161-170

As I stepped up on the stage, I could see that instructor Jasmine was not in a good mood. I guess missing out on seeing Adel's magic really did not sit well with her. So I guess now she will take it out on me.

"Baroness Cyrillia. I know your magic is on a grand scale and you are probably already one of the best mages in the kingdom, so I will not battle you normally. If you can withstand my attacks for a whole ten minutes of time, I will consider it that you passed." Wait, she calls me one of the best mages in the kingdom yet says I can only pass if I withstand her attacks? How is this fair?

I sighed and nodded my head. "Alright." Not like I had a choice, she seems dead set on wanting to vent her rage on me, and I could also use this kind of training. But for some reason, she keeps looking behind me. I turned and looked behind me to see Adel standing there with clenched fists and a murderous look on her face. Ahhh! Now I see… I forgot that Instructor Jasmine does not remember being slapped by Adel.

Aw, well… Anyway… I turned back around and bowed my head slightly: "Ready when you are."-.

"Then I will start. Put up your defenses!" Instructor Jasmine suddenly summoned ten magic circles almost instantly. Umm… This is a test, right!? Right!? I quickly wave my hand, making a five layered barrier. I am glad I did not hesitate and that I was actually paying attention. But I soon frowned when I saw that her spells were all hitting the same exact point one after the other, causing the first barrier to crack and shatter.

"Hmm…. Strong barriers, I guess I will need to step it up a notch." I heard Instructor Jasmine say as she waved her hand, creating twenty more magic circles in an instant. Her speed of casting was on par with my own. And what was more was she was experienced. She was experienced in fighting mages. Her attacks were all precise. As this second barrage came down, she destroyed three of my barriers.

"This is not going to work. She keeps hitting the same spot….." An idea came to mind. It was a long shot, but it may just work. Since she wanted to continuously attack the same point, why not make it so she can't keep hitting it? A sly smile formed on my lips as I cast only a single barrier this time. My actions seemed to cause Instructor Jasmine to react in surprise. She waved her hand once more, this time sending out thirty fireballs, each one of equal power at me single barrier. But this time, before they could hit the barrier, it began to spin. Yes, I made it so that the barrier was not stationary. The strength was not reduced in the slightest. And on top of that, I made it so that it could draw mana from me and repair itself.

Barrier repair took time and was not instant, so even if I had used it before, the barrier would have still shattered from so many hits in a row. As the barrier spun, Instructor Jasmine's fireballs landed in the same area as they normally would but on different spots on the barrier, causing the cracks that formed to be healed by the time they came around again. It was just enough time and speed of the spin to keep any cracks from growing too big. I looked up at Instructor Jasmine, who stared at me in shock. Only after a few seconds did she suddenly shake her head and smile. "I should have guessed the Demon of the East would have a trick up her sleeve."

"Why this nickname again!?" I yelled out. Why do they keep calling me that!?

"Hahaha! Well, It's my loss. If you are able to withstand the damage no matter what, there is no point in continuing. Also…." Instructor Jasmine walked over and leaned in close as she whispered into my ear: "Can you tell the Princess not to send me death glares? It is very scary."

"Pfft!" I let out a laugh. "Don't worry. I will get her to stop." I answered with a smile.

"Thanks!" Instructor Jasmine replied, letting out a sigh of relief. I guess it must not be fun being stared at like that by the Princess of the kingdom.

As I stepped off the stage, I heard Instructor Jasmine calling Sophie next. I did not know what kind of magic Sophie could use besides spatial magic, so I was quite interested in this test. I wondered if she was hiding something more from me.

"Faith! What did that bi-… Ahem… what did the instructor say to you?" Adel asked. But I could have sworn she was about to call the instructor a nasty word. Adel's jealous meter was off the charts. I reached up, balled up my fist, and whacked the angry Princess on the head.

"Ouch! Faith!? What was that for?" Adel cried out and asked with an aggrieved look on her face. This, of course, gained more stares of hatred, but I no longer care about them.

"You need to stop getting mad over every little thing. I am happy you get angry for me, but there is no need to act like people have run away with your wife. So don't umm… bite everyone." I was actually unsure of what to say. But I was trying to not make it sound like I was mad at her either.

"Fine…" Adel pouted her bottom lip, causing me to sigh. I reached up and rubbed her head. "But really, thank you." Only after hearing me say this did she finally smile again.

Now that Adel was settled, I turned and looked at Sei. "Sei, what secret training did Sophie do when I was not looking?"

"You knew about her magic training!?" Sei asked in surprise.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking!"

"Well, to be honest, I really do not know how to explain it. I think it is best to just watch." Sei answered.

I nodded and turned to look on stage. Sophie stood there waiting for the instructor to tell her it was fine to start. Once it did, I only saw Sophie point to herself and a light shine on her chest and then. She became see through…. "What is that!?"

"I don't know. It's like she is there but not. The strange thing is, is that she can still attack while none of your attacks can even hit her. They just phase right through her. I have never seen anything like it before. She asked me to fight with her so she could train her magic, and no matter how much I tried, I could not land a single hit on her, but she could blast me with magic or swing her sword at me all she wanted. Although I do think she needs to manage her mana because I think this spell actually requires a lot."

"Either way, it is a spell that, once cast, she can go all out with her sword and not need to worry about taking damage or using more mana. In fact….. Why are all the girls around me scary!?" I mean, really! Why is Adel's magic overly overpowered? Why is Sophie a being in another realm that you can even hurt no matter how much you try. Like right now, she just walked up to Instructor Jasmine and cast a fireball at her from point blank range! What is this!? And I thought I was the overpowered one with my amazing system! But no, these two just showed me up! No fair, I want to go home. 𝓲𝓃𝐧𝓇𝗲𝒂d. 𝑐𝐨ｍ

"Faith, your pouting." Adel snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked over at her and shook my head. "Not pouting…. Just lamenting on life. Like when did I become a frog in a well. When did the life of a flea become so great?"-.

