Sylas Paine’s POV

I pushed through the crowd of my bustling classmates in search of the one person I just knew I had to have on my team. Unfortunately, my beloved sister wouldn’t partake in today’s test, but that was fine. It just meant she wouldn’t get hurt, and honestly, that was a far better outcome than her maintaining her rank.

In my humble and correct opinion.

If I had learned anything about this man, he would be on the outskirts of the class, hiding away with his uncanny stealth ability. He was most likely in the presence of his masked companion. Sure enough, the second I made it to the outer ring of bodies, I found him leaning against a tree as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Then again, he is a Ruby adventurer. So the test we are about to embark on is probably nothing more than a stroll through the forest for him.

“Good morning, Voker,” I said, trying to gain his attention.

The High Elf slightly turned his head towards me and gave me a nod of greeting. “Good morning, Sylas.”

I took a deep breath and let it out. I had to have Voker on my team. I knew that he was a logical man and all I had to do was provide him with enough valid reasons to choose me over everyone else.

“Have you decided on which role you will be taking for the test?” I asked.

A simple question at first. If he chose Mage, I might be able to convince him to rethink.

“I suppose I can be anything other than a Support, Archer, or Vanguard. Even then… I could probably make a convincing argument to be a Vanguard if it really came down to it.”

Even better.

“Would you care to join my team? I promise you I’ll—”

“Sure,” he stated simply.

I blinked a few times and was confused for a moment. “Sure? You mean to tell me you are going to accept me as your partner?”

“Why not? Nobody else has asked me yet, and Sylvia didn’t want to join my team because she wanted to go against me.”

Well, thank you, Ms. Sylvia. However, I feel like I shouldn’t be dishonest.

“Are you sure? Nobody tends to choose me for these kinds of events as I lack any real combat power.”

Voker scoffed and chuckled to himself. “Is everyone an idiot? Who wouldn’t want a light mage on their team? Not to mention you have some interesting things strapped to your chest…”

“Well, you see I lack any offensive abilities. And I must admit my healing abilities are barely passable as Intermediate. However, do you know what these are?” I asked, surprised if he even had the slightest idea.

“I don’t need any more offensive power. And your healing is on par for someone our age, so don’t worry about it.” Voker tilted his head and looked me up and down. “I wonder… I couldn’t say I know exactly what they are, but I’m guessing you have some flammable substances in the glass ones. Everything else looks like… mmmm… drugs? Maybe some medicine? And is that tar?”

If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was making fun of me with that first part, but Voker is just far too serious for such petty remarks. But he’s right on the mark. He might be the first person I’ve met that realized what these are at first glance.

“Indeed, they are. I’m a firm believer that ignoring the possibilities that herbal medicine has in conjunction with light magic is a sin. I also have many offensive concoctions for this dungeon dive,” I stated.

Voker hummed to himself and nodded his head at my words. “I see… that’s an interesting idea you have. Is it yours? Or did someone help you come to such a conclusion? And why not just rely on your light magic?”

Such loaded questions. But he’s asking genuinely, so I have no problem answering him in earnest.

“I came to this conclusion on my own. Light mages are rare, and most of them are concentrated in the Holy Kingdom. I find their practice of charging people at their churches for healing to be a problem that is worth tackling. If I can create medicine or drugs that anyone can make then as a nation, we can cut out our dependence on light mages. As a noble, it is my duty to raise the standard of living for those underneath me in order to create a better kingdom. I also believe that combining light magic with unknown medical practices would increase the likelihood of survival for those with serious injuries without the need of a high-level light mage.”

I had to take a quick breath because I realized that I hadn’t breathed very much during that. I also may have spoken too fast…

“Very interesting, Sylas… I wish you came to me sooner. Do you think I could give you a task?” Voker asked of me.

“A task? Please explain.”

“I’m sure you are aware of Berserker Caps?” Voker questioned.

“Absolutely. They grow in The Barrens, and the Dark Elves use them for an increase in combat ability. Dark Elves also have an inborn resistance to the mushroom's negative effects, which include loss of higher mental function and control of one’s body. I believe I also read that Dark Elves have a small resistance to the after-effects as well,” I recounted.

“Good. Now you know about the pollen of the Magic Lily?”

“Yes, a drug favored amongst Tel’an’duth’s mages. It was used extensively in the war to increase the focus of mages during long battles. However, the drug also has some serious side effects…” I said.

“They do indeed,” Voker mused.

Where is he going with this? Could he be… impossible… only Dark Elves can consume Berserker Caps without the severe ramifications.

“You see, I’ve combined the two to create a combat drug. The pollen counteracts the loss of mental control from the mushroom. My mixture is… rudimentary at best. The backlash is also severe, and my administration methods leave much to desire,” Voker said in his usual emotionless voice.

