029. Field Test 4

They eventually settled down to rest, nursing their wounds and recovering their mana, finally giving in to Kael's earlier suggestion, though by now, it was nearly too late for such caution to matter.

The toll of battle weighed on their limbs, and the silence that followed felt heavy, broken only by the occasional sound of breathing and shifting gear.

After a while, Kael quietly wandered over to where the others sat, lowering himself onto the cold, unwelcoming ground.

He leaned back against the rough dungeon wall, his chest rising and falling in steady attempts to catch his breath. The ache in his body pulsed with each breath, but he made no complaint.

His eyes drifted toward the group as they began to eat, pulling out rations, biting into dried meat or bread, and sipping water to help it go down.

'The next segment should be the last one,' Kael thought, rubbing his fingers together absentmindedly.

'So far we've cleared four segments, and from everything I've read and experienced, a standard dungeon typically has five.'

He straightened slightly, his gaze locked on the massive dungeon gates that loomed in the distance, still sealed shut, patient in their silence, waiting for the party to draw near before opening.

"Unless there are anomalies," he added to himself with a trace of unease.

There were rare instances, told in whispers and old reports, where a dungeon would behave abnormally, its core somehow giving birth to sub-dungeons within itself.

When that happened, the usual five segments could multiply drastically, stretching as far as twenty or even twenty-five inner layers. Most adventurers never made it out of those.

Only a handful of survivors had returned to tell the tale, their eyes hollow and their minds barely intact.

And just like the structure of regular dungeons, there was a telltale difference in their layout, something subtle but noticeable.

Standard dungeons tended to follow a linear or branching design, while the anomalous ones often shifted into circular, nested patterns the deeper one went.

The atmosphere also changed: where normal dungeon lanterns glowed in hues of yellow or red, these deeper, unstable dungeons pulsed with unnatural light, blue or even purple flames that cast strange shadows along the walls.

So far, he hadn't noticed any of the telltale signs that marked a deviation from the standard dungeon structure, no abnormal lamp colors, no warped geometry, no shifts in mana density. That meant they were safe, at least for now.

Kael pulled his bag closer and unzipped it with a quiet rasp. He reached inside, rummaging past spare cloth and tools until his fingers closed around the cold shape of a water can. With a sigh, he brought it out, zipped the bag shut, and cracked open the lid.

He raised it to his lips and began drinking, taking long, steady gulps. The water was lukewarm and tasted metallic, but it did its job, soothing his dry throat and washing out the lingering taste of iron.

Blood clung to the corners of his mouth, and he swished a final mouthful before spitting it to the side, letting it mix with the dust and grime that coated the dungeon floor.

'Hopefully we don't run into anything abnormal, at least not until we've made it out of here alive,' he thought grimly.

With a practiced flick of his wrist, he tossed the empty can aside, letting it clatter against the stone. He didn't bother with the hygiene of the place, survival had long since outweighed the luxury of cleanliness.

His gaze drifted back to the others. They were nearly done eating now, brushing crumbs from their gloves, tightening straps, and putting away containers.

That meant it was almost time, time to regroup, time to decide their next move before they crossed the threshold into whatever waited beyond the final segment or what they hoped was the final segment.

Kael rose to his feet, brushing faint dust from his pants as he slung his bag over one shoulder. His muscles protested slightly, but the brief rest had helped.

With slow, measured steps, he drifted toward the group and eased himself down beside them. The bag landed with a soft thud at his side as he folded his legs crosswise, resting his palms calmly on his thighs.

"So... what's next?" he asked, his voice level but edged with a quiet seriousness.

"The next segment should be the final one, our last fight before the test ends. If we're going to make it out without mistakes, we need to approach this carefully."

His gaze shifted between them as he spoke, measuring their reactions. Some looked thoughtful, others tense, none dismissive. He waited a beat longer, letting the weight of his words settle before silence took hold again.

"I've got a question," Lira said, snapping her bag closed after tucking away her food container.

"Where exactly did you come from before joining the academy? Or what were you doing before enrollment? You seem to know a lot about dungeons, not just textbook knowledge either. The rest of us, we've studied the theory, sure, but you talk like someone who's actually been in them."

Kael's eyes found hers, and he held them for a moment, caught slightly off guard. Her tone wasn't accusatory, more curious than anything else, but the question still hit closer than he liked.

A small smile curled on his lips, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. It wasn't a friendly smile, it was a nervous smile.

'If I tell them what i really did then, that means I'll be telling them about my mission with Reon and then they'll start expecting a lot from me'

"I just happened to pay attention during classes," he replied with a casual shrug, trying to keep his voice even.

"Back when I first started schooling, I studied a lot of dungeon theory. Guess I remembered more than I thought."

He offered the explanation lightly, as if it were nothing, but deep inside he hoped they'd buy it and move on.

The truth was murkier than he let on. Kael had never been a full-fledged dungeon hunter. Back then, his rank was low, painfully low, so low that he was usually left to tag along in two-segment beginner dungeons that barely registered on the charts.

Those runs were predictable, safe, often used for training or basic resource gathering. They were nothing like what they faced now.

His only real taste of a high-tier dungeon had come during a single, chaotic mission, when he'd accompanied Reon and a squad of elite hunters into a six-segment dungeon.

They'd faced a battle ogre there, a monstrous, brutal thing, and he'd seen firsthand just how terrifying a real dungeon could become.

But even then, he had followed, learned, and barely held his ground but he rest of them didn't need to know that.

"I see, well then...what do you think we should do next?" She asked for the others.

Dren dropped a brief glare at him before turning away, Kael understanding the situation offered a calm response, already understanding what the look meant and what was expected of him.

"Well, I am not the leader so I can't decide that. But based on what you guys said back at the start, I think it's actually time we choose a leader now, based on votes" he responded, with a faint smile.

The others glanced at each other before nodded in agreement, all except Dren, who remained off to the side, silent and expressionless.

He neither objected nor acknowledged the shift, just stared ahead, arms folded, as if the conversation didn't concern him.

"So you guys pick out two people you think should lead, Vote for the person you think should lead us through the final segment."

One by one, they casted their votes and the end product ended up becoming Dren. From their perspective, he hadn't done anything since he entered the dungeon except for giving them subtle ideas on how and when to advance.

But as newbies, the stronger one or the one who had proven himself to be stronger looked like the perfect fit for a leader.

Though, when the votes were tallied, someone spoke up, Mira, suggesting Kael be made sub-leader and the idea stuck instantly.

Even if he didn't fight like Dren, his deep understanding of dungeon mechanics, traps, segment structures, all of it had kept them alive. That knowledge, combined with his calm under pressure, was something they all respected, even if they didn't say it outright.

"Alright then, let's advance to the next segment" he said, picking up his bag and standing up.

They each gathered their gear and slung their bags over their shoulders, the quiet clink of weapons and supplies echoing softly off the stone walls.

One by one, they rose to their feet and began moving toward the looming gate that marked the entrance to the next segment, their footsteps steady but tense.

But just as they closed in, the entire dungeon let out a high-pitched, metallic screech, sharp enough to make them wince.

The ground trembled violently beneath their feet, forcing several of them to stagger or drop to a knee as the walls vibrated with a deep, unnatural hum.

Dust rained down from the ceiling, and somewhere behind them, a rock cracked and fell with a sharp clatter.

Then, right before their eyes, something began to form in the middle of the air, out of nothing.