"Urg…"

'The sudden flash of light took Philip by surprise, making him squint his eyes due to its intensity.'

"Where…"

'As he opened his eyes and got used to the environment, he noticed that he was in a large hall that looked like a big supermarket.'

'He saw all sorts of people walking around and talking as they looked at the products on the displays. Some had staves on their hands, others had swords... A few, books...'

'As he was lost in thought, Fabrin said:'

"This is the underground market. This one is exclusive for teachers and other employees so you won't see a single student, in your case, you aren't a student but more an employee..."

"But this isn't our destination, so follow me for now." Said Fabrin as he walked forward

'Philip looked around in confusion, but he shook his head and walked, sorting his thoughts as he walked.'

'Seeing this, Fabrin asked:'

"Not a big fan of teleportation by the looks of it, no?"

"... It's better than portals…" Said Philip with a smile

'Fabrin nodded with an understand gaze.'

"Well, yeah, portals tend to be unstable and cause nausea if not used properly…"

'Philip looked at Fabrin and said:'

"It was a joke…"

'Fabrin smiled awkwardly and said:'

"In any case, let's go over what I wanted you to do… But first, I want to know, how long do you intend to spend in this Academy?"

"Hum…"

'This question made him think, and after a minute, Philip said:'

"I have decided to leave within a month and 2 weeks… No more than 2 months in total… And I've already been here for a week."

Dae gave me 5 months, and despite everything I think about him, I made a promise and I plan to fulfill it.

Besides, I hate this place... My time has not been pleasant.

'Fabrin nodded, but he let out a sigh.'

"1 and a half months… I guess we can work with that… In any case, let's go back to the matter at hand."

"As you know, the academy is built on a Dungeon-Rich area, the density of Dungeons in this area is several dozen times that of the average of the continent… And this leads to a problem."

"The entire underground of the Academy is filled with caves and complicated, Maze-like pathways filled with underground monsters, and as you know, those aren't really easy creatures to deal with... Even for many of the professors."

"As you know, the best way to understand this is to imagine a Dungeon is to think of it as a tree."

"It grows from a seed deep in the underground. It first grows its roots, and once it arrives at the surface, the trunk of this tree starts to grow… All the way to Heaven."

"Once it arrives at its final destination, the tree slowly dies, and eventually it collapses, leaving behind its husk… The same husks we used to build the walls and many facilities of this Academy due to their durability."

"Heck, the main building of the academy is the lower section of one such trunk... An ancient Dungeon that died long before the Academy was built."

"However, this isn't the case for the roots, those remain behind, and from time to time… They can overflow, or some annoying creatures may grow in there… Creatures we wouldn't want to see on the surface."

"That's why, every year, there is a big hunting event performed by the Academy to eliminate these creatures and gather materials and resources, and at the same time scout and evaluate the situation in the underground."

"And this leads us to our reason for being here… Are you still with me or did you get lost?" He asked as he looked at Philip

'Philip was currently looking at the people walking around, but he nodded.'

"I heard you, just taking a look at these people's weird attires..."

'Fabrin let out a laugh before he said:'

"When there are so many different tools and ways for you to grow stronger through equipment, it's normal for people's fashion to become chaotic... And in any case, our objective is pretty simple."

"The hunting event changed a lot over the years, and currently, it's solely made for the Fifth-year students, the kids who are in their last year of the Academy to grow and experience something new."

"And as such, it's their last and perhaps sole chance in their life to experience the danger of some of the most ferocious creatures in the world under some level of safety…"

'Philip frowned and said:'

"It seems a bit counterintuitive to send students... Especially these arrogant idiots to such dangerous places no?"

'Fabrin let out a sigh and said:'

"They may be arrogant, but that is mostly due to the fact they are capable... The problem is when they stop trying to get even more capable and instead find pleasure in remaining stagnant..."

"That is why we use this event to give them an incentive since the Fifth year is both their last year as students and the most important where their growth rate explodes… "

"But only if they can keep up with it or if they have the desire to grow strong."

"Of course, the Academy can't send them without help to such a place, so teachers and private guards are allowed to participate in this event as long as they don't interfere too much."

"I will be participating, but I am a teacher and I have my own responsibilities… You know where this is going right?"

"..."

'Philip had to think a little but he soon understood.'

"Who do you want me to keep an eye on?"

"It's good you get things fast… Do you remember the girl in white you scared yesterday?"

