The classroom was gone.
Cold stone walls surrounded them, and a jagged altar stood where the blackboard used to be, bathed in eerie red light. Now it was an arena—
Floor Two: The Trial of the Crimson Three.
Ayato read the floating text as it burned in the air.
[Three Teams. Only One Shall Advance. Eliminate or Be Eliminated.]
A countdown started at 00:59:48.
Yui's voice trembled. "No way. There's gotta be another way. This is totally messed up!"
Ren stood silent, fists clenched. Daichi grinned, shoulders shaking with excitement.
Ayato leaned against the far wall, scanning the room. Three stone doors. Three paths. No lies in the message.
They had one hour.
Then either two teams died… or all of them would.
Ren glanced over at Ayato and Mio. "We split. Team A takes north, Team B goes west, Team C—you guys—go east. No fighting 'til we regroup."
Yui shook her head. "And if one team gets jumped? They're trying to make us fight each other."
Ren's expression darkened. "Then maybe we find out who's worth keeping alive."
Daichi smirked, eyes wild. "Damn right. No room for dead weight."
Ayato saw it—the glint of betrayal in Daichi's eyes. He knew it wouldn't be long before that smile turned into a knife.
**Time: 00:42:03**
Ayato and Mio slipped into the eastern corridor, dim and narrow, lined with statues of faceless students. Each statue held a weapon in one hand and a severed head in the other. Ayato's shadow flickered against the wall, twitching unnaturally. He moved silently, letting his stealth aura take over.
Mio flipped her book open, whispering, "These statues are old. They're supposed to be past failures—classes like ours that didn't make it."
Ayato didn't answer. His senses stretched, scanning the shadows. He caught it—a flicker of hostile intent.
"Ambush," he murmured. "Two o'clock. Daichi's team."
Mio's breath hitched. "You sure?"
He nodded, eyes locked on the darkness. "Get ready."
The stone beside them cracked as three students emerged from hiding. Daichi wasn't among them, but his influence was.
One boy rushed forward with a greatclub. Ayato vanished.
The swing passed through empty air. The boy stumbled, off-balance.
Ayato reappeared behind him, backstab flashing across his vision.
**[Skill: Backstab – Critical Hit x2]**
Steel bit into flesh. The boy dropped like a puppet with cut strings.
"Ayato!" Mio shouted, dodging a firebolt that singed the wall beside her.
The second attacker—a spellcaster, her eyes wild with panic—raised her hands for another cast. Ayato's eyes narrowed. He grabbed the fallen boy's dagger and hurled it, spinning through the air. It caught the mage in the shoulder, ruining her spell.
"Don't waste time with mercy," he said coldly.
**[Karma Check – Neutral]**
The third student, a skinny kid with wide, terrified eyes, backed away, whimpering. "I didn't want this—I didn't agree to kill anyone!"
Ayato hesitated. He's afraid. Weak. But untainted.
Mio lowered her book. "Let him run."
Ayato's voice was flat. "He won't survive the next floor. But I'll allow it."
The kid turned and bolted, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.
**Time: 00:26:12**
In the north sector, Yui held her ground, spear in hand. Blood was everywhere. One of her teammates was already gone, collapsed against the wall. The enemy caster shouted, "They took out West Team! It's kill or die!"
Yui activated her skill, Predict Movement, and ducked under a blade, parrying a strike aimed at her neck. "We're not enemies!" she cried. "We're classmates!"
The enemy didn't care. He lunged again, eyes wild with fear and rage.
Yui stabbed him through the leg with her spear—nonlethal, but enough to drop him. Behind her, another of her teammates wasn't so merciful. A flash of steel, a choked cry.
**[Karma Drop: -30]**
Yui's hands shook. "We didn't have to do that," she whispered.
Her teammate, breathing hard, just shook his head. "You wanna die? I don't."
**Time: 00:12:00**
The survivors stumbled back into the main arena—bloodied, silent. Daichi stood in the center, arms wide, his axe coated in blood. His team was gone.
He'd killed them himself.
"Don't you see?" he laughed, voice cracking. "We're being weighed. And I plan to be heavy."
He charged.
Ren tackled Daichi mid-swing. Steel met steel with a deafening clang. The class circled around them, exhausted and uncertain.
Ayato faded into the shadows—his blade waiting.
Daichi's karma was too far gone. He wouldn't stop. Not ever.
As Daichi overpowered Ren and raised his axe for the killing blow—
Ayato struck.
**[Skill Activated: Phantom Slash]**
The shadow of Ayato split and attacked from three angles. Daichi screamed, blood bursting from his leg as he dropped to one knee.
"Traitor," Daichi hissed, eyes wild. "You're just like me."
Ayato met his gaze, voice low. "No. I remember the line you crossed."
And he drove the blade into Daichi's chest.
Daichi's eyes widened, then went blank. He crumpled to the ground.
[End of Trial]
A system prompt burned in the air.
[Trial Complete. Team A advances. Morality shift recorded. Karma instability rising.]
[Floor Two Clear.]
Yui knelt by Ren's side, hands shaking as she checked his wounds. Mio collapsed against the wall, her book clutched to her chest. Ayato stood alone in the shadows, blade dripping.
If this is justice, why does it feel so much like murder?
The arena was silent now, save for the ragged breathing of the survivors. Mio pushed herself up, knees scraped and uniform torn. She stumbled over to Ayato, eyes searching his face.
"You okay?" she asked, voice hoarse.
Ayato wiped his blade on his sleeve. "Fine."
Mio didn't look convinced. "That was brutal."
He shrugged. "Had to be done."
Yui stood, helping Ren to his feet. "We need to stick together. More than ever."
Ren winced, clutching his side. "Yeah, well, some of us weren't exactly on the same page."
Yui's face tightened. "We can't blame each other. The dungeon's forcing us into this."
Mio glanced at Ayato. "You think it's watching us? Like, judging us?"
Ayato's gaze flicked to the floating system prompt. "Always."
Ren let out a shaky laugh. "Great. So even if we get out of here, we're still screwed."
Mio frowned. "Maybe not. If we figure out the rules, maybe we can beat it."
Ayato didn't answer. He looked at Daichi's body, then at the blood on his hands. He'd crossed a line. He knew it. But what choice did he have?
Yui stepped closer. "We need to rest. The next floor's gonna be worse."
Mio nodded, pulling her book tight against her chest. "Yeah. I just hope we're ready."
Ren groaned. "I hope there's a damn bed in the next room."
Mio managed a weak smile. "Or at least a bathroom."
The tension in the room eased, just a little. Ayato let himself exhale. For now, they were still together. For now, they were still alive.
But the dungeon wasn't done with them. Not yet.
(Chapter 7 End)