[Scene Loading...]


    [Location: Leoncrest Estate - Training Woods]


    [Date: March 30, y. 486 of the Fourth Age]


    For the next week, life at the Academy settled back into its familiar rhythm. Zeke threw himself into classes and training with renewed energy. His brief vacation in the Capital had been a welcome break, but now it was time to get back to work.


    The Mountain Run loomed on the horizon, and if it was anything like his previous trials, he needed every advantage he could get.


    Not to mention the fact that there would be countless ways for someone to take a shot at him while he was alone on a mountain. That challenge would require all his wits and strength, and he intended to be ready.


    "Faster!" Ingrid''s voice cut through the cool morning air as Zeke tore through the Training Woods. His lungs burned and sweat poured down his face despite the chill.


    The weighted vest and ankle weights she''d strapped to him felt like they were made of solid lead.


    "Veer left! See that fallen trunk? You''re going over it."


    Zeke swerved in the direction she indicated. A massive oak lay across the path, its trunk nearly as tall as his waist. He pushed his burning muscles harder, charging at the obstacle.


    "No hesitating!" Ingrid snapped from behind him. "It''s cold up there, remember? Stop moving, and you''ll freeze solid within minutes! That''s a boulder that fell across your path, and it doesn''t care that you''re tired. It doesn''t care that it''s cold! What are you going to do?"


    Gritting his teeth, Zeke launched himself at the fallen tree. He slammed his hands down on the rough bark, muscles straining as he vaulted himself over.


    His landing wasn''t graceful, more of a controlled stumble, but he was up and running again in seconds.


    "Not bad," Ingrid called, easily keeping pace, "but you can improve. What if there had been a cliff on the other side of that boulder? You''d be tumbling down five hundred feet of slate knives, torn to bits upon the ice and stone. Figure out how to do it better!"


    "You''re... really... annoying... when you''re... in charge," Zeke managed between gasps for air, but there was no real bite to his words. In truth, he appreciated her pushing him.


    "I come by it honestly," she shot back with a grin. "Now move!"


    They continued their breakneck pace through the woods, weaving between ancient trees as the morning sun climbed higher. Finally, after what felt like hours, Ingrid signaled for them to stop.


    Zeke staggered to a halt, chest heaving.


    "No, don''t just stop. Walk it off, or you''ll cramp."


    "Right," Zeke nodded, forcing his shaking legs to keep moving. He paced in slow circles around a large oak tree while Ingrid dropped to the ground and leaned against its trunk, looking up at the budding leaves overhead.


    When he''d finally caught his breath, he collapsed beside her.


    "I''m starting to see why you were able to become so good with aura control," she said after a moment. "I''m going to be honest, when you trained for a few months and were suddenly good enough to manage that stunt you pulled off, I just figured you were naturally gifted or something. Watching you train to run? I can see your dedication. It''s impressive. Keep up the good work."


    "Thanks," Zeke said, genuinely pleased by the rare compliment. "I appreciate it."


    "Oh, they''re not just kind words. You''re really doing a very good job." She stretched her arms overhead. "You actually remind me of my younger brother sometimes, stubborn as a mule, but in the good way."


    "You have a brother?" Zeke asked, realizing he knew almost nothing about Ingrid''s family.


    "Two, actually. Both training with House Stormhall''s military units back home." A fond smile briefly crossed her face before she changed the subject. "Remember that dungeon I was planning to dig into?"


    Zeke nodded. "Yeah, the one from before. Have you made any progress? You were going to work on it during the break after Spring Festival, right?"


    "That was the plan. Wound up not happening, though." She shrugged. "Got called to do a weeklong project for one of my leadership classes. I guess that''s what happens when you''re an upperclassman."


    She flashed a smile at him. "Anyway, I was thinking of heading out into the woods this weekend to give it another shot. Want to come along?"


    "You want me there?" Zeke asked, surprised.


    "Why not? You helped me find the place last time." She straightened up, brushing dirt from her training clothes. "We''ll head out after classes on Friday, spend the night, and start digging first thing in the morning. Should be fun."


    "I have to say, your version of fun and mine are very different," Zeke laughed. "But yeah, I''m in. Where should we meet?"


    "The gate to the Training Woods," she replied. "I''ll bring the camping gear. Show up as soon as your Swordsmanship class is done?"


    "I''ll be there," Zeke promised, already looking forward to it.


    The idea of exploring an abandoned dungeon seemed like the perfect distraction from the looming trial and the other complications in his life. Besides, he''d always wanted to find buried treasure since he was a kid, and wasn''t that what dungeons were for?


