The blinding light of teleportation faded, and solid ground formed beneath the students’ feet. A vast underground dungeon stretched before them—massive stone walls covered in moss, towering pillars reaching into the darkness above, and distant echoes of something… moving.

  The eerie silence was shattered by the familiar voice of the Magic Tower Master, his tone dripping with amusement.

  "Ahem. Attention, little insects—ah, I mean, dear students," his voice echoed through the dungeon. "Before you all start running around like brainless chickens, let me explain the rules again."

  A tense silence followed.

  "You have one day to survive in this dungeon. There are no fixed enemies, no fixed locations—you will simply survive. Now, you have two options:

  1. You may form a group of up to four people. Teamwork can be useful, but choose your allies wisely.

  2. If you think you’re strong enough, you can go alone. No restrictions, no assistance—just pure survival.

  But remember…"

  The air grew heavier.

  "If you die… you die. There will be no rescues, no second chances. If you cannot handle this, I suggest you say, ‘I Surrender’ and leave now."

  His words sent chills down the spines of many students.

  For a moment, no one spoke. Then—

  The dungeon burst into chaos as students hurried to form groups.

  Some quickly gathered with friends they already knew. Others frantically searched for people they could trust.

  "I need one more person! Anyone?"

  "Hey, let’s form a group!"

  "We should stick together if we want to survive!"

  Elviana observed the scene quietly, her golden eyes scanning the desperate students.

  Someone approached her.

  "Hey, you," a tall girl with short brown hair said hesitantly. "Wanna join my group? We still need one more person."

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  Elviana shook her head. "No thanks. I’ll go alone."

  The girl blinked. "Alone? But… it’s dangerous."

  "I can handle myself," Elviana replied simply.

  The girl hesitated, but seeing the unwavering confidence in Elviana’s eyes, she sighed and turned away to find someone else.

  As Elviana stood alone, observing the forming groups, a new voice called out.

  "Hoh? You’re not joining anyone?"

  She turned to see a young man approaching, his posture oozing arrogance. He had neatly combed platinum-blond hair and sharp blue eyes that gleamed with self-importance. His uniform was pristine, the embroidered crest on his chest marking him as a noble of high status.

  Behind him stood two other nobles, both watching with smug expressions.

  "I am Lucian Belmont, of the Belmont Family," he announced, his tone filled with superiority. "Surely, you have heard of us? One of the most powerful noble families in the kingdom."

  Elviana simply stared at him. "...Okay?"

  Lucian frowned, seemingly annoyed by her lack of reaction.

  "A commoner, huh?" He smirked. "Still, you intrigue me. I must say, it’s quite rare for someone like you to possess such confidence. So, I shall be generous and invite you to my group."

  Murmurs spread through the surrounding students.

  "Wait… Lucian Belmont is inviting her?"

  "Why would he do that? There are plenty of nobles to choose from."

  "Is he just doing it because she’s cute?"

  "Tch, disgusting. A noble teaming up with a commoner? How shameful."

  Some students, especially those from noble families, threw Elviana disgusted glances. To them, the idea of a noble willingly lowering himself to work with a commoner was unacceptable.

  Elviana crossed her arms. "No thanks."

  Lucian blinked, caught off guard. "...Excuse me?"

  "I said no thanks. I’ll go alone."

  His smug expression twitched. "Are you an idiot? I am offering you a place in my group. You should feel honored."

  Elviana tilted her head. "Why? I don’t even know you. Why would I trust a noble I just met?"

  Lucian scoffed. "Trust? Hah, I don’t need your trust. You need me. Do you think you can survive this dungeon alone?"

  The nobles behind him chuckled.

  "She’s got guts, I’ll give her that."

  "Or maybe just an empty head."

  Elviana sighed. "Look, I don’t care if you’re from a powerful family or whatever. I’m not interested."

  Lucian’s smirk faded. For the first time, he looked… irritated.

  "...Tch. How foolish." He turned away. "Very well. If you want to act like a savage and struggle alone, suit yourself."

  With that, he walked away, rejoining his noble companions.

  Some students sneered at Elviana.

  "Hah. Serves her right."

  "She thinks she’s special just because she has golden eyes? Please."

  Elviana ignored them. She had dealt with this kind of thing before.

  If she had to prove her strength to shut them up, then so be it.

  At that moment, the Magic Tower Master’s voice boomed once more.

  "Oh, I almost forgot to mention something."

  A sinister chuckle echoed through the dungeon.

  "Some of you may be thinking, ‘If we just sit here and hide for a whole day, we’ll be safe, right?’"

  Murmurs rippled through the students.

  "Wait… isn’t that a good idea?"

  "If we just stay here and wait, we won’t have to fight anything!"

  The Magic Tower Master let out a mocking laugh.

  "WRONG. If you think you can laze around and survive, think again!"

  The students stiffened.

  "You see, to pass this trial, you must hunt monsters and gather 50 points."

  Gasps of shock spread through the crowd.

  "If you don’t get 50 points, you fail. Simple as that. And if you form a group of four, your total must still be 50 points—if the group doesn’t have enough, you all fail together."

  "Wait—how do we even get points?" a student shouted.

  "Hehehe. Good question!" The Magic Tower Master clapped.

  "Each time you kill a monster, it will drop a Point Card. Different monsters have different point values. It’s up to you to decide how to earn your 50 points. Weaklings can kill many small monsters, while the strong ones can take down bigger prey."

  A deep silence filled the dungeon.

  The realization hit hard.

  "Wait… that means we can’t just hide?"

  "Shit… we actually have to fight?"

  "If we don’t, we fail automatically…!"

  Students who had hoped to avoid danger paled.

  Elviana smirked.

  "Good. At least this trial won’t be boring."

  The Magic Tower Master’s voice echoed one final time.

  "Well, well. Have we all chosen our fellow sacrifices—I mean, teams?" He chuckled. "Good. Then let’s begin the trial, shall we?"

  A faint humming noise filled the dungeon. The floor beneath them glowed faintly.

  "Ah, one last thing," the Tower Master added. "I won’t tell you where the strongest monsters are lurking, so be careful where you walk~"

  Before anyone could react—

  The light beneath their feet flashed, and the dungeon around them shifted.

  The trial had begun.