When the Bishop's body was erased in a way that defied the laws of the universe, what remained was neither blood nor torn flesh—only gray ashes drifting through the air and glittering loot scattered across the ground.
The suffocating, deadly silence of the cave was broken by Lucas's deep, ragged breathing. The Son of the Sun planted his sword into the ground like a cane and sank to his knees. Sweat poured down his forehead, matting his golden hair against his skin.
"It's over…" he said, his voice heavy with both immense relief and disbelief. His eyes stared into nothingness. "It's really over."
Titus approached us, pressing his broken arm against his chest. His face was twisted with pain, his skin pale and ashen, yet his eyes burned with the wild, primal spark of survival.
"What the hell was that thing?" he spat onto the ground. "A B-Rank monster in an F-Rank dungeon… Is the Academy trying to kill us? I'm telling my father about this!"
Lira had revived Jin. The archer looked around in a daze, as if waking from a dream.
"Did I do it?" he asked again, his confidence slowly returning. His eyes widened. "That stone… did I really hit that seal stone?"
I stood silently in the darkest corner, while Grim inside me was busy digesting the energy it had absorbed. Lucas straightened up. Despite his torn uniform, he reclaimed his role as leader.
"We'll discuss this later. First, the loot. According to dungeon rules, dropped items belong to the party."
On the ground, at the spot where the Bishop had vanished, three objects rested atop the ashes.
[Radiant Golden Staff]: A staff of pure gold, its tip engraved with a sun symbol. The aura it emitted was warm and calming. (Epic – Blue)[Rust-Covered Chain Armor]: A chest piece that looked as if it had been forged from the Bishop's chains—lightweight, yet seemingly impenetrable. (Unique – Purple)[An Old, Leather-Bound Book]: A plain, slightly worn black object with a lock on it.
Lucas picked up the staff. It vibrated in his hand.
"Lira, this is yours. It resonates with your light magic. It'll strengthen your healing."
Lira took the staff with trembling hands, clutching it to her chest like a sacred relic. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Thank you, Captain. You saved my life."
"The armor's yours, Titus," Lucas said, pointing to the pile of purple-glinting chains. "You took that hit. If you hadn't held those chains back, we'd all be dead. You earned it."
Titus grinned as he took the armor, lifting the heavy metal with one hand.
"Heh. Guess I'm a real Tank now. Draven's gonna burst with jealousy when he sees this."
Lucas then looked at me, Elena, and Jin.
"There's nothing else. Elena and I don't need anything—our family vaults are full of gear. That leaves the book… and Jin's critical shot."
Jin's eyes lit up, then he hesitated.
"I… I don't want a reward. I hit the stone, but… it felt like the stone broke before my bolt even reached it."
My heart skipped a beat. Jin was sharper than I'd thought. I immediately stepped in, putting admiration and innocence into my voice. (Acting.)
"Jin," I said, stepping forward. "Don't sell yourself short. If not for that shot, we'd all be dead. You saved Titus. That hit… it was masterful. I've never seen reflexes like that in my life."
Jin puffed up with pride. Even Titus nodded in approval toward the kid who had saved his life.
"Yeah, shrimp. You weren't half bad. I'll try not to squash you next time."
I had skillfully redirected everyone's attention onto Jin. He was the hero. I was just the frightened porter cowering in the corner.
"What about the book?" Elena asked. Her voice was icy. Her eyes weren't on the loot—they were still on me.
Lucas picked up the book and examined it.
"Doesn't seem magical," he said, brushing dust off the cover. "No mana signature. Just an old, locked journal. Probably the Bishop's ramblings before it went insane."
He raised it. "Anyone want this? I doubt it's worth much."
No one did. Warriors valued power, mages valued mana. Knowledge was the least valued treasure in this world.
"I can take it," I said hesitantly, raising my hand. "I mean… I like old languages. Maybe there's a story inside I can sell. I'm not useful for much else anyway."
Titus laughed.
"Take it, trash. Maybe you'll even learn how to read."
Lucas tossed the book to me. I caught it midair. The moment my hand touched it, Grim on my arm trembled. I heard the sound of locks unlocking in my mind. My system panel flashed briefly.
[Hidden Item Detected: "Journal of the Forbidden God"]
[Contents: Lost Magic Techniques, Hidden Dungeon Maps, and 'Truths the Author Forgot'.]
[Value: Priceless.]
I was laughing inside. An Epic Staff? A Unique Armor? Those were toys.
This book… this book was filled with cheat codes that rewrote the rules of the world.
And they'd handed it to me for free.
"Thanks," I said, stuffing it hurriedly into my bag as if it were worthless.
Exiting the dungeon was far more eventful than entering it. Lucas and Titus had to use the last of their strength to break apart the rocks blocking the cave entrance.
When we stepped outside, chaos greeted us. The Academy was on full alert. Red lights illuminated the sky. Combat drones buzzed overhead while armored medical teams rushed about with stretchers. Professor Scarlet paced anxiously at the cave entrance, whip in hand, flanked by armed guards. When she saw us—especially Lucas and Elena—alive and in one piece, she let out a deep breath.
"Report!" Scarlet shouted as she ran toward us, her voice filled with worry and anger. "Sensors detected a B-Rank energy surge inside. That's impossible! This is an F-Rank zone!"
Lucas stepped forward, his face smeared with soot and blood, his posture like that of a general.
"The dungeon mutated, Professor. We encountered a Corrupted Bishop. Its chains… were alive."