'Philip's eyes sharpened for a moment before he connected the dots, his only words were:'

"... Bruh…"

"I do not understand the meaning of 'Bruh', but I can see the disappointment in your tone… But you are correct, that girl was my daughter."

'Philip almost face palmed.'

"Hah… I can understand now why you said that to me yesterday…"

If I had touched her or hurt her, I might've just died right then…

'Fabrin looked at Philip's expression and smiled.'

"Yeah kid, but think about it, at least you didn't take things too far, no? That's why we are here having this conversation."

"That doesn't make me feel any better…"

Fabrin tapped on his shoulder.

"Let's forget about that and focus on this okay? My daughter has always been a bit of a hothead like me and her mother were when we were her age... She doesn't even rely on me for anything… So I am 100% sure she will try something stupid… "

"..."

What do you mean by 'me and her mother'?!

"Especially after she lost to you, someone who is about her age..."

'Philip frowned.'

"Are you insinuating this was my fault? Also, she is a bit young than me if she is a fifth-year..."

"No no no… Not at all. What you did changes nothing, she was always someone like that… Besides, I'm sure you aren't older than 25 right? That's close enough."

"... I'm 22..." He said in a low tone

'Fabrin ignored Philip and continued his narration:'

"She tries to keep a strong front in order to keep up with 'expectations', so even if she hadn't met you yesterday, the result would've been the same."

"What I want is for you to act as her guard… And even if something bad happens, you should be at least strong enough to flee with her yeah?"

"... Fine, I'll do it."

"Good! The event should be starting soon anyway."

"Soon?! Is your daughter okay though?"

'Fabrin did not immediately reply and instead said:'

"I am thankful that what happened yesterday was more mental than anything..."

Another reason why I need someone to keep an eye on her.

"Once this ends, I'll keep my part of the promise and help you."

"From another perspective, this event is also good for you, if you can take out some strong monsters and save students, you can gather points and you can exchange them for things…"

"There are many interesting things available, and in any case, money is always good."

"Well… I can't disagree with that." Said Philip as he looked around

Although I already have an unbelievable amount of cash on my inventory tool anyway...

'Fabrin continued to guide Philip throughout the underground shop cheerfully.'

…

/8 minutes later/

'They left the shop and entered into a series of maze-like corridors, they were very fancy and they had a noble vibe due to all of the red and brown used to decorate them.'

'Philip on the other hand was extremely confused, Fabrin pulled him through false walls, floors, teleportation devices, and a few more bizarre things… And he eventually led him to a dead end with a closed pair of doors.'

"How is someone supposed to navigate through this place…" Said a tired Philip as he looked around

"You'll get used to it, it took me 4 years to learn it though… And I am sure that in all of my years in this place, I barely covered a Sixth of this place, so don't even bother trying…"

'Fabrin opened the pairs of doors in front of them and they arrived at a balcony leading to a massive garden filled with exotic trees and houses.'

'It was packed full with people, students, and teachers alike.'

'But Philip looked towards the ceiling, even more confused.'

"The moon? Since when did…"

Was it when we teleported?...

"It's an illusion kid… Well, kind of… A part of the outside sky was translocated here through mirroring a fraction of… Forget it, even my head hurts when I try to remember the explanations for this."

"This is the main hall, and in the middle of this garden is the only physical entrance to the underground of the Academy… All other entrances were sealed long ago, that is why if you enter a Dungeon and go to its depths, you'll be met with a wall."

'Philip suddenly remembered the wall on the first Dungeon he visited.'

"I see, it makes more sense now."

'Fabrin continued.'

"There are other entrances, but those require complicated procedures and at least 95% of them are overseen by the Academy spirit and… I have to go now, kid." Said Fabrin as he looked at the garden

"Eh? What about me though?"

'Fabrin pointed at a tower that looked like a pillar. It went all the way to the sky and beyond the 'clouds'.'

"See that pillar? Focus your mind on it and you'll know the rest…"

'Fabrin suddenly turned into dirt and his body crumbled into the ground.'

"Hey!... Fuck me…"

Focus on the tower? Fine… I'll give it a try…

'Philip rested his elbows on the balcony and looked at the tower.'

/Twinkle…/

'Suddenly, the tower started to shine, but no one reacted to it, only Philip saw what was going on... Slowly, more and more symbols shone on its surface, some even started to fly and fuse in front of Philip... And soon enough…'

/BAM!/

"Get out of the way, fucker." Said someone behind Philip as he knocked him to the side

"..."

Who?...

'Philip was incredibly focused on the tower, so he didn't notice the person pushing him behind him, almost sending him crashing down into the garden below.'

