Elias sprinted down the hallway, his boots slamming against the stone floor as he dodged past slower students.
His bag bounced against his side, and his uniform clung uncomfortably to his skin from the earlier magic training. His lungs burned, but he didn't slow down.
'Damn it, not again.'
The Academy was massive, a spiraling labyrinth of halls and corridors that all looked the same. No matter how many times he told himself he'd memorized the way, he somehow always managed to get lost.
The Dungeon Survival class was in a different wing entirely, and by the time he finally saw the right door at the end of the hall, he knew he was cutting it close.
With a final burst of speed, he lunged forward and shoved the door open — hard.
BANG!
The entire class turned as the heavy wooden door slammed against the wall.
Elias stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath, scanning the room. It was a tiered lecture hall, unlike the open training fields of his previous class.
Students sat in rows of desks, some holding pens and notebooks, others with glowing interfaces projected above their wrists, ready to take notes directly onto their watches.
At the front of the room, the instructor raised an unimpressed brow.
Elias swallowed.
"...Uh."
"Sit," the instructor said flatly, not even bothering to ask for an explanation.
Elias quickly slipped inside and took the nearest available seat, ignoring the few chuckles from students who had clearly enjoyed his dramatic entrance.
The instructor clasped his hands behind his back and scanned the room.
"Now that everyone is finally here," he said, pointedly looking at Elias before continuing, "we can begin."
Elias exhaled and pulled out a notebook, flipping it open to a blank page.
The instructor took a step forward, his boots making a dull thud against the stone floor. "Dungeon Survival. Sounds straightforward, doesn't it?"
No one answered.
"It's not."
His voice carried a weight that made the students sit up straighter.
"Some of you think dungeons are just another battlefield. A place where you go in, kill some monsters, and walk out with rewards." His gaze swept across the room, landing on different students. "Let me make this clear — dungeons are death traps. They exist for one reason: to kill those who step inside."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Elias tapped his pen against the page, already scribbling down notes.
The instructor turned to the blackboard behind him, picking up a piece of chalk. In clean, practiced strokes, he wrote:
What is a Dungeon?
Then, without turning around, he asked, "Can anyone define a dungeon for me?"
A girl in the front row raised her hand. "Isn't it a type of ripple or portal to another dimension?"
The instructor turned and gave her a sharp look. "No."
She flinched slightly, lowering her hand.
Elias narrowed his eyes. That was what most people assumed dungeons were — gates to some otherworldly space filled with monsters.
The instructor pointed to the board. "Dungeons are not natural. They are territories created by higher-class monsters. Unlike wild beasts that roam freely, certain monsters are powerful enough to claim and corrupt an area, turning it into their domain."
He underlined the word domain.
"They shape it to their will, bend the environment, and create traps. They lure Hunters inside, feeding on those who fall, growing stronger with every death."
Elias frowned slightly, his pen hovering over the page.
"So," the instructor continued, "when you enter a dungeon, you are stepping into the home of something that wants you dead. Unlike random monster encounters, dungeons are planned hunting grounds. You are the prey."
The room was completely silent now, the weight of his words settling over them.
Elias finished writing and glanced around. Some students were visibly uneasy, shifting in their seats. Others had hardened expressions, determination flickering in their eyes.
The instructor walked over to his desk and picked up a remote. With a click, a projector flickered to life, displaying an image on the wall.
It was a photograph.
A crumbling cityscape overtaken by darkness. Skyscrapers split in half, their remains embedded in the streets. Vines, thick and unnatural, crawled along the ruins like living veins.
And at the center — an ominous, gaping entrance, like the mouth of a beast, leading into pitch-black depths.
"This," the instructor said, pointing to it, "is a Class C Dungeon discovered outside the walls last year."
Some students leaned forward, studying the image with interest.
"Class C?" one of them asked.
The instructor nodded and turned back to the board. Below What is a Dungeon?, he wrote:
Dungeon Classifications
"There are five classifications of dungeons," he explained. "F through S."
He began listing them.
Class F: Weakest. Usually small, with low-level monsters. Can be cleared by a well-trained beginner.
Class E: Slightly stronger. Monsters may have basic intelligence.
Class D: Dangerous. Requires a team of trained Hunters.
Class C: Deadly. Monsters have advanced intelligence, and environmental hazards exist.
Class B: High-risk. Almost always requires a full brigade to clear.
Class A: Lethal. Very few Hunters survive these alone.
Class S: Avoid. If an S-Class Dungeon is found, an immediate lockdown is issued.
Elias scanned the list, his brows furrowing.
"So," another student spoke up, "we won't be going into anything above Class D for a while, right?"
The instructor smirked. "You won't be going into any dungeon until you're ready. And that depends on how fast you learn."
A few students exhaled in relief.
Elias, on the other hand, was already thinking ahead.
The Academy would eventually send them into dungeons. That was the entire point of their training. And from the way the instructor was describing them, he knew that the real challenges wouldn't be the monsters themselves — but the very environment of the dungeon itself.
"You'll need to learn formations," the instructor continued. "How to move in teams. How to track a dungeon's core. How to navigate traps. This is not something you just rush into."
He crossed his arms. "Some of you will die in your first dungeon. That is a reality you must accept now."
Another silence followed, heavier this time.
Elias tapped his pen against his desk.
He had no intention of dying.
The instructor clicked the projector off and turned back to them. "Class dismissed. Study your notes. Next time, we'll be going over dungeon hazards in detail."
Students began packing their things, some still glancing at the board, others whispering amongst themselves.