026. The Field Test

They finished preparing within the hour they were given, and soon enough, they were ready to advance into the dungeon as instructed by their instructor.

But before they could enter, they had to listen to a few tips about the dungeon—guidance that might prove useful once they were inside.

"Alright, students," the instructor began,

"like I said earlier, if there's any trouble, don't hesitate to call for help. Once you go through those gates, we've been ordered to shut them down—for safety reasons and to evaluate your survival skills. We'll be watching from the cameras hidden inside, but keep in mind—not everything can be seen through them."

"Whatever you do, stick together and work as a team. If anyone goes missing... then do your best and survive."

'They're shutting the gates and telling us to survive... which means they're not really sure how safe it is in there. Typical—as usual,' Kael thought.

Then the instructor gestured for them to begin advancing into the dungeon gates, one by one.

As soon as they were all inside, the gates began to close behind them. The last thing they saw was their instructor—and several others nearby who looked like technicians and hunters, likely on standby in case something went wrong.

'Several hunters on standby. How safe is this dungeon really?' he thought as he watched the gates close behind them.

As soon as the gates shut behind them, Kael turned and took a long glance at his group, quietly evaluating their potential—judging by their expressions, posture, and how they carried themselves.

"Not exactly the team type... they all have their individual problems," he murmured to himself as he stared at them.

Then one of them stepped forward.

"Alright, you heard the instructor. We've all been tasked with doing everything we can to survive and pass this test—which means, naturally, we need a leader to guide us."

Kael stared at him, eyes narrowing slightly.

'He's right… but how can we choose a leader when we know nothing about each other?'

'The leader obviously has to be smart, brave, and ready to sacrifice for the team's survival. In all honesty… I doubt any of them can actually lead us—including myself.'

'It would be best if we all just work together instead,' he thought, but he didn't voice it out, just waited for another person to say it.

"We can't choose a leader yet, Dren. Let's advance into the dungeon first—and whoever proves themselves will be elected by majority vote," Lira said as she stepped forward and objected.

'She has a point.'

Rowen nodded and spoke up in support. "I agree with her. We can't choose someone to lead us when we know almost nothing about each other—especially in situations like this. It's better if we evaluate one another as we go and vote along the way."

Everyone stared at each other for a moment before slowly nodding in agreement with the plan.

"Alright then, let's advance into the inner dungeon and slay some beasts," Dren announced with a smirk, stepping ahead of the group.

Kael watched them move forward before picking up his gear and following behind. He could already feel the mana flowing through the dungeon—it was light, which meant they were safe… for now.

'Nothing out of the ordinary for now, but you can never be too careful.'

As they advanced deeper into the dungeon, they came across small creatures—harmless ones—but some of the group went out of their way to slay them anyway, more out of pride than necessity. They just wanted to prove how strong they were.

'I wonder if there are any plants I can use to prepare potions once I'm back at school. It's been a while since I last brewed anything,' Kael thought, glancing around as he walked, trying to take note of the plants growing in the area.

He noticed a faintly glowing herb growing at the edge of a stalactite. Quietly, he walked closer, ignoring the noisy group behind him as they cheered and slayed more harmless creatures.

'I've seen this somewhere before...' he thought, narrowing his eyes at the plant as he tried to recall.

Then, without hesitation, he pulled up the system menu to check the status of the plant.

[System Notification]

Item Identified: Luminous Nightleaf

Type: Rare Herb

Affinity: Light-based

Effect: When processed correctly, this herb can be used to craft a potion that enhances vision in low-light environments and temporarily boosts light-element affinity.

Condition: Fresh — optimal for harvesting.

Note: Caution advised. Overuse in potions may lead to light sensitivity or mana imbalance.

Recommended Tool: Precision Herb Knife (Optional for increased yield)

Rarity: ★★★★☆]

'This sounds like an interesting plant,' he thought, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

He knelt beside it and slowly began to harvest the herb with his bare hands, careful and precise. A quiet tug of joy spread across his face—rare, but genuine.

Soon, he noticed the mana in the cave had grown slightly denser after they passed through the inner cave door. It wasn't overwhelming, but just enough to signal that stronger beasts awaited them ahead—far more dangerous than the harmless ones they'd encountered before.

'The inner segment. We're getting closer to it,' he thought as he followed them close behind.

The caves were usually divided into segments, with the weakest beasts occupying the outermost areas. The deeper you ventured, the stronger the creatures became—until, eventually, you reached the boss or queen that ruled over the entire dungeon.

"Guys, we've entered the inner segment," Kael finally spoke up, breaking his silence since they first stepped into the dungeon.

"That means we need to start conserving our mana and energy. I'd advise we rely less on flashy skills and more on initiative—and stick together if we want a better chance at surviving."

The others who understood what Kael meant nodded at his words, while those who didn't—like Dren and Rowen—simply sighed.

"This dungeon is barely E-rank. I could clear it on my own without breaking a sweat, so don't bother with your useless logic," Dren scoffed, then turned and moved ahead without waiting for anyone.

Kael glanced at the few who had nodded in agreement. That was what mattered most to him—not whatever Dren said or meant.