    When Friday afternoon finally arrived, Zeke rushed through his post-Swordsmanship cleanup. As he dried off his sweat, he caught sight of Ingrid already making her way toward the Training Woods, a large pack slung over her shoulder.


    He quickly said goodbye to Victoria and jogged after his friend, catching up just as she reached the gate.


    "Perfect timing," Ingrid said, immediately tossing him her pack. "Here."


    "What''s this?" he gasped as the weight hit him. The bag felt like it was filled with stones.


    "You''re doing the Mountain Run with chains, right? Here''s some more practice. Come on."


    Before he could protest, she took off through the woods at a steady jog. Zeke adjusted the straps on the impossibly heavy pack and followed, determined not to fall behind.


    The weight was even more punishing than the training weights they''d used earlier that week. The pack dug into his shoulders, and each step required twice the effort.


    Still, he kept pace, focusing on his breathing the way Professor Gilda had taught him. Despite the strain, there was something exhilarating about pushing his limits like this, seeing how much stronger he''d become since his first days at the academy.


    After about an hour of grueling travel, they arrived at the old dungeon entrance. Ingrid immediately began surveying the area while Zeke gratefully dropped the pack.


    "And we''re here," he said, stretching his aching shoulders. After catching his breath, a thought occurred to him. "Ingrid?"


    "Yeah?" she replied distractedly, examining the ground around the dungeon''s entrance.


    "What happens if the guy who tried to kill me comes back?" The question had been lurking in the back of his mind, but he hadn''t wanted to voice it until now.


    "He''ll die," Ingrid answered matter-of-factly, pulling a small metallic throwing star from her pocket and dropping it onto the ground. "It''s an automatic sentry. Kinda dangerous since it can kill friend as well as foe, but excellent protection when you''re in an area where there are no friendlies around."


    She gestured to the pack. "Help me set up camp, would you?"


    "Sure thing," Zeke nodded, his curiosity piqued. "How do those work anyway?"


    "House Stormhall specialty," she explained as they began unpacking. "They''re enchanted to detect rapid movement and respond with a burst of lightning. Anything moving faster than a casual walk within ten feet gets zapped."


    "Remind me not to get up for a midnight snack," Zeke joked.


    They set up a single tent, Ingrid explained it was safer to stay together in case of attack, and placed sentries in a protective ring around their campsite. By the time they had a small fire going, the sun was setting.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    They ate a simple meal of hard bread, dried meat, and cheese, discussing their plan for the morning.


    "The ground looks soft enough," Ingrid observed, "but we might hit rock eventually. I brought pickaxes just in case."


    "How deep do you think we''ll need to go?" Zeke asked.


    "Hard to say. These old training dungeons weren''t built to any standard pattern. Could be ten feet down, could be twenty." She poked the fire with a stick. "We''ll just have to dig and see."


    As night fell completely, they retreated to the tent. Despite the proximity, Zeke kept respectfully to his side, and Ingrid to hers.


    As he lay in his sleeping bag, staring up at the tent fabric, he found himself strangely alert. Every rustle in the woods outside, every distant animal call had him tensing, expecting an attack.


    "Relax," Ingrid''s voice came through the darkness. "The sentries work. I''ve used them dozens of times."


    "How did you know I was awake?"


    "You breathe differently when you''re tense," she replied. "Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow''s going to be hard work."


    Zeke closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing the way he did during aura training. Eventually, the sounds of the forest faded, and he drifted off.


    Morning came with a chorus of birdsong and pale sunlight filtering through the tent fabric. To Zeke''s relief, all the sentries remained undisturbed, no midnight assassins had tried their luck.


    After a quick breakfast, they retrieved the shovels from Ingrid''s pack and set to work.


    "We''ll start here, at the edge of the cobblestones," Ingrid said, driving her shovel into the soft earth. "The dungeon entrance should be somewhere below us."


    Zeke felt a rush of excitement as dirt began to fly. This was real adventure, not the life-threatening kind that seemed to follow him lately, but the fun kind he''d dreamed about as a boy.


    "We''ll take shifts," Ingrid explained as she dug. "At least until we get deeper. This is going to take work, but I think we''re both up for it."


    She quickly cleared a hole about a foot deep and four feet across. Then she began digging downward, carefully deepening the pit with each shovelful.


    When she reached about three feet down, they brought out a bucket with a rope tied to the handle.


    "We''ll use this to haul up the dirt," she explained. "Trust me, it''s much easier than trying to throw it up and out."


    Zeke wasn''t convinced but nodded anyway. When his turn came thirty minutes later, he understood immediately.


    While driving the shovel into the dirt wasn''t difficult (except when they hit tree roots), lifting each heavy load upward grew exhausting quickly. The bucket system saved precious energy.


