Fallen Laboratory

After registration closed at noon, Caroso and Nimel ate a hearty lunch and arrived at the school field at one in the afternoon.

Twenty-eight others came with them.

The Vice Principal looked solemnly at the group before him. When he saw Caroso and Nimel, an expression of "just as expected" appeared on his face.

Come to think of it, Caroso was different from his two older brothers. Grand Duke Osiris's high-pressure education only lasted until before they entered the academy. Once they enrolled, he no longer interfered.

Caroso's two older brothers had let themselves go a little after entering the academy, but even when they studied normally, their old habits still made them far more diligent than children from ordinary noble families. They did not dare let their grades become too poor.

Caroso's brothers had never participated in dungeons. They all knew how dangerous they were.

This Caroso really was competitive.

"Based on the overall selection, you are the last group to enter the dungeon. Are you all ready?" the Vice Principal asked.

"Ready!"

Everyone answered in unison.

There were only two first-years present: Caroso and Nimel.

There was only one card maker: Caroso.

There was only one mage: Nimel.

The rest were clerics, students from the Nature Academy, and students from the Warrior Academy. Not one of them was the child of a great noble.

"I must remind you once more: this is a random dungeon. You will only learn what kind of dungeon it is after entering. All risks are unknown. You may even encounter the dungeon advancing in rank. That means your entire party could be wiped out," the Vice Principal said. "If anyone wishes to withdraw, this is your last chance."

Nimel's hand began trembling again.

Seeing this, Caroso grabbed her little hand, and only then did Nimel feel much more at ease.

My brother and I can contact each other after entering. That is an advantage no one else has, and one that has never appeared before. We can do this.

"Upon entering the dungeon, you cannot carry any extraordinary items apart from cards. The clothes on your body cannot weigh more than ten pounds, or any excess items will be ejected when you enter," the Vice Principal continued. "To successfully clear it, you must find the master of the dungeon and kill him."

"You may take as much as you can carry from inside. I trust you have all done your research on the value of the items before coming."

"This dungeon raid has one additional rule compared to before: no one who has not cleared a third-rank dungeon may participate. In other words, all of you are experienced raiders."

"I hope you will work together and complete this challenge properly!"

"Then I'll ask once more: is anyone withdrawing?"

Everyone present looked at the Vice Principal with determination.

The Vice Principal gave Nimel and Caroso one last look, then turned around. "Leave a trace of magic power in your soul stones so we can know whether you are alive in the dungeon. Once you have done that... go in."

The principal's office.

"Who let Caroso go in?!"

The principal stared at the list of those entering the dungeon in utter panic, completely dumbfounded.

I was only gone for two days. How did this happen?!

A random dungeon, and they actually dared send someone of Caroso's status inside.

"He volunteered," the prince said as he looked at the ceiling. "No one could stop him, could they?"

"I already tried to persuade him," Bai said helplessly.

"Do you know he is the most talented member of the Kolia family? What if Grand Duke Kolia loses his temper after he dies?" The principal frantically clutched at his hair. "Do you know how many masters Grand Duke Kolia has?"

"If he wants to fight, he will fight whether Caroso dies here or not. Don't worry. Even if he does fight, he will not attack an entire academy," the prince said.

"You people..." The principal felt as though his head was about to explode.

At this point, he could only pray that Caroso returned safely.

Damn it. If Caroso comes back alive, no matter what, I won't let him risk his life in a place like this again!

[Dungeon: Fallen Laboratory]

[Level: 3rd Rank]

[Challengers: 120]

[This place was once a hospital specializing in replacing the limbs of those who had lost them with mechanical ones. During one operation, a mechanical arm used by the dean reacted chemically with a patient's wound, turning the patient into a green-skinned poison man with no consciousness. Do you think all you need to do now is cut down lots of poison men and fight your way out? I can only say that you are too naive, young man. Keep listening to my introduction.]

[The dean was delighted when he discovered this poison man and began investigating the cause. During the investigation, he discovered that it all originated from the copper used in the mechanical arm, which came from a special place. The dean spent a fortune to buy a large amount of copper, brought it back here, and turned this place into a laboratory, hoping to create more poison men.]

[After decades of research, he discovered that the mutation only occurred when limb-replacement surgery was performed at a specific time and in a specific place.]

[The dean consulted a great deal of information on the matter and discovered that the poison men had not mutated at all. Rather, if this copper was made into a left arm and installed on a person on December 18 each year, it would activate a magic array. It was an ancient kind of magic, seemingly ritual magic.]

[The dean began renovating the laboratory and eventually excavated a special space underground, where an ancient and unfamiliar magic array was inscribed.]

[When the dean stepped into the center of the magic array, he heard the whispers of a god...]

[At that moment, all of His believers came here, to this academy, allowing the ritual to proceed smoothly.]

[If you wish to survive, stop the dean from offering his loyalty to Him. Otherwise, all of you will become His food.]

When Caroso opened his eyes, he found himself locked in a room.

He looked around. It was a clean single room with only one bed and a dim kerosene lamp on a bedside table. There were no other furnishings.

Caroso casually took out a Communication Card and poured a trace of magic power into it.

[Name: Communication Snail]

[Category: Spell]

[Star Level: 0]

[Grade: Gray Common]

[Class Restriction: None]

[Description: Allows contact with people within three hundred meters, provided you are in the same space.]

"Nimel, what is your situation?" Caroso asked cautiously.

"Brother, I'm in a separate room..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At that moment, violent knocking rang out from both Caroso's and Nimel's rooms at the same time.

Before Caroso could react, the door was shoved open with great force.

A black-robed man who looked as though he had spent five or six days cultivating immortality glared viciously at Caroso. "You, come with me!"