Stella’s First Tower, Vice Principal’s Office.

Vice Principal Archie Hayden gazed out of the window in silence.

He appeared calm as if waiting for something, but his restless fingers gave away a hidden unease.

Yet, his expression remained composed, as if he were trying to accept this situation with courage.

After a moment, someone knocked on the door of the Vice Principal’s office.

"Come in."

Archie Hayden didn’t bother to confirm who it was, but he had guessed the identity of the person.

Professor Raiden.

He entered casually, and bowed his head toward Archie Hayden.

"Professor Raiden. Have you come?"

"Yes. The Priest has a message to convey, and I have come to deliver it on his behalf."

"... I see."

As Archie Hayden nodded indifferently, dark magic surged around Raiden’s body, and the Vice Principal’s office was suddenly engulfed by the aura of darkness.

Clank!

The door to the Vice Principal’s office closed, and everything inside was plunged into utter darkness.

‘Isolated Space.’

In that moment, the Vice Principal’s office ceased to be part of the Stella Academy, and entered a fourth-dimensional realm.

It was a realm which couldn’t be detected by even Eltwin. A dimension magic was one step above space magic.

".... Archie Hayden."

"Gah...!!"

Raiden called Archie Hayden’s name with a bleak voice and then grabbed his neck with his right hand. A sub-dimensional energy leaked out from his fingertips, slowly constricting Archie Hayden’s airway.

"I told you not to do anything unnecessary. How many times must I say it?"

Raiden’s gaze was now tainted crimson, and he looked nothing like his former self. In fact, it wasn't him; the ‘Priest of Dark Mage Alliance’ had possessed his body.

"To target with the heir of Twilight Tower and even touch the descendant of the Dark Magic King... What were you thinking?"

"They... Are dangerous..."

"You must be out of your mind. You just stirred the hornet's nest. Master of the Twilight Tower has been dormant for the sake of training, and the Dark Magic King has been in a long period of rest after being fatally wounded by Eltman 200 years ago. As long as those two remain still, you shouldn’t move a muscle! Do you realize how foolish your actions were?"

"In the future, before they... grow stronger... kill them, now...!"

Thunk! Kwoong!

When Archie Hayden tried to continue speaking against his will, the Priest slammed him against the wall.

"You stirred the hornet’s nest because you were afraid of little ones? Archie Hayden. Is what I heard true? I can hardly believe it."

Cough!

"Huff... They possess monstrous potential... In the next 10 years, without a doubt, they will become lethal... threat... to Dark Mage Alliance..."

"Ha, really... Archie Hayden. Has your mentality become so weak after getting involved with humans?"

Grrk!

The Priest stepped on his right arm, and shook his head in disdain.

However, Archie Hayden didn't respond. If the priest didn't believe it, there was nothing he could do.

After all, events were already in motion.

‘Now, there’s a risk that my position may be shaky right now, and Dark Mage Alliance’s location may be at risk…’

But the successor of the Magic Tower, Haewonryang; the descendant of the Dark Magic King, Mayuseong, and even... Baek Yu-Seol.

With those three individuals, who were bound to become obstacles to Dark Mage Alliance’s bright future, gathered for an outing, how could he not intervene?

‘This mission will definitely help the Dark Mage Alliance’s future.’

Archie Hayden thought that way and resolved to endure the current pain.

"But…”

The priest clicked his tongue in regret.

"Is there any guarantee that this mission will succeed?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, let's assume those younglings pose a future threat. So, you're planning to eliminate them in advance... Why do you think this mission will definitely succeed?"

"It will succeed. I entrusted the mission to Azmik of the Kostalin clan and Mage Slayer Kalaban. When it comes to Azmik and Kalaban, they have quite the reputation even among the humans. They've slaughtered so many mages so far; it's only natural. Moreover, with their experience of defeating several magic warriors from the 'Manwol Tower,' there’s no way they would fail to assassinate mere Stella’s first year students."

"You're a fool. Underestimating those youngsters is your mistake, Archie Hayden. But why can't you see that?"

"Well..."

"Each of those youngsters is a wild card. And one of them is completely immune to the Supreme’s insight. With those three together... Can you really expect things to go as you wish?"

Archie Hayden realized his mistake after hearing those words, but it was already too late.

"You've stuck a bee’s nest upto the nostrils of a sleeping tiger. Tsk, if you weren't Stella's vice-principal, you would have become a 'sacrifice' a long time ago..."

