"Apparently, there will be a 'Class Ranking Battle' involving all the classes today."
Jisuhyun's bombshell announcement dropped in the classroom from the morning assembly.
The students' faces were filled with bewilderment.
"Wait, we've only been here for less than two weeks, and you're having a Class Ranking Battle?"
Looking at the examples of previous batches, most Class Ranking Battles usually took place before the midterm exams.
But a Class Ranking Battle after being here for less than two weeks?
Perhaps it was natural for the students to be bewildered.
"Who knows? The higher-ups decided it that way. It seems they thought it would be good to quickly establish rankings since many interesting kids have joined this batch."
To be precise, it was also due to the game's settings.
Since various stories and events needed to be included in this batch of players, it was natural for many special kids to join.
And because of that, many events had to be crammed into a short period of time. You could say it was a matter of adult circumstances.
"Well, it's just about going into the dungeon and killing monsters, so you don't need to be too scared~"
After saying that, Jisuhyun, who seemed to have conveyed everything, turned to leave the classroom, but then paused.
"Oh, I almost forgot. The principal said that the classes that come in first and second place in this 'Class Ranking Battle' will receive some special benefits, so you should try your best. ──That's the official announcement. And if I add my own two cents... if you don't come in first, everyone will die?"
With a bright smile, Jisuhyun said that and then quickly left.
Her departure brought a cold chill into the classroom.
"Die if we don't come in first?"
"Seriously, she just told us today?"
As the students were left alone, the classroom quickly buzzed with chatter.
The 'Class Ranking Battle' was a big event that could determine the environment for the semester, so it was natural for the other kids to be interested.
And among those kids, there were three who were unusually calm.
"…I just don't want any bugs."
"…I just don't want any bugs."
"…I hope there are no bugs."
Jinwoo, Seoa, and Youngjae.
Because the three of them had gone through the dungeon in the club's basement, it only seemed like a training ground to them.
"Everyone's really worried about nothing, huh."
It's all useless worry. They don't even know…
Since I already knew where we were going this quarter, I laid my head on the desk to rest and conserve some stamina before entering the dungeon.
* * *
It was originally the time for the first class to start.
On the academy's playground, all the first-year classes were gathered.
And there was an instructor overseeing them all…
[Brats! Don't move! If you move on your own, I won't be responsible if you lose a limb!]
A moment later, Jisuhyun, who couldn't accept the fate of teleporting all the first-year students, was shouting at the top of her lungs at the gathered kids.
"…Calm down. Instructor Jisuhyun, if you get angry and make a mistake, what will you do?"
Standing next to her, trying to calm her down, was a male instructor.
He was Park Yunho, the first-year student advisor who had recently taught us villain studies.
"Wait, can I borrow the microphone for a moment?"
Park Yunho took the microphone from Jisuhyun almost forcibly and brought it to his mouth.
[Phew. Ah, it works. First-year cadets, you will now be moving to the dungeon. Of course, the difficulty of the selected dungeon is set to the first-year level, so there's no need to worry too much.]
Some of the kids sighed in relief at Instructor Park Yunho's words.
Since this was the first dungeon for some of them, many of the students were quite tense.
[And, all the first-year staff will monitor the dungeon to ensure your safety. We will also be grading you during this process. I wish you all the best of luck. Be careful.]
At Park Yunho's words, some swallowed hard, some clenched their fists, and some looked around at their fellow cadets who would be joining them in the dungeon.
This 'practical' experience was an event that made them tense.
At that moment, a purple light enveloped the playground, and the familiar sensation from the past covered our bodies.
The spatial transition happened in an instant.
As the vision obscured by the light returned, a strange space that looked like a cave appeared before us.
"…It feels familiar."
Jinwoo, hugging himself, shivered at the sight of the dungeon, which resembled the one in the club's basement.
The other kids were also tense at the sight of the dark dungeon.
At this moment, the class president, Youngjae, used magic to light up the dungeon and spoke.
"Anyone who can use Light Magic, use it!"
The kids, who had been shaken by Youngjae's shout, began to light up or draw their weapons and look around.
Then,
Tap. Tap.
"Wait, everyone, be quiet!"
Hearing a sound from somewhere, Youngjae lowered his voice and crouched down.
Everyone quickly quieted down and listened together.
Tap tap tap.
The sound was coming steadily closer.
The direction… it was definitely heading this way.
Tap. Tap. Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap tap.
The sound, like something walking, made the kids scan the darkness with tense eyes.
Gulp─!
The silence was so deep that even the sound of someone swallowing could be heard clearly.
The sound gradually got closer, and finally, the source of the footsteps appeared.
"Krik?"
It was…
"G, goblins?"
"Goblins?"
"Really goblins?"
