Chapter 6 - A Mission? No, Just More Madness!

Pandora sat alone in her room, the echoes of laughter and warmth from dinner still lingering in the air. Her family had long since gone to bed, and her friends had left with full stomachs and wide smiles, but she remained seated, staring at the dimly lit ceiling. She knew they were happy—she could tell by their expressions, their voices, their laughter. And yet, she couldn't understand it. What made them so different from her? Why did she feel like an outsider even when she was surrounded by them? She searched for an answer, but the more she tried to grasp it, the stronger the dull ache in her head became.

Then, as if a switch had been flipped, her mind cleared. No longer did she dwell on those thoughts. No longer did she wonder. Instead, her mind filled with a single objective—a mission.

She had to become an adventurer. That was all that mattered.

The next morning, Pandora strode into class, the same neutral expression on her face as always. Her friends, gathered by the entrance, immediately greeted her.

"Morning, Pandora!" Lilia beamed, skipping up to her side.

"Did you sleep well?" Darian asked, adjusting his sword strapped to his waist.

"Breakfast was good, right?" Elric added, knowing full well how her family was when it came to food.

Lucian, however, got a little too close, grinning at her. "Pandora, good timing! I thought about more questions for you—"

Before he could finish, Grimm materialized between them in a blur, his arms crossed in front of Pandora like a shield. "No."

Lucian took a step back, dramatically clutching his chest. "Grimm, my dear friend, why do you keep rejecting me?"

Grimm deadpanned. "I am not your friend."

Meanwhile, Raine sighed and shook his head, standing next to Pandora as if to ward off Lucian himself. "Why is he even following you around? And why are you letting him?"

"I have no reason to stop him," Pandora answered blankly.

Raine groaned in frustration. "Pandora, at least try to—"

"Oi! Look at that! They're here!"

Before Raine could finish, a large group of male students stood near the classroom entrance, lined up like they were waiting for a festival game. They were whispering to each other, some even stretching their shoulders as if preparing for battle.

Lilia tilted her head. "Uh… why are they all staring at Pandora?"

Lucian, ever the carefree one, folded his arms and grinned. "They're here for the 'Pandora Rejection Experience.'"

Lilia blinked. "The what?"

Elric sighed, rubbing his temples. "Word got around that Pandora is extremely blunt when rejecting people. So… now, guys who have nothing better to do decided they want to experience it for themselves."

Darian grimaced. "That's… pathetic."

Blaze, floating near Pandora's shoulder, snickered. "This'll be fun to watch."

One by one, the students stepped forward. Each of them came up with their own version of a grand, romantic confession.

"Pandora, my love! I have been enchanted by your icy beauty! Will you go out with me?"

"No."

"Fair maiden, I shall dedicate my entire being to you! Please, grant me your love!"

"No."

"Pandora, I've written a poem for you—"

"No."

Student after student, rejection after rejection, and each one was as emotionless and immediate as the last. Some students collapsed to their knees as if their hearts had shattered into dust, while others dramatically flopped onto the ground, acting as though they had been struck down by a fatal blow.

Lucian wiped away a fake tear. "Beautiful. Absolutely ruthless."

Lilia shook her head in disbelief. "Why are they like this…?"

Meanwhile, Raine was getting increasingly irritated, muttering under his breath. "This is ridiculous…"

As the last rejected student dramatically staggered away, Grimm and Pip finally escorted Pandora to her seat, leaving behind a pile of groaning and defeated students on the classroom floor. The instructor arrived shortly after, stepping over a few still-writhing figures before clearing his throat.

"Alright, listen up, today's lesson is about dungeons. Specifically, the ones you'll be dealing with as adventurers." He tapped the blackboard, revealing an intricate map filled with locations marked in different colors.

"The adventurer guilds categorize dungeons into three types. First, there are Cleared Dungeons—ones that have been explored and looted so many times that they're now mostly used for training purposes."

He pointed to the next category. "Then we have Uncleared Dungeons. These are dungeons that haven't been fully explored yet. Some may still contain dangerous creatures or undiscovered artifacts."

Finally, he tapped the darkest section of the map, marked in red. "And then there are Unclearable Dungeons—places that are so dangerous that no team has ever made it out alive. If a dungeon is deemed Unclearable, it is officially restricted, and only the most experienced adventurers are allowed to investigate. If any of you ever find yourselves near one…"

He gave them all a serious look. "Run. And don't look back."

The students murmured amongst themselves, some excited by the idea of venturing into a dungeon, others nervous about the prospect of facing monsters. Pandora, however, only had one thought.

A mission. To become an adventurer.

For some reason, that was all she could think about. And she wasn't sure why.

After class, they all went to lunch.

"So, Pandora, what do you want to do when you graduate from here?" Lilia asked, her voice light with curiosity.

Without hesitation, Pandora answered, "To become an adventurer."

A brief silence fell over the table. Raine, who had been in the middle of taking a sip of his drink, nearly choked. Lucian blinked in surprise, while Elric and Darian exchanged glances.

"Wait, what?" Darian leaned in. "Why so eager? I mean, sure, adventuring is cool and all, but it's dangerous as hell."

Lucian nodded dramatically. "Exactly! I mean, I'd make a fantastic adventurer—obviously—but even I know it's not something you just casually decide to do."

