“Are you sure that’s all there is to your condition?” Helia asked for confirmation.
“Yes.” Leo calmly nodded.
“Okay, I have no problem agreeing to it.”
“Good. Then let’s train together. The more the merrier, after all.”
Thus, Helia joined Leo and Lia in their training section.
When Eve returned home later that day, Leo told her about his team.
“Helia Barnett and Lia Scarlet, huh? This is possibly the strongest team ever created since my team when I was still a mere student in this academy.” Eve spoke with a nostalgic smile on her face.
Helia Barnett by herself is already a genius that comes around only once in a hundred years, then there’s Lia Scarlet, a true magic prodigy that appears once in a thousand years. As for Leo, he was a special entity that might never appear in this world ever again.
With a powerful team like this, it was almost a guarantee for them to dominate the Ancient Labyrinth.
“Leo, with such a powerful team, if your result is any less than mine, I will beat you up.” Eve said to him with a half joking and half serious smile on her face.
“What was your result?” He asked.
“37 floors,” she calmly said.
“Wow, that’s pretty impressive, especially when you’re still just students. The furthest anyone ever got was 52 floors, right?”
“That’s right, and that was achieved about 50 years later, when I returned as an experienced adult.”
“50 laters…” Leo swallowed nervously.
“Has anybody tried to clear the Ancient Labyrinth since?” He continued to ask.
“No, but there has been talks about it recently. Perhaps a new team will be sent down there in a few years.”
“I see… By the way, I don’t think this was ever mentioned, but how long do we get for the Labyrinth Examination? Is it like the Wilderness Training Course? A month?”
“No, you will have 60 days to clear as many floors as you can.”
“So two months, huh? I will need to restock my inventory tomorrow.”
“Do you intend on adding another person to your team? You can have up to 4 people per team, so you still have room for one more.” Eve suddenly asked him.
“Well… I don’t know anyone else.” Leo shrugged.
And he continued, “If Helia didn’t come to us, I would’ve probably just entered with Lia.”
“I suggest you find someone who can use light magic. The difference between a team with a healer and a team without is like heaven and earth. However, at this point, I highly doubt anyone that can use light magic is still available, since they’re incredibly valuable and almost always taken even months before the Labyrinth Examination.”
“Then that settles it, I guess. We’re going to be a three-man team.”
“Four if you count me.” Lilith said.
“Actually, I have a recommendation— a very talented student who might fit in quite well in your team.” Eve suddenly said.
“If this student is very talented, why isn’t this person already in a team?”
“There are a couple of reasons, but one of them is because she’s a timid one, and she doesn’t like fighting. However, the biggest reason is definitely because she has an intense fear for monsters, hence why she always refuses to do anything.”
Leo raised an eyebrow after hearing this information, and he said, “Sounds like this student won’t even participate in the Labyrinth Examination, so what’s the point of introducing her to me?”
“We won’t know until we ask her.” A mysterious smile appeared on Eve’s face.
“I’ll set up a meeting first thing tomorrow morning.”
“I guess.”
The following morning, Eve made a phone call that lasted about five minutes.
“So, what do you think?” Eve asked the person on the other side of the phone.
“I will meet him.” A gentle voice filled with resolution resounded through the phone.
A bright smile appeared on Eve’s face, and she spoke, “We’ll see you in an hour.”
After hanging up, Eve met up with Leo.
“The meeting’s been scheduled. We’ll meet her in the ‘garden’.”
“Sure.”
Sometime later, Leo and Eve walked to the ‘garden’, which is also known as the Witches’ Garden, a hotspot amongst female students due to the flowery environment and the sweet scent.
“This place is more amazing than the one in my head.” Leo mumbled out loud.
There was also a Witches’ Garden in his old world, but it had a different name, and it wasn’t as lively.
After navigating the garden that was also a slight maze, Leo and Eve approached a small pavilion that was surrounded by flowers, and sitting under this pavilion was a beautiful young girl with silky light golden hair that flowed down her back, and near the end of her hair was tied by a red ribbon.
Leo’s eyes widened with surprise after seeing this person.
“Is that…?” He mumbled in a dazed voice.
“You know her?” Eve asked him as they approached her.
“Not personally.” He shook his head.
Once they reached the steps, the female student turned to look at them, revealing her angel-like face and golden eyes that flickered with excitement.
She stood up and greeted them with a bow, “Good morning, Headmistress, and… L-Leo.”
Leo’s eyebrows raised slightly.
“Hello, Celeste Light.” Eve returned her greetings.
‘Celeste Light…’ Leo mumbled inwardly.
Celeste Light was the most popular girl in his old world because of her angelic features and kind nature. However, unlike his old world, Celeste had a different last name in this world.
‘She’s from the Light Family in this world? Is she Miss Camille’s younger sister or something?’ Leo wondered inwardly.
“Please, sit down.” Celeste gracefully showed them their seats.
After sitting down, Eve nudged Leo and said to him, “Introduce yourself.”
“Oh, right. Hey, I’m Leo Magnus.”
“Hello…” Celeste responded without eye contact, and it looked like she was avoiding him on purpose.
‘I heard that she wasn’t good with men. Looks like the rumor was true.’ Leo thought to himself.