Boy: “Hey, you! You’re the sister of Kai Amachi from earlier, right?”

 

While Nagi was waiting and watching Midori guide the students entering one after the other, a boy approached her.

 

Nagi: “That’s right… Who are you?”

 

Boy: “Sorry for my manners. I’m Yuuya Akuzawa, a A-Rank. My father is the chairman of the Dungeon Association. Nice to meet you.”

 

With a sly grin, Yuuya extended his hand for a handshake to Nagi. From his appearance, he looked like a rich young master. His hair, dyed blonde, gave off an air of arrogance.

 

Nagi: “Akuzawa… Okay, nice to meet you.”

 

Nagi did not shake his hand but simply gave a nod and looked away. She had seen the Akuzawa chairman on TV several times but didn’t like him much since he always portrayed Kai as the bad guy.

It wasn’t that she specifically disliked Yuuya, but from the way he referred to her brother without honorifics, it was clear he didn’t have a high opinion of him.

 

Yuuya: “Hey! What’s with that attitude?”

 

Yuuya grabbed Nagi’s shoulder forcefully. Being a A-Rank Awakened, even a mere grab from him was dangerous.

 

Nagi: “Let go… It hurts.”

Yuuya: “What’s your problem? I’m the one who approached you! Are you pissed because my father labeled your brother a criminal?”

 

Nagi: (What’s with this guy? He’s so infuriating!)

 

Nagi felt like punching him right then but clenched her fists, holding back. She wanted to hit Yuuya for labeling her brother a criminal but knew her own strength could be lethal.

 

Yuuya: (Whoa! She’s incredibly cute!)

 

Initially, Yuuya had teased her for fun, but now he was smitten by Nagi. Among girls her age, Nagi stood out for her beauty. It wasn’t just that Kai was biased towards her; she genuinely was attractive. Rumors even said that most boys in their class had a crush on her.

 

Yuuya: “Well, I mean, I wouldn’t say he’s entirely evil. It seems like he had his reasons. But with S-Rank magic power, it’s inevitable to get a bit cocky, isn’t it?”

 

He tried to use softer words seeing she looked upset. Yuuya meant to defend his earlier statement, but his words made Nagi tear up a bit.

 

Nagi, glares at Yuuya.

 

Yuuya: “What…?”

 

Yuuya, flinching, doesn’t understand the reason why Nagi is upset.

 

Nagi: “My brother isn’t privileged! Despite facing the toughest challenges, he worked harder than anyone else! I won’t let you deny that!”

 

It was true that Kai had committed assault. Nagi had been silent about that. But she couldn’t tolerate anyone negating her brother’s life struggles. She wanted to show this boy what her brother had been through.

The two of them started arguing vehemently. Others joined the debate.

 

Student 1: “Come on, Kai Amachi is bad! He was expelled!”

Student 2: “But he did it for Reina’s mother, didn’t he?”

Student 3: “That doesn’t justify violence. It’s like saying the ends justify the means.”

Student 4: “If it’s to save a life, I think it’s okay!”

Student 5: “Exiling an S-Rank has no benefit for Japan. It’s a diplomatic defeat.”

 

Despite being middle school students, each expressed their own opinions.

 

Midori: “Enough!”

Student: “Ouch! Mi… Midori-san…”

Midori: “Nagi, Yuuya, everyone, stop it! I’m not against discussing, but this is a dungeon! Take it outside!”

 

Everyone stopped their heated argument at Midori’s words. It’s inevitable for middle school students to get carried away in the heat of the moment.

 

Midori: “Alright, let’s do a roll call! Everyone, line up!”

 

As she began checking off the nearly 50 students, something happened.

 

System Voice: 『 Participation limit of 49 exceeded… Calculating total magic power… Total magic power is 500,000, violation level 2. Preparing up to stage 2… Transitioning from B-Rank dungeon to EX dungeon 『Temple of Eternity』. 』

Student: “What?”

 

The emotionless voice echoed throughout the Cube. Just as the teachers, including Midori, sensed the anomaly and were about to issue a retreat order, everyone’s vision went black.

 

Student: “Aahh!!”

Another student: “What’s happening?!”

 

The sudden sensation of teleportation overwhelmed the students. They screamed, unable to think clearly, and huddled together or held onto the nearest person.

 

Student: “What just… happened? Huh?”

 

A student opened their eyes. They weren’t in the cave anymore.

 

Student: “Where is this… a temple? An ancient temple…”

 

The students found themselves in what could only be described as a temple. But not a pristine one; it was dilapidated and desolate. Massive white pillars, as big as giant trees, were broken, and the roof was exposed. It felt like a temple forgotten by time.

 

Student: “There’s no gate…”

 

The gate leading outside had disappeared. This meant that the 40 students and 10 adults were all trapped in this temple-like dungeon.

 

Midori: “Everyone gather around and wait! Do not act on your own! Teachers, come here!”

 

Amidst the rising anxiety, all the students sat down together in a huddle. While they didn’t know what was happening, they understood something was wrong. Seeing the adults in a state of panic only increased their anxiety.

 

Teacher 1: “What on earth is…?”

Teacher 2: “I’m not sure, did we transfer to another dungeon?”

Teacher 3: “Shouldn’t we wait here and seek assistance from the outside?”

Teacher 4: “We don’t have any food, and I doubt help can reach us here…”

 

The ten adults were trying to decide on a course of action. All of them were veteran explorers and discussed the situation calmly despite the stress. However, sweat dripped from their foreheads, revealing their underlying fear.

 

Midori: “Does anyone recognize the term ‘EX dungeon 『Temple of Eternity』’?”

 

But no one responded. Even the veterans had never encountered such a phenomenon. There had been instances of many people entering a Cube before, but maybe not of this scale in a B-Rank dungeon.

Considering ten A-Rank and forty B-Rank individuals, normally, 10 points are sufficient for dungeon clearing. But the current count, (10 x 4 + 40 x 2 = 120) points, was a significant deviation.

 

Teacher 2: “It seems to be a world-first occurrence. Bad luck… Who would’ve thought we’d discover this after 20 years?”

 

However, they were unaware. It was only a case survivors bias. The saying goes, “Dead men tell no tales.”

 

Teacher 3: “We have two options: wait or explore. One wrong choice and we’re all doomed.”

Teacher 4: “Lack of food is the main issue. If no rescue arrives even after several days, we’ll die here. We only have the water we each brought…”

 

In situations like this, waiting for reinforcements from outside is usually the best strategy. But they had no means of communication with the outside and limited supplies.

As they contemplated their next move, suddenly, the center of the temple began to glow brightly.

From the light emerged…

 

Monster 1: “Grrr…”

 

Two ogres.

 

Midori: “Everyone, prepare for battle!!!”

 

Midori was the first to shout. The well-trained students quickly readied their weapons in response.

 

The veterans recognized what the monsters were that had suddenly appeared.

 

Teacher 1: “King species… You’ve got to be kidding. And there’s… two of them!?”

 

Ogre 1: “Gaaaah!!!”

Ogre 2: “Gyaaah!!!”

 

Two Ogre Kings. Rarely seen as bosses in A-Rank dungeons, these red species are upper-tier A-Rank boss monsters. And now, two of them had appeared in the center of the temple, seemingly guarding it.

 

Midori: “Students below B-Rank, stay back and provide support from a distance! Only A-Rank students should assist in the fight!”

Students: “Yes!!”

 

Thus began a large-scale battle involving the ten teachers and forty students, a total of fifty participants.

 

…

 

Student: “Haa… haa… haa…”

 

After defeating the two massive ogres, the students, though a bit wounded, sat on the ground.

The battle was tough, but they managed to prevail. Among them were veteran explorers who had cleared A-Rank dungeons, and students with the potential to become A-Rank awakened beings in the future.

That’s why they could handle two Ogre Kings.

 

Student: “What was that? What’s going on?”

 

Yuuya Akuzawa, meanwhile, plunged his longsword into the ground. He had exhausted himself by fighting at full strength from the start. Fatigued, he leaned on his sword as if it were a walking stick, struggling to stay upright.

Midori: “Yuuya-kun, thank you. You did great.”

Yuuya: “You were amazing too, Sensei. Healing everyone while fighting, even though you’re B-Rank. I’m impressed.”

Midori: “Hehe, always so cheeky.”

Yuuya: “Hehe… hey, what’s up with you?”

 

Approaching Yuuya was a girl. Gently, she took his arm and began treating his injuries.

 

Girl: “I’m healing you. Sit down, let me take care of you.”

Yuuya: “I-I’m fine, really. It’s just a scratch.”

Girl: “Idiot! This isn’t over yet. All I can do is heal. So, sit still and let me!”

Yuuya: “Thanks…”

 

The girl was Nagi.

 

Yuuya might have been annoying, but Nagi wasn’t foolish enough to let emotions get in the way at a time like this. She channeled her magic to heal him, ensuring he could fight again if needed.

 

Nagi: “Done. Any other injuries?”

 

As Nagi checked Yuuya’s body, he blushed a bit and pushed her away. At his age, any physical touch from the opposite gender was sensitively felt.

 

Yuuya: “I-I’m fine now! Thanks…”

Nagi: “You really thought I was just a pretty face, huh? Who do you think my brother is? I can’t be scared of ogres like those.”

Yuuya: “Haha, yeah, your brother isn’t scared of anything.”

Nagi: “Hehe… sorry about earlier. I’m Nagi Amachi. Nice to meet you. But if you badmouth my brother again, I’ll punch you.”

Yuuya: “I won’t, I promise.”

 

Nagi reached out to shake Yuuya’s hand. He took it, and as they shook hands, the other students realized the importance of unity at this moment.

The students, still very young, were starting to show the faces of warriors. They knew they had to come together to overcome this trial.

If they all joined hands…

 

Monster: “GUAAAHHH!!!”

Monster: “GAAAHHH!!!”

Monster: “GYAAAHHH!!!”

 

…they would surely make it home safely.