Although I don’t find Voker to be emotionless. If anything, he is quite expressive despite wearing a mask. Perhaps I should talk to this Elf more… but Lin… urgh!

“That shouldn’t be possible. Studies have shown that none of the races besides Dark Elves have enough of a resistance to consuming the mushroom. Are you saying…” I trailed off.

“Then they weren’t doing things the right way. If I give you my formula, could you improve it?” Voker asked me earnestly.

Such a drug…

“I’ll have to think about it,” I said quickly.

Voker gave me a nod and stretched his shoulders. “Well, we should get going.”

“Indeed.”

I followed closely behind Voker as the tall High Elf made his way through the crowd. It was interesting seeing people move out of the way for him. Some did it purposely, and others did it without even glancing at him. Was this what it’s like to be powerful?

A staff member guided Voker and me to our position inside the manmade structure. The entirety of the underground structure was made out of gray stone bricks, and torches set into metal brackets lined the walls. As we went deeper into the structure, the pungent smell of monsters became overbearing. It smelled of wet fur, blood, and, unfortunately, death.

“Do all dungeons smell like this?” I mumbled out loud.

“Mostly. Some are far worse,” Voker answered.

Ah, that’s right, this might not be Voker’s first time in a dungeon.

Since there weren’t going to be too many monsters, we were to split into groups of two. Warriors and Vanguards were to pair with either Archers, Mages, or Supports. It was apparently the same system adventurers used. I, of course, lacked any serious combat power and was purely a Support.

This made things… difficult.

The groups of two were scored on how many monsters they slew and how fast they could get to the core. And for someone who is abysmally bad at mana enhancement and can’t help much in fights… I am one of the worst potential partners in the class.

House Paine, of course, had light mages on standby for events such as these, so if a student was seriously injured, there was a capable healer nearby. And we always had the Professor to fall back on as he was wandering the dungeon along with a few other instructors.

This was essentially the safest dungeon in the entire world. If you could even call this place a dungeon…

The staff member left us at our starting point and walked back towards the entrance. Voker scanned the small room, and I could feel his intense gaze fall on me. “I’m surprised you aren’t with your sister. Was she even here today?”

Ah, perfect… he is paying attention to Lin. That’s good. WAIT!

“Something the matter, Sylas? Did I… ask you a… uh.. a bad question or something?” Voker asked hesitantly.

I wiped my face free of sweat with my jacket and took a deep breath, which I immediately regretted. This place reeked, and it was getting hotter and stuffier by the second.

“No, not at all. My wonderful sister has duties to attend to today, and unfortunately, she will not be joining me,” I said.

“‘Joining…. me?’ Don’t you mean us? Nevermind…” Voker mumbled under his breath. “That is unfortunate, I watched her train for this, and she seemed quite skilled. She beat me in the last test, so I was curious to see what she was capable of.”

At least he recognizes her… wait… he was watching her?!

“Unacceptable!” I shouted.

“Huh?! Why are you yelling at me?” Voker squeaked in surprise.

“No reason at all,” I stated simply.

“Okay…” Voker said weakly as his shoulders deflated.

I observed Voker, and I’ve come to a conclusion. He simply just doesn’t understand my advanced methods of conversation. Varnir was telling me that he wasn’t a crook or anything but rather just an awkward man. I find this to be an accurate description… mostly.

He is clearly hiding something. What this is, I can’t be sure.

Many speculations have been thrown around about this young High Elf. Is he a bastard? Is he even royalty? Is he even a High Elf?

Personally, I don’t think he is very important at all. Perhaps just an awkward Elf boy that had to become an adventurer for some reason or another. Or maybe he just likes this kind of life. He seems to enjoy physical activity.

Like the absolute monster that he is… who could like such strenuous work… why grow the body when you can just grow the mind instead.

A banging noise that sounded like it was coming from two metal sticks echoed throughout the halls. Voker winced slightly as he rubbed his ears. “Damn… you would think they could use another signal,” he complained.

Mm.. it was okay for me.

“Is Elven hearing really that sensitive? Can I touch your—”

“Later if you ask nicely. We have company already,” Voker said flatly.

Do we?

I looked down the long twisting hallways and saw nothing but darkness and torchlight. I tried to listen for any sounds, but I couldn’t make out a single thing. But if Voker said something was coming… then something was coming.

Voker turned around and craned his neck. “It’s slithering on the ground. It’s moving towards us from that hallway. Use one of your flammable vials on it,” Voker ordered.

“Why? Can’t you just kill it instantly?” I questioned.

Voker stopped looking down the hallway and stared down at me. The High Elf was almost an entire head taller than me, and despite not being able to see his face, I could just imagine his intense expression.

“This test means little to me. I’ll pass it regardless of what happens. Killing these monsters also does little for me. However, you are my partner for this, and I have decided to help you. Your abilities are… interesting. I believe if you gain more experience in these situations, you will have more confidence in yourself. So, throw that bottle, Sylas.”

