Chapter 50: The Waiting Hall

First Year Canteen Hall.

At an end table by the wall, a heavy silence lingered among a group of people. Everyone wore a grim expression, looking as if they had lost a thousand gold. The students who had finished their evening training sessions had all gathered in the canteen to relax and talk. Moon, who had also finished her archery training, came to the canteen to drink some beverages and check on Max. She had been observing how he was faring for an entire week.

Previously, she had received a call from her mother ordering her not to speak to Max, which left her shell-shocked. Why would her mother ask such a thing? If it were anyone else, she could have understood, but it was Max, with whom they shared a close professional and friendly relationship. However, the order was a firm ultimatum, so she had to comply.

Although it was hard to watch Max return to his earlier, similar academy life, she was not ready to oppose her mother's order. After a week's time, the situation became normal, and she started to concentrate on her practice. However, when she came to the canteen after training today, she noticed Anne was sitting at the table where Max usually sat.

Taken aback by this sudden change, Moon was dumbfounded. She wondered how Anne was brave enough to do this; even as someone from a commoner family, Anne possessed the courage to approach Max. Bewildered, Moon searched for Max in the canteen, but he was nowhere to be found.

Confused by this scenario, she quickly went to Anne and inquired about what was happening. Only then did she learn that Max had been called to the Academy Head Teacher's office first thing in the morning. After that, he had never returned to class or attended his sword and healer training.

This led them to speculate on many scenarios, the most obvious being that Max had left the Academy and decided to join another. Although she knew Max was different from other nobles, she could understand how he had mentally endured the isolation for two whole months in the Academy. The saddest part was that he did not display even a speck of pride regarding his status as the son of a Grand Duke to anyone.

While they were conversing about what could have transpired to him, Nathalie joined them. She had arrived after Max failed to attend the Healing practice class, and eventually, Steven joined as well.

After sitting for a long while, Steven finally spoke. "I do not think he is the kind of guy who would get depressed and leave the Academy just because someone stopped talking to him."

"Well, that is obvious," Anne said.

"Then where is he? What could be so urgent that he would skip classes? As far as I know, mandatory attendance applies to everyone," Nathalie said, pointing out how skipping classes to a certain extent would result in punishment.

"I am not sure that applies to him. Since he has three classes to cover, he usually never attends Archery training," Moon said.

"Oh, yes. I forgot about that." Nathalie realized how Max had multiple classes to manage.

"As I said, he was performing those healing tasks regularly. There were rumors that even Old Noble families visit the Academy to be treated by Max. Thus, this might be a scenario where he had to travel away from the Academy rather than having them come down here," Moon explained.

"Yes, I also thought that seemed to be the case," Steven agreed.

While they were conversing based on these speculations, a few people suddenly approached their table. They were taken aback by this situation, as others usually never approached that particular table.

Looking up, Moon noticed three guys standing with jeering smiles on their faces. These were the same guys who had come to beat down Max a week prior. Although they could not do it at that time, they had left stating they would take care of him once the Leaders Head position competition concluded. Since the results were already announced, it marked the time for an official duel call.

"Where is that incompetent guy? Did he run away from the Academy, afraid of me?" Detlev, the lean and tall guy, asked.

"Who are you talking about?" Moon was a little confused by these people's approach and the sudden, abrupt conversation. She had not even seen these guys' faces earlier.

"Are you acting dumb or what? How many untalented people joined this Academy?" Detlev became annoyed after seeing Moon's ignorant reaction.

Moon, however, was taken aback by this guy's sudden behavior in calling her dumb. Not only Moon, but even Anne was dumbfounded by this guy's sudden insult toward Moon.

"Did your mother drop you when you were a kid?" Moon did not get agitated or feel insulted.

"No, why are you asking?" Detlev was surprised by this sudden, unrelated question.

"Then why are you behaving like a retard and making other people's lives hard? Why do you not go and build a sand castle on the ground instead of uttering nonsense to us?" Moon said with a straight face.

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Detlev's face turned red as rage boiled within him. His eyes twitched, and his mouth quivered after hearing Moon's insult. With overflowing rage, he gritted his teeth, ready to send a punch toward Moon. However, his friends controlled him again, holding his shoulder and whispering something into his ears. Upon hearing that, his face started to relax, and he became calm.

"Hahaha, very well. If you do not tell us where that guy is, then there is no other choice but to do this," Detlev said, pointing his finger toward Moon.

"I, Detlev Remar, challenge you to a Duel." He issued a Duel challenge toward Moon.

"As I said, you are a retard. You would be better off playing with a mud house rather than in a Duel." Moon shook her head after hearing the Duel challenge from the guy.

"You…" Detlev's anger rushed to his head again upon seeing his opponent's response to his real Duel. This was something he had always dreamed of since childhood, imagining how he could bravely challenge people to a Duel. Yet, now that the time had come and he had issued a challenge, he was mocked for it. It was unacceptable.

"You fools, you must mention the Full Name of the challenged person when calling for a Duel," Steven, who had sat silently observing the scene, said with an amusing smile. "Did you all even read the rules for initiating a Duel? Or are you simply running around playing a children's Duel game?"

Detlev stared at Steven, his breathing growing heavy. "You, what is her name?" he asked, pointing his finger at Anