~Leon's POV~

It's odd how my entire personality just switches from a casual guy to a prim proper gentleman when I'm hosting a tea party. Maybe my Master's teachings had influenced me more than I thought.

I tend to get carried away sometimes.

Olivia's bright red blush was clear proof.

Shit. I didn't unintentionally get her to like me, did I? Ugh crud! I knew I should have thought first before acting!

Now I'm gonna have to make sure she only sees me as a friend. If she doesn't end up with any of the male leads then a bad end is going to happen!

Of course, I suppose I should be able to deal with any threats that I remember in the game, but this world is different, it doesn't play by the script.

I have to be prepared for any possible outcomes and neutralize any threats in the future.

This now leads us to my current situation.

"I'm sorry again for being a bother Sir Leon! I will repay your kindness one day! I promise!", Olivia bows her head in apology.

"It's fine, you don't have to.", I reply, "And just Leon is enough, no need to add the Sir."

The reason why Olivia is apologizing to me is that she thinks that she's being a burden. She had vented to me about their bullying problem and not knowing the rules and unspoken rules of the school. However, even if she does know them the bullying problem wouldn't be resolved. Supremacists will continue to bully those they think are beneath them. This is why she needs the protection or approval of a powerful and influential figure in the class. With that, she shouldn't have to worry about any more bullies because they wouldn't dare challenge that figure's authority.

Unfortunately, I don't have that much influence and reputation in the school or the kingdom with my decision in playing the hidden trump card. The amount of attention I would bring to myself and my family would seem like a blessing for others, but I am more concerned about how big of a target that would make us. Hence why I've been trying to be as unnoticeable as I can. I've not been doing a great job at it but at least I'm trying!

So now my companion will have to go to someone who currently has the authority and earn their favor. Angelica Rapha Redgrave. The only person in the academy that can rival the influence of four of the main romantic targets, except Julius since he is the prince, and I am helping her. By preparing the best of my sweets and the best tea I can make for her to use to earn Angelica's favor.

Yes, I know that is it bribery but hey, it works.

"There we go! All packed!", I said as I place the last of the items into the basket. I grab it by the handle and hand it over to Olivia, "Here you go. These should get you on her good side."

However she didn't grab the basket, instead, she just stands there with a look of uncertainty on her face.

Concerned, I asked her, "Is something wrong?"

"Why?", Olivia answers with a question of her own, "Why go through all this for me? You've done so much for me but I have nothing to give in return. You gain nothing from helping me."

"Not true."

"What?", Olivia stares at me in surprise.

"I do gain something out of this, and that-", I walk up to Olivia and present the basket to her with both my hands, "is a friend."

"A friend?", Olivia stutters in surprise, "You want me to be your friend? But I'm just a commoner. Why?"

"I don't care if you are a commoner or the saintess herself. The reason why I want to be friends with you is that you are you.", I reply with a smile on my face. Hopefully, with this, she'll focus on being more of a friend to me than desiring to be more. I need to be careful not to be too likable. Now I just have to-

'Commander. A situation has occurred that requires your attention.'

'What? Can it wait a bit?'

'It's two of your followers Commander, namely the ones designated as Daniel and Raymond.''

'...Did they try wooing a girl for her hand in marriage but ended up getting rejected and maybe beaten? Don't worry, it's a normal occurrence.'

'You are correct of them trying to win a lady's affection but the lady in question is considering it. However, it is the lady's identity that is important.

'Really? Wow. I didn't expect that to happen. Just who is she?'

'It's your sister, Ms. Jenna.'

.

.

'...and Miauler?'

'He hasn't intervened because he observes no harmful intentions on the two.'

'...LUXION. Prepare the scooper. I'm gonna make a eunuch out of those three.'

'Yes.'

Snapping out of my thought and holding back my anger, I calmly placed the basket in Olivia's arms and then hurriedly runs to the door, "I'm sorry I just remembered I have something important to do! Don't worry! You'll do great!"

