After the teams were formed for the joint exam, a three-day break was given to all students, leaving them free from classes. During this time, teammates gathered to strategize on conquering the dungeon and build trust amongst themselves. However,
“Really, to think we wouldn’t meet even once…”
Rosaria’s team, D-19, had not met even once since the first day, except on the day the exam started.
The team leader only shouted to trust him alone, and the other members hadn’t seen each other at all during the past three days.
Finally, on the day of the exam, the four teammates met at the entrance of the artificial labyrinth.
“Heyy.”
“Huh?!”
“Go over there and get the supplies.”
“M-Me?”
“Argh! Why do you hesitate so much?! Just go and get them!”
“Eek! Yes, yes…!”
As soon as the team gathered, Gren, the team leader, immediately targeted the easy-going Rachel with rough behavior, treating her like his subordinate.
Although Rachel and Rosaria were juniors, Gren particularly targeted Rachel, a fellow commoner, with rough behavior.
At their first meeting, he had growled at Rachel, who was of noble birth, but now he found it tiresome to clash with others and turned his attention to the more compliant and seemingly weaker Rachel.
“Damn it…! I’m a third-year…! Leaving my juniors behind…!”
Despite her inner turmoil and resentment at having to suffer while her juniors were spared, Rachel couldn’t voice her complaints and dashed off, but inwardly, she was full of indignation about why she had to endure such hardships.
“Here… I’ve brought it…”
“Hmm… Did you make sure to get the life crystals too?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Good. Everyone, put them on quickly.”
After battling through the crowded mob, a tired Rachel came back, barely dragging a sack filled with various items.
“Is this how you wear it? Oh?”
Click-
“It shrinks to fit perfectly? Amazing.”
Rosaria marveled as she watched the small life crystal embedded in a bracelet shrink to fit her wrist snugly, adjusting perfectly to her body.
“It’s sort of like an artifact.”
“Once everyone is equipped, let’s move quickly.”
“….”
‘I’m the only one excited like a bumpkin…’
However, the other team members nonchalantly strapped the bracelets onto their wrists and moved forward as if accustomed to such items, making Rosaria, who was initially excited, scratch her head awkwardly and follow along sheepishly.
“Why do I have to… damn… I’m also a third-year…”
“Ah.”
Then, Rosaria noticed Rachel, who had fallen a bit behind, muttering to herself while carrying the sack of supplies.
“Let me carry that for you.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“It’s okay. I should do at least this much. I trust you, seniors!”
‘I should at least do something. It wouldn’t be right to just stand back and do nothing.’
Seeing this, Rosaria decided to change the atmosphere by taking the sack Rachel was carrying, and she began to move forward with the burden.
“…..”
Rachel, unable to say even a proper thank you, watched Rosaria’s retreating figure, hesitating and mumbling to himself.
“…Do I, like her?”
He muttered to himself as he watched Rosaria’s flowing hair as she moved away. However, what Rosaria did not realize was that while she had simply intended to help, her appearance as a stunningly beautiful woman added a layer of complexity. Rosaria was aware of her beauty, but having lived as a man for over 20 years, she did not understand the nuances of interpersonal distances among the opposite sex.
Moreover, she had never been involved in a romantic relationship, adding to her obliviousness. Another point was that Rachel had hardly ever talked to women and was a pure loner without much social experience.
Rosaria’s actions could have been seen simply as those of a kind junior, nothing more, nothing less. She acted out of a sense of decency and perhaps a bit of discomfort with the tense atmosphere, using the intuition she had honed in the military to try and smooth things over.
However, for Rachel, who had never received such kind help from a woman before, this pure act of assistance was mistakenly perceived as personal interest.
“…Heh, heh…”
Thus, due to Rosaria’s actions, the dynamics within the party during this exam became even more tangled and complicated.
[Students! The group warp will begin shortly! Please make sure to stay in physical contact with your team members!]
[The magic utilizes a Life Crystal as a medium, so under no circumstances should you separate the crystal from your body during the transfer!]
Shortly after, once the students gathered here had finished their preparations, the magic circle for the group warp began to gather energy, signaling the start of the test.
“But if we warp all at once like this, won’t we all end up meeting in the labyrinth at the same time?”
Standing atop the gradually glowing magic circle, Rosaria suddenly realized that it wasn’t just her team occupying this vast space, teams were packed in tightly, all preparing to warp simultaneously. She voiced her concern.