"Don't let it get to you, Faith. These schools of magic are very rare and hard to control." grace tried to comfort me, but then that was when a thought came to mind. I reached up and placed my hand on my chest. "Phase…."

A minute later….

"And so I can do it too…." I said with a smile. I forgot I could use spatial magic too. And I also umm did something that made Adel draw circles on the ground…."Adel, please stop doing that! You are making me feel bad! I didn't know I could do it either!"

"But, but, it was my one thing I could be proud of and show you with pride!" Adel said while still pouting.

So it seems I can use Adel's cosmic magic as well. I planned not to try it, but I kind of got caught up in trying the new spells I saw after being able to use Sophie's phase spell. Although I do not know what she named it but I call it phase since it phases you out of reality. After that, I kinda went and cast cosmic magic afterward and made Sei freeze in place.

And now Adel is upset. Sighing, I crouched next to Adel and asked: "What can I do to make you feel better? I will do anything within my ability."

"Anything?" Adel asked. Her eyes seemed to light up a bit. Hopefully, she won't ask me to do anything too weird or that I am not ready for.

"Umm… Ahem…. Yes, as long as it is reasonable." I replied.

"Then a hug…."Adel said softly. I chuckled and gave her a hug. It only lasted about half a minute before I let her go, but she had a bright smile on her face after.

"Better?" I asked.

"Mmmm! All is well!" Adel said happily, back to her normal self.

Sophie had also come down stage and walked back over to us. I walked over and gave her a hug. "Sorry…"

"Pfft! Hahahaha! Faith, you are hilarious!" Sei burst out laughing.

"Ummm, Faith? What are you apologizing for?" Sophie asked with a very confused expression.

"I kinda um cast your spell…." I answered while scratching my head.

"Oh? Well, isn't that normal? You can already cast spatial magic, so there is no reason for you not to be able to cast transition." So Sophie had already figured I would be able to cast it. I guess I was overreacting.

"So you call it transition? I called it phase when I casted it." transition is not a bad name either, but phase sounds cooler.

"Then let's switch the name to phase. It kind of makes more sense in a way. I never gave the name much thought. But phase does sound much better." Sophie seemed to like the name too. I guess that settles it but to think I would have three new over powered spells at my disposal. If I were to alter them in some way, I wonder just how much more powerful I can make them. And I succeeded. I can give Sophie and Adel the new magic circles. However, I should put a safety on any spells I plan to pass down in case it uses too much mana. After all…. I do not need to worry about mana consumption.

"Then phase it is. Make sure to register the spell under your name, though. After all, you are the creator of it." I said. All new spells can be registered under the name of the creator which gives mages a bit of prestige in the community.

" I will… I will also need to make sure nothing like it exists. It does take up ninety percent of my mana to cast and only lasts about ten minutes." That is true it does use a lot of mana so I guess I should alter that first. After all, less mana consumption would help Sophie out more than anything.

Next up was Sally. She walked up on stage and looked at Instructor Jasmine with a small, confident smile. I have never seen Sally use attack magic, so I have no idea how good she is at it. I guess I can only watch and see for myself. 𝗶𝚗𝘯re𝐚d. 𝑐𝗼𝙢

Once instructor Jasmine gave the okay, Sally suddenly hopped into the air and swung her huge hammer down in front of her causing a large magic circle to suddenly appear. As soon as it did, a rain of fireballs began showering down onto the stage, causing Instructor Jasmine to have to dodge and throw up a few barriers. As soon as the magic ended, she hurriedly yelled out: "Okay enough! You pass!"

That was definitely a quick fight. But I can see why. I knew Sally had some kind of magic ability due to her being able to stand on air but just did not know anything beyond that. Now seeing it with my own eyes, I can tell she is very powerful, beyond just her strength.-.

Sally walked off stage, and it was now Sei's turn. She looked very uninterested as she made her way on stage. But before the match could even start, Instructor Jasmine suddenly yelled out: "You pass!"

"Thank the gods! I did not want to deal with you either…." Sei turned right back around and walked off stage. When she walked over, I gave her a questioning gaze. "We went to this same academy together. She knows not to fight me since we would end up battling until one of us passes out from mana exhaustion."

"I see…. I guess it's good that you didn't then. I want t get this over with already." I was actually looking forward to the third test, although the idea of goblins was not something I really wanted to deal with. I mean if they match the kind of goblins I have read about in my past life, then it would definitely be bad.

I have already signed a waiver, not that I am afraid of dying now. But the whole fact of the matter is that goblins from Earth were known for being monsters who used other races to breed. They would capture women and girls of all ages and bring them back to their dens to become breeding horses. Not the best of things in stories, that's for sure, but it did make for some dramatic scenes in some of those novels.

I will do what I can to protect those close to me. As for the others…. I could care less. Most hate me anyways. But although I say that if I can help, I probably would. I still can't watch a girl get dragged off to become a breeder. No girl deserves that.

Grace was up next, and she only used the bare minimum of spells to pass. I don't know why but it seemed to me that she was not really trying. But I guess it does make sense. She might not want to stand out. I can't really say, though. It would be kind of rude to ask, so I would prefer not to walk into any awkward situations.

