By the time Caelum and Drake were done with their basic Blacksmithing quests and had returned to Class Seven, most of their peers were gathered by Vincent’s desk, marveling at how something like a bit of zinc, copper, and a popotoe could produce the equivalent of a low level Light cantrip. Even Aslan was intrigued.

  Once the amusement over Vincent’s ‘magic popotoe’ died down, Aslan gestured at their chalkboard, and conjured what looked like a seating list. “From today forward, Class Seven will be sitting in this formation, for the rest of this year at least, unless changes are needed. Please adjust yourselves accordingly.”

  Drake, as it happened, was now beside his girlfriend, with Garret on her right, and Lyria on the opposite side of the row. Glancing at the layout again, Drake realized there was, in fact, a pattern to it. Each of the teams they’d formed recently for questing had seemingly been solidified. “As you may have noticed,”Aslan rumbled, “your new seating arrangements are the parties you have formed in recent days. I am impressed with how you’ve all done with your questing, especially the four in our first row. The Raiju was a powerful opponent, one the guild is saying could have been a Dungeon Boss, had it been contained within one. Expect your future challenges to be even more dangerous, but rewarding.”

  The four in the front row nodded in unison, unified in their resolve. They’d filled Garret in on their traumatic morning in Zemkarth, and the lion man was very much down to fly in the face of the Guild and clear a Dungeon full of torture-happy goblins.

  Their Instructor continued. “Now then, as some of you may be aware, our Academy has ten classrooms per year, with around twelve students per room. Each classroom regularly competes with the others, within the confines of Dungeons, once their students have achieved Steel Rank with the Adventurers Guild. These competitions are designed to help you grow, but also are quite important for keeping Monster populations managed. Your teams are expected to work together to gather as many kills and items as you can.” Aslan smirked then, though there was a slight gleam in his leonine eyes. “Since we have some overachievers this year, we’ve been paired against Class One this time.”

  Drake raised his hand. Aslan inclined his head, indicating he could speak. “Are…the classes ranked by some kind of factor?”

  Aslan nodded, and his blood red mane moved with him. “At the start of the year, they were ranked by your averaged levels and abilities. We lacked two students though, so ours was a bit lower by comparison. Now that you and your Party have reached Adamantine Rank, and we have you and Ironside, we’re closer in power to Class Two. This test will also determine if we deserve a higher number, or even the topmost spot.” He grinned at the class then. “I am confident that you are Class One material. Prove me right! Hahaha!”

  With that announcement given, they began the lesson, on the only heroes to ever successfully defeat multiple Dungeons. Drake and his party shared a look, at that particular lesson happening the very day they’d decided to clear the Wallow Dungeon, but they paid attention all the same.

  “Those who clear Dungeons are those who have carved their names into history.” Aslan rumbled, “Final Bosses are exceedingly difficult, and almost always level one hundred, or higher. This means they are effectively immortal, and will only grow in power for the duration of their existence. Their abilities are what usually make them rise above other Monsters. We actually have a Final Boss with a pretty rare ability not far from here, in the Wallow Dungeon. Does anyone know what it is?”

  Drake felt a bead of sweat run down his neck. Somehow, Aslan knew. This was too much of a coincidence to be natural. There was that, and the fact that he’d looked directly at Drake when asking his question. Drake used a subtle breathing technique to stay calm, and shrugged in answer to Aslan’s intense leonine eyes. Mercifully, he looked elsewhere, and the rough rumble of Bjorn, ‘Ironside’ as he preferred to be called, filled the air, as the nonchalant bear teen said, “The Goblin Emperor of the Wallow Dungeon. Chronogrin. He can manipulate time, so even if some cocksure newbies did manage to reach him, they’d never actually get the chance to defeat him. In his lair, he is unkillable. And he never leaves his lair. He’s also extremely high level, last sighted at one hundred and five.”

  Slowly, Drake and the others in his party reached the same conclusion. Someone had squealed. Drake trusted his teammates and Caelum though, which meant someone with Stealth had spied on them and spilled the beans. He subtly enhanced his perception again, and glanced at their class Rogue. Leif was staring directly at him. And smirking.

