“How do we even use this thing…?” After breakfast, we stood on the cliff’s knife-edge, fussing with a descent rig we’d borrowed from the teaching hall.

“Teacher said strap it on, then press the button when we jump. That’s it. Coming back up… uh… no clue.”

“Teacher will probably haul us up. Maybe.”

“We should go. People are already closing in,” Qianya said, eyes on the ridge like a hunter watching ants on a branch.

“Mm. Lan’er, tie it tight—knots like coiled snakes. Be careful.”

“I know, I know. Tangxue’s the unreliable one here, honestly…”

“Hm? What’d you say, Lan’er?”

“Time’s draining like sand—let’s get down.”

“Alright…”

Lan’er and I jumped first, Qianya a breath behind. Whoosh. The rig bloomed beneath us like a pale mushroom, a mini-parachute tugging at our shoulders.

Below, the gorge wore slick cliffs—walls that never saw the sun, damp and dark, sweating stone like a cold skin. No way anyone could climb this.

Honestly, it was gross. I couldn’t fathom how Goblins slipped up and down these shadows—far as I knew, they didn’t have that kind of knack.

On the way down, not a single Goblin. The abyss below kept falling, a mouth without a bottom. My stomach knotted—was this task too hard? Did Xuewei actually do her homework?

Flight magic needs a fourth-tier mage and wind affinity. In this gorge, the air barely moves; for wind mages it’s a nightmare, their spells strangled by stillness like a clenched fist.

So the hard part isn’t Goblins—it’s the terrain, tangled and lightless. Slip once and your nerve snaps before you see an enemy, every rustle turning into a spear from the grass. That’s when Goblins get deadly; cave-born things ambush like the dark itself.

Still… Qianya’s Blood Clan. Ambushes slide off her like rain on slate. Me? Most of my strength is back; my mana pool’s deeper than it ever was. Bodies aren’t built equal—and mine isn’t human anymore.

If I wanted, even with my worst element—water—I could drown this gorge in a heartbeat. But that would blow my cover like a flare in night.

Ah. Bottom. My boots kissed stone, a ring of impact echoing like a quiet bell.

Down here, most of the world was black—the top a thin blade of light, our feet a small circle of glow on the ground.

“Lan’er, Qianya! Where are you?”

“Tangxue… I’m here,” Lan’er’s voice came like a thread through damp air.

“Right—I remember. We packed a light.” I dug through my pack; metal clinked like pebbles in a stream. My fingers found the lamp, warm as a caged ember.

“Ah… much better. Careful, Lan’er! Goblin at your back!”

“Grah-grah—grah!”

“Eyaaah!” Startled, Lan’er whipped around with her staff. The Goblin had just leapt to pounce—her swing bit low. The creature folded, clutching its groin, face twisted, and slammed to the ground.

“…”

“Lan’er’s pretty fierce. Hahaha…” My laugh sparked like flint, then faded.

“Tangxue, what do we do now…”

“Grab that thing Teacher mentioned and toss it on the Goblin. He’s out of the fight; the rope orb should auto-bind. You search—I’ll hold the light.” Creepy, how one hit to a male’s weak spot shuts the whole body down like a cut wire.

“Mm…” Lan’er set down her pack and pulled out a little sphere, smooth as a river stone. “Tangxue, Tangxue—where did Qianya go?”

“Not sure. She probably has her own task. She wouldn’t ditch us without a reason—the girl’s steady as moonlight.”

“Then… could Qianya be in danger?” Her breath shivered, eyes wide like a startled deer.

“Probably… not.”

“I’m here,” came Qianya’s voice from a dark corner, cool as shade.

“Qianya! Over here—”

“Seriously, Tangxue, keep it down. Sound’s bait down here; draw Goblins and it gets ugly.”

“Not really, Lan’er. We came early to catch Goblins.” My words landed light, like pebbles on water.

“Uh… noise like that will spook them off, anyway,” she muttered, wincing.

“…”

“You two alright?” Qianya brushed dirt off with a grimace, dust flaking like ash.

“We’re fine. What happened to you?”

“A Goblin was shooting at me on the way down. Bit of trouble, but it’s handled,” she said, voice flat as steel.

“I see… looks like this is their nest. Where’d the Goblins go?”

“Most, I scattered,” Qianya said, tilting her head like a listening cat. “A bunch slipped into the tunnels; some still prowl outside.”

“We ran into one just now…”

“By the way, do you still have those rope-orbs—the little spheres? I’m almost out.”

“No way. We each took nearly thirty. Qianya, did you—”

“That pack soaked up too many. Couldn’t help it.”

“Fine. Lan’er, split yours—give half to Qianya.”

“Mm!” Her face lit like a small lantern in fog.

“These Goblins aren’t pushovers,” Qianya said, gaze sliding into the dark like a blade. “Without night vision, finding them is like chasing smoke.”

“Qianya, do we clear the roamers first?”

“No. Straight into the cave. Leave the roamers for the students behind us; the tunnels hold more.” Her tone pulled tight, a wire in the night.

“Oh… Tangxue, what about you?”

“Me? Either way’s fine,” I said, lazy as drifting mist.

“Alright…” Lan’er’s smile hung thin, fragile as dew.

“Lan’er.”

“Yeah, Tangxue? What is it?”

“Don’t you trust us?” I turned to her, calm as still water under stone.

“I… it’s not that. I trust you and Qianya, I do. I’m just… scared.” The fear pressed in like cold fog.

“Silly girl. This is meant to temper your nerve—why else would Xuewei, our teacher, make it an exam? What’s ahead in life grows thornier. If you trust our strength, we won’t let you get hurt. So treat this like a haunted-house run, okay?”

“I…”

“Shh. Let’s go. That’s the cave Qianya mentioned—she’s already at the mouth, dark as a sleeping beast. If we dawdle, we’ll get left behind.”

“Mm.” Something settled in Lan’er; she nodded hard, like a drumbeat. “Tangxue, let’s catch up!”

“That’s the spirit.”