Strongest Hypnosis Charmer vs Demoness

Former Demon Pair vs Second-Stage Exam

The First-Class Mage Exam's second stage will be proctored by a First-Class Mage named Sense. And the examination venue is...

The Ruins of the King's Tomb, located in the northern lands.

"Now, let me explain the details of the second-stage exam. Your task is to conquer a dungeon. You will be exploring the Ruins of the King's Tomb. There is only one condition for passing: reaching the deepest part of the tomb."

The labyrinth dungeon is a colossal structure filled with natural traps laid by the mana circulating within, and inhabited by a multitude of magical creatures. True to its name, the interior of the labyrinth consists of complex maze-like passages, filled with pressure-sensitive and contact-triggered traps, treasure chests locked and hidden by special means, as well as gimmicks and romance-filled danger zones leading to the very depths.

...However, it seems that most of the dungeon has already been conquered, due to the convenient production of valuable magical tools, grimoires, weapons, etc., from the treasure chests within, during the chaotic era aiming to defeat the Demon King over eighty years ago. Numerous warriors, mages, and even some heroes who love detours seem to have cleared them all from one end to the other... or so I've heard.

However, this doesn't mean there are no dungeons left uncleared, still awaiting conquest. Some are sealed with powerful enchantments at their entrances, some have special rules set within, some have their paths to the depths highly concealed, and some are inherently difficult to conquer in the modern age. These are the ones that prove challenging to clear and remain untouched.

And now, the examination venue for this time, the Ruins of the King's Tomb, is also one of the unexplored dungeons.

Despite the unchanged expression on Sense's face, Blei of the former 19th Party questioned, "Do you intend not to produce any successful candidates again?"

"What are you saying? Your aim is to reach the pinnacle of mages. Turning the impossible into possible is what makes a First-Class Mage. Whether it's unexplored or unprecedented, you must overcome and push forward."

It seemed like there were no words to retort to his statement.

In reality, it can be considered a valid argument. First-Class Mages are at the pinnacle of human mages. In other words, they are the best of humanity.

Conquering unknown dungeons, pushing the frontlines against magical beings, bringing peace to this world. That is the new frontier they are stepping into. If they hesitate at every unexplored peak of a dungeon, they won't be able to carry on in the future.

...No, if I aim to become a First-Class Mage myself, it's not something unrelated to me.

After that, several additional rules were confirmed.

Regarding the confirmation of reaching the deepest part, it will be done by Sense accompanying the dungeon conquest. However, Sense, as the examiner, will only accompany them to the deepest part without lending any assistance in the conquest.

And each person will be given a small bottle containing a magical creature. It seemed to be a prototype escape golem developed by First-Class Mage Lernen. Breaking this bottle will result in disqualification for the user, but the golem inside will enlarge, almost certainly enabling escape from the dungeon. Since these bottles are set to automatically destroy themselves by dawn tomorrow, they serve as the effective time limit.

These are the rules of the second-stage exam we were told. Unlike the first stage, where we were forced to fight in teams, we were allowed to fight both cooperatively and alone, and for better or worse, we had a lot of freedom.