  “Correct.” Aslan rumbled. “Chronogrin has tried for centuries to break out of the Wallow, but each time he makes an attempt, the Guild in Primus soundly defeats his High Goblin armies. Your upcoming contest against Class One will take place within the Wallow to curb these armies, in two months time. Much like its namesake, the further one delves into the Wallow, the slower time flows. Even the most prepared parties end up burning through their supplies before ever getting near Chronogrin himself. This is, unfortunately, the case with most Dungeons that are still intact. The Final Bosses learned from the mistakes of their fallen contemporaries, and now, just reaching them takes monumental effort. It is why clearing a Dungeon is regarded as such a legendary feat.”

  The rest of the lesson continued, going over the heroes who’d cleared the Dungeons, which Dungeons had been cleared, and the party names of those storied Adventurers, carved forever into Arcadia’s records. The most recent ones, Vis Aeterna, still had members who taught at the Academy. When the class departed for their five minute break between the next one, Aslan called out, “Drake Long. Stay a moment.”

  Leif snickered at him as he confidently strode out of the room, and started chatting with Rose. Drake had no worries about her stabbing him in the back romantically, but it still inspired the urge to wring the damned fox’s neck. He was mostly irritated that Leif had been able to spy on him, though he started to wonder if Leif had not been spying on him, but on Rose. And if he made a habit of doing so. He kept his cool, as he stepped before Aslan’s desk. The powerful leonid steepled his fingers, watching his student with a practiced eye.

  “So. You have figured out that Leif has heard, and reported your plans to clear the Wallow.” Aslan rumbled, plainly. Drake didn’t bother denying it, he knew Aslan was no fool, and, he respected the lion man. “I heard about your Quest in Zemkarth. The atrocities the Goblin King committed in the name of his Emperor.” The hulking leonid sat forward. “Leif expects me to report you to the Guild. As your Party has no doubt told you, clearing the Wallow will not be seen favorably by the Guild. It has too many benefits for their Adventurers…” His tone turned harsher then, “However…this ease of access to low level Monsters comes at a cost. The areas around the Wallow are, as one might expect, filled with the poor and the destitute. Nobody wants to live near a Dungeon, and those who do are desperate, and without Magical ability. Few capable warriors patrol that area of Primus, and even when other breaches in the Wallow are reported, they take months to seal by the Guild. The atrocities you witnessed are not contained to Zemkarth. They have been occurring for some time among the lower castes of Primus as well.” He lowered his clawed hands. “I am in agreement with you, and your rebellious teammates. Chronogrin must be slain, and the Wallow purged. Even among Monsters…his Goblins are barbaric. Torture is not uncommon among Dagorath’s spawn…but the rape and the…art…are unique to Goblins.”

  Drake nodded along with Aslan’s words, glad to hear them. His opinion of his Instructor was skyrocketing. “I sense a but coming…”

  “But, the problem remains. Reaching the Final Bosses is simply too taxing. Thus, Drake Long, Chosen of the Gods,” He rumbled, dropping his title and simultaneously revealing that he very much knew who Drake was already, to some extent, “I task you with solving this problem. You have two months to prepare, and with Class One down there with you, you will never get a better opportunity to delve deeper into the Wallow than anyone else. Now then, on to our next class.”

  The rest of the day was a blur, and though Drake paid attention, his mind was focused on how one might even grow enough food to last. He essentially had three options. Bring as much food as possible, ration it, and shove it in, ideally, the equivalent of a Bag of Holding. Unfortunately, Rose told him such inventions did not yet exist, so unless Vincent could figure it out with his top tier enchanting skills, that was unlikely to work. There was also the problem of acquiring so much food. Currently, with his rewards, he had just enough Gil for three years worth of tuition, roughly twenty two and a half thousand, which meant he couldn’t spend more yet.

  The next options, relied on his nerdy weeb knowledge from his other life, in the form of special foods that appeared in what he hoped would be Dimensional Echoes he could make use of. The first option, and the most likely to work, given who had grown Arcadia from scratch, was Lembas Bread, or its Arcadian equivalent. With enough of a easily rationed foodstuff that could fill a man with one bite, rationed appropriately, they could last a very long time in the Wallow.

