The air inside Floor 15 was heavy — not because of monsters, but because of the silence that followed hours of relentless movement. The stone corridors stretched endlessly, torchlight flickering against the walls, shadows bending along the uneven ground. The dungeon's rhythm had changed since the last floor — the walls seemed alive, vibrating faintly as if something deeper inside was breathing.

Arios led the group, his wooden practice sword replaced by a regulation steel one borrowed from the academy's field inventory. His eyes scanned the path ahead, marking the small distortions in the stone. The system interface hovered faintly near his vision, showing their team's current progress: [Dungeon Exam: Floor 15 Cleared — 1420 Points].

Lucy followed close behind, brushing dust off her sleeve. "This is the first floor where nothing attacked us right away," she said, her tone cautious.

"That's what worries me," Liza muttered, keeping her hand near the dagger strapped to her thigh. "No monsters, no traps… just silence."

Pokner trailed a few paces behind, eyes sharp and alert despite her calm posture. She'd grown quieter as the exam went on — less teasing, more calculating. "If this floor's a rest zone," she said evenly, "then the next one won't be."

Arios stopped walking. "Exactly."

He glanced back at them, his tone flat but firm. "We'll rest for a few minutes. Then we move."

He dropped his pack to the floor, sitting on one of the stone steps that formed a natural ledge. The others followed suit, setting down equipment and canteens. The silence of the dungeon pressed around them — only the faint hum of energy from the torches filled the space.

Lucy broke the quiet first. "Do you think we're still being watched?"

Arios didn't answer immediately. He stared at the stone wall, noticing a faint shimmer that flickered once, then disappeared. "Yes," he said finally. "Whatever's controlling this dungeon hasn't stopped since the trap on Floor 6."

Liza exhaled, pulling out a cloth to clean her dagger. "You think it's the same interference that separated us?"

"Most likely." Arios leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "The pattern of the traps, the spawn timings, even the mana readings — all inconsistent. This place isn't behaving like a standard academy-registered dungeon."

Pokner folded her arms. "So you think someone's tampering from the outside again?"

He nodded. "Someone who knows how the academy systems link to the exam network. Maybe someone like Garron used to."

The mention of the expelled instructor made the others exchange quiet looks. The tension that had built since the Garron incident hadn't completely faded. Even after his removal, the aftershocks of his actions had left a mark on how the academy ran these exams.

Lucy shifted closer, sitting beside Arios. "You think Chase is behind it, don't you?"

Arios didn't respond immediately. He looked ahead, expression unreadable. "He's the only one who benefits from chaos right now."

Pokner tilted her head. "And what if he's not the one directly involved? What if he's just waiting to see what happens?"

"Then he's still part of it," Arios said simply. "Whether he's pulling the strings or watching the results doesn't matter. The effect's the same."

Liza sighed. "You really don't give him the benefit of the doubt, huh?"

"He's earned exactly what he gets," Arios replied.

The conversation ended there, the silence returning like a drawn curtain. The air seemed thicker the longer they sat, as if the dungeon itself listened. Lucy looked around, unease settling in her chest. She'd always disliked quiet rooms — they reminded her of the moments before things went wrong.

After a few minutes, Arios stood. "Time's up."

They gathered their gear. Liza rolled her shoulders. "You ever wonder what happens if we just stop here? Like, what if we don't clear all the floors?"

Pokner smirked faintly. "You'd be expelled. The rules are clear — every team that doesn't reach Floor 20 before time's up fails."

Liza groaned. "Yeah, yeah. Just asking."

Lucy checked her watch interface. "We have… about seven hours left."

Arios nodded once. "Enough time if we don't waste any."

He led them deeper into the next passage, the torches dimming as they moved forward. The faint hum in the walls grew louder, a low pulse that felt almost like a heartbeat. Each step echoed longer than it should, as though the dungeon had grown hollow.

They reached a large archway at the end of the corridor.

The stone door was half-open — strange, considering every previous floor had sealed itself until the system verified their progress.

Liza drew her weapon. "That's not normal."

Arios stepped forward carefully, one hand hovering near the wall. His eyes narrowed. "There's residual mana here. Not from the dungeon's system. It's from something external."