Olivia blinks before she turns and calls out to me, "But wait! What if I-"

"I BELIEVE IN YOU!", I shout at the last minute before I slammed the door behind me and sprint towards Jenna's location. I was so filled with rage and blinded by anger that I couldn't comprehend just how those final words of mine would affect Olivia's view of me.

"He...he believes in me...", Olivia's smile grew, blushing a bright pink as she stares at the basket now in her hands. She exits the room soon enough and walks towards her destination with confidence and a skip to her steps.

~NO ONE'S POV~

It took quite a while for Olivia to obtain a meeting with Angelica Redgrave. First, she had to find a follower of hers, which was the easiest part. The hard part is trying to convince them to allow her to meet with Angelica. A few hurtful words were thrown her way but strangely enough, she didn't care about them. Only after she gave the follower one of Leon's treats was she finally allowed to meet her.

Inside a private room reserved by the daughter of the duke, Olivia sits beside one of the most influential girls in the entire academy...who is currently enjoying the tea and treats that she brought with her.

"I have to say, I commend you for greeting me with such delicious offerings.", Angelica praised, "I have never seen nor tasted anything like these before."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like them.", Olivia said.

"If you learn your place and provide me more of these then I will allow you to spend your time quietly in the corner."

"D-does that mean I can stay in the school?", Olivia asks nervously.

Angelica pauses just as she was about to take another sip from her cup. She glances at Olivia before she waves off her followers out of the room. Once they left and it was only the two of them in the room, Angelica lets out a heavy sigh.

"You were supposed to stay silent and simply bow your head. Now you've made things complicated."

"M-my apologies!", Olivia cried out but Angelica stares at her before she shook her head.

"At least you are humble and much better than that girl the prince is chasing.", Angelica whispered under her breath.

"Do you truly believe that I would make the effort of kicking you out of the academy or something similar? Well, I'm not sorry to disappoint you but I have far more important things to do than waste time on such a vulgar thing. Besides, you haven't done anything to irk me so far. In fact, it's the opposite really."

"Eh?", Olivia is surprised and at the same time confused.

Angelica nods her head, "Yes but don't let it get to your head. I needed some way to soothe an uneasiness in myself and surprisingly your gifts managed to give me some form of relief and calm. Tell me, where did you get these? Furthermore, I would like to know who it was that suggested this idea to you."

Olivia beamed with a smile, relief now lifting her heart and joy seeped through as she remembered the person responsible for this, "It was my new friend, Leon. He was the one who helped me and he is also the one who made all these."

This perked Angelica's interest, "Leon? Do you mean The Bartfort's third son? Hmm, that is quite surprising."

"You know Leon?", Olivia asked innocently.

"I know of him. I'm sure most of the kingdom has heard of him twice or thrice.", Angelica took a sip from her tea before continuing, "He is a person the world has high expectations for. Not only is he one of the two most promising adventurers in the country but he is also known for his kindness and generosity. I was shocked when I heard that he had earned his title after conquering a dungeon all on his own and his action in helping all the refugees after the Devil's Crown crumbled."

"He did all that?", Olivia said in surprise before smiling, "Leon sure is an amazing person. So kind, warm, and bright."

~Meanwhile~

"Now, can you lot tell me what you did wrong?", Leon asked with an ice-cold smile that leaked bloodlust while the two boys that he is interrogating are encased from their necks to their toes in ice. Raymond and Daniel shivered in both fear and from the cold as they tried to speak.

""W-we purs-sued yo-your sis-ster w-with n-no ro-roma-antic i-intenti-tions. T-the next t-t-time, w-we sh-shall be ge-genuine in e-earning he-her heart.""

"Good."

Leon broke the ice with a flick of his finger, freeing both of his followers and causing Miauler to fall from the ceiling from which he was stuck on.

"Ow!"

"Do keep in mind the lessons that I've told you, alright? I take family very seriously.", With that said, Leon turned around, walked past a stunned Janna, and headed off to wander the school premises.

