I looked at Hugo feeling a little stunned. First he and my brother tricked and trapped me and the others in the dungeons and now he was congratulating us naturally, as if nothing had happened!

“Congratulations! You guys did well!”

This time it was my brother who congratulated us, with a sincere smile on his face. This was the first time of that day that I saw him smiling genuinely - the entrance ceremony did not count, because the smile was more an obligation of etiquette than the expression of a feeling.

Upon hearing John's congratulations, Erina took her hands to her cheeks, which were blushing, and sighed:

“Oh, now you’re making me shy!,” at the end, she added in a whisper: “but I like it...”

Gregório stared at Erina with his eyebrows furrowed in a look of disapproval. Was he bothered because she spoke in a flirting tone with John or because he is not the only one Erina has a flirtatious behaviour with?

“I appreciate for the congratulations,” Gregório addressed Mr. Reignia and John, but he didn't seem to be grateful. “but you owe us explanations about this ‘test’. What is the purpose of testing us? And why specifically us?”

Despite Gregory's questioning tone, neither John nor Mr. Reignia seemed to be bothered. In fact, it seemed like they were just waiting for someone to ask for answers.

“Alright, I'll give you the context,” was Mr. Reignia who was willing to explain. “Approximately five years ago, a series of monster attacks occurred at several points on the map. From a superficial look, one could have the impression they were just coincidences, however, after analyzing better, it was possible to realize that there was a certain organization in them. In other words, there is a possibility that some individual or group is planning a large-scale territorial domination.”

My focus got sharp. John had told me the same thing the day before and the letters he had sent me during his student period also brought the same content.

Mr. Reignia still had more things to talk about, so I continued to listen carefully.

“During the emergence of these attacks, my sister Noru, John and I, as well as the other students, united in order to protect the vulnerable. However, our union was late and uncoordinated and, although we saved several, many lost their lives,” he closed his eyes in a sign of respect for the deceased. John did the same.

“So, all this is because you're trying to correct the flaws of the past, isn't it?,” Elias asked rhetorically, but what surprised me the most was the way he spoke, as if he were the oldest one over there.

Mr. Reignia, in turn, was not affected by Elias' attitude.

“I see you're already understanding,” He nodded. “Based on past events, it was more than necessary to create a countermeasure. As Avalon is known for its training in combat with magic, this would be a great place to start. Therefore, after my graduation, I decided to dedicate myself to making improvements in this institution.”

“And are the dungeons part of these improvements?,” Rebeca asked.

“Exactly. These dungeons were made to train students for real situations. At the moment, they are not yet ready to be officially used by the student body, so they need tests.”

“In this case, wouldn't it have been better to call upperclassmen for the test?,” Ozul sounded very skeptical with his question.

“I could, but a upperclassman has the advantage of having already trained at the Academy. To test how useful the dungeons would be for preparing the students, I needed to test them with beginners because they only had personal experiences at hand. Upperclassmen would only serve to test if the dungeons are functional and, in terms of functionality, John has already tested them.”

During his explanation, Mr. Reignia stared at Ozul directly, as if the boy had challenged him with that question and he was just returning it in the same coin.

Ozul tried not to be scared, but it was possible to see that he was tense. Gregório had noticed Ozul's state and took his hand to his mouth to hide an arrogant smile. Then Gregório raised his hand to clear a doubt, however, from the arrogant expression on his face, it seemed more that he was trying to challenge Mr. Reignia.

“Regarding the test, there was a certain incongruity in it,” he declared with a certain tone of superiority in his voice.

“An incongruity?,” Mr. Reignia was intrigued. “Explain.”

“In your letter, you had specified that there would be no risk of death during the test, but the golem's attack against me proved otherwise.”

I think Gregório wanted to feel as if he had noticed a serious failure committed by his superior. Unfortunately, that's not what he got. Mr. Reignia looked at the boy as if he got it all wrong and clarified him:

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“There was never a risk of death, because if your lives were in danger, I would have personally gone to rescue you. But I assumed that, due to the unusual circumstances of the test, everyone would make the sensible decision to look for allies as soon as possible.”

Mr. Reignia’s final comment took away from Gregório any sense of superiority he could have had. To save the little face he had left, Gregório maintained his upright posture and made a slight nod with his head, to signal that he had understood.

“I have a question,” Angelo raised his hand. “Why were we selected for the test? Was it random?”

“It wasn't random,” Mr. Reignia replied. “I selected them based on the data that is granted during enrolment and on my own observations.”

“And by ‘observations’, I hope you don't mean ‘espionage’...,” Rebeca arched one of her eyebrows in distrust.

After listening to Mr.'s explanations. Reignia, I mustered the courage to make a question.

“And why couldn't it be random? What's the reason?”

He smiled at my question. He was expecting someone ask that question and it happened to be me.