—

It was midday the next day when the last of the tests finished up and we were ushered into a large building within the academy grounds. This building had many platforms with runic equations inscribed into them. Standing on one of the platforms was the Dean once again. "Everyone here will be taking the final tests. If you did poorly on the first two tests, you might still have a chance to enter if you do well on the second test. The instructors at my side will be going with you. While they will not interfere, even if you are about to die, they will be there to judge you and your actions.

"Always remember there are two sides of a gold, silver, or even a copper coin. The same goes for whether you join the knight course or the mage course. While one must be powerful to become someone the kingdom can rely on, there is another aspect of this that you should never overlook. And that is your heart. If you do not have the will to save your teammates or stick with them to the very end, then there is no need for you to be at this academy. Righteousness and chivalry are aspects that one must have when coming here as a student. Never forget who you are and why you are training to become more powerful. With power will always come greater responsibility. I just hope you do not turn your back on those around you.

"Alright! This old man will no longer ramble. From this moment, come up when your instructor calls you." The Dean then vanished into thin air. I guess he is indeed a busy man. But sadly, although the words he said were good and meant to try to put people on the right path, sadly, a lot of these people will never act in the manner he hopes for.

But now there is a bigger issue. I did not know if I would be on the same team as the others. I am sure they will not allow a bunch of strong people in the same team.

"Faith Cryilia! Adellia Gavos!" I heard my name called and looked over at the tall, Slender man in leather armor. I guess they want me in the same team as Adel, thankfully. But from how he called Adel, I guess this means all special treatment was over with. It was not time to become regular students.

"Faith, let's go!" Grabbed my hand and began to pull me, but I stopped short and turned to the others: "Sophie, Sally, Sei, Grace, If any of you are in danger, run away leave everyone behind. Even if it means giving up your place at the academy."

I was saying this because I did not wish for anyone I am close to to be dragged off by goblins. I might really lose myself if that happens.

We ended up in a group of ten. There were quite a few groups. I could see that Sophie and Sei ended up in a team together, which was good. Sally ended up by herself, which worries me. And the same goes for Grace. And as for Prince Lance, I lost track of him a while ago. I think he was dragged away by an instructor.

My team consisted of four girls and six guys. The six guys were Brad, Tom, Steven, Blake, Leo, and Rick. And the other two girls were Hailey and Amanda. Surprisingly none of them seemed to be bothered by my presence. However, this might be because Adel was clinging on to my arm, guarding me like some kind of guard cat.

As for the instructor, his name was Telive. He was an elf. "Okay. I will be the one observing your test. As the Dean said, I will not interfere no matter what. So if you die, you die. There is nothing I can do about that. Although I do not think any of you will be dying today with two very talented girls in your team. You will have ten minutes. So decide on a leader of your team."

"I will do it!" Brad suddenly yelled out. Raising his hand high.

"Are you an idiot?" Steven said while shaking his head and pointing at me. "We have the Demon of the East in our team. She led an army to fight against the Norian Army during the invasion."-.

"Ummm… Can you please not call me that…?" Such a nickname was just. It made my teeth hurt hearing it.

"Haha! Sorry." Steven said while blushing. He seems kind of easy to talk to, but….. I will not trust people so easily…. I have to keep an eye on those around me, sadly….

Steven continued: "Anyway, like I was saying, Faith should be the leader. She has the most experience."

"I agree!" Adel raised her hand. I did not mind being the leader, but I wish someone would ask if I wanted to be the leader… And now, with Adel endorsing me, it seems the others now have no choice.

"Okay, so I am the leader. The second in command goes to Adel, while the third goes to Steve? Is that okay with everyone?" I asked. I chose Steve because he was someone who was willing to stand up and have someone with experience lead. I am not trying to be conceited, but I do not think anyone here besides me has led troops in a war.

"I agree with Faith." Hailey said while nodding her head. Amanda also nodded her head. This was followed by the rest of the guys as well.

Since we still have time, I wanted to understand what everyone's specialties were. I figured this would be the best way of going about learning everyone's strong points and would allow me to properly place people. "We still have time, so please tell me your specialties and what your best magic spells are."

"Mine is water magic. Or water slicer, to be more precise." Amanda was the first to speak. Water slicer was actually a blade of water that was highly compressed and could cut through anything if it was compressed enough.

"I am more of a sword user but can cast self buffs on my body to make me stronger and faster." Steve answered next.

"I can cast fireballs….." Hailey lowered her head as she spoke. I guess she was embarrassed about it.

"Fireballs and sword." Blake announced.

"Rock sikes and rock walls are my specialties!" Leo seemed very proud of his skills.

"Spears and lightning attacks." Brad was tall and muscular, so I guess his skills matched him.

"Mine is daggers." Rick spoke softly. It was hard to hear him

"I am good at the bow and wind magic." Tom seemed to be a half elf. But I could be wrong. 𝙞𝘯𝘯𝙧𝒆𝘢𝐝. C𝑜ｍ

I was quite surprised at the wide variety of people skills. While most were mage users, this worked out perfectly because I do like to be up front. The only sad thing is that it seemed only I could use healing magic. But at the very least, I knew where to have everyone go while in combat.

"Time's up! Everyone, gather together. We will be using the teleport to bring you a mile out from the dungeon." At the instructor's direction, we all began to gather in the middle of the teleporter. And in under a second, we are standing deep in a forest.

Instructor Telive walked over and stood in front of us as we got used to our new surroundings. "From this moment on, you will be on your own. I can only tell you that the dungeon is to the north. Happy hunting. I hope you all can make it back."

