Arnold tried to process what he just heard.

“Me and…” he looked towards a certain someone.

That someone was looking at him with reproachful eyes.

‘Why the hell do you look disappointed!?’

Stella suddenly flicked her hair and harrumphed. She stood up and walked towards the front.

Arnold stood up as well. He was suddenly grabbed.

“Can we finish this conversation when you get back?”

“….” Arnold nodded.

He wanted to know Grace’s connection to Serz as well. Who knows? Maybe the two of them could share resources.

Although changing your associate wasn’t allowed, forming alliances was.

Grace stood up and walked out of the classroom. There was another door at the back of the classroom which she used to leave.

‘As expected, she only came here to speak with me.’

She caught his interest anyway.

Lisiar patted Arnold on his back before he left the classroom. There was a worried expression on her face as if she was a mom seeing her son go to his first day of school.

◇

Arnold gazed over the academy grounds. He could see a lot of students gathering around each other, most likely the assigned teams.

They were supposed to march as a group outside the empire but Arnold and Stella both decided not to follow them. Things would progress faster if their group was marching alone.

They were waiting for their other teammates outside the academy gates instead. There wasn’t any time for chit-chatting. They only had three days to complete the exam so they had to leave earlier to prepare. The first night during a dungeon raid was the most vital time.

You never know when you might be attacked by monsters or parasites that eat your organs from the inside until they consume your entire body.

This was the worry for most players in the game—especially low rankers.

Arnold wasn’t the leader so he couldn’t just tell everyone what to do. Odds are that the leader was probably someone from the three sixth years.

But he would use what he learned once he goes to the Sky God Dungeon.

Looking at Stella he couldn’t quite see a leader in her. Maybe it was rude of him to think so but she seemed more like a dog that needed to be put on a leash.

“Is that girl running over toward us?” Stella suddenly spoke as she pointed somewhere.

Arnold followed her finger and couldn’t help but groan.

“Senior!!”

‘Why are you…’ Arnold wanted to run away from this place.

The person who called out to him while her boobs swayed like balloons was none other than the girl who confessed to him on their first day.

“Ruria?”

The girl came to a halt with sweat dripping down her neck and chin. There was a tower lunchbox in her hands.

“Yes, you remember!” She chirped happily with a beaming smile.

“You know this girl?” Stella looked at Arnold with narrowed eyes.

“Uh, sort of,” he turned back to Ruria, “Why are you here?”

Instead of giving him an answer, she held out the lunchbox with a red face.

“I-I made this for you! I couldn’t let my beloved senior leave without saying goodbye and good luck!”

Arnold didn’t know what to say, “That wasn’t necessary…”

‘Why are you still pushing!? That was clearly a rejection the other day!’

He said that he wanted to give her an answer later but that didn’t really mean that he would accept her. Heck, he didn’t even want to give her an answer.

‘Is this girl just an airhead that can’t read the situation?’

Arnold gratefully accepted the box with a forced smile, “It’s quite heavy...”

“I made enough to last for two days! I made all sorts of treats especially because I love you!” she suddenly hugged his arm and looked up at him with puppy eyes.

Arnold wanted to shove her away. The way she called him “Senior” also made him remember that high school girl who he used to mentor. But of course he couldn‘t just tell the girl to go away.

He noticed that Stella had a smirk on her face and she snickered behind her hand.

“Uh, thanks for the lunchbox… Ruria.”

“Anytime, senior!” she hugged his arm even tighter, “I love you! You know that right?”

“Mm.”

Stella’s grin grew wider at this.

Arnold suddenly felt someone’s presence near them.

A voice spoke to verify the presence was there, “Now, now little sister, you mustn’t trouble Arnold.”

It was the voice of a young man. No, he sounded more mature so he was definitely older than Arnold.

Ruria instantly let go of Arnold as if she received a shock.

“U-Uhm, big brother…”

Standing there was a man with slicked back brown hair and glasses. He was tall and had a fit physique which made Arnold think he was pretty athletic. The most noticeable thing, however, was the pin nestled on his left chest.

Commoner Faction.

‘Wait, this guy doesn’t seem like a commoner at all. Did she just call him big brother?’

Arnold was puzzled who this handsome young man was who Ruria called her brother.

He wasn’t just puzzled by the young man’s affiliation. The young man was also powerful from looking at him alone.

Just him standing there was emitting aura so powerful that made Arnold’s body tremble ever so slightly. The man wasn’t necessarily releasing any killing intent but Arnold could tell that he was almost next to that wild dragon in terms of power.

Of course, there was a possibility that he was stronger. Probably on the level of a 6th star.

‘Also, why couldn’t I sense him until only after he was near us…’ he glanced at Stella and noticed that she was keeping her head down. Her entire body was trembling.

