Jax stood at the gates of the school, still reeling from the revelation of his dream. The cosmic roulette, the gods' games, the entities unleashed upon Earth—all of it felt too real to dismiss. As the headmaster spoke of trials and dangers, Jax's mind raced with an unsettling realization: he knew the truth behind the dungeons. He had seen their creation. He knew every trap, every creature's weakness, and every flaw in their design.
The gods, in their hubris, had revealed too much.
As the gates opened and the group stepped into the shimmering courtyard, Jax's awareness sharpened. The symbols carved into the walls, the faint hum of energy in the air—he recognized it all. This place, this school, was constructed from the same cosmic fabric as the dungeons. He could sense the pathways of energy flowing through it, like threads in a vast web.
The headmaster's voice pulled him back to the present. "Your first trial awaits. The Trial of Resolve. It will strip away your bravado and reveal the core of who you are. Only then can you begin to understand the magnitude of what you face."
The courtyard dissolved into darkness, and Jax found himself standing at the entrance of a dungeon. It was one he recognized—a B-class dungeon called the Labyrinth of Mirrors. He had seen its creation in the dream, watched as the God of Illusions shaped its endless halls and filled it with creatures that thrived on fear and confusion.
The others were nowhere to be seen, but Jax didn't panic. He closed his eyes, recalling the dungeon's design. The mirrors weren't just reflective surfaces; they were conduits for the creatures that lurked within. The key was to avoid making eye contact with his reflection—something the mirrors used to anchor the monsters.
Jax moved with purpose, weaving through the labyrinth with ease. The creatures that lunged at him found themselves outmaneuvered, their weaknesses exploited with precision. He shattered the anchor mirror that held the dungeon's core, and the labyrinth dissolved around him, the creatures vanishing into nothingness.
He reappeared in the courtyard, standing among a handful of others who had also completed their trials. Most looked battered and shaken, but Jax was calm, his mind already preparing for the next challenge.
The headmaster's gaze lingered on Jax, a flicker of curiosity crossing his otherwise stoic face. "You moved through the labyrinth with unusual ease," he observed. "It seems you already know more than you should."
Jax said nothing, but his silence was answer enough. The headmaster's eyes narrowed. "Be cautious, Jax. Knowledge is a double-edged sword. In the wrong hands, it can be as dangerous as ignorance."
The group was led into a vast chamber for the second trial: the Trial of Knowledge. A massive sphere of light hovered in the center, projecting images of dungeons and entities. The trial was simple: identify the weaknesses of the enemies shown and provide solutions to overcome them.
For Jax, this was child's play. As the images flickered before him—A-class and S-class dungeons, legendary monsters, and deadly traps—he rattled off the answers with ease. The Frost Wyrm's vulnerability to heat. The Shadow King's reliance on darkness, dispelled with light. Even the S-class dungeon, the Abyssal Citadel, which stumped many, was no mystery to Jax. He detailed the layout, the traps, and the exact sequence needed to disable its core.
The headmaster's interest deepened, but he said nothing, letting Jax's performance speak for itself.
By the end of the trial, only a handful remained. The headmaster addressed them. "You have proven yourselves in resolve and knowledge. But the final trial—the Trial of the Void—will test more than your strength or intelligence. It will test your very essence."
The air grew heavy as the headmaster waved his hand, and the room faded into a swirling void. Jax felt a familiar chill as he stood in the endless blackness. This was no ordinary trial. It was a direct confrontation with the entities themselves.
Shapes began to form in the void, grotesque and otherworldly. They moved with an unnatural grace, their presence suffocating. Jax recognized them immediately—they were the S-class entities that roamed the dungeons, beings of pure chaos and destruction.
"Why do you tremble?" a voice boomed, echoing through the void. It was the voice of the God of Destruction. "You know their weaknesses, do you not? Prove your worth, mortal."
Jax clenched his fists, his breath steadying. He did know their weaknesses, but he also knew their raw power. They were creations of the gods, and defeating them would require more than knowledge.