Following the assistant professor's instruction, the four members of Group 8 quietly descended into the dungeon arena.
The heavy iron gate closed behind them with a dull metallic thud, sealing the arena once again.
A faint chill hung in the underground chamber, and the dim mana lights along the walls cast long shadows across the stone floor.
Without wasting time, Cindy stepped toward the center of the battlefield and tightened the straps of her barrier vest.
She pulled it firmly against her body and took a deep breath, bracing herself.
Meanwhile, the other three members moved to their designated set positions.
Knox walked toward the rear position with his usual relaxed composure.
Claudia stood slightly to the side, calmly adjusting the sleeve of her uniform.
Merida simply leaned back for a moment before slowly straightening her posture, forcing the lingering drowsiness from her eyes.
Knox glanced toward Cindy.
Even from a distance, he could tell something was slightly off.
Cindy looked ready, but there was still a trace of nervousness in the way she tightened the vest straps again and again.
So he called out to her. "Cindy."
Cindy turned her head and tilted it slightly.
"Yeah, Knox?"
Knox crossed his arms and studied her for a moment.
Then he spoke with a teasing tone.
"Looking at you wearing that vest… hmm."
He paused deliberately.
"Maybe you should consider buying some vest-style clothes for your casual outfits instead of all those jackets~?"
For a moment, Cindy blinked in confusion.
"Huh?!"
Then her eyes widened. "What are you talking about?!"
She pointed accusingly at Knox. "Are you saying my jackets are bad?!"
Before Knox could even respond—
Merida spoke.
"…Yes."
Her answer was short.
Flat. And completely serious.
Claudia immediately covered her mouth.
"Pfft—"
She couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Merida… there are some things you're not supposed to say out loud even if you know them."
Cindy stared at them in disbelief. "You guys!!"
Her face turned red as she clenched her fists.
"Alright! After this evaluation, I'm going to prove that my fashion sense is way better than yours!"
For a moment—
everyone went silent.
Then suddenly—
they burst out laughing.
The sound echoed across the empty dungeon.
The tension that had been quietly building since they entered the arena melted away almost instantly, replaced by warm laughter and the faint sting of tears forming at the corners of their eyes.
Even Merida, who usually looked half asleep, had a small smile tugging at her lips.
After a moment, Knox let out a small breath and straightened his posture.
The playful atmosphere faded as his expression turned calm and serious.
"Alright, guys."
His voice carried a quiet confidence.
"Just like the simulation."
He glanced briefly toward the observation window above the arena.
"Believe in yourselves."
Then he added calmly,
"And if that's difficult… then believe in me when I say I believe in all of you. Alright?"
For a brief moment, the three girls looked at him.
Then they smiled.
Cindy raised her fist energetically.
"Okay! I trust you!"
Then she pointed dramatically toward the battlefield.
"So give me your full support!"
Claudia chuckled softly.
"Hehe… that goes without saying."
Meanwhile, Merida simply nodded.
"I know."
With that, the team finished preparing themselves.
Up above, Andrew—the safety officer—glanced down from the observation area.
He checked the time on his wristwatch. Then he spoke in a steady voice.
"Alright. Get ready."
At that moment—
Jane's voice echoed from the ceiling, carried clearly through the dungeon.
—Now, we will begin the evaluation performance of Group 8.
The dungeon fell silent.
And the next battle was about to begin. Then the iron gate slowly opened.
From the dark corridor of the dungeon, a massive figure began to emerge step by step. Heavy footsteps echoed across the stone floor as the monster was led into the arena.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
When the Cyclops finally stepped fully into the battlefield, the atmosphere immediately changed.
The air itself seemed to freeze with tension.
The monster lifted its enormous head and opened its mouth.
A deafening roar erupted.
GRAAAAAAAARGHHHH!!
The terrifying sound reverberated throughout the entire dungeon. The vibration was so powerful that the walls and ceiling trembled faintly.
For a brief moment, Group 8 simply stared at the creature in front of them.