Pokner crouched, examining the floor. "A sigil," she said, brushing her fingers over a faint glowing line. "A hidden one. Whoever tampered used a cloaking weave to mask it."

Lucy frowned. "Meaning?"

"Meaning someone spliced the dungeon's base layer with an external gate rune," Pokner replied, standing. "If I'm right, it could trigger environmental shifts. Randomly. That's why everything feels off."

Arios stepped closer to look at the rune. "Can you disable it?"

Pokner hesitated. "I can, but if it's connected to the upper floors, we might trigger an early boss event."

Arios exhaled slowly. "We'll take the risk."

Lucy blinked. "Wait—shouldn't we at least—"

He crouched beside the sigil before she could finish. "If we wait, whoever's controlling this thing will know we found it. I'd rather move on our terms."

Pokner gave a short nod. "Alright. Cover me."

She knelt down again, drawing a small blade and etching counter-symbols into the stone. The glow began to pulse faster, reacting violently to her interference. Liza moved back, gripping her weapon tightly.

Lucy watched the light spread across the walls, nervous. "Pokner, how much longer—"

The sigil burst in a flash of pale blue, sending a gust of cold air through the hall. The lights flickered — and then the torches all went out.

Silence.

Then, the system prompt appeared before them.

[System Alert: Unauthorized interference detected. Dungeon environment adapting.]

Arios straightened immediately. "Positions."

The ground trembled as a rumble echoed from the far end of the corridor. The walls cracked open, splitting down the center, revealing an enormous chamber behind the archway. Faint light glowed from within — deep crimson, like a distant fire.

Liza muttered, "Guess we found our next floor."

Inside the chamber, the air was dense with mana. The stone floor had been replaced with blackened marble, etched with glowing veins of red energy. The temperature dropped the further they went in, mist curling around their feet.

At the far end stood a massive gate sealed by chains — each one pulsing faintly with magic. The walls were lined with strange statues, humanoid shapes carved in agonized poses. Their faces were twisted, eyes hollow.

Lucy swallowed. "This… doesn't look like an academy-registered zone."

"It's not," Arios said. "But it's still part of the exam. Which means we have to clear it."

Pokner looked around, expression unreadable. "If this is Floor 16, then someone rewrote the entire dungeon layout."

Liza whistled lowly. "Guess we're playing by someone else's rules now."

Arios walked toward the center of the room, stopping when the system interface flickered again.

[Floor 16: Corrupted Gateway Chamber]

Objective: Break the Seal. Survive.]

He turned back toward the others. "Form up. Lucy, mana barrier. Pokner, assist with the seal. Liza, cover the rear."

They moved without hesitation. Even though the situation was abnormal, the group's coordination had sharpened since their earlier floors. Pokner knelt at the seal again, pulling out her tablet to scan it. "Complex encryption. I'll need at least ten minutes."

Arios nodded. "You have five."

Pokner smiled faintly. "Always so generous."

As she worked, the rest positioned themselves strategically around the room. The torches along the walls reignited, casting long shadows. The hum of mana grew louder — then the statues began to shift.

Liza cursed under her breath. "They're moving."

Stone cracked as the figures broke free from the walls, hollow eyes glowing red. There were at least a dozen of them, each wielding rusted weapons still dripping with black energy.

Lucy raised her hand immediately. "Barrier!"

A translucent shield shimmered into place just as one of the statues swung its blade, sparks flying against the barrier surface.

Arios drew his sword, his voice calm. "Hold the line. Pokner, don't stop."

"I'm not planning to," she said through clenched teeth, fingers flying over the runes.

Liza dashed forward, slashing through one of the figures. It cracked but didn't fall, instead reforming as the fragments reassembled. "They don't stay down!"

"Then keep them busy!" Arios shouted, moving forward. His blade cut through another statue, driving it back before smashing the hilt against its head.

Lucy maintained the barrier, sweat forming on her forehead. The force of the attacks was steady, like a rhythm. Every impact sent small vibrations through the air.

Pokner's voice cut through the noise. "Almost done! Two more sequences!"

Arios blocked another strike, countering with a sharp upward slash. "Make it one!"

