The treasure hunt began soon. It was supposed to be notoriously difficult, but the rules were fairly loose, and cadets could choose to participate either solo or in parties. As for me, I made my choice.

“Dale, are you really going alone?” Yurina asked, sounding a little hurt.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you just joined our team?” said Iris.

“Finding the treasure together would be faster, don’t you think?” Berald added.

They all looked at me with disappointment, but I shook my head. “No, I’ll try doing this one by myself.”

I had two reasons for that decision. First, if I joined a team, the party’s power level would skyrocket. Even though the members of the Order of the Seven Stars were known as the elites of the Holy Empire, they were hardly a real threat to someone like me, whose strength was already comparable to a Master. Even Yurina and Berald alone could take on one of the Seven Stars Knights and probably win.

If people like us formed a team together, it would be overkill. Unless Johan Basilio, the Sword of the Holy Empire and the captain of the Order of the Seven Stars, personally joined the fight, no one would stand a chance against us. And that would completely defeat the purpose of this exercise, which was to build combat experience.

The second reason, and arguably the most important one, was simpler. If I joined a party, I’d have to share the bonus points. One could call me petty or greedy if they wanted, but I didn’t care. This time, I had to get out of this miserable last-place ranking.

Even if Berald didn’t care, Yurina, Iris, and Camilla were all top students who consistently ranked among the best. Missing out on a few bonus points wouldn’t change their standings much, but for me, stuck at the bottom, those same points could mean a huge leap forward.

Laneige looked dejected. “Ugh, I really wanted to team up with you, Dale.”

Senior Sophia shrugged indifferently. “Well, it’s his call.”

In the end, the party lineup was decided as follows: Yurina, Iris, Camilla, and Albert were in one party; Sophia, Laneige, Berald, and Jules were in another; and I was alone.

Even divided into three groups, each member, except Albert and Jules, was far stronger than the average cadet, so they would have no trouble handling the Seven Stars Knights and finding the treasure.

“Alright, see you later then,” I said.

Yurina clenched her fist, her eyes blazing with determination. “Yeah! Don’t think I’m gonna lose to you, Dale!”

I chuckled. She really had quite the competitive streak inside her. Then again, that same fire was what had once made her the greatest hero in my past life.

“I’ll head off first,” I said.

But Iris stopped me. “Wait, Dale.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll at least cast a buff on you.”

“I don’t think I’ll need it.”

“Still.”

Iris stepped closer and chanted a blessing. A soft white light flowed from her hands, wrapping gently around me.

As the spell settled, she whispered, “Dale, how about a little wager?”

“A wager?”

“Yes. Whoever finds the treasure first gets one wish granted by the other.”

“Oh?”

That was an interesting bet.

“What kind of wish are we talking about?” I asked.

“Hehe, that’s a secret. It wouldn’t be fun if I told you now, right?”

Feeling it was fair, I agreed. “Alright.”

She winked playfully, smiling from ear to ear. “Hehe, keep it a secret from everyone else, okay?”

I nodded, then waved goodbye to the others and set off toward the ruins alone.

***

Passing through the crowded entrance where the other cadets were gathering, I ventured deep into the ruins. It wasn’t quite as massive as the Abyss beneath the Hero Academy, but it was still much larger than most ruins I had seen.

“Pretty big place,” I muttered.

Now that I thought about it, I had never explored this place in my past life. Back then, during the war against the demons, the entire ruin, along with Grace’s tomb, had collapsed. So, this was my first time actually stepping foot inside.

I was curious about why Grace chose to have her tomb built beneath this place. The air inside was heavy, cold, and oppressive. It was a terrible spot for a burial, no matter how one looked at it.

I was still pondering the mystery when the sound of metal armor echoed from around the corner. A knight in a silver plate, obviously part of the Order of the Seven Stars, appeared before me.

He raised a brow, intrigued. “Hm? You’re alone? Did you find the treasure yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“I see. Then...” He drew his sword with an easy grin. “I’ll hold back just enough to keep you from moving for about thirty minutes. How’s that?”

Of course, it wasn’t a real sword, but rather a dulled training sword.

“It’s fake, but if I hit you wrong, it’ll still hurt. So, be careful,” he added.

“How thoughtful of you,” I replied.

He smiled as he lifted his sword lazily. “Haha. Can’t have the future heroes getting seriously injured, can we?”

The relaxed posture made me wonder if this was really supposed to count as combat training. Still, I couldn’t blame him. No one would go all out against a cadet. Of course, that only applied if the cadet was normal.

