Maxim stood with his arms crossed, continuously staring at the dungeon entrance.

The cadets who had entered the dungeon entrance with confident expressions in teams of two came out of the dungeon one by one, being thrown out as if spat by the entrance. It seemed that the conquest wouldn’t be as easy as they had thought.

“Are you nervous?”

Before he knew it, it was Maxim’s turn. Theodora stood next to him, slowly stretching her body. Her long platinum-colored hair, tied into a single strand, fluttered with Theodora’s movements.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think I’m nervous.”

Maxim felt an inexplicably uneasy feeling, but he couldn’t quite explain that feeling. It felt like an ominous shadow was groping his heart from a corner of his mind.

“Maybe it’s because I’m facing the dungeon, but I don’t have a good feeling.”

Theodora stopped stretching momentarily, bent her waist, raised her head, and looked at Maxim’s face. Seeing his expression, Theodora asked with concern.

“Maxim, are you okay? Your condition doesn’t seem good. Should I tell the instructor?”

Maxim placed his hand on his heart, which was tingling and circulating blood and mana. However, he couldn’t feel that pulse through the breastplate that separated flesh from flesh.

“… It’s okay. There’s no problem with my condition. And,”

Maxim forced a grin.

“We can’t always fight in perfect condition, can we? Rather, thinking about when we go into the field later, this might be a good thing.”
“…You need to stretch thoroughly. Keep circulating your mana, too.”

When Theodora didn’t avert her worried gaze, Maxim playfully ruffled her hair with his fingertips.

“Don’t worry. I’m confident I’ll do well.”

At that moment, two cadets walked out of the dungeon entrance with trudging footsteps. The sword that was intact when they entered had lost its edge, and the shining armor was now full of scratches and lost its luster.

“Looks like they had a rough time.”

Maxim muttered as if it was someone else’s business. Theodora, who confirmed that he had returned to normal, smiled slightly.

“All right! Next, Maxim Aparte and Theodora Bening. Enter!”

The corners of Theodora’s mouth suddenly twitched as she heard the instructor’s words. When Maxim looked at her puzzled, she moved her lips and said in a small voice.

“Doesn’t it sound like telling the groom and bride to enter?”

Maxim barely suppressed the cough that was about to burst his throat.

The dungeon’s interior looked like a pitch-black pupil until they set foot inside. As Maxim slowly extended his foot and completely passed through the entrance, the internal structure of the dungeon finally became visible.

“It’s a neater place than I thought.”

Theodora said as she followed behind Maxim. They had thought the walls would be rough and bumpy, but the dungeon walls were smooth like the inner walls of a stone building.

“Don’t touch it carelessly. We don’t know what traps there might be.”
“Yeah. Let’s be careful.”

They slowly advanced deeper into the dungeon. Maxim was at the lead, and Theodora was guarding the rear. With each step, they had to be mindful of all directions, including under their feet. Their mental and physical strength was being consumed much more.

Clunk.

The ground beneath Maxim’s feet, who was walking while looking ahead, shook and caved in. The sound of the wind cutting through the darkness was heard.

“Maxim!”

Theodora shouted sharply. Even before she warned him, Maxim had already drawn his sword and was ready to intercept.

At the edge of darkness,

Arrows aimed at Maxim and Theodora’s bodies flew, their arrowheads flashing. They were probably big and heavy enough to be fed to a small ballista, much larger than what is attached to a bow.

Maxim aimed his sword. As he felt the flow, Maxim moved his body, and the tip of his sword cut through the air two, three times. The graceful and slow-looking sword strikes entangled with the flying arrows.

There was no sound. As Maxim lowered his sword, the debris of the broken arrows fell with a thud. Since it was a dungeon modified for testing, the arrows weren’t equipped with proper arrowheads. Maxim turned his head towards Theodora while tapping the debris of the arrows to the side.

“I guess there was no need for me to draw my sword.”

Theodora said in a voice half-filled with regret and half with joy. She was also ready to swipe down the flying arrows, but there were no arrows flying towards Theodora.

Maxim laughed awkwardly and put his sword back into the sheath.

“Maybe I should have left some for you.”
“No, to be honest, I was happy.”