    He threw himself into the work with enthusiasm, treating it as just another form of training. Each shovelful brought them closer to whatever mysteries lay below, and the thought kept him going even as his muscles began to protest.


    By noon, they had dug down to head-height, making it almost impossible to climb out without help. They took a brief break for lunch, sitting at the edge of their excavation with their legs dangling into the pit.


    "Not bad progress," Ingrid observed, passing Zeke a water flask. "But we''ll need to go deeper."


    "How do you know there''s even anything down there?" Zeke asked between gulps of water. "What if this is just a wild goose chase?"


    "Call it intuition," she replied, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Plus, I found some old academy records that mentioned a training facility in this area. I think we''re right on top of it."


    After lunch, they returned to digging with renewed vigor. Taking turns in the hole, they steadily worked their way deeper into the earth. By mid-afternoon, they had reached nearly ten feet down.


    "Alright!" Ingrid called up from the bottom of the pit. "I think we''re deep enough to start digging sideways. We should hit stone soon, then we''ll switch to pickaxes."


    With some careful maneuvering, they traded places. Zeke began carving into the dirt wall, channeling a small amount of aura into his arms to help power through the increasingly dense soil.


    Soon, he had hollowed out an arch one foot deep, then two, then three.


    His shovel suddenly struck something solid with a loud clang.


    "I hit stone!" he called up excitedly.


    "Perfect!" Ingrid replied. "Keep going!"


    They spent another half-hour exposing the stone in a roughly doorway-sized section. Switching to pickaxes, they attacked the barrier with methodical precision.


    The work was harder than digging, but produced less debris to haul away.


    After what felt like an eternity of chipping away, Zeke''s pickaxe broke through. A small hole appeared, releasing a puff of stale, musty air.


    "I''m through!" he shouted, unable to contain his excitement.


    "Don''t go in yet!" Ingrid warned. "We need to make the opening bigger, could be anything waiting on the other side."


    They widened the breach until it was large enough for a person to step through comfortably. By now it was approaching sunset, and they were covered in dirt from head to toe, but neither of them felt tired anymore.


    The thrill of discovery had washed away their fatigue.


    Ingrid lit a torch and held it high as they stepped through the opening together. They found themselves about five feet above the floor of a large, stone chamber.


    The ceiling arched nearly twenty feet overhead, and several passages led away from the main room, though most appeared to be collapsed not far from the entrance.


    The room itself was coated in dust and cobwebs. Rotting wooden chairs lay scattered about, and rusted chains with handcuffs hung from the walls, remnants of the chamber''s original purpose as a training ground for future knights.


    But what caught their attention immediately was the large wooden chest sitting against one wall.


    "A treasure chest," Zeke breathed, his eyes wide with wonder. This was straight out of the adventure stories he''d loved as a child.


    "Hold on," Ingrid cautioned, drawing her sword. "It could be a mimic."


    "A what?" Zeke asked, not familiar with the term.


    "A monster that disguises itself as a chest," she explained. "Old dungeon defense mechanism. They were popular centuries ago."


    She approached carefully, prodding the chest with her sword. When nothing happened, she jabbed it harder, then finally gave it a solid whack. A hollow boom echoed through the chamber.


    "Seems real enough," she declared, lowering her sword. "Let''s get it open."


    Zeke grabbed the pickaxe, and together they wedged it through the lock. After some careful maneuvering and a few moments of tense effort, the ancient lock broke clean off.


    "Moment of truth," Ingrid said, gripping the lid''s handle. "Empty or full of treasure?"


    "This was an Academy training dungeon," Zeke reminded her pragmatically. "I doubt they''d leave actual gold lying around."


    "Fair point," she conceded. "Still, might be something useful."


    With a dramatic flourish, she pulled open the lid. The rusty hinges squeaked in protest, and both of them leaned forward eagerly to peer inside.


    "Whoa," Zeke breathed.


    "Whoa indeed," Ingrid echoed.


    The chest contained a collection of gemstones that glowed with magical energy. Five blue gems and five green ones lay neatly arranged, with a single red gem and a golden one placed in the center.


    Zeke reached in and picked up one of the green stones. It felt warm against his palm, pulsing with a gentle rhythm like a heartbeat.


    「???????? ??????. ???????? ??」


    "What''s an Aura Gem?" he asked, turning it over curiously.


    "Something that hasn''t existed in centuries," Ingrid replied with a low whistle. She picked up one of the blue gems. "Looks like the blues are Rank C, the greens are Rank B. They store concentrated aura energy that you can tap into when needed, like having an extra reserve of power for emergencies."


    "Why don''t they still exist?" Zeke asked, studying the gem''s internal light.


