The group of youths were murmuring under their breaths and whispering to one another the moment Natasha entered.

She was merely a blind girl, so how could she possibly deal with the dangers in the dungeon?

Some of them were already trying to estimate how long she would last inside, with a few guessing it wouldn't be any longer than the previous youth, if she even survived the first few levels.

Just then, only a few seconds after she entered, a bright flash of light erupted into the sky as if silencing their words.

All the students stared upward with dumbfounded expressions, hardly believing their eyes.

Unconsciously they kept staring for a few seconds until another beam of light surged into the night sky.

Under the slightly dim sky it was extremely eye catching.

The second blast left many speechless, and none of them dared say anything anymore.

Amon watched in curiosity, impressed by how quickly Natasha was clearing the levels.

He couldn't help musing internally, 'Although her speed in clearing the levels is greater than mine that's only because I was actively engaging with all the star beasts and was seeking the thrill of battle.'

Amon silently wondered whether Natasha could clear the Behemoth Tower as time dragged on.

Another minute passed, and another flash of light erupted into the sky.

At breakneck speed Natasha cleared the first five levels before her pace slowed considerably.

Instantly, the moment she entered the sixth level, everyone held their breaths in anticipation of the results.

Some were already guessing her fate.

Since she was strong enough to pass the earlier levels, there was no doubt she would come out of this one at most a little injured.

The silence stretched longer than expected until a light erupted into the sky, leaving everyone bewildered.

"She... she really crossed the sixth level!" someone muttered in disbelief.

"Such strength!" another youth shouted in praise, romantic feelings blooming in his chest.

Amon touched his chin in thought.

He already knew Natasha had it in her to clear the sixth gate, so he wasn't truly stirred.

"Now the real challenge begins," he muttered in his heart as he glanced intently at the portal.

The silence dragged on once more and after more than thirty minutes another blinding light shot into the sky.

Natasha had cleared the seventh level as well.

Amon's eyes sparkled with brilliance as he took in the situation.

More than forty five minutes later Natasha cleared the eighth level.

With her now on the ninth level, everyone felt incredulous and slightly lightheaded.

More than one hour and thirty minutes passed before Natasha completed the ninth level.

Everyone was shocked instantly.

"Damn!" one of the students muttered under his breath, "what a monster! Is she going to clear the tower climb as well?"

Everyone's eyes were filled with anticipation as they stared at the distant space.

The hushed whispers died out and even the instructors were speechless, watching closely to see if Natasha would clear the tower.

A smug look was already forming on Simon's face as a cloud of relief washed over him.

A few minutes went by in a flash.

Just then, there was a ripple and someone calmly stepped out from the star gate.

On her eyes was the familiar blindfold and a disappointed expression was noticeable on her face.

"She's out already? But we didn't see any light heading into the sky... does this mean..." everyone was dumbfounded seeing Natasha emerge so abruptly.

Natasha raised her head and seemed to look at everyone with a calm expression.

With a quiet exhale she walked lightly to the instructor and handed the jade plaque to the dumbfounded Simon.

"What happened?" Simon almost screamed.

Natasha pondered briefly before speaking.

"I felt I wasn't ready to clear the tenth level, so I decided to quit."

Instantly, everyone erupted in disbelief and even Simon's heart jolted violently.

'You felt that you were not ready to clear the tenth level... felt... decided!?' a vein almost popped on Simon's head.

What kind of useless students did he have here at the academy???

He felt the urge to puke blood as he heard the stifled laughter coming from Damien.

Natasha no longer paid him any attention and had already begun walking toward Amon with a sweet smile.

Seeing the warm exchange between the two only angered Simon further.

There was a vague feeling in his heart that perhaps Natasha had done this just to please Amon.

But he couldn't know for sure, and he couldn't force her to go back inside.

"Who else wants to give it a try?" a vein bulged on Simon's forehead as he roared at the students, who fell silent instantly.

Some hid behind others in a desperate attempt to dodge being chosen.

"Useless!" Simon spat, then glared at Damien and turned around to leave.

The other instructors followed behind him and soon vanished from sight.

Meanwhile, the remaining students began taking their leave, tired after the entire event.

Before long it was just Damien, Natasha, Helena, and Amon left.

A faint, amused smirk played at the corner of Natasha's lips as she gently commented.

"Congratulations."

Before Amon could thank her she took a light step backward and vanished from everyone's sight.

'Still acting mysterious,' Amon mused and turned his attention to Damien.

"Ha.. haha." Damien burst out laughing, clutching his stomach and completely losing his composure as a teacher.

He stared at Amon and smirked once he regained himself.

"So? What do you think? Your teacher is cool, right?"

Amon gave Damien a thumbs up, then furrowed his brows before asking,

"Instructor, I don't get it. You're at a similar level as the other instructors, so why isn't the principal or any of the school authorities saying anything about you treating them this way?"

Hearing his words Damien smiled faintly.

"Of course it's because I'm strong enough. The academy prioritises strength above all things, so with my strength it's natural that there are some benefits."

Amon pondered his explanation before asking,

"Why not clear the star gates with the time you have and make the world a little safer for humanity?"

Damien rolled his eyes and placed his hands behind his head.

"You think too deeply. Besides, I'm here for a reason." As he finished speaking he gave Amon a knowing look.

Amon's eyes lit up at once.

'That's right. This isn't his real body. In that case there must be a reason why his real body left him here.'

Amon's mind flickered with thoughts and after mulling it over for a bit he nodded at his instructor.

Damien shrugged and waved dismissively.

"You must be tired. Rest up and remember to come early tomorrow morning. I'll give you one artifact from the ones I took."

Casually he retreated, waving at Amon before vanishing.

"This..." Amon was speechless, not expecting Damien to offer something as precious as an artifact.

"You have a good instructor," Natasha commented from the side with a surprised expression.

"I... guess so," Amon said with a shrug, and the two made their way home after a long and stressful day.

...

A/N: Second chapter will come in a few hours. Sorry for the inconvenience.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.