🏰 Academy Announcement – Dungeon Exam Begins!
Dean Garvus, head of the academy's Adventuring Division, stood before the assembly of first-years in the grand square.
"Today, you descend into the Veiled Catacombs—an ancient dungeon beneath the capital itself."
He raised his staff. A gate of black stone shimmered open behind him.
"Retrieve a piece of Soul Crystal. Work in teams. Survive. And remember…Not all monsters in that dungeon are classified."
The students murmured nervously.
Kael just tightened his gloves.
👥 Team Assignments
Kael's group was announced:
Kael Virelion
Myra Solvine – Harem girl #3 (Bardic chaos, wild & loyal)
Selene Eloria – Harem girl #4 (Divine priestess, calm & divine)
Zara Vencrest – A new girl 👀 (Top-ranked tsundere noble, high ice affinity, secretly insecure)
Zara groaned.
"Why am I with the 'No-Magic Prince,' the song girl, and a… priestess cosplayer?"
Myra: "Hey, rude! I'm the voice of love and destruction."
Selene: "Your spiritual balance is… deeply flawed."
Kael just smiled. "Let's move."
🕯️ The Veiled Catacombs – Descent Begins
The dungeon air was cold and damp. Torches flickered. The smell of old stone and something… deeper.
The group moved through winding passages, dealing with traps and mutated monsters—Kael using strategy, Selene with divine support, Myra stunning with music, and Zara freezing enemies in place.
But halfway through, they found a sealed golden gate.
On it was a symbol Kael knew all too well:A half-broken star inside a circle of chains.
"This… is my seal."
Selene gasped.
"It's one of the Gates of Zareth."
Zara: "Okay what the hell is going on here?!"
⚠️ The Gate Opens on Its Own
Kael touched the gate. The chains began to uncoil, not from magic—but from recognition.
System Notification:
"Divine Lock recognized: Zareth-class authority detected.""Warning: Contained Entity Level – Cataclysmic.""Proceeding will unlock sealed memory fragment #03."
Kael turned to the girls.
"We're not leaving. Whatever's behind here… it's part of who I was."
They entered.
🔥 Inside the Forbidden Chamber – A Memory Awakens
The room was circular, carved with divine runes.
In the center: a massive stone coffin… and a sleeping flame drake, the size of a carriage.
But that wasn't the threat.
From the walls, shadows peeled off.
Lost Wraiths—creatures born from divine memory, corrupted by time.
Zara panicked. "We can't fight this! We have no healer!"
Selene: "I'm enough."
She raised her staff. Myra sang. Kael stepped forward.
"I remember this place now. This is where I sealed my rage."
The drake's eyes opened.
It didn't attack.
It bowed.
🐉 Bond of the Forgotten Beast
The drake growled low, speaking in ancient divine tongue:
"Zareth... master. You have returned."
The others froze.
"Is that thing obeying you?"
Kael placed his hand on the drake's head.
The system confirmed:
"Beast: Infernal Drake 'Ignaris' has been re-bonded. Class: Mythic.""Status: Loyal."
"What the actual hell are you?" Zara whispered.
💘 Zara's Walls Crack
As they rested after battle, Kael bandaged Zara's arm, which had been burned during the fight.
She blushed furiously.
"T-Thanks. Not like I needed help, obviously. I—I could've dodged."
Kael smiled. "You did well."
She blinked.
No mockery? No flirting? Just… sincerity?
For the first time, she didn't snap back.
🕯️ Closing Scene – A New Threat Emerges
Elsewhere, in a shadowy sanctum, cloaked figures chanted before an obsidian altar.
A vision of Kael defeating the dungeon beasts flickered above them.
"Zareth is awakening. His vessels are gathering.""We must act before the next seal breaks.""Let the Children of the Shattered Law rise."
Their leader removed his hood.
"We were gods once. Now we will return—with fire."