After finishing his words, the instructor disappeared, leaving everyone here on their own. I looked up at the blue skies overhead and nodded my head in satisfaction. I guess it was now my turn to give a small speech as well. I walked to the front of the group. "While I know we should be just fine, I still wanted to say something….. Don't die. No matter what, your life is important. I will be on the front line, and I will do my best to keep you all alive. So please listen to me during combat. I will do my best to give precise directions as we fight. Let's get moving!"

There were no cheers. There was no prize. Nor did I want any. I just wanted everyone to know that life was very important and that they should do everything in their power to stay alive. Life is precious, and since the nine other members of my team were under my command, I will do everything I can to bring them all back safe and sound. I can only hope nothing strange will happen. The last thing I want is any surprises, but then again, this was a dungeon. Who knows? Maybe there is a hard mode?

"Are you sure this is the way?" Leo asked. He was on the chunkier side, so I guess he was not the best at traveling. He was already covered in sweat, more so that the others.

"Yes. The instructor said it was north, so it is north. Plus, while it may not look like it with how high the grass is but this is actually a path that has been used by humans before." I explained. The path in front of us is narrow, but I have already spotted a few cuts in the low lying branches that hung down off the trees that looked like sword marks. "But even if it has been used by humans you should always stay alert. While it is said that the monsters inside the dungeons can not come out. That does not mean that there are no monsters in the forest itself. So be alert. If you get attacked, call out. Let everyone know so we can get into formation. I don't even care if you are attacked by a slime, just let us know."

This was also part of the test. Getting from the drop off point to the dungeon was just as tricky for everyone. While there was a small trail here, it should have only been recently created. And not many had traveled down it. I noticed that the magic circle for the teleporter had a kind of randomness value in the runic equation. While I did not get to read the entire thing, I can at least assume that everyone will be transported to different positions, and each position has a trail of its own. We will probably end up running into other parties at the entrance.

Although I do have to admit it was very hot. It was not just Leo who was sweating but everyone else as well. While we did have a bit of shade here and there with the other hanging branches higher up, it seems someone deliberately cut the branches to make the sun shine down onto this trail.-.

I looked around and spotted a good spot to cool off. There was no point in continuing nonstop when we were probably still a bit away. "Everyone stop! We will take a rest. Those with swords help me cut a path over to that area over there where there is dense shade. Everyone else, keep a close eye on our surroundings. "

"Yes!" Everyone answered in unison. Which made me tilt my head slightly because I was not expecting such a united response. But I guess when you say break, everyone is willing to pitch in to help. Even Leo was moving around much faster.

After ten minutes, we were all sitting down in the dark shade of a group of trees. The area under the trees was not as covered in foliage due to the lack of sunlight that reached this spot. While it was sticky and hot, the air was much cooler under the trees, relieving some of the heat.

"Faith, How much longer do you think it will take to get to the dungeon?" This time it was Steven who asked.

"Mmm… Not sure. But if we follow the same path, it will take us there, that much I know. When we reach the dungeon entrance, we will take another break and cool off before entering. We need our energy in case something happens. Always remember to keep on guard. And guys…. protect Haily and Amanda with everything you have." My last words were said with the utmost urgency.

"Huh, why?" Brad asked. I guess he felt confused by my words.

"Just do as I say." I said without explaining further. I mean, how can I give a proper answer? I can't go: due to the novels I read in my past life, goblins are known to make girls breeders! They would all think I was some kind of nut job. I just started the academy. I do not want people saying I am some crazy girl.

After a twenty minute break, we began our journey under the hot sun once more. This time we kept moving forward until we finally reached our destination. And when one says dungeon, they truly mean dungeon. This thing even had large metal doors with strange carvings all over it. But why such a thing exists is still being looked into. But I do wonder. Will there be treasure chests? If so, will there be loot that has a ranking to it? To me, dungeons were always things of video games or the system type novels that were based in video game worlds.

While yes, I do have a system myself, and yes, I can level up. This world, as far as I know, is not some video game world. Unless it is slowly becoming one due to some god finding it interesting.

Even if it is, I would not care. If people could level up and expand their mana pools to extend their lives, then I would be all for it. 𝚒𝒏𝓃𝓻e𝑎𝙙. 𝙘ｏ𝑚

"Alright, everyone, gather up!" I stood up. We had just taken a long break and cooled ourselves off. I even handed out some snacks I had in my inventory. I still had lots of food thanks to Annie always making stuff and then having me store it in those just in case situations.

There were already quite a few parties here at the entrance. The gate to go inside did not actually open. I had watched a few teams already enter, and they just placed their hands on the door, and they were teleported inside.

With everyone's attention on me, I decided to go over our plans once more before entering. "When we enter the dungeon, we will probably not have many enemies to fight as other people have already entered. And I know I keep repeating myself, but please do not let your guard down. We only have three people who can cast healing magic. While I can cast a better heal, Adel and Amanda are able to cast a minor heal spell. I will also be doing my best to cast barriers on others. But I want to make a few things clear. If anyone gets hurt we will retreat. If anyone gets taken we will charge ahead and bring them back no matter what. Otherwise we will keep going until we clear the dungeon."

"What do you mean by being dragged away?"

I looked over at Adel, who seemed to have a worried expression on her face, and smiled: "Just in case. We do not know what to expect after all."

"Mmm…" Seeing Adel's worried expression grow deeper, I couldn't help but clench my fists. I did not wish to keep her out of the loop, but it was hard to explain.

I took a deep breath and clapped my hands. "Alright, let's go!"

We grouped together and stood on the spot that was marked on the ground before I touched the door. It seemed the area marked was the radius of the teleport area. Our views changed, and we found ourselves inside a large stone room. No cave or anything like that but a stone room. It was made of gray bricks that were half the size of me. The ceiling always went up so high that I could not see it. It was blocked by pure darkness. There were even stone pillars made of curved blocks that also rose up into the darkness above. As for the smell, well…. It was a little stale and had a strange scent.-.