“The magic circle we’re standing on not only teleports us into the artificial dungeon but also acts as a kind of gateway.”
“…Gateway?”
“…In simpler terms, identical magic circles are drawn somewhere inside the dungeon, and each team uses a different circle. Does that make sense?”
“Ah~… I see.”
“…Are you really Professor Felix’s younger sister?”
“….”
‘Wow, so passive-aggressive.’
Rachel, who had answered Rosaria’s question, looked at her with a gaze that screamed, “Are you really this clueless?” The sharpness of that stare felt piercing to Rosaria.
[Countdown! 10! 9! 8! 7!…]
“So, it’s time to warp.”
“Oh, physical contact. Here.”
“Huh? Uh, oh? Um…”
Rosaria, startled by the sudden touch, quickly remembered the rule about maintaining physical contact with teammates during the warp. She held out her hand to Rasel, who was standing idly nearby.
“We’re supposed to hold hands for the warp.”
“Ah, y-yeah…! I, uh, right! Okay…!”
“Here.”
“…..”
Just lightly…
Rasel, his pupils trembling, hesitated before gingerly placing the tips of his fingers on Rosaria’s outstretched hand, his hand shaking visibly.
‘What’s this? Does he hate me or something?’
Rosaria had expected him to fully clasp her hand, but Rasel’s exaggerated reluctance and his actions made her instinctively furrow her brows in frustration.
‘Oh no, oh no! I’m touching a girl’s hand?! Her hand is warm?! Aaaaaaah!!!’
Contrary to Rosaria’s thoughts, Rasel, who had never even accidentally touched a member of the opposite sex, was completely overwhelmed. For him, even brushing fingertips was a monumental feat.
[Well then, students, good luck!]
Whoosh,
“Whaaaaa!!!”
As the countdown ended, Rosaria’s vision turned completely white, signaling the start of the test.
“Ugh…! Gaaahhh!! Urrrgh…! Ughhh!!”
When the pure white haze began to fade and colors started filling her vision again, Rosaria was bent over, retching violently.
“My head… it’s spinning…”
Feeling intense nausea and a splitting headache from the warp, Rosaria rolled on the ground, clutching her stomach and groaning in misery.
“You’ve got a severe case of mana sickness.”
“M-mana… sickness?”
Lying on the ground like an overturned beetle, Rosaria weakly questioned Rachel, who was watching her from above.
“Warp magic works by twisting space to create a temporary passageway.”
“As you travel through that passage, your entire body is essentially swept along by extremely dense mana, so it’s not uncommon for people to feel nauseous. But… I’ve never seen someone react this badly before.”
“Ugh…! W-water…! Please…”
“Oh, right. Water.”
‘This girl’s just like my brother…’
Rachel, who had been casually explaining the phenomenon while watching Rosaria flail helplessly on the ground, suddenly remembered to fetch some water. She pulled a leather flask from her supply bag and handed it to Rosaria, who eagerly gulped it down.
In the midst of Rachel’s behavior, where her curiosity took precedence over helping Rosaria, Rosaria couldn’t help but think of her nemesis and blood-related sibling, Felix.
Gulp, gulp…
“Haa! I feel alive again!”
“…Wow!”
Her eyes now fully adjusted, she could clearly see the inside of the artificial dungeon, which she hadn’t noticed earlier due to the overwhelming dizziness.
Dim torches embedded in the damp, dark cave walls provided a faint light.
The surroundings were filled with rocks, damp moss clinging to the cave surfaces, and the endless darkness stretching deep into the dungeon.
Standing at the entrance of what could only be described as a classic RPG-style dungeon, Rosaria couldn’t help but marvel. It felt as though she had stepped directly into the world of a fantasy novel no, she was living it.
As Rosaria continued to admire the dungeon, turning her head this way and that, a voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Hey! Fresh meat! Get over here, now!”
It was Gren, shouting from a spot a little farther away, near the magic circle where they had first arrived. Still standing in the same place, he waved them over.
Having finally regained her composure, Rosaria realized she had wandered further than she thought and quickly headed toward Gren and Rasel.
Once she reached them, Gren grinned and exclaimed, “We hit the jackpot!”
“…Jackpot?”
Gren placed his hand on the magic circle where they had been transported and gestured with excitement.