The Academy's annual Year 1 Dungeon Raiding Exercise was legendary, both for its high stakes and the valuable rewards it offered. The rules were simple: teams of seven students from each class would be sent into a dangerous dungeon. They had to work together to overcome the challenges within, culminating in a boss battle at the end. But in reality it was an excuse to find the best students for the tournament.
For Rynhara, the event was already a nightmare—not because of the danger, but because of her assigned team.
Rynhara's team consisted entirely of royalty, each harboring a mix of distrust, disdain, and jealousy toward her.
Prince Alaric: The cocky sword-wielding golden boy who always acted like he was the leader.
Princess Veloria: A sharp-tongued archer who barely acknowledged Rynhara's presence.
Duke Leron: A defensive mage who specialized in barriers and made it clear he didn't want to be there.
Prince Caelum: A quiet but smug wind mage who refused to take Rynhara seriously.
Princess Sienna: A healer with a prim, no-nonsense attitude who seemed allergic to humor.
Lord Tyrian: A dual-wielding dagger user whose overconfidence bordered on recklessness.
The group stood near the dungeon's ominous entrance as their instructor, Professor Garran, gave them final instructions.
"Remember, teamwork is critical," Garran barked, glaring at each student. "If you can't cooperate, you'll fail. The dungeon's traps and monsters will exploit your weaknesses."
Rynhara crossed her arms, already irritated by her teammates' standoffish attitudes.
"Wonderful," she muttered to herself. "I'm babysitting six egos."
"Something to say, 'Darkness Princess'?" Alaric asked, smirking.
"Yeah," Rynhara shot back, twirling her scythe. "Don't get in my way, and we might survive."
"Confidence is cute," Tyrian sneered.
"Let's just get this over with," Veloria groaned, notching an arrow in her bow.
The team descended into the dungeon, the atmosphere growing colder and darker with every step. The air was thick with tension—not just from the foreboding environment, but from the lack of cohesion among the group.
Rynhara led the way, her scythe glowing faintly as it absorbed stray mana from the dungeon. The early floors were relatively easy, with low-level monsters like goblins and slimes.
"Veloria, shoot the one on the left!" Rynhara called out during one encounter.
"Don't give me orders," Veloria snapped, firing her arrow a moment too late.
The goblin lunged at Caelum, who barely deflected it with a gust of wind.
"This is a disaster," Rynhara muttered under her breath.
The traps were no better. Leron's barriers blocked most of the dungeon's projectiles, but his habit of complaining made things worse.
"I didn't sign up for this," Leron grumbled as they dodged a swinging axe trap.
"Then why are you here?" Rynhara snapped.
"To uphold my family's honor," he retorted, raising his nose in the air.
After hours of crawling through the dungeon, the group arrived at the final chamber. Inside, a massive giant hydra loomed, its seven heads writhing like snakes. Each head glowed faintly, representing a different element: fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, poison, and shadow.
"This… is going to suck," Rynhara said, gripping her scythe tightly.
"Stick to the plan," Alaric said, though it was clear he hadn't actually shared one.
The fight began with chaos.
Fire Head spewed flames across the room, forcing everyone to scatter.
Water Head launched powerful jets, knocking Veloria off her feet.
Poison Head sprayed a toxic mist, leaving Tyrian coughing violently.
Rynhara deflected an incoming lightning strike, shouting, "We need to focus on one head at a time!"
"No one's in charge here!" Alaric shouted, parrying an earth attack.
"We're going to die because of your pride!" Rynhara snapped, slicing into the Shadow Head, only for it to regenerate instantly.
The battle devolved into a nightmare. The team struggled to coordinate, each trying to fight on their own terms. Poison seeped into their veins, and their clothes were torn from the relentless attacks.
"Enough!" Rynhara shouted, slamming her scythe into the ground. The impact sent a wave of darkness across the chamber, momentarily stunning the hydra.
The others stopped in their tracks, looking at her in shock.
"Listen to me," Rynhara growled, her sharp teeth glinting. "If you don't want to die here, you're going to follow my lead."
Veloria opened her mouth to argue, but Rynhara cut her off. "Save your pride for later! You—" she pointed at Alaric, "—distract the Fire and Earth Heads. Veloria, cover us with ranged attacks. Sienna, focus on healing and neutralizing poison. Leron, barriers for everyone! Caelum and Tyrian, charge my scythe with every element you can manage!"
The group hesitated, then reluctantly obeyed.
As the others fought, Caelum and Tyrian poured their elemental mana into Rynhara's scythe. The weapon began to glow, a brilliant rainbow aura surrounding it. Stardust particles floated in the air, filling the room with an otherworldly light.
Rynhara raised the scythe, her voice echoing with authority.
"We ask for the grace ofvthe War god. Sharpen our souls and grant us the power to sever all. Headhunting death scythe!"
The hydra lunged, but Rynhara moved with blinding speed. With a single powerful sweeping arc, she decapitated all seven heads. The scythe arc even cut though the dungeon wall and stopped only when it struck the dungeon runes.
The room fell silent as the hydra's body collapsed. A second later, it exploded in a burst of light, disintegrating into nothingness.
"Talk about cutting it close huh?" Rynhara said as she chuckled.
The team stood in stunned silence, their clothes tattered and their bodies aching.
"Did… did we just win?" Veloria asked, disbelief in her voice.
Rynhara exhaled, her scythe still glowing faintly. "Yeah. Thanks to me."
A notification appeared in Rynhara's vision:
> New Skill Acquired: Head Hunting Shooting Star (EX)
A skill that channels celestial power to annihilate multiple targets in one strike.
"Figures," Rynhara muttered.
The team returned to the academy victorious, though their disheveled appearances drew whispers and laughter from the other students.
"I never want to see another hydra again," Tyrian said, slumping onto a bench.
"Agreed," Leron muttered.
"Still," Alaric admitted, looking at Rynhara, "you saved us back there. Maybe you're not as bad as I thought."
"Gee, thanks," Rynhara replied, rolling her eyes.
As they filed into the debriefing room, Rynhara couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride. For the first time, she'd proven herself not just as a fighter, but as a leader.