The ground shook violently as the last chain on the gate began to glow. Pokner drew one final line through her sigil, slamming her palm against the seal.

The gate burst open.

A rush of energy swept through the room, sending the statues collapsing into dust. The light dimmed, leaving only the gate open — a dark passage beyond.

Pokner stood, panting slightly. "There. Door's open."

Lucy lowered the barrier, her shoulders trembling slightly from fatigue. "That… felt wrong. Like the dungeon was resisting."

Arios looked at the gate, silent for a moment. "It was."

Liza wiped her blade. "We going in?"

He nodded once. "Yeah."

The passage beyond the gate was narrow and steep, leading downward. The further they descended, the quieter everything became. No system messages, no flickering light — just that constant faint hum.

Lucy walked behind Arios, glancing up occasionally. "You think this is the last stretch?"

"Maybe," he said. "But it feels more like the calm before something worse."

Pokner gave a small nod. "You can sense it too, huh? The mana density's rising. Something's waiting."

Arios didn't respond. He felt it clearly — the subtle pressure building the deeper they went. It wasn't just a monster's presence. It felt deliberate. Like a signal.

At the bottom, the tunnel opened into a vast cavern illuminated by crystals embedded in the ceiling. The crystals pulsed faintly, lighting up sections of the rocky ground below. In the center stood a massive stone altar covered in faint inscriptions.

The system interface flickered again.

[Floor 17: Central Chamber]

Primary Objective: Investigate the Altar.]

Liza looked around. "No monsters this time?"

"Not yet," Arios replied. "Which means this is setup."

They moved closer to the altar. Strange symbols carved across its surface seemed to rearrange themselves as they approached. Pokner placed her hand on it carefully, eyes narrowing. "It's a control node. Whoever's tampering with the dungeon is using this to reroute the mana structure."

Lucy frowned. "You can trace it?"

Pokner smiled faintly. "Already doing that."

As she worked, Arios watched her interface flicker rapidly — numbers and runes shifting in rapid succession. "Be careful," he said.

She nodded. "Always am."

Minutes passed in silence. Then, the ground shook again. The crystals dimmed. A low growl echoed through the chamber.

Liza turned, weapons ready. "Guess peace time's over."

Arios drew his blade, his expression steady. "Pokner, finish the trace."

"Almost there—"

The floor cracked open behind them. Massive claws burst through the stone, followed by a towering beast with red eyes and charred fur. It roared, shaking the entire cavern.

Lucy gasped. "That's—"

"An alpha variant," Arios finished calmly. "Dire Wolf King."

The fight erupted in seconds — Lucy's barriers flashing, Liza darting in and out, Pokner finishing her trace under pressure. Arios met the beast head-on, his movements sharp and precise. The Dire Wolf King's claws tore through the stone, each strike enough to crush a human, but Arios countered with methodical precision — every block controlled, every step measured.

The clash continued, the echo of metal and energy filling the chamber.

Pokner shouted from behind, "I've got it! The trace leads upward — someone's feeding mana directly from outside the dungeon!"

"Good," Arios said between strikes. "Mark it. We'll end this here."

He pivoted under a swipe, blade cutting deep across the beast's flank. It howled, rearing back. Lucy extended her staff, sending a wave of force to push it off balance. Liza followed through, stabbing upward.

Finally, Arios leaped forward, driving his sword through its chest. The wolf collapsed, light fading from its eyes.

The room fell silent again.

Pokner closed her tablet, exhaling. "Trace complete. We have the signature data."

Arios looked at her. "Whose is it?"

She hesitated. "You're not going to like it."

"Say it."

"…Instructor Garron's coding matrix."

Lucy froze. "That's impossible. He's gone—"

"Gone doesn't mean disconnected," Arios said quietly. "Someone's still using his access."

Liza frowned. "So this whole dungeon's been running on a corrupted instructor key?"

"Looks that way," Pokner said. "But it's not Garron doing it. It's someone else using his code."

Arios sheathed his sword. "Then we find who."

He turned toward the glowing tunnel at the far end of the cavern — the path leading to the next floor. His eyes stayed fixed ahead.

"This ends on Floor 20."

The others followed silently, the sound of their steps echoing faintly behind him as the dungeon walls began to tremble once more.

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