Morning sunlight illuminated the tall towers of Celestial Academy.
Students filled the central courtyard as usual, discussing classes and training sessions.
But today, something different was happening.
A large group of students had gathered near the mission board outside the academy hall.
Lucien Aurelius stood among the crowd, calmly reading the announcement posted on the board.
Special Training Mission
Location: Academy Training Dungeon – Level 1
Participants: Class A Students
Objective: Clear dungeon monsters and collect mana cores.
Reward: Academy merit points.
Lucien's silver eyes flickered slightly.
"A dungeon mission already…"
Celestial Academy often used dungeons for practical combat training.
These underground areas were filled with magical beasts and traps.
Normally, first-year students wouldn't enter them so early.
But Class A students were considered exceptional.
So their training was much more intense.
Nearby, Adrian Solhart studied the notice carefully.
"This will be our first real mission."
Elena Valtieri stood beside him.
"I heard the academy dungeon has several levels."
Adrian nodded.
"But today we're only entering Level One."
Not far from them—
Seraphina Draven leaned casually against the wall.
Her golden eyes moved across the students before stopping briefly on Lucien.
"He looks excited," she murmured.
Lucien noticed her gaze and smiled slightly.
Seraphina smiled back.
But her eyes held curiosity.
That relic incident two nights ago still bothered her.
She didn't know what Lucien had done in the ruins.
But she had definitely sensed a powerful burst of shadow energy that night.
"Interesting…" she whispered.
Just then—
Instructor Garrick appeared near the mission board.
The crowd quickly quieted.
"You will form teams of three," he announced.
"The dungeon contains several types of magical beasts."
"Your goal is to defeat them and collect their mana cores."
He paused briefly.
"But remember something important."
"Inside a dungeon… mistakes can kill you."
The students nodded seriously.
Even though this was only the academy's training dungeon, the danger was real.
Garrick looked at the group again.
"You have ten minutes to form teams."
Immediately, students began discussing among themselves.
Several groups quickly formed.
Adrian turned toward Elena.
"We should team up."
Elena nodded.
"That makes sense."
They both looked around for a third member.
At that moment—
Seraphina suddenly stepped between them.
"Well," she said cheerfully.
"You two look like you need a third teammate."
Adrian looked slightly surprised.
"You want to join us?"
Seraphina shrugged casually.
"You're strong."
She pointed toward Elena.
"She's talented."
Then she smiled.
"And I'm curious."
Adrian glanced at Elena.
She didn't object.
"Alright."
Their team was formed.
Meanwhile—
Lucien stood quietly near the edge of the courtyard.
Most students were hesitant to approach him.
His noble status made them cautious.
Just as he was about to join a random group—
Two students approached him nervously.
"U-um… Lord Lucien?"
Lucien looked at them calmly.
"Yes?"
The first student swallowed.
"We were wondering if you'd like to form a team with us."
Lucien studied them briefly.
Both were decent fighters from the entrance exam.
But not particularly remarkable.
Still—
That didn't matter.
Lucien nodded.
"Fine."
The two students looked relieved.
Soon after, Instructor Garrick gathered everyone near the dungeon entrance.
The entrance was located beneath the academy's main training hall.
A massive iron gate blocked the stairway leading underground.
Garrick placed his hand on a glowing rune beside the gate.
"Once you enter, you will have four hours."
"Return before the gate closes."
The rune glowed brightly.
CLANK.
The iron gate slowly opened.
Cold air drifted upward from the darkness below.
"The mission begins now."
One by one, teams started descending the stone stairs.
Lucien walked calmly with his teammates.
The deeper they went—
The darker the environment became.
Dim blue crystals illuminated the dungeon walls.
The stone corridors stretched endlessly underground.
Soon the students began splitting into different paths.
Lucien's team entered a narrow tunnel.
After a few minutes—
A growling sound echoed ahead.
Two wolf-like magical beasts emerged from the shadows.
"Shadow Wolves!" one of Lucien's teammates shouted.
The creatures immediately charged.
Lucien remained calm.
"Stay back."
The wolves lunged toward him.
Their claws flashed through the air.
But Lucien moved faster.
"Shadow Domain."
A wave of darkness spread across the corridor.
For ten seconds—
The entire area became covered in shadow.
Lucien's movements suddenly accelerated.
To the wolves, he seemed to disappear.
SHH.
His blade flashed once.
Then again.
The wolves collapsed before they even understood what happened.
The shadow field faded.
Lucien cleaned his blade calmly.
His two teammates stared at him in shock.
"That… was incredible."
Lucien simply walked forward.
"Collect the mana cores."
Meanwhile—
Deeper inside the dungeon—
Adrian's team faced their own battle.
Three armored goblins attacked from different directions.
Adrian fought two at once while Elena launched ice spells from behind.
Seraphina moved swiftly between enemies, striking with a pair of daggers.
Within minutes, the monsters were defeated.
Seraphina wiped a drop of blood from her blade.
"That was fun."
Adrian looked around.
"This dungeon is larger than I expected."
Elena nodded.
"Something feels strange."
Just then—
A powerful roar echoed through the dungeon.
The ground trembled slightly.
Seraphina's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Well…"
"That doesn't sound like a Level One monster."
Adrian tightened his grip on his sword.
"Let's check it out."
Unknowingly—
Another team had already encountered the source of that roar.
Lucien stood in a massive underground chamber.
Before him—
A giant creature slowly rose from the shadows.
A Dungeon Ogre.
Much stronger than anything normally found on Level One.
Lucien smiled faintly.
"So the dungeon is acting strangely again."
The ogre roared and lifted its enormous club.
Lucien stepped forward calmly.
Behind him—
His teammates had already retreated in fear.
Lucien's silver eyes glowed faintly.
"Good."
"I needed a stronger opponent."
The battle was about to begin.