~Back With Olivia and Angelica~

"I suppose he is.", Angelica said with a small smile. Wishing that the prince would show her the same interest Olivia has for Leon instead of chasing a girl who was leading them astray. The most infuriating part about it is that if she were to act then it will put her in a bad spot, she would be made the villain because Lafan isn't actively chasing the prince and his friends, they were doing it themselves.

Yet a feeling in her heart told her that Marie had done something to them which caused their strange behaviors and she'll continue to listen to that feeling until she finds just how she is luring them. She has to protect Julius from her...speaking of which.

'It will be beneficial for the prince's safety if Sir Bartfort came along with him. Marie may be a famous adventurer but she is the main threat I want to protect the prince from. Hopefully, Sir Bartfort can serve as a buffer to separate those two from each other.', Angelica thought to herself before she giggled softly, 'Who knows. Perhaps Sir Leon can clear his highness's clouded eyes.'

~One Day Later~

~The Capital's Dungeon~

The day has finally arrived for the dungeon raid. An event that all students of this academy are required to participate in even just once. Due to the origins of this kingdom being built around adventurers, a class has been made in the academy solely to teach the students all they need to know about dungeons, the great adventurers of the past, and the valuables one can acquire in them after they register themselves to the adventuring guild since it's an important requirement.

However, the people meant to go into the dungeon are all first years with no adventuring experience, except for a select few. Those few consist of Greg, Angelica, Marie, and Leon. Of course, it was only natural for those without experience to try and group up with them, however, there is a problem with that. Greg has already decided to group with his friends and Angelica with her closest followers. Leon, much to Angelica's surprise and Oliva's worry, hasn't arrived yet, and Marie-

"What do you mean you wish to venture on your own?", Angelica asked in surprise at the short blonde girl before her.

At first, Julius and his friends were clamoring and getting close to Marie, asking her to join their group and go together. Of course, this set Angelica off since it was Julius who extended the offer. Blinded by anger, she was walking toward the scarlet-eyed midget to give her a piece of her mind but was stopped when she replied with.

"My most sincere apologies Julius but I have to decline for I plan to go in on my own."

Marie looks at Angelica and sent her a plain smile, "I have taken a task commissioned by the church. They wish for me to go down deeper into the dungeon in search of something of importance to them. Any further details are restricted and I vowed to not reveal any more information to anyone."

"You vowed? Which means you have to do this?", Julius asked and to his displeasure, Marie nodded her head, "Indeed. I am deeply sorry but a vow is a vow."

Begrudgingly, the prince and his entourage accepted this while Angelica was hiding her glee behind a sad smile, "Then I shall wish you luck, Lady Lafan."

"I wish you luck as well Lady Redgrave.", Marie replied before turning around and venturing into the dungeon ahead of the class, but not before whispering, "You all need it more than I."

"Huh?", Angelica thought he heard something from Marie and was about to ask about it until a familiar voice distracted her.

"Um, Lady Angelica?", Olivia called out as she walked closer, "Have you seen Sir Leon? I can't seem to find him anywhere."

This caught her by surprise, "He hasn't arrived yet? But the raid is about to begin."

"I know which is why I'm worried."

"Excuse me.", The prince suddenly asked causing both of them to turn to him, "Just who is this Leon you are talking about? He sounds familiar."

Angelica then answered, feeling a tiny bit of happiness that Julius was turning to her for once, "He's the third son of the house of Bartfort. A popular figure among the first years with his accomplishments."

"Bartfort, you mean that Leon Bartfort?!", Bart said in surprise, "I've heard he's a great adventurer, even conquered a dungeon all on his own. Now that I think about it, I'd like to meet him myself."

"Isn't he also the one who helped the refugees and even escorted them home?", Brad asks.

"The same one.", Angelica replied, "I've even arranged for him to be a part of the prince's party. To further ensure your safety."

"Really? Or is this another one of your ploys to keep an eye on me?", Julius accused with narrowed eyes. This caused the people around them to gasp but Angelica was quick to defuse the situation from developing any further.

"No! I am genuine in my desire to keep you safe. That is all that I was aiming for!"