Something about it felt strangely familiar.
Cindy blinked. "Huh?"
Claudia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hmm?"
Merida squinted at the monster with her half-lidded gaze. "…?"
The three girls looked confused.
They could not explain it, but the Cyclops in front of them gave them a strange sense of déjà vu.
Meanwhile, Knox silently observed the monster.
The moment he saw the Cyclops clearly, his expression subtly changed.
His eyes narrowed and the relaxed smile on his face disappeared.
Inside his mind, Knox sighed.
Good gracious, Flema.
I thought you would only target Simon and Cami since they were the witnesses.
His gaze remained fixed on the Cyclops.
But me? Seriously?
Come on. Do you have some kind of personal grudge against me?
A brief memory flashed through his mind. The night when he fought the priest.
Or more precisely, the moment Jin defeated the disguised priest.
Knox paused for a moment.
Well, that shouldn't count...
There's no way Flema could know that Jin was actually me.
He folded his arms slightly while continuing to analyze the situation.
Then the most likely explanation is simple. She considers me a threat. So she tampered with this Cyclops too.
Meanwhile, inside the monitoring room above the dungeon, Jane suddenly stood up from her chair.
The sharp sound of the chair scraping against the floor startled the assistant professors nearby.
They instinctively flinched. But when they looked toward Jane, their bodies froze.
A heavy pressure suddenly filled the room.
Their hearts began to pound rapidly, as if something invisible was pressing down on them.
Jane had not spoken a single word. However, her expression was far colder than usual.
Much colder than the calm and composed face she normally showed.
At the same time, an overwhelming aura began to spread from her body.
The pressure was suffocating. It felt completely different from her usual quiet authority.
This time, it carried something much more intense.
Anger.
Inside her mind, Jane spoke coldly.
That Cyclops…
Her eyes narrowed.
I see.
So that's how it is.
Her fingers slowly tightened.
That spy.
How dare you target him.
The aura surrounding her grew even stronger.
Several assistant professors felt their legs weaken under the pressure.
None of them understood what was happening.
Of course, they had noticed that the Cyclops facing Group 8 looked very similar to the strange one that had appeared during Group 7's evaluation.
However, what confused them the most was Jane's reaction.
When the unusual Cyclops appeared earlier during Group 7's turn, Jane had remained relatively calm.
But now her reaction was far more intense.
They had no idea why. Because they still did not know the truth.
They did not know that the Cyclops had been tampered with by Flema.
And they certainly did not know that the person standing in the battlefield below was someone Jane cared about very deeply.
Jane's gaze remained fixed on the battlefield. Amid the tension filling the dungeon, her eyes found Knox.
She noticed the change in his expression.
The relaxed smile he usually wore had disappeared. His eyes were narrowed slightly, and his face had turned serious.
Yet even so, there was no trace of fear. Instead, Knox still looked completely confident.
Seeing that expression, Jane let out a quiet sigh in her mind.
Right…
Knowing him, something like this wouldn't even make him budge.
The sharp pressure surrounding her slowly faded.
Jane took a slow breath and finally sat down again. The moment she did, the oppressive aura filling the monitoring room vanished.
The assistant professors and staff members around her immediately felt the change. They exchanged glances before quietly letting out sighs of relief.
The heavy pressure that had been weighing on their chests disappeared, allowing them to breathe normally again.
Some of them even wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
However, none of them noticed the cold glint that still remained in Jane's eyes. Because only Jane herself knew what was truly going through her mind.
At that very moment, countless methods had already crossed her thoughts.
Ways to find that spy.
Ways to capture them.
And more importantly…ways to tear that spy apart piece by piece.
Slowly. Painfully. Until nothing remained.
Knox kept his eyes fixed on the Cyclops standing before them.
For a brief moment, the battlefield remained silent. The oppressive presence of the monster lingered in the air, and the earlier sense of déjà vu still weighed heavily on the minds of his teammates.
Finally, Knox spoke.
"Guys."