Shock rippled through the surrounding staff and students.
"A Bishop?"
"In an F-Rank dungeon?"
"Impossible, they were all destroyed in the Century Wars!"
"How did you survive?" Scarlet asked, scrutinizing us with suspicion. Her gaze never lingered on me—not even for a second. It was fixed on Lucas.
"A creature of that level could wipe out an army."
"Lucas," Titus said proudly, pointing to his leader. "He hit it with Dawnbreak. And Jin… that kid's a sharpshooter! Nailed the stone right in its core!"
Jin smiled shyly, though his legs were still trembling.
Scarlet seemed satisfied, but her eyes briefly flicked to me and Elena—lingering on the dissatisfied, questioning look on Elena's face.
"Wounded to the infirmary. Lucas, Titus, Jin—come with me to the Council Chamber for a detailed report. Elena, Arthur, you'll give statements as well."
Before heading to the infirmary, Elena seized the chance as the crowd dispersed and grabbed my arm. Her fingers were like a vise. She dragged me behind a pillar, into the shadows.
"Listen to me," she said. Her voice was different from the cold tone she'd used in the dungeon—more urgent. And more dangerous.
"Jin didn't break that stone," she whispered. Her eyes scanned my soul. "He pulled the trigger, yes. But the bolt didn't break it. The stone shattered before the bolt reached it. And the Bishop… its shield fell before Lucas attacked. Its chains broke."
I looked away.
"What are you implying? Lucas defeated it."
"That spiderweb," Elena said, stepping closer, pinning me to the wall. Despite the difference in our height, the pressure she exerted was overwhelming.
"The change in air pressure. And the Bishop's chains… they didn't break from physical force, Arthur. They were erased. As if they never existed."
Her blue eyes bored into my brown (fake) ones.
"I don't know who or what you are. Your stats are fake. Your posture is fake. That pathetic coward act is fake. You are a lie, Arthur Knox."
I swallowed. Denial wouldn't work. She'd seen too much.
"If you're so sure," I said, my voice shifting for the first time to my normal—cold, analytical—tone, letting the mask slip slightly.
"Why didn't you report me? Why didn't you tell Scarlet?"
Elena hesitated. She hadn't expected that reaction—or that sudden change in tone. She stepped back and crossed her arms. A faint, dangerous smile appeared on her face.
"Because," she said, narrowing her eyes, "the Academy is boring, Arthur. Lucas is boring. Everyone… they're predictable chess pieces. But you?"
She looked at me as if examining a riddle.
"You're a piece that isn't on the board. And I don't discard riddles before solving them."
She turned away, silver hair swaying.
"Your secret is safe with me—for now. On one condition."
She glanced back over her shoulder.
"Tomorrow night. The forbidden section of the library. You'll come. And you'll tell me what that 'invisible' hand of yours can really do. Otherwise…"
Her eyes flicked briefly to my bag.
"I'll tell Professor Scarlet what that 'book' actually is."
She walked off without waiting for a reply.
I remained where I was. Grim murmured in my mind.
Playing with this girl is like playing with fire.
No, I corrected him, watching Elena's retreating silhouette.
Like playing with ice.
And believe me, Grim… ice burns far worse than fire.
(...…..)
Location: Apex Academy, Administration Tower – Top Floor
Time: One hour after the dungeon incident
The room was dark. Only the holograms above the massive central table illuminated the space. On them played a replay of the final moments inside the Whispering Caves—the Bishop's annihilation. The footage was distorted, riddled with static.
Academy Headmaster Grandmaster Alaric Storm stood by the window, watching the chaos outside, his hands clasped behind his back. At the other end of the table hovered a holographic figure formed of blue light.
Chief Arbiter Gabriel Vox.
"Is the report accurate, Alaric?" Gabriel asked. His voice was mechanical, emotionless.
Alaric sighed and turned around.
"The sensors don't lie, Gabriel. A B-Rank energy signature in an F-Rank zone. And then… sudden erasure."
Gabriel's hologram focused on the corrupted footage. Lucas's attack was clear, but the moment the Bishop's chains broke—the image dissolved into static. Data loss.
"The Son of the Sun is strong," Gabriel said. "But he cannot shatter a Bishop's Absolute Defense in a single strike. Not yet. Something else… occurred."
"An intervention?" Alaric asked.
"A deviation," Gabriel replied. "The High Tribunal's sensors detected a Non-Existent energy in that cave. Extremely brief. Less than a second. But it was there. Not Lucas Sol. Not Elena Frost."
Alaric stroked his beard.
"I reviewed the student records. No one else on the team stands out. A Tank, an Archer, a Healer… and an F-Rank Porter."
"Names are irrelevant," Gabriel said sharply.
"What matters is Order. Someone—or something—is bending the rules inside the Academy, Alaric. The dungeon's mutation was no coincidence. Something… slipped in."
The hologram flickered. Gabriel's silhouette spoke with judicial finality.
"Keep your eyes open, Old Wolf. Watch everyone on that team. If you find that Error… report it to me. The laws cannot be violated."
The hologram vanished. Alaric Storm stood alone in the dark room. His gaze fell on the student files spread across the table. At the top lay Lucas Sol's file. But Alaric's hand moved instead to the nearly forgotten, faded file beneath it.
[Arthur Knox – F-Rank]
The old man stared at it for a long time. Lightning flashed in his eyes.
"An F-Rank porter, huh?" he murmured.
"Nothing is ever what it seems."