The convoy of carriages carrying the students and instructors reached their destination—the dungeon situated in the kingdom's westernmost region. A bustling town had been established in its vicinity. The city has been here since the early days of the Kingdom, when the dungeon was first discovered.

The students' carriages were taken past the main gate. It was a large, stone gate reinforced with metal bars, and it had the symbol of the kingdom—a sword and a shield, separated by a pheonix.

The carriages came to a halt and one by one, the students disembarked and assembled at the entrance of the dungeon, in front of the guards. There were several buildings at the foot of the dungeon, such as inns, taverns, equipment shops, and potion shops, as well as several houses. A tall, sturdy wall surrounded the town and was patrolled by the guards.

Athena walked in front of them and shouted, "QUIET!!"

The students immediately quieted down.

"You have to find your own rooms in the taverns and inns. The academy won't provide them to you. So, I would advise you to not waste time wandering around and quickly book your rooms. And, then, once you have settled into your rooms, come back here within two hours. That is all."

She asked them, "Did everybody understand?"

"Yes, Instructor," the students chorused.

"Well, you may go," she said and turned away, leaving the students to their own devices.

A loud commotion immediately arose after her speech. The students started arguing and yelling among themselves over who would stay in which tavern or inn. Some even started pushing each other around.

"I'm staying at the Sunlight Inn!"

"I'm staying at the Blue Moon!"

"I'm going to stay at the Gold Rose!"

"You idiots! You can't afford to stay at the Gold Rose. They're the most expensive in town!"

"What did you say!? I'm a noble, you peasant!"

"Why you little...!"

"Whoa, let's not get too hasty."

Some of the clever students quietly left while others were arguing and booked their rooms in the inns and taverns.

While all of this was happening, Athena was staring at the imposing dungeon entrance before her and thought, 'This... dungeon! I still remember. My first encounter with it.'

The dungeon was appropriately chosen for first-year students and it was rank 05. This particular dungeon had a low death rate compared to other dungeons. The dungeon was of a high rank this year, because in the past, when they had chosen a rank 04 dungeon some students had effortlessly cleared it and formed a false sense of superiority. The students then had gone on to challenge a higher-ranking dungeon and suffered heavy casualties as a result. The academy had not yet managed to find a rank 03 dungeon this year.

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She thought, 'It's been twenty-one years since the last time I've entered this dungeon. I was only fourteen years old at the time. My whole party was killed. I was the only one who survived and I would have died as well, if I didn't get lucky. That was my first experience with the horrifying boss of this dungeon. I hope nobody encounters it.'

"What are you thinking, Athena?"

"Hm?"

Athena was brought out of her thoughts when she heard her name being called. She turned around and saw that it was the Walter.

Walter stood beside her and said, "I see that you're standing here and thinking deeply about something. Is there a problem?"

She shook her head and replied, "No, there's nothing wrong. I was just recalling my previous experience with this dungeon. You might think it's weird that I'm so worried about it, but it is the duty of the instructor to worry about their students."

Walter gave her a nod and said, "It's a very common feeling, actually. But, the reason why this dungeon is chosen is that the death rate is very low compared to other dungeons. I also have experience with this dungeon."

"Is that so?" she asked him while raising an eyebrow.

Walter nodded and replied, "It was my first experience. I was around twelve years old back then. This dungeon's boss beast scared me to the point that I fell unconscious by merely glancing at it."

"Yeah, except the beast at the boss floor," Athena turned back to the dungeon and said, "This dungeon is perfect for the students."

This dungeon was called Temple Of Sunless Terror and it was particularly troublesome to conquer due to its unique terrain and specific characteristics. The main characteristic was that it was not a typical labyrinth and the paths were very complicated and twisted. Another one was the restriction it had on entry which only allowed those who had mastered rank 03 spells or lower, despite its higher rank. Such entry restrictions were common among dungeons worldwide, designed to prevent cheating and lay down conditions for reaping the rewards. For instance, a rank 08 dungeon would require those who had learned rank 07 or lower spells to gain entry. These restrictions often provided opportunities for commoners and lower nobility, while serving as a training ground for the high nobility and their future generations.

The dungeon's terrain matched its name, as it lacked any illumination apart from sporadic, dimly lit candles placed at intervals of 20 feet or so. The resulting eerie and foreboding ambiance could easily overwhelm those with weak mindsets, pushing them towards madness or even suicide. It was said that the temple was created using the powers of darkness, curses and illusions, thus creating the name 'Temple Of Sunless Terror.'

Furthermore, the lack of illumination made it perilous, as adventurers would struggle to perceive incoming attacks from the beasts lurking within its shadows. Even more worrying was the fact that some of the beasts were invisible.

Originally, the dungeon served as a stronghold for the Pisapiens, a fish-like humanoid race that inhabited aquatic regions or sought refuge underground, away from sunlight. However, a catastrophe decimated their population, with only a few managing to survive. Any attempt to leave the dungeon resulted in their instant incineration upon exposure to sunlight. Nonetheless, they weren't willing to live in the darkness after decades and killed themselves by going out into the sunlight.

Eventually, the Pisapiens disappeared entirely from the face of the earth. The only remains were the dungeon, which was created by the power of their magic and had become a place where the beasts gathered.

"Instructor Athena! The students have arrived.", called out a voice, drawing Athena's attention back to the present moment.

Looking around, she noticed that the students had all gathered, some still bickering with each other.

"All right. It seems like everyone is here. I'll be explaining the rules of the competition," Athena shouted, drawing the attention of the students.