“So you must be the one my little sister keeps fussing about,” the young man held out a hand, “You’re from House Berkley, right?”

“Yeah, you can call me Arnold.”

Arnold shook the man’s hand.

“My little sister here must be giving you trouble. I was looking for her anyway to discuss a certain matter that we have to attend to. Right Ruria?”

“Y-Yes…” Ruria glanced at Arnold, “I-I’ll see you when you get back, sir Arnold…”

She changed her form of addressing him instead of calling him “Senior” affectionately.

“Come now, Ruria.” The young man put his hand on his sister’s shoulder and pushed her forward slightly.

She followed after him while looking back at Arnold and waving goodbye.

Arnold heard Stella gasp for air.

“H-How… the… hell can you stay composed… like that…!?” Stella shouted between breaths.

“What do you mean?” Arnold tilted his head confusedly.

“D-Did you not realize who that guy was!?”

“….?”

Stella looked at Arnold incredulously, “That guy could take on any person on this school and win even if he used a stick.”

“I get it. He’s powerful but why should I care?”

“He’s Cain! A monstrous 6th star spear user from a noble family!”

“Cain? What’s his last name?”

“Uh, I think it was Bastere or something.”

‘That’s odd. I’ve never heard of that name before. He was wearing a 7th year custom blue and grey blazer so he should be well-known by now.’

“Hold on, if he’s from a noble family then why is he working with the Commoner Faction?”

“The commoner faction doesn’t outright hate nobles, especially if they’re influential and powerful like that guy. A lot of mysteries surround him. All we really know is that he’s from a foreign nation. As is his sister who enrolled this year.”

“Hm…” Arnold recalled the man from earlier.

‘Cain, huh… I wonder who’s stronger between the two of us.’

He had his demon lord power if he ever fought an opponent that could match his aura at full power. Then again, there was no telling if Cain had any cards of himself up his sleeve.

‘Well, we have no reason to fight so I guess it’s pointless to ask such questions.’

“Oh? You guys were here all along?” a voice came from behind them.

Three people were standing there. One was a woman who was at the front of the group while the other two were men who stood behind her.

The one on the right had long ears—his ears were even longer than Sylphiala’s ears and more droopy.

‘A mountain elf.’

Due to being separated as a single race for thousands of years, the Wood Elves and the Mountain Elves differed in both appearance and their racial skills.

Wood Elves were one with nature and could use elemental magic. Mountain Elves could survive harsh conditions and were better hunters. Their primary weapon was the bow.

The elf at the back had a bow as well. A very large one, in fact.

Arnold looked at the black haired woman who spoke to them, “You are…” he noticed the green band around her arm, “…our teammates?”

“Yup,” she smiled, “These are my two friends. The big guy with a rough face is Badger and the guy with the long ears is Long Ear.”

“Please do not introduce us like we’re savages, Maylim.” The elf rolled his eyes and stepped forward, “My name is Eclese Aperty Wodlin. My companions are Maylim Clerwin Ashtung and the other guy is Raymon.”

Arnold glanced at Raymon. He quietly nodded his head in greeting.

“He’s a silent guy so please don’t get offended if he doesn’t answer a question,” the elf then looked at Maylim, “See? That was a greeting you give to people you just met. Esclese finds it odd how a tribe member who lived in the mountains has better manners than a noble girl who was groomed since childhood.”

“Ugh, whatever. And don’t talk in the third person. It’s creepy.” Maylim said with a snarl.

“Ahem, now then. Who might you be, gentleman and young lady?”

“Wait, they didn’t tell you guys who you were paring up with either?” Arnold asked.

“Nope. I think it’s like that with classes that have to mix. We only heard that we’ll be teaming up with two very respected swordsmen from class A, year 4.”

“I see. This is my classmate, Stella Ayried and I’m Arnold from the Berkley household.”

“You’re Arnold? Wait, are you that guy who nearly blew the entire courtyard away?” Maylim’s eyes sparkled as she leaned forward.

“Ah, yes that was me.” Arnold could only admit it since that actually almost happened.

If Freya hadn’t stopped him then many of his classmates—including him and Rodrick— would’ve died.

“Yes! We’re so glad to have a guy like you on our team!” Maylim jumped excitedly, “We’ll definitely have the highest scores! Those highbrow A class of our year can go to hell!”

‘She sure acts like a little child.’ Arnold noticed Eclese smiling wryly.

It seemed like Eclese knew what Arnold was thinking and seemed to agree.

“So have you guys done dungeon exploration before?” Eclese asked as they walked outside the gate.

“Not really. This is my first time,” said Stella.

“Your first time is always the hardest,” Eclese said gently, “This is our third dungeon ever since we were fourth years. The reason the academy does this every year is to prepare us for the hardships in our final year. My brother graduated last year and let me tell he didn’t seem like his past self at all.”

