Outside the dungeon, tension gripped the air like a noose.

The swirling mana around the gate was unstable — wild arcs of energy cracked through the air, humming with a low, thunderous growl.

Professors Varris Denholm, Iralyn Ashwyn, and Mira Elesyn stood at the front line, eyes fixed on the portal. Behind them, academy guards and healers waited nervously, their hands clutching wands and staffs that trembled with the ambient mana.

Iralyn crossed her arms, her expression grim. "It's been nearly 2 minutes since he entered, In dungeon it should be 48 minutes,by this time he should have been saved them by now " he muttered. "This isn't normal. The dungeon's going to collapse at this rate."

Mira, usually calm, said quietly, "According to helper, the readings are off the charts. The core's mana signature keeps fluctuating… like it's fighting itself."

Varris glanced at the swirling light, his brows drawn tight. "Zane Creed said he'd handle it," he said sternly. "So we wait."

The ground rumbled again, dust spilling from the nearby rocks. A few of the younger helper mage stumbled back, panic spreading through their ranks.

And then—

A blinding flash erupted from the dungeon gate, followed by a sharp boom that sent a shockwave rippling across the clearing.

Everyone raised their arms to shield themselves as the unstable mana storm began to calm…

and in the slowly clearing light, a figure began to emerge.

As the light began to fade, a figure stumbled out of the dungeon gate — a student, coughing, covered in dust and blood.

Gasps broke through the waiting crowd.

Then another emerged.

And another.

Soon, streams of students began to step out — Class Solis, then Class Arboris, their exhausted faces filled with disbelief and relief.

Class Lunaris followed, many limping or supporting each other, their uniforms torn but their eyes alive.

Finally, Class Caelis appeared, led by Maera herself, her expression dazed but firm.

The portal, which had been violently swirling moments ago, now steadied — its once-chaotic light softening into a calm blue hue.

And then—

a silence fell.

Because from within the gate… Zane Creed walked out.

He moved as if untouched by the chaos they had faced, his coat barely wrinkled, his steps unhurried.

Behind him, dragged along the ground, were five men dressed in black assassin garb, their limbs bound by glowing rune chains. Their mouths were sealed with another rune, muffling their struggles.

The professors' eyes widened.

Mira whispered, "Who are these 5 men …?"

Varris clenched his jaw, both impressed and unnerved.

Iralyn exhaled — she hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath.

Zane stopped at the center of the clearing, his deep violet eyes scanning the professors and the worried crowd.

"Students safe," he said calmly, his voice steady amidst the whispers and awe. "Dungeon stabilized. And these…" he jerked the chain slightly, causing the bound assassins to flinch, "…are the ones responsible."

The entire area went silent again — not out of fear of the dungeon anymore, but because the man who entered chaos had returned like it was nothing.

The clearing outside the dungeon erupted in cries of relief and disbelief.

Students were hugging each other, some collapsing to their knees as the weight of survival finally hit them. A few even burst into tears — the terror, exhaustion, and relief blending together into raw emotion. They had entered as first-years seeking experience, but what they had faced was far beyond anything they could have imagined.

They had survived.

And for that, they had Professor Zane Creed to thank.

Zane, however, said nothing as he walked forward toward the professors, his boots crunching lightly over the stone path. The five bound assassins trailed behind, rune chains glowing faintly against their dark garb.

Professor Iralyn Ashwyn was the first to move, her expression tight with urgency.

"Professor Zane… what happened in there? And who are these people?"

Professor Mira Elesyn stepped up beside her, eyes narrowing as she examined the captives.

"I want to know that too, but…" her gaze darkened, "why does their mana feel so filthy… so twisted? It's nothing like I've ever sensed before."

Professor Varris Denholm, towering over both, folded his arms and asked in his deep voice,

"And what about the academy's surveillance team? The servants who were supposed to monitor the students from inside the barrier? They haven't reported back."

Zane stopped in front of them and raised a hand lightly.

"One at a time," he said calmly.

His tone wasn't commanding — just steady enough that the others naturally fell silent.

"For the first question…" he began, his deep purple eyes reflecting the now-stable dungeon gate.

He explained everything — how the students had discovered three crystals, each one a fragment of a dungeon core; how, when united, they created a second core within the same dungeon, how it was clashing with the real dungeon core , causing dungeon to destabilize; how he entered, split them apart, destroyed the other one, and faced the S-rank boss that emerged from first one.

