The grand hall of the Divine Academy was filled with hundreds of new candidates, voices echoing against the tall stone walls as they waited for the exam to begin. Souta stood near the side of the room, hands in his pockets, quietly watching the crowd, he still hadn't made any friends here.
Everyone seemed busy talking in their little groups, laughing or showing off their weapons. Souta wasn't the kind to just walk up and join in. He was about to move to a quieter corner when someone suddenly spoke behind him.
"Hey, fella."
Souta turned a boy with short, messy blonde hair and bright yellow eyes stood in front of him, smiling like they had known each other for years.
"Uh… hey," Souta replied, caught a little off guard.
Sorry for bumping into you, the boy said cheerfully. "I'm Nagato, and this is my sister, Aoi."
The girl beside him was clinging to his arm, hiding her face a little, She was shorter than her brother, Her long hair framed her face, and her shy eyes peeked at him from behind her brother's shoulder.
Oh… it's nice meeting you both. I'm Souta, he said, lifting a hand giving a casual wave.
Aoi didn't say anything, but Souta noticed she was staring at him the whole time, her expression unreadable.
"Hope to be friends," Nagato said with a grin.
Souta nodded, They're both mages he thought, He could read their levels from the faint glow in their system window Nagato was level 24, same as him, while Aoi was level 25. Hm… she must be pretty strong. I think I should hang out with them.
The three of them walked around together for a bit, talking about the academy and the upcoming exam. Souta mostly listened while Nagato did the talking, Aoi stayed quiet the entire time, still watching him when she thought he wouldn't notice.
Eventually, Nagato said they had to meet someone and led Aoi away, leaving Souta alone again in the busy hall.
"Hm… Nagato is a nice guy," Souta thought to himself. "It's good to have him around. I gathered a lot of information from him in just this short time."
He leaned against one of the hall's pillars, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Now, back to me… how do I want to play this? SSS-Rank at level 24. Nagato asked about it earlier. It seems I'm going to draw a lot of attention either way."
He could already hear murmurs from some of the other candidates as he walked past. He didn't need to catch every word he knew the sound of doubt when he heard it.
Should I play strong from the beginning or weak? Hm how about I kill silently, or maybe let someone save me, then later I save them and crush their pride?
A small, villainous grin crept across his face at the thought.
…
A few minutes later, an instructor's voice rang out, calling the candidates to the dungeon gate. They were transmitted to a place that looked like a battlefield. Cold heavy, air washed over him, carrying the sharp metallic tang of blood.
As Souta was stepping toward the entrance, he suddenly froze, a strange, choking pressure wrapped around him, pressing on his chest, He looked up toward the upper balcony of the hall, but whoever or whatever was watching him was already gone, the aura had been sharp, almost murderous.
What was that…?
Before he could think further, the candidates were pushed forward. They stepped into the dungeon.
…
The air inside was damp and stale. The tress were weak casting long shadows on the ground, groups of candidates quickly split up, each rushing off into different sides to hunt monsters.
The faster you kill, the better your score, Souta reminded himself.
Suddenly, a metallic chime echoed in his mind.
Ding!
[System Upgrade]
Souta blinked. What? System upgrade? Don't tell me I've been cheated.
[Time Limit: 40 minutes]
He frowned. I don't recall that man mentioning a time limit, this means I have to move fast.
His thoughts flicked back to that suffocating aura he'd felt earlier and what was that? It felt like someone wanted me dead on sight.
He shook his head questions could wait, right now, every second counted.
The dungeon was vast, It wasn't completely dark, but the light was dim enough to make the place feel eerie. And the smell…
It hit him the moment he turned the first corner the stench of rotting goblins. The air was thick with it, making his stomach churn.
Typical dungeon, he thought grimly.
He hadn't run into any monsters yet, but distant screams echoed faintly through the dungeon. The sound made him quicken his pace.
"If I want the first position reward, I can't waste time."
Finally, he stepped into a wide, uneven space and there they were.
Ten goblins, scattered around the field Their green, bony bodies hunched over as they gnawed on bones.
[Goblins Lvl 7-12]
He smirked. Finally, Ten goblins, I'm sure I can rank up by killing them but for the test points, one monster is worth one point, and a boss is worth three. I better be fast."
He didn't wait for them to notice him.
"Poison Fang!"