"Attention everyone!"

Their little quarrel is fortunately interrupted when the teacher in charge of the class spoke up and declared her announcement.

"It's already time so can everyone please group yourselves in teams of 5? Please form up now!"

Julius and the others took that as their queue to leave, not wanting to waste any more time. This hurts Angelica. Seeing her fiance acting like that truly made her heart crack, it's always the subtle things that hurt the most. Concerned and due to her good nature, Olivia tries to comfort Angelica.

"Don't worry Ms. Angelica. He'll see it your way, it just might take some time."

Angelica turns to Olivia with a difficult expression on her face before she simply sighs, "Thank you for your concern Olivia but I think you should find Sir Leon."

She turns around to leave and heads back to her group, leaving Olivia all on her own, "Okay. I wish you good luck, Ms. Angelica!"

Her worried look returned once more, "Where are you, Leon?"

Just as she turned around to try to find him only to bump into someone.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't-"

"It's okay. I was looking for you anyways."

"Huh?", Olivia looked up and sees that the person that she bumped into is Leon, who looked at her with a smile and a small wave.

"Leon you made it! I worried that something has happened to you.". Olivia said in relief before she noticed the armor Leon is in. It gripped his form, showing off the muscles he had been developing over the years while plates of neo steel covered valuable spots around his body. From his shoulders to his toes, Leon is covered with protection as black as onyx gems with red lines spreading through the surface of the armor like nerves. On the center of his chest, the armor bore the mark of his house and the mark of the Terrans, the golden eagle. In short, he looked like one of Arturus Mengk's royal guards. Attached to his back is a black rectangular-shaped weapon that Olivia thought is a great sword and is the only weapon that Leon visibly has.

"That armor looks amazing!"

"Thanks. It's custom-made. Also, I'm sorry for running late. I was dealing with a few things before I got here.", Leon apologizes while bowing his head.

"It's okay, please raise your head. The important thing is that you are here now.", Olivia urges but still retained her bright smile.

"I suppose you are right.", Leon said as he stood up straight before he asked, "Have you formed a team yet?"

"I haven't. No one would accept me in their groups.", She says while sighing.

"Then you can partner up with me!"

Olivia looks up to Leon in surprise, "Really?"

Leon confirmed with a nod and he received another bright smile from the protagonist that nearly blinded him. However, that didn't mean he couldn't hear the whispers from the other members of their classmates.

"Isn't that Bartfort?"

"He showed up? I'm surprised!"

"Of course, he showed up! He's an experienced adventurer!"

"Then that just means this raid is going to be easy."

"Yeah. With the Maiden and him around, we won't have to do much."

"They do the effort and we can safely reap our rewards, hehe~"

Leon growled mentally, 'Bunch of Leeches.'He decided to ignore them and turned his gaze towards the prince's and Angelica's team. First, he observed the captured targets. Unsurprisingly they all look the same as in the game, a bunch of pretty faces showing off their looks, what does surprise him though is that he doesn't see Marie among the group, which was weird since they usually flock towards her like moths to the flame. Maybe she got sick or something? He wouldn't bet on it and had notified LUXION to search for her by scanning the whole school.

While that was happening he turns towards Angelica's group to see that, 'What the fuck is she wearing? Is that even armor?', Leon deadpanned at the rather revealing armor Angelica is in, 'I swear, either the producers of the game are a bunch of pervs that swing both ways, or the common sense of a women armor in this world is messed up.'

He then glances over to Olivia and nods in approval of her outfit, 'Despite that being the typical armor of regular adventurer at least it's protecting some vital parts of her. Hmmm. Maybe I should set up a business where I sell armor? Maybe a couple of weapons too? Not Gauss Rifles, the people of this era aren't ready for that yet.'

'Commander, I have located the target's heat signature.'

'Good, thanks LUXION! So, where is she?'

'On the 9th floor inside the dungeon.'

'The fuck? What is she doing down there?'