A gentle smile spread across Theodora’s face.

“Let’s hurry. We can’t let our guard down because it’s only an exam.”

The traps became more and more ingenious.

There were traps where the floor suddenly caved in, and there were also traps where the floor suddenly rose up. A sticky liquid-like substance sometimes covered the floor. In the meantime, small monster-like creatures sometimes appeared and hindered their path.

But it was a smooth journey. The dungeon so far was too easy to be called the last final exam of the academy’s graduating class.

“There haven’t been that many monsters so far.”

Theodora said in an uneasy tone after knocking down a skeleton soldier. It wasn’t a high-difficulty dungeon that would make other classmates come out exhausted. Maxim also thought it was strange, but he didn’t particularly express that suspicion.

“Maybe there will be more as we go deeper?”

They faced their third staircase. Quite some time had passed since the start of the exam. It wasn’t a very deep dungeon, so if they went down one or two more floors, they would be able to reach the deepest part.

What caught Maxim’s eye as he set foot on the fourth underground floor was a cavity that was too huge to exist underground. A door leading to the next stage was visible at the end of the space, which was as large as a sports field.

“I’m curious about what kind of trap they’ll have.”

Maxim’s words echoed in the cavity. Seeing the scene openly warning them to be careful, they drew their swords simultaneously.

“We’ll have to be careful with each step.”
“Shall we hold hands and go?”
“Focus, Maxim.”

Theodora’s rebuke came with a raised corner of her mouth in response to the lightly thrown joke. Maxim spat out a careless laugh and entered the space.

“Theodora, I’ll go first.”
“Yeah. Don’t forget that I’m behind you.”

Theodora puffed out her chest, telling him to trust her. Maxim nodded with a smile and walked into the empty space.

Whoosh.

That sound came from the corner of the space. Maxim could see a fog that dimly enveloped the space like smoke.

‘Fog? What are they trying to pull…’

Maxim gnashed his teeth and turned around. His vision was obscured by the hazy fog, showing nothing. All he could see was his body, which was blurry, shrouded in mist. He could walk carefully until the end, but since he didn’t know what might happen, Maxim decided to call Theodora.

“Theo, I think we should stick closer together…”

However, Theodora, who should have been there, was nowhere to be seen.

“…Theo?”

The answer that should have been heard didn’t come.

==

Whoosh.

That fog gushed out after Maxim entered the space. Theodora, who had stepped inside following him, flinched and reached out her hand as the fog suddenly obscured her vision.

“Maxim?”

Maxim had disappeared. He, walking just fine in front of her, was nowhere to be seen. Theodora took a step and wildly waved her hand, but there was no sensation at her fingertips. The voice that should have answered when she called out wasn’t heard either.

“Maxim…?”

Theodora called Maxim’s name once more. No answer was heard.

“Maxim!”

This time, she raised her voice. But still, no answer was heard. Theodora clicked her tongue and looked around. Nothing could be seen or felt. It seemed to be a fog that blocked the five senses. Theodora stopped in place and regulated her disobedient breathing.

Maxim will be safe. It’s okay.

“Get it together.”

Theodora forcibly bit her lip. The tender flesh tore, and blood droplets oozed out.

“Move, Theodora.”

If she just walked straight, she would be able to reach the exit in no time. Theodora took laborious steps. However, no matter how hard she tried to move her feet, she couldn’t completely shake off the thought gnawing at her mind. The fact that Maxim had suddenly disappeared and that he wasn’t visible to her eyes right now gradually started to eat away at Theodora.

Where could Maxim be?

Theodora’s mind no longer had any thoughts about traps. Her footsteps grew faster. Only the single fact that Maxim had suddenly disappeared remained, circling in her mind.

Maxim, Maxim, Maxim.

Theodora walked like a corpse, unaware that she was muttering that name.

Don’t leave me behind.

Words she would never say under normal circumstances came out.

Where are you? Maxim. Don’t mess around.

Theodora’s sword made a scraping and clanging sound as it collided with the ground. Theodora walked, constantly hoping to reach the edge of the fog. She had no time to think about whether she was going the right way or just going around in circles.

“Maxim…”

A powerless sound escaped Theodora’s mouth. Her hand was stretched out halfway in front of her.