“If all I needed was just to test these dungeons, I could just make a randomized selection, but, as you noticed, that wasn't the case. I would like to make you all an offer.”

My curiosity increased with the last statement.

“What kind of offer?”

“You know, the academy receives missions that can be carried out by students in exchange for extra credits and remuneration,” he contextualized. “I want you, as a group, to do missions that I’ll request.”

“Like a private group of adventurers?”

“That's right. Of course, I won’t try to bring negative impacts to your school life and, in return, you would receive extra credits and remuneration, such as in common missions. In addition, I would also like you to come from time to time to test the dungeons’s capabilities. This will count as an extracurricular activity.”

After Mr. Reignia to finish his offer, John, who was quiet so far, he took a step forward.

“It's not something mandatory, so you can refuse if you want.”

I started to think about whether I should accept or not. Certainly the missions of Mr. Reignia will have a connection with the attacks of recent years. Involuntarily, I ended up thinking about the Crimson Woman.

"And what if my death during that demon attack is related to accepting to do missions for Mr. Reignia?" My head turned into a whirlwind "But what if the attack occurs regardless of my decision? This would mean that refusing the offer could make me more vulnerable! But what about my presence during the attack? I wonder if I refuse, will I be far from my death? But what if it's the other way around? What to do, what to do..."

I was quickly taken out of my whirling of worries by a familiar, comforting and lively voice. It was Erina.

“If I was summoned to this test, it's because I was recognized by John Phenis and the Modern Imperial Dragon! I feel so honoured!,” she exclaimed passionately. “You can count on me!”

I could see that all eyes turned to Erina. She had accepted the offer without even hesitating. But her initiative motivated the others to make their decision.

The next one who spoke was Rebeca.

“Excuse me. Regarding these weapons we used, if I accept, will I be able to study them?”

“Yes,” Mr. Reignia agreed.

“And will I be able to make modifications to them to improve them?”

“If you have the consent of their respective owners, yes.”

Rebeca's ears swayed with excitement.

“So I'm in too!”

Elias was the next to declare his decision.

“I haven’t planned anything for my school years, just studying what was necessary and passing the exams,” he said without any shame. “Your offer aroused my interest, so I'll accept it.”

Angelo looked at Elias in disbelief, but even so, it was clear he was impressed. Therefore, it was not a surprise when he said:

“I-it was like Erina said: it's an honour. I'm in too!”

Elias put his arm around Angelo's shoulder and shook him, as if he wanted to tell him "You took courage, huh! I liked it!".

Half of the students had already decided. Lynette, Gregório, Ozul and I were the only ones left to chose what we wanted.

“…I accept.”

Taking me by surprise, Lynette was the first of the four of us to declare her choice. However, right after speaking, she went back to silence, without even saying her motivation, which made me curious.

I looked at Ozul. He was scratching the back of his neck, thoughtful. At first, he seemed hesitant, but soon showed a little conviction.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat. “Your conditions seem plausible, so I have no reason to refuse. I also accept.”

When Ozul made his confirmation, I felt Erina next to me poking my arm. Her face showed a suggestive smile and she alternated her gaze between Ozul and me.

“…Okay, I'll collaborate with you.”

We were caught off guard by Gregório's pronouncement, who had made his choice during our moment of distraction.

Finally, I was the only one left to make a decision. Everything was quiet. It seemed that everyone was waiting for my answer. I had been stuck in my thoughts and then busy watching the others that I had forgotten to make my decision.

Everyone had made their choices so quickly, while I was undecided.

I didn't even want to look at the others. I wanted my decision to be free of peer pressure.

Then, like a little spark who was able to light a fire, I had a thought that gave me the clarification I was looking for.

"Wasn't it because I wanted to get stronger that I wanted to enrol at Avalon? I know maybe it's better to stay low profile, but a chance to get stronger appeared right in front of me! I can't let it go! … And I won’t!"

“It's good to have a healer on the missions... So I also accept!”

I focused my vision on my brother and Mr. Reignia. While John looked at me amazed, Hugo had a serene and satisfied smile on his face.

“So the eight accepted,” Mr. Reignia joined hands. “thank you very much for everyone's collaboration,” he made a small bow.

John, realizing that that was time for leave, cleared his throat and went to us.

“You must be tired of the test. Take advantage of the rest of the day to rest,” he said, taking us to the exit and opening the door for us. “I will accompany you…”

“I’m afraid you can’t,” Mr. Reignia interrupted him. “I need your help here.”

John sighed discreetly and waited for all of us to leave the shed. When the eight of us were outside, John closed the door. I couldn't even tell him goodbye properly.

As soon as I was out of the shed, I looked up. The sun was setting, painting the sky harmoniously with shades of orange with a little yellow and lilac. The test had lasted all afternoon.

I was in a trance with that colourful beauty, but soon I was taken out of my state of admiration when I heard Erina curse slightly.

“Shit! The welcome party is over!”