027. Field Test 2

They continued pressing forward through the dense terrain, and just as he had warned, the beasts they encountered began to grow noticeably more formidable—significantly stronger than the ones they had faced in the previous segment.

'This is really starting to get stressful, and I don't think I'm ready for this.'

He stood over the carcass, chest heaving as he panted from the effort it took to split the beast cleanly in two. Its body lay motionless at his feet, a gory line drawn straight through its center.

Lifting his head, Kael's eyes drifted toward the others still locked in battle with their own targets. So far, not a single one of them had bothered to activate their abilities—relying instead on basic combat techniques.

Because of that, Kael hadn't been able to glean anything useful about their affinities or powers, leaving him with no notes to store away for future encounters.

'I wonder when they'll be forced to start using their abilities.'

He pivoted and caught sight of one member shrinking into the rear, practically swallowed by the shadows, while the others surged ahead, carving through each on-rushing beast and butchering the creatures the very moment they breached striking distance.

'Who's that? I haven't seen him in class before.' Kael narrowed his gaze, watching the boy tremble near the edge of the group.

'He looks terrified—must be his first time.' A faint chuckle slipped from his lips as he watched the student flinch at the distant cry of another beast.

'He reminds me of myself back when I first started dungeon raiding,' Kael mused, his expression briefly softening.

'It was a miserable experience—awkward, disorienting, and nearly fatal more than once. But now... now it's the foundation of everything I rely on. Every lesson from back then, every mistake—I've turned them into knowledge.'

Kael smiled faintly and turned away from the trembling student, shifting his gaze back to the group. Most of them were doubled over, panting hard, sweat dripping from their temples as they stood over the bloodied remains of their kills.

'So far, we've only passed through three segments... the next one should be tougher than this.'

His eyes drifted toward the looming archway ahead, where the ironbound gates groaned open on their own, revealing a dim, cavernous corridor stretching into shadow.

A tight feeling coiled in his gut.

'I don't feel good about stepping through those doors... almost like something's waiting on the other side—something dangerous.'

He exhaled, then spoke up clearly before anyone could move.

"I think we should recover the energy we've wasted—drink water, catch our breath—before we go through those gates. I don't have a good feeling about this."

As expected, Dren scoffed, loud enough for everyone to hear. He rolled his shoulders and stepped forward with that arrogant swagger he always wore.

"You really love taking things carefully slow, don't you?" he said with a smirk.

"Don't you get it? The faster we get this over with, the faster we leave this dump and collect our scores. Don't let your guts fool you—there's nothing dangerous here. The instructor said so, didn't he?"

Kael reasoned his words but didn't back down.

"Yes, he did. But that doesn't mean we should let our guard down. Those gates weren't open before for a reason, Dren. They don't know what lies beyond them—none of us do. Rushing in like we're elites will get someone killed. We need to be smart about this. We're still trainees, not heroes."

Dren let out an irritated sigh, then turned to the rest of the group, lifting his arms as if rallying a crowd.

"If we listen to him, we'll be here all day," he said, his voice louder now.

"We've already made it this far without any real danger. Why act like cowards now?"

He paused, narrowing his eyes.

"If you're with me, then let's move. If not, stay back with him and sip water like weaklings."

There was a moment of silence. Eyes flicked between Kael and Dren, but neither of them moved.

Saya's voice finally broke the stillness, quiet but audible.

"I don't know… Dren might be right. The instructor did say we'd be safe in this training raid. Maybe we should just keep going…"

She glanced uncertainly around, clearly looking for someone to back her up.

Kael watched the shifting expressions, noting how easily a few words and false confidence swayed a crowd.

"Fine then," Kael muttered, rising just enough to brush past Dren's arrogance without looking at him.

"You all can go ahead with him. I'm staying here to recover before I catch up."

He stepped away from the group and made his way to a nearby rock jutting out of the ground, half-buried in the dirt. Sitting down with a quiet exhale, he let his bag slip off his shoulder and fall beside him with a soft thud.

From it, he pulled out a half-wrapped loaf of bread and a small bottle of water—simple, but enough.

He opened the bottle first, tilted it back, and took deep gulps until the tension in his throat eased. Then he unwrapped the bread, tearing off chunks and chewing slowly, letting his body settle from the earlier strain.

Behind him, a few of the others lingered, glancing back. The sound of Kael eating—the crinkle of the wrapper, the crunch of the bread—seemed to trigger something primal in them.

But before that thought could take root, Dren's voice cut through the air again, sharp and impatient.

"Aren't you guys coming or what?!"

Startled, they spun around and moved quickly toward him, their hesitation swallowed by the pull of the majority.

Even the boy who had been trembling at the rear followed without a word, clutching his gear tightly to his chest. Probably just trying not to be left behind.

Kael simply watched them from where he sat, his expression calm, the bread still in his hand as he chewed and swallowed.

One by one, they crossed the threshold into the next segment of the dungeon, their silhouettes swallowed by the gloom.

Kael took one last bite and let out a quiet sigh.

'Oh well... I'll catch up to them anyway.'