  The third option, was the most unlikely, and that was finding a way to create the equivalent of a Senzu Bean, straight out of Dragonball. Not only would it, assuming it followed the pattern, keep them fed for ten days straight, it was an instant revive to full health and magic. Invaluable in the deeper floors of a Dungeon. He’d already managed to replicate a Kamehameha Wave closely enough for it to become a skill of his, so he figured making such an item was not completely impossible.

  As it happened, fate was on his side, as Class Seven reported to the final class of the day, one considered boring by most: Alternate Jobs and Where to Find Them. Their Instructor for this class was an elderly witch who oversaw Class Three, usually, and Drake made use of her knowledge, once he and Rose partnered up to study the magical plant they were going over for the day. The plant in question was unimportant to Drake’s goals, and he only paid it enough attention to pass the class. His real focus, was plying the witch for knowledge.

  “Instructor Hollowbranch…” He started, after calling her over, “I was wondering something. Farming is considered an Alternate Job, as opposed to the regular Jobs like Blacksmithing and Weaving, right?” The elderly woman smiled and nodded. “Is there like…a world-renowned Farmer who has achieved a high level in that Job?”

  The silver haired elven woman had a gleam in her eye, as she eyed Drake, saying, “It is said no living being is more skilled a Farmer, than our own Goddess Laurelin. This is why all Farmers, and Gardeners like myself, pay homage to her, and her techniques. Every single high level Gardening and Farming skill we possess, stems directly from her own, and her immense generosity in sharing them with us.” The old woman smiled at him then. “If that’s all, you should help Miss Valcrest before she finishes the assignment on her own.” The threat was veiled, but it was there. She’d lower his grade if he didn’t focus on the task at hand. Fortunately, the vision of perfection beside him made even Botany interesting.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Despite being essentially brushed off by the Instructor with what she probably thought was a non-answer since she hadn’t named a single contemporary, Drake smirked inwardly. Laurelin he could, theoretically, go and see. And it’d be nice to see Falkor as well.

  Once classes were done, Rose insisted on having dinner together, in the city. When he realized she intended for them to go to what Drake perceived as a fine dining restaurant, he informed Rose that he didn’t actually have any clothes suitable for that, unless his Academy uniform would suffice. Rose lied, saying it wouldn’t, and then dragged him to the nearest tailor.

  She put him in several different suits, and each time her face flushed a little harder, until she finally settled on an emerald green one that made her ears turn red when he’d stepped out in it. They parted, then went back to the dorms to dress themselves, before rendezvousing by the agreed upon dining area. They also had a similar experience, from their roommates. Vincent was useless, uninterested, and plied Drake for more scientific knowledge, while Caelum helped him with Arcadia’s version of a bow tie, that seemed more like an ascot to Drake’s eyes, but he didn’t argue with their naming conventions. Rose got aid from Tala, as they wrongly assumed he was a ‘boob guy’, the buxom bun had still managed to make Rose’s assets pop enough to catch the eye, and her dress straddled that line between classy and way too revealing perfectly.

  When they met up again, they stared at each other for a full thirty seconds, as a red flush reached both of their cheeks. Rose's dress, shimmering white, trimmed with gold, and form-fitting, made her already striking features even more dazzling, while Drake, in his emerald-green suit, felt uncharacteristically dapper. Rose had been right, this color suited him, even if he wasn’t used to the finer things in life. Finally, recognizing that look in his eye, and realizing Drake was just going to keep staring until someone said something, Rose smirked and held out her arm. "Shall we?"

  Drake chuckled and took it, leading her inside. The moment they stepped through the entrance, conversation around them hushed. Patrons turned, eyes flickering with interest, admiration, and, in some cases, jealousy. It was clear they made a striking pair. Drake wasn’t sure he liked the attention, but Rose seemed to thrive in it, walking with the confident poise of a noblewoman, and looking quite pleased with herself.

  Once seated by a rather impressive view of the rainbow colored Nebula above Arcadia, ever-present in the sky, they were handed menus, but Drake found himself watching Rose more than the elegant script in front of him. "What?" she asked, raising an amused brow.

  "Sorry." He said, smirking. "Your beauty keeps drawing my gaze back to you."

  She scoffed, but her cheeks tinted pink. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Long. Now, what are you having?"

