CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 196 - HELLSAND DUNGEON!!

Kunpeng’s vast wings cut through the sky, its shadow stretching like a continent across the sands below. The air carried the sharp tang of dryness, the scent of scorched earth carried upward as the mythical beast rode the thermals with effortless grace.

On its broad back, Luca and his companions clung to its feathered ridges, the wind roaring in their ears. Selena leaned closer, her voice low but steady, her pale hair streaming behind her like a comet’s tail.

"Is there any known dungeon near the given location?"

Luca’s crimson eyes narrowed as he scanned the endless sweep of desert. His hand rested lightly on the Kunpeng’s warm feathers, but his mind was elsewhere, searching through memory.

"I was just thinking about that," he replied, his tone calm, though his gaze betrayed the calculations racing behind it.

The Saintess tilted her head, silver eyes keen and inquisitive. Her lips curved slightly as she raised a delicate brow. "Then what did you find?"

For a moment, Luca’s jaw tightened. His fingers flexed unconsciously before he finally answered, his voice even but edged.

"There is only one dungeon near this parameter. But..."

Eric leaned forward immediately, impatience plain in the crease of his brows. His arm braced against the Kunpeng’s feathered ridge as he barked, "But what? Say it quickly!"

Luca exhaled slowly, his gaze sharpening.

"It’s a Hellsand Dungeon."

The words fell like stones into the silence. Even the Kunpeng’s wings seemed to beat heavier against the air.

A hush swallowed the group, each face reflecting the same gravity. The Hellsand — a dungeon infamous across the continent. Not hidden in forest or submerged beneath waters, but sprawled under the unforgiving sun, a labyrinth of dunes where the very ground devoured the unprepared.

Selena’s voice broke the stillness, quieter now, though no less piercing.

"But... that’s a hell-difficulty dungeon, isn’t it? Are you saying the location was decided based on the difficulty we submitted?"

Her violet eyes shimmered uneasily, betraying her calm tone.

Eric shook his head almost at once, his lips pressing into a firm line.

"No. We’re moving far too fast for this to be a coincidence. I already saw dozens of teams overtaken by us. We’re all being funneled in the same direction."

The silence thickened again, pressing against their chests like a weight.

Finally, Luca spoke, his voice breaking through the heavy air like a blade.

"There’s no way the Academy is sending all students into a hell-level dungeon."

His gaze narrowed, his expression unreadable as his thoughts swirled. Unless...

He clenched his fist against his knee. What if the dungeon isn’t the point at all?

Luca lifted his head, his crimson eyes gleaming faintly.

"I have a guess," he said aloud, drawing everyone’s attention. "What if the test was never about the dungeon? What if the Academy tricked us from the very start, and the real exam is something completely different?"

Shock rippled across their faces.

Selena’s lips parted slightly, disbelief flickering in her gaze. "But... could the Academy really do that?"

Eric gave a sharp, humorless laugh. "Definitely could." His eyes darkened. "And it’s exactly the kind of thing they would do."

"The times are different now," Luca continued, his tone measured, but carrying a weight that stilled them. "The Academy might want to see how we act when forced into unexpected situations. So instead of measuring strength in a dungeon... they’re testing something else entirely."

The Saintess leaned forward, strands of sky-blue hair brushing across her cheek. Her tone was soft but firm. "Then what is the exam truly about?"

Luca shook his head, his expression unreadable.

"That can only be answered once we see it with our own eyes."

Before another word could be exchanged, Eric’s hand shot out, pointing to the horizon. His eyes gleamed sharply.

"Hey—we’re reaching the location. Look. Should we land nearby?"

Luca’s gaze followed, narrowing against the sunlit expanse. Slowly, he nodded.

"Kunpeng, land nearby."

The great beast tilted its wings with majestic grace, spiraling down. Sand whipped into a frenzy as it descended, its massive body blotting out the sun for a moment. Under the cover of its lingering illusion, the group leapt lightly from its back, boots sinking into the hot sand.

Luca instinctively reached out and caught the Saintess’s hand as they landed, steadying her before she could protest. His grip lingered a second longer than necessary before he released it, crimson eyes already fixed on the horizon.

Eric adjusted the weight of his spear against his shoulder, his expression expectant.

"So... what’s next?"

The wind stirred, carrying with it the whisper of shifting dunes, as though the desert itself was listening.

***

In the dimly lit underground chamber, the air was thick with incense and the faint hum of mana-powered screens. Each crystalline panel floated before the instructors, showing a shifting scene of students scattered across the vast sands.

Knight Instructor Halreth crossed his arms, his thick brows furrowing. His voice was a low rumble that carried the weight of a battlefield veteran.

"I still don’t understand the point of not informing the students... and sending them in alone like this."

Beside him, Aldric leaned back slightly in his chair, his eyes fixed on the screens, unblinking. His expression was calmer, more analytical, though a small smile ghosted his lips.

"It’s because the students need to learn—truly learn—how to act in the face of the unknown. Some rush in as though the mission were simple, as though strength alone is enough. Others pause, observe, weigh the odds. This test divides them more clearly than any lecture could."

Halreth’s jaw tightened. His armored fingers tapped against his forearm, the metallic ring betraying his agitation.

"And what of the price? Are we not sending them to their deaths?"

The vice dean, who had remained silent till now, exhaled slowly and pressed his fingers together on the table. His aged eyes carried neither sympathy nor cruelty, only an almost chilling pragmatism.

"There are only cultists on the field—ones scaled to what our students can handle. The greater threats are already eliminated. Still... should they fail to recognize the danger, they will die. The academy provides them but one safeguard—the single-use protection woven into their uniforms. Beyond that... their fate is their own."

A sharp silence followed his words, the instructors shifting uneasily. One of them muttered a quiet curse under his breath, and several others averted their eyes from the screens for a heartbeat.

Then a sharp voice rang out.

"Look! Some students have landed."

All heads turned toward one of the glowing panels. On it, a group of five youths stumbled across the dune, whooping in triumph. Their faces were flushed with excitement, their laughter echoing even through the projection. They pumped fists in the air, believing themselves first to arrive.

The vice dean’s gaze hardened, and he let out a weary sigh.

"...Fools."

The image shifted—the mirage of safety shattered in an instant. From the sands, dozens of cultists erupted, their blades gleaming in the sun. The students’ joy dissolved into panic. Screams filled the air as they stumbled backward. Two fell immediately, blood staining their uniforms as cuts tore across their arms and sides.

The remaining three scrambled desperately. One yanked a comrade up by the collar, another dragged the second injured by the wrist. Their movements were clumsy, frantic, as blades closed in around them. A smoke bomb detonated with a hiss, shrouding them in a gray haze. Coughing, stumbling, they vanished into the dunes.

Several instructors lowered their gazes. Others clenched their jaws, their silence louder than words.

Another screen flickered to the forefront, showing nearly identical scenes across the desert. Different faces. Different screams. But the same outcome—ambush, panic, retreat.

A younger instructor cursed and slammed his palm against the table.

"Look there! Isn’t that—" His eyes widened in recognition. "That’s the grandson of the Sword Duke! And beside him—the Iron Duke’s heir!"

The chamber stirred with murmurs, voices overlapping as the scene magnified. Every eye sharpened, tension mounting like a drawn bowstring.

***

Aiden, Kyle and Lilliane with other 2 team mates landed on the ground as they looked around, as Kyle said, "Hmm, hey! Aren’t those our fellow students?"