Divine Milking System-Chapter 103 | Baby’s First Murder Dungeon

We walked together across the damp grass. The sun broke over the eastern buildings, painting everything orange and gold. Campus looked almost peaceful at this hour. Like a resort instead of a combat academy designed to churn out monster killers.

The armory smelled like oil and leather. My spear hung on the rack exactly where I’d left it. I grabbed it. Checked the balance. Still good.

Jordan retrieved his short sword. Belle collected her crossbow with the reverence usually reserved for religious artifacts. Naomi took her staff, running her hands along the length like greeting an old friend.

Misato inspected each weapon personally. Checked Belle’s crossbow string tension. Made Jordan demonstrate his grip. Corrected Naomi’s hand placement on the staff by two inches.

When she got to me she just stared.

"What?"

"Your stance is still shit."

"Working on it."

"Work faster." She moved to the next student.

We filed out. Headed to the dining hall.

The morning crowd had already gathered. Ruby students clustered near their table, loud and energetic. Sapphire kids maintained their usual composed demeanor. Emerald sat scattered, most of them studying while eating.

Our squad grabbed a corner table.

I loaded my tray with everything protein. Eggs, bacon, sausage, Greek yogurt. My body demanded fuel after the Silver essence burned through my reserves overnight.

Belle sat across from me. Naomi took the spot next to Belle, leaving Jordan and me on the opposite bench.

We ate in relative silence.

Misato appeared ten minutes later with a tray containing only coffee and fruit. She sat at the table’s end.

"Listen up." She set down her cup. "Friday assessment rankings are based on time to clear, efficiency of core extraction, squad coordination scores, and zero deaths. We need minimum B-rank performance to break into top five."

"What’s our predicted rank?" I asked.

"C if we’re lucky. D if someone fucks up." She looked at me when she said it. "Don’t fuck up."

"Roger that."

"Blair’s squad is running the same gate." Misato continued. "Different time slot. 1100. But we’ll see their results by lunch."

Belle’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. "Her squad’s that good?"

"Blair’s S-rank. Charles is A-rank. Hikaru and Javier are both solid B-rank potential." Misato ticked them off on her fingers. "Dante Pope is the weak link at C-rank. But even with him dragging, they’ll probably clear with A-rating."

"So we’re competing against an S-rank heiress and her dream team." Jordan spoke into his orange juice. "Fantastic odds."

"We’re not competing against them." I leaned forward. "We’re competing against ourselves. Our time. Our coordination. Our ability to not die."

"He’s right." Naomi spoke without looking at me. "Friday’s about clearing our gate. Not about Blair."

Belle nodded slowly. "Focus on what we control."

"Exactly." I grabbed my coffee. "Blair wants us thinking about her instead of the mission. Classic distraction tactic."

"Since when do you know tactics?" Belle’s eyebrow arched.

"Since I read the manual on the toilet yesterday."

Jordan choked on his drink.

Even Naomi cracked a smile.

Misato’s eyes narrowed. "You actually read the gate protocol manual?"

"Most of it. Skimmed the boring parts." I shrugged. "Figured dying because I didn’t read instructions would be embarrassing."

"Huh." Misato sat back. "Maybe you’re not completely useless."

"Don’t get sentimental on me."

"Wouldn’t dream of it." She checked her watch. "0800. We have fifty-five minutes. Hit the bathroom now. Check your gear one more time. Meet at the gate staging area at 0845."

We nodded.

Belle stood first. Grabbed her tray. Paused.

"For the record," she said. "I’m still mad. But I’m professional. We clear this gate first. Then I decide if I forgive you."

"Fair."

She left.

Naomi followed without a word.

Jordan and I sat there.

"You really bet your entire academy career on finishing top five," he said. Flat. No inflection.

"Yeah."

"With us. The Midnight Foxes. Seventh place out of ten."

"Yup."

"Just checking." He stood. Stretched. "If we actually pull this off, remind me to be impressed. If we fail, I’ll be too dead to care."

"Optimism’s your strong suit."

"I contain multitudes." He walked off.

I sat alone at the table. Watched students filter through the dining hall in their pre-gate ritual. Some looked confident. Others terrified. Most somewhere between.

My phone buzzed.

Aurora.

Good luck today. Don’t die. I have plans for you tomorrow.

I smiled despite everything.

Noted. Will do my best to stay breathing.

You better. I already picked the restaurant.

I pocketed my phone. Finished my eggs.

The system timer counted down in my peripheral vision. Five days, sixteen hours.

Plenty of time.

If I survived today.

If the squad held together despite the tension.

If Blair didn’t successfully sabotage us somehow.

If monsters didn’t identify me as the walking snack bar I currently was.

I stood. Dumped my tray. Headed back to Building C.

Hikaru sat in our apartment living room when I entered. Black tea. Perfect posture. Red eyes tracking me like surveillance equipment.

"Gate run today," I said.

"I know." She sipped her tea. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

I grabbed my tactical suit from my room. The black compression material with Obsidian trim. Standard issue but functional.

Changed. Checked my reflection.

The face looking back was sharper than five days ago. Jawline more defined. Eyes clearer. Body still soft but less aggressively round. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Five pounds lost. One rank gained in Endurance. Strength about to break through.

Progress.

Slow. Painful. Real.

I headed out at 8:42.

The staging area sat adjacent to the simulation bay. A massive concrete platform with ten gate portals arranged in a semicircle. Each portal showed swirling energy, different colors depending on rank. Ours glowed dull green. E-rank. Baby’s first murder dungeon.

Our squad assembled near Portal Seven.

Misato did final equipment checks. Made sure Belle’s crossbow bolts were secured properly. Tested Jordan’s sword balance. Adjusted Naomi’s staff grip.

When she got to me she just sighed.

"Try not to die immediately," she said.

"I’ll do my best."

"Your best got you ranked 241."

"Ouch."

"Facts." But her expression softened. Just barely. "You’ve improved this week. A lot. Keep that energy."

"Will do, coach."

She punched my shoulder. Not gently.

The gate technician approached. Clipboard. Safety waivers. The usual bureaucratic nightmare.

"Midnight Foxes, Squad Eight?" He looked at his tablet.

"Present," Misato confirmed.

"E-rank clearance. Standard protocol. Time limit two hours. Emergency extraction available if vitals critical." He rattled off the safety parameters like reading a grocery list. "Sign here, here, and here."

We signed.

The portal hummed louder.

"On your mark," the technician said.

Misato looked at each of us. "Remember your roles. Stay in formation. Trust your training."

"And if things go sideways?" Jordan asked.

"Run toward Naomi. She’s our anchor." Misato turned to the portal. "Ready?"

Belle nodded. Jordan sighed. Naomi’s grip tightened on her staff.

I raised my spear.

"Let’s fucking go," I said.