“Suri, why are you dozing off?” Rin asked as they trudged through the snow, her breath turning to mist.

  “I’m not,” Suri said, eyes distant and unfocused. “I’m watching another first-year group fight ahead. They’re holding their ground… even if they got caught by surprise.”

  Her expression tightened. “Oh no.”

  Kana, noticing the shift, turned. “What is it?”

  “The number of monsters—they’ve doubled. Twice what we faced earlier.” Suri’s tone grew sharp. “If they’re overrun—”

  “Unless they throw the stone,” Wor-en interrupted calmly, hands behind his back, “we’re not helping yet but.. we must be ready to help in case the situation turns sour.”

  Kana frowned. “Do you think they’ll throw it?”

  Suri exhaled, her breath fogging the air. “If they have any sense, they will.”

  Kana looked toward the faint haze in the distance where the battle was taking place—the muffled clash of steel and faint roars carried by the wind. Her hand instinctively brushed against the bow on her back.

  “Then we shouldn’t wait,” Kana said. “Even if they haven’t called for help yet… we can at least stand beside them.”

  Standing here is a waste of exp.

  Wor-en tilted his head with a faint smile as if he was already expecting Kana’s response, “Well… it’s your call, leader.”

  Kana’s grin flashed, quick and fierce. “Then we go,” she said, tightening her cloak. “It’s a good day to harvest a lot of exp—I mean real life battle experience.”

  The group exchanged looks—half disbelief, half excitement—then broke into a sprint through the snow, the wind howling around them as they raced toward the sound of battle.

  ….

  As they trudged through the snow toward the faint clash ahead, a piercing wail split the air. It echoed through the trees, sharp enough to make even the northern soldiers flinch.

  “That’s… the crying stone,” Wor-en said, his calm voice cutting through the sudden silence. “They are calling for help.”

  Kana didn’t hesitate. “Boris! Hurry!” she shouted, her voice rising with the wind. “They’re just beyond that ridge—strike with all your might!”

  Boris nodded once, eyes blazing. “Aye leader!”

  He surged forward, snow exploding beneath his boots. The others followed—Adam close behind, Leo and Andel flanking him, their weapons already drawn. The distant sounds of battle grew clearer—the guttural roars of dungeon monsters, the frantic cries of students, and the metallic ring of clashing steel.

  Then came the roar—a deep, thunderous sound that seemed to rise from the ground itself. The earth trembled beneath their feet as Boris leapt forward.

  [Cleave]

  Kana raised her bow, the [Trueshot] energy swirling along her arm like faint smoke. She didn’t hold back this time—arrows flashed through the air, glowing faintly blue as they tore into the frost wolves before they could even reach the frontlines. Each shot found its mark; each beast that fell only drove her to loose another.

  “[Enhance Speed]!” Yuri shouted, casting enhancement spells that turned the northern soldiers into streaks of motion.

  Behind them, Suri and Rin watched the field with sharp eyes. Toby stood beside them, while Suri’s illusionary mist began to spread across the snow putting a veil of invisibility to the non combatants.

  The northern soldiers—grizzled men who had faced decades of winter war—found themselves momentarily still. They exchanged glances, half-smiles forming beneath their frost-stiffened beards as they watched the young students butcher the monsters with ruthless precision.

  Of course, none of them lowered their guard. Their grips tightened around their spears or swords—ready to intervene if even a single creature slipped through the slaughter.

  Then, from the far side of the battlefield, another squad of students arrived with their own northern unit. The field became chaos and light—flames, arrows, and blades tearing through snow and monsters alike. And a thin skeleton covered with thick clothes sweeping the battlefield.

  Kana still had plenty of arrows left, but she decided to save them. Every shot drained a bit of her stamina — a side effect of her passive skill, [Trueshot]. So she holstered her bow and drew her daggers instead, weaving between fallen bodies and Roy’s skeletal summon. The bony figure slashed with unnerving precision, and Kana matched its rhythm, their blades flashing as if playing under the pale light.

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  Normally, she’d hang back and snipe a few monsters for fun. But this time was different.

  All she could see were experience points — countless, glittering walking exp just waiting to be claimed.

  If only leveling didn’t feel so slow with so many party members. She sighed mid-swing, parrying an incoming strike. There should be a bar for this, she thought. A little progress meter after every kill… Wouldn’t that be nice?

  Then she froze for a second. Wait—why isn’t there one?

  The thought vanished as Boris’s roar split the cold air. His spear flared, striking the final Ice Lizardman in half. The battlefield fell silent.

  Zia placed a hand on Wor-en’s shoulder. The professor was still staring, wide-eyed, as if counting the monsters in his head — and giving up halfway.

  “This kingdom’s future is quite bright,” Zia said softly.

  Wor-en let out a weary chuckle. “I agree.” His eyes followed Kana, Suri, Boris, and the others as they celebrated the victory with laughter and disbelief. “They’re weird sometimes— reckless even — but this might just be the most talented generation the academy has ever seen.”