At that moment, her body was suddenly pulled forward.

The fog was no longer visible. Theodora blinked her unfocused eyes and looked up at Maxim, who had grabbed and pulled her hand.

==

After much struggle, Maxim reached the exit through the fog. Beyond the mist, even the slightest presence couldn’t be felt as if it was blocked. But Maxim desperately expanded his senses and reached out his hand towards Theodora, who was approaching through the fog. And with the certainty that he had caught Theodora, he pulled her out of the fog with force.

“…Maxim?”
“Theo, are you okay?”

Theodora’s eyes were blank. Maxim embraced her limp body and helped her stand. Theodora quickly regained her balance and shook her head from side to side. Her exhaled breath was cold, and her face was pale. The hand holding the sword was trembling slightly.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Maxim narrowed his brows slightly. Although she said she was fine, Theodora was definitely not in a fine state right now.

“Let’s rest for a bit before we go. Since the end is right before us, we still have some time.”

Maxim said so while grasping Theodora’s shoulders with both hands, but she shook her head.

“No, Maxim. We can’t delay any longer because of me.”

Theodora grasped the sword in her right hand. The trembling had subsided to some extent.

“Let’s go in, Maxim. We can finish it quickly.”

Maxim nodded, seeing Theodora’s determined expression.

He had a feeling that the spiral staircase leading to the dungeon was finally coming to an end. Maxim swallowed his dry saliva at the eerie sensation gradually hitting his cheeks.

“The presence doesn’t seem ordinary.”
“You’re right. We’ll have to be prepared.”

The end of the spiral was visible. Unlike the end of the dungeon, which had been gloomy and not properly illuminated, the room visible to Theodora and Maxim’s eyes was very brightly lit. Theodora voluntarily stepped in front of Maxim and entered the room.

“There it is.”

Maxim could see the opponent they had to fight against, the guardian, in the center of the room.

It was standing tall.

Guarding the core, the heart of the dungeon, it was quietly holding a giant sword as tall as Theodora with both hands, the tip of the blade pointing downward as if it had fallen asleep. A pair of crimson lights flickered inside the pitch-black armor, but the armor itself seemed empty.

The guardian was a monster created by mages, also known as a Living Armor. It released its clasped hands and grasped the greatsword in a posture that could be considered the epitome of a knight.

“I’ll go first.”
“Do as you want.”

No lengthy words were needed. Theodora immediately charged at the Living Armor. Maxim followed behind her, swinging his sword as he ran.

Clang!

Theodora gritted her teeth at the impact of the collision that was fully transmitted. She deliberately didn’t generate aura. The last room of the dungeon wasn’t a good environment to freely swing it around. The underground space was already vibrating without it.

Shink.

Maxim tried to break the armor’s balance by penetrating its gap. The Living Armor responded to that attack by largely swinging its sword. The sword wind generated by the huge sword pushed Maxim and Theodora away.

“How do we defeat that…!”

Theodora readjusted her grip on the sword. Even after just a brief exchange of sword strikes, the aftermath still lingered on her hands and wrists.

“I don’t think we can defeat it without using aura… We need to create an opening.”

At that moment, Maxim had the illusion that the Living Armor’s eyes flickered for a moment. When he tried to shout something, the Living Armor had already shot its body like a shell and delivered a single strike at Theodora.

“What the…”

Theodora barely defended against that attack and shouted. The Living Armor’s attack didn’t stop there. Its sword, exuding a ferocious spirit, continued to strike at Theodora. As if Maxim wasn’t even in its sight, it persistently attacked Theodora.

“What’s…!”

Theodora temporarily generated aura on her sword and bounced the Living Armor away. As it staggered and stumbled back, Maxim’s sword, which had gathered a golden aura, swiftly rushed in.

The Living Armor didn’t back away even after seeing the aura but rather confronted it. The pitch-black greatsword and the golden longsword collided mid-air, scattering shockwaves in all directions. The Living Armor pressed down on Maxim with its strength and let out a roar.

“Where… are you trying to go!”

Maxim countered with rising momentum. However, in terms of pure strength, the Living Armor surpassed Maxim. He was gradually pushed back, and the Living Armor penetrated that gap and flung Maxim away.