He turned and chuckled, "Well, let's pray quietly to our god, hoping that no variables arise."

The priest, who resided in Raiden’s body, laughed briefly before leaving, while Archie Hayden bowed his head.

‘I hope three of them die without any unexpected twists....’

———

After boarding the last compartment of the Tozmic Express, there was nothing else to do.

As long as they waited patiently, they would automatically arrive at the dungeon entrance.

Leaning against the window, Baek Yu-Seol absentmindedly organized the strategy for conquering the dungeon.

With three persons, there shouldn't be any particularly difficult parts, and if they spend two days, they should be able to clear it thoroughly.

"..."

Silence fell.

They hadn't been making small talk either, so they each delved in their own thoughts.

However, even that personal time couldn't be enjoyed peacefully.

Zing!

The persistent sensation of being watched from behind bothered their nerves.

It wasn't just Baek Yu-Seol; Mayuseong and Haewonryang also appeared uncomfortable.

Perhaps... It seemed like the paparazzi mentioned by Instructor Lee Hanwol had found them.

"Hey, students. Isn't this my seat?"

"Yes?"

While Baek Yu-Seol remained seated and tried to ignore him, someone approached and spoke.

"That's right. It’s my seat. Move quickly."

Baek Yu-Seol was about to look at his ticket in confusion, but Haewonryang stopped him.

"He's just talking nonsense, ignore him."

"Huh...?"

"Nonsense?

‘Did this young bastard pick up bad habits from somewhere?’

“Hey, stand up. Huh? You're not moving?!"

The man yelled loudly, but Haewonryang and Mayuseong didn't react at all.

Haewonryang even opened a book and began reading, while Mayuseong closed his eyes.

"You brats, why are you ignoring an adult's words? Hey, come out here! Come!"

The man shouted vigorously, but when no one responded, he huffed, and left in shame.

Even though Haewonryang hadn't taken his eyes off the book, he quietly observed the man, and spoke discreetly.

"They're trying to provoke us and take pictures. Those cowards won't even dare to touch us once they know we're from Stella."

"Ah... Was that the case?"

Come to think of it, Baek Yu-Seol had heard of similar cases on Earth.

There were evil paparazzi who deliberately induced violence by cursing the parents of a famous actor, then captured it on camera and reported it.

Experiencing it firsthand, Baek Yu-Seol wouldn't call it refreshing, but it was an educational experience in many ways.

"Even though you may be from a rural background, now you're a member of Stella's Class S. Don't bother responding to such petty provocations. It diminishes Stella's prestige."

"Oh, yes... You’re right."

Baek Yu-Seol pretended to agree with him.

After the man left, no one tried to provoke them anymore.

They probably realized that those tricks wouldn't work on them. Or maybe they were thinking of another way, or they might be typical paparazzi trying to capture their weaknesses.

"Hmmm..."

Paparazzi hide their distinctive cameras in their bags or clothing, and even used mana concealment to make it difficult to detect them.

However, Baek Yu-Seol’s senses could detect even that mana concealment, so it wasn't difficult to figure out where the paparazzis were hiding and their numbers.

Baek Yu-Seol wasn’t the one to let things slide, so he was thinking about how to retaliate when...

Eerie!

"...!"

Suddenly, a shiver ran down Baek Yu-Seol’s spine, and every hair on his body stood on end. He realized that he unconsciously jumped up from his seat.

"What is this...?"

He tried to turn his stiff neck and convey something to Haewonryang and Mayuseong, but they, too, had realized something and were taking out their wands with rigid expressions.

Gulp!

Baek Yu-Seol's throat trembled, and he also placed his hand on his waist.

It felt like a mountain-like wave was approaching their location.

Instinct was telling him, ‘You're going to die. Don't fight.’

The feeling was even more intense compared to the time they encountered Maizen Tyren's Dark Magic in the past.

Grrrrr...!!

A terrifying sound reverberated as if someone was scratching against the blackboard. It came from the train's front door.

Soon, with a loud thud, the door fell forward.

Two figures were revealed themselves.

"Oh my, our cute Stella friends are here?"

They didn't hide their sinister red eyes, and exuded a threatening aura.

**[Azmik Kostalin] **

[Kalaban]

Through his specs, their names appeared. Baek Yu-Seol had heard of those ‘Dark Mages.’ They weren't the main characters, but they appeared as mid-level boss monsters much later in the story.