But other than that, where we stood was clearly marked by a large magic circle which was the teleport to leave the dungeon. "Yes! It's cool in here!" Lero yelled out as he tossed his chubby hands in the air.

It was indeed cooler in here. If I knew the entrance was some sort of safe zone, I would have come in here, to begin with. I only knew this was a safe zone due to the barrier on the only exit besides the door behind me. When I looked around the room, there were more groups in here as well. But one person caught my eye. "Why is Sally by herself?"

"Hmmm? Faith?" Adel turned and called out to me.

"Look over there. Sally is by herself. It's like her team is….." As I was speaking, I saw one of the kids who was supposed to be in her group pick up a rock from the floor and throw it at Sally. My body pretty much moved on its own as I appeared in front of Sally and caught the rock. "Do you mind explaining what you are doing to a member of my family?"

"Young Miss!" Sally cried out as she looked at me.

"Sally, you will come with me. I am afraid if you stay in a team like this, they might leave you to die." I said with a snort before tossing the rock back at the young man who threw it. It was just that my little toss caused the rock to catch on fire as it flew past the young man's face, burning it slightly.

No one said a word as I grabbed Sally's hand and walked away. They are lucky that this was a test, or else I would have punched the idiot. But I am sure the Dean would call me to have another talk. "Young Miss, is this allowed?"

"Who cares. I do not want you to be in a team with people who will attack you. If there is any trouble, just blame it on Instructor Telive." Instructor Telive may not know it, but I can smell him and know he was not far away. Since he did not wish to step out to stop the situation, then she would just blame him if someone said anything.

"Ah! Hell yeah! We got your guard too!?" Brad yelled out. "Haha! We will definitely be alright now."

"Yeah, with three of the top students taking the tests on our team, I know for a fact that we will do good!" Steven said excitedly.

This was how a team should be. Inviting and willing to party with others. There was no need for people to shun others. Whether it was because Sally was a beastkin or because she was part of my family, I did not know, but I did know that I was glad that I was here to catch it before anything bad happened.

We had all moved off to the side so we would not block the entrance. We had decided to cool off before heading into the dungeon. I was just about to stand up when I heard a voice behind me. Faith! Adel!"

I got up and turned to see Sei walking up with not only Sophie but Grace as well. But something did not seem right. "What happened!?" I looked at Grace and saw she had a black eye and a fat lip. Even part of her hair was burnt. Her leather armor was also a mess.

"Ahh… You see, her team and our team met up outside. We thought things were fine, but the two teams started yelling at us and bad mouthing you. Grace got into it with them, and before we could react, five girls of equal status began beating her up. Sophie and I quickly stepped in and dealt with half of them before the rest ran away. It was pretty bad. Ah, speak of the devils….. Huh? Faith!?" After hearing Sei's words, I found myself standing in front of a group of seventeen young men and women. Some had their clothes ruffled up, but besides that, they seemed to have been healed.

I scanned each one of them and, in a low voice, asked: "Who was it?"

"Huh? What do you want?" I watched as one boy flinched when he asked me this.

"I said which of you girls hit Grace? Push them forward now!" I was mad. And my anger was really starting to be hard to control. It seems my ancient will triggers when people closer to me get hurt or are threatened.

"What right do you have to tell us what to do!?" A girl yelled out as she stepped forward, she gave me a smug look as she said: "I am also a daughter of a marquess. If I wish to hit someone I can hit them."

"Oh really?" My eyes went wide as I tilted my head to the side and smiled. "I happen to be the daughter of my mother. If I wish to beat bitches I will beat them."𝗶𝓃𝓷𝒓𝘦a𝐝. 𝗰𝒐𝗺

"You! Yo-You are nothing but a baroness!" The girl shouted while pointing her finger at me. I sneered and took a step forward while waving my hand. A barrier suddenly formed around me and the group of youths in front of me.

As I spoke, I took another step forward, making the bitch in front of me take a step back. "It is true that I am only a baroness, but I am also a provisional knight. And on top of that, my titles are mine and mine alone, not like you, who is only the daughter of a marquess. You have no actual title of your own. You can only cry to your parents when you get in trouble or get bullied. I bet you do not even have money that you can call your own. Do you know…. I own my own company already? That I have been put in charge of a certain area of the capital under the king's orders? I am sure you do. Otherwise, why else would you bad mouth me and target those close to me?"

The girl gritted her teeth as she looked at those around her. "What are you all doing!? Get her!"-. 𝚒𝓃𝘯𝙧𝚎𝗮𝚍. 𝒄𝐨𝓂

"Yeah, get her! She is nothing but a lowly demi hu…."

<strong>*Boom!*</strong>

"Oops, my hand slipped," I said with a smile while tilting my head. My blood lust was starting to rise. The more I was dealing with these nobles who were out to target me and those close to me, the more I just wanted to make them disappear. Rip them limb from limb until their blood covers the ground. No! I can't!

I could feel my ability to think starting to slip. I looked at the crater I had just made with a simple fireball and frowned slightly. "No more talking. Each one of you will be beaten up here and now. If I wait any longer, then I might… Just…. Hehehe…. Hahahaha!"

"What the hell is the matter with her!? Has she gone crazy… Ooooffff!" My fist delightfully smashed into the bitches face. My knee accidentally ended up in her stomach. And with a swift kick to the head, she went flying into the barrier, which was spinning around to make it so no one could break in or out. It was quite funny to watch the girl get taken by the barrier and flung through the air.

