Dante pulled his team into a tight circle.
They stood together calm while everyone else panicked.
All around them, students shouted, argued, and held on to each other because they were scared. They wanted to be safe with more people.
But Dante knew control did not come from big groups. It came from knowing what you faced.
And he planned to know everything.
"Listen carefully," Dante said. His voice was low, steady, and sharp enough to cut through the noise. He looked each of them in the eye. "This is the most important part of the game. We are not wasting our chance on dumb hopes or useless questions. You will ask the Goddess exactly what I tell you to ask. Focus. Listen. Remember every word."
He turned to Erica first. She looked nervous but ready. Her quiet way would help her follow orders just right.
"You are first," he said. "Ask about the forest. How it is divided. Where the weak monsters are, and where the strong ones hide."
Erica swallowed hard. She nodded and walked toward the glowing door.
Next, he looked at Masha. She was calm and confident. She was the right one for her task.
"Ask how to get stronger. No vague answers like training or effort. Get something useful. Something we can use."
Jin stepped forward. His face was firm. "You will ask about hidden items or weapons in this forest," Dante said. "If there is something powerful here, we need to know first."
Finally, he faced Edgar. Edgar adjusted his glasses with shaky hands. "Your question is the most important. Ask the Goddess what the final challenge is. What we must face to escape this place."
They nodded together. Dante let the weight of his words stay for a moment.
"The rest of you, wait here. No noise. No panic. No attention."
The air felt heavy. Each heartbeat was loud in the quiet.
Erica returned first. Her face was pale, but her eyes showed new knowledge.
"I asked," she said in a quiet voice. "The forest is divided by monster ranks from E to S. The deeper we go, the stronger they get. But there are places even worse than that. Zones with creatures stronger than ten S ranks combined. She marked them in my mind so we can avoid them."
Dante nodded once. He was impressed. "Good work. You just gave us our first real advantage. What is your skill?"
Erica lifted her hand. A small spark appeared above her palm.
It danced gently. It cast a faint glow on her face.
"Pyrokinesis," she said. Her voice was still soft. "I can make and control fire."
Dante smiled a little. "That is powerful. You are our weapon now. When the time comes, you burn anything that moves."
Masha came back next. Her calm look was gone. A cold focus took its place.
"I asked how to get stronger," she said. "We have to kill. Monsters or people. When something dies, it releases a cloud of energy. If we focus, we can absorb it. That is how we level up."
The team went quiet. Even the forest seemed to hold its breath.
"So the path forward is paved with death," Dante said. His tone was low and thoughtful. "And your skill?"
Masha breathed on a leaf. "Cryomancy. I control ice."
Fire and ice. Destruction and control. Dante felt confidence grow inside him. "Perfect. You and Erica will control the battlefield."
Jin arrived with a long sword strapped to his back. He held out a strip of thick leather covered in faint glowing lines.
"I asked about items," he said. "She gave me a list, but I could not remember them all. I asked for a map instead."
Dante ran his thumb across the glowing lines. They pulsed faintly. They formed shapes that looked alive.
"And the sword?"
Jin gave a small grin. "Swordsmanship. She said I have a natural sense for any blade now. Well that is what she said."
Dante nodded. "Then you are our blade. Keep it ready."
Edgar returned last. His steps were slow. He looked like someone who had seen the future and did not like it.
"The final trial," he said in a quiet voice. "It is called the Bone Dragon. She said even large groups cannot kill it easily. We will need strategy and timing to stand a chance."
Dante's face tightened. He had expected something big. Still, hearing it made the danger feel real.
"And your skill?" he asked.
Edgar adjusted his glasses again. "Appraisal. I can see information about a target. Health, strength, weaknesses, skills. That is all. It sounds useless in a fight, but I promise I will train harder than anyone. I will become stronger."
Dante stared at him. Then he laughed softly. It was not cruel. It was just surprised.
"You think that is useless? Edgar, you have the most valuable skill in this group. You can read the enemy before the fight even begins. You are our eyes."
The others turned to look at Edgar with new respect. He blinked. He realized what it meant.
"So I can see the weak points before we strike?" he asked.
"Exactly," Dante said. "And that means we can plan every fight. No surprises. Now, go scan the others. Do it quietly. Tell me only the dangerous ones."
Edgar nodded and went into the crowd.
He returned a few minutes later. His face was pale. "I found some," he whispered. "Electrokinesis. Terrashaping for earth and metal. Umbrakinesis for shadows. Sanctification for holy light. Also, skills related to poison, curses, gravity, and teleportation."
Dante's brows came together. "That is already bad. Anything else?"
Edgar waited a second. "One more. Mimicry. It copies any skill it sees and uses it for a short time."
The moment he said it, the whole circle fell silent.
Dante's mind raced. Mimicry. The single skill that could turn the whole world against them.
"That one changes everything," he said in a soft voice.
Erica looked around. She was nervous. "Someone here can copy our powers?"
"Yes," Dante said. "And if that person decides to attack us, they can use our own abilities against us. Fire, ice, necromancy. Everything."
Jin's grip tightened around his sword. "So what do we do?"
"We wait," Dante replied. His eyes scanned the crowd. "They will show themselves eventually. When they do, we deal with it before it spreads. No hesitation."
He no longer saw a crowd of scared students. He saw predators. Each one waited for their turn to strike.
The forest grew darker.
Dante's hand rested on the glowing map inside his coat.
The Bone Dragon waited somewhere beyond the trees. Mimicry lurked among them. It was unseen.