It didn't take long for them to scurry on their way to the surface back after their successful mission. No one dared explored any of the branching tunnels. They were already lucky enough to survive a beast horde controlled by a rat king and thus no one desired to push their luck otherwise.

After they ascended the steps from the hall lit by fire, they welcomed the setting sun with gulps of fresh air and sighs, almost as if they had found a new lease on life. The whole group found something to lean on, with a few settling on the elite graves and tombstones while the rest tumbled to the ground directly, possessing none of the elegance and bravery they once had before they entered the dungeon. Taking a moment of respite they found themselves sharing a smile not caring at all they were in a graveyard; nothing like a life or death encounter to really connect the once distant hearts.

“Congratulations!” Representative Malten swiftly materialized beside them, “You all survived your last ordeal and right on time. From now on you are all barely qualified…”

He didn't even get to finish when as if on cue everyone on the team gave him such an intense glare that he was visibly stunned. If looks could kill then their stares would have perforated right through his body, claiming his life on the spot. It was Rexsi though who unleashed the whole tirade that had bottled up inside them for quite a while.

“Was it part of your plan to send us to right into our deaths?” he vehemently spoke.

Representative Malten frowned. “What are you talking about…?”

Rexsi scoffed almost as if he found the very question insulting. “What am I talking about?” His voice rose in anger. “In almost every quest, knowledge is the key to half of its success. Your guild sent us on a mission that nearly resulted with us being chewed up by rats.”

They all winced in memory.

Rexsi walked towards Malten with a grave face. “Those stupid catacombs had a freaking tier 1 beast at its peak prowling in its walls. The guild should have been aware of such changes before they designated to send us to the maze below. As a result of such blunder, our lives were almost lost.”

He paused, forced to take a deep breath, his eyes surging with suppressed rage.

Yet Representative Malten was barely ruffled from his outburst as he watched them all with slight amusement. Voices of dissent rose against him like a wave so when he decided he has had enough; he only slightly waved his hand immediately silencing them.

“Now do you understand the reason why these qualification missions exist?” He grimly asked, his silvery robe lazily fluttering under the azure sky.

“We can only do our best with the information we obtain but that's doesn't mean we are gods. Sometimes the knowledge we possess gets outdated so quickly that we don't get a chance to change it before the adventurers set off. Sometimes we are fed with the wrong information and countless lives are lost as a result. We are not invincible. In trying to formulate a quest, there are countless variables that can interfere, ranging from sudden emergence of beasts to presence of hidden treasures. A congruence of events can occur that can easily culminate into a game of chance and death.”

He sighed as he continued, “Adventuring might be one of the most accepted professions but it's also one of hardest. The risk of death is high and the most we can do is try to filter out the weak just so we can prevent any unnecessary causalities. The road to become a great adventurer is paved under the bones of the many dead people. Let this be a lesson to all of you.”

They all stood there in silence, their grievances slowly fading from their hearts. Ultimately, it was their decision to accept the quest, no one forcing their hand. From this mission they finally saw a glimpse of the truth behind the famed profession. All that was left is for them to witness and understand just what their choices might lead to.

Representative Malten’s expression suddenly became lighter as he told them very conversationally, “On the bright side, you all get to survive and live another miserable day. All I can do is generously promise more rewards after the misinformation is taken care of and a tally is taken.”

Still vexed, Rexsi grumbled under his breath as he hauled the rat king's head in a blood soaked rag sack into Representative Malten's hands. “Here is the proof of the rat king's head, together with its inner core and this…" he said as he passed on the wooden box from Renesme's hands. “…is the reason why we nearly died in that dungeon. It's a Peak Tier 2 herb we found still in good condition. You can tally up all of the proceedings and split it among us equally.”

Representative Malten's eyes roved over the dead head of the demonic beast before he clapped his hands and another assistant appeared.

“Destroy this head but keep its inner core. Take both the herb and the core to an appraiser to correctly estimate their value.” He instructed. The assistant bowed in response as he carried both the items and disappeared just as quickly as he came.

They found the same carriage waiting for them in front of the ancient gates. After the Representative made sure they were inside, he informed them. “Only at the early hours of tomorrow will all your badges be ready for the small initiation ceremony. Make sure you don't come late and…” his face slightly wrinkled, “… make sure you all rest and take a good old bath to freshen yourselves up.”

Almost as if he had cursed them with such words, the Representative received a new round of death stares. His eyes twinkling with mirth, he swiftly closed the door behind them before signaling to the driver who started their journey back to the Adventurer’s Guild.

This time the ride back was filled with another kind of silence than the one they had set out with. As everyone was practically physically and mentally drained, it was almost as if they had all agreed to sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride in silence.

