After a short walk, Mikael spotted Amelia standien blue-colored portals, which served as the dungeorahey were in an open space designated as the css meeting point. The rest of the css was already there, but he ighem, fog solely on her. Her arms were crossed, and her foot tapped impatiently against the stone floor. She wore the cssic white-and-gold Academy uniform, yet there was an undeniable elegan the way she carried herself.

  As he approached, he grinned, letting his footsteps echo just enough to catch her attention.

  “You’re early,” he said, his voice light and teasing.

  Amelia g him, her expressioral at first. “And you’re te.”

  “Nah, I’m just on time,” Mikael corrected, leaning casually against a nearby pilr. “Me taking my time gives you more time to appreciate the view.”

  She raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “The view?”

  He gestured dramatically as if presenting the dungeon itself. “The sery, the ominous dungeorance... and, of course, me.”

  Amelia rolled her eyes, though he caught the faiwitch of a smile at the er of her lips. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

  “A,” Mikael said, stepping a bit closer, “you keep sparring with me and now joining me for dungeon exploration. Admit it, you’d miss my charm.”

  “Charm? Is that what you call it?” she quipped, tilting her head slightly.

  Mikael pced a hand over his chest in mock offense. “Harsh words, Amelia. But I’ll five you—this time.”

  She finally let a smile break through, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

  “And you’re stunning,” he said smoothly, his voice softer now, the teasing edge repced with siy. “Ready to show this dungeon what we’re made of?”

  Amelia leaned casually against a nearby wall, her gaze shiftiween Mikael and the dungeon’s loomirance. “Just make sure you don’t get too full of yourself once we’re inside,” she teased.

  Mikael, standing a few steps ahead as if already ready to charge in, smirked and crossed his arms. “Me? Full of myself? I’ll just be clearing the way while you stay bad admire my work.”

  She raised an eyebrow, her grin pyful. “Admire? More like critique.”

  Nearby, a few male students couldn’t help but grit their teeth, envious of the pyful banter between Mikael and Amelia. Inwardly, they wondered how Mikael had mao get on such friendly terms with Amelia in such a short time.

  Their exge was cut short as Emily approached with a tablet in hand, her expression serious. Mikael’s smirk softened into a focused look, though a glimmer of amusement lingered in his eyes. Amelia caught it a out a quiet chuckle, shaking her head.

  “Alright, css,” Emily began. “Today is the day you’ll finally duct your dungeon exploratio’s review the objectives o time so no one fets anything. You’ll be divided into teams of two, as you’ve already decided. Teams 1 to 5 will clear an E rank dungeon, and Teams 6 to 10 will clear an E- rank dungeon.”

  She read through the team assigs:“Team 1: Amelia Mounrsky and Mikael Angelini.Team 2: Aria Cliffborne and Lucas Henker....Team 10: Kenzo Brown and David Evermore.”

  “You should all know this already, but just in case, these are your teams,” Emily tinued. “For those who didn’t bring a on, there are some steel ons avaible on the rack over there.” She poio a nearby on rack stocked with a variety of steel ons.

  “Another important thing: you your own food and water for the dungeon. If anyone fot, you take a short detour to grab some now.” She paused, sing the group. “No one? Good. Now, onto the dungeons themselves.”

  Emily gestured to the ten swirling blue portals behind her. “These portals were pced here by a space mage from the Academy. They’ve already been explored for any ued dangers and are firmed to be normal dungeons. So, you don’t o worry about surprises on that front. The only catch is that you won’t know the specific type of dungeon you’ll be entering.”

  She paused to let her words sink in before tinuing. “And finally, perhaps the most important point: during your dungeon exploration, you’ll be apanied by a third-year student.” She motiooward a group of older students seated on a nearby bench.

  Mikael’s gaze was drawn to the third-years. He hadn’t noticed them earlier, as he’d been preoccupied with flirting with Amelia. His eyes sed the group without muterest until they nded on a head of beautiful purple hair streaked with red.

  Lyra, notig his gaze, gave him a timid wave, which he returned. Mikael was surprised to see her; he’d only entered her in the library, either reading or napping. He’d often taken the opportunity to chat—or flirt—with her when borrowing books to enhance his knowledge and battle skills.

  Amelia, notig Lyra’s wave, suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy and stepped closer to Mikael. Over the past month, Mikael had beore attuo such gestures and inwardly smiled, though he refrained from reag.

  In this world, Mikael hadn’t explicitly mentioo Amelia that he inteo build a harem, unlike when he had spoken to Kiara. It was more on for strong individuals to have harems here, so he didn’t feel the o crify his iions. Mikael had also learned from some research that bluntly deg his pns could backfire. He sidered himself fortuhat his retionship with Kiara hadn’t ended disastrously, especially given her intense feelings for him.

  Although the moment seemed drawn out, it sted only a few seds. Emily allowed the students to observe the third-years before tinuing, “These ten third-year students have accepted a mission from the Mission Hall to act as your protectors during the dungeon exploration. Please hat their job isn’t to help you clear the dungeon. They will only intervene if they determine you’re in danger. Keep in mind that if they have to act, you will lose point for the evaluation.”

  As she finished speaking, she gestured to the third-years, who immediately approached their assigeams.

  Lyra walked toward Mikael and Amelia, who stood close to each other he dungeon portals. “Good m. I am Lyra Mystoria, and I will be your protector for this dungeon exploration!” Her words were formal and polite, but the sharp look she directed at Amelia told a different story.

  Amelia, unfazed, met Lyra’s intense gaze with one of her own, the tensioweeable.