His voice was calm but firm.
"I know you've all noticed that this Cyclops looks similar to the one Group Seven fought earlier."
His gaze remained steady as he continued.
"But let's ignore that for now."
His tone sharpened slightly.
"And focus on defeating and destroying this thing."
The words cut cleanly through the tension that had settled over the team.
Cindy, Claudia, and Merida immediately snapped out of their confusion.
The hesitation in their eyes disappeared, replaced by determination.
Cindy smirked. "Heh. Thanks, Knox."
She rolled her shoulders once as if shaking off the lingering tension.
"Alright, guys! Let's go!"
With renewed energy, Cindy stepped forward and extended her arm backward.
Darkness began to gather behind her.
The mana in the air condensed like ink swirling through water, forming a dense vortex of shadow.
Just like during the simulations, Cindy summoned her weapon.
A sleek black scythe slowly materialized within the swirling darkness.
Its long curved blade gleamed ominously under the dim dungeon lights.
For a brief moment it floated in the air.
Then it dropped cleanly into Cindy's waiting hand.
The moment her fingers wrapped around the weapon's shaft, the scythe emitted a faint ripple of dark mana.
Cindy lifted it onto her shoulder with a confident grin.
"Alright, big guy."
Her eyes locked onto the Cyclops.
"Let's see if you can handle this."
Knox raised his hand slightly.
His eyes remained fixed on the Cyclops.
"Come out… Death Knights."
Two dark portals immediately opened beside him.
Black mana swirled within them like whirlpools of shadow. A moment later, two massive figures stepped out from the portals.
Two Death Knights.
Their heavy armor clanked as they landed on the dungeon floor.
The students watching from the observation area immediately leaned forward.
"…Wait."
"....Those are Knox's Death Knights, right?"
One of them frowned.
"Something's different."
And they were right.
Compared to the Death Knights Knox had summoned during the earlier simulations, these ones looked noticeably different.
Both knights were holding enormous shields.
Not ordinary shields.
Tower shields.
The shields were nearly as tall as the knights themselves, forming thick walls of metal that could block almost anything.
Meanwhile, Claudia and Merida had already begun chanting from their set positions.
Their voices were calm and steady, weaving magic into the air around them.
Knox did not immediately move.
Instead, he extended his hand toward the empty space beside him.
A small ripple appeared in the air. Then a piano slowly emerged from Knox's subspace.
Several students in the observation room widened their eyes.
"A piano?"
Knox calmly took a seat. Unlike the simulations, his buff this time was not limited to a simple magic circle.
He was combining it with his music-style buff, just like the performance he had demonstrated during the class presentation.
Knox placed his fingers on the keys. Then he began to play. The melody that flowed out was instantly recognizable.
It was the climax portion of the music he had performed during class.
The piano rendition of Revolution, from Kamen Rider Ryuki.
Even though it was only the climax section, the music carried an intense rhythm that filled the dungeon.
The sharp, powerful notes echoed across the battlefield.
Mana responded to the music.
Invisible waves of enhancement spread outward from Knox, wrapping around his teammates and summons.
Meanwhile, the Cyclops reacted immediately.
A normal Cyclops was already a creature driven mostly by instinct.
But this one had been tampered with and strengthened.
As a result, its behavior had become even more primitive.
The moment the music reached its ears, the monster reacted.
Its single eye locked onto Knox.
Then it roared.
"GRAAAAAAAARGHH!"
The Cyclops lowered its body and began charging directly toward him.
Heavy footsteps shook the dungeon floor.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Students in the observation room gasped.
"Hey, it's going straight for Knox!"
But Knox remained seated. His fingers continued moving across the piano keys without hesitation.
At the same moment, the buffs created by Knox's music fully activated.
Cindy, Claudia, and Merida immediately made their move while the enraged Cyclops focused entirely on Knox.
Merida finished her chant.
Her sleepy eyes narrowed slightly as she raised her hand.
"Phantasus Original… Sleep."
