The academy did not announce danger with trumpets.
It announced it with notices.
A simple parchment, pinned neatly to the central board near the Hall of Records, fluttered softly under the morning light.
FIRST-YEAR TEAM ASSESSMENT — DUNGEON EXPEDITION
Mandatory participation.
Teams will be assigned.
Evaluation will include:
Combat Ability, Team Coordination, Tactical Judgment, and Survival Instinct.
I stared at the notice longer than necessary.
So it had finally begun.
The dungeon assessment was not just another practical test. It was the first true dividing line in the academy. After this, students would no longer be judged by theory, talent, or background alone—but by how they performed when death was no longer hypothetical.
Around me, the academy buzzed.
Excitement. Fear. Arrogance.
"I heard the dungeon is artificially stabilized but still lethal," someone whispered.
"They say first-years have died before."
"That was years ago—"
"Still counts."
I stepped back from the board, my thoughts already racing ahead.
Dungeon.
Team assessment.
Variables.
And Ione.
This was not a coincidence.
*****
The classroom was louder than usual when we entered.
Desks scraped. Voices overlapped. Even the usually composed students failed to hide their anticipation. Some wore confident smiles; others sat rigid, fingers clenched tight.
I took my usual seat near the window.
Viola sat beside Aurelius near the center, whispering animatedly. He laughed softly, posture relaxed—as if this were nothing more than a friendly excursion.
The male lead, through and through.
And then—
The room fell silent.
Instructor Seraphina entered.
She wore her combat uniform today—dark armor traced with crimson runes, the sigil of a warrior-mage glowing faintly at her shoulder. Her presence alone crushed idle chatter.
She surveyed the room with sharp, assessing eyes.
"Sit."
Everyone obeyed instantly.
"This assessment," Seraphina began, "is not about who is strongest."
Her gaze lingered briefly on Aurelius. Then—on Ione, seated two rows ahead of me, posture perfect, expression glacial.
"It is about who survives."
A ripple of tension spread through the room.
"You will be entering a controlled dungeon beneath the academy," she continued. "Controlled does not mean safe. Monsters will bleed. So will you, if you're careless."
She raised a hand.
"Teams of five. Assigned by me."
Ah.
Of course.
Random teams would have been too merciful.
She began reading names.
As expected, capable students were scattered—balancing strength across groups.
Then—
"Team Seven," she said.
"Aurelius De Solaria."
"Viola Val Valeris."
"Rias von Leonhart."
My fingers tightened slightly.
Of course.
"Ione Celestia Corvus."
The air shifted.
And finally—
"Marcus Feld."
A heavy-set boy near the back swallowed nervously.
Five.
I exhaled slowly.
Seraphina's lips curved faintly.
"Congratulations," she said. "You'll be descending together."
*****
We assembled near the academy's underground gate by noon.
The entrance to the dungeon was a massive stone arch carved with sealing glyphs, ancient and oppressive. A faint wind seeped out from within, cold and damp, carrying the scent of earth and iron.
Several instructors stood nearby, observing silently.
"Stay close," Viola said cheerfully, glancing around. "We'll be fine if we stick together."
Marcus nodded vigorously. "Y-Yes! As long as Aurelius leads—"
Aurelius smiled gently. "We'll all do our part."
Then his gaze shifted to me.
"Rias," he said, polite but distant, "what role do you prefer?"
I met his eyes calmly.
"Support and observation," I replied. "I won't slow you down."
Aurelius hesitated, then nodded. "Fair."
Ione said nothing.
She stood slightly apart from the group, eyes fixed on the dungeon entrance, as if staring into something only she could see.
"What about you?" Viola asked her brightly. "What role do you take?"
Ione turned her head slowly.
"Whatever is necessary," she replied.
The way she said it made Marcus flinch.
Before anyone could respond, Seraphina's voice rang out.
"Enter."
The gate rumbled open.
And darkness swallowed us.
*****
The dungeon air was thick.
Mana clung to the walls like invisible mist, reacting faintly to our presence. The stone corridors were uneven, etched with marks left by countless previous expeditions.
"Formation," Aurelius said calmly. "I'll take point. Viola, support. Marcus, rear guard."
He glanced at me. "Rias?"
"I'll watch the environment."
His eyes flickered to Ione.
"And you?"
She stepped forward without hesitation.
"I'll move independently."
That wasn't a suggestion.
Aurelius hesitated—but nodded.
"Stay within sight," he said.
She didn't respond.
We advanced.
The first monsters appeared quickly—low-grade Stone Crawlers, their bodies fused with jagged rock, eyes glowing faintly red.
"Three ahead," I said quietly. "One clinging to the ceiling."
Aurelius reacted instantly. "Viola!"
Magic flared. A bolt of condensed mana struck the ceiling, shattering stone and crushing the hidden crawler.
Aurelius engaged the others with practiced efficiency.
Viola supported flawlessly.
Marcus trembled—but held formation.
And Ione—
She moved.
No chant.
No visible spell.
The air around her distorted slightly, and one crawler simply… ceased to exist, its core collapsing inward soundlessly.
I felt my breath catch.
That wasn't normal magic.
That wasn't any magic I recognized.
She noticed my stare.
Our eyes met briefly.
Her gaze held a question.
Are you watching?
I inclined my head slightly.
Always.
*****
As we went deeper, the dungeon changed.
Corridors widened into caverns. Light faded. Monsters grew stronger.
And so did tension.
Aurelius was flawless—too flawless. Every move was optimal, as if guided by invisible hands.
Viola followed him instinctively.
Marcus struggled but improved, pushed forward by fear and necessity.
And me?
I observed.
Tracked patterns.
Marked spawn points.
Counted seconds between mana fluctuations.
"This dungeon resets in cycles," I murmured at one point. "Every thirteen minutes, monster density increases."
Aurelius glanced back, surprised. "You're sure?"
"I've been counting since entry."
He smiled faintly. "Good catch."
Ione looked at me longer this time.
*****
Then came the anomaly.
The ground trembled.
The dungeon shifted.
"That wasn't scheduled," Viola whispered.
From the shadows ahead, something massive stirred.
A Guardian.
Stone and crystal fused into a towering form, runes blazing along its arms.
Marcus froze. "T-That's not first-year level—!"
Aurelius stepped forward, eyes hardening. "We fight."
"No," I said sharply.
Everyone looked at me.
"The guardian is bound to the core behind it," I continued quickly. "If we engage head-on, we'll waste mana. The dungeon wants that."
Ione's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Smart," she murmured.
I thought,'smart? My a*s, I am the one who wrote the setting.'
"What's your plan?" Aurelius asked.
I exhaled slowly.
"We don't kill it," I said. "We misdirect it."
*****
What followed was chaos.
Viola created illusions to draw the guardian's attention.
Aurelius struck only to guide its movement.
Marcus held the rear, terrified but standing.
And I—
I led the guardian exactly where it didn't want to go.
Toward a collapsing mana fault.
"Now!" I shouted.
Ione raised a hand.
The air folded.
The guardian stumbled, its core destabilizing as the dungeon's own structure rejected it.
With a thunderous crack, the monster sank into the stone, sealing itself away.
Silence followed.
Then—
Aurelius let out a breath. "That was… impressive."
Viola looked at me with wide eyes. "Rias, that was amazing!"
Marcus nearly collapsed in relief.
Ione simply watched me.
Her gaze unreadable.
As we stood there, the dungeon core pulsed once—then calmed.
Assessment complete.
Far above us, unseen—
Instructor Seraphina smiled.