"I’m already missing home!"

"Why do we even need to learn how to kill monsters? My servants can handle that for me!"

"I’m not even a mage or a warrior yet..."

"I heard from my brother that Practical Dungeon Diving usually starts after one year!"

The children reacted in various ways, ranging from fear to complaints. Even Anastasia seemed slightly confused by the sudden announcement.

Caelum, who hadn’t bothered reading the instructions stored in his school badge, turned to Paul for clarification.

"You don’t seem that bothered even after hearing that PDD is starting early," Paul said.

"Paul, why don’t you just explain?" Caelum replied casually.

Paul sighed.

Sometimes, he felt that carrying the name Paul itself was a burden.

Being friends with Caelum increasingly felt like a questionable life decision... but the promise of a future secured job was far too tempting to ignore.

"The Practical Dungeon Diving is essentially a subject where we gain real combat experience by fighting monsters," Paul explained.

"I’ve also heard that the artificial dungeons maintained by the school contain hidden legacies and treasures that only fated individuals can obtain!"

By the end of his explanation, Paul had become visibly excited.

Clap!

"Alright, enough chatter. I have more important announcements to make," Dorian interrupted.

The lecture continued afterward and dragged on until lunchtime.

***

"Why was that so boring? And nobody even tried to pick a fight with me," Sénior complained, clearly missing the more direct and violent culture he was used to.

’As expected, hunting beasts is still the best way to pass time,’ Bonjour thought, silently agreeing.

At that moment, Caelum walked up to them with a faintly mocking expression.

"Bjorn," he said, slightly mispronouncing the name.

"Don’t you think we have something to settle?"

Paul sighed the moment he saw this.

He already knew where this was going.

Caelum was definitely trying to start trouble.

Loreal and Anastasia also turned their attention toward the scene, as did many of their classmates.

Paul’s glasses flashed dramatically.

"I suppose we never had a proper introduction," Bonjour said with mild annoyance.

"Let’s have a proper battle! I will stake my name on it!" Sénior declared enthusiastically.

"Did you really have to do this?" Anastasia asked Caelum, who now appeared to be deep in thought.

As a princess, she felt a slight responsibility to keep things from escalating.

"Let’s change locations," Caelum said calmly.

A Few Minutes Later...

Bonjour and Sénior sat opposite Caelum and Paul.

Anastasia and Loreal stood nearby, acting as judges.

"Humans are definitely strange," Sénior muttered, his expression complicated.

He had expected a duel of warriors.

Instead, this had somehow turned into a duel of food.

’No matter how I think about it... why did I agree to this nonsense? Was I influenced by some evil spirit?’ Bonjour wondered internally.

Still, as a warrior in both heart and body, he would never back down from a challenge – whether it was combat... or eating.

A small crowd had already gathered to watch the spectacle. Even the cafeteria staff chose not to interfere.

They were currently inside the school cafeteria, where a wide variety of nutritious meals were served to students.

Although the food was technically not free, as the cost had already been included in their academic fees.

The chefs working here were among the finest in the Empire.

From a distance, the Head of the Food Faculty, Jordon Ramtalk, a slim middle-aged man with curly blond hair and a stoic expression, observed the scene.

"Oh, for fuck’s sake... this is exactly why I like kids!" he muttered with exaggeration.

He quickly instructed nearby staff to supervise the situation carefully.

He could tolerate many things, but food waste was not one of them.

Still, seeing children resolve their conflict through a food duel instead of violence made him strangely impressed.

’What a visionary idea,’ Jordon Ramtalk thought as he casually strolled away.

Although he did not appear here regularly, his main purpose today was to ensure that the new students were receiving proper meals.

And seeing such enthusiasm from them made it difficult for him to suppress a faint chuckle.

"I’m definitely asking the higher-ups for a raise."

Meanwhile, Anastasia looked at the four of them with a slightly strange expression as Loreal nudged her from the side.

"Do you really need to do this, Princess?"

Anastasia shook her head lightly, her gaze still fixed on the scene in front of her.

Spread across the table was an absurd amount of food, each dish released a rich and distinct aroma. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

From eggs to roasted legs! Nothing had been spared.

Around them, students had gathered, whispering among themselves, wondering who would finish first... or whether any of them would even survive the challenge.

The quantity of food was so overwhelming that even five people eating together would struggle to finish it.

"Alright, start," Anastasia signaled calmly.

The moment she gave the signal, Bonjour, Sénior, and Caelum lunged at the food like starving beasts.

Paul, on the other hand, felt extremely nervous.

He was now eating in front of dozens of people who had gathered solely to watch them... eat.

Still, after a moment of hesitation, he slowly joined in.

"Minisaur meat, shy spinach, spicy pie, fish, earthroot, Mckn fingers... my god, they’re either going to die after this or evolve into legendary creatures."

"I can believe that for those three, but the one with glasses looks pretty normal."

"Now that you mention it..."

"I’m getting hungry just watching them."

"The kitchen staff is definitely going to suffer today, haha!"

Bonjour and Sénior devoured the food using both hands without restraint, while Caelum, relying on sheer speed and precision, tried to keep up with them

However, he was clearly losing.

Their massive builds and even more massive mouths, gave them a natural advantage.

Meanwhile, Paul sat at the side, calmly eating at his own pace, completely ignoring the competition.

He looked oddly content, probably because this was a state sponsored meal for him.

"Damn it, Paul! Show them your hidden supernatural power!" Caelum shouted, causing the surroundings to grow even noisier.

"What?! He has a supernatural power?!"

"Oh god... is he one of the Blessed?"