"I am Professor Lyra Veymont, and I am your Practical Combat Instructor."
A tall woman with ash-brown hair tied neatly behind her head and calm sapphire-green eyes spoke.
"I will be teaching Advanced Field Combat & Dungeon Survival for the first-year students of the Elite Hunter Academy."
She spoke with a quiet authority, her piercing gaze sweeping across every student in the room.
This course was a mandatory practical class, focused on real dungeon conditions, team coordination, and controlling one's killing intent. Unlike other theoretical lessons, its importance was undeniable.
"Well, since today is your first day, we won't do much. Let's just see what this year's batch is capable of."
Professor Lyra gave a faint smile and waved her hand lightly, causing her fitted dress to stretch slightly across her chest.
Before the students could react, the classroom around them dissolved, leaving them in a completely empty room.
"What happened?"
"Why am I here all of a sudden?"
"Woah…"
Soren wasn't expecting her to use magic the moment she appeared. Before he could react, he was standing in a vast, empty room, everything around him pure white.
"Zone Authority…so she really is a rare Space Mage," Sylvia murmured beside him, her voice full of surprise, while Evan on the other hand looked slightly excited.
"Zone Authority?" Soren asked, a little confused.
Although he played the game before, it focused more on romance than combat. He didn't understand much about the power structure of this world.
"She is a rare mage with the power of Spatial Control through her Zone Authority skill," Sylvia explained quietly.
"She can control the space around her and even use teleportation in short distances. Her abilities are insanely strong."
"No wonder she reached ranker status," Sylvia added in a low mumble.
"Okay, no need to be surprised. We are still inside the academy grounds. I just teleported you all to this training area using my teleportation skill."
Professor Lyra lightly clapped her hands, urging the students to calm down.
"Since you are the genius hunters chosen from across the country and invited to the Elite Hunter Academy, I know each of you must be… competent."
She smiled and gestured toward the five red-robed figures standing behind her.
"So, I thought we could start by testing how good you really are. These five are Rare Summoners of B-class rank. Each can summon powerful monsters with ease."
Her smile deepened, and her presence pressed down on the students like a tangible weight.
"For your first day, you will face the monsters summoned by these summoners, one by one. I will observe and lightly grade your performance while you fight."
"Don't worry, it won't affect your official grades. Still, I expect you all to give your best, so I can make an accurate judgment for future classes."
For first-year students, facing monsters on day one seemed extreme, even for the Elite Hunter Academy. But this was Lyra's style.
It wasn't without reason that hunters quietly called her the "Iron Lady."
"One by one? But Professor, what about the pure support classes? Do they also have to fight the monsters?"
Someone immediately spoke up, finding her words absurd. After all, it seemed unfair to students in classes like Healer, Buffer, or Scout, who didn't possess direct combat power.
"Hmm? Of course… or do you think that just because you are a support class, the monsters inside a dungeon won't attack you?"
Professor Lyra asked lightly, then softened her tone slightly. "Don't worry. I don't expect you all to fight to kill these monsters. Your challenge will match your class. As long as you complete it, you will pass."
"Besides…"
She faintly smiled. "Didn't you all receive 1,000 credit points upon entering the Elite Hunter Academy? Use those points to buy artifacts from the treasury after you identify your weaknesses through this class."
"Don't be naive. Even if you fight alongside your teammates, they can't always save you. And…"
She paused, smirking, and everyone understood instantly. Betrayal and deceit were common inside dungeons. Professor Lyra was simply warning them to take their lives seriously.
"Okay, enough chitchat. Let's begin. I will call your names, and you come forward to complete your challenge."
She clapped her hands and smiled softly. "Give it your all and don't hold back. If someone impresses me, I might even reward you with some extra credits."
Her encouragement brought a spark of energy to the students.
"First on the line: A-rank Hunter, James Wright, Warrior class, Level 10. Your challenge is to defeat the Level 10 Minotaur summon within ten minutes."
Professor Lyra immediately urged the student forward while signaling the summoner to act. In an instant, a towering creature with a massive, muscular frame and cow-like features materialized.
"Roar!"
The beast's roar shook the entire room.
Fortunately, the students were no strangers to combat. They had faced monsters before, and none of them flinched.
The only one who should be slightly tense was preoccupied with other thoughts.
'The real plots are finally starting,'
Soren thought, eyes fixed on the burly warrior in front, blocking blow after blow from the Minotaur with his huge shield.
In the Lover's Labyrinth, most events existed to facilitate relationships and gain points with love interests. This was no different.
Here, Evan would finally demonstrate his strength before everyone, earning admiration and Sylvia might get hurt in the process.
"Are you feeling alright?" Soren suddenly asked, noticing Sylvia nervously biting her lips.
"Hmm? Y-Yeah… I'm fine… haha…"
She forced a laugh to compose herself, but Soren could still see her unease.
"Don't push yourself too hard. If you can't manage it, just admit defeat later."
Maybe it was because she was his friend, he offered her the advice, even though he wasn't sure he could change an outcome that seemed predetermined.
"Umm… thank you," Sylvia murmured, and Soren simply nodded before turning his attention to the fight ahead.
'This is strange. Even though it's the first time I've seen a monster like this in person, I don't feel anything. Is it a side effect of transmigration?'
As someone newly transported into this world, Soren thought he should feel fear at the sight of a Minotaur; but he didn't. Instead, his Eagle Eye passive activated automatically, scanning for the creature's weak points.
'It's torso… if I target that spot with enough force, I could immobilize it in no time,' he calculated.