-Oriana Mengral's point of view.
[Temple of Eternity]
That was the name given to this Dungeon because of the huge temple in the center of the entire gigantic open-type Dungeon.
The rest of the Dungeon is divided into several different biomes, from mountains, abnormally large jungles, to the vast snowy poles covering hundreds of kilometers.
They were, in particular, most of the existing biomes in the world.
Meanwhile, the Temple of Eternity was at the center.
One of the reasons they chose this Dungeon was because of its biomes and the large number of low-grade monster races, including those of grade 9 and 8 at most.
The cadets were barely strong enough to take on a grade 8 monster.
The starting point, from where the portal was established, was as far away from the temple as possible; that was where the two-week semester began.
True, inside the Dungeon it would be two weeks, but outside it would be six months in total.
It was like traveling to the future.
Fortunately, portals were the best option for entering the Dungeons since the collapse of the teleportation gates.
Creating this portal took more than three months of preparation; it was a complicated task, as it required setting fixed coordinates for the start of the semester.
After all the cadets entered, a vast plain stretched out in front of them, completely clear and with no monsters nearby.
A large camp was set up within a thirty square meter radius, with a makeshift podium for rules and words to be said later to clarify a few points about the semester.
"Headmistress, all cadets are already inside."
A man in a black suit, a well-fitted tie, and a sleek hairstyle spoke to me.
This man was one of the people in charge of Dungeon management and held a high position. However, for the time being, his only job was to provide services within the Dungeon, as well as oversee surveillance.
"Okay, I need you to meet at the podium in two hours."
"Understood, Director."
The man nodded and left shortly thereafter.
In the meantime, I looked around, realizing that everything was set up as planned from the beginning.
Oriana then walked over to a large tent where the other teachers were discussing.
"That's true, but then..."
They all stopped talking when they saw me.
"..."
"Is something wrong?"
"It happens that there won't be enough staff to watch all the cadets."
The semester would last for two weeks.
However, this time there would be no groups among the cadets, as the evaluation was individual: relying solely on oneself, not relying on anyone else, and surviving on one's own.
Therefore, being more than a thousand cadets, the teachers had to keep an eye on at least ten of them each, and at this time there were only seven of them.
"As for that, there won't be any problems. Some of the Dungeon Management team will come to help; there will be five more people."
"Then it's settled."
I nodded, as did the others, who sighed at that point.
In the meantime, I looked at the map that had been drawn up during the Dungeon exploration two years earlier.
This Dungeon was quite old and had been completely abandoned.
Countless checks were made for hidden places where grade 5 monsters could be found, but nothing of such danger was ever discovered.
Facing a grade 5 monster would require at least a wizard of the fifth circle. In the worst case, it would only be possible to face it in a group, having a higher chance of survival.
"There are over a hundred monster villages."
Occasionally, there are monster villages, though they are rare.
It is true that monsters are usually stupid and unintelligent, but this is not always the case.
It is said that the weakest monsters are those with the highest intelligence, capable of forming villages, a small modest civilization with nearby resources.
Depending on the environment, these monster villages are scattered over an area of more than twenty kilometers.
In each village there are a minimum of twenty monsters, while the largest ones can hold more than sixty monsters at a time.
Each village has a chief who leads all the monsters, a grade 8 monster.
All of these villages were searched, and in each there was only one grade 8 monster, but even so, it is still dangerous.
What will happen if a single cadet faces more than twenty monsters at a time and then the head of that particular village?
He would not be able to make it.
Therefore, the teachers would be ready to intervene, of course.
Thus, the survival rate and the fights in this Dungeon offered the best conditions for the last semester, testing all their abilities.
"Let's discuss the following."
Oriana took the floor and began to explain more details to the professors.
***
-Change of scene.
-Asher Frostblade's point of view.
I assumed the Dungeon would be something like this, but seeing it in person was different.
"These Dungeons are fun enough to take the boredom away," said Elizabeth, who had always been at my shoulder.
"I guess they are."
The plains in front of us were incredibly vast.
Up ahead, you could see a dense forest with towering pine trees, like buildings over 200 meters tall.
The manna was abundant, and the air, refreshing.
I was impressed by all this, just as Elizabeth had mentioned.
"See, it's quite nice."
I nodded after hearing that.
Looking around at the others, they too seemed to agree with my thoughts as they looked around.
The camp was quite large, to tell the truth.
"The mystery woman could be here."
That thought crossed my mind, completely changing my expression.
First, I had to check on the female teachers present in this Dungeon.
"I know you're here."
I realized that the strongest and most relevant teachers would be here, and clearly, the mystery woman was someone important and powerful. My head was filled with scrambled thoughts.
The mystery woman is definitely here.
But how do I approach the female teachers?
I had already ruled out a few of them.
Among them, Professor Bridget and Professor Aria, because I knew their personalities well enough and knew it wasn't them. That left only a few more.
I had a thought.
"Professor Brianna."
It could be her.
I wasn't sure.
Even though I'd only met her once, she was a complete stranger to me, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that the mystery woman had known the former Asher for a long time.
Because of that, Professor Brianna was on my list of possible suspects.
"Hmm."
I thought about the other female teachers.
There were two more - Laura and Jazmine.
They were also on the list along with Brianna, which meant that one of these three was the mystery woman.
At worst, she might not really be here.
I didn't know much about her, but I had a clue.
Maybe she changes her voice, but I don't think it completely alters her appearance, since she never lets me see her face when she appears.
Once I find her, I'll just have to watch her from a distance.
"She's strong. I'm not sure, but I think she's ninth circle."
I had wondered this, and Encrid answered me.
"That woman is ninth circle. Although her affinity... It is possible that she is magnetic."
I assumed all this because of the sudden freezing of my body every time she appears.
Although I don't know the affinities of those three female teachers, once I find out their affinities, I will know who the mystery woman is.
"All cadets, gather in front of the podium and line up according to your classes."
I put my thoughts aside for the moment and followed the others, who were also moving.
I was one step closer to finding out who the mystery woman was.
"I'll soon find out who she is and what her intentions are."
I was curious.
Every time I go up to the next circle, she appears out of nowhere.
Her next visit will be when I reach the fourth circle.
So, I decide to find out her true identity before I reach the fourth circle and meet her again.
"Ahem."
Oriana, who was at the podium, cleared her throat as she looked at the cadets, already formed into neat rows.
Around me was the class one group, a small row with only 30 cadets in total.
Soon, Oriana's voice rang out.
"Now I will explain the rules of this place, what you will do and how this two-week semester will end."
Everyone was absolutely silent. I watched Oriana firmly, as did the others, and then, she began to speak....