  The students cheered, their voices echoing across the snow. The northern soldiers, who had seen too many bleak winters, couldn’t help but smile. For the first time in a long while, the frozen plains didn’t feel so cold.

  …

  Most of the students drank the bitter mana potions right after the clash, wincing at the taste but forcing them down anyway. The two groups soon huddled together, their voices rising with energy as they were telling their exaggerated stories — each one swearing they struck down the biggest frost wolves or ice lizardmen

  Kana half-listened, her attention drawn to the low conversation between the two professors nearby.

  “The monsters are different from what we expected,” Professor Enry murmured, his brow furrowed.

  “Already reported it,” Wor-en replied. “Suri relayed the message to the northern fortress using her illusion. Still no response yet.”

  Kana caught the words with no response and frowned slightly.

  “Then we proceed?” Enry asked.

  Wor-en nodded, his tone lighter than his eyes. “We continue on our route.”

  “Suri!” Wor-en called, waving a hand.

  Suri stood, brushing snow from her knees as she approached. “Yes, professor?”

  “Can you attach a few of your scout illusions to them? The other groups,” Wor-en asked.

  “I was planning to,” she said with a small smile.

  Enry cleared his throat. “If possible… could you assign at least one scout illusion per group? Just for safety.”

  Suri closed her eyes briefly, her pupils flickering with faint light. “I can’t see everyone clearly yet, but I’m already tracking seven groups — four first-year, two second-year, and one third-year. I should be able to find the rest in a few hours.”

  “That’s impressive,” Enry said, though his voice carried more worry than praise.

  Wor-en glanced at her as well. “Will it drain your mana? We’ll be facing more monsters soon.”

  “Not really,” Suri replied with a confident grin. “I can manage. My mana is probably the largest in the academy..”

  “You wish.” Wor-en said while Suri already ran to the other group of students.

  Enry sighed, rubbing his temples. “I have a bad feeling about this expedition.”

  “Really?” Wor-en smirked, nodding toward the noisy crowd. “Look at my students. They’re actually fired up — after all that, they’re arguing over who killed more monsters.”

  Enry stared for a moment, listening to the exaggerated shouts and laughter echoing in the cold air.

  “...You’re not wrong,” he admitted at last,”I hope it’ll continue this way. It just feels.. wrong.”

  …..

  It was one of the rooms built within the thick walls of the northern fortress. The air inside was tense, heavy with the smell of wax and parchment.

  “Based on the reports and sightings,” Professor Light said, pointing to the map spread on the table, “there are only two routes where the dungeon monsters have changed.”

  Principal Light stepped closer, the glow from the nearby brazier reflecting on his pale skin. He nodded slowly, marking the two routes on the large map pinned to the wall.

  “The prince’s theory might be right,” King J said, cloaked in black beside him. His hood shadowed his face, but the tone carried certainty. “Their targets are the gold badge holders.”

  Light’s eyes moved to the stack of letters beside him. “Suri confirmed the same,” he said quietly, double-checking the contents. “Her illusions caught unusual monsters along their paths.”

  “Should we send the two royal knights, as the prince suggested?” Light asked.

  “I still have doubts,” said King J, seated at the far end of the table. His voice was calm, but the weight of command filled the room. “It’s been years since we’ve had gold badge holders among the students.”

  He leaned forward, his gaze steady on Light. “You have no idea who was assigned as their adventurer escort?”

  “I heard it’s an Ageless,” Light replied. “But if she’s silver-ranked, she must be one of the younger ones. Perhaps she’s simply curious about the recent activity in the human realms.”

  King J chuckled, low and dry. “You cannot measure the Ageless by human ranks, Light. I once saw her spar against my uncle.”

  He paused, his eyes narrowing. “It was a one-sided fight. She’s likely among the top of the gold class, if not beyond.”

  “Then why remain in the silver rank?” Light grunted.

  “Because rank means nothing. Nothing for them. Unlike us,” King J said simply.

  A moment of silence passed, broken only by the crackle of firewood. Then King J straightened, his tone turning sharp.

  “Our plan changes.”

  Light looked up.

  “This could be our only chance,” the king continued. “The one behind the dungeon summoning should still be occupied to increase the dungeon activity— either within or near one of these dungeons.”

  He raised his voice. “Royal Knights!”

  The sound echoed through the hall as four figures entered, their armor gleaming faintly in the dim light.

  “Your mission,” King J declared, “is to capture or eliminate the individual responsible for the dungeon summoning while they are still targeting the gold badge holders.”

  He pointed to the marked region on the map. “Focus your search here. If the range of their magic is as wide as we fear, this area will be the middle of everything.”

  “Artin, Lex, Nold, Tasha.”

  The four knights knelt, heads bowed in unison.

  “I entrust this quest to you,” King J said, “You are the swiftest and most elusive among the royal knights. Capture or kill the [Dungeoneer] to end this once and for all.”

  “Are you certain about the [Dungeoneer]?” Light doubted its existence, a class like that was absurd.

  “We will find out soon..” King J said, ”Whether the prince is right.. or not.”

  A beat passed.

  “Failure is not an option. This might be our one and only chance.”