The Briefing Hall of Apex Academy resembled a gladiatorial arena more than a university lecture hall. Nearly two thousand students sat along the rising tiers, all eyes fixed on the podium below. The tension in the air was so thick it felt almost tangible, like a taste lingering on the tongue. The metallic scent of ozone mixed with the excitement and fear of the young crowd.
I took a seat in the very back, tucked into the shadows. My gaze locked onto the figure seated at the very front of the hall, radiating a natural light.
Lucas Sol.
Rank: 1.
Element: Sun.
I had created him.
Golden hair, a white-and-gold embroidered uniform that fit his shoulders perfectly, and that unshakable, reassuring smile on his face… He was the classic shonen hero—flawless, righteous, and just a little naïve. The students around him looked at him with admiration, as if gazing upon a god.
I narrowed my eyes and slightly opened my Entropy Eyes, parting the brown veil over my irises by the smallest margin.
[Analysis]
• Target: Lucas Sol
• Rank: D (Peak) / C- during burst
• Potential: SSS
• Threat: High
"Strong," I murmured. "Stronger than I expected."
Seated right beside him was his complete opposite.
Elena Frost.
Rank: 2.
Element: Absolute Ice.
With her silver hair and frigid blue eyes, she froze the air around her, a stark contrast to Lucas's warmth. She wasn't speaking to anyone, only examining the hologram before her. A thin layer of frost formed on the desk beneath her fingertips.
At that moment, the lights on the podium flared on.
A red-haired woman stepped onto the stage, rhythmically tapping a thin whip against her palm. Professor Scarlet "Viper" Valentine.
The hall fell silent.
"Welcome, rookies," Scarlet said. Her voice carried to the very back without the need for a microphone. "Today is your first real test. No simulations. No safety nets. Just you, your team, and monsters that want you dead."
Behind her, a massive holographic screen activated, displaying a rotating three-dimensional map.
"Target: the Whispering Caves. An F-Rank dungeon. Infested with Goblins, Cave Spiders, and Shadow Wolves."
Uneasy movements rippled through the crowd.
"Don't worry," Scarlet continued with a mocking smile. "To ensure you don't die… or at least that your bodies remain mostly intact, you've been assigned to six-person teams. And no, you don't get to choose your friends."
Names began flashing rapidly across the screen.
"Team 1…"
"Team 2…"
I had written this list myself. The Academy administration—or rather, me, the author of this story—had created chaotic teams under the pretense of "balance," pairing the strongest with the weakest to test Lucas's leadership.
Then the moment arrived.
"Team 7," Scarlet announced.
Lucas Sol (Rank 1 – Leader)Elena Frost (Rank 2)
A wave of murmurs swept the hall.
"What?"
"The top two on the same team?"
"That's unfair! They'll walk through the dungeon!"
Scarlet cracked her whip against the floor.
SLASH.
Silence returned.
"I'm not finished."
Titus 'Tank' Grom (Rank 104 – Defense)Jin Ryer (Rank 444 – Scout)
Jin Ryer—a thin, brown-haired boy—visibly relaxed when he heard his name. Being on Lucas's team was practically a guarantee of survival.
"5. Lira Valen (Rank 42 – Healer)."
The shy cleric blushed faintly at the sound of her name.
"And finally…" Scarlet paused, scanning the crowd until her eyes found me in the shadows at the very back. Our gazes locked for a single second. "…6. Arthur Knox (Rank 1997 – Carrier)."
The silence shattered into shocked whispers, then suppressed laughter.
"No way."
"With the gods and that trash?"
"Poor Lucas. He's carrying a corpse on his back."
My expression didn't change. I simply stood up slowly.
Everything is going according to plan, I thought. The best place to hunt is in the shadow of the strongest.
[Area: Academy Armory]
After the teams were finalized, we were directed to the Armory below to collect our equipment. The air was thick with the smell of oil, metal, and gunpowder. Thousands of weapons lined the walls.
The system was simple: the higher your rank, the better your gear.
Lucas received a faintly glowing [Rare – Green] longsword.
Titus was given a massive steel shield and a war hammer.
Elena, relying on her ice magic, took only a mana-enhancing ring.
When it was my turn, the quartermaster didn't even look at me. He tossed two rusted short daggers with worn grips and an old leather chest piece onto the counter.
"Here you go, rookie. If you lose them, it comes out of your pay."
