Final Exams - [Emargency!]

As Kathleen and Iris entered, their eyes were met with an unexpected sight—a vast tunnel stretching into the depths before them.

"Kathleen, this is a trap! We must escape!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed, her hand tightening around Kathleen's as she hurriedly retreated towards the very doors that had brought them to this place.

However, they only collided with a thick wall and stumbled backwards, clutching their heads in pain. To their bad luck, they discovered that the entrance they had came from had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

"Iris, what just happened?" Kathleen inquired, perplexed by the turn of events. While she acknowledged that it wasn't a boss chamber, probably being secret chamber of some sort, she couldn't understand why Iris had said it as a trap and why she was in such a state of panic.

Ignoring Kathleen's inquiries, Iris swiftly began tapping on several bricks on the wall, but to no avail.

A sigh escaped her lips as she gradually turned around, meeting Kathleen's gaze.

"Now, please explain." Kathleen requested, folding her hands, having waited for Iris to complete her task.

Locking eyes with Kathleen, Iris finally opened her mouth to speak.

"We're stuck, and if you want to know how, I'll have to give you some information on dungeons. You see, there are all kinds of dungeons out there. Some are crafted by powerful mages, just like the one we're stuck in right now."

"Then there are the ones that occur naturally, but those are pretty rare these days. They're so different from one another that in some dungeons, you'll find only one boss guarding every ten floors, and they come with their own unique tricks and traps." Iris explained slowly to Kathleen.

As Iris continued her explanation, she revealed that secret chambers were rare indeed but not to the point that they can't find even if they searchwithin the dungeon, but they were mostly situated on the lower floors.

These hidden chambers were not placed kn higher floors to prevent participants from bypassing certain sections. However, if the mage responsible for designing this dungeon wished, they could create a separate passage known as the "Detached Tunnels" even in the higher floors.

Discovering these Detached Tunnels would indeed be a rare occurrence. Once entered, participants would typically encounter only a handful of monsters before being guided directly to the 100th level.

"Hmm, where's the trap in this setup then? Doesn't that mean we can reach the 100th level relatively with ease?" Kathleen questioned, her curiosity piqued by Iris' explanation.

"Well, on the surface, it sounds like a fortunate discovery, but the truth is, the monsters inside this tunnel will be a whole different breed— A formidable ones. However, that's not the only thing we need to be wary of." Iris spoke, while taking out her life token, a item that would transport her out of the dungeon if she die or chose to use it.

"This detached tunnel is unlike those secret chambers; it's completely cut off from the main dungeon until we reach the 100th level. This means our life tokens won't work here, and if we meet our end, it'll be our permminent death." Iris explained, her tone serious as she pondered a way to escape their predicament.

When Iris mentioned the strength of those monsters, she wasn't exaggerating. In fact, she doubted if Kathleen would be able to defeat them even with her strength.

Though Iris had ventured into numerous dungeons before, she had encountered this detached tunnel only once, and had it not been for her father's presence that day, she would've been dead.

"Hold on, if what you're saying is true, wouldn't the academy be putting its students in grave danger?" Kathleen questioned, her tone filled with concern.

"I'm not entirely sure, but based on what I've gathered about this dungeon, it's an artifact created by a powerful mage above 9-Star. However, it's been noted that this dungeon is remarkably advanced, capable of being customized to the user's whims."

"This suggests that during the modification process for exams, either someone overlooked removing these detached tunnels or deliberately intended to ruin the exams." Iris said as her gaze fixated on the seemingly endless tunnel stretching before them.

Kathleen's eyes widened in response to Iris's words. 'Aaron, that bastard!' She cursed Arron, the person she suspected to be behind this plan.

Meanwhile, in the monitor room where the instructors were stationed, a separate events were unfolding.

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In The Monitor Room

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Elina's expression turned into a frown as she noticed several students vanishing from the dungeon. In a dimly lit room, she and the instructor Aaron sat, observing the holographic screen that displayed the ongoing events within the dungeon.

The screen was divided into multiple sections, each one showing the students who were swiftly progressing through the floors, including Kathleen and others.

Meanwhile, the assistant instructors were kept an eye on the remaining students who were engaged in battles within the lower floors of the dungeon.

Aaron's expression underwent a similar change as he also discovered something is happening in the dungeon.

Once a student entered the "Detached Tunnel, they will became untraceable until their exit.

Sensing Elina's gaze upon him, he mustered the courage to inquire. "Instructor Elina, why are you staring at me?" Unfortunately, his question didn't get any answer.

Elina couldn't comprehend how such errors had occurred, which led her to have a slight suspicion towards Aaron.

Her gaze lingered on him, as she recalled the incident in the forest. However, she also knew it couldn't have been him responsible since he hadn't been assigned to modify the dungeon for the exams.

"Handle the situation temporarily while I report this matter to the Vice Headmistress. Also, dispatch a team of 4-Star mages into the dungeon to search for the entrances of the detached tunnels." Elina instructed before suddenly disappearing from her seat.

Only individuals below the 5th level were permitted to enter the current dungeon, as the structure would crumble if a powerful person attempted to enter inside.

It had been specifically designed for students of level four or below, as they didn't want high-level monsters spawning out of thin air during the exams.

As Elina departed, a wide grin slowly spread across Instructor Arron's face. He quickly retrieved a smal rune paper from his space ring and teared it apart.

'This mission is risky, no doubt about it. Whether we succeed or fail, our existence will be exposed, and the academy won't hesitate to eliminate anyone connected to our organization. However, I managed to obtain the necessary permission from the higher-ups.' He pondered silently, a single bead of sweat trickling down his cheek.

It was night outside. Gradually, many shadows began to move in the darkness, just after Aaron tore that rune paper.