  Mikael, sensing the charged atmosphere and eager to break it, intervened. A pyful grin spread across his face as he turo Lyra. “Lyra, I didn’t know you could leave the library. Holy, with how often I’ve seen you there, I was starting to think you lived in it,” he teased, his tone light and disarming.

  At his words, Lyra’s stern demeanor melted away, repced by her usual shy, bookish personality. She blinked, her gaze darting nervously between Mikael and Amelia. “E-Uh... Yes... I do spend a lot of time there, but I don’t live there. I just... spend most of my day reading,” she stammered, her voice soft aant.

  Mikael chuckled, taking a step closer to her. “Really? Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve got a secret room tucked away in the back. Maybe a little made of books?”

  Lyra’s face turned scarlet, her violet eyes widening in embarrassment. “N-No, of course not! That’s ridiculous!”

  “Ridiculous?” Mikael raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. “You’re telling me a dedicated bookworm like you hasn’t cimed a er of the library as her own personal kingdom? I’m disappointed, Lyra.”

  Amelia, watg the exge, crossed her arms and smirked, though a flicker of irritation glinted in her eyes. “You’re awfully chatty today, Mikael.”

  “Just being friendly,” Mikael replied smoothly, shooting Amelia a quick grin before turning back to Lyra. “After all, Lyra’s going to be proteg us in the dungeon. The least I do is make her feel wele.”

  Lyra gnced down, fiddling nervously with the hem of her sleeve, her blush deepening. “I... I’m just doing what the missioail.”

  “Just doing the mission?” Mikael leaned in slightly, his voice soft and teasing. “I think you’re underselling yourself. Having someone as brilliant as you watg our backs? I’d say we’ve hit the jackpot.”

  Lyra’s blush spread to her ears, and she barely mao mutter, “T-Thank you.”

  Amelia cleared her throat sharply, pulling Mikael’s attention back to her. “Shouldn’t we focus on the dungeon now? Or are we turning this into a social event?”

  “Of course, Amelia,” Mikael replied, the ers of his lips twitg into a smirk. “Let’s not keep the dungeon waiting.”

  As the group moved toward the portals, Mikael gnced back at Lyra and gave her a quick wink. ‘She’s way too easy to fluster,’ he thought, amused. ‘I’ll have to visit the library more often.’

  Amelia, catg the exge, narrowed her eyes slightly but didn’t ent, instead choosing to step a little closer to Mikael as they walked towards the dungeon.

  The three of them stepped through the swirling portal, Emily’s watchful gaze following to ensure everything roceeding smoothly.

  After a brief sensation of floating in a bck void, Mikael felt solid grouh his feet again. Immediately alert, he sed his surroundings, ready for any potential motack. His first impression, however, wasn’t of da was of heat.

  ‘Hot,’ he thought as a wave of warmth enveloped him.

  [Dungeon ClearRank: E (Dirarnia World, RE(repeatable quest)Description: Clear the E rank dungeonSystem rewards: 400 LP (300 LP because the user is apanied)]

  [Accept Yes/No?]

  Mikael gained a smirk as he was hoping that it would happen and immediately accepted the quest before he looked at his surroundings.

  The dungeon’s interior radiated an oppressive heat, enough to make an average human break into a sweat within moments of arrival. The enviro sisted of a vast underground cave, its most strikiure being the numerous pools of molten va scattered throughout. Small stohways snaked around the va kes, their surfaces bed from the stant seari.

  Above them, the cavern ceiling sparkled with an abundance of glowing fire stones, illuminating the space alongside the va’s e-red light. At the far end of the room, Mikael spotted a narrow corridor of bed stohat stretched into an unknown darkness.

  The most ing sight, however, was the group of eight monsters loungihe rgest va ke in the cave. The creatures were roughly the size of a rge dog and moved on fs, but that was where the resembnded. Their bodies were cloaked in dense bck fur interwoven with bone-like protrusions that served both as armor and onry. Their glowing amber eyes gleamed with feral bloodlust.

  Mikael reized them instantly from his studies in the Dungeon Exploration css. ‘E- rank Bonefiends,’ he thought. ‘I’ve seen their descriptions before. But the bigger issue isn’t them—it’s the dungeon itself.’

  He gave his surroundings a quick evaluation and sighed inwardly. ‘Yeah, definitely a fire-type dungeon. With no water mage in roup and my spells being wind-based, we’re at a disadvantage here. But against overwhelming strength... does it really matter?’ A smirk tugged at his lips as fidence swelled within him.

  Just as his thoughts cluded, Amelia’s voice broke through his focus. “What do we do?” she asked, her tone slightly shaky.

  Mikael turo her and was surprised to find Amelia trembling ever so slightly, though she was clearly trying to maintain a posed fa?ade. She wasn’t succeeding, and the sight of her trembling touched something in him.

  Without hesitation, Mikael stepped closer and pulled her into a gentle hug. “Oh, the great Amelia is scared?” he teased lightly, his toh f and pyful. “Don’t worry—I’ll protect you from all the big, bad monsters!”

  “Pfft,” Amelia chuckled softly, his ridiculous words somehow easing her nerves. She stepped out of the hug without a word, turning back toward the monsters with renewed determination. “I’m not scared,” she decred firmly. “I was just... a little cold from the teleportation!”

  Her cim wasn’t particurly ving, given the swelteri of their surroundings. To make matters worse for her, the tips of her ears had turned noticeably red, and she refused to meet Mikael’s gaze.

  Watg her attempt to act as if nothing had happened, Mikael couldn’t suppress a quiet ugh.

  Amelia whipped around to gre at him fiercely. Unfortunately for her, her attempt at intimidation was undermined by her blushing cheeks aunniures—her silky bck hair and vibrant green eyes only added to the impression of an embarrassed beauty rather than a fearsome warrior.