I picked up the daggers.
[Item: Old Iron Dagger]
[Quality: Common (White) – Damaged]
[Durability: 12/50]
A normal student would have protested.
I smiled.
I wrapped my hand around the hilt. Beneath my skin, Grim seeped faintly toward the metal. The quality of the weapon doesn't matter, I thought. What matters is who's holding it.
Grim spread along the blade like a black vein, coating the rusted iron in an invisible layer of nothingness. From the outside, it still looked corroded—but it was now as hard as diamond.
[Area: Portal Chamber]
Fully equipped, we moved to the Portal Chamber, a vast dome-shaped room. At its center stood a ten-meter-tall Dimensional Gate, formed from swirling blue energy.
"Dungeon access will be via portal," an official announced. "First-time users may experience nausea."
Team 7 gathered before the gate.
Titus turned to me with a grin. "Try not to puke, shrimp. If you get my uniform dirty, I'll crush you on the spot."
Lucas entered first.
Elena followed.
I waited my turn, then stepped into the rotating blue energy.
Normally, people felt dizzy. The portal warped space-time, disrupting human perception. But the moment I stepped inside…
I felt calm.
As if I had come home.
The distortions around me resonated with my Chaos element. While the others staggered upon exiting, I stepped through effortlessly, hands in my pockets, balanced as if strolling through a park.
Elena cast me another brief, suspicious glance when she saw me emerge without faltering.
[Location: Whispering Caves – Buffer Zone]
The portal dropped us into a gray, rocky valley. Ahead of us yawned the massive, dark entrance of a cave carved into the mountainside. Jagged stalactites and stalagmites framed it like the fanged maw of a giant beast. Wind howled from within, whispering as the name promised.
Lucas gathered the team with his usual charisma.
"Alright, everyone," he said, drawing his sword as sunlight gleamed along its blade. "Formation. Elena and I take the front. Titus, guard the right flank. Lira and Jin, stay in the middle."
Then he turned to me. There was genuine concern in his eyes—but also condescension.
"Arthur… stay with Lira and carry the supply pack. Just… try to stay alive, okay? We'll protect you."
Ah, Lucas. You're so good it makes me sick.
"Understood," I said, lowering my head. I had to play my role.
But not everyone was as saintly as Lucas.
Titus stepped up and shoved me hard with his massive shoulder, trying to knock me off balance. "Hey, slow down, shrimp."
The tattoo on my arm—Grim—began to tremble beneath my skin, sensing the dense mana flow at the cave entrance.
Hunger.
Grim was hungry.
So was I.
Titus stopped and grinned, turning to Lucas. "Hey, Captain. If this loser stays in the back, he'll slow us down. What if he panics and runs? I say he goes first—as a 'scout.'"
Lucas frowned. "That's too dangerous, Titus. Arthur's training is insufficient. Being a vanguard means taking the first hit."
"Then let him learn!" Titus roared. He turned to me, his voice threatening as he jabbed a finger into my chest. "What do you say, number 1997? Want to contribute to the team? Or should we carry you? If you stay behind… maybe there'll be an 'accident,' and I'll crush you."
All eyes turned to me.
Lira covered her mouth in fear.
Jin looked away.
Elena simply watched.
Normally, an F-Rank acting as a vanguard was suicide. They'd die to the first goblin.
But when I looked into the darkness of the cave, I felt no fear.
My Entropy Eyes saw the mana flows within, the goblins hiding in the shadows, the spiders waiting on the ceiling—all of it glowing like data. Like experience points.
This wasn't a death trap.
It was a buffet.
Lucas opened his mouth to protest. "Titus, don't be ridicu—"
"It's fine," I interrupted.
My voice was calm and clear. Lucas stared at me in shock. I adjusted the heavy pack on my back and placed my hand on the hilt of my rusted daggers. I met Titus's gaze with the same cold, dangerous expression from that morning.
"I'll go first. Someone has to clear the way, right?"
Titus hesitated for a split second, surprised by my boldness, then laughed mockingly. "Ha! Playing hero now. Don't expect me to save you when you scream."
I turned away and took the first step into the pitch-black darkness of the cave.
The tattoo on my arm grew warm. Grim had scented the coming feast.
As the darkness swallowed me, the light of the "heroes" behind me faded.
Come on, I thought as I walked deeper into the cave.
Let's see who's the bait… and who's the hunter.