The Stifling Dark
The waiting area in front of the practice dungeon entrance was far more suffocating than I’d expected. Whether it was the enclosed structure or the sheer number of people crammed inside, the air felt stagnant, unmoving. The walls were rough, and traces of mana lingered on the floor. Even though it was only a practice dungeon, the space didn’t feel entirely artificial.
This is…
I drew in a slow breath. The scent was different. Not the metallic tang or sweat I was used to at the training grounds. It was the smell of damp earth, mixed with an indescribable residue of mana. My body was already reacting, even though we hadn’t stepped inside yet.
Several teams had already gathered in the waiting area. The team ahead of us had just emerged from the dungeon. Their faces were pale, their words few. One student rubbed their arm while another stood helmetless, breathing heavily for a long while.
“That team looks completely wrecked…” someone muttered quietly. The words spread through the air like smoke.
Practice dungeon. Monsters weakened by twenty percent compared to real ones. Yet their expressions were this grim. I turned my gaze toward the dungeon entrance. It was dark. Lights had been installed, but they failed to reach the end. The winding walls and ceiling kept cutting off the view.
Cave-type…
The structure I hated most. Sound echoed, and the echoes lied about direction. A noise from the front could seem to come from behind, while a sound from the left might appear to come from above. It was a space where the instincts honed in the training grounds would no longer apply.
Then I felt it. A gaze. A fleeting glance. I didn’t need to turn my head to know.
Ah, again.
People were watching me. Not openly, but stealing glances, confirming something, then looking away. Accident. Death. Awakening. Those words never left their lips, yet they were all contained in those stares.
I forced myself to ignore them. There was no need to grow accustomed to it now, and no reason to let it wound me.
At that moment, Kang Hyun-woo spoke from ahead.
“Our turn’s coming up soon.”
His voice was low and brimming with certainty. Hyun-woo naturally took the lead.
“Everyone remembers what we practiced, right?”
It sounded less like a question and more like an order.
“I’ll handle the front. Se-rin, support. Jun-ho, cover behind me.”
Then his eyes flicked toward me.
“You… don’t do anything unnecessary.”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear enough. A Class D student is irrelevant.
I answered shortly.
“Got it.”
Oh Se-rin immediately added,
“Just do as Hyun-woo says. Don’t make any strange decisions on your own.”
I said nothing. Jun-ho still hadn’t spoken. His fingers kept fidgeting with his equipment straps. His anxiety was so palpable that words weren’t needed.
“Next team, enter.”
The instructor’s voice echoed. Hyun-woo stepped forward, and I followed.
The moment we passed through the dungeon entrance, the air changed. It was distinctly colder, heavier, damper. When I inhaled, it felt as though the air clung to my lungs. Mana was mixed into the atmosphere. Invisible, yet I could feel it on my skin. My mind knew it was only a practice dungeon, but my body refused to accept that.
With every step, gravel crunched beneath our feet. The sound traveled along the walls and returned to our ears, distorted enough that I couldn’t tell if it was my own footstep or someone else’s. Even with the lights, the space wasn’t fully bright. Shadows clung to the walls and moved with us.
After walking a little deeper, the sensation underfoot shifted. The floor was no longer packed earth but a mix of broken stone and gravel. The crunch of pebbles seemed unnaturally loud. The ceiling had lowered further, and the walls were uneven. Instead of torches, mana lamps glowed faintly, naturally restricting our field of vision. We couldn’t see far ahead. That single fact made my body tense ever so slightly.
So this is a dungeon.
It was nothing like the training grounds.
Up ahead, Hyun-woo slowed his pace. His gaze swept across the floor, the walls, and the curving passage in front of us.
“Wait.”
His voice was quiet. We stopped without needing to be told. Even without words, the entire team was looking in the same direction.
Ahead, where the cave bent once more, came a faint sound. The scrape of stone. Something being dragged. And then a familiar, cackling noise.
“Goblins,” Hyun-woo said, his voice full of certainty. “Six of them. Five in front, one more on the side.”
Jun-ho’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Already?”
“We’re not here for fun. This is the final exam. Of course they’ll keep appearing from the start.”
