Alice gripped her staff. She’d naturally felt annoyed seeing Lin Zhong harassed by vagrants, but those criminals had already tainted her vision completely.

Disgusting. Wiping them all out was all she wanted now.

"With pleasure."

Sebastian drew his Masamune blade. Its slender edge and his eager expression declared his intent.

"Let’s charge in. Humanoid monsters in team dungeons are normal."

Lilianne patted Aester’s shoulder. She’d been in the Club long enough to see countless humanoids in team instances. When Lin Zhong had Snow White crush one into minced meat earlier, she’d only been shocked by the white wolf king herself.

In Club territory, it was survival of the fittest—destroying others was allowed. Of course, it added kill points. Too many, and the system would jail or execute you on the spot.

Cities with the twenty-two Academies weren’t much different from the outside world. Only the police were replaced by the system.

Even Club big shots couldn’t claim they’d never killed. Initial kill points just meant some jail time.

As for humanoids? Anyone with sense would fight back. A Dungeon Instance was an alternate dimension, isolated by the system.

Monsters inside—ghosts, mutated beasts, zombies—were threats that needed eliminating. But humanoids here were utterly evil. Why? Civilians posed no threat to powerful Academy students.

Civilians threatened nothing. So why would the system make boring slaughter quests?

Think of Dungeon Instances as viruses. Academy students were antivirus software, entering infected zones to clean them.

Still, humanoids had thoughts. But once the system labeled them monsters, they deserved death.

Plus, those criminals had just grabbed Lin Zhong, waving knives as they charged his group. That alone justified killing them.

"Fine. Let’s kill them."

Aester resignedly gripped her Divine Grace. A holy aura gently enveloped everyone.

Sacred Blessing!

The white light faded. Lin Zhong lightly swung his fist. To his astonishment, his body felt incredibly light, yet his clenched hand pulsed with strength. His dawn-induced dizziness vanished instantly.

All eyes turned to Aester. She seemed to pray, a holy halo glowing around her. Pale golden wings sprouted from her back.

NO.7 Apostle—Seraphim Aester!

Her wings flapped softly as she rose. Her clasped hands suddenly opened. White light flooded the surroundings in a blink.

Area Scan!

The entire Dungeon Instance mapped into Aester’s mind. Her eyes opened, but her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What’s wrong?"

Lin Zhong watched her descend. He saw the distress on her face clearly.

"This instance is massive. Almost half the size of Fool’s Court."

Aester rubbed her brows. The others gasped. Half of Fool’s Court? That area would take a full day to cross. Defeating the BOSS here alone was tough enough.

"Worse, it has multiple BOSSes."

Aester recalled the scan. Beyond the huge size, she’d seen BOSS locations scattered across the map. Six dungeon BOSSes, split between two distant zones. Three clustered on each side.

"How many?"

"Six. Split between two areas."

The distance between zones was vast, but clusters were close internally. Maneuvering such a huge space was the real headache.

"Split up. You and I take separate routes."

Lin Zhong meant Lilianne. Dividing Fool’s Court and Mist Coffin was best.

"Agreed."

"Aester, share coordinates."

Lin Zhong looked at her. She extended a hand, swiping her finger. A flat map appeared before them.

Coordinate Sharing.

"Your group should go there—it’s closer. After clearing it, head here and regroup at this central point."

Aester pointed to three spots, then the dungeon’s center.

"This is a safe zone. Use it as a rest area."

"Understood."

Lilianne memorized the locations. Forgetting them would cause trouble with Aester’s ability and their split strategy.

"I’ve blessed you. Speed and strength are enhanced. Running there won’t be hard. If you need help, use the student handbook to call us."

"Clear?"

Aester’s tone was serious. As allies, she couldn’t risk issues on Lilianne’s side.

"Eat these!"

Six ice crystals appeared in Lin Zhong’s hand.

"This..."

Lilianne hesitated. It wasn’t distrust—swallowing them felt awkward.

Aester noticed. She grabbed one and forced it into Alice’s mouth.

"Ae... Aester..."

Alice squirmed but swallowed.

"Eat. This will save your lives."

Aester turned to the others after feeding Alice.

Lilianne paused, then took one and swallowed. Her teammates followed suit.

"OK. We’ll take this side. Clear this instance fast."