Leaders Meeting

The highest floor of the school was reserved for the offices of the highest-ranked military personnel in the school. It also houses the conference room for important meetings and discussions among all relevant personnel.

Seated in this conference room with a large oval table in the middle, were the thirteen highest military personnel who run the school.

Seated at the head of the table was the Commander, Fred Salvador. He is a tall dark-haired man who is almost 6'5, and bulging muscles which were noticeable even through his uniform.

Seated beside him, also at the head of the table was the Vice-commander, Charlotte Coldwind. She was the same person who had addressed the students on their first day. Her beauty had captivated a lot of the students, even forcing a confession out of Flint. Her face is usually expressionless and she doesn't bother to look at anyone which gives her the reputation of a snub.

Rumour has it that she is even stronger than the Commander, but neither she nor the commander had bothered to confirm or deny the rumour. Even at her young age, she is still considered one of the strongest people in the world. An absolute genius.

On either side of the table were the other members of the school board.

The three generals in charge of the three student years were seated side by side on one side of the table.

Freddie Lee, who was the charge of the first years. Arguably the most handsome man in. the room, he is known for his charismatic attitude and friendly attitude among the three generals. That's why he was asked to oversee the first years.

Trisha Flemming, in charge of the second years. A beautiful woman with incredible physical capabilities with the build of a man. Her body is hard and well-toned, much unlike Charlotte who has a very feminine build. She rose through the ranks quickly, getting the post of general at just 25 years old.

Finally, Darius Flemming, in charge of the third years. He is Trisha's older brother and a well-known delinquent. He is just as ripped as the commander, even though weaker. Although not as impressive as his sister, he rose through the ranks on his merits alone but his present position was given to him as a way to put him in check and quell his mischievous nature.

On the other side of the table, there were the six housemasters in charge of each of the dormitories sitting opposite the generals. They are also representatives of the four allied families, as well as Alan who was representing the Coldwind family. Even though his family won't share their abilities, the Coldwind family assists and support the military in other areas. The last housemaster was the Commander's pick.

At the end of the table, and sitting opposite the commanders were the two other most important members of the board.

Alfred Belliot, the general in charge of the combat force of the academy. His greying hair was held back in a band as he sat there with a bored expression. Even with greying hair, he looked nothing like an ageing man as his body was extremely fit even though not as muscular as the others.

Finally, was the head of the public relations of the academy, in charge of all staff except Alfred and the commanders Belinda Fellin was a rare sight in meetings like these as she's always busy travelling because of her job. Among them all, she's known for her prim and proper disposition. With her glasses placed perfectly on her face, she looked like any regular working woman.

"Ahem," the commander cleared his voice after a few minutes of silence. "I would not waste time with formalities and just go straight to the point. Belinda."

Tapping her watch, a 3D hologram was displayed from the holographic device in the table's centre.

"That is the area around the borders outside dome city," she stated. "As you can see, there's been an unnatural occurrence at the border. A merged dungeon has occurred.

As you know, merged dungeons occur when two or more dungeons are interconnected in any way. Merged dungeons are also harder to clear because the initial disagreement between whatever beasts are inside would cause the surviving beasts to evolve and the powerful ones to subdue the weaker ones. There have even been some cases of cooperation between beasts when rares are involved.

Fortunately, this is not one of those cases. We've scouted the dungeon and it's been concluded as an E-rank dungeon at best. But it seems to be the progressive type. Given too much time, it could grow into a problem."

"Just send some guys to destroy it," Alfred said as he lit a cigarette.

"That's your job," Belinda hissed as she snatched the cigarette from his mouth in annoyance. "One more cigarette and I swear it would end up stuck in your throat. I don't know why those things weren't destroyed during all the wars it went through."

"These helped people relieve stress," Alfred smiled. "There's no way it would go extinct."

"Alfred," Fred called. "Be serious about this."

"Why?" he asked. "A few of our soldiers will destroy it in an instant."

"That's the problem," Fred said. "I don't want to send any of the soldiers. There's been a lot going on these days and I think we might need to take a few drastic measures in preparation for it."

"Huh?" Alfred was confused. "What's going on?"

"Of course, you won't know about it," Belinda sighed. "All you do is idle away and smoke."

Alfred cocked an eyebrow. "So I'm guessing this is the moment you tell me?"

"The students will be clearing this dungeon," Fred said.

"No!" Freddie yelled immediately. "You can't send those kids out there! They just got here for heaven's sake!"

"The beasts have been determined to be intermediate at best," Belinda said. "And they will be teaming up with the second-year students."

"What about the third years?" he asked. "They can do this better?"

"Don't you dare bring my students into this?!" Darius yelled. "This is beneath them!"

"Even more reason why they should go!" Freddie countered.

"I agree with Freddie," Alan added. "This is the first time we've had students in the F class in this school. You would be sending them to their deaths."

"Then they won't go if they don't want to," Fred added. "It will be their choice. We need these kids to grow faster than their predecessors. One of the ways is getting real combat experience."

"But the House Tournament is coming," Freddie argued. "They can get combat experience there."

"That's for kids," Darius scoffed.

"They are kids!" Freddie's eyes widened. He always gets emotional when it involves his students. "I'm in charge of them and I say no!"

"Trisha!" Fred called. "What do you think about this?!" Isn't it nuts?!"

"I have no problem with my second years going," she shrugged. "And I think it will be a good experience too."

"And if they die?" Alfred asked.

"We've done our investigations and made sure nothing like that would happen," Belinda replied. "The third years are currently working earnestly on awakening their Essence so we can't make use of them for now. The first and second years are all we've got. We would also provide protection for these students."

"Let's cast a vote," Fred said. "Everyone in support of the first years clearing this dungeon along with the second years, raise your hand."

Fred, Belinda, Darius, Trisha and four of the six housemasters raised their hands, leaving Freddie at a loss.

"Even the Vice-Commander doesn't agree with this," he said in a desperate attempt.

"I don't care about this," Charlotte said calmly, her soothing, smooth voice barely audible. "You all can do whatever you want."

"It is settled then," Fred said. "The first and second-year students are teaming up to clear the newly discovered dungeon. Is that understood, Freddie? I was nice enough to make it a democratic decision instead of an order."

"Yes, sir," he said defeatedly. "How long do we have to prepare?"

"A month," Belinda replied. "We can't leave it any more than that. Depending on our observations that date might be even shorter. So prepare them swiftly."

"And the F class?" Alan asked. "What if they want to go?"

"Then we'll let them," Belinda replied. "All students are to be given intermediate beast gear for better protection and performance. There will also be supervising soldiers and teachers to protect them. We will make it a class exercise and they will be graded based on their performance."

"You are sending them to their deaths," Freddie said again. "That's all I have to say. If even a single kid dies-"

"Then let them die," Darius interrupted him. "You've fought with a few Outworlders before. Do you think any weakling can take them on?"

"They don't have to fight," Freddie retorted. "We are training them to be comfortable in today's society even if they don't want to fight."

"That's all bullshit and you know it," Darius said. "We are losing our soldiers fast with these small squabbles. We have other problems to deal with aside from the Outworlders. We need more men."

"That is enough," Fred interjected. "The decision has been made."

"Now can someone tell me why we can't deploy our men?" Alfred asked. "I'm in charge of these men so I deserve to know."

"They are making their move," Fred said. "And I'm not talking about Outworlders."