Se-rin’s expression held more anticipation than tension.
“Goblins should be easy enough if we just charge straight in.”
Hyun-woo gave a short nod.
“Right. We’ll do it like we planned.”
He raised a hand and arranged us into formation.
“I’ll open from the front. Jun-ho, follow right behind me. Se-rin, manage your mana from the rear and provide firepower support when needed.”
Then he looked at me and added,
“Do-yoon, stay in the back and don’t get in the way.”
“Understood,” I replied briefly, adding nothing unnecessary.
Hyun-woo stepped forward. At the same time, movement stirred deeper in the cave. Small shadows emerged from around the bend.
Goblins. Frail frames. Hunched postures. Rusty swords and clubs. Because they were practice specimens, their movements looked duller than real ones, but the pressure from their numbers was undeniable.
“They’re coming.”
The moment those words left his mouth, mana erupted from Hyun-woo’s lower body.
Burst Charge
Gravel flew as he kicked off the ground. A straight line. A frontal breakthrough. It wasn’t teleportation speed, but the honest, heavy momentum carried the force to shove aside anything in its path.
“Kieee—!”
The lead goblin let out a belated shriek. Hyun-woo’s shoulder slammed straight into it. Thud! The small body flew into the air and crashed into the wall behind. Before it even hit the ground, one goblin was already out of the fight.
Hyun-woo didn’t stop. He swung his sword wide, riding the momentum of his charge. This time he didn’t pour excess mana into the strike.
Slash!
Another goblin’s chest split open. Even if these were weakened practice specimens, the blow was precise and the power sufficient. The remaining goblins hastily raised their shields to form a line. At that instant, mana concentrated at the tip of Hyun-woo’s sword.
Steel Break
A short, sharp motion. The blade struck the center of a shield. Crack! It wasn’t metal that broke—it was something else. The shield split down the middle, and the goblin’s arm behind it bent at an unnatural angle. A scream rang out.
Hyun-woo didn’t miss the opening. He stepped in, twisted his sword, and shoved the body aside. The goblin lost its balance and collapsed.
“Not many left. Keep pushing.”
Hyun-woo’s voice echoed briefly. In that moment, I caught movement on the flank in my peripheral vision. Behind a rock. A low, crouched shadow.
Just as I thought—one more.
I didn’t speak. My body moved first. I shifted to the side, adjusting the distance. The goblin tried to ambush us but spotted me too late. I lowered my sword and cut in a short arc.
Thud.
I didn’t finish it off. I only grazed its shoulder and broke its balance. Then I immediately retreated without pressing further. While the goblin staggered, Hyun-woo’s sword flew in.
Thwack!
A follow-up strike. The goblin dropped to the floor.
Hyun-woo’s gaze flicked toward me for a split second. Why didn’t you finish it? The question flashed across his face. But the battle was already ending. The remaining goblins couldn’t withstand the pressure from the rest of the team and fell one after another.
A short fight. Before anyone’s breathing had even grown heavy, every enemy was dealt with. Silence settled over the cave once more.
“That was easy,” Hyun-woo said, lowering his sword.
Se-rin looked around and remarked lightly,
“Easier than I thought.”
Jun-ho gave a cautious smile.
“Yeah… If we just stick to the plan, it should go well. Thank goodness.”
Hyun-woo flicked his blade once and said,
“At this level, we shouldn’t have any major problems.”
Confidence filled his voice. Then he turned to me.
“Is a goblin too much for a Class D student to handle? Why were you hesitating over just one?”
“You told me not to move on my own. I was only following orders.”
“You did whatever you wanted during practice, but now you’re suddenly obedient? Typical Class D. Just don’t get in the way.”
I didn’t bother replying. No matter what I said or did, nothing would change.
“Let’s keep moving through the dungeon.”
Hyun-woo ignored my silence and addressed the others. I simply scanned our surroundings without a word.
The fight had been clean. Teamwork wasn’t bad. Their judgment had been accurate.
For now…
It was fine. For now.
I said nothing. I only quietly organized my thoughts.
If this pace holds all the way through, that would be ideal.
None of us yet knew how dangerous that assumption truly was.