“Amazing… I’ve never heard you speak so much,” I mumbled.

But… he seems so genuine… I… I can do this.

Voker let out a soft sigh and forcefully turned me towards the hallway. “Just do it,” he said exasperatedly.

I unhooked one of my concoctions and prepared to throw it. It felt like an eternity, waiting for something to come around that corner. Finally, I heard the sound of something sliding across the ground, and it got louder and louder. Shiny yellow and orange scales rounded the corner quickly and smashed into the stone wall. The snake’s body wrapped over itself.

A flat orange snakehead poked out from the bundle of coils and glared at us with blue eyes. The monster released its bloodlust, and I nearly faltered as I took a single step forward. But I could feel Voker watching me, and I didn’t want to let him down. So I continued stepping as I threw the glass ball down the hallway.

The snake managed to untangle itself, but it was too late as the glass ball shattered, drenching the snake’s head and most of its exposed body in a sticky orange substance. I hugged the wall, and I didn’t have to wait long as a burst of heat flew past my body.

The explosion rocked the hallway, and the shockwave went by me soon after. Voker’s Fireball had hit the monster directly and ignited the flammable substance, sending the snake into a frenzy as it frantically tried to put itself out. The smell of burnt meat quickly filled the narrow space, and I was about to wretch when Voker grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and tossed me to the side.

I looked up from the floor as a black spine lodged itself into the wall right where my stomach had been. Voker was looking down the hallways, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention.

I… want to run… run fast and far… what is this?

“Always pay attention to your surroundings. Stop hesitating against these monsters. They won’t hesitate to eat your insides after they murder you,” Voker said in the calmest voice I’d ever heard from him.

He reached out to pick me up, and I recoiled away from him instinctively. He just let out a small sigh, and the sinking feeling in my stomach vanished. He didn’t even spare me another glance as he looked down the dark hallway again while picking me up. The torches on the walls had been destroyed somehow…

“I know I said I’d help you learn something during this test. But I’m going to be dealing with this one alone, Sylas,” Voker stated.

“I uh… okay…” I croaked.

My throat was dry, and I grabbed my canteen from my back to quickly quench my thirst as Voker walked down the hallway slowly. I continued gazing into the darkness until my eyes slowly started to adjust. I could faintly make out a red blur that was making its way toward us. Something was running at us…

Voker stepped to the side and dodged another black spine that got stuck in the wall. A woosh accompanied another sidestep as Voker narrowly escaped again. My eyes focused completely since I couldn’t stop looking down the hallway. Something seemed to crawl out of the darkness as it glared at Voker with two rows of six red eyes.

The monster looked like a hunched-back dog with inky black skin. Long black spines protruded from the creature’s back, and the inky skin on its face seemed to slide away to reveal rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. Then there was a blur.

Voker ran full sprint at the monsters and dodged through its barrage of spines. The beast let out a noise that almost sounded like a laugh as Voker closed the distance. Then, the creature flipped itself around and kicked off the ground, moving through the air with its back towards Voker. More spines shot out from its back, but it depleted its stock with that maneuver.

I didn’t even see Voker unsheathe his sword, nor had I ever seen him use it before. It was a blur of gold and blue, and I struggled to track it with my eyes. He cut down the spines, and the sword disappeared from his grip soon after.

What… does he have… a Spatial Ring? I did see him wearing a ring…

What was even more surprising was that Voker grabbed the monster out of the air with his bare hands. He slammed the creature to the ground with enough force to crack the stone floor, and he sent a well-placed boot into its stomach. The monster let out a squeal of pain, and I could hear its bones break as it hit the wall.

The beast slid down to the ground slowly, and although it attempted to crawl away, it didn’t make it very far. Voker stood over the monster and stepped towards its head. I barely managed to look away but not before I caught a glimpse of the spray of black blood.

I heard Voker let out a deep satisfied sigh as he walked over to me. Dark black blood stained his white shirt. “Sorry about that. I had some business to attend to.”

I felt like I blinked one too many times as Voker legitimately sounded happy right now. He just crushed a monster’s skull with his foot and for some reason, seems to be in a better mood.

What is with this Elf… I was so afraid earlier but now I’m just confused. Was that him? Was what I felt bloodlust? But… ah… I don’t know.

“Okay…” I managed to croak out.

“I saw that Shadowlings might have been on the list. I didn’t expect to run into one so soon.” Voker rolled his shoulder and looked over at the dead snake monster. “A Sandervile Copperhead, huh? Not too bad, all things considered.”

A Copperhead! The scales can be used for medicine… I wonder if some of them survived the inferno…

I walked over to the blackened body of the monster and lamented the fact there probably wasn’t much left to salvage. I suppose my mixture, along with Voker’s magic, was more than enough t—

Ugh.