When he finished, the silence was heavy.

Mira blinked, disbelief flickering across her composed face.

"Two dungeon cores in one structure… that's supposed to be impossible."

Iralyn rubbed her temples, stunned. "And an S-rank boss… inside a E-rank..no D-rank dungeon?"

Varris exhaled through his nose, glancing at Zane. He really did it… alone.

Zane then gestured toward the five chained men.

"As for your second question — these are the ones responsible."

The professors' eyes hardened.

"They smuggled the three crystal shards inside," Zane continued evenly. "They placed them in exact positions to force a secondary core formation. They're also the ones responsible for dungeon to raise its difficulty, raising the difficulty from E to D rank ."

He looked at the assassins, the faintest trace of disdain in his gaze.

"Their objective was clear — to kill every student inside. When I arrived, due to clashing od dungeon cores,the dungeon was already severing its connection to the other world. Had it succeeded…" He paused, letting the implication hang heavy. "...none of the students would've remained — not body, not soul."

Mira's hand trembled slightly at her side.

Iralyn looked pale.

Varris's expression darkened, veins showing along his temple.

Zane finished quietly, "And about the academy servants… you can probably guess what these insects did to them."

A cold silence fell over the clearing.

The professors exchanged grim looks, fury burning behind their restraint.

And amid that silence, the wind rustled the students' torn uniforms — a faint reminder that, though they had survived the dungeon… something much darker had begun.

Iralyn couldn't hold back any longer. Her teal-blue eyes flared with fury as she drew the blade hanging at her hip.

"You bastards! How dare you harm our students!" she shouted, releasing her aura in a brilliant light-blue wave. Arcs of electricity crackled along her blade as she stepped forward, pointing it directly at the five captured men.

Varris immediately moved to her side, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Iralyn!" he said sternly.

Iralyn's eyes met his, and slowly, her aura dimmed as she let the tension leave her shoulders. She exhaled sharply, folded her arms, and muttered, "Hmph…" Then, in a softer tone, "Sorry for the outrage…"

Mira stepped forward, her expression serious. "We need to take them for interrogation," she said. "But there's still something I don't understand… How did they even enter the dungeon? It's supposed to be protected by guards at all times. Aside from the shift change, which lasts maybe two minutes at most…"

Zane, standing slightly apart with the five bound men trailing behind, inclined his head slightly. "I was about to get to that," he said, his voice calm yet commanding.

The five men shifted nervously, glancing at the terrifying figure of Zane with unease, unsure of what would come next.

Before Zane could continue, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Arin!"

Everyone turned to see Celeste Azurecrest running toward them. Her sapphire-blue eyes were wide and filled with tears. "Professor! He's not here!" she shouted, panic threading her voice. "He must still be in the dungeon… We have to go! He might be in danger!"

Iralyn, stepping forward with a reassuring tone, placed a hand gently on Celeste's shoulder. "Don't worry, Celeste," she said firmly. "He will be fine. We will find him."

Zane let out a small scoff, a smile curling on his lips. "There won't be a need for that," he said, his eyes glinting with confidence.

From the small dimension bag hanging at his side, Zane reached in and pulled out something that made everyone's eyes widen.

Celeste froze in place, her world seemingly stopping for a heartbeat.

Zane held it up—and it was Arin Blake's corpse.

The body was battered and filthy, covered in deep wounds and cuts, his clothes torn and caked in dirt. A gaping hole marred his chest, dark mana still oozing faintly from it, giving the corpse an unnatural, corrupted aura.

"Arin Blake is dead," Zane said calmly.

A collective flinch went through Ron, Lia, Jax, Selene, Lirael, and Torren as they saw the lifeless form of their classmate in Zane's hands.

Iralyn's anger flared immediately. "What is this, Zane Creed…? Why do you have the corpse of a student from my class?!"

Mira appeared beside Iralyn, her tone steady. "Iralyn, focus. Sense it carefully."

She stepped closer to Arin's body. "Look… the corpse… it carries the same filthy, dark mana as these five," she said, gesturing toward the bound assassins.

Varris and Mira exchanged a glance, concern and confusion written across their faces. "Professor Zane… what is the meaning of this?"

Zane tilted his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You want to know how these guys entered the dungeon?"

He shook Arin's corpse lightly, catching the eyes of everyone around. "This," he said, "is the reason."

His purple eyes glinted with a sharp edge. "Arin Blake… is a traitor. He was their spy."

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