'He turned around and looked at the rude person that took him out of his trance.'

"Look at this guy? Screw off, kid." Said the man in an arrogant tone

'He had a strong build, he was also rather tall and even a bit handsome. His hair was red and his eyes were blue.'

'Next to him were two more people, two girls, one had the same hair color as him and she looked shy, the other had green hair and she looked like a bitch.'

[Lv ?]

[Lv 32]

[Lv 19]

'Of course, Philip tried to see their levels, and surprisingly, the big guy was beyond Level 45 while the girl with red hair was 19, and judging by her clothes, she was probably a 2nd-year student while the bitch was 32 and a fifth-year student.'

'Philip wouldn't judge people by their appearance most of the time but he was already annoyed by what happened so he just framed her as one and forgot about it soon after.'

'It wasn't worth his time.'

"..."

'Philip rolled his eyes and turned around, there was no need to involve himself with rude kids, especially rude noble kids… It was a complete waste of his time.'

'Don't misunderstand him, he is angry for their actions, however, he didn't care much, it was only a push and a bit of verbal abuse, only a kid would start a fight with another kid over such petty things…'

"Tch! Aren't you an advanced student as well? Where's your courtesy as a fellow student?" Said the green-haired bitch with mockery

'Philip stopped and turned around, looking at them with an annoyed face.'

Sigh, I can't have one day of peace without meeting one of these rude failures?

As if that wasn't enough, the green-haired bitch decided to open her mouth to speak and add fuel to the fire...

"Forget it, this guy is just a nobody… Nevertheless, shouldn't you at least apologize to me?" Said the red-haired guy to Philip

'This made Philip sigh mentally and say, already expecting the outcome of this:'

"Apologize for what? I…"

/Slap!/

"Look at you! Who allowed you to speak?!" Said the green-haired bitch as she slapped Philip

'He did not react, in fact, he just looked at them with pity and disappointment, how many neurons did those two have?'

"B-Brother… Let's leave…" Said the red-haired girl

"Eh? Sister, this is why people bully you, you can't be so meek all the time." Said the bitch

'Seeing those guys ignoring him and treating him like trash made Philip's blood boil in anger, but he closed his eyes and calmed down, and once again, he turned around and tried to leave…'

/Thud!/

"Brat, I gave you a chance and you are now trying to leave?"

'The red-haired man kicked Philip on his leg, making him fall on his knees, and after that, he grabbed his hair and pulled.'

'But this time, Philip just got to his feet and grabbed his hand, making the red-haired dude surprised.'

"Aren't you quite bold…"

/CRACK!/

'In the blink of an eye, Philip moved his right hand and crushed the red-haired man's nose casually, and he closed his left hand, crushing the man's wrist.'

"AHH!"

'While the man agonized in pain and confusion, Philip brushed his hair and said:'

"I can say the same, I gave you several chances to fuck off and leave me alone, but I am angry and annoyed now. Don't blame me for this… 'Kid'." He said as he shook the blood off his hands

/CRACK!/

/CRACK!/

/CRACK!/

/CRACK!/

'Philip wouldn't leave them alone now that he was provoked, so he entered into a stance, and with a flurry of moves, he broke dozens of bones of the man in front of him…'

'He made sure to make the man's body unmoving through telekinesis just so he could crush every single bone of the man's body without having to go after him due to the force, each strike of his strikes carried.'

"Ahhh! Wh-Wh…"

/SLAP!/

/BAM!/

'After he was done with the man, he raised his right hand and slapped the green-haired bitch without even looking at her, making her teeth fly down the balcony and into the garden.'

'Her face crashed against the stone floor, making a large dent in it… She didn't move after that, but blood started to form into a small pool below her face.'

"!!"

'All of this was done within a few seconds, making the red-haired girl take a step back in fear as her body trembled.'

'She looked at Philip's emotionless eyes and she almost pissed herself when he raised his hand towards her…'

"NOO!"

'She screamed in fear but he didn't do anything apart from pushing her aside. He crouched on the ground and grabbed the faces of the two unconscious people and made sure they wouldn't remember this.'

'Was this necessary? Probably not, since he was sure problems would come one way or another just by the number of eyewitnesses on the other balconies…'

'After he was done, Philip got up and left by jumping out of the balcony and into the garden, leaving the bleeding bodies of the two behind and a very scared girl behind.'