  Their conversation drifted as they ordered, and soon enough, food was placed before them. It was a fine meal, nothing particularly grand or exciting, but the company made it worthwhile. Over plates of expertly cooked meat, mashed popotoes, and seasoned vegetables, Drake steered the conversation. "So, tell me about your family," He said, remembering Caelum's words, as he took a bite of his meal. "I know you have siblings, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard the full rundown."

  Rose smiled, swirling a fork through her popotoes. "Two older brothers, both Arc Wardens, like I will be. One’s stationed in Var Thule, that's an Adventurer City down on Tharvoss, holding the line against Dagorath’s forces, and the other is an explorer, constantly sending letters from the edges of the known world. He’s always chasing rumors of lost civilizations and forgotten artifacts. Then there's my younger sister...she’s still finding her path. She’s smart, but not much of a fighter. She might end up a scholar, though that's never been my path."

  Drake raised an eyebrow. "Your parents are Arc Wardens, right? I assume they aren't just any Arc Wardens."

  Rose nodded, her expression shifting to something between pride and exasperation. "That’s putting it mildly. My father is one of the Arcari, a group of Elite Arc Wardens in Primus. He leads them, which means he’s also in the Triarchy, namely, the three most powerful individuals in our society. Our rulers, in a sense. My mother is a Sage of Fangorn, a master of Light magic and healing. They are both widely respected and feared in equal measure."

  Drake sat back, processing that information with wide eyes. "So…you’re basically a Princess of the entire planet…and your father is one of Arcadia’s three most important people." He made an internal ‘aww man’, but his expression gave him away.

  Rose gave him a look. "I prefer 'highly esteemed,' but sure, you’re…not entirely wrong. My brothers followed the path they were expected to, one is an Adventurer holding the line in Var Thule, another is an explorer chasing the unknown. My parents expect me to take a seat among the Sages or dedicate my life to politics. But that wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to sit in Fangorn forever, healing minor injuries and bruises and performing fertility ceremonies. I want to use my power to help people…like you do. Like we’ve been doing. It’s been so much fun." She smiled at him with her big besotted eyes, and he felt his body heat up again.

  Drake smirked. "I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I’ll endeavor to keep her ‘esteemed Highness’ entertained and satisfied on our many adventures. Even if we keep almost dying…”

  She giggled. "It is never dull, I’ll give you that. What about your family? You’ve mentioned them before, but you always stay vague."

  Drake hesitated, twirling his fork between his fingers. "I had a brother, parents… good people. But they’re gone now, in a way." He sighed, setting down his utensil. "It’s weird. Technically, I’m not even related to them anymore. From their perspective, I don’t exist."

  Rose’s expression softened, but she didn’t press. "Does that change how you feel about them?"

  "No," He admitted. "But it makes me wonder…what does that make me now? Where did this body come from? It’s DNA, it had to come from somewhere. Did Laurelin make me from nothing, or am I carrying pieces of someone else? Maybe even Galdurath? Or am I truly, divinely random? The first of my line?"

  Rose reached across the table, resting her hand lightly over his. "You’re still you. Whoever you were, whoever you are now…none of that changes the person sitting in front of me, or how I feel about you."

  Drake smirked at her, getting lost in her emerald gaze again as he squeezed her hand gently. "You…are something special, Lady Valcrest." He teased.

  She smirked. "It’s a gift. Now eat your food before it gets cold."

  Rose showed him a few landmarks of Primus within walking distance once they had their meal, and everywhere they went, Rose drew stares with her sheer beauty. She insisted he was getting looks as well, and he was, but none of the women had the bravery to try to snare him away from a High Elf so obviously beautiful. The men, naturally, were not so hesitant, and after the fourth rando tried walking up to her, he didn’t leave her side again. Most, saw his level and backed off, and eventually they decided to end their date where they’d first kissed, by picking up where that one had left off.

  Since it was late by that point, few people were around, and since they didn’t have classes the next day, they had their first proper make out session, which only got increasingly heated the longer it went on. It took Drake more bodily control than he expected to keep his stupidly eager teen body in check, and to his credit, he remained ‘at ease’ right up until the end, when Rose’s tiny hands kept exploring his now open shirt, and she decided to straddle him.

