Chapter 87: Dungeon Lockdown

Ethan briefly explained what had happened inside the dungeon. He told them about the Bat King, the students who had been captured and used as blood bags, and the formation they had discovered in the chamber. He also described the bloody hand that had emerged from the pool and how he had forced it to retreat with his Divine Flame.

The five instructors exchanged serious looks. The captured students were already bad enough, but the involvement of the Blood Monarch made the situation far more complicated.

"You’re telling me the Blood Monarch actually reached into the dungeon and attacked you?" Rolland asked.

"That’s what happened," Ethan replied.

Rolland shook his head. "I can’t believe this. One of the Nine Abyssal Kings has reached into a second-order dungeon, and we didn’t even know what was happening until now."

"The Bat King was clearly acting under its orders," the scarred instructor said. "It had captured students and was collecting their blood. Whatever the purpose was, it wasn’t a random attack."

"Then there’s the way the Blood Monarch reached us," the woman added. "That hand came through the pool of blood. Could the pool have acted as a connection between the dungeon and the Abyssal King?"

"Possibly," the oldest instructor replied. "We don’t know enough to say for certain, but if the blood formation allowed it to reach into the dungeon, we need to find out how it worked. We can’t ignore the possibility that something similar could happen elsewhere."

The scarred instructor glanced at Ethan, clearly wanting to ask more about the strange flame. Rolland interrupted before he could speak.

"We can investigate the dungeon first. We still need to deal with the captured students and find out what happened inside."

The scarred instructor nodded, though he still seemed curious.

Before anyone could say anything else, the Nightmare Portal began to glow.

"Hahaha! This time, first place in the Bat Cave ranking is definitely ours!" Cassian’s voice came from the other side. "We cleared it faster than before. There’s no way we’re losing this time!"

"Let’s wait until we see the results," one of his teammates replied.

"What’s there to wait for? We did better than our last run. Just watch us climb to the top!"

The three figures stepped out of the portal, but their excitement faded when they saw the five instructors standing nearby.

Cassian stopped. The two area-of-effect mages behind him nearly bumped into his back.

"Uh... what’s going on here?"

He looked at the instructors, then at Ethan and Aria. He couldn’t understand why so many instructors had gathered at the entrance.

"Did something happen while we were inside?" one of his teammates asked quietly.

Before they could ask anything else, Rolland stepped forward.

"Listen carefully. The Bat Cave dungeon is now closed. No student is allowed to enter until the academy completes its investigation. Anyone still inside must leave immediately."

The students exchanged glances, but nobody objected. They had heard enough of Ethan’s report to understand that something serious had happened inside. Nobody wanted to risk their lives for another dungeon run.

"The other four dungeons will remain open, and the challenge will continue as planned," Rolland added. "However, the Bat Cave ranking is now frozen. The current positions will remain unchanged until the challenge ends. No further attempts will be allowed."

Cassian’s smile faded.

"Wait! What about our results? We just finished our run!"

"Your completed run will count," Rolland answered. "But there will be no more attempts in the Bat Cave. The ranking will remain as it stands when the challenge ends."

Cassian fell silent. His team had just completed another run, hoping to improve their position in the Bat Cave ranking. Now, they had lost the chance to make another attempt.

Then he seemed to remember something.

"Hold on. If the Bat Cave is closed, the Bug Cleanup Crew can’t make another run either, right?"

His two teammates exchanged glances. They had reached the same conclusion.

The Bug Cleanup Crew had been clearing the dungeons repeatedly, and their performance had made them a serious competitor in the rankings. Cassian’s team had been hoping to overtake them in the Bat Cave.

With the dungeon now closed, the Bug Cleanup Crew would have no chance to improve its position there.

Cassian’s disappointment eased a little. He couldn’t make another attempt either, but at least their main competitor had lost the same opportunity.

"Well," he said, trying to keep the satisfaction out of his voice, "I suppose that’s not so bad."

Rolland turned toward the other instructors. Let’s go. We need to get those students out and examine that chamber ourselves."

The four instructors nodded, and Rolland looked back at Ethan and Aria.

"You two can return to the academy. If we need to ask you anything else, we’ll find you later."

"Alright," Ethan replied.

Rolland gave a brief nod before turning toward the Hell Difficulty portal. The other four instructors followed him, and the five soon disappeared into the dungeon.

Cassian watched them leave before turning to his teammates.

"Well, that settles it. No more runs in the Bat Cave."

"At least the Bug Cleanup Crew can’t make another attempt either," one of his teammates said.

Cassian grinned. "Exactly. Let’s head to another dungeon. We still have a chance to improve our ranking there."

The three walked away without even checking the Bat Cave rankings. They were already thinking about which dungeon to challenge next.

Aria watched them leave before turning to Ethan. "Aren’t they talking about us?"

Ethan shrugged. "Let them."

The two continued walking through the academy grounds.

After a while, Aria asked, "Do you think the instructors will find anything useful?"

"Who knows?" Ethan replied. "We’ll find out later."

Aria yawned and stretched her arms. "Honestly, I’m exhausted. I’m going straight to my dormitory and sleeping until tomorrow. I don’t even want to think about another dungeon for the rest of the day."

Ethan chuckled. "Then get some rest."

"That’s exactly what I plan to do. See you tomorrow!"

With that, Aria headed toward the girls’ dormitory while Ethan made his way to the boys’ dormitory.