A wave of cursed magic shot forward.
The spell struck the Cyclops directly.
For a moment, the monster's movements slowed.
Its body staggered as the sleep curse began affecting its mind.
Right at that moment, the two Death Knights stepped forward.
Their tower shields slammed into the ground.
They positioned themselves directly in the Cyclops's path.
When the staggered Cyclops attempted to take another step forward, its massive leg collided with the enormous shields.
The Death Knights immediately twisted their shields upward.
The motion disrupted the monster's balance.
The Cyclops stumbled.
But before the creature could fall completely, Claudia completed her spell.
"Venom Swamp."
Dark green magic spread across the ground.
The stone floor instantly transformed into a thick, sticky swamp that reeked of poison.
The Cyclops's foot sank into the swamp. However, this Cyclops had been strengthened.
Unlike the one they had fought during the simulations, this monster was far more durable.
With a furious roar, it managed to stop its fall by bracing itself with one leg. Its massive body trembled, but it remained standing.
From the outside, it looked like a desperate attempt to resist collapse.
But Group 8 remained completely calm. They had expected this.
At that moment, Cindy moved. Her body blurred as she activated her Spirit Form.
Dark energy wrapped around her as she leapt into the air.
In an instant, she was already flying around the Cyclops.
Her black scythe flashed through the air.
Slash.
Another slash followed immediately.
And another.
Cindy circled the monster like a storm, her scythe cutting again and again.
Each strike carved fresh wounds across the Cyclops's body.
Blood began to spill from dozens of new cuts as the monster roared in pain.
Knox continued playing.
The powerful rhythm of the piano echoed throughout the dungeon, each note flowing smoothly into the next. The music was intense, almost heroic, yet carried a strange elegance that filled the entire battlefield.
Then something changed.
Golden light began to gather around the piano.
At first it was faint, like dust floating in sunlight. But within seconds the light grew brighter, forming countless tiny particles that shimmered gently in the air.
The golden particles slowly rose upward.
Then they began to fall.
Like soft rain made of light.
The entire battlefield was soon covered by a quiet shower of golden particles drifting down from above.
Students watching from the observation floor leaned closer to the glass wall.
"What… is that?"
"…Is that part of the spell?"
The golden particles continued falling slowly, illuminating the dark dungeon with a warm glow.
When the first few particles touched Cindy's body, something immediately changed.
The energy inside her surged. Her movements became lighter.
Faster. Stronger.
Cindy blinked in surprise.
"Whoa…!"
At the same time, several golden particles landed on the Cyclops.
The effect was completely different. The monster suddenly staggered. Its movements slowed.
The mana around its body began to fluctuate violently as if something was disrupting its strength.
The students watching immediately realized what was happening.
"Wait!"
"That's a buff spell!"
"No… it's more than that!"
"It buffs allies and weakens enemies at the same time!"
Meanwhile the golden particles continued falling across the battlefield like a beautiful rain of light.
The sight was breathtaking.
Some students couldn't help but stare in awe.
"Wow…"
"That's beautiful…"
"It looks like a concert stage…"
Even those who didn't understand the mechanics of the spell could feel the overwhelming presence of the magic.
Inside the monitoring room, the assistant professors were also watching the scene in disbelief.
One of them adjusted his glasses slightly.
"That spell…"
Another assistant professor leaned forward.
"…It's not just decorative."
They quickly realized what was happening.
Every golden particle carried mana.
A carefully controlled mana effect that distinguished between allies and enemies.
When the particles touched Knox's teammates, they enhanced their physical abilities and mana flow.
But when they touched the Cyclops, the mana disrupted its circulation and suppressed its strength.
The assistant professor exhaled slowly.
"A musical buff that automatically differentiates between targets…"
He shook his head slightly. "That's an absurd level of control."
Meanwhile, Jane sat quietly in her chair.
Unlike the others, she did not look surprised.
Instead, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Her eyes remained fixed on Knox as his fingers moved across the piano keys.