'Soon enough, a teacher came flying and inspected the bodies of the two kids, seeing they were fine, he fed them something before he checked for any eyewitnesses and the recording of the area, and seeing what had happened, he let out a sigh knowing this would be a headache.'

'But once he took a good look at their faces, he realized who it was and his face paled.'

"..."

What to do… I should've ignored this instead of getting on with the troubles caused by this kid… What a fucking day.

And that other boy, he completely destroyed both of them without mercy… I can understand why but… Fuck me, why me?! You know what? I'm out… I was never here.

'The teacher left the red-haired girl behind and ignored everything else, just asking someone else to carry them to the infirmary and calling another teacher, this wasn't his problem anymore.'

…

"In here no one should bother me right?" Mumbled Philip to himself as he hid behind a tree

Really man, these people… Urg.

That guy wasn't the only one, many of the kids here have the same air as him… They looked as if the world owes them or something…

Not all are like that but one was already enough to make my day worse.

"I just want to go home…"

'Shaking his head, Philip sat down in one of the tree branches and looked at the tower.'

'Once again, the same symbols started to form, they glowed and blinked…'

*You have connected with the Nexus.*

'A male voice echoed in his mind, surprising him a bit. But he continued to look at the tower.'

*Matching ID… Checking Identity… Welcome Philip, your entrance to the yearly underground Great Hunt has been approved.*

'A series of numbers and words started to appear in front of Philip, and they persisted even when he closed his eyes, but before he could even read them, the voice said again:'

*A request has been received from professor Fabrin Peos.*

*Mission Type: Protection

Description: Protect student Ivia Peos through the remainder of the Great Hunt.

Additional Note: Any intervention during the Great Hunt will disqualify the student until further analyses of the cause behind it.

Rewards: Discussed in private beforehand.*

"... Just accept it."

There isn't much else to think about.

*The contract has been accepted, sending you the location and ID of the student…*

'Soon enough, a map appeared, showing a red dot and a white dot.'

"This is kind of annoying, how do I take this out of my vision?..."

*You can disconnect from the Nexus at any point by saying 'Avich'.*

"..."

'After he was done with that, Philip took a greater look at the Nexus, and he saw many things such as other missions and even party requests from other students seeking to work together.'

'He scrolled through the requests, but he didn't see anything interesting nor did he have the need to buy anything, so he just said:'

"How does this work?"

*First, the Central formation tower builds a mental link with its users through Mental manipulation with the Nexus, and hence, information exchange is possible between the two without external interference.*

*Second, the Nexus is incapable of peering into the mind of any of its users as per rule N…*

*Third, the Nexus is only accessible to those with considerable Mental capabilities, and the more capable the individual is, the longer he can maintain the connection with the Nexus.*

*Fourth, Nexus clearance level is deemed by your ID specifications.*

*Fifth, it's possible to use your student ID to connect with the Nexus in case of insufficient Mental power.*

"Hum… Interesting… I would like to know what the Nexus is though…"

*Checking ID… Clearance insufficient.*

"I figured."

But still, from what I understood, it's using mental power to mess with my mind... But it's doing it by stimulating one of my senses, in this case, my vision.

It's not something unthinkable, but I can't understand the logic behind it.

And if I remember correctly...

That girl from the Chains Branch I visited previously… Didn't she do something similar?

Lastly, I don't feel any pain or exhaustion from this so far, is it because I have strong Mental capabilities?

"I think this is all to this then… These contracts aren't really something I wish to do… Oh?"

'Philip was suddenly attracted to a certain portion of the Nexus…'

"I can see everyone that is participating? Hum... I can't see some of the professors and workers... No matter."

"Oh! I can even see a few bits of their personal info… Interesting… My clearance should be rather high..."

But this means there is a lot of information I don't see... Can people see my own information as well?

If so, what do they see? Hum... I really don't like this place.

'Bored, Philip went through each and every person, this allowed him to have a closer grasp of his own strength within his age gap.'

"Hum… I understand now… Considering my age… I am indeed much stronger than the average… I mean… Look at this guy… 19 years old, but he can barely cast 4th Circle magic."

'And this is the average for these students… Remember, even if some of them are quite sorry asses, they are the elite of the elite in the best place on the Continent for magic training.'

'Unless you are the heir of some big Family and have access to better resources… But what is that percentage? 1 in several ten million?'

"There are a few cool ones like this one, he is barely capable of casting 5th circle magic but… This guy is quite decent… Good grades… Decent personality… 'The best student from last year's Class 4-1'... This amounts to something."

