have finally calmed down since the incident, unlike Rin, who seemed to have returned to normal the moment she saw the man leave. But for Roran, it seemed like a matter of pride in his speed, which in the past might have overwhelmed even those with higher stats than him.

“I didn’t expect him to come. Did he do anything strange to you?” Another voice came from behind me, giving me the same creepy feeling as before, but because I knew who it was, I simply turned around. Even the rest of my team seemed jumpy the moment they heard the voice without knowing exactly where it came from. Now I’m getting really curious—what the hell is that skill?

“Looks like he came to cheer you on,” I teasingly answered, to which Lily wore a frown as she replied,

“As if that creep can feel such an emotion,” she said, looking at the stage, where the man in question was waving his hand toward the students, greeting them with a warm smile across his face. The brains of the Dragnok family, but just as powerful as the rest of them. The destroyer, Anthem Dragnok.

Why is he here?

After settling down the uproar, Professor Pierce immediately started to explain,

“The exercise you’ll be tackling is an E-ranked mixed dungeon, also known as [Golem’s Nest].”