The path to Floor 20 was longer than any of them expected.

The tunnel stretched endlessly, carved through layers of blackened rock that shimmered faintly under the glow of their lamps. It wasn't natural light—just the dungeon's system-generated reflection. Every few steps, the walls pulsed with faint traces of blue light, like veins beneath skin. The air was colder now, and each breath came out as mist.

No one spoke for a long while.

Arios walked ahead, sword in hand. He didn't look back, but he could hear their footsteps behind him—Lucy's light steps, Liza's steady pace, Pokner's quiet, deliberate rhythm. They'd already cleared seventeen floors of the exam. The only thing left was the final floor—the "core," where the mana source of the dungeon should be.

That was the official goal.

But everyone already knew there was more going on than the academy's exam.

They reached the last staircase after another half hour of walking. A heavy door stood at the top, covered in faint inscriptions. Pokner approached first, scanning the markings with her device.

"It's the same signature as before," she said. "Garron's code sequence. But this time it's embedded deeper—almost fused into the dungeon's system."

Arios crossed his arms. "Meaning it's permanent?"

"Meaning whoever's controlling this doesn't want us to reach the core."

Liza tilted her head. "Which means we're definitely going in."

Lucy frowned. "Pokner, can you open it safely?"

Pokner looked at the door again. "Safely? No. But I can open it."

Arios gave a single nod. "Do it."

The sound of scratching metal filled the hall as Pokner traced her counter-rune across the door. The inscriptions glowed faintly, then flared with white light. The ground trembled. A dull hum echoed from behind the door.

Then—click.

The door slid open.

A cold gust of air rushed out, carrying the smell of ozone and dust. The chamber beyond was massive—wide enough to fit a stadium. A single crystal, taller than any of them, stood in the center, pulsing faintly with red light. Runes covered its base, forming circles that expanded across the entire floor.

Lucy stepped closer, her voice quiet. "So this is the dungeon core…"

"No," Pokner said, walking past her. "This is what's replacing it."

Arios walked forward until he stood a few meters from the crystal. The light from it cast faint reflections across his face. "Explain."

"This isn't a natural core," Pokner said, scanning the base. "It's a synthetic one—built by rewriting the dungeon's structure. The academy never installed anything like this. Someone's feeding mana directly into it from an external source."

Liza let out a low whistle. "So… someone literally built their own floor?"

"Basically," Pokner replied. "They hijacked the dungeon's system and rewired it to function like an amplifier. It's pulling energy from the exam network."

Lucy frowned. "That shouldn't even be possible."

"Unless," Arios said quietly, "the person doing it has administrative access."

The room fell silent again. The hum of the core was the only sound.

Pokner finished scanning the sequence, her expression darkening. "I can trace the uplink. It's encrypted, but the signal's local. Whoever's controlling this… is here."

Arios turned toward her. "Here?"

She nodded once. "Somewhere inside this floor."

The torches around the walls flickered suddenly, and the crystal's light turned darker—crimson instead of red. A mechanical chime rang through the chamber.

[System Override: Unauthorized Presence Detected.]

[Security Protocol — Active Defense Mode Initiated.]

The core pulsed once, and from the shadows behind it, several figures began to emerge. They weren't monsters. They were humanoid—armored constructs with glowing eyes, each one carrying weapons forged from the same material as the core. There were six of them in total, forming a loose circle around the group.

Lucy quickly summoned a barrier. "They're not reading as dungeon mobs."

"They're constructs," Pokner said sharply. "Manually deployed defense units."

Liza cracked her knuckles, stepping forward. "So whoever's controlling this didn't want company."

Arios raised his sword. "Then we'll make room."

The battle started fast.

The first construct lunged forward, its blade slamming against Lucy's barrier. Sparks flew, the impact forcing her back several steps. Liza moved in, slicing through its arm, but the limb regenerated almost instantly, glowing with red energy.

Pokner darted to the side, activating a spell chip that unleashed a short-range EMP pulse. One of the constructs froze in place, momentarily disabled. "They have auto-repair nodes. Target the chest cores!"

Arios dashed forward, blade flashing as he struck cleanly through the first construct's chest. The core inside shattered, and the construct crumbled to pieces.

"Like that?" he said.

"Exactly like that," Pokner confirmed, already setting up another pulse.

Lucy redirected her focus, creating three separate barriers to block attacks from multiple directions. Her hands trembled slightly under the strain, but she kept them steady. "I can't hold this for long!"

"Don't!" Arios shouted, cutting down another construct. "Fall back and rotate—Pokner, take her side!"

Liza covered the rear, deflecting blades and kicks from the remaining constructs. The air filled with the sound of steel, crackling mana, and the constant hum from the corrupted core. The light grew brighter, almost unbearable, flooding the entire chamber in red.

The last construct fell after several minutes. Pokner's pulse device overloaded it, and Liza's final strike drove through its torso. The sound of shattering metal echoed, then faded.

They stood in silence for a moment, breathing heavily.

Lucy's barrier flickered out, and she leaned on her staff. "That was… too organized."

"Agreed," Arios said. He wiped blood from a small cut on his cheek. "They were programmed to stall us, not kill us."

Pokner checked her device again. "The uplink signal's still active. It's rerouting through the core. I can't sever it unless I destroy the physical crystal."

"Then we destroy it," Liza said simply.

Pokner hesitated. "If we do, the entire floor might collapse. The dungeon's stability is tied to it."

Arios looked at the crystal again. The red light pulsed faster now, each beat sending a ripple through the room. "If we leave it, the academy's network stays compromised."

Lucy straightened. "Then there's no choice."

Arios walked forward, stopping at the base of the core. "Step back."

Pokner moved away. "You sure you can do this without triggering a system collapse?"

"No," he said plainly. "But I'll do it anyway."

