"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the announcer’s voice rang off the speakers. "Specialist-D ended up taking the lion share of the kills with Renan Falconhart killing both the last Kong and the King of Kongs, boss of the Dungeon!"

Cheers and applause filled the platform.

"However, after meticulous planning, teamwork by gathering the most rescues, team points, strategy points, the second most kill points, the second most loot points, and finally, securing the artifact...

...Summoner-D is the winner of Class Group-D’s Dungeon Expedition Score Runs!"

The Summoner section, identified by the green banner at the side, erupted into cheers and applause. Many of them jumped to their feet, laughing, clapping and jubilating at the sight of their Class Group standing tall before others on the leaderboard.

[ 1. Summoner-D : 2995 ]

[ 2. Specialist-D : 2600 ]

[ 3. Elementalist-D : 1057 ]

[ 4. Enchanter-D : 890 ]

It was the first time ever that this was happening for the Summoner Class Group. Starting off the Inter-Class Competitions at the very top was a good thing. Whoever spent the most time at the top ended with a lot of Tributes even if they didn’t win the competition at the end.

Ms. Maecil was the most joyous of all. Despite the odds, despite them being dead last by the time of the Gorilla Crown Hollow, her team had managed to pull through and come out first.

Spectra’s multiple killing of the crowd of beasts, Min Tu killing one of the Kongs, and Lancet claiming the artifact was enough to get them the victory.

Bright blue motes of light appeared in the center of the field, right in front of the Dungeon Gate. First, Renan and the remainder of Specialist-D appeared, welcomed back by the applause of their fellow Class Group members.

Next, Lancet and the team materialized, the only Group that finished the competition with a full squad and went on to win.

The applause grew louder. Maecil urged her students to raise their voices. Even their seniors in Summoner-C through A had no choice but to congratulate them as well.

"Rather than fighting each other for the artifact," the announcer continued, "the two Class Groups decided to work together to take down the Kongs and claim the artifact. Like I said, sabotage is allowed, but so is teamwork. You can choose to weaken your opponents or work together.

"And today, Summoner- and Specialist-D have reminded us that the latter is an option that we all still have."

Lancet and Renan looked at each other, Lancet’s blue eyes studying Renan’s silver ones. They said nothing to each other, only a thread of understanding, subtle in its way, passed through them.

Then, they turned and headed towards their various sections.

High above on the golden table, Danistasia watched the procession with a not-so-pleased expression on her cold, beautiful face. Remembering Ordenance was sitting beside her, she slowly looked at his direction and smirked mockingly.

"You must be enjoying this, aren’t you," she said in her oddly sweet tone.

Ordenance looked at her then returned to the center of the platform, his brows creasing like he was trying not to let her invade his mind. "I can’t say I dislike it, Headmistress."

"Oh you cherish it," Danistasia rolled her eyes. "This giddy... heart-touching nonsense. Making teams with your opponents who you’re supposed to be in a competition with? How greatly ignorant is that? Would they form friendships with Demons too in the middle of a raid?"

Ordenance cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice level and temperament in check. "I don’t think that was the point."

"Then what is the point?" Danistasia snapped. "The Demon Lords are the most powerful beings in existence. They seek our world and they’re using the most darkest of powers to claim it. Do you think the power of friendship will stop the disaster that awaits us?"

Ordenance looked at her. "No," he said with an almost soothing tone. "But unity will."

The Ice Witch stared at him, her eyes cold wide that it looked like a glare. After a moment, she replied. "Of course it’s unity. We must all be unified to take them down."

"So let us foster unity, Danistasia."

"No!" the Headmistress almost shouted. "You have it all wrong, Ordenance. Why are you this naive? We foster strength. We push others to grow stronger, to rise. Don’t you see, Ordenance? There is unity in strength."

Ordenance shook his head. "That is where you and I differ, Danistasia," he said calmly. "I believe there is strength in unity."

Danistasia stared at him, her frustration showing in her usual cold, self assured face. She didn’t know what else to say—a rare thing for someone like her—so she said nothing.

She lowered her gaze to the crowd, her eyes dropping to the Summoner section where Lancet Leogardt was sitting.

As though Lancet could feel the piercing gaze of someone, he raised his head to the golden table on the higher stands. His blue gaze locked immediately with Danistasia’s.

They gazed at each other for a while. For a really long while. It was like she wasn’t going to relent.

’What the hell does she want?’ Lancet wondered.

Finally, Danistasia looked away, her expression was tight, tighter than it usually was. This led Lancet to believe that she was probably frustrated, overwhelmed with a thought. And it likely had something to do with him.

But Lancet quickly chased the thought away.

He couldn’t afford to worry about the Headmistress right now, nor could he bask in the glory of their hard-fought victory. He had much bigger, vastly more immediate problems festering right inside his own chest.

He looked down at his hands. They were still trembling slightly.

The memory of the King Kong Kave rushed back with terrifying clarity—the suffocating heat, the descending boulder-fists, and worst of all, the absolute, hollow emptiness he had felt when his Radiant Cross Shield shattered. When his Grace flatlined.

In that split second of total helplessness, facing the crushing weight of a Level 60 Boss, he had almost done it. He felt himself reaching for Gloom. It hadn’t been a conscious, calculated choice; it was pure, desperate survival.

And that was exactly what terrified him.

"Having a defective Grace channel is bad news for me. So, I need you to learn to use the other avenue."

Spectra’s velvety, demonic whisper echoed in the quiet corners of his mind. The Mother of Gehenna had been so sure of herself, so playful and confident that he would eventually succumb to the dark energy lingering in his broken core.

But Gloom was the power source of Gehenna, the second world. It was what the Demon Lords wielded to cause destruction. Succumbing to that kind of dark power, Lancet knew for sure it would change him one way or the other.

Most likely not for the better.

Lancet clenched his trembling hands into tight fists.

He couldn’t let that happen. He refused to become a puppet to a character he had written himself, shackled to the dark whims of a demoness just to survive his own story. The temptation was growing too strong, the necessity in battle too dire.

He couldn’t hold back the creation of his new Heroine/ Villainess any longer.

If the greatest healers in the academy couldn’t mend the catastrophic damage to his Grace channels, then he would simply have to write one into existence who could. He needed someone with a power so profound, so absolute, that it could knit his shattered core back together and purge the temptation of the Gloom for good.

Lancet leaned back against the stadium bleachers, the jubilant roar of Summoner-D fading into dull background noise as his mind began to race with concepts, traits, and complex magical parameters.

He had to do it tonight. He had to create her fast, before that scarlet witch tempted him again.