Each first-year class was divided into groups and led into different areas.
Class F followed Tyler, while our teacher cheerfully talked about the horrors of the Abyss dungeon, as if he were telling a late-night ghost story.
"You know? The Abyss isn't scary just because of the monsters. Each deeper floor comes with different curses. The further you go down, the more terrifying it becomes."
We swallowed nervously. Yeah, this didn't sound fun at all.
"But sir, don't we have spells to protect our bodies? Like poison resistance or curse resistance?" a student asked.
Tyler just smiled and dramatically crossed his arms in an "X" shape.
"No no~ Those spells don't work against the Abyss's curses. The only way to resist them is to have a high enough Spirit stat!"
I stiffened.
A high Spirit stat?
I couldn't open any status screen or system, but I clearly remembered my stats from the academy's entrance exam.
And if I wasn't mistaken… my Spirit stat was quite high.
According to Tyler, this stat was crucial for resisting the Abyss's curses.
The students around me started whispering. It seemed like everyone had realized the same thing—if our Spirit stat wasn't high enough, no spell could protect us from the curses.
Tyler noticed the tense atmosphere and just laughed, as if this was no big deal.
"Hey, hey, don't be so scared. You know what?"
He stopped walking, turned to face us, and flashed a confident smile.
"With me here~ I won't let anything happen to you guys."
Silence.
No matter how scared we were, hearing that reassured us, even if just a little.
Tyler might have looked carefree and unserious, but there was no way he was weak. If the academy assigned him to lead Class F, that meant he was strong enough to protect us.
And of course, he was a teacher—he had to be strong.
So, despite our worries, we decided to trust him.
Class F followed Tyler, step by step descending to the first floor of the Abyss.
The moment we set foot inside, a damp, chilly atmosphere wrapped around us.
Well, this was still a dungeon, after all. But at least the first floor was considered a safe zone.
"Overall, this place isn't too scary," Tyler said as he walked ahead. "Just be mindful of the walls."
"The walls?" A student asked, confused.
"Yeah. Don't go leaning on them randomly, because the vines growing on the walls are alive."
"..."
"..."
"Huh???"
The entire class flinched, immediately stepping away from the vine-covered walls.
Tyler chuckled in amusement. "Come on, don't be scared. Let me show you something."
He pulled out a knife, approached one of the vines clinging to the wall, and swiftly sliced through it in one clean motion.
Slash!
From the cut, a red liquid oozed out… blood.
Not only that, but the severed end dropped to the ground, revealing a set of sharp fangs.
"OH SH*T!!!"
Several students screamed at the horrifying sight.
But Tyler just nodded, completely unfazed. "Hmm, still fresh. Should be edible."
"…Huh?"
"Wait… Edible???"
Tyler beamed, holding up the blood-covered vine like a prized catch.
"That's right! These vines are actually edible! Just boil them and dip them in some sauce—they taste amazing!"
…
A long silence.
The entire Class F stared at each other, then at Tyler, unsure how to react.
Eventually, a curious student spoke up, "Sir… You seem to know a lot. Have you explored dungeons before?"
Tyler scratched his head sheepishly.
"Yeah, I have. Back in the day, I used to be an adventurer. Traveled all over the place, learned all sorts of things. Honestly, I've probably explored more dungeons than most of the adventurers in the guild."
The class looked at him in surprise.
After all, being an adventurer was an extremely dangerous job, yet Tyler had survived countless expeditions… Maybe he was a lot stronger than his carefree attitude suggested.
After chatting for a bit, Tyler suddenly pulled a pot out of his bag and poured in some water.
Class F: "…?"
"Uh… Sir, what are you doing?"
"Cooking." Tyler grinned.
Class F: "RIGHT HERE???"
"Yep. This is an academy activity, and they never specified our exact mission. So we might as well take our time exploring the first floor safely. The monsters here are easy to deal with anyway."
It was a reasonable statement, but no one expected him to just start cooking on the spot.
"Alright, while I prepare, you guys go look for some edible ingredients around the dungeon. Let's see if you've learned anything from your classes."
The students hesitated for a moment, then quickly split into groups and scattered to search.
At that moment, Tyler turned to me.
"Kai, come here."
I frowned. "...For what?"
"Help me kill some more vines. I'm too lazy."
"Why don't you ask someone el—"
Before I could finish, Tyler casually threw an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.
"Come on now, don't be so distant~"
"Don't get too friendly."
Tyler just laughed. "Alright, alright. But seriously, help me out a bit."
I sighed, pulling out my knife and eyeing the writhing vines on the walls.
…Fine.
We needed food anyway.
10 minutes later...
The group of students stood around, staring intently at the plate of food in front of them.
On it were pieces of boiled vine, cut into bite-sized chunks. Next to it was a bowl of thick dipping sauce that looked pretty spicy.
Tyler picked up a piece, dipped it into the sauce, and casually popped it into his mouth, chewing with obvious enjoyment.
We held our breath, watching.
After a few chews, he nodded in satisfaction. "Mmm~ Not bad. You guys should try it."
Everyone exchanged hesitant glances. No one moved at first, but then Baron was the first to reach out, picking up a piece with a reluctant expression.
He looked at it like it was something disgusting.
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kai sitting there, already eating.
The guy was just casually chewing on the vines like it was no big deal.
Like—"What? It's just food."
Baron raised an eyebrow and turned to him.
"You seriously don't find this disgusting?"
Kai chewed a few more times, swallowed, and answered flatly.
"If it's edible, that's all that matters. I don't really care."
Baron fell silent for a moment.
That statement made him think.
Right now, he was still part of House Libert. But if the day ever came when he was cast out… he might end up in situations where he'd have to eat things like this to survive.
If that was the case… might as well get used to it now.
Setting his pride aside, Baron clenched his teeth, dipped the vine into the sauce, and took a bite.
One by one, the rest of Class F followed.
…
…And they all had the same reaction.
Chewy.
This thing was insanely chewy.
No matter how much they chewed, it just wouldn't break apart.
Tyler stood up, stretched his arms with a satisfied sigh.
"Aah~ That hit the spot! Alright, time to explore the first floor, everyone!"
The students, still struggling to chew and swallow the absurdly tough vines, were suddenly forced to get moving. Reluctantly, they got up. But just as Tyler took his first step—
WHOOSH!
A bright magic circle flared to life right beneath his feet.
Class F froze.
Tyler froze.
Kai, still chewing his last bite, stared at the glowing circle.
Uh… What the hell?
The students instinctively stepped back. Everyone knew that if a magic circle randomly appeared under someone, it was never a good thing.
But Tyler just tilted his head, looking down at it with an expression that practically said, "Huh. Well, that's weird."
'Of all people, it just had to pick him…' Kai thought to himself.
And then—
Another identical circle appeared under his own feet.
One second…
Two seconds…
"Oh god dammit—"
WHOOSH!!
A blinding light erupted, swallowing both Tyler and Kai whole.
The students could only watch as their teacher and classmate vanished into thin air.
…
Five seconds passed.
Ten seconds passed.
No one spoke.
Class F hadn't even processed what had just happened, but the fear hit them all at once.
"Did… Did teacher and... Some guy just disappear???"
"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"
"OUR TEACHER JUST GOT OBLITERATED!!!"
"WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!"
Panic settled in. The initial shock quickly spiraled into pure chaos.