'I do not know commander but based on the chatter going on around you, it seems that Ms. Lafan had been commissioned by the church to search for a relic inside the dungeon.'

'A relic?', Leon questioned before his eyes widened in realization, 'Could she be going for the bracelet? But that's something Olivia will find a couple of weeks from now. Maybe she is trying to replace Olivia as the protagonist. I'm gonna have to do something about this.'

Just then his thoughts are interrupted when the teacher announced that it was time for the raid. He looks around his surroundings one last time and sees that everyone else is already part of a team while it was only him and Olivia. Raymond and Daniel would have happily joined them but after the 'talk' he had with them...

'Maybe I took things too far again?', Leon thought, cursing his flaw before clearing his head, 'I'll find some way to apologize to them later, right now I got to focus on the present.'

Now focused, Leon turns to the entrance of the dungeon with narrowed eyes, 'Alright LUXION. Let's see what this suit can do.'

~Inside the Dungeon~

~An hour since the raid began ~

Dungeons. Dungeons are a place filled with phenomenons that even to this day remains a mystery to those who study them. No one knows where dungeons come from but it has been theorized that they had been around since the beginning of the world. Serving as nests for the many species of monsters that inhabit this world of magic and science. Each dungeon has its number of floors but the most common count is 10. Each floor is inhabited by mana crystals(precious resources that only pop up in dungeons), treasures, and monsters. On the first floor the monsters are trash, the lowest of the low, but so is the loot. However the lower you go the more items you will find will become better and better, yet so do the monsters, and at the very bottom is where the boss monster resides.

A boss is the alpha of the dungeon and all other monsters follow its command much like a wolf pack. The properties of a dungeon typically keep it trapped on the final floor until it either is slain or grows strong enough to break its restraints. If the boss is slain by an adventurer then it becomes a Tamed Dungeon, which means the monsters inside won't be able to break out of the dungeon's restraints because they don't have a leader to guide them.

However, if a boss of a dungeon is left alone to gather strength and break its restraints, it becomes a Wild Dungeon. Wild Dungeons are the true homes of monsters since they are now able to move out of the dungeon without being restrained anymore since the boss broke from them. Thankfully it takes over 50 years for a Wild Dungeon to naturally occur but when they pop up, it becomes a civilization-destroying disaster. Take the Blood Garden incident for example. The kingdom had discovered this dungeon too late and wasn't able to destroy the boss before it broke out.

This is why the kingdom needs adventurers to regulate the Tamed Dungeons they have in their territory not just to harvest all the materials but to ensure it never becomes a Wild Dungeon since one of the monsters inside the dungeon could grow into a boss at any moment.

Now the dungeon the class is undertaking is a Tamed Dungeon that has been cleared two days prior so it's relatively safe. This means the students in the raid are thinking that this will be as easy as a walk through a garden. Sure there are still monsters around but since they are restricted to the first three floors there is nothing to be worried about.

Such are the thoughts of one of the teams that decided to separate from the main group to gather more loot to keep to themselves. Such is the greed of new humanity.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?", One of them asked.

One of her teammates replies, "Of course! With Bartfort serving as the Vanguard and Ms. Lafan venturing around this place there shouldn't be any monsters we can't take care of. This way we'll be able to collect so many crystals and treasures that we'll surely be at the top of the class."

"If you say so.", Despite that the conscious member of their team continued to be paranoid. She looked around frantically at their surroundings for any signs of danger.

"Do any of you have any experience with this kind of thing?"

The most arrogant of their group, a girl with a face that looked like a frog, spoke up, "Why would we need it? We the monsters here are so weak even a commoner can kill them. We also have four bodyguards with us so stop worrying!"

"Wait, four?"

"Yes, why?"

"Then why are there only three of us?"

"Eh?"

The team looks around and sees that there are indeed only four of them left. One of their teammates, the son of a viscount, searched for their missing member, "What the- where's Frank? Frank?! Frank where are you!"

As they searched they soon begin to realize that somehow they had wandered off the track the entire group was supposed to take. Right now they don't know where they are now.

