A CLASS IN SHOCK
The classroom suddenly fell silent after Hwang's voice echoed through the room.
"The truth is… Dzeth was the one who defeated Hydro Paladin and Crimson Paladin!"
Every student in the class froze, their arrogant expressions shifting into disbelief. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.
Their teacher, Mr. Goharu, a man in his late 40s with a short gray beard, stared at Dzeth with an unreadable expression.
"Dzeth… is what Hwang said true?"
Dzeth lowered his head slightly. He could feel everyone's eyes locked onto him, waiting for his response.
Then, he slowly lifted his gaze and calmly said, "No."
Hwang, Syiro, and Akanza were stunned.
"Dzeth! What do you mean? I saw you fighting with my own eyes!" Hwang stood up, frustrated and confused.
Yet, Dzeth didn't offer any further explanation. He simply closed his eyes for a brief moment before exhaling slowly.
Mr. Goharu sighed, understanding that Dzeth didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.
"Alright… In that case, I'll step out for a moment."
The students looked at their teacher in confusion.
"I need to retrieve something important for Dzeth."
-
SUMMONED TO THE TEACHER'S OFFICE
The next morning at the academy, Dzeth had just finished breakfast when he was summoned to the teacher's office.
When he arrived, Mr. Goharu was scanning through a set of documents at his desk.
"Dzeth, I have something for you."
He handed over a mission document.
Dzeth took it and read the details:
[Mission:Investigate the Abandoned Underground Ruins]
[Location: Northern Region, 15KM from the Academy]
[Threat Level:Possibility of Grade A and above Curses]
[Assigned Hunter:Dzeth only]
"This mission is important," his teacher said. "The place you're heading to may have Grade A Curses, and possibly even Grade S."
Yet, Dzeth showed no signs of fear. He simply nodded.
"When can I depart?"
"Right now."
As Dzeth turned to leave, he noticed Syiro waiting outside the office.
"Dzeth, let me come with you," Syiro said.
However, Dzeth placed a hand on Syiro's shoulder and spoke in a soft voice, "I want to go alone."
Syiro hesitated for a moment before giving a small smile.
"Alright… Be careful out there."
-
ARRIVAL AT THE UNDERGROUND RUINS
After traveling for several hours, Dzeth finally arrived at the location. What stood before him was massive an ancient underground ruin, almost like an abandoned research facility left untouched for years.
"So… this is the place."
Without hesitation, Dzeth stepped inside.
-
FIRST BATTLE – HUNDREDS OF GRADE D CURSES
As soon as he set foot in the ruins, the ground and walls began to shake.
From the darkness… hundreds of Grade D Curses emerged!
"Interesting… This will be a good warm-up."
Dzeth unsheathed his sword, which glowed with a golden light.
"Let's get started."
Suddenly
BOOM!
The Curses charged at him from all directions!
Dzeth swiftly leaped into the air, dodging the first wave of attacks before spinning his sword with incredible speed!
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Black blood splattered through the air as multiple Curses were cut down with precise and deadly strikes.
However, more were coming at him from behind!
Dzeth twisted his body mid-air, slashing through five more Curses in one fluid motion.
"Hmph. Still plenty left?"
A group of Curses lunged at him from the right.
Dzeth planted his sword into the ground, channeling Limitless Energy into it before pulling it back
BOOOOM!!!
A wave of glowing energy erupted from the ground, obliterating dozens of Curses at once.
Standing in the middle of the battlefield filled with the lifeless bodies of Curses, Dzeth's blue eyes gleamed.
"Done."
-
SECOND GATE – GRADE C CURSES
Moving forward, he came across a massive door.
As he slowly pushed it open
BOOOOM!
Dozens of Grade C Curses suddenly rushed out!
Dzeth smirked.
"So this is the mid-boss?"
One of the Curses swiped its claws at him, aiming for his chest
But Dzeth dodged effortlessly, countering with a powerful kick to the Curse's chest, sending it crashing into the wall.
Another Curse lunged at him from behind!
Dzeth ducked at the last second before slashing upwards
SLASH!
The Curse was sliced cleanly in half mid-air!
More came at him all at once.
"Alright, let's speed this up."
Dzeth fully activated the Heavenly Dagger.
His sword radiated with immense light.
In an instant
Dzeth moved at an extreme speed!
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Dozens of Grade C Curses were annihilated within mere seconds.
As the dust settled, Dzeth stood in the middle of the battlefield, completely untouched.
"Is that all?"
-
MISSION COMPLETED
After ensuring no threats remained, Dzeth exited the underground ruins and returned to the academy.
Knocking on the teacher's office door, he stepped inside.
Mr. Goharu raised an eyebrow. "Finished already?"
"Yeah."
"What did you find?"
"Hundreds of Grade D Curses, dozens of Grade C. Nothing challenging."
The teacher remained silent for a moment.
Then, he smiled.
"Dzeth… you pass."
"Huh?"
"This was a test to see how far you've grown. You've proven everything."
Dzeth stood still.
But deep inside
He felt a small sense of joy.
For the first time, he passed on his own merit.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…