His eyes sharpened as he flared his aura, and a bright white light burst to life along the sword. “Alright then, let’s see what you can do, junior!”

Despite his heavy armor, he moved with surprising speed, closing the distance in an instant as his sword slashed toward my shoulder.

However, what happened next surprised him. “What th—”

I caught the swinging sword with ease and drove my foot hard into his abdomen.

“Urgh!”

The blow sent the holy knight flying backward with a crack and rolling across the stone floor like a kicked marble.

“Kughh!”

Grimacing, he forced himself up. Without hesitation, he flared his aura to its limit and charged again, eyes burning with resolve.

Heh. Guess he didn’t earn a spot in the Order of the Seven Stars for nothing, I thought.

Instead of freezing up or ranting about how a cadet could overpower him, he immediately went all in for a counterattack. That kind of calm, split-second judgment wasn’t something one would see even in the most seasoned heroes. For that alone, I decided to show him a bit of respect.

Ash-colored flames burst along my sword. The hiss of burning flesh and the acrid scent of smoke seeping from my pores filled the air. I executed Ashen Flame Style First Form: Ash Severance. My sword, clad with Ashen Flame, cleaved through his pure white aura, shattering his weapon and sending him hurtling backward.

“Gaaahhh!”

He slammed into the wall with enough force to crater the stone, spiderweb cracks spreading out in all directions. His eyes rolled back as he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Shocked, I thought I had overdone it. “Ah!”

It had only been for a single second, but I had unleashed my fire just to honor his effort. Using Ignition was indeed a bit much. It was probably not a good decision.

I walked over and examined him. “Hmm. Doesn’t look like anything’s broken, at least.”

His armor was dented and scorched, and patches of his uniform were charred black, but aside from superficial burns, he seemed intact.

I muttered, “Well, he’s fine. He’ll live.”

Leaving the unconscious knight behind, I continued deeper into the ruins, scanning the dim corridors for any clues to the treasure’s location.

Suddenly, a pale white glow shimmered before me. “That’s...”

It was the same mysterious light I had seen when I had carried the drunken Yurina through the garden that night.

I squinted at it. ‘What’s that doing here?’

The glow pulsed, and suddenly, a faint voice echoed. “Th...ose who re...ceive... the bless...ing of Seven Eyes.”

It spoke?

“Follow me... plea...se... Hurry!”

The broken, static-filled voice sounded like a radio struggling to stay on. Then, the cluster of light spun once and shot away down the corridor.

I hesitated, then muttered, “Damn it.”

I broke into a run, wondering where it was going.

The light led me to a dead end with no exits or passages. It was filled with just bare stone. The glowing mass gathered into a sphere, widening until it formed a circular gate large enough for a person to step through.

I frowned. “Seriously?”

Normally, I wasn’t the kind of idiot to walk into a suspicious portal without any preparation. But this was different. The voice had sounded desperate. While I couldn’t make out the exact words through the distortion, I could feel the urgency.

Taking a short breath, I stepped forward. I felt weightless for an instant as my vision blinked out. “Ugh.”

When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing inside a vast underground chamber. Pale lights floated near the ceiling, the same kind I had followed, illuminating a colossal statue at the center. It was the statue of a woman, head bowed, hands clasped in prayer.

I knew immediately who it was meant to represent. “Grace, the Light of Life.”

Just like Iris had described, her face exuded calmness, warmth, and an almost divine sense of motherhood.

She did look like Iris. I stepped closer for a better look, but the lights from the ceiling clustered together, slowly descending and reshaping themselves until they formed the silhouette of a small girl.

The girl’s voice rang in my mind. “Wow! You really came! I was worried you’d chicken out and run away!”

It sounded bright, mischievous, and utterly at odds with the sacred setting, where the figure shimmered in soft white light.

“Who are you?” I asked.

She spun in the air, beaming. “Nice to meet you! I’m Grace, the Light of Life.”

“Grace?”

“Hehe, that’s right. See that statue behind you? That’s supposed to be me.”

I stared at her, then at the statue, then back at her again. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Suddenly, the entire cavern quaked violently, dust raining down from above.

The girl floated closer to me, still smiling sweetly. “What’s wrong? Got a problem? Go on, say it. I dare you.”

I didn’t know what exactly was happening, but one thing had become abundantly clear. The legends about Grace that were passed down in the Holy Empire were complete nonsense.

I looked at the glowing girl with her arms crossed and a sly smirk curling on her lips and let out a scoff.