‘Imagine the horrors he must’ve seen back then.’

The practical exam wasn’t the only hard part for seventh years. There was also a written exam which tests your endurance. Students would have to write for two entire months non-stop with two days long break in-between different subjects.

This was only after they’re done with the dungeon exams.

The academy offered 50 subjects. Magical Science, Destiny Divine Magic, Alchemy and Arcane Theory were the most difficult subjects in the entire empire. These subjects were why so many students drop out.

Arnold couldn’t help but admire Eclese’s brother.

A carriage suddenly pulled up and the coach called out to them.

“That’s our ride everyone! Hop on!” Maylim grabbed Stella’s hand and ran towards the carriage.

Arnold called out to Eclese, “Can I talk with you for a second?”

“…” Eclese nodded to Raymon. Raymon nodded back and left the two of them alone.

“Please continue.”

“Thanks. I’d like to know who will be in charge of the group.”

“Ah, our leader? She was originally our leader.” He pointed at Maylim.

“Her?”

“Hahaha, you seem surprised. Don’t be. She’s really our leader even if she acts like…” Eclese sighed when he looked at Maylim whose sheath was caught in the door of the wagon. The wind blew and her underwear was seen beneath her skirt. She didn’t even care as she tried to pull out her sheath. “…like that.”

“…Appearances can be deceiving, I’ve heard.”

Eclese smiled, “That’s correct. Forgive my asking but are you planning on working cooperatively with us if the situation needs you to?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well… I’ve heard a lot about you. How you’re… um… prideful and arrogant.” Eclese said hesitantly.

“There’s always time for change.”

“Change, huh…” Eclese nodded along, “I was taken aback by your polite attitude towards us. Especially considering the rumors.”

Arnold decided to change the subject. He didn’t really feel like acting like a scumbag just to satisfy the curiosity of this person.

“I don’t see any mage. Care to explain what this is about?”

The two of them climbed onto the wagon. The other three didn’t speak to them, probably to not interrupt their conversation.

“Well… all the mages were taken by the other teams. I was hoping that maybe our other teammates would be mages.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.” Arnold shrugged, “We can’t take magic sheets. We don’t even have a healer. How are we supposed to fight tactfully?”

“It just so happens that I can fill both those roles,” Eclese smiled confidently.

“You serious?” Arnold was doubtful. Eclese was a single archer. How could he fight as a mage and healer?

“Eclese is part of the alchemy program of the academy,” Maylim interjected, “His skills is second to none in medicine and herbs.”

“The old traditional way of healing, huh…”

‘Well, it’s good enough.’

It was highly likely that the dungeon would have all the herbs and plants he needed to make medicine to heal injuries that aren’t too severe.

“Then what about the mage role?”

Instead of answering Arnold, Eclese pulled out an arrow from his quiver.

“This is what’ll make it possible for me to act as both archer and mage.”

Noticing the questioning gazes he was receiving, Eclese elaborated further, “This arrow doesn’t look like any ordinary arrows you’ve seen before, right?”

True. The arrow’s body wasn’t wood but an unknown material that seemed much more polished and sturdy. The color of the main body was brown while the arrowhead was silver. He wasn’t sure whether it was steel or any other metal since the texture itself seemed different from the silver he’d seen before.

Arnold noticed that there were strange markings on the arrowhead. Almost immediately he was able to guess that it was an enchanted arrow.

“What the…” Arnold took the arrow in his hand and looked at it closely.

“That’s one of the arrows I bought a few weeks ago from a travelling peddler. The arrow’s been enchanted with various kinds of magic. This one in particular can freeze a target once hit.”

“A debuff enchanted arrow, huh? Do you know the craftsman who made this?”

“No. But what I do know is that the person who made this is an elf like me. The peddler told me that she sold this to him for just a few silver a piece even though it was worth much more than that. Lets hope she’s not from the Wood tribe otherwise my people will freak out if they see me with these, hahaha.”

“Right…” Arnold gave the arrow back to Eclese.

‘What kind of craftsman is capable of infusing magic into arrows with enchantment techniques?’

Arnold could tell that the arrow wasn’t enchanted through the new method—which was arcane magic spells. It seemed rather that the arrow was enchanted with traditional means. Moreover there was also those letters on the arrowhead.

“Hmm… This person sounds interesting.”

Interesting enough that he wanted this person to work for him. The reason? Well, to make weapons so that he could sell them to adventurers. This person’s talents probably didn’t just end with making flashy arrows.

“Anyway,” Eclese spoke as he looked at Maylim, “Did you tell the courier to bring our supplies to the City Watch post today?”

“….” Her eyes widened in horror, “I-I-I completely forgot…”

Eclese gave the loudest sigh Arnold had ever heard.

“We’ll just have to go straight to the store and get it ourselves. Driver, take us to the shopping district.”

“You got it.”