“■■–!!”

The Living Armor’s incomprehensible roar shook the room. Maxim watched the battle between the two as he struggled to raise his body. Theodora, who wasn’t using aura, barely maintained a stalemate with the Living Armor. The problem was that the Living Armor’s attacks were getting faster and sharper.

Maxim tried to disrupt the Living Armor’s attacks without interfering with Theodora’s flow, but each time, it agilely responded to Maxim’s movements.

‘If only it had charged at me like that.’

Maxim clicked his tongue. Theodora’s pure swordsmanship skills were outstanding, but there were areas where she was lacking compared to Maxim. If it had charged at him like that, it wouldn’t have been an opponent that was this difficult to break through.

It wasn’t a monster at the level to be used in the exam. That much was certain.

At this rate, Theodora was in danger.

Maxim stopped his movement to call the instructor and jumped back into the fray. The Living Armor tried to kick away Maxim, aiming for its blind spot, but he dodged the flying foot. Maxim pushed Theodora behind his back and blocked the Living Armor’s attack.

“I’ll somehow block it, so chop up this rotten armor…!”

Theodora nodded and retreated from the battlefield. Maxim blocked the Living Armor’s path as it tried to chase Theodora. The Living Armor roared as if irritated and began swinging its greatsword at an unbelievable speed toward Maxim.

Maxim’s momentum was gathered.

If I’m just going to endure, is there a need to engage in a contest of strength?

Maxim received the Living Armor’s sword strike with the side of his sword and deflected it. It spat out a vicious roar. To the right again. Maxim deflected the Living Armor’s sword strike. Finally, as if the Living Armor had decided to kill Maxim first, it shifted its attention from Theodora to him.

The Living Armor’s sword rose high. A platinum aura blade appeared behind it, and at the same time the Living Armor’s sword was thrust down, Theodora’s sword split the Living Armor in two.

“It’s done…! Maxim. We defeated it!”

Theodora ran to Maxim with a bright expression. He seemed to struggle with the armor and was sitting on the floor.

“Maxim?”
“Ah, good work, Theodora.”

Maxim smiled and welcomed Theodora. With his left hand that wasn’t holding the sword, he was holding his chest and abdomen area, from which blood was oozing out, staining his armor and the floor.

Blood.

Seeing Maxim’s blood, Theodora’s face turned deathly pale as she leaned towards Maxim.

“It’s okay. I get wounds like this a lot.”

Maxim laughed and boasted with bravado. It was fortunate that he was wearing plate armor. It somewhat offset the sword strikes so it didn’t spread to a fatal wound.

But Theodora’s eyes couldn’t accept that sight as it was.

Before the battle with the guardian, her mind had already been disturbed in the fog. Theodora frantically rummaged through her bosom to stabilize Maxim. Theodora’s scream, telling him not to leave her behind, was echoing in her head.

“Theodora, I said I’m fine. If I just stop the bleeding and get some support, I can go out…”

Theodora removed Maxim’s armor and took out a glass bottle as if she couldn’t hear Maxim’s words.

It was a glass bottle filled with a blood-red liquid.

“Theo, is that… a potion? Where did you get it…? Also, you’re not going to use it now, are you?”

The fact that she had a potion was surprising, but the fact that she was trying to use the potion on Maxim right here and now was even more unexpected.

“Theodora, I’m okay…”
“Shut up, Maxim. I, I don’t like it.”

Theodora looked at Maxim’s exposed wound and contorted her face. Blood. Regardless of the severity of the wound, Maxim was bleeding that much. She opened the potion’s cork without hesitation. The sweet smell unique to potions slowly spread in the underground space.

“Theo…”
“Keep your mouth shut. Don’t say whether I should use the potion now or not.”

Maxim couldn’t say anything more at Theodora’s sobbing voice. She tore Maxim’s outer clothing to properly secure the wound area and then poured the potion.

“Ugh…!”

Maxim frowned at the pain that felt like it was burning him. In fact, a little smoke was rising from where the potion and wound met. Theodora kept pouring the potion generously on the wound, and…

The wound began to recover at an ominously fast rate.

Translator’s Corner

What a long chapter.

-Ruminas