"Hahaha!" I can't stop. I am already restraining myself as much as I can. My body feels like it is moving on its own as I laugh every time I smash my fists into one of their faces. One, two, three at a time. My tail wraps around one kid's neck and smashes him to the ground.

"See…. Hahahaha! What…. Hehe…. You…. Hahaha! Made… Hehe.. me.. hehe…. Do…." It only took a matter of seconds to take them all down. My fists and armor were covered in the blood that splattered all over it. I did not wish to go this far. I did not wish to end up this way. But…. It seems I was unable to control it. Even now, as I walk toward the first girl I knocked away, I just want to rip her head off. Maybe… snack on her heart… "Hehehehe!"

"""""Faith!""""" Five voices came from behind me, causing me to freeze. My senses were slowly coming back. I turned to see Adel, Sophie, Sei, Sally, and Grace all standing there outside my barrier with expressions not of fear but concern and worry? They had tears in their eyes. Why? Why were they crying? I was getting rid of those who were trying to bully them….

I turned and looked at the seventeen people lying on the ground covered in blood staring at me in fear as they tried to move away from me. Not a single one was dead, but I am sure they were hurt beyond belief. "Ah….."

I see…. They were worried because of my actions…. They were worried because I suddenly began acting strange. I guess I can forget about making more friends at this academy…. Clenching my fists, I turned around with my head lowered as I slowly walked over to the barrier and undid it. I did not dare look the girls in the face. I mean, I just went nuts. I went crazy in front of them…. How could I look them in the eye? But I have to be grateful to them as well…. Because of them, I was able to pull myself back before I went too far. But my thoughts this time scared me. They scared me more than last time. I actually thought of eating someone's heart… Is this what is going to happen to me if I lose my mind completely? Just the thought of it was making me feel sick.

"Faith!" I felt someone embrace me. Her face was buried in my chest. Her golden hair brushed against my nose.

"Adel… I'm dirty…" I was covered in splatters of blood. Adel shouldn't be dirtied by such a thing.

"I don't care! Faith…. Just now, you scared me. I felt like I was going to lose the Faith that I knew. The Faith that laughs and smiles and is kind to everyone. Who cares about the people she is close to. I felt like that Faith was being swallowed by some kind of darkness." Adel's voice trembled. Her shoulders were shaking. I could tell she was crying. But I did not know how to answer her. How was I supposed to explain something that no one else would even understand?

"Adel it's fine… I will explain things. But not now…" I guess I should not hide things any longer, at least not from those who were close to me. It would be better for them to know about who I am than to have them think I am some kind of monster. I fear what might have happened if I was on my own with no one on my side.

We walked back to my team with Adel hugging one arm, and at some point, Sophie had taken the other arm. Neither her nor Sei or Sally said a word. Grace walked behind us with her head lowered, seemingly lost in thought. When we reached the group, I slipped out of the two girls' embrace and bowed my head. "I apologize. I lost my head."

"Hey! Faith, don't bow to us!" Steven suddenly stepped forward and helped me up. I looked up at the faces in front of me in confusion. Were they not scared just now? Didn't they think what I did was crazy?

"What is with that look? Did you think we would be affected by you beating the crap out of some ignorant people? You think too low of us, leader!" Leo said with a chuckle which made me lower my head once more. I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. I had expected them to shun me, but they were all still smiling and being friendly to me. Does this mean I will be able to have more friends even after my outburst just now?-.

"Yeah, Faith, while you may have gone a bit overboard and a little crazy, we all know you did it for a friend. There is no need to think we would think less of you. Actually, we think that what you did was quite cool." Hailey said as she walked up and jokingly elbowed me.

"Yes, to be honest, when I saw Grace like that, I wanted to go over myself and beat them up. I mean, Grace can be a little bitchy at times, but she is actually quite nice once you look under that front she puts on." Amanda said teasingly as she stuck her tongue out.

"I am standing right here, you know! Amanda!" Grace suddenly yelled out. I guess these two knew each other. "Faith, don't listen to her! I am very kind hearted! And…." Grace lowered her head once more before stepping forward and hugging me. "Thank you. Thank you for getting mad on my behalf."

"Hey, you have been hugging my Faith for more than a few seconds. Let go, thieving cat!" Adel yelled out while grabbing Grace by the waist, but Grace seemed to not want to let go at all. Seeing these two acting as usual, I couldn't help but laugh. I am truly blessed. I think with this group of friends, I can finally come clean about myself and who I truly am.

After a while of resting and me calming down, it was finally time for us to move out. Although things have happened, it did not change the fact that we were still taking a test. However, I am not sure how my score is at this moment. I probably failed after what I did. But it doesn't matter. After all, I was already accepted in the academy, and this was just for show. Whether they will kick me out after is another story.

"Alright. Now that we have more teammates, we have more coverage. So I will change our team formation. Sei, Sally, and I will be upfront. Adel, Sophie, and Blake will take up the rear. Steven will be on the right side with Brad. Leo and Rick will be on the left. Casters and ranged will be in the middle. Any questions!?" I asked as I looked at the group. No one stepped up to say anything, so I nodded my head and clapped my hands.

"Alright, let's go! Remember what I said before. One person gets hurt, we retreat. One person gets taken, we chase until we get them back. Otherwise, we push forward and clear this place." I said these words once more. Because if goblins were like they were in the stories I read, then they will definitely go for the girls first. This was why I arranged the team the way I did. Three girls up front to draw their attention, boys to the side, and one boy in the back. I am hoping they will avoid the boys at all costs and go for the girls, although this is only speculation. I mean, they could be goblins who like men….