Pandora tilted her head, looking genuinely perplexed. "Isn't it normal?"

Raine sighed, rubbing his temple. "It's not about normal or not, it's about—"

"Why, though?" Lilia interrupted. "Why do you want to be an adventurer so badly?"

Pandora opened her mouth, but no answer came. Her brows furrowed as she searched for a reason. The more she tried to think of one, the more her head ached. She instinctively pressed a hand to her forehead, her expression slightly wincing.

Her friends exchanged worried glances.

"Uh… are you okay?" Lilia asked hesitantly.

Pandora waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine."

But it wasn't. Why couldn't she come up with a reason? Wasn't it just… obvious? She shook off the thought and continued eating, but the headache lingered.

The group decided not to push further, though Lilia kept shooting her concerned glances. Instead, they let the conversation drift to a more lighthearted topic—academy gossip.

"Okay, so have you heard?" Elric leaned in, voice lowering conspiratorially. "Apparently, Professor Greaves used to be an S-rank adventurer, but he quit after getting cursed in an unclearable dungeon."

Darian scoffed. "That's just a rumor. I bet he just got old and tired."

"No, no, I heard that he actually has some kind of monster blood mixed in him now!" Raine added. "Like, he was fine one day, but then he went into that dungeon and came back… different."

Lucian waved a hand. "You people will believe anything."

Lilia giggled. "Okay, but did you hear about Professor Lune? Apparently, she once dueled a Platinum-ranked adventurer and won with just a spoon."

Darian choked. "A SPOON?!"

Lucian burst into laughter. "That can't be real. There's no way."

Pandora, meanwhile, stared blankly ahead. "Why does any of this matter?"

Everyone stopped talking and turned to her.

Lilia sighed. "Pandora, we're just talking about fun stuff. You know, normal academy gossip?"

"Normal?" she repeated, tilting her head.

Lucian patted her shoulder. "You really are all business, huh? No fun at all."

Blaze, appearing on her shoulder, cackled. "She doesn't need fun! Her only desire is battle and glory!"

Pip bounced onto the table. "Or she's just too serious for her own good."

Grimm sighed heavily, crossing his arms. "She should at least enjoy socializing to some degree."

"No need." Pandora responded flatly.

Lilia gave her a playful nudge. "One day, you'll get it."

"Doubtful." Pandora returned to her meal, ignoring the way her friends continued to shake their heads at her.

"Curses," he began, "are among the most insidious forms of magic. Unlike conventional spells, which require mana expenditure and fade over time, a curse latches onto a person, object, or location and remains until specific conditions are met to remove it. Some last for generations, while others remain active even after the caster dies."

Pandora listened, arms crossed as usual, but her expression was unreadable. The lesson continued, explaining different types of curses—mind-affecting, body-altering, and soul-binding. There was even mention of curses designed to suppress emotions or control one's destiny.

Her head suddenly throbbed as the professor described suppression curses, as if something deep within her mind was resisting a buried truth. She rubbed her temple slightly, but no one seemed to notice except Grimm, who materialized briefly beside her desk, arms crossed in concern.

"Master, are you feeling unwell?" he asked through their telepathic link.

"No, just a slight headache," she responded dismissively. "It will pass."

The professor continued, unaware of her internal struggle. "The worst part about curses is that many victims don't even know they have one until it's too late."

Her friends, seated around her, glanced her way. Lilia, seated beside Pandora, nudged her arm. "Are you okay? You've been rubbing your head a lot today."

Pandora simply nodded. "It's nothing."

Despite her insistence, Grimm remained skeptical. Blaze and Pip, though invisible, were also listening in, their concern evident in their mental voices.

"You sure, Boss? You've been acting a little weirder than usual," Blaze muttered.

"I agree with Blaze! Maybe you should get checked!" Pip chimed in.

"I'm fine," Pandora repeated, though she wasn't sure why she felt the need to say it so often.

Eventually, the lesson came to an end, and the students packed up their belongings. The setting sun cast an orange glow through the academy windows as Pandora and her friends walked toward the academy gates.

"Ugh, finally! That was a long day," Darian groaned, stretching his arms. "Who knew there were so many kinds of curses? I thought they were all just evil magic."

"Some are, but others are more like contracts," Elric pointed out. "And some aren't even cast on purpose."

"Right, accidental curses! Like the one where a guy insulted a spirit and ended up unable to speak for a whole year!" Raine added, laughing.

"Serves him right," Lilia giggled. "What about you, Pandora? What did you think of today's lesson?"

Pandora blinked, as if snapping out of a trance. "It was… informative."

Her friends glanced at each other but chose not to press her any further.

"Well, we better head home before our families start worrying," Lilia said, waving goodbye. "See you all tomorrow!"

One by one, her friends parted ways, leaving Pandora standing at the academy entrance alone. She glanced up at the sky, her mind clouded with unanswered questions. Why did she feel so strongly about becoming an adventurer? Why did her head ache whenever she thought about it too deeply? And why did today's lesson on curses seem oddly familiar?

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I have a goal, and I'll achieve it. That's all that matters."

With that, she turned on her heel and began her walk home, her spirits floating silently beside her, their concern lingering in the air like an unspoken question.