Standing outside the Dungeon Area, where a small ten-story building with an old architectural style stood quietly, the students were divided into groups of fifteen.

Among them, Caelum found himself placed in the same group as Anastasia, Loreal, and Bonjour.

Paul and Skyler were assigned to another group, while Sénior ended up elsewhere, and Ryan had apparently missed the PDD due to a medical issue.

As Caelum observed his surroundings, he noticed two familiar faces among the seniors assigned to oversee the groups.

The senior in charge of his own group was none other than the "sauce guy" from the Ball he had attended nearly two years ago, who still seemed to throw occasional hidden glares in his direction.

Meanwhile, Paul’s group was under the supervision of Senior Chad, the same person who had dragged Ryan away to Dr. Heinz Doomshmirtz the previous day.

"Listen carefully," Teacher Dorian began, addressing all the students at once.

"First two groups from each class will enter the dungeon. Inside, your objective is to defeat monsters, which will reward you points based on their difficulty. You must accumulate at least 100 points to pass this test, and keep in mind that there is a time limit, so you cannot afford to waste time."

He paused briefly before continuing, his tone turning slightly more serious.

"You will be under constant observation by the teachers, so do not attempt to cheat by stealing another student’s kill or sabotaging someone. If you find yourself in a situation you cannot handle, you may call for help, and your assigned senior will intervene immediately. However, doing so will be considered forfeiting the test."

With that, Dorian stepped inside, and along with the other teachers, signaled the senior students to proceed with their respective groups.

The instructors themselves would remain in the observation room at the top of the dungeon, monitoring everything, while the remaining students would wait for their turn once the first batch completed their run.

Caelum’s group, along with Sénior’s, was among the first to enter.

"Let’s go, and stay alert," Ethan said as he led Caelum’s group toward the entrance.

As they stepped inside, the atmosphere subtly shifted.

Not just the atmosphere, the entire tower subtly trembled, isolating itself from the outside world.

Those waiting beyond its walls remained completely unaware as a hidden illusion spell masked the disturbance and made everything appear normal, allowing them to continue waiting without suspicion.

Within the dungeon, each group was transported to a different starting location, a result of the dungeon’s internal mechanisms.

"From this point onward, I will not intervene. You may hunt as a group or individually, but remember Teacher Dorian’s warning," Ethan said before disappearing, already moving to investigate the anomaly.

At the same time, he intended to alert the other senior students in advance, as the atmosphere within the dungeon felt slightly unsettling to him.

"I feel like going solo," Caelum muttered, glancing around.

"Yeah, I don’t want to be dragged down by someone weaker than me," Bonjour replied without hesitation before running off in another direction, Caelum’s eyes twitched hearing that.

The area they had entered resembled a dense forest, with tall trees surrounding them on all sides and an artificial sun shining faintly overhead, casting an unnatural but consistent light across the environment.

Nearby, several students had already begun forming groups.

Caelum’s gaze drifted toward Anastasia, who was currently standing with three others, forming a group of four.

’...?’

He raised an eyebrow slightly, sensing something off.

"Are you forming a group as well?" he asked, addressing Loreal, as Anastasia and the other two girls turned their attention toward him.

"Hmph. We’re not like you running around alone, and in an unfamiliar place like this, it’s obviously safer to stay in a group," Loreal replied with mild irritation.

Ever since their first meeting, she had developed a somewhat unfavorable opinion of Caelum, largely because of how casually he interacted with the princess.

"You’ve put together a rather nice group," Caelum said, his gaze briefly lingering on the two unfamiliar girls, who stiffened slightly under his scrutiny.

"Of course! We’ve known each other for a whole month now," Loreal replied proudly.

"Are you not teaming up with Bonjour?" Anastasia asked curiously.

"No, I think we both prefer hunting alone," Caelum answered, his eyes briefly shifting back toward Loreal.

"What are you staring at?" she snapped.

"Listen..." he leaned slightly closer and whispered something into her ear before turning away and leaving without another word.

"What did he say?" Anastasia asked with narrowed eyes, wondering what was so important that he needed to whisper her.

Loreal remained silent for a moment, her expression turning strangely conflicted as she watched Caelum’s retreating figure.

"Nothing..." she replied, though his words lingered in her mind, repeating themselves like an evil trick.

Meanwhile, Caelum wandered deeper into the forest, searching for his first target, something that would earn him points.

And soon enough, he found one. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"No way... no way," he muttered.

The bushes ahead rustled softly.

Wobble~

A small creature emerged.

It was a green slime.

’Why is it so small?’ Caelum wondered, staring at the creature, which was no larger than three stress balls combined.

The slime looked like a Level 1 creature, while Caelum, who had possessed aura since birth felt more like a Level 999 Demon Lord in comparison.

"Is this how a Demon Lord feels sparing a beginner hero?" he muttered under his breath.

His gaze shifted to the slime’s core, the small nucleus that served as its weak point. Destroying it would instantly end the creature’s existence.

"But still... why does this feel wrong?" he said quietly.

Green slimes were herbivorous creatures that posed no threat to nature – in fact, they were beneficial to the ecosystem.

As if sensing the danger, the slime trembled slightly before attempting to flee, its bounces were sluggish and ineffective compared to Caelum’s speed.

In an instant, Caelum closed the distance.

And thus, an evil cultivator prepared to eliminate a harmless herbivore within an artificial dungeon.