Should they betray their agreement, Raiden was prepared to take full advantage of his abilities. He wouldn’t hesitate to use his skills to their fullest extent, even if it meant upsetting the balance he had been so cautious to maintain. The thought steeled his resolve, if they pushed him, he would push back, and he wouldn’t hold anything back.

In the end, Iri and some others spent the whole afternoon talking with the council and they returned tired after all that. Dinner was already ready when they returned... Raiden had started cooking larger portions from the beginning and while the others didn’t ask him for it, at least they didn’t let it go to waste what he had cooked.

"Aren’t you going ask what we talked about it?" Iri asked.

"Aren’t you going to talk about it?" Raiden asked.

"Maybe I shouldn’t talk about it..." Iri said.

"Maybe I shouldn’t ask it either," Raiden said.

"I am starting to think that I shouldn’t tell you..." Iri’s eyebrows twitched.

"I guess you could be right," Raiden shrugged.

Raiden was really clever for his age, thanks to that, Iri couldn’t help but feel a bit bothered by that type of talk. In any case, hiding that was useless since soon they all would learn the truth.

"The council wants to check the progress of the trainees, they want to send them to dungeons that they usually wouldn’t send them given their age and inexperience," Iri explained. "If they succeed, they will confirm that the training was a success."

"Dungeons?" Raiden asked, visibly interested.

Raiden hadn’t heard the word "dungeon" before, but the moment Iri mentioned it, his mind began working to understand its meaning. Though unfamiliar, the term carried a weight that hinted at something more than just a simple location. From the context and the way Iri spoke, he quickly pieced together an image of what a dungeon must be.

He imagined a dark, foreboding place, hidden away from the world, perhaps deep underground or within the heart of a dangerous forest. A dungeon, as he envisioned it, would be teeming with all manner of monstrous creatures, each more deadly than the last. These monsters would be there to test anyone brave or foolish enough to enter, forcing them to fight for their lives with every step they took.

But the dangers wouldn’t stop with the monsters. Raiden could easily imagine the corridors and rooms filled with traps, each one designed to catch the unwary. Spiked pits, poisoned darts, collapsing ceilings—anything that could turn a careless mistake into a fatal error. The very air inside the dungeon would likely be thick with tension, the walls echoing with the sounds of unseen threats.

"Dungeons, labyrinths, mazes... they are all names for ancient structures that behave like monsters," Iri explained. "They attracted all sorts of creatures and devoured them to make them their minions and multiply them with their powers and with the intent to use them to defend themselves while they keep growing."

"Oh, that sounds like an interesting place," Raiden said.

Iri noticed the sudden interest in her little brother’s eyes, he didn’t usually show interest in many things, so that was refreshing. Still, dungeons were pretty dangerous, so she could understand how her parents worried about her now.

"They are pretty dangerous, but there are some here that are easier, in which the elves and dwarves use to clear in order to prove their value," Iri explained. "It is like a coming-of-age ceremony."

"That didn’t seem like them at all," Raiden said.

Iri went on to explain that the council’s plan was for the elves and dwarves to enter the dungeon with the assistance of their instructors. They would have to fight their way through the dangers that lurked inside, relying on their training and teamwork to survive. The test they had been given seemed straightforward at first glance: bring back at least ten pairs of troll ears.

Trolls, as Iri described them, were notoriously difficult creatures to deal with. They were large, brutish, and incredibly resilient. Their most troublesome trait was their ability to regenerate from wounds at an alarming rate, making them tough opponents in any battle. Even severe injuries that would incapacitate other creatures were mere inconveniences to trolls, as they could heal rapidly and return to the fight.

Despite these challenges, the task seemed simple enough on the surface. Collecting ten pairs of ears might have sounded like a reasonable goal, but Raiden quickly understood that it was anything but. The real difficulty lay in overcoming the trolls’ regenerative abilities, as well as the sheer strength and ferocity of these creatures. It would require precise strikes, coordination, and perhaps even some strategy to ensure the trolls were down for good before the ears could be taken.

"Why only that much?" Raiden asked. "Reaching the end of the dungeon would be a much better test."

"Because we have one hundred groups to do that, it would be fine if they choose an easier dungeon, but this was also part of their tradition," Iri explained. "The test is to gather only half of that, under normal circumstances."

Considering what he had seen, Raiden could tell that his trainees had gotten two times stronger, maybe it was fine since he would be alongside them... at the same time, he would have more time for his training. Regardless, that wasn’t up for debate, but he sure was going to report that back to his Father and Mother.

"We will inform the others tomorrow and then proceed to the dungeon the day afterward," Iri added.

Raiden’s carefully laid plans were suddenly thrown into disarray by this new development, which was annoying. He had been planning to acquire new equipment and supplies, hoping to buy and enhance some items to bolster his capabilities. However, with the upcoming dungeon challenge looming over them, he realized that he wouldn’t have the time or opportunity to make those purchases anytime soon. The thought was frustrating, as he had been counting on those new acquisitions to help him grow stronger and more prepared for future challenges.

Yet, despite the setback, the prospect of exploring a dungeon interested him. The idea of venturing into such a dangerous and mysterious place stirred something within him, a mix of excitement and anticipation. Even if he couldn’t fully equip himself as he had planned, the chance to face the unknown in a dungeon was an opportunity he couldn’t ignore.

The more he thought about it, the more Raiden began to see the potential in this situation. The dungeon would be a place where he could test his abilities in ways he hadn’t yet experienced. It was a different kind of challenge, one that required not just physical strength but also strategy, quick thinking, and resourcefulness. The idea of facing monsters, navigating traps, and perhaps even discovering hidden treasures was enough to offset his disappointment about his disrupted plans.

When the trainees heard about that the next day, some of them looked pretty excited... others not so much. That was the chance that many waited to prove that they were adults, while others still felt a bit unsure about that. Raiden’s trainees were part of the second group.

At first, they felt confident since they were able to learn force before the others, but soon they noticed that the others caught up... now, their only way to gain an edge would be by learning techniques, but they had already found out the dangers of doing that.

"Having the cold feet?" Raiden asked while looking at them. "Well, unless they are extremely dangerous, the trolls shouldn’t be a problem against me and I heard that they only appear one at a time at the start of the dungeon, so it will be fine."

As he finished explaining the details of the upcoming dungeon challenge, Raiden glanced around at the other trainees. Despite the encouraging words, many of them still looked unsure, their faces marked by a mixture of apprehension and doubt. The idea of facing trolls, creatures known for their immense strength and regenerative abilities, was clearly intimidating to them. Raiden couldn’t blame them; the task ahead was daunting, even for those who had been training diligently.

But as Raiden continued to think about the situation, a new thought occurred to him. The trolls, with their incredible regenerative abilities and brute force, might actually offer him more than just a challenging battle, they might give him a clue about the technique he had been striving to master.

Perhaps, by observing the trolls closely, he could learn something valuable. Their ability to recover from injuries so quickly was more than just a biological trait; it was a skill, a technique of survival that allowed them to stay in the fight despite overwhelming odds. If he could understand how they moved, how they fought, and how they used their regenerative powers to their advantage, he might be able to incorporate some of those elements into his own fighting style.