“This… Please tell me it’s over!”
“I can’t go on anymore!”
“How is this only the first floor? We haven’t even moved forward at all!”
“I just want to go home…”
The cadets slumped down one by one, collapsing from exhaustion as they finished off the last of the void creatures, which were apparently called Prowlers.
Though not extremely strong, the Prowlers were a nuisance, hunting together in packs.
As one might expect, fighting a horde of them, especially with their sharp claws, wasn’t easy.
Blood and its disgusting stench clung to many of the cadets.
Some were already injured by the Prowlers, though none seriously.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the cadets who fought the most were…
“Seriously, those two—how is there not a single scratch on them?”
“Not even a drop of blood on them…”
Azriel and Celestina were among the cadets who had fought the most Prowlers, yet they seemed to be the least injured.
“As for him…”
Then there was Lumine, who, though not injured, was covered in disgusting blood.
Even Yelena didn’t dare get close to him.
“We should split the mana cores among everyone. Azriel, how should we do it?”
Lumine spoke, at least considerate enough not to move towards anyone.
The others, hearing him, all listened intently.
They were nervous about how the mana cores would be divided and were thankful in their hearts for Lumine’s consideration.
Azriel, however, looked at him, confused.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Huh, I mean…”
Lumine was at a loss for words.
Wasn’t it obvious why?
Celestina looked at him blankly.
“Because you’re the Apex. Everyone here sees you as the leader.”
Azriel blinked, surprised.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, that is so.”
Celestina affirmed, and the others nodded their heads in agreement.
Suddenly, Azriel smiled—a smile that didn’t reach his eyes—and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Then I step down as leader and hand you the crown, Princess.”
Just like that, he began walking towards Jasmine, who was sitting and watching him curiously.
He could have given the role to the second rank, but Azriel knew it was better for Celestina, whom the other cadets looked up to more than Lumine.
After all, she was the Princess of the Frost Clan.
“Huh? W-wait, Azriel, what do you mean I’m the leader now? What about the mana cores?”
Azriel turned and looked at her.
“It’s as I said. I’m handing down my supposed role as leader to you. I’m sure you’re better suited for it. As for the mana cores, I don’t need any of them, so they’re all for you guys.”
‘I would even give up my title as Apex since I’ve already achieved what I wanted with it.’
But unfortunately, it wasn’t something he could just hand down.
But being a leader?
That was definitely a no.
It just wasn’t who he was.
Celestina and the others stared at him, stunned, as he sat down next to his sister, closing his eyes and relaxing.
It was as if the Apex had sidelined himself.
Which he did.
*****
When a god blesses a human, you would naturally think of it as a good thing.
After all, a blessing is meant to be beneficial.
It’s supposed to support you, help you, and save you.
A blessing is supposed to make you stronger.
In this world, being blessed by one of the gods means exactly that.
But…
For the first time, Azriel realized the harsh truth behind his blessing.
Perhaps this was why the God of Death was rarely mentioned, never a player in the book.
A neutral entity, content to observe from afar—or perhaps the god had already blessed someone, yet remained unintroduced.
But the reality was undeniable:
The God of Death’s blessing wasn’t a blessing at all.
It was a curse.
Or at least, that’s what Azriel believed.
Perhaps it was something in Azriel himself that made the God of Death choose him.
Just as Lumine, with his desire to be a hero, seemed destined for the God of Life’s blessing.
The more lives Lumine saved, the stronger his desire to continue—was it the god that chose him, or the blessing that shaped him into who he was?
But that doesn’t matter.
What matters is that Azriel may never know the answer to that question.
Because he wasn’t chosen by the God of Life.
No.
He was chosen by the God of Death.
*****
Something was wrong.
That was the conclusion Jasmine reached after carefully analyzing Azriel during the fight against the Prowlers.
She had anticipated this—after all, she had experienced the same thing when she first arrived last year.
In fact, Azriel had done even better than she had back then.
Glancing at the instructors, she noticed them talking to ten injured students, who were requesting to return to the surface.
Jasmine had expected that.
There was no obligation to stay; if cadets wanted to leave, they could request permission from the instructors.
These students must have realized they weren’t ready to face the Void Dungeon.