    "They''re created by powerful mages," Ingrid explained. "You basically just condense a bunch of magic together until it forms one of these. The problem is, if you''re not experienced enough, activating an Aura Gem can burn you up from the inside out. Same thing can happen if you activate one that''s too powerful for your rank."


    "Sounds dangerous," Zeke observed, though he couldn''t help feeling excited about their find.


    "They fell out of favor after too many apprentices got themselves killed trying to use master-level gems," Ingrid continued. "The Academy probably had these for special training scenarios."


    Zeke bent down and carefully picked up the golden gem. Unlike the others, this one didn''t pulse, it seemed to shimmer instead, as if light were dancing across its surface.


    「???????????? ??????. ???????? ??」


    "Emblem Gem?" Zeke asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Similar concept, but instead of raw aura, it contains an Emblem," Ingrid replied, examining the red gem she''d picked up. "Much safer than Aura Gems, but people eventually decided it was more efficient to transfer Emblems directly from person to person. That way, powerful Emblems don''t end up in the wrong hands."


    Zeke turned the golden gem over in his palm, feeling its power. "So these were rewards for completing this dungeon?"


    "That would be my guess," Ingrid nodded. "Hidden prizes for students who showed exceptional skill." She looked up at him with a grin. "Split it 50-50?"


    "Deal," Zeke agreed.


    They divided the spoils evenly. Zeke took two green gems and three blue ones, tucking them carefully into an inner pocket of his jacket.


    Then he held up the golden Emblem Gem, glancing at Ingrid, who held the red one.


    "Shall we?" he asked, feeling like a kid about to open a gift.


    "Together," she nodded.


    They activated the gems simultaneously. Brilliant light exploded through the chamber, temporarily blinding them both. Heat raced up Zeke''s arm, and he yelped in momentary pain before the sensation faded.


    「?????? ???????? ???????????????? ???? ????????????!」


    【New Emblem: Golden Touch】 【Details: +500% Luck for 1 Hour】


    "Luck?" Zeke frowned, staring at the notification. "I didn''t even know that was a stat."


    Ingrid blinked in surprise. "You got a Luck stat? That''s another relic from the past! I think the Luck stat was decommissioned something like eight hundred years ago. Not sure why, but that''s hilarious!"


    "Glad you''re amused," Zeke said, though he couldn''t help smiling. "What did you get?"


    In answer, Ingrid held up her hands. They suddenly burst into bright orange flames that licked up to her elbows without seeming to harm her. "Fire Hands!"


    "Show-off," Zeke laughed, though without any real envy. He was genuinely happy for her, she''d been the one who found this place, after all.


    Besides, who knew? Maybe the Luck Emblem would come in handy.


    "Want to explore the rest of this place while we''re here?" he suggested, gesturing toward the passages leading from the main chamber.


    "Most of them look collapsed," Ingrid observed, extinguishing her flaming hands with a thought. "But we could check the one on the left, it seems to go farther than the others."


    They spent the next hour examining every corner of the dungeon. The left passage led to a small room that might once have been an armory, though all that remained were empty weapon racks and a few scraps of rusted metal.


    They found old training dummies in another chamber, so decayed that they crumbled at a touch.


    In the last intact room, Zeke discovered a faded mural painted on the wall. Though centuries of moisture had damaged much of it, he could still make out the image of knights fighting what appeared to be a massive dragon.


    "Think that''s one of the Eight Dragons?" he asked, running his fingers over the ancient paint.


    "Could be," Ingrid replied. "This place is older than most of the Academy buildings. Might date back to the early days after the dragons were first defeated."


    By the time they finished exploring, daylight was fading. They climbed back up through their tunnel, collected their camping gear, and began the trek back to the Academy.


    "We should keep this place a secret," Ingrid suggested as they walked. "At least until we''ve had a chance to use our gems."


    "Agreed," Zeke nodded. "Though I''m not sure what good a luck boost will do me."


    "You never know," Ingrid replied with a mysterious smile. "Luck has a funny way of showing up when you need it most."


    As they approached the gates of Leoncrest, the evening sky darkening above them, Zeke felt a rare sense of uncomplicated happiness. For one day, he hadn''t worried about trials or assassins or mysterious cults.


    He''d simply been a student on an adventure, digging for treasure with a friend.


    Whatever challenges awaited him tomorrow, and he knew there would be many, at least he had this day to remember. Sometimes, even in the midst of danger and destiny, it was good to remember why adventures were worth having in the first place.


    [Scene Close]


    [Earned Emblems:] Heart of the Warrior, Endurance, Cunning, Golden Touch


    [Active Quests:]


    [Diggy Diggy Hole: Exit the Dungeon]