Three days had passed since Eric's encounter with the demonic bird. Eric hadn't been bothered or pursued again, but thanks to his past experiences, he had a premonition that the two of them would meet again.
And when that happened, one of them would die.
Eric shook his head to dispel that thought and tried to focus on his current task. Crowds of first-year students, each in their unique attire, were gathering in a vast underground chamber.
Those who were mages wore magical robes and carried staffs as weapons, while those who were physical fighters wore light armor and wielded their chosen weapons such as spears, swords, arrows, daggers, and many more.
"Attention, my dear students~" said a beautiful woman wearing a nurse's uniform with a long white cape, Mrs. Jane. Her voice was amplified by magic. Instantly, all the first-year students' attention turned to her.
"Good, good~ Your party members for our dungeon dive will be determined shortly. As usual, the selection will be done randomly from Class A to Class E, okay~" the woman smiles sultry. "Listen to the professors' instructions and take care of yourselves~! Good luck~!"
Receiving the woman's encouraging wink, the male students roared with excitement while the female students watched with bewilderment.
Eric looked at himself, wearing a simple robe and leather armor beneath it. He also had a wooden staff, as usual, since he was registered as a fire mage. To be fair, Eric wasn't thinking too much about this outing, because he was preoccupied with thoughts of the hometown of the body he had inhabited.
Before he could think too deeply, Professor Anthony began calling out the students one by one to form their parties. Some students were happy to be on a team with their close friends, while others squirmed uncomfortably at the thought of being paired with strangers.
"The next party. Eric Ostheno from Class E," Professor Anthony called out his name while glancing at the paper he was holding. Eric stepped forward toward the glasses man. "…Anna from Class C."
A female student with short, pale pink hair stepped forward and cast a wary glance at Eric. He only glanced briefly at the girl in pink before turning his attention back to Professor Anthony. "...Ellen Fortris from Class B."
A young elf girl slowly approached the two of them. As soon as her gaze fell on Eric, she clicked her tongue and made a disgusted face.
As far as Eric knew, the selection of party members was strictly intended to test the students' ability to adapt to unexpected situations. Eric understood how this young elf felt about being on the same team as him. No one would want to be on a team with someone notorious for worshipping the ideal of human supremacy.
Professor Anthony continued, "...and lastly, Cornelius Bougden from Class A." A male student with messy hair walked over, yawning sleepily. He waved his hand casually.
"Good, you guys are properly equipped." Professor Anthony nodded in satisfaction. "As you can see, this dungeon dive is the same as usual: one team consisting of four randomly selected students from various classes will fight together. The main evaluation is how well you work together and help one another."
"In case you forget," the glasses professor gently reminded them. "The monsters inside the Academy's controlled rift and the dungeon for first-year students are all Bronze-rank, so you don't need to worry. If you find yourselves in an emergency, grab the small pearl given to you at the entrance and shout for help."
Eric glanced down at a small white pearl in his pocket, thinking its function was similar to an SOS signal. "Any questions? If not, please choose your party leader, and once you are done, please line up orderly at the available portal."
Professor Anthony stepped away, leaving Eric and his newly formed party in an awkward situation. Cornelius was the first to break the ice, "Hey, hey~ Anna, Ellen...and Eric~" he lazily greeted them.
Anna bowed deeply to him. "I'm looking forward to working with you!" she replied, nervously clutching her wand. Cornelius just chuckled, brushing off Anna's overly formal greeting. "No need to be so stiff with me, you know~ right, Ellen?"
The elf smiled softly, "That's right, Anna. Cornelius doesn't really care about noble etiquette." Ellen then smirked, "…Unlike someone who thinks they're superior but is actually weak!"
Eric crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the dig. He scoffed, brushing aside the elf's mockery. "Who's going to be the leader?"
Anna and Ellen looked at each other, then immediately turned their gaze toward Cornelius. The aloof boy understood the meaning behind the two girls' looks, but he just smiled slyly and said casually.
"Ehh~ Shouldn't Eric be the better choice for leader~? You don't mind, do you, Eric?"
Ellen and Anna were taken aback by that. Ellen was the first to want to protest, but seeing Cornelius wink at her, she held back. It seemed the aloof boy had his own plans.
Meanwhile, Eric squinted his eyes, watching their antics, especially Cornelius. He sighed and began walking toward the nearest available rift, followed by his party members.
When Eric first touched the rift, he felt as if he were touching cold and warm water at the same time, and it was as if he were being pulled into that world itself. When he blinked, he had already been transported to another place.
A cave with a soaring ceiling, adorned with stalagmites, glowing moss, and humid air. Eric turned around, the rift's entrance or portal was still there. Shortly after, his party members appeared one by one.
"Hngg~ I'll never get used to the sensation of passing through a portal~" Cornelius stretched his body while lifting his staff. Ellen immediately took up a fighting stance, equipping an arrow into her bow. Anna adjusted her hat and smoothed her hair, then looked ahead.
"Now what?" Eric asked, turning to face them. Cornelius replied quickly but casually, "We should probably hunt small monsters first~"
Ellen nodded in agreement, "You're right. We should warm up first before taking on humanoid monsters like goblins." Anna nodded firmly, her eyes full of conviction.
Eric turned around and started walking without saying another word. The three of them were a little surprised by Eric's nonchalant attitude, but they followed him anyway because Eric was the party leader.
The cave was pretty straightforward, with a single, fairly wide path. Before long, they found their opponents: a group of slimes gathered on the ceiling.
"Let me have the honor." Cornelius licked his lips then swung his staff. Mana surged as he cast his spell, "Lightning Ball!"
A crackling yellow ball hurtled toward the cluster of slimes. The slimes were instantly struck by a thunderous crack of electricity, and one by one they began to fall, losing their shape until they vanished without a trace.
"One-hit kill! Just as expected of Duke Bougden's son!" Anna's eyes sparkled as she watched. Ellen nodded in agreement, while Eric propped his chin up, deep in thought. "An Electric Mage, huh..."
The four of them then continued deeper into the cave. None of them spoke, even Cornelius remained silent. Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Anna quickened her pace until she was walking alongside Eric and mustered the courage to speak.
"Hey, Eric. About 'that' incident… I think I haven't thanked you for your help yet."
Eric merely shifted his gaze and replied curtly. "No need. Those brats really deserved it for ruining my day." No words were spoken after that, and Anna fell back in line with Ellen and Cornelius.
The two of them wanted to ask Anna more about the incident, but they didn't get the chance because new monsters appeared. A golem about waist-high and several slimes as tall as their knees.
Ellen announced her intention loudly, "Let us do our part. Let's go, Anna!" the elf said as she took aim with her bow.
"Yes, Ellen!" Anna replied, twirling her staff, ready to unleash her magic.