‘Of all people, it had to be them…’

Since Baek Yu-Seol’s actions had already deviated considerably from the ‘original,’ it wasn't all that surprising that something different was happening compared to the original plot.

However, the problem was that they were formidable opponents.

Azmik Kostalin was known as the last survivor of the Kostalin Family. She specialized in a bloodline magic called ‘Claw Spell,’ which allowed her to cast spells with her fingernails.

Although she had completely abandoned this magic spell after becoming a Dark Mage, her superior physical abilities as a Dark Mage combined with the ‘Claw Spell’ to create a formidable synergy.

On the other hand, Kalaban had no special characteristics, but he possessed a beast-like combat sense and statistics. He nullified all of his opponent's magic with ease, and he was a ruthless Dark Mage who enjoyed cannibalism.

In a way, due to his focus on physical combat, he was the most challenging and dangerous opponent for a magic warrior.

Mayuseong, Haewonryang, and Baek Yu-Seol retreated without speaking, as if they could read each other’s thoughts.

"Hihiheek...!"

"What, what is this...!"

The paparazzi who had been secretly filming them were so frightened that they couldn't even stick their heads out.

… Except for one.

‘It's, it's a scoop!’

There was a crazy paparazzi who was bravely filming Azmik and Kalaban despite their creepy appearance as they revealed red eyes, and exuded the aura of Dark Mages.

This was because those Dark Mages had their faces exposed in the magical society and had a notorious reputation.

In those circumstances, Baek Yu-Seol had to acknowledge his professionalism.

"Come to think of it, Baek Yu-Seol... you're supposed to be smart, right? Well, what do you think? Is there a way out of this situation?"

"..."

Azmik spoke to BaekYu-Seol and extended her nails. One of her black nails gleamed.

Swish!

Rip!!

"Ahhhh?!"

The train's ceiling was torn open, and one of the paparazzi nearby screamed upon witnessing the overwhelming power which sliced through steel like butter.

Indeed, it was the Claw Spell.

"Hmm? Is there a way to slip off my hands? How can you bridge the overwhelming gap in power with that brain of yours? I'm curious. Go on and speak up!"

Even as she shouted, they had no choice but to retreat one step at a time.

"Why are you scared? Ahahaha, in the end, you're helpless too, huh? It’s a shame~ Your head will serve as a nice dish for our Kalaban now."

"... Did you say Baek Yu-Seol? You have quite an unusual constitution."

Kalaban, who could smell the scent of mana, either witnessed Baek Yu-Seol’s mana leakage for the first time or he was just being curious.

He kept sniffing as he said, “I didn’t expect much from this meal, but... You might turn out to be quite a delicacy. Just behave quietly and let us devour you. I assure you it’ll be painless."

This guy was even crazier than Azmik.

Thud!

As they stepped back, they suddenly found themselves trapped against a dead-end wall.

Baek Yu-Seol could distinctly feel the emergency exit door handle behind him.

Even as that happened, Azmik and Kalaban were approaching leisurely. There was nowhere left to run, so they saw them as easy prey.

However, Baek Yu-Seol hadn't retreated for no reason. Through his spec, he was finally able to think of a way.

"Hey, do you trust me?"

When he whispered softly to Haewonryang and Mayuseong, one of them looked at him as if he were insane, and the other gazed at him with a bewildered expression.

But whatever their reactions, it didn't matter.

"Just shut up and trust me."

With that, Baek Yu-Seol shouted, forcefully opening the back door of the train, and...

Thud!

He grabbed Mayuseong and Haewonryang by the arms and leaped backward.

"Ugh! Th-this guy is insane...!"

"Huh, what's going on?"

Naturally, as they fell with him, they tried to say something, but it was already too late.

"He must have gone crazy!"

"Is he suggesting we fight mid-air?"

Azmik and Kalaban belatedly jumped off the train with terrifying momentum and rushed towards them, but...

[Discovered the entrance to an unknown dungeon.]

It was already too late.

They had already thrown themselves into a space that had been created within the small opening, so no matter how exceptional those Dark Mages were, they couldn't chase them there.

Gulp...!

"What, what...? What on earth are you doing...!"

"Darn it, what kind of stunt is this...!"

As Azmik and Kalaban stared in dismay at their vanishing figures in the distorted void, Baek Yu-Seol raised his middle finger towards them.

‘Fuck you.’

In no time, the spatial rift closed completely.

[Entered the dungeon, 'Korokoro Village.']

They had successfully entered the dungeon according to his perfect plan.