"He is also 19 and from an affluent family, so he receives resources from outside of the academy… He is on his own Level compared to the previous guy."

If we consider the fact he is going to reach the 5th Circle within this year, and perhaps master it by the time he reaches my age… How comparable would he be to me?

In terms of both strength and talent?

The problem is that I don't really know how strong 4th and 5th class wizards and magicians are…

"Oh! Isn't this the kid in charge of the group yesterday? Verimir Ji… Leader of the Evythus Flower group… So how strong are you?..."

'19… Of course, that is to be expected, he is also from a Noble Family… Also expected... Very good grades and a neutral personality centered around self profit… I see.'

'He is capable of 5th Circle magic quite decently… But he uses magic tools to achieve that? Hehe… Being rich is quite interesting… What about this?'

"Eh? This is locked? Tch! This was getting interesting… Who's next? Ohh! She is quite pretty…"

'Philip continued on his student analysis and he eventually stopped in a girl portfolio.'

'She wasn't pretty, her eyes had dark circles, and she had a few pimples on her face, her hair didn't seem as shiny as the other female nobles, nor did her skin feel as smooth and treated… But she had a pair of violet eyes that seemed to peer into your soul...'

'In fact, it was clear she tried to hide most of her face in the photo…'

"Everything matches…"

'Hair… Face… Expression… Even her school year… She is in her second year… What is she doing here?... Recommended by a professor? Interesting!'

'Her strength… Mastered Fifth Class?! Hoho! Interesting...'

"It's definitely the person I am looking for… But… It was a girl?"

'That fucker Dale told me nothing about this…'

"Now that I look at it… She is wearing boys' clothes and her face is quite rough… If it wasn't for the portfolio telling me it's a girl I would've assumed it was a boy with unusually long hair since this seems normal in this place."

"Nexus, I want to know if there is any request or mission with this girl in it… Wait! Not like this, I mean…"

*Displaying results:

>Request for party - 1 out of 4 members.

*

"... Just one request… Made by her? She looked like the loner type of girl though…"

'But I guess that in the Great Hunt, having companions is better than being alone… And she must understand that.'

'It's better to stop speculating, I know little about her anyway… Let's see… Undisclosed background… This means she is a commoner… But in that case, how did she become a 5th Circle so soon?''

'Super talent? Seems a bit far-fetched but who am I to disagree?'

'How did she even join in the first place? This is getting even more interesting…'

'The rest seems average as well… Even her scores are average, but that wouldn't make sense… This means that she is hiding her true potential from everyone.'

'Of course, that in itself is almost impossible to do in the Academy considering the powerhouses hidden within it, but it should be possible to hide from most students and people.'

"This seems to be her case… 2nd year and already…"

'She may become a 6th circle by the time she completes the Fifth year… That's quite cool.'

"Fine then, I'll accept it… Hum, but what will happen to the no interference rule?"

'The Nexus soon replied:'

*All previous rules still apply, you will still be prohibited from interfering with other students participating in the competition, with a few exceptions.*

*You will be forced to join a team of similar strength like yourself, and if this condition is not achieved all of the points you make will be deducted by a percentage depending on the circumstance.*

*The difference in strength between you and the members of the team you wish to join will be calculated, and a penalty will be given. This affects all students and not only you.*

*This was made in order to avoid artificial evaluations due to the stronger members helping weaker members accumulate high amounts of points easily, due to the difference in strength.*

"Hum… I understand. So weaker students can't party up with stronger students without consequences as well…"

"I'll do it either way, those points were never so important to me at the end of the day…"

'What I need is to learn more about this person and confirm if she is the one I'm looking for.'

*Would you like to apply as an Advanced student or under a hidden identity?*

"Hm? I can apply as something else?"

*It's possible to hide your identity.*

"So yes of course, make me a Fifth-year student! And send a request to join that girl's group afterward."

It would make it simpler to approach her, not as a superior figure but as a fellow student...

*The request has been approved. Waiting for the student's confirmation… Accepted.*

'Just as the voice finished talking, a pile of clothes dropped in front of Philip.'

(Bros, I just had that moment and felt as if I already did this… As if I already wrote this… What was the name of this again?... Damn…)

"Quick as always…"

'Philip put on his new attire and checked himself by creating a mirror of water using magic.'

"Oh? I look great…"

'My face hasn't aged that much since I was 18, so I can easily pass by as a mature 19-year-old… Why am I thinking like this? I am only 22…'

'Philip checked the Nexus once more and made his way to the girl, it was time.'

...

.

.

.