"How did we get here? I thought we were...wait, where's Georgia?", The cautious girl looks around and sees that the arrogant frog girl had disappeared. Now it was only her, the son of a viscount and a guy from a lower barony. The girl soon begins to hyperventilate as the three remaining members huddle up together with their backs to each other. The two boys raised their weapons with shaking hands while the girl is starting to panic. It might have just been her mind messing with her but it felt like the darkness was growing around them. Even the torch she was holding seemed to dim.

"W-we need to get back to the group!", She shouts out to the others as she frantically waved her torch around. When she received no answer the girl turns around to see that the other boys had disappeared as well, "Guys? Guys?! Where are you?! Th-This isn't funny!"

The girl is in full panic mode now and she fully begins to hyperventilate. Her eyes were wide with fear, her hands constantly shaking nonstop and she felt like her entire world was spinning. She constantly looked in every direction for even a glimpse of her comrades but when she doesn't, she was tempted to just run for it.

She was just about to...until something dripped onto her head. The girl froze, standing as still as stone. However, curiosity got the better of her and she brought her shaking hand to her head. She gently taps the unknown substance and brings her hand into view to see...that is blood.

Terror washed over her entire being, a scream soon making its wave to her lips, yet before she could, she heard the sound of footsteps. It is then that hope returns in her heart when she sees the figure of Marie Lafan walking out of the darkness towards her. Her lips grow into a shaking smile as she tries to reach out toward the girl slowly, making sure not to make no sudden movements.

"M-Mi-iss Lafan, help me!", She spoke quietly as she begged the petite blonde adventurer for help.

Marie stared at the girl...and simply stood there, doing nothing but watch her with a twisted smile. The longer she stood there and more did the girl realize that she wasn't going to save her. She could only stare in utter betrayal and horror as a sound came from above her, the sound of a monster growling in hunger.

"Miss Marie! Please!", She desperately begs. The beast above now starting to slowly decent upon its next meal. Its maw opens, sharp bloodied teeth ready to chomp down on flesh and bone while Marie continued to stare and smile.

"Miss Marie...MISS MARIE PLEA-"

CHOMP!

A large maw clamp down on the girl's upper body before a long serpentine tongue grabbed the corpse's legs and drags it inside the mouth of the hungry beast. The sound of bones breaking and flesh being chewed echoed in the dark empty hall.

"How was your first taste of human, my dear child?", Marie asked in a soft and caring voice.

A loud cue was her reply, the snout of the creature she hatched moving towards her and rubbing against her body. The blonde smiled, gently petting the scally hide of her monster, "I know my child. They were awful but don't worry, your next meal will be much better. It'll be a special feast just for you~"

The monster in her embrace hummed in glee at her words.

"Now go my child. Go and gored yourself upon everything in your path, but remember, avoid the ones with very colorful hair. They'll give you stomach aches."

The snout retreated from her arms and back into the darkness atop the ceiling. Feeling the presence of her pet moving away toward its next victim, Marie sets off down the path with a goal in mind, "Now then, where art thou thy fury?"

~Meanwhile with Leon and Olivia~

~Leon's POV~

You know, I always wondered what it would be like to be a superhuman back when I was a child. Thinking of what it would be like to have the power to move super fast and have super strength to lift boulders and punch villains a hundred miles away. Of course, that tiny dream of mine faded away when I grew up...who would have known that even silly childhood dreams like that can come true?

CRASH!

"15"

STOMP!

"16"

CRUNCH!

"17"

SPLAT!

"And 18. That should be the last of them."

Flicking away the blood on my gloves, I placed my hands on my hip as I look out at what I had done. I and Olivia served as the vanguard of the group and took care of or scouted out any monsters ahead of everyone. So far we're a quarter away from the second floor and encountered a swarm of giant ants and an angry group of baboon monsters, which I easily took out. Well, easily may not be the right word to describe it because it doesn't do the suit's feats any justice.

It was like stepping on a bug without even knowing it was there. Quite ironic with how many ants I had to kill.