I was suddenly jerked back as Voker wrapped himself around me. I hadn’t even heard anything, but when I opened my eyes, a snake that was about half the size of the Copperhead was latched onto Voker’s arm. He yanked it off and whipped it against the wall, splattering it.

Voker let out another sigh and looked over at me. “You should probably let me lead. If that ripped your throat out, I wouldn’t have been able to save you. Not that I would have let that happen in the first place.”

“Yeah… you’re right. Let me heal you…” I said in defeat.

The snake had bitten a good chunk out of Voker’s arm, but nothing I couldn’t fix. My mana swirled in my chest like a warm summer breeze, and I gently guided it out towards my spell core. I winced as mana left my body and completed the spell core. A small light flashed for a second, and Voker’s wound was healed.

He flexed his arm and hand a few times and gave me a nod. “Thanks.”

I nodded weakly at his words, and he went to work on ripping some scales off the snakes. I watched him in silence, and I felt somewhat bad about letting him down like that. I had just walked toward a dangerous monster without even making sure it was safe.

Lin wouldn’t have this problem…

I thought back to all the times we went on hunts for class. Everyone had killed a monster, and they were so proud, but it took me almost seven years to kill something at a measly threat level of twenty.

And that was after Lin injured it…

My sister had always been my partner in these events, and I realized I relied on her solely. It made my stomach churn just thinking about it because I was the older sibling, and I wanted to protect her, but it was always the other way around.

Lin was just more capable than me in everything.

She might not have inherited an affinity for light magic, but it didn’t matter if she was this gifted. Our parents were scared at first… that our house may crumble because I was so weak with light magic. But Lin stepped up and—”

“Stop sulking. You did fine,” Voker said kindly.

What… I… I must not have been paying attention…

“I’m not. I was jus—”

“You are. I’ve seen that look on my face enough to know that you are blaming yourself. Just relax and learn. If you want to get stronger, you just have to work harder,” Voker said simply.

“Work harder… huh? Is getting stronger really the answer?” I mumbled.

Voker let out a deep breath. “I don’t know. I’m starting to wonder if it is as well. But at the very least, with strength, I can get what I want.” Voker’s voice sounded sad… “Now then, we’ve spent enough time here. Let’s get to that core, Sylas.”

“Right.”

We made our way through the dungeon together. I trapped hallways, and threw vials of tar and glass jars of flammable material at every monster. Some were easier, and some took a little bit of extra effort, but Voker always let me get the first attack in.

His orders were simple, and afterward, he would explain why he had me do the things he asked. I sort of just… shrugged my shoulders and moved to his tune. Voker was a good teacher and what he was saying wasn’t wrong.

I just didn’t feel like learning right now.

After we killed another monster, Voker craned his neck back and peered into the darkness. He watched for a long time and didn’t say anything which probably meant there wasn’t a monster. I turned to look as well and that’s when Voker stood in front of me with his hands outstretched.

A wall of flame erupted from him and moved straight down the hallway like a wave. Steam quickly enveloped the area, and the air hissed like hot water on ice. Somebody let out a warcry and swung a giant hammer through the smoke, only for Voker to swat it away and grip the person by the top of their head.

His forearm bulged with power as he lifted Ms. Icebreaker up into the air with a single arm. “Voker?! I’m! OUCH-OUCH OUCH! VOOOKERRR!” she shouted.

“Do you have a Dwarf sized brain in that Human-sized skull of yours? Why are you launching magic down a hallway without looking who might be there?” Voker hissed.

With a clang, Jen dropped her hammer to the ground as she desperately tried to free herself from Voker’s iron grip. “I’m sooory! Please!”

Voker let out an exasperated sigh and gently put Jen back on the ground. She looked up at him with misty eyes, but Voker turned towards me. “We can’t be seen together by an instructor or we will fail. So go the other way.”

Jen stuck her tongue out at Voker’s back and as he continued walking down the corridor. Jen looked to me, and I just gave her a nod and joined Voker.

“Was that… really necessary, Voker?” I asked hesitantly.

“Of course. That spell could have killed someone if it hit them in the back during a fight. All of you have much to learn,” Voker stated matter-of-factly.

“That’s not what I meant…” I grumbled.

He heard her coming, so why didn’t he just yell at her? Or was he trying to make a point?

“Hello, my wonderful students,” a voice rang out.

“Professor?” I asked in confusion.

Voker stood in front of the Professor with his head tilted to the side and arms crossed, “Something the matter, Professor?”

Although the Professor’s words were friendly, his facial expression was deadly serious. “This examination is over. All four of you are to return to the surface with me,” the Professor said firmly.

Four of us? I turned around, but I still only saw Jen standing in the hallway. Oh… it must be Princess Tsarra.

“Something happened. What was it?” Voker asked.

“An uninvited guest. It’s been dealt with, but you should come with me, Voker.”