As we stood in front of the barrier, I took a look back to see both of those teams healing each other in one of the corners. Some were even looking at me. I sneered as an idea came to mind. "Since you are all healed, you can just have a picnic at the entrance." Right as I stepped through the barrier leading inside the dungeon, I cast a spinning barrier around the group of kids.

"Hey! You bitch! Let us out!" I heard a voice yell out from behind me, but I ignored them as I continued forward.

The other side of the barrier really smelled bad. I was not sure what that smell was, but it made my nose want to run away. Everyone else did not seem too bothered by it, but my nose was extra sensitive.

Luckily after a few minutes of walking down the narrow dungeon passage, the smell began to grow on me. Although It still stank. "Keep your eye out for side passages. We do not want to be ambushed." I reminded. There were dark corners everywhere in this dungeon, and the last thing I want is to be surrounded. 𝒊𝒏nr𝐞𝘢𝐝. 𝒄𝒐𝗺

It was pretty quiet where we were. I did not smell anything different from when we first entered. And I could see quite well even in the dark, so I did have some decent advantages. "Hmmm? I hear fighting up ahead. Let's go!"

I could hear the sound of a battle further into the dungeon. We picked up our pace while still keeping our eyes peeled around us. But as we made our way towards the area where the battle was taking place we heard a girl yell out: "Stacy no! Let her go!"

What I walked into made all my worries come true….

"What!? What is this!?" Amanda cried out. Her body began to tremble. I can see why. At least a hundred students dead, and many girls were being used as….. I don't even want to look at the scene in front of me.

I looked in the direction of my so called teacher and reached out with my hand. A magic circle appeared behind him and shot him towards me using a strong burst of wind magic. I knew his location because I could sell his scent since I met him. "You!"

"You, what!? You dare stand by when young kids, not even fully adults, are being dragged off!? And having such things done to them!? Is this a game to you!?" I shouted at the elf that suddenly appeared. He was Instructor Telive

"I was given specific orders to never get involved!" Telive shouted back at me.-.

"What kind of crap instructor doesn't see the situation and does not think something is wrong!? Do you not have a conscious!?" I was mad. My chest was heaving up and down. I was having a hard time controlling my anger once more.

"Faith! Those things are coming!" Adel cried out. I guess she had never witnessed such things before. The only reason I was calm was that I kind of expected this.

"Everyone, get in formation. All casters to the middle. Adel, you as well." I shouted and then looked at Telive. "Are you going to be a teacher or not!? If so, then do your damn job. Otherwise, I will make sure you and every teacher hiding right now will die."

I was not joking. I did not see this being some kind of test anymore. It would be fine if this was not a test. If these people came here on their own accord, but this was a test. No girls or the boys that died trying to save them should have to go through all of this so soon when half of them barely had enough combat experience to kill a horned rabbit.

"Fine!" Telive answered through gritted teeth and began attacking the goblins. There were only a few, and they would die quickly but still. "You better help me explain this to the dean!"

"Don't worry. Just do your job as an instructor!" Even though I say this, I am not sure what to do about a few of these girls. Even after I sliced up the few goblins that attacked us, I still could not figure out how to deal with them. "Those already in the process…."

"Don't worry. I will erase their memories of this event," Telive answered. His face was not looking so good. I guess he was affected by the scene in front of him after all.

"I will thank you then." I said this before sending out a few fireballs at the instructor's hiding along the walls. I made sure that the spells would not exactly hit the, but….

"My hair!" One instructor yelled out. As soon as she became visible, a goblin suddenly jumped at her forcing her to have to attack. The other two instructors were male and were basically ignored. But what I didn't get with this many dead, where are the other instructors?

"Why did you make me come out!? Do you know they are dragging people off!?" The female instructor yelled out. 𝓲n𝗻𝗿𝙚𝘢𝘥.＆nbsp;𝓬𝚘𝒎

"Why are you hiding instead of not stopping students from getting this far!? You people make no sense!" I didn't get it. Why was this happening? They were just sitting there as if they were watching the show.

"It's because…."

"<strong>GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!</strong>"

A loud shout came from a large opening in the back wall. A huge hand suddenly gripped the side of the broken stones of the large hole, and from within the darkness of the hole, a large head emerged. "An orc!?" It was a pig headed monstrosity. It had a pig face with large tusks sticking out from the bottom of its mouth. In its free hand was the body of an older woman wearing torn Academy rows. Now I understand. They hid because if they came out, that thing would appear.

"Dammit, it's here again. We will be trapped!" The female instructor yelled out. Her words struck me as odd as I looked around, and that was when I saw it. A barrier blocking anyone from escaping. Was this like the dungeons in video games? Was this some kind of low level boss? While I understood why they hid, I still don't see the reasoning on why they did not try to help the ones they were overseeing for the tests. Ten groups…. "I see… Instructor Telive. And I call you instructor lightly. And the same goes for the three of you as well. Make up for your inaction by killing the goblins. Bring back those girls and erase their memories. As for the big guy…. I will handle him myself."

"Wait, no, Faith, you can't!" Adel grabbed my arm and shook her head. I smiled and looked up at Sally, who stepped forward and pulled Adel away. "Princess Adel, excuse me."

"Sally, let go of me! I will not let Faith alone!"

"Adel! Enough! Protect the others with Sei, Sally, and Sophie. Don't forget I can use both of your specialized magics." I yelled out. I used a stricter tone than usual. I could see Adel's unwillingness, but there was nothing I could do about it. I have already decided to deal with this on my own. As I see it, this dungeon should not exist, and as someone who has come from a world where stories of goblins are well known, I knew what to watch out for. I just had to make sure they did not catch me, is all. "Instructor Telive, move after I draw its attention."