  Both their eyes widened as he felt warmth and she felt firmness, and Drake was taken by surprise when she kept going anyway. He got lost in her lips again, and then forced his mind to stay focused. “Rose-” He managed her name, but her lips smothered his again, and he literally could not resist her. Finally, he moved his hands from her back to her shoulders, reluctantly pushing them apart. “Rose.” He said more firmly. “I-if this keeps…heating up…things are going to…look,” He said, smirking, and cupped her flushed, sweaty cheek. “The very least a woman like you deserves, is a bed.”

  His words, and hearing her name, pierced through the haze of hormones, and she turned even redder, as she realized just far things had gone. “Y-yea, right, you’re right. I’m sorry, I…I forgot where we were.” She giggled at him, and stole another kiss, while her hands buttoned up his shirt again.

  His smirk stayed constant, as he let her fix what she had eagerly undone, and with impressive speed, for one supposedly not versed in le romance. Elven dexterity at work, no doubt. “We should do more of that, next time…somewhere more private. If you want.”

  The flush, which had been fading, returned in full force, but she didn’t deny her feelings, or repress them. “I’d like that…you’re a good kisser, Drake Long.”

  He shook his head. “I’m average at best…but it helps when I’m so completely enamored with who I’m kissing.” He sat up then, and helped her to her feet, as they both adjusted their clothes. “It’s pretty late. I’ll walk you back, miss Valcrest.”

  “Such a gentlemen.” She teased, offering her arm again, as they walked, slowly, back to the girl’s dorms.

  There were more people around outside, even with the late hour, and their lack of uniforms and general attractiveness once again drew eyes to them. Rose, heedless of this, grabbed his collar and dragged him into one final, passionate kiss, before she bid him goodnight. Drake departed the girl’s dorms then, once Rose was inside, and walked back to his own dorm, expelling the heat from his body through his skin, this time, rather than a flamethrower. With how hot she’d gotten him this time, that would’ve drawn way too much attention, but the air around him did shimmer from the amount of heat he discharged.

  Drake sneaked quietly into the room once he arrived, dropped down to his underclothes, and exhaled yet more heat, as he pulled his sheets over his sweaty form. Then, suddenly, the two lights above Vincent and Caelum’s beds flicked on. His roomies were sitting up on their beds in their nightclothes, Vincent smirking, and Caelum feigning seriousness.

  “You were out quite late, mister Long. Care to account for your whereabouts?” Caelum said, struggling to keep from cracking a smirk.

  Drake shrugged, not sitting up. “I gave Rose a first date she’ll hopefully fondly remember…I know I will. Ye Gods.”

  Vincent snortchuckled, as Caelum continued. “I hope you were a perfect gentleman, young man. Otherwise her father is going to kill you.” That part, he wasn’t joking about.

  “Right, her father, one third of the rulers of the entire fucking planet. I’d almost forgotten, with all the…uhh…heat.” Drake muttered, sitting up properly to look at his roomies. Their eyes widened, as they stared at him, and their reactions were priceless.

  “Lucky…fucking…otherwordly Bastard.” Vincent muttered, sighing, and falling back into his bed in a feigned huff.

  Drake blinked. “What?”

  Caelum broke into a laugh, as he saw the state Rose had left him in. “You uhh…should look in a mirror, my friend. She was all over you, clearly. If her father saw you now, he would one hundred percent murder you. And probably get away with it, too.”

  Getting up to head for the bathroom, he saw what he looked like, this time. Most of her lipstick had been transferred from her lips to his neck and chest, and that had been early in the session. She really had been all over him. Slowly, and with great effort, he wiped the irritatingly persistent lipstick away, and as he did, he pondered Rose Valcrest, and just how fond of her he was becoming. She clearly felt the same way, and as he cleaned off her lipstick and saw the marks she’d made on his chest and abs, he decided meeting her parents, or at the least the elven member of the Triarchy, sooner than later would be a good idea. He had every intention of being serious with her, for the long term, and likely his entire life. As he returned to his bed, he used a breathing technique to calm down further, but he knew he wasn’t going to sleep very well after getting that wound up. Thankfully, he had a new outlet for all that energy in Blacksmithing, and an idea of how to rapidly increase his level, possibly.