When I returned to Caemor the next morning, I found Garta in his bed reading a book in our room at Tespana. He lifted an eyebrow at me but once again didn't bother asking any questions.

"Before you ask," he said, noticing me eying his book, "this is a different book. Pay attention next time."

"I'm not one to judge," I said. "Were you lonely? Why so prickly, Prince Garta?"

He frowned at me, looking close to snarling really. Then he rolled his eyes, relaxed back into his bed, and put his nose back into his book. "I was hoping you'd died."

"Too bad," I said. "I got lucky this weekend."

He was already in his uniform, so I dressed quickly and hated that I was still sore. Less than before by a wide margin, but certain movements were still tight.

Thankfully, I didn't need to do much moving. Everyone packed into the arena again, and the dean addressed everyone again to welcome us to Decision Day. I'd forgotten that over the weekend, there'd been an open house at each one of them so that we could get a feel for the differences and similarities, for which we wanted to actually join if we were offered a spot. I figured that also gave each house a chance to make final decisions on who they wanted as well. None of that mattered to me.

Dean Sarsyss explained that she'd be calling up each pairing from the mock matches to stand on the stage and face the heads of each house. She'd say one person's name at a time, allowing the houses to make an offer, and then hear that person's decision if they were offered more than one spot. She'd do that for each person, then call the next pair. After all of us first years were sorted through, then she'd ask for anyone who wished to switch houses. Boring, really.

"The tradition of Decision Day," Dean Sarsyss said as she moved to close her speech, "dates back all the way to the founding of Caemor Academy, from before we began taking down records. Instead, each dean shared the ideas behind Decision Day with their successor. Never once did a dean die before passing on these ideas." She paused here, letting her gaze roam the audience for effect.

Then she raised her finger in the air dramatically. "That!" she said, her voice loud and steady. "That is the strength of these ideas--the ideas of choice, of free will, of freedom. So that is why, even till this day, we have Decision Day. You are free to choose, always, here at Caemor. You are free to act out your own will, even if it is against Caemor. You are free here."

She seemed to thank everyone at the end, but the sound of applause and cheers drowned her out for some reason. She took her seat again, and then the whole process started very similarly to the last time we were all in this arena. The only interesting part came near the end once again. This time not a demon.

The dean didn't bother asking Garta or me to come on stage, but she did end up calling Rila Arne all by herself. Surprisingly, all of the houses offered her a spot, but she had probably performed better than everyone else. She'd gotten unlucky to be matched against us. Even more surprisingly, she chose Tespana.

Perhaps a case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer?

Once the entire affair was over, I got a notice from Di'at.

[Notice]

Congratulations! You have completed your Mission [Take Part in Decision Day]. You've been awarded the skill [Deep Pockets]. No, it has nothing to do with money. It's an inventory skill. Seeing how this weekend went, you're going to need more healing potions than you can hide in your clothes going forward.

I had just enough time before the other first-years moved in to take a look at the new skill. Just a simple description saying I could access a personal inventory with ten slots. Seemed like a lot but also not enough. I couldn't only put healing potions or only weapons. I could kill without any weapon, but I couldn't heal using magic yet. It seemed stupid not to have a backup knife if I could have one, though.

By the time I'd settled on what I wanted to put in my inventory, Rila and the other new first years had arrived to move in. In total, there were only about ten of us first years total, and there were about thirty older students. There was a tour. Then a huge dinner, the food all delicious. And then finally a house party with magic cocktails, magically cold beer, and some hard liquor from this continent I'd never tasted before having been in this world. It was strong.

Garta and Rila took to slamming shots of it down while looking like they wanted to kill each other. When Rose stopped by to chat, she decided to stay because she found them too amusing. I also suspected that she'd grown tired of whoever was following her around at that time. People seemed to swarm around her, and she seemed too nice to ignore them even when she didn't have time to amuse them.

At the height of the night, the head of Tespana, Professor Widhia. He was a big-boned man with ample muscles. He looked like he was made of rock. He had a wide face and angular features, tan skin, hazel eyes, and shoulder-length hair half tied up. He had a wide, white-toothed grin. He said he was excited to get us into the dungeon tomorrow.

Although I don't think Garta slept very well, I had a great sleep, and I woke up feeling better than ever. All the soreness was gone. I could really feel the difference in what I felt like in my body with an [F-Class Soul] compared to an [E-Class Soul]. There was thrill in it, this sudden increase of power, of perception, of physical prowess. Wasn't that the danger in it, though? That was what the Rashirat counted on.

Breakfast was late the next morning, and quite a few people looked thankful for it. It was a hearty meal, then the first years were given an orientation on what it meant to be part of Tespana House. Basically it was a lecture about dungeons and the monsters that lurked in them. About the rewards and the glory of it. But also about the basic rules. No splitting the parties. Winning wasn't always possible. Fighting everything wasn't necessary. Always have a plan, leave before you can't leave, stock up and replenish often, and learn from every encounter.

After that, we did some basic training to assess how to form balanced parties, and then we were placed into them. There were a few different years in each party. I had been placed with Garta and Rila, as well as Rose and another older student named Kadhi. Then we were introduced to the ten professors who'd accompany one of the teams each. Somehow, we'd been placed with Professor Widhia.

At that time, we were given a dungeon map. It was called [Silvernight] and looked like some ancient underground mining operation. Apparently, there was a [Silver Serpent] guarding a reward in the main chamber of an excavated keep found at the mining site, and we'd have to get through a couple [Frost Hounds] to get to her. We made a plan over dinner, went to sleep early, and woke up early the next morning to set out at dawn.

All seemed so routine. So normal. Like there weren't literal demons trying to take over the world. As though there hadn't been a demon hovering above the arena a few days ago or that another earlier last week had killed students.

The dungeon entrance was just a ten-minute's hike into the forest near Tespana. I saw Rila take a big breath as she stared the portal down with her golden eyes. Rose seemed to notice her anxiety as well and lobbed an arm around her shoulders. Rila barely gave protest. Garta, on the other hand, stared it down like it was his enemy.

"Are we all ready then?" Professor Widhia asked. He was wearing armor, intending to act as our main tank.

Kadhi gave a cheeky grin. He looked like a miniature, lizard-featured version of the professor. "You bet I am."

"Then let's head in."

The professor shepherded us through the portal together. Apparently part of the charm of this particular dungeon for Tespana was that it was like a new playing field for each group that entered. The feeling of passing through the portal to some other place was an out-of-body experience. Almost like what it felt like to transition to wherever Di'at had taken me. Next thing I knew, I saw red. An impossible amount of red.

[Dungeon Notice]

You have entered the [10th Dominion], where chaos is maintained by Zolmuroth and the Order of Pride.

A city with a tower, the [10th Dominion] is home to the lowest of the underworld's creatures. Both a paradise for those who wish to reflect their inner worth and a hell for those who refuse, be prepared for an endless march should you test fate and lose.

All rewards will originate from the Plane of Rashirat.