The professor and the other two leaders were already gathered in one spot in the forest. As I approached, each of them reacted differently—Precious smiled happily, while Liam glared at me with disgust. I didn't bother greeting them and simply stood next to them as the professor began.

"As the class leaders, I'm entrusting you with watching over the students," Professor Pierce said as he brought his hand forward. A grey hue of mana surrounded him, and three birds suddenly flew toward us, each landing on one of our shoulders. A summon? I glanced at the bird perched on me—it was a raven with pure white eyes instead of black.

"Use these if you encounter a student who cannot activate their watch. I can indirectly teleport the student through these birds. Also, take these earbuds to communicate with me when the time comes," he said, handing each of us an earpiece and we all nodded in understanding.

Although they needed to maintain an atmosphere of danger, the students' lives still held much higher value; otherwise, the academy would face another scandal. The issue with Dante was still all over the news, so it would be a complete disaster. I shoved the earpiece into my ear and noticed the other two leaders staring at me. A mischievous idea crossed my mind, and I turned back to the professor.

"I have a question. Since it wasn't mentioned in the rules, are we allowed to kill other students?" Professor Pierce kept a calm face as he looked at me, but his eyes showed concern. Was he regretting calling me here? Before I could dwell on it, Liam suddenly grabbed my collar and pulled me close, his face twisted with rage.

"What kind of question is that?" he demanded in a threatening tone. I looked at him evenly, not letting my expression change. Calmly, I pried his hand off my shirt, and perhaps because he didn't want to look like the villain, he didn't resist, despite my minimal strength. After straightening my shirt and fixing my collar, I spoke again.

"You seem to think this is some kind of nursing school. If you ever touch me again..." I conjured up all the bloodlust I could muster, widening my eyes as I muttered,

"I will kill you."

Liam recoiled, taking a step back in fear, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword as cold sweat trickled down his forehead. A knife suddenly pressed against my throat the next second, making me frown as I looked up at its owner.

"We can't have you threatening the future Emperor like that," Anthem said with a calm smile, his blade digging into my neck.

"Or what?" I asked. As soon as the words left my mouth, the knife cut deeper, drawing blood, but I remained calm, holding his gaze. He let out an amused scoff before pulling the knife back and putting it away. Then, without another word, he walked off, disappearing from sight after just two steps. I see.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Ian," Professor Pierce finally broke the tense silence, addressing me.

"Yes?" I replied.

"I don't think you're stable enough to handle a devil's temptation. You might need to sit this one out and sort out your mental issues. This isn't normal," he said calmly, his tone non-invasive while still reaching his point. Unstable? I didn't believe that was true. I might have been acting strangely because of my knowledge of the future, but I didn't think there was anything wrong with me.

"No, I'm perfectly fine," I responded, causing him to sigh as he nodded.

"I see. Then we'll start the exercise." He walked away, likely realizing that arguing with me would lead nowhere. Liam left just as quickly, following the professor's lead.

"Don't listen to him. I also think you're perfectly sane the way you are," Precious said with a smile, her eyes as emotionless as ever. Her words made me start to question the professor's judgment.

"Why did you do that?" I asked her, and she tilted her head as if confused. So, you want to play dumb?

"You did something to Liam, didn't you? Even back at the headmaster's office, you used your authority to make him act that way," I accused bluntly. Precious didn't seem surprised by the allegation and simply giggled softly. I hadn't figured out exactly how her authority worked, but I was confident it involved some form of mind-altering capabilities. Liam was a natural-born leader, and his outbursts were very much out of character, even for this younger version of him. Could she have been responsible for Dante's... No, that wouldn't make sense; she also died at the Academy in the future I knew of.

"I look forward to meeting you inside the dungeon," she said, completely ignoring my question. She then bowed slightly before turning to leave.

What a coincidence—I look forward to meeting you too.

I'll torture the truth out of you if I have to.

For the sake of the world, for the sake of peace.

There's nothing... wrong with me, right?

These thoughts swirled in my mind as I returned to my team, the professor's words gnawing at my conscience. We entered the cave, its spacious interior coming into view. Despite receiving very little sunlight, the inside was as bright as day. After waiting in line behind several other teams, it was finally our turn to enter.

"Run your mana through the wall for 10 seconds," Professor Pierce instructed. All four of us placed one hand on the wall and channeled our mana through it.

"Remember, this works the same on all the other floors. Anyone holding onto the wall by the end of the 10 seconds will be transported as a team," he explained, and we nodded in understanding. This meant that if we wanted to team up with other students, we just had to hold on together during the transfer. After what felt like almost a minute, a white light emanated from the wall, enveloping us and pulling us in.

"Kkhu!?"

I was suddenly thrust backward, a painful cough escaping my mouth as I started to choke, my nostrils filling with some kind of liquid. I tried to open my eyes, but darkness was all I could see as my body was pulled and pushed in all directions as if caught in a violent wind. It was an all-too-familiar feeling I never thought I'd experience again.

I'm... drowning!?

[Golem’s Nest]

[Floors: 100]

[Recommended rank: E]

[Current: Floor 77]

[Difficulty: ???] (Status level too low, cannot be measured)

[?????: ???] (Status level too low)

[????: ???] (Status level too low)