"How are you holding up Olivia?", I look at my companion to see her standing still in shock, the mana crystals she obtained clattering to the ground when her arms went numb. Concerned, I walk up to her, "Is everything alright? Did one of them hurt you?"

Olivia snaps out of her shock due to my words and shook her head, "No no! I'm fine! I'm just, I've never seen anyone move that fast before, and how you took out those monsters was-"

"Excuse me for a moment."

"Eh?"

She looks at me and is clearly confused but soon understood why when an angry baboon monster jumped out from the side towards me. In a blink of an eye, I grabbed the monster mid-air and held it by its neck. Glancing at it with a bored look on my face before I crushed its windpipe hard enough that it decapitated the monster. Then, just like all the others, its body broke like shattered glass. The shards left behind were not even able to touch the ground before they faded into dust.

Dusting off my gloved hands I turn back to Olivia, "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"

"Uh-Is this what an expert adventurer is capable of?", She said mostly to herself.

"I suppose so but It's nothing to awe about. These are just low-tier monsters, they are easy pickings.", I answered with a shrug. Of course, it was true but my implants and the suit are simply too advanced for weak monsters like those we encountered to beat me, much less leave a scratch. Honestly, I'm half tempted to just venture down deeper to test out the suit. Then again it wouldn't be right to ditch Olivia or even bring her along, she isn't strong enough yet. I haven't even started her training...once she agrees, I haven't told her yet about wanting to help her get stronger but I will after this dungeon raid is over.

At first, I just didn't want the protagonist to be weak since she is key in defeating certain challenges and crises. Yes, it does make me look like a jerk to only see her as the protagonist and not Olivia but that's starting to change, slowly.

Anyways, throwing my thoughts aside I flicked my wrist, and all the crystals that Olivia dropped floated back into her arms. Thankfully I can just pass this off as a levitation spell, which makes it less of a hassle explaining what psionics are.

"Alright, this place should be clear now. On to the next chamber!", I said enthusiastically with my fingers crossed, hoping that I'll encounter something that can give me a real challenge. I can't fully assess my combat abilities if there isn't any monster than can tank a slap.

"Leon is so carefree.", I heard Olivia mumble from behind me before the both of us continued down the empty path.

Eventually, after a few minutes of uneventful walking, we finally arrived at the third chamber on the second floor. This is the place where the teacher told us to meet up before moving on to the next one. Chambers like this one are usually filled with a lot of monsters, which is why we all group up before going in...usually that is. I've read the reports on LUXION'S stealth drones and Phantoms about the layout of the dungeon and it was said to be a large room decorated with a vast number of mana crystals and inhabited by an equally vast amount of giant ants. However, when I look around at the room we are in, it's a lot different from the reports.

First off the whole room is devoid of mana crystals. Without their natural glow, it left the entire chamber in the dark, obscuring their vision. The second thing is that despite it being so dark there aren't any monsters charging blindly at him and Olivia. The third and most confusing part is that there is a towering red crystal stuck on the ceiling of the room, glowing a dim red color that barely illuminated the dark.

"What the hell?", I blinked once before focusing my sights on the crystals. The implants in my eyes activated, allowing me to zoom in on the strange object and see it more clearly, "What is that?"

Something about that strange object seemed familiar in a sense. The feeling it gives off when I stare at it, it almost felt like when I-

"Leon?"

I broke out of my thoughts when Olivia called my name. Taking my eyes off the red crystal I turn towards my partner to see her staring at me with concern, "Are you okay Leon? I've been trying to get your attention but you kept staring at the crystal."

"Wha-oh, sorry! I was just lost in thought.", I reply before a cough from the side gained my attention. Looking over, it is only now that I finally noticed that we aren't alone anymore. There standing before us are the love interests and Angelica's group. All of them looked at me with stares of concern, confusion, and slight interest, probably from the suit I'm wearing.

"When did you all get here?", I asked cluelessly in genuine surprise.

"Just now actually.", Purple replied, "I see that it's only us who have arrived."