They would likely transfer to a different academy, one less challenging than this, and attempt the Void Dungeon when they were better prepared.
Jasmine didn’t blame them.
Not everyone could keep up with the pace of the Hero Academy.
Perhaps they would still become heroes, just at their own pace.
The Hero Academy was notoriously difficult, which was why most cadets had the sense to recognize when they weren’t cut out for it.
But that wasn’t what mattered to her.
No, what mattered most was her little brother, sitting next to her with his eyes closed and his expression unreadable.
She had watched him fight all nine Prowlers by himself. He didn’t seem to have any trouble at first.
But…
Something was wrong.
After the fourth kill, she noticed him starting to slow down, holding himself back.
It didn’t make sense—she hadn’t seen any injuries on him, so why was Azriel becoming less consistent?
On the contrary, Cadet Lumine was the real powerhouse here.
The way he single-handedly destroyed fourteen Prowlers even impressed Jasmine.
She hadn’t expected someone so strong to be here, but now she understood why he was ranked second, right after Celestina.
Currently, all the cadets were under Celestina’s leadership, dividing the mana cores on the ground.
Thanks to her guidance, there were no issues; everyone was obedient, even Vergil.
Although, it was more accurate to say he was doing the same as Azriel—leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, completely unbothered.
“Huh… hey, why is this mana core empty?”
“Wait, yeah, this one too!”
Jasmine furrowed her brows, noticing the sudden commotion.
‘Someone already consumed them…?’
She was certain no one had secretly consumed the mana cores—she would have noticed. Even if someone had, she wouldn’t have minded, but still…
‘How did that happen?’
“Wait, this one is empty as well!”
“What the hell, who’s secretly consuming them!?”
Ten.
The number of empty mana cores.
‘Wait…’
Jasmine’s eyes widened as she looked toward Azriel, who was pretending to be oblivious.
But she knew better.
Those mana cores belonged to the Prowlers her little brother had killed. Yet she had never seen him consume them.
“Azriel, how did you—”
“Not now, Jasmine.”
Jasmine flinched at the sudden low tone in Azriel’s voice.
‘Is he mad at me?’
She couldn’t recall doing anything recently to upset him. In fact, he hadn’t gotten mad at her since his return.
‘No… I knew it. Something is wrong with him.’
‘Did fighting Void creatures affect him?’
This was what she feared most.
She didn’t know how much damage the Void Realm had done to him, so when she was offered the chance to go as a guide, she didn’t hesitate to accept.
“Azriel, what’s wrong?”
Azriel furrowed his brows, seemingly annoyed.
But when he opened his eyes, Jasmine froze.
Jasmine could feel the bloodlust directed at her.
She wasn’t the only one.
The instructors, who had just sent the other ten students away,
also noticed it. They looked at Azriel, confused and stunned.
No one else seemed to pick up on it—it was subtle, but they did.
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She finally understood.
The Void Realm had indeed affected him.
Azriel was holding back.
After the fourth kill, she should have realized it sooner.
But what he was holding back wasn’t just his strength or his emotions.
He was holding back himself.
This must have been the real reason he sidelined himself.
The way he looked at her with those sharp eyes—it was the look of someone ready to kill.
“It’s nothing, my dear sister. I was just thinking of something unpleasant.”
Jasmine snapped out of her thoughts as Azriel suddenly started speaking to her in his usual tone.
But those eyes of his—they didn’t change.
“Azriel, maybe it’s better to go back to the surface.”
Azriel shook his head.
“I’m fine. You’re overthinking it. I’ll enter the ring soon, just not yet. There’s no point in me joining them if most of them are just going to use me as a shield. They won’t grow that way.”
Jasmine sighed reluctantly.
She didn’t entirely believe him, but he did have a valid point.
Most of the cadets did use him and the others on the front line as meat shields.
“Fine… just don’t push yourself, alright?”
A chuckle escaped his lips.
“Even if I do, I’ve got you here.”
“That’s right, but I’m not allowed to guide them unless it takes more than two days…”
But if Azriel needed her help, there was no way she would let those instructors stop her.
After all, they were just first-year instructors.
And she could beat them easily.