The Guardian

Chapter 34: Temporary Dungeon

In a small crowd inside the training room, a group was gathered.

“Temporary dungeons are even more difficult than natural dungeons. If we set an example, they would be like natural dungeons that were never cleared,” Erica explained, making the individuals looking at her gasp coldly.

The entire class was divided into three groups, and Aurora was assigned a group of twenty-five students; that group quickly selected their captains and vice-captains, then held a group meeting.

There was a reason they had divided the group into small groups.

“Temporary dungeons are much bigger than natural dungeons and many individuals are required if we want to clear it safely. What’s worse is that B-Rank creatures are common, and it’s quite possible to have an A-Rank creature as bosses,” Erica revealed with a cold tone.

The temporary dungeons were created because of the massive amount of magical energy leaking from the dimensional barrier.

The problem was that vast amount of magical energy created a lot of monsters and creatures that, because of the help of the Goddess of Order, were locked in a temporary dungeon.

It was for that reason that it was normal to encounter numerous creatures and, sometimes of higher level, within the same dungeon.

The five captains took a deep breath upon hearing those words.

“Is that possible?” Cristian, who was leading a group together with Eva, asked.

“Yes, it is.” Replied a young wizard, and seeing that everyone was looking at him, he explained. “While experts classify as Rank B the dungeons, it is common sense to think that a Rank-A creature can be generated because of the density of magical energy.”

Aurora recognized that young man.

She precisely met him while exploring dungeons, as he did a good job leading his team, and his water magic was quite effective.

His name was Alexey, and now it was his turn to lead another group.

“Who the hell cares if there’s a Rank B or A creature? We’ll just take them out fast,” Marc said in an aggressive tone.

Marc was another leader; although frowned upon by some, he took that position because of his strength.

After all, he was a fairly strong B Rank among the students.

“We have to be careful,” Wendy warned calmly.

Aurora remembered that Wendy had been a leader; taking on the role of explorer was very versatile, so it felt right for her to lead a group.

“It’s like Wendy says,” Erica said, interjecting before Marc commented anything negative; she looked at the group and added. “While so far we don’t know what temporary dungeon Professor Miller will select for us and only know that it will be B-Rank, we also don’t know what creature will be inside the dungeon.”

Usually, whenever there was a temporary dungeon, the creatures that appeared inside were varied and mixed.

It wasn’t like natural dungeons that one type of creature and its variants controlled the dungeon.

They could be some beast-like wolves, boars, and could even be corrupted and strange monsters.

It was impossible to know what creature was inside unless someone entered and explored it.

“Our goal is to find the best coordination between the individual groups. We need to train our teamwork and organize ourselves to be as balanced as possible,” Erica added in a professional tone.

Professor Miller had only put together twenty-five random students; that was true.

Aurora only knew a few of those present, and the others were likely to be the same.

All they did was select the five captains and vice-captains... But then there was the serious problem of balance among the twenty-five students.

No one wanted a team to take all the best students.

Not all twenty-five students were B-Ranks, but there was the occasional C-Rank who lacked a slight polish in some areas or worked better in some circumstances.

That’s why they selected the leaders, and Erica took the lead so that things wouldn’t become disorganized.

“Once the groups were divided, we needed to coordinate between our individual groups and then coordinate between all the groups to improve our teamwork and know our skills,” Erica added, explaining her plan.

All the captains nodded in agreement.

This test was no longer just about ‘losing’ or ‘failing,’ but they were putting their lives on the line, and so they were all determined to do their best.

“Coordination between everyone must be vital,” Cristian reaffirmed, nodding several times.

The groups not only had to protect each other by coordinating their attacks so as not to disturb the other members, but they had to help the other teams and lend their support when needed.

Among some, it was already a problem to coordinate with a small group of five, being their maximum.

Adding twenty more students was an extreme level of complication.

After all, knowing when, where, and how to attack so that it works out in the best possible way without disturbing their classmates was, for some, a unique kind of talent.

“If an A-Rank shows up, we have to all get together and attack it as a group,” Alexey said in a heavy tone.

A-Rank creatures were strong, and in many cases, there was a significant difference with B-Rank creatures, but with excellent teamwork and knowing the creature, it was possible they could subjugate it with the entire group.

After all, these were creatures and not humans they were up against.

Their basic abilities and intellect would limit their attacks, it being possible that they would be ambushed... In the same way, humans subjugated powerful predators in ancient times.

“It’s a pity Alice isn’t with us,” Alexey muttered with a depressed sigh.

The captains looked at Aurora, who was at Érica’s back... Perhaps because at her side was always Alice.

Aurora’s lips quivered, but Alice had certainly showed unique capabilities.

“Bah, no need to have someone like her,” Marc commented with full of contempt.

Was he still upset that Alice had made a fool of him during the history trip?

Aurora ignored Marc, as did most of the captains.

“Okay, let’s get started. We need to get this over with,” Érica said, and the entire group nodded.

Since temporary dungeons appeared every so often and they didn’t know when one would appear, it was best to prepare and take advantage of as much time as possible to train and improve their teamwork.

******

Walking with a slight mental and physical exhaustion, Aurora entered her mansion, ignoring the tourists outside.