Then she spoke softly. "Heh."
Her smile widened slightly. "Another original magic, huh."
Even without hearing the explanation, Jane already understood what she was witnessing.
Knox had created yet another spell of his own.
And once again, it was something that no ordinary student of Kizen should have been able to produce.
While Knox's music continued to echo across the battlefield, Merida calmly finished the next part of her chant.
Her half-lidded eyes focused on the Cyclops.
"Exhaust."
A dark curse spread from her fingertips and shot toward the monster.
The spell struck the Cyclops directly.
Already weakened by Knox's golden mana rain, the creature immediately suffered another layer of debuff as Merida's curse took hold.
The Cyclops's massive body trembled.
Its movements slowed even further as the accumulated debuffs began to crush its strength.
The monster staggered heavily. Then its legs gave way slightly.
The Cyclops dropped onto one knee.
But even so, the strengthened monster still refused to collapse completely.
Its single eye burned with rage as it struggled to remain standing.
Knox continued playing the piano without looking up.
With his left hand briefly lifting from the keys, he raised it slightly toward the battlefield.
A wind spell formed instantly. A powerful gust surged across the ground.
The wind swept across Claudia's venom swamp, lifting the sticky toxic liquid into the air.
For a brief moment the swamp rose like a wave. Then it crashed forward.
The poisonous liquid splashed violently against the Cyclops's body.
The effect resembled a speeding car blasting through a flooded road.
Splash!
Venom sprayed across the monster's torso, arms, and wounds.
The Cyclops roared in pain.
"GRAAAAAARGH!"
However, its body could no longer move properly. The layers of debuff were now overwhelming. The golden particles from Knox's music suppressed its strength.
Merida's Exhaust curse drained its stamina. The venom swamp continued to corrode its body.
At that moment, Claudia finished her next spell.
Her calm voice echoed softly. "Bleeding."
Instantly, every wound across the Cyclops's body reacted.
The dozens of cuts that Cindy had carved earlier suddenly burst open.
Blood began pouring violently from each slash. The monster's body trembled as the bleeding spell amplified the damage.
But Claudia wasn't finished yet.
She reached into her coat and pulled out several small glass vials.
Poison.
Without hesitation, she threw them toward the Cyclops.
The glass shattered the moment they struck.
The liquid seeped directly into the monster's open wounds.
The poison intensified the bleeding and forced the wounds to tear wider.
The Cyclops's massive body finally began to collapse. Its second leg buckled. The monster dropped fully onto both knees.
At the same moment, Cindy moved. Still in her Spirit Form, she flew through the air with incredible speed.
In a blink she appeared directly in front of the Cyclops's eye.
She grinned.
"Checkmate."
Dark energy gathered around her scythe and condensed rapidly.
Then she called out the name of her technique.
[Cindy Vivace Original – Soul Ballista]
The energy condensed further. Then the weapon transformed. A massive ballista-like spear formed in front of her.
The weapon was far larger and more powerful than the one she normally created. Knox's buffs had enhanced its structure and mana output, making it far stronger than usual.
The giant spear gleamed with dark energy.
Cindy thrust her hand forward.
The Soul Ballista fired instantly.
The distance between them was almost nothing.
The massive projectile shot forward like lightning.
It pierced directly into the Cyclops's eye.
The spear tore straight through the monster's skull.
The enhanced Soul Ballista carried overwhelming force, and the extremely close range made the attack even more devastating.
The projectile continued through the Cyclops's head without slowing.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
For a brief moment, the Cyclops remained frozen in place.
Its massive body trembled slightly, as if the monster itself could not comprehend what had just happened.
The giant spear of dark energy had pierced straight through its eye, leaving a gaping wound where its single gaze once burned with fury.
Then the strength left its body.
The enormous frame began to sway.
Slowly. Heavily. Like a collapsing mountain.
Finally, with a thunderous crash that shook the dungeon floor, the Cyclops's body toppled forward and slammed onto the ground.
The battle, was over.