A few moments earlier...

Dungeon Observation Room.

Although the interior of the observation room followed the same old architectural style as the dungeon to maintain consistency, it was far more spacious and refined.

Five teachers were present inside, each stationed near a set of floating screens that displayed real-time footage of the students.

The entire dungeon was embedded with advanced observation spells, allowing every movement within it to be monitored.

"Who do you think will reach one hundred points in the shortest time?" Dorian asked casually, sipping on his bitter herbal coffee, a drink he seemed to enjoy far more than most.

"Hmph. I just hope this ends quickly. My duty was supposed to be in the afternoon, but because of that damn Stein, I’m stuck overworking," Johnson complained while grooming his neatly trimmed mustache.

"Come on, Sir Johnson, it’s not like you dislike Stein’s work. He’s still relatively new here, so shouldn’t we support him instead?" Lumi said, her tone gentle yet firm.

She was the same instructor who had appeared earlier as the school’s representative in State 5.

"Miss Lumi, it’s not like that. That man is simply too... irregular with his schedule," Johnson replied, his tone noticeably more controlled.

He clearly didn’t want to appear unreasonable in front of her, especially given his personal interest in her.

"I still remember how dedicated Stein is to his research. Honestly, I feel like I should strive to be like him," another teacher, Oliver, added thoughtfully.

"You could still be that dedicated even now," Vivian remarked lightly.

The conversation gradually faded as their attention returned to the screens, where students had already begun encountering low-level monsters.

For their first session, the academy had deliberately chosen the safest possible creatures, primarily slimes on the 1st Level, ensuring minimal risk for now.

"That barbarian seems rather unlucky," Vivian commented.

On one of the screens, Bonjour had encountered a Poisonous Slime, a slightly rarer variant.

Although dangerous in the wild, the dungeon’s version had been controlled, meaning the worst outcome would be minor skin irritation.

"Barbarians belong beyond the mountains. I still don’t understand what the Headmaster was thinking when admitting him," Johnson muttered dismissively.

"Don’t worry, Sir Johnson. Since you seem to dislike students so much, perhaps we should send you into the dungeon as well. I must say, I’m rather relieved Stein isn’t here, I wouldn’t want to deal with whatever strange artifacts he might have brought," Oliver said with a faint smile.

Johnson narrowed his eyes, sensing something off.

"What exactly are you–!"

Before he could finish, a blade pierced through his chest, narrowly missing his heart by mere inches.

"YOU–!" Dorian shouted.

Slash!

Lumi reacted instantly, unleashing a terrifying yellow strike that forced distance between Johnson and Oliver.

"You had better give me a proper explanation, or you won’t leave this place alive," she said coldly, her killing intent flooding the room and making the air feel suffocating.

"I don’t feel like explaining," Oliver replied calmly.

"Why don’t you worry about yourself first, Lumi?"

The moment he finished speaking, Vivian suddenly released a dense cloud of poisonous gas.

Everything it touched began to corrode and melt, filling the room with a deadly haze.

"You too?!" Lumi exclaimed as she moved swiftly, using a movement technique to evade the gas, while Dorian immediately cast a 4th Circle wind spell – [Cyclone Cage], creating a great vortex that trapped and contained the poison.

"Why are you doing this?!" Lumi demanded, her voice trembling with anger. The betrayal from trusted colleagues struck deeper than she expected.

"This is for a greater cause, Lumi. Someone like you, who has never truly lost anything, could never understand," Oliver said, his expression eerily calm.

"Damn it, Johnson! Didn’t Oliver act like your subordinate at times? Do you know anything about this?" Dorian asked urgently.

Johnson coughed up a mouthful of blood, his condition critical, yet his eyes burned with fury.

"I’ll kill him myself," he growled, forcing himself to stabilize his breathing.

For a mage, mental composure was everything, even in such a dire state.

Quietly, he consumed a high-grade healing potion.

Then, suddenly a primal fear gripped all three of them.

Oliver and Vivian’s expressions twisted unnaturally as their eyes turned pitch black, within which faint, hollow stars shimmered.

"All of this is for the descent of the Greater Void. Rejoice, insignificant beings, for you are about to witness its majesty," they spoke in unison, their voices layered as they began chanting an incantation in an unknown language.

"I think they’re cultists... no, something far worse," Dorian muttered, feeling the ominous aura intensify.

"We need to reach the dungeon core and warn the others, or none of us will survive this," Lumi said urgently.

"Not to mention... the youngest princess is inside," Johnson added grimly.

Their expressions darkened.

At the center of the room, Oliver and Vivian stood guarding the Dungeon Core, a rotating crystal suspended above a stone pillar, it was the control of this dungeon.

’They’ve secured the core and critically injured me... this was planned long in advance,’ Johnson communicated telepathically.

’But what exactly are they trying to achieve? And someone else must be helping them from within, the students are in danger, we need to finish this fast’ Lumi responded.

’But we can’t destroy the core, otherwise this dungeon may be at the risk of collapse if we fight these two with full force,’ Johnson said, if they destroyed the core it would alert others but the children inside would be at risk.

The core wasn’t just was the doorway to the next level, but also acted in maintaining the integrity of the dungeon, as the space within the dungeon was expanded.

’They mentioned a descent...’ Dorian added carefully, avoiding speaking that name aloud, he was aware sometimes names carried certain power.

A chilling realization struck all three simultaneously.

’Don’t tell me... is one of the students the vessel?’

"Give the signal," Oliver said, puzzling the three of them as nothing happened.

But in the next moment, their battle erupted, sending violent tremors through the entire dungeon.