Chapter 528: A Thorny Path Called Life th Floor. Boss Room… “Mmm, as expected, the last stage isn’t going to be easy,” William said as he stared at the Boss Monster and its subordinates in front of him. He had already expected that the last floor of the Dungeon wouldn’t be easy to beat, because if it was, the students of the academy might have already cleared it. However, no student in the academy had been able to do that. The farthest they had come was the 40th Floor, and they had suffered several casualties along the way. Because of this, all the students had been warned not to go past the 35th Floor of the Mirage Cavern if they valued their life. Any student that decided to challenge the Dungeon had to sign a Death Waiver that stated that the Academy would not be blamed if they were to lose their lives inside the dungeon. This was to prevent the noble houses from finding fault with the Academy, due to the reckless actions of the students who wanted to have a high score on the Quarterly Assessment Tests. - [ Crowned Purple Behemoth ] — Boss Monster — Toxic Toad Behemoth — Threat Level: SS (High) — Millennial Beast — Cannot be added to the herd —— [ Berserked Lava Toad ] — Last Floor Guardian — Threat Level: S (High) — Centennial Beast — Cannot be added to the herd - [ Fiery Lava Toad ] — Last Floor Guardian — Threat Level: S (High) — Centennial Beast — Cannot be added to the herd - [ Wave Rider Toad ] — Last Floor Guardian — Threat Level: S (High) — Centennial Beast — Cannot be added to the herd - [ Defiant Tempest Toad ] — Last Floor Guardian — Threat Level: S (High) — Centennial Beast — Cannot be added to the herd - [ Vicious Stone Toad ] — Last Floor Guardian — Threat Level: S (High) — Centennial Beast — Cannot be added to the herd —— A ten-meter tall purple toad wearing a crown on its head looked down on the three people that dared to enter its domain. It was the last boss of the Mirage Cavern and it was highly toxic. Only those that had a strong resistance to poison would be able to survive its deadly attacks. However, even if one could escape the attacks of the Boss Monster, they still had to deal with the four guardian toads by its side. These guardians were three-meters-tall, and all of them controlled one of the four elements. This deadly combination was enough to exterminate anyone below the Adamantium Rank. Ian gripped her weapon tightly as she prepared herself to fight. She knew that this battle would be difficult, but she was not afraid. “Ragnar, let’s go.” A magic circle appeared in front of her, and Ragnar was summoned inside the boss room. Ian had made a pact with Ragnar long ago. That was why she was able to summon him just like how William summoned his Herd and Legion. “Ruff!” Ragnar stood in front of Ian and looked at his enemies with arrogance. Ian waved her hand as she activated the special ability that allowed Ragnar to take on a stronger form. “Kinship Evolution!” Ragnar’s body grew and transformed into a five-meter tall Grand Cerberus. Ian jumped on her partner’s back because they were already used to fighting together. “Wow,” Chiffon looked at the towering three-headed dog in front of her with sparkling eyes. “So cool.” This was the first that she had seen Ragnar and it reminded her of the powerful Beasts in the Demon Continent. However, her admiration didn’t last long because she knew that now was not the time for it. Chiffon took a fighting pose and her hands were covered by a black, spiked gauntlet, which served as her main weapon. Surprisingly, the little girl was a close combat fighter, and she was quite proficient in it. However, William wasn’t sure if he should allow Chiffon to fight against monsters that were stronger than her. “Chiffon, stay at the back, ” William ordered. “There’s no need for you to participate in this battle.” “Big Brother, don’t worry,” Chiffon replied as she gathered magic power to strengthen her body. “I’m confident that I can handle that Stone Toad over there.” “Are you sure?” “Yes. Please, trust me.” William nodded his head, but he wouldn’t take Chiffon’s words at face value. He had already decided to call for reinforcements to help him deal with the final obstacle that blocked his way. “Erchitu, Psoglav, Kasogonaga, Fenrir, B1 and B2, come forth!” William shouted. The Giant Revenant Ox, stepped out of the portal and focused its attention on the Crowned Purple Behemoth. Since it was already a revenant, it was not affected by any type of poison. Psoglav and Kasogonaga faced the Fiery Lava Toad, while Ian and Ragnar faced the Wave Rider Toad. William was going to face the Defiant Tempest Toad that held the power to control the Wind Element. However, he called out Fenrir, B1 and B2, to serve as Chiffon’s reinforcements. “Chiffon, allow me to introduce you to Fenrir,” William said as he patted the Trollhound’s head. “As for these two dumb birds, the red one is B1, and the blue one is B2. They will help you deal with that Centennial Toad.” Chiffon nodded her head in understanding. Although she wanted to ask William some questions, she decided to ask them after the battle was over. “Let’s go!” William took a step forward and charged at the Defiant Tempest Toad. That was how the Final Battle in the 50th Floor of the Mirage Cavern started. —— Meanwhile, back at Silverwind Academy… “William still hasn’t returned,” Stanley, the boy that had made a bet with William crossed his arms over his chest. “Did he perhaps chickened out of our bet?” “Who knows?” a boy named Scott, who was Stanley’s good friend, replied. “He doesn’t strike me as someone that will declare something and run away from it.” Steffan, who was also Stanley’s and Scott’s friend, nodded his head in agreement. He was a man with few words, and only talked when it was necessary. Due to the fact that these three boy’s names started with S, they were given the nickname the Triple S. Stanley rubbed his chin in contemplation. “Well, I don’t really mind if he doesn’t manage to bring our class to the top spot. Back then, I was just carried away by my emotions.” “So, you mean that you’re fine with having a Trash Eater as our classmate?” Scott asked. He was about to say more when he felt a hand hold onto his shoulder. “We should stop calling her that,” Stanley replied. “I feel bad when someone in our class calls her that nickname.” “Um, yes, sorry,” Scott apologized. “It’s just a habit. I will do my best not to call her that nickname again. Besides, William said that he would prevent her from going to the Garbage Dump again. As long as he does that, there will be no reason to continue calling her Trash Eater. Am I right, Stanley?” Stanley nodded his head. “We should stop calling her by that nickname.” Their classmates that were listening to their conversation also nodded their heads in agreement. All of them were students of Class F. Although everyone looked down upon them, that didn’t mean that they had to vent their frustrations on Chiffon and make her feel bad. Professor Ewan walked inside the classroom to check if all the students in his class had finished with their respective tests. After doing a headcount, he found out that William, Chiffon, and Ian, still hadn’t returned. The assessment test would end at three in the afternoon the next day and, if they were still not back by then, they would be punished for not returning their Test Bracelets that recorded the points that they had gathered during the duration of the one-week assessment test. ‘I hope that the three of them are fine,’ Professor Ewan thought as he adjusted the glasses on his face. He had already been teaching in the academy for seven years, and had been the Homeroom Professor of Class F from the beginning. The Professor had seen how his students had struggled in their grade, and some of them had lost motivation to climb up the social ladder. However, he still didn’t give up and continued to teach the worst class, every school year. The reason? It was because of a belief. He believed that anyone had the potential to succeed in life. It didn’t matter how low their status was, or how lacking they were compared to geniuses in the empire. What Professor Ewan wanted to instill in them was a belief. A belief that no matter how high the hurdle that they must face in the future, they should find the courage to face it head on. That way, they would regain the confidence that they had lost, and a world of infinite possibilities would once again open its doors to each and every one of them. ‘William, I’m counting on you,’ Professor Ewan prayed inside his heart. ‘Make it so that the students of Class F, can once again raise their heads with pride, and walk the thorny path that is called life.’