"Done... Huh?"

His relief and joy were short-lived as Dier stopped upon seeing someone in front of him.

Standing before him was the first-year's most promising student, Piellot.

Piellot glanced at Dier briefly before losing interest and turning his gaze away.

Dier looked around.

Besides Piellot, there were three others inside. One male student from the combat category, and one male and one female student who seemed to be from the magic category.

Doors that looked similar to the exit of the first stage he just passed through were connected to this room.

'Is this a waiting room?'

As Dier thought, this was a waiting room where those who passed the first stage could stay for a while before moving on to the second stage.

Dier looked around and spotted the door leading to the second stage.

"Why aren't you going to the next stage?"

Dier asked Piellot out of the blue. Piellot furrowed his brows and tilted his head slightly. His gaze towards Dier seemed to say, "Do you know me?"

"...The door is locked."

It was someone else who answered Dier. He was a bit taller and bulkier than Dier. He had a taciturn impression, but from Dier's perspective, he was the most talkative among them.

"It seems like we have to wait until a certain number of people gather. And since you just arrived, it should open soon."

As soon as the man finished speaking, a beeping alarm sounded, followed by the metallic click of a lock. It seemed the door had been unlocked.

Dier found it fascinating and asked the man,

"How did you know? That it would open soon."

"Don't you know? The most basic team composition when you become a pro is five people. The minimum is three, but unless it's a very easy mission or you have considerable confidence in your skills, it's rare to move with just three."

"Oh, I see." Dier nodded obediently. The man looked at Dier with pity, as if he lacked basic knowledge, but Dier didn't mind.

"...Huh! So I was the last one among us!"

"..."

The others glanced at Dier, who had just realized the obvious fact. Then, they walked on without a word.

The fact that five people entered together meant there was a high probability of them moving as a team, but no one seemed to have any intention of showing teamwork.

Piellot walked ahead and opened the door leading to the second stage.

From here on, upperclassmen would greet them. Who would it be? It was the second stage, so it wouldn't be an incredibly difficult opponent, right?

Amidst their individual thoughts, the person who welcomed them was, in a way, unexpected.

"Oh, you're here?"

A black-haired male student, wearing a necklace with a black gem, his arms with black armbands hanging down, greeted them while sitting on a black chair.

His eyes seemed tired, almost sleepy, and his body slumped on the chair as if he were about to fall asleep in that position.

They recognized the man at a glance. They had never seen his face directly, but they knew right away. They said you would know just by looking at his eyes and face, and it seemed true.

Dier muttered unconsciously,

"...Sloth..."

"Excuse me, but I have a name. Please don't call me that."

The female student from the magic category next to him recited with a stiff expression and overflowing tension,

"Frondier of Sloth...!"

At those words, Frondier covered his face with his hands. His already tired expression deepened.

"Please don't call me that either?"

He felt like one of the Four Heavenly Kings from somewhere. It was utterly embarrassing.

"Are you the examiner for the second stage, senior?"

"That's right. It's the second stage, so don't be too nervous. The guys waiting in the third and fourth stages are much tougher."

Saying this made him feel like he had just declared, "I'm the weakest among us."

"The rules for the second stage are simple."

Frondier pointed a finger above his head as he spoke.

"See that key up there?"

The five of them looked up to see the key. It was hanging on a nail driven into the wall, about two people's height. It was a height they could easily reach if they used Aura.

"If you touch it, you pass. You can move on to the next stage."

"...If we touch it?"

"Yes. It doesn't have to be your hand. You can use magic, shoot an arrow, or even throw a weapon you have to hit it. Of course, I won't touch the key. I won't move its position either."

"...?"

"Ah, and I won't get up from this chair."

The five of them grimaced at Frondier's explanation. The key looked like they could hit it with anything right now.

Moreover, saying he wouldn't get up from the chair, how much disregard did he have to conduct a test like this?

"...You seem quite confident, senior."

The one who spoke this time was a male student in the magic department. He openly expressed his discomfort at the thought that Frondier was looking down on him.

"Don't misunderstand. I didn't originally intend to do this."

Frondier spoke with an indifferent expression.

"Originally, the condition was not to touch the key, but to drop it on the floor. There was no restriction that I had to sit in the chair."

"......Why was there a restriction?"

"The first-year students who came before you, none of them passed. They will test again after all the first-year students take the exam."

And that's why I'm tired now. Frondier muttered to himself inaudibly.

The group's eyes widened. Dropping the key on the ground. It didn't seem that difficult. Although Frondier said there was no condition that he had to sit in the chair, such a condition was strange in the first place.

"But no one was able to pass."

"......Senior."

Then, Pielott opened his mouth.

The moment he spoke, energy was already boiling inside him.

"Knocking down the senior doesn't necessarily mean disqualification, right?"

At his words, Dier and the others were surprised and looked at Pielott. But Frondier, the actual person in question, was not surprised.

Frondier looked at Pielott with a cold and low smile, as if he knew it would happen.

"It's the most certain solution."