Scooping his team together Dante drew a tight circle. They remained calm while the rest panicked.
All around them students shouted argued and held on to each other because they were scared. They wanted to be safe with more people.
But Dante knew that control does not come from large groups. It comes from knowing what you face.
And he planned to know everything.
"Listen closely," Dante's voice, firm and cutting, forced its way through. He looked them dead in the eye. "This is the most important part of the game. We will waste no opportunity on foolish hopes or meaningless questions. You will ask the Goddess only what I tell you to ask. Keep your focus. Listen. Remember every word."
He turned to Erica first. She seemed nervous but ready. Her quiet demeanor would serve her well in executing precise commands.
"You are first," he said. "Ask of the forest. How is it partitioned? Where are the weak monsters, and where do the strong ones hide?"
Erica swallowed hard and nodded as she walked toward the glowing door.
Next, he looked directly at Masha. She was calm and confident.. She was right for the task.
"Ask how to become stronger. No vague answers like training or effort. Get something useful. Something we can actually use."
Jin stepped forward, looking resolute. "You will ask about hidden items or weapons in this forest," Dante said. "If anything powerful exists here, we ought to know first."
Lastly, he turned to face Edgar. Edgar's fingers trembled as he adjusted his glasses. "Your question will be the most important. Ask the Goddess what the last trial is. What do we need to confront to escape this place?"
They nodded in unison. Dante allowed the weight of his words to hang in the air for a moment. "The rest of you stay here. No noise. No panic. No drawing attention."
The air felt heavy. Each heartbeat was loud in the quiet. every heartbeat roared like thunder in the stillness.
Erica was the first to return. Her face was pale but in her eyes there was newfound information.
"I asked," she murmured. "The forest is divided by monsters ranked E to S. From there, it gets stronger inwards, but there are places that are even worse. Zones that have creatures stronger than ten combined S ranks. She marked them for me on this map so we can avoid them."
Dante nodded once. He was impressed. "Good work. You just gave us our first real advantage. What is your skill?"
Erica lifted her hand. A small spark appeared above her palm.
It flittered weakly casting a soft glow over.
"Pyrokinesis," she said softly. "I create and control fire."
Dante smiled "That is really powerful skill you got. You are our weapon. When the time comes, you will burn anything that moves."
Masha entered next. Gone was the aura of calm it had been replaced by a chill determination.
"I asked how to get stronger," she said. "We must kill. Monsters or people. When anything dies, it releases a cloud of energy. If we focus, we can absorb it. That's how we level up."
The group continued in silence.
"Death seems to be our only way forward," Dante said, low and contemplative. "And your skills?"
Masha: "Cryomancy. Ice control."
Fire and Ice. Destruction and Control. Dante felt an ever-growing confidence within him. "Perfect. You and Erica will control the battlefield."
Jin arrived carrying a thick sword strapped to his back. He produced a strip of thick leather, blanketed with faint glimmering lines.
"I asked about items," Jin said, "She gave me a list of what I could not remember, so I asked for a map instead."
Dante ran his thumb over the glowing lines. They glowed faintly in response, forming almost lifelike shapes.
"And the sword?"
Jin grinned slightly: "Swordsmanship. She said I have a natural sense for any blade now. Well, that is what she said."
Dante nodded. "Then you're our blade. Keep it ready."
Edgar was last to return. Laurel and hearty, he moved with hesitation, as if he had seen the future and did not like it.
"The final trial," he pronounced in a whisper. "It is called the Bone Dragon. Even in mass, it said killing it will not be cake. Strategy and timing will give us a fighting chance."
Dante's soul stiffened. He imagined something enormous. Hearing it made danger feel real nonetheless.
"And your skill?" he asked.
Edgar adjusted his glasses again. "Appraisal. I can see information about a target. Health, strength, weaknesses and skills. Of course, that is all. Sounds useless in a fight, but I will train harder than anyone, I will become stronger."
Dante stared. Then he chuckled softly; not cruelly, more astoundingly.
"Edgar, you consider that useless? You have the most valuable skill in this group. You can read the enemy before the fight even begins. You are our eyes."
The others turned to give Edgar a fresh respect. He blinked. Understanding dawned on him.
"So I can see the weak points before we strike?" he asked.
"Exactly," Dante said, "And that means we can plan every fight. No surprises. Now go scan the others. Do it quietly. Tell me only the dangerous ones."
Edgar nodded and went into the crowd.
He returned a few minutes later. His face was pale. "I found some," he whispered. "Electrokinesis. Terrashaping for earth and metal. Umbrakinesis for shadows. Sanctification for holy light. Also, skills related to poison, curses, gravity, and teleportation."
Dante's brows came together. "That is already bad. Anything else?"
Edgar waited a second. "One more. Mimicry. It copies any skill it sees and uses it for a short time."
The moment he said it, the whole circle fell silent.
Dante's mind raced. Mimicry. The single skill that could turn the whole world against them.
"That one changes everything," he said in a soft voice.
Erica looked around. She was nervous. "Someone here can copy our powers?"
"Yes," Dante said. "And if that person decides to attack us, they can use our own abilities against us. Fire, ice, necromancy. Everything."
Jin's grip tightened around his sword. "So what do we do?"
"We wait," Dante replied. His eyes scanned the crowd. "They will show themselves eventually. When they do, we deal with it before it spreads. No hesitation."
He no longer saw a crowd of scared students. He saw predators. Each one waited for their turn to strike.
The forest grew darker.
Dante's hand rested on the glowing map inside his coat.
The Bone Dragon waited somewhere beyond the trees. Mimicry lurked among them. It was unseen.