We lay on the ground exhausted. All of us are soaked in sweat with dirt caked onto our clothes. We tried many times to get up only to be beaten back down by the instructor. I wasn't nearly as exhausted but the instructor noticed and made me work harder. As we struggle to get up we hear him laugh.
"If this is what it takes to knock you guys down then it is going to be a real struggle for some as we continue through the year."
He laughs some more before telling us to get up and wash ourselves. I help up Liliana and the others as they struggle. Then we all go to the designated washrooms. As I'm walking through I can hear Gerard coughing as I'm undressing.
"How did you get your body to be like that?!"
"For 8 straight years I was trained by one of the retired generals who also taught me father. It was rough I'll tell you that."
Then I explained in detail what I went through as we finish undressing and make our way to the showers. As he listens I can see his face grow pale.
"That sounds like torture, is that why the instructor was harder on you than us? Only because you could handle it?"
I nodded my head and then as we wash ourselves I hear him mumble about how he won't fall behind.
After we finished I tapped his shoulder to let him know I'm going to my next class. I get dressed and as i exit the washroom I see Liliana, Tyria, and Hillary waiting for me and Gerard.
"Do you two have the dungeon class next too?"
They nod their heads and after Gerard comes out we make our way to the next class. As we get there we see a Hooded figure waiting but the black board. As I take a closer look I couldn't see and defining characteristics the kind of person I'm dealing with.
After we all sit down as well as the other that make their way inside the teacher speaks.
"Class to day we are going straight to a dungeon, but on the way I will quiz you on the properties of a dungeon to refresh or hopefully teach the lot of you what you need to know."
'I can't even tell with the voice, it looks like it's being disguised as well. I have an idea of who could've done this but I need more time to figure it out.'
Then after the little speech we all rose from our seats and before we proceeded to follow towards our destination she instructed us to grab an iron weapon of sorts to use in the dungeon from the rack. After we did she guided us to the dungeon.
"Can someone tell me what the dungeons were made for?"
A seemingly quiet young man raised his hand.
"They were made my Demon-kind with the help of Dark god fanatics. They were humans who reveled in the symphony of humanities doom."
The teacher gave him a thumbs up and and asked another question.
"Then can anyone tell me why they are still here after the fall of the dark goddess and Demon King?"
I raised my hand after the teacher finished.
"The Gods and Goddesses of light have repurposed the dungeons as a trial for all of the races in preparation for when the Dark Goddess returns. Their hope is that there is a strong enough group that can thwart her and kill her."
I've been given a clap for my answer and I can sense the same young man glare at me.
Since im not caring why, I ignore him.
Then we finally arrive as more questions are answered.
"Here you will divide into groups of 6 and challenge the dungeon. Now I want you all to note that you have no experience bar or level posted. It's because you haven't killed a monster, the moment you do is when you'll see it and be notified for when you level up. Alright all of you, begin pairing up."
As Tyria, Gerard, and Hillary gathered up with me and Liliana I could see the quiet kid from before walking up to us. He asked to join and we all agree to let him. Plus it's easier for me to keep an eye on him, ever since he started to glare at me I've had an ominous feeling. Before we do anything I make sure to add everyone to my party and make all but the kids permanent. They ask why I did that and I tell them it's a surprise.
As the other teams begin to enter we come up with a plan. I and Gerard will be vanguard while Liliana will be behind us as Hillary and Tyria act as our rearguard. We all take our respective positions as we get ready to enter.
"As you guys enter the portal get ready to hurl on the other side. It won't be a pleasant experience."
The teacher looks at us and has us go through.
As we go into the portal I feel extreme discomfort.
'Not being a pleasant experience was an understatement!'
As we are going through I feel like I'm being stretched, forced through a small hole, and immense pressure on my mind. When we arrive on the other side all that can be heard is all of us hurling our breakfast. Oddly enough the only one unaffected is that kid.
Once we all stop and calm down we start making our way through. In the caverns of the dungeon we can see small crystals embedded into the walls emitting bright light while showing us the way.
After 5 minutes we see a small creature. It looks like a small Child with green knotted skin. It has elongated ears and a mouth full of broken and sharp teeth. I can see it holding what looks to be a rusty short sword. As it looks at us I can see it stare at the girls with a perverted smile as a bulge grows in its trousers. It slowly makes its way forward while the girls voice there displeasure at this creature.
"It's a goblin, I bet it thinks it can beat us."
I step forward before Gerard can make a move. As it starts to be more cautious I silently cast Mana Bolt in less than a second and blow its head off. After it falls we see it disappear into a plume of colorful smoke with a few copper coins and a weak health potion left in its place.
At that moment a notification from the system appears before all of us.
(Level Up!)
(1 Level Gained!)
(Mana Bolt Gained a Level)
As I'm reading this I can feel a small surge of pleasure and warmth as I get stronger. I look up and see the others (besides the kids) looking at me shocked. I put a finger to my lips and wink. Before we leave the area I pick up the loot real quick.
After we all got our stuff sorted we began to walk again to explore more of the cave. As we are walking I noticed the kid looking at all of us with a quizzical look as if he's studying us.
As we are walking we come across a small group of five goblins and we all get into battle stances. Hillary fires shards of ice at the furthest goblin holding a bow. Liliana applies a buff to Gerard to increase his speed. Then he goes off on the closest one. Tyria fires a few arrows at the one that tried to sneak away. I then rush the last two. I cut one in half before it can react. The other one gets bisected as I run past it. After the fight we get notifications of the level up and some slight exp gain after.
Then as we continue on we find a hall to the left of us leading to a room. I turn around to look at everyone.
"Do you guys want to see what's down here?"
As they all tell me yes I see a glint appear in the kids eyes. At that moment the ominous feeling I got became stronger but we all went down anyway.
As we make our way through we notice a Golden chest with a lock at the end of what seems to be some ancient arena. Then out of nowhere a horde of goblins lead by a Mage appear out of nowhere. For awhile we just attack, attack and attack. We fight for our lives scared of what may become of us if we lose, especially the girls.
As we all resolved ourselves we finally started to thin out the herd. Ignoring the constant notifications of level ups and items dropped we pushed through until I managed to swiftly end the mage before it's spell could be unleashed.
Exhausted we all celebrate our victory till we hear a pained cry. I look to my left and see Liliana holding her side. I noticed her bleeding heavily and see her head being held by that Quiet Kid. He starts to laugh maniacally. Then his form begins to shift as we notice that he isn't human.