Kyotai reached a deep branching area beneath one of the waterfalls. He saw an opening to his left and assumed it was another branch. As he approached it, he found corpses.

  Mary, Itor, and Karez arrived at the Mercury Vault, where they were welcomed by the city's leader, Rick.

  Rick: "Is there anything I can help you with, young people?"

  Itor whispered to Mary:

  "There's a leader for your city? How is that possible?"

  Rick: "I heard you, son. The answer to your question is simple: the Elfs wanted a leader of their own kind, nothing more."

  Itor: "I-I see..."

  Mary: "The important thing is, sir, that Itor has the mercury ability. He wants to fill up the mercury supply."

  Rick: "Oh my, I didn’t know there were such good kids like you, Itor. But the vault is large. Can you really do it?"

  Itor: "Of course I can, but I don't know how long it will take me."

  Rick: "Naturally, you wouldn’t know because you don’t know the size of the vault. I can show you."

  Rick led them to the vault, which was located directly beneath his office.

  Itor: "This... is huge."

  Mary: "How long will you need?"

  Itor: "About a week and a half."

  Mary: "Alright, it’s not like we have anything else to do anyway."

  Rick: "I'm glad you're eager, but the vault guards were attacked in a strange way and need a long time to recover. I don't think a week and a half will be enough—probably two months. Especially since the other guards died from certain diseases."

  Mary: "Two months? That’s a lot."

  Karez: "What if we become the guards?"

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Rick: "Are you willing to do that? You’ll be restricted."

  Karez: "I'm in. What about you, Mary?"

  Mary: "I'm in."

  Rick: "Itor, do you accept them as your guards?"

  Itor: "Of course."

  Kyotai emerged from the water, bringing Zalin with him.

  Zalin: "What’s wrong? Why do you look so shocked?"

  Kyotai: "There were corpses down there."

  Zalin: "Corpses? You must be imagining things."

  Kyotai: "I definitely saw them. They were real bodies."

  Zalin: "Is this a prank or something?"

  Kyotai: "Do I look like someone who enjoys pranks?!"

  Zalin: "Alright, alright. Do you know who the bodies belong to?"

  Kyotai: "Of course not."

  Zalin: "Were they humans, elfs, or something else?"

  Kyotai: "Elfs, humans, and animals."

  Zalin: "My god... We need to inform the city leader about this."

  Kyotai: "No, stop. First of all, leader of what?"

  Zalin: "Oh, you don’t know? The Elf City has its own leader."

  Kyotai: "Alright, I suppose. Second, we don’t know if these corpses are the work of the elfs—or even their leader."

  Zalin: "Why would they do that? And besides, we're just reporting it, so nothing will happen to us."

  Kyotai: "We’re just strangers who arrived in the city an hour ago. We’re also humans, and suddenly we report finding corpses? Of course, we’ll be suspected."

  Zalin: "So what if we’re humans?"

  Kyotai: "Do you not know about the history between elfs and humans? It’s filled with racism and slavery against elfs. What do you think will happen if elf corpses are discovered? Who do you think will be the first suspect? Do you think we live in peace just because we're in the same kingdom? Absolutely not."

  Zalin: "But that's not true, th—"

  Kyotai: "Zalin! Control your emotions. We are warriors, yes, but we are also students."

  Silence filled the area. The only sound was that of the water.

  Mercury Vault

  Karez: "Mary, I have a question. I read that elfs have abilities unrelated to combat, like support abilities or others that aren’t suited for direct fighting."

  Mary: "That’s true."

  Miracle Fountain

  Emory: "Elfs have strong control over Shinta, yet their abilities aren’t suited for combat. In wars, elfs contribute through healing and general support. That’s what helped us get a city of our own."

  Damian: "Helped you? What do your abilities have to do with the city?"

  Emory: "Two thousand years ago, during the Blood War, the elfs' support was one of the key factors in the Alliance of Kingdoms' victory. After the war, the Kingdom of Anastasia offered us a place within their kingdom, since the elfs had no homeland. We accepted the offer."

  Damian: "The alliance would have probably lost without your help."

  Neron: "You deserve your own kingdom. A city isn’t enough to repay you."

  Emory smiled.

  Mercury Vault

  Itor: "Is mercury important for anything else, or is it only used for the Mercury Flower?"

  Mary: "Mercury is also a source of energy. It doesn’t make sense to have guards for such a vault just for a flower, right?"

  Sky of the Elf City

  Brika: "The place is truly beautiful, but the animals in the forests are strangely agitated."

  Meanwhile, as Sai and the others were eating at a restaurant, Hakan entered and sat with them.

  Arian: "Let me guess—you were gambling and ran out of money?"

  Hakan: "Correct... but I won in the end!"

  Arian: "And lost ten times in the process."

  Hakan: "Look on the bright side (?_?)."

  A week passed. Both classes were now aware of Itor's mission. Only half a week remained. Everyone was gathered near the waterfalls, planning their route to the Dwarf City, except for Mary, Karez, and Itor, who were still in the Mercury Vault.

  Zalin, to himself:

  "I wonder how Siron and Arkan are doing now..."

  Limitless Academy – Monitoring Room

  Langst: "Wait a minute... I sense a strange Shinta among the students. Teleport me to them."

  The strange Shinta grew stronger. Langst shouted:

  "Open the gate now!"

  Zalin’s head fell to the ground. Langst was teleported, but it was too late. The students had been divided into three groups, each trapped inside separate barriers. Langst sat in front of Zalin’s severed head, filled with rage.

  Langst: "You scum... You must be able to hear me. You succeeded in killing Zalin because his reaction speed wasn’t fast enough. But now that the rest of the students know they're in danger... prepare for your deaths."

  Langst took Zalin’s body and head and returned through the gate to the academy.

  First Barrier

  Leo, Hakan, Kinto, Brika, and Beatrix were trapped.

  Second Barrier

  Sai, Arian, Kani, Neron, and Kaiser were trapped.

  Third Barrier

  Garin, Damian, Kyotai, and Kano were trapped.