- The cool, damp air of the Labyrinth of Whispering Grove, did nothing to soothe the fiery ambition of the students, but for me, it was a familiar aroma.
- The scent of a memory, of a lot of battles fought and won.
- My hand rested on the hilt of my katana, the smooth, wrapped handle a reassuring weight.
- It was a tool of precision, not a brute's weapon, and its lethality was held in reserve, just like mine. Today, I was here to observe, not to fight.
- My eyes scanned the pair ahead of me. Rose, a saintess with a profound gift for healing and barrier magic, walked with a serene focus.
- Beside her, Noah moved like a shadow, a magic swordsman whose skills were a precise blend of steel and arcane energy.
- He was already analyzing the environment, his hand hovering over his scabbard.
- They were good, perhaps the best of the class. But were they ready for what came next? That was the test.
- I thought of the other students, of their bluster and bravado. I thought of Allen, the supposed hero, with his ornate sword and even more elaborate arrogance.
- He'd probably be using his blade to carve a path of destruction, heedless of his teammates.
- Something completely different from the other Allen in the game story.
- I'd seen it a hundred times. A sword with no mind behind it was just a fancy piece of metal.
- But with Rose and Noah, I saw potential. I saw a future where they wouldn't need a veteran like me to watch their backs.
- A rustling sound broke the quiet ahead, and my body tensed. Not with fear, but with a hunter's anticipation.
- This was it. Four Thorn-Kin emerged from the dense foliage, their forms woven from thorny vines and knotted roots.
- "Rose, barrier magic!" I commanded, my voice calm and steady. "Noah, single-target elimination."
- I hung back, my katana still sheathed. I wasn't needed on the front lines yet. I was a supervisor now. A coach.
- Rose's holy symbol flared to life, and a shimmering, golden dome of light encased us.
- The first two Thorn-Kin slammed against it, their attacks scraping against the barrier with a hellish shriek.
- Rose held firm, her face a mask of fierce concentration.
- "Good," I muttered to myself. "She can handle the pressure."
- Noah, meanwhile, had already engaged the third Thorn-Kin. His blade glowed a faint blue, and he moved with a fluid grace, deflecting strikes and looking for an opening.
- The Thorn-Kin was a whirlwind of rage, its thorny limbs lashing out with brutal force.
- Noah parried with a resounding clang, then used a sudden burst of arcane energy to blast the creature's core, forcing it to stagger back.
- "Noah, aim for the weakest point!" I called out, my voice cutting through the din. "Not just the center!"
- He didn't acknowledge me, but his next move proved he'd heard.
- He pivoted, his blade now glowing with a more focused, razor-sharp energy, and he sliced cleanly through a single, thick root that was the monster's main anchor.
- The creature's balance faltered, and with a swift, final thrust, Noah plunged his sword into its now-exposed core. The Thorn-Kin dissolved into a pile of lifeless vines.
- "One down," I said, a flicker of pride in my chest.
- The remaining three Thorn-Kin turned their attention to Noah. This was the critical moment.
- I watched as the largest of them broke away from the others and lunged toward Rose, its thorny arm aiming to crush the barrier's anchor.
- I moved with a speed that was almost imperceptible. I drew my katana, not with a flourish, but with a quiet hiss of steel.
- I didn't slice. Instead, I met the monster's strike with a precise, flat strike from the back of my blade, deflecting its arm with a jarring thud.
- The creature stumbled, its attack redirected harmlessly away from Rose. I didn't press the attack. I just held my position, my blade pointed to the side.
- "Keep your focus, Rose," I said calmly. "Noah is covering you."
- She gave a quick, sharp nod, and the holy light of her barrier flared brighter.
- The two remaining Thorn-Kin were still relentlessly pounding on Rose's barrier, but her resolve was solid.
- "Noah, now!" I commanded.
- Noah rushed toward the monsters, his movements a blur of speed and precision.
- One of them turned its attention to him, leaving it open to a surprise attack. He didn't hesitate, his enchanted blade burying itself deep into the creature's core.
- I watched as the last Thorn-Kin turned to face Noah, a wounded, desperate rage in its single red eye.
- With a final, explosive surge of power, Noah's blade pierced its core, and it too dissolved into nothingness.
Silence.
- The air was thick with the smell of ozone and freshly cut wood.
- I finally returned my katana to its sheath. It was still clean, unsullied. I walked over to the two of them.
- Rose's barrier had finally faded, and she was breathing heavily, a bead of sweat on her temple. Noah was leaning on his sword, exhausted but standing tall.
- "We did it," Rose whispered, a mixture of disbelief and triumph in her voice.
- I gave them a rare, genuine smile. "No," I said, a quiet sense of pride swelling in my chest. "You did it. Both of you. The training paid off."
- The dungeon run was not for me. It was for them. And they had passed with flying colors.
- I knew then that they would be more than ready for what the world, and any future dungeon, would throw at them.
- We continued at that pace, day after day. But on the second day of our dungeon run, something completely unexpected happened
- When everyone done fighting monsters and trying to rest my danger detection skill suddenly started to activate.
- I didn't get a chance to figure out what happened, but to everyone's horror a big root suddenly appeared from the ground and attacked one of the teachers.
- It was the monster that would appear in the dungeon the third day but why he appeared the second day, I had many questions but now I have to defeat it.
- Everyone took a fighting stance and in the next second a monster emerged from the ground.
- It was not a normal nor a weak one, it was an S-rank monsters, only found in high-level dungeons.
- It appeared and instantly attacked our only exit way, now everyone have to fight this monster with no way out of it.