He raised his sword and drove it into the base of the crystal.

A loud crack echoed, followed by a burst of light. The core flared violently, sending a shockwave through the room. Lucy's barrier formed instinctively, blocking the debris. The floor began to shake.

"System destabilization!" Pokner shouted. "Mana levels spiking—"

The crystal's light changed again, from red to deep blue. The noise was deafening now, a high-pitched vibration that rattled the stone walls. A beam of energy shot upward from the crystal's center, piercing through the ceiling.

Then, through the static, a voice echoed—distorted but familiar.

"Still meddling where you don't belong, Pureheart?"

Arios froze. The others looked around, searching for the source, but the voice came from everywhere—projected through the system itself.

Pokner's eyes widened. "That's—"

"Chase," Arios said quietly.

The voice laughed faintly. "You really should've left this one alone. But I suppose you've always been the type who enjoys walking into traps."

The crystal pulsed in sync with his words.

Pokner started typing furiously. "He's not here physically. He's using the uplink to broadcast through Garron's matrix."

"So he's the one controlling this," Lucy said.

"Yes," Arios replied. "And he wanted us to find it."

The voice continued, calm and detached.

"Impressive, really. You've managed to survive everything I've thrown at you. But that's where this ends. Enjoy the last few seconds of your exam."

The core cracked once more, sending another shockwave through the ground. Pokner's readings spiked wildly. "It's going to explode—"

"Everyone, move!" Arios shouted.

They sprinted for the exit as the chamber began to collapse. The walls split apart, chunks of debris falling from above. Lucy reinforced the rear with barriers, slowing the spread of the explosion. Pokner's device beeped rapidly, showing unstable readings.

They reached the staircase just as the core detonated. A surge of blue-white light filled the corridor, throwing them forward. Arios shielded his eyes. The noise faded slowly, replaced by a strange ringing.

When the light dimmed, the entire room behind them was gone—nothing left but fragments of floating dust.

The system interface blinked back online.

[System Recovery Sequence: Manual Reset Initiated.]

[Dungeon Core — Destroyed.]

[Exam Complete.]

Arios leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Liza sat down beside the stairs, dragging her hand through her hair. "So… that's it?"

Pokner checked her device again. "Signal's gone. Chase disconnected after the detonation."

Lucy slumped to the ground, exhausted. "He was watching us the entire time."

"Probably," Arios said, still looking at where the core had been. "But now he knows we can find him."

Pokner stood, adjusting her gear. "The academy will see the data once we exit. This proves someone tampered with the exam."

Liza looked up at Arios. "You're going to report him, right?"

Arios didn't answer right away. He just stared down the dark corridor leading back up toward the surface. After a moment, he finally said, "Yes. But not yet."

Lucy blinked. "Why not?"

"Because Chase isn't working alone," Arios replied quietly. "And until we know who else is involved, this isn't over."

The group climbed the long path back up, silent except for the sound of their boots echoing against the stone. The dungeon trembled occasionally, the aftermath of the destroyed core still rumbling beneath them. After what felt like an hour, they reached the surface chamber—where the portal back to the academy shimmered faintly in the air.

Pokner looked back at the stairs. "Feels weird, doesn't it? We made it, but it doesn't feel like victory."

Liza smirked. "We'll call it a draw."

Lucy smiled weakly. "At least we're not expelled."

Arios didn't reply. He stepped through the portal first, and the others followed.

The teleportation light faded, and they found themselves back in the academy's main atrium, where staff and students were already gathered. Instructors moved through the crowd, calling out names, checking devices. Screens displayed the final rankings of the exam.

Class D — Rank 2: Arios Pureheart's Team. Points: 2460.

Status: Cleared.

Students murmured among themselves. Some looked surprised; others whispered quietly, glancing toward Arios as he stepped forward with his team.

Damian Ravencroft, the student council president, approached with his usual calm expression. "Congratulations," he said. "You cleared all twenty floors."

Arios nodded once. "We encountered anomalies during the exam."

Damian's eyes narrowed slightly. "I saw the data logs. The faculty is already investigating the interference. Garron's old access codes resurfaced."

Pokner handed him a data chip. "We traced the uplink. This contains everything you'll need."

Damian accepted it, his tone low. "You did well. But this… is bigger than just the exam."

Arios met his gaze. "I know."

Damian looked at him for a long moment, then finally said, "Then you also know this isn't the end."

Arios gave a small nod. "I never thought it was."

Later that evening, the four of them gathered in the dorm lounge. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the ceiling fan. They'd showered, eaten, and finally allowed themselves to sit still.

Liza leaned back on the couch. "I'm never going into another dungeon again."

Lucy smiled faintly. "You said that last time."

"And I meant it."

Pokner sat by the window, looking out at the academy courtyard below. "You think Chase will retaliate?"

Arios was sitting across from her, arms crossed. "He already has a plan."

Lucy looked at him. "Then what's ours?"

He didn't respond immediately. The silence stretched for several seconds before he said quietly, "We wait. We prepare. And next time, we end this."

No one argued. They didn't need to. They all knew this wasn't finished.

Outside, the moonlight reflected off the academy's main tower, where the student council offices were located. Somewhere within that building, Damian Ravencroft was likely already reviewing their data, tracing the origin of the corrupted code.

And somewhere else, Chase was watching, waiting for his next move.

As the night deepened, the room slowly quieted. Lucy fell asleep first, leaning against the couch armrest. Liza drifted off next, still sitting upright. Pokner remained awake for a while longer, silently scrolling through her device before closing it.

Arios sat alone, eyes unfocused. The image of the red crystal still lingered in his mind—the sound of Chase's voice echoing through the system.

The exam was over, but the war beneath the academy had only just begun.

End of the Dungeon Exam Arc

[Chapter 142 — End]

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