"Yeah, we just got here. The others most probably are running late.", I said with a shrug before turning to Red, "Say, Red, you've been to this dungeon before right?"

The redhead looks at him with a confused look before nodding, "Yeah, countless times. Why? Do you want some tips or something? And why did you call me-"

"Look, I'll just be straightforward. Was the last time you've been here the entire chamber looked like that?"

"What do you mean?", Curious, Red walked up and finally sees the chamber that lay ahead of us, "The hell? What happened here?"

"I'm wondering the same thing.", By this point, the others got curious as well and walked to the front and are equally shocked as I am. Which meant this was new to them too. Now the real question is, what happened to this place?

Stepping a little further, I finally switched my sight into night vision mode. Allowing me to at last see through the darkness and look at what exactly is...oh...oh shit...

"Let me shine some light in this darkness.", Purple raised his staff and started casting his spell. Acting quickly I grabbed Olivia by her shoulder and turned her around just before a ball of light came into existence.

Light expelled the darkness in the chamber and they are now able to see...unfortunately, what they saw wasn't something they were prepared for.

"Eh? Leon why did you-"

"Trust me on this one Olivia...It's for the best."

"What?", Olivia was about to question me further but after one glance at the grim and serious look on my face, she hesitated.

A sound came to her right and she was able to look back just enough to see Green kneeling on the floor, vomiting out his lunch.

She was concerned and her worry grew even more when she heard the cries of shock from the others, horrified cries.

"Wha-what the fuck?!"

"This can't be possible."

"No...NO!"

With their choice of words, Olivia quickly turned away, feeling shocked and scared. It was brief but I definitely can guess that she saw a glimpse. Hopefully, she stopped when she saw the pool of blood because the scene is...is a lot more gruesome than anything she can imagine.

For what lay scattered on the floor of the chamber are human remains, fresh ones. The floor was painted red with blood and bits and pieces of human limbs littered all around, some were even reduced to bone.

Yet alongside these gruesome remains are adventurer equipment. Armor and weapons...rented by the school for the entire class to use. The insignia carved into them are as clear as day even with blood smearing the symbol.

Yep...We didn't need to wait for the others...they are already here.

Gggggrrrrrrr

My body went stiff, my muscle tensed, and my breath hitched. That growl...that growl came from above and it was loud enough for the others to pick up. All at once, our gazes turn to the ceiling.

The red crystal from above started to break. Cracks appeared all over its surface and pieces of it began to fall to the ground. Slowly, something emerged from the crystal, like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon yet what came out is the exact opposite of one.

Scales as red as blood, shining like glittering rubies, covered its entire frame. Four long arms with talons as big as swords. Two beefy legs dug onto the ceiling with paws the same size as them, claws extended to keep the entire thing's long and serpentine-shaped body stuck on the ceiling. A tail with two ends, both tipped with red violet-colored spikes that oozed an acidic violet substance. Two large crimson slits shined threw the dark, their gaze dripping with blood lust and hunger. Then, its head, a giant maw filled with teeth dripping with blood, emerged from the crystal...and roared.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"...I take back what I said. I'd rather deal with giant ants instead."


Welp. Here it is. Chapter 8.

So...it's pretty clear Marie isn't playing any games here. Innocent blood has been spilled by the monster she made. Whether it is Zerg in origin or just a regular monster mutated because of Marie's strange powers will be found out in the next chapter where Leon will get what he wished for. Probably shouldn't have tempted fate. Also, I know I'm lacking in a lot of things, especially the dialogue but I'm learning as I go. I'm also sorry for the slow update. School has started for me and it's taking up a lot of my time and brain power. So if you find any errors in the grammar that I missed then I am sorry in advance.

But anyways, I'm already planning on the foundation of the next chapter and hopefully, I can finish it within two weeks tops. Speaking of which, I have a bit of a question for you all and it may change a future chapter based on your answer. So, "What hurts more, harsh words or a beatdown?"

Okay, that should be it and I will be seeing you all next time on "Chapter 9: The Blood Spawn."