"Don't worry. I promise to bring back as many as I can. The little green things are no match for us." Getting instructor Telive's promise, gripped my sword and shot toward the large orc that had just emerged. To be honest, this thing was about four times my size tall and many times that wide. But that did not matter. I could see its level was only level 26. Although strong for most of the people around me, it was not a threat for me. I picked up my pace and buffed my speed with multiple spells because jumping in the air and kicking out with my foot at the orcs face…

"Graaaah!" The orc cried out as my foot landed on its face knocking it back into the hole.

The only thing I did not expect was that this hole was not just some other room but a large hole in the floor that dropped down into the deep dark abyss below! I couldn't help but panic a little bit as I went to turn and fly back into the sky. I felt a large hand grab my leg, and without being able to do a thing, the stupid orc threw me down into the abyss!

I was currently cursing myself for holding back! My one weakness was my own body weight! But since it was dark, I can fix that as well! I smiled as my arm grew into a huge claw and grabbed the orc above me. He fit perfectly within the palm of my claws as I pulled down and swung him back underneath me. But this time, I used all my strength.

<strong>*Boom!*</strong>

A sonic boom accord as its body flew out. I gathered my bearings and began flapping my wings to grain my descent before making a foothold in the air. When I heard a loud splat sound below, I knew it had died but what bothered me was this deep hole.

[+300xp]

"Oh? High experience for a monster half my level….." I was quite surprised. Normally for a monster who was much lower level than myself, it would be hard to gain even a tiny bit of experience, and even then, it would take me thousands of them to level up, maybe millions based on the amount of experience.-.

But to see experience points after so long, I was a bit happy. I mean, it feels like it has been forever since I gained any experience. But more importantly, I need to figure out what is going on down here. I can sense something strange down in the deepest part of this abyss.

My eyes glowed, and thirty fireballs all formed around me that I made float out in all directions. The area around me was quite wide. I was wondering why I could sense the walls near me or see them. Although it was pitch black seconds ago, I can still see somewhat in darkness. But only so far. And now I know why. Once you were low enough, the whole area seemed to open up quite a bit. It makes me wonder how the floor above was able to stay in position.

But as I looked down, my eyes grew wide in shock. "What the hell is that!?"

"That's rude little girl…." A voice came from the large creature below me. It had a set of horns on its head and a thin scaly tail. It was still far away from me, but even from where I was, I could see that it was very large. It was red and had a humanoid shape. If I had to put a creature to it, it looked more like a large imp more than anything.

"Who are you?" Since it could talk, I wished to know just what this thing was.

"Who am I? I guess you can say that I am the boss of this dungeon. The dungeon master, at least that is what the voice tells me. What I am, I do not know…. I only know how to create more of these green little things and the pinkish bigger things. But they die so easily when I crush them for entertainment. But recently, I have seen quite a few new things similar to you being dragged down here. The little things keep doing strange things to them. But I guess it doesn't matter because I will crush them anyway. Hahaha hahaha! But you…. You are different. You smell different from the other things. What are you?" I was not expecting this thing to be a chatterbox, but it seemed to just be sitting there.

It said it was the boss and that a voice kept telling it so. I guess this thing could be considered the last boss of the dungeon? I looked around and saw a black orb sitting on a pedestal that looked like a large skeleton hand. I have no idea if it was…. "Appraisal "

[Dungeon Core]

[Goblin Dungeon Number: XRTDS72651]

[First Boss: Orc Bruiser]: Defeated

[Second Boss: Goblin Shaman]: N/A

[Third Boss: Goblin Chief] N/A

[Final Boss: Goblin Ancient] N/A

"Hmm?" As I looked at the information, I couldn't help but feel slightly confused. If this was a Goblin dungeon, why was there an orc as the first boss? But I finally had an idea of what This place was. I turned and looked at what I can only guess is the Goblin Ancient and used appraisal on it as well.

[Goblin Ancient]

[Level]: ????

[HP]: ????/????

[MP]: ????/????

[Attack Power]: ????

[Magic Power]: ?????

[Strength]: ????

[Vitality]: ????

[Intelligence]: ????

[Mind]: ????

[Agility]: ???? 𝚒n𝐧𝑟ea𝚍. 𝒄𝑜𝚖

As soon as I saw the question marks, all danger sounds began to ring out in my head as I quickly flew off. I was not going to stick around that thing any longer. I only know what the Academy said was a damn lie! I want to know which idiot said this dungeon was safe. Whoever it was, lied through their teeth.

As I arrived back topside, I saw the goblins all dead and the girls who were being used all lined up against a wall with blankets covering them, and Adel and the other standing guard around them. "Faith, you are back!"

Instructor Telive came running over to me. He seemed glad that I came back alive. "How was it? Did you kill it?"

"Yes…. And…. We all need to leave now. This test should be canceled. I need to report what I found to the Dean right away. Whoever checked this dungeon did not check the whole thing at all. Either the Academy lied, or someone lied to the Academy." I replied. I was trying to calm myself down. I have never seen a monster with nothing but question marks or have all my senses telling me to leave as quickly as possible.

"It would be good if we could leave but look.." Instructor Telive pointed to the barrier that was still up. Just seeing it made my heart drop.

"So it has to be like that, huh? Trapped in a dungeon until we clear the whole thing…. Instructor, do you have a way to communicate with the Dean?" I asked. If they did, that would be for the best as the runic markings on the barrier only seem to block physical forms like our bodies from passing through it.

"Yes I do…."