The appearance of a completely unexpected monster made the class freeze. But soon,
"Phew!"
"Phahaha!"
"Goblins! It's a Goblin Dungeon, isn't it?"
The kids, who had identified the goblins, began to tremble and burst into laughter.
"Haah! What? You scared us for nothing?"
"You're sending us to a Goblin Dungeon?"
I shook my head lightly at their reaction.
"See, I told you it wasn't a big deal."
Sending us to a Goblin Dungeon for the Class Ranking Battle was, in fact, a very natural decision.
Even if they were chosen Awakened individuals, most of them were still freshmen.
They wouldn't send them to a dangerous place right from the start.
The community's analysis was that this was to give them the experience of killing a monster in their first dungeon. I also think that's correct.
Of course, the kids' reaction wasn't normal.
Even if they were low-level monsters, goblins could still kill an adult male.
They were opponents that required at least some tension. It was a balance the academy had chosen.
However, the kids were laughing, probably because of the experience they had on the first day when Jisuhyun sent them to a deserted island.
At that time, how difficult a day it had been for the kids.
When they heard they needed mana stones to return home.
The kids had already killed their first monster, and when they learned that mana stones could be exchanged for money, they ended up wiping out all the goblins on the island.
And now, in front of them,
The goblins appeared again.
"Krik?"
"…Kill. Kill that goblin brat!!"
"The top spot in the academy is ours!"
"Kill the goblins and take the mana stones!!"
The kids, who had identified their opponents, started to run forward, excited.
From what I heard from the club activities, the kids in the class had become practically goblin slayers by sweeping up all the goblins on that island.
So, the dungeon's strategy wouldn't be a problem.
The kids from the 'Familia' club also seemed excited as they confirmed the goblins and ran forward.
They seemed to have judged that there would be no threat here.
…To the point of completely forgetting about me.
So, I was left alone at the entrance.
Yeah, this might be better.
After confirming that no one was around, I looked around and found a part of the rock that protruded strangely. I pressed it firmly with my hand.
* * *
The students of Class A, who had already experienced a Goblin Dungeon on the island, looked like fish in water.
"Hey, that goblin brat is throwing a rock!"
"Magicians! Block the rocks and arrows!"
The experience of killing over a hundred goblins to escape the deserted island seemed to be paying off.
And among them, some kids stood out with their remarkable skills…
"Even if I get just 10 mana stones, I can eat meat with my siblings today!"
Seoa, who was pinpointing and intercepting the goblins' positions.
"This is the first time we're getting a dessert bar for the class if we come in first. We can't lose!"
Jinwoo, who was climbing the walls of the cave and taking out the goblins' arms.
"A Team will explore the right side, and B Team will explore the left. If anything happens, I'll come running, so don't worry."
Youngjae, who was leading the class and directing the kids.
And…
"Today, we can return with a smile."
Including Choi Janghyun, who had returned to the classroom in second place after Eugene.
For Choi Janghyun, who had lacked opportunities to show his strength, this 'Class Ranking Battle' was a significant chance.
If they came in first in this ranking battle, they would receive support from the academy and higher-level guild requests in the future. So, Choi Janghyun was drenching the goblins in seawater from the water bottle he had brought.
"Anjeong, aren't we going to come in first with this?"
Jinwoo, who was dismantling a goblin's chest, glanced up at Youngjae.
"Not necessarily. There are top students and those who entered in third place in other classes."
"Ah, that guy… the son of the police chief? Bah, even if that's the case, we have a boss, so how can we lose… huh?"
Suddenly, Jinwoo seemed to realize something and stood up to look around.
"Where's the boss?"
"Huh?"
Only after hearing Jinwoo did Youngjae look around to find Eugene's position.
But Eugene was nowhere to be seen.
"…Where did he go? Seoa! Can you locate the vice president?"
Youngjae asked Seoa, who was in the middle of the kids, using her magic to locate the goblins.
"Me? Eugene? Just a moment!"
Since Seoa had already synchronized with Eugene's mana multiple times, it wasn't difficult for her to locate him in this size of a dungeon.
However, her eyes widened when she realized where he was.
"…He's below us."
"…Below?"
"Yes, way below. He seems to be heading somewhere alone."
"Is that so? Then there shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing Seoa's words, Youngjae shrugged as if it was no big deal. Jinwoo also nodded in agreement and continued to extract the goblin's mana stone.
"The boss must have something in mind. He's the one who smashed goblin heads with his fists on the first day, so what could happen?"
The other kids nearby also nodded in agreement with Jinwoo's muttering.
That day's memory was deeply etched in their minds.
"Alright, let's get to our tasks quickly. We can't fall behind, right?"
Hearing Youngjae's words again, the kids started moving and began to explore the dungeon.
With Eugene moving alone, they were expecting something to happen.