Entering the mansion, she turned on the air conditioner and plopped down on the couch next to Alice, who was eating chips.

“I’m exhausted,” Aurora commented sincerely.

Organizing a group of students, training with them, and coordinating was difficult... Not so much for her because she was experienced, but there was a problem.

Those were the students who lacked experience, and Aurora, as a fighter who was on the front line, had a hard time.

She almost got hit by an allied spell and then had to dodge an arrow from an archer... They were twenty-five students who were getting experience in these large-scale battles, so the occasional mishap was normal.

But for her to have to dodge them in those cases was the problem.

“How did it go?” Alice asked, getting up to massage Aurora’s shoulders.

Aurora, sensing that her friend was looking after her, closed her eyes and murmured. “Érica seems to be starting to trust me again, and has taken me on as vice-captain, but still there is the odd student who still holds a grudge against me.”

The supposed dropout in the test was still going on, even though it had been several months.

Marc was one of those students who still seemed to remember...

“The good thing is that Érica as captain and leader of the groups, is too strict and takes this job seriously,” Aurora added, and with a half sigh, she said. “Although she is excessive at some points.”

“Is it that bad?” Alice asked, curious to know if Aurora’s comment was good or bad.

Aurora relaxed as she felt Alice’s massages and finally answered. “Well, it’s not bad. I think with the right adjustments, Érica could become a good heroine that helps quite a bit.”

For Aurora, Érica wasn’t bad, she herself was strict and rigorous when it came to work, but the problem was found that there were times to be strict and times to tone it down.

Controlling both times so as not to physically and mentally exhaust the team was a quality a leader had to have.

Clémentine was the perfect example of leadership because, while they completed their tasks to perfection, their work did not become so heavy.

That quality was lacking in Érica, which caused her to take her duty as a leader too rigorously and made the rookies feel tired because of the pressure.

Of course, Aurora’s exhaustion came from poor coordination, which led her to help the groups begin to coordinate.

Unfortunately, the yelling and cursing from Marc, who was also a fighter, didn’t help her overall training too much.

“How did it go for you?” Aurora asked, making Alice sit up so she could steal some chips from her.

Alice just shrugged and stated. “Easy.”

Seeing Aurora interested, Alice ate some chips and explained. “As soon as we got together they appointed me as leader of all the groups and gave me full control to decide, while they looked to me to lead them.”

Aurora’s lips lifted.

That sounded easy enough, but Aurora knew her friend wasn’t much of a hard worker... It would be better to say she was lazy enough to be annoyed because of the work she was assigned out of nowhere.

“All I said when I got their looks was that I would defeat everyone,” Alice said without giving it much thought.

Arrogance?

No, for Aurora, that was the simple truth... A-Rank A dungeon wasn’t too difficult for Alice, even if she had to carry nineteen students at a cost.

As someone who had been with her for most of her life, Aurora knew there was more to Alice than met the eye, and she was someone forthright, with the strength to match her pace.

Unlike her, who would let the other students learn from her mistakes? Alice would surely defeat her enemies before they could learn anything.

“Then Clémentine, as my vice-captain, took over and took charge of organizing the others.” Alice added, nodding softly with a cheerful expression as if to say, ‘that’s how it should have been.’

“That was truly easy,” Aurora commented with an amused smile.

Clémentine basically the save for having to lead a group of students and organize them... Taking her job and taking care of her homework, it certainly was an easy thing to do.

Alice opened another bag of chips, and after treating Aurora, asked. “Do you think the mission will be now?”

Her slightly interested and curious tone made Aurora put on a serious expression at the question.

“Yes, it’s very possible,” Aurora said with a solemn expression and with a half sigh, she explained. “Although it’s too risky, the mastermind has already taken a risk in Greece. He might do it again.”

He attacked a hotel in Greece where there were dozens of people who might have a strength of Rank S or A at the very least... It was clear that attacking them in a dungeon might be possible, and more so when there was less difficulty.

The inside of the temporary dungeon was a space separated from the real world and only connected through a portal; those places were difficult and troublesome, to the point that many times people would murder individuals inside and then state that the beasts killed them.

‘What happens in the dungeons stays in the dungeons’ was a common saying... Though with the right investigators, it was just another type of highly punishable crime.

“I guess it will be more difficult. They haven’t informed us about the temporary dungeon yet and when they do, we will have to travel to the place where it appears,” Aurora added in a simple tone.

Professor Miller made it clear to them that the dungeons they were visiting didn’t just belong to Atlantis Island; they were from all over the world.

“Temporary dungeons are identified two or three days in advance, and in that time we have to prepare the team to travel and take care of it,” Aurora added with a simple tone.

“Still, that’s enough time for us and them to prepare,” commented Alice with a serious tone.

Just as they needed time to prepare and arrive on time, anyone who is the mastermind could also do the same.

However, Alice’s comment carried another connotation.

How was it possible for enemies to realize which dungeon they chose when dozens appeared in the world on a daily basis?

If they were attacked, then it was a question for Director Vincent to answer after a great deal of research.

“From this moment on, we will have to have our guard up and prepare as best we can,” Aurora said with a professional expression.

She took her job seriously, and even if nothing happened, she would be prepared for the worst.