Scene 1 — Entry Conditions (TJ)
"Apparently he's earned a bounty again from the second and third years," Alexis said as we stood at the edge of the green portal. "Especially Yang. He still hasn't cooled off after what happened with his sister."
The portal pulsed, green light folding in on itself as examiners finalized the dungeon parameters. Beyond it waited a B-rank environment—dense forest, unstable mana flow, overlapping predator territories.
"Yang's blaming you," she continued. "Says if you hadn't picked Javi as the first-year representative, none of this would be happening."
I adjusted the strap of my pack and didn't slow.
"Not really our problem," I said. "If his sister had failed out, he'd still come after Javi. This just gives him an excuse."
Alexis studied me for a moment. She knew the difference between indifference and decision.
"Tell Megan to get a handle on her group," I added. "I'm not interested in feeding this back-and-forth, but her people need to learn where the line is."
That line mattered. If it wasn't enforced early, it would keep getting tested.
The examiners exchanged a look, then gave the nod. The portal split open, revealing a forest canopy thick enough to swallow sound.
"I'll let her know once we're out," Alexis said. "You're going after it, so we'll split paths. That way it doesn't weigh against your exam."
Thomas cracked his neck beside her, smiling like this was entertainment.
Two S-rank examiners stepped in behind them, escorting them toward a separate insertion vector. Even at B-rank, the Academy didn't gamble.
Before I stepped through, Mr. Johnson's voice carried over the hum.
"Remember, TJ. Once you're inside, we aren't allowed to aid you. If you decide to go after the dungeon boss, you're on your own."
I nodded, rubbing my thumb along the shaft of my spear—black metal, engraved down to the head.
"Roger," I said. "Just recover my body if it goes wrong. But you wouldn't suggest me for the duels against Europe and China if you thought a B-rank dungeon was dangerous."
He snorted. Ms. Tia didn't react.
I stepped through the portal and let the forest swallow me.
The moment my boots hit soil, shadows folded around my body. I slowed, mapped the terrain, and listened. Mana flowed thick near the ground and thin near the canopy. Mid-B predators favored packs. Anything heavier hunted alone.
I didn't move deeper until I was sure Alexis and Thomas were far enough away.
Then I turned toward the heart of the dungeon.
Scene 2 — Control (Alexis)
The canopy never stayed still long enough for anything to lock onto me.
I jumped branches as I loosed the arrow, releasing mid-air and letting momentum carry me forward. The shaft punched clean through the first wolf's skull, kept going, and tore through two more bodies before embedding itself in a tree.
Three kills. One shot.
I landed, already drawing again.
These weren't low-tier mobs. Dark wolves in this region averaged mid-B rank—fast, coordinated, and smart enough to pressure angles instead of charging blindly. Against most students, a pack like this would've been a problem.
Against me, they were terrain.
They fanned out, snapping at shadows, trying to force me down. I never gave them a line to commit to.
Move. Shoot. Move again.
As an archer, you didn't stand your ground. You didn't trade durability. You shaped the fight until your opponent didn't get a choice anymore.
I adjusted my astral flow, letting my light affinity take over. The energy condensed cleanly, sharp and efficient, feeding straight into the arrowhead.
I released.
Two wolves dropped instantly. A third staggered, light burning through its chest before it collapsed.
The rest tried to scatter.
They didn't make it far.
Less than five minutes later, the clearing fell silent. Steam rose where light energy burned through shadow-tainted flesh.
I didn't linger.
Deeper in the jungle, the air thickened. Mana pressure settled low to the ground, heavy enough that even breathing felt slower. Claw marks gouged the soil. Trees snapped clean at the trunk.
Ahead, another pack of wolves fought desperately against something larger.
A bear emerged from the foliage, shadow clinging to its claws like smoke. Every swing erased a wolf completely—bone, muscle, and mana torn apart in one brutal motion.
High B. Borderline A.
A predator meant to keep everything else in check.
I slowed and settled into the canopy above, heart rate steady. At my level—low A—this wasn't something to rush. One mistake and I'd be dragged into a strength contest I had no intention of fighting.
"Make sure you're ready for a B-rank, Alexis."
Ms. Jessica's voice drifted through the air. I flared my senses, but couldn't find her.
"Once you engage, we can't render aid."
I nodded once.
I waited.
The bear crushed the last wolf beneath its claws and roared, shadow spilling outward in a violent pulse. The trees trembled.
I adjusted my grip and began mapping angles—escape routes, fall paths, kill windows.
Timing mattered more than power here.
I exhaled slowly.
Then I stepped off the branch.
Scene 3 — Observation (Tia)
As usual, Thomas chose the worst possible approach.
"He really does run straight through walls," I muttered, watching him drag his broadsword through the alpha of a wolf pack below us.
Ten stood beside me on the cliff, hands folded behind his back, eyes sharp.
These wolves were mid-B on average. Dangerous in numbers. Thomas met them head-on anyway.
"If TJ wasn't leading him half the time, he'd have been tricked into dropping out years ago," I said. "Thankfully we stopped testing intelligence as the primary metric."
Ten watched as Thomas took a hit to secure position.
"Whoever his patron is," he said calmly, "they're clearly showing favoritism."
Thomas fought like damage was a resource. He traded wounds for kill windows, laughing as blood ran down his arms. Low A rank, but barely restrained.
The forest shook as a bear burst from the trees.
High B. Borderline A.
Thomas didn't retreat.
His skin began to glow brown and green as berserk took hold, muscle swelling as he accepted the impact of the bear's claws against his neck.
No blood.
Thomas laughed.
"That's the kind of warriors travelers aim to be," Ten said, not praising—categorizing.
Thomas opened his mouth and expelled a condensed fireball, raw astral energy forced into shape by instinct instead of doctrine.
The bear's head vanished.
Thomas collapsed on top of the corpse, unconscious but breathing.
I exhaled.
"Alexis should be on her way to retrieve him," I said. "Once she gets here, shadow them out. Then we regroup for the boss raid."
Ten nodded and moved without comment.
I felt Alexis approaching—fast, controlled. No doubt she'd sensed the mana spike.
I turned toward the deeper forest, already tracking where TJ had gone.
Because if Alexis and Thomas were low A threats…
TJ was hunting something that wasn't meant to be measured on the same scale.