Resting on his back, Lukas closed his eyes as he recalled in mind the battles he just experienced. It was another of his old habits, taking a recount of each and everything that had occurred during many of old battles he used to played online. He found the process comforting especially now where he was physically involved, and the concept of cooldowns and abilities weren’t as clear cut as in the games he used to stream. Back then his old life was filled with the intense desire to stand out amidst the fierce competition. It had taken all of his smarts and abilities to finally come out on top and proudly say he was making a living by playing games.

But in the world he currently found himself in, he was faced with a cold reality. There were no save points, and if he ever failed a dungeon, they weren't any tricks that he could usually manipulate to ensure success. In addition the demonic beasts in this world weren't programmed; they were cunning, bloodthirsty and vile. Lukas felt a flash of fear at the thought of every beast he encountered possessing the same instincts regardless of their strength. It would be smart if he thoroughly prepared for such a thing in the coming future battles. He only had a single life to depend on.

Comprehensively looking at his abilities, it only took a moment for Lukas to realize his biggest weakness; his mobility or lack thereof. He had loads of shields, respectable firepower and a healing spell that made sure he could keep himself alive at any unexpected moment but what he lacked the most was a spell or a skill that would allow him to escape in case things went south. Most probably if any kind of running would have been involved, only the Rexsi and Renesme would have had a higher chance of surviving as Rexsi would have depended on his ability to meld into shadows and Renesme's inborn agility would long left them far behind.

Taking a deep breath, a trace of the remnant smell whirled into his senses. He decided on the spot that first thing he does the moment he returned to his room would be to take a long deep bath and have a change of clothes after. Before he slept and called it a day, he would take the time to meditate and think up of the ways he could correct some of the glaring mistakes he made during his first dungeon run.

Because he knew this was the only way he could guard his life in the midst of the chaos that surrounded him ever since he had transmigrated into his new body.

* * *

Meanwhile,

Once the carriage carrying the new cadets disappeared further down the road, Representative Malten stood under the setting sun for more than a few minutes before tracing his way back to the Stone doors. Once he arrived he then cast the same spell he used to open it, the creaking sound reverberating within the desolated graveyard.

As soon as the large doors opened, a deluge of dark smoke slowly spilled out before swiftly rolling into a mass that rose under the fading rays of sun to finally reveal a silhouette of a man seemingly made of shadows and darkness. Upon a clearer light, a black robe shone with luster and his handsome face with a head of full of cascading hair fluttering in the airless wind was seen walking out of the Hall of Fire.

“The Dark Visage,” The Representative greeted.

“Representative Malten,” A sultry voice answered back.

“I believe it went well.” He inquired.

The Dark Visage's obscured eyes twinkled in response. “Everything went smoothly…with quite few surprises.” He eyed him with a mischievous glint. “Luckily I wasn’t forced to make a move.”

“Of course,” Representative Malten smiled confidently, “This time the cadets we sent were too exceptional. They wouldn’t have perished as easily inside the Catacombs.”

The Dark Visage chuckled. "Weren’t you all apprehensive of the far-reaching consequences when it gets discovered a Descendant of the House of Fyre met an untimely death under your hands?”

Representative Malten quietly stared at him until the Dark Visage shook his head in defeat.

“Speaking of her,” Representative Malten continued almost as if he hadn’t heard his last comment, “How was she? How would you gauge her potential?”

By this time, they had slowly made their way across the familiar graves and tombstones. Representative Malten's bearing almost made him look like a mortal with a hint of deep wisdom and conviction while the Dark Visage presence felt very different. He radiated power and might, with his dark mana seemingly robbing the silent graveyard of its light.

“In terms of strength, she is the strongest amongst them. It seems the rumors of the heritage from The House of Fyre weren't unfounded after all. The little girl possessed quite the formidable spells and portrayed a higher proficiency over her elemental fire. If she were at my level, she would have proved to be a dangerous opponent. She does have the making of becoming a mighty powerhouse in the future…." He flicked his robe, materializing a long obsidian staff in his hands, with a pearl like orb perched on top.

“But she wasn’t the one who caught my attention…”

“Oh!” Representative Malten was surprised. For someone to even catch an eye of a Heaven Mage powerhouse like him meant that one of the other cadets must have been very exceptional.

“Who is it among them four?” The Representative asked.

The Dark Mage slowly walked for a while before he replied.

“The Lone priest…”

The confusion must have showed on his face as the Dark mage went on to explain. “At first his kit was nothing surprising. He was well rounded for a priest from the famous Cathedral of Light and his defensive spells were decent for a measure. But then throughout their journey I saw it for myself. The seemingly weak priest possessed something remarkably different…something that set him apart from others.”

His curiosity piqued, The Representative asked. “What was it? What did he have that caught an eye of powerful mage as you?”

The Dark Visage eyes twinkled as he directly replied. “It was his Sense of Battle.” He told him. “His perception in the midst of war and danger was almost unparalleled for someone his age.”

He halted his steps before he fully turned. “We both know you can train the most powerful adventurer but if their sense of battle is weak, then they are nothing more than a burden to their members and themselves. For some it comes naturally while others have to go through countless life and death to cultivate it. That priest showed unimaginable wit and courage during their most dangerous time. He is the reason why the whole team returned in one piece.” He then chuckled. “Inadvertently it was also because of him that I didn’t have to reveal my presence.”

To say Representative Malten was surprised would have been an understatement. He was keenly aware of what the kind of injustice the priest had previously suffered and all he hoped was for him to safely pass his 2nd Qualifying Round without any complication. But it seems there might have been more to him than meets the eye. From what he has previously read, his abilities were nothing impressive. Thus it beg the question of what kind of transformation did he go through after he survived the Evergreen Forest?

Staring at Representative Malten deep in his thoughts, The Dark Visage didn’t deign to interrupt. Of all of the words he uttered, he meant each and every one of them. Once he witnessed his performance, he had a feeling that should he come to cross path with a priest of such potential, he would likely find them more than a nuisance. The various priests, emissaries and the deacons of the Cathedrals were already trouble to begin with, but a formidable priest with powerful spells would have likely proved to be a challenge even with his current abilities. Sighing he continued on his path, reminding himself to grow his strength…after all despite all he has said, there was still something very crucial he hadn’t yet told the Representative about the said priest…

Representative Malten clicked his tongue in admiration before he sighed. “Who could have guessed that such low parts of the Catacombs could have birthed the rat king?”

The Dark Visage shrugged, “The convergence of Tier 2 herb, a dumb beast and most of all luck is enough for such a thing to occur. But it was only when they were at the brink of death did their potential blossom. Their strength sang in those halls, and with the amalgamation of light, fire, sword and arrows, it offered quite an entertainment. It was a spectacle to behold...”

The Dark Visage then yawned tiredly. "This is the end of my quest I suppose. It has taken quite of my mental fortitude to make sure my presence won't be discovered. They might have been weak but their perception was uncanny.”

Representative Malten smiled in appreciation. “Then you should rest. Your dividends will be sent to your sleeping quarters early in the morning tomorrow.”

The Dark Visage smiled in response. “Then it was pleasure working with you.”

He made as if he was about to leave before he hesitated. “But before I leave, there might be a few things you should be aware of.” He finally said.

“Go on.” The Representative said, giving him his full attention.

“One of the cadets was a half-elf who seemed to possess quite some insight. She was the one who perceived the true nature of The Forsaken statue within the Catacombs.”

Representative Malten only slightly froze before he shrugged it off. “That won't be a problem. Those children are more than smart enough to dare spread such a thing carelessly. But just in case I will take care of it.”

“I truly hope so.” The Dark Visage muttered before his face got strange. He wavered for quite a while before he made his decision. “As for this…I don't know what to make of it, but that Priest could open a tome of The Divine Cathedral effortlessly.”

Astonished, Representative Malten exclaimed, “Are you sure?”

The Dark Mage nodded without hesitation, “It's the truth I am afraid. I plainly witnessed him laying the book open twice in succession. Only the rogue was beside of him at that moment but it seems he has a good head on his shoulders as he hasn't uttered a word to any of his teammates. The priest seemed profoundly clueless. I’m more than sure he hadn’t realized the consequences of such an act.”

Representative Malten stared at his eyes. When he saw The Dark Visage wasn't kidding around he was forced to ask the most obvious question. “How is that possible?”

The Dark Visage shook his head. “I have no idea…but this is surely a sign that he is marked to be different. I would keep an eye on him if I were you...” The Dark Visage whispered the last word as he silently dispersed into the shadows leaving Representative Malten with his thoughts.

After reaching a certain decision, he clapped his hands and another assistant materialized beside him.

“Send a crew into the Catacombs to clear all traces of what had happened today. Take a special note of any of the remains related to the divine cathedral. None of it should survive to see the light of the day.”

After that, he went on. “Take note of all of their collective prizes, including the approximate rewards calculated from the increased difficulty of their mission, the simple treasures they brought back and a bonus for doing a good job. I'm feeling generous so make sure the rewards are plentiful.”

The assistant subtly bowed before he whisked off with his instructions.

“This is the only I can help. Hopefully when you grow up, you will give me a decent surprise.” Representative Malten smiled as he muttered to himself before he flicked his fingers, summoning another carriage that whisked him off, away from the Graveyard of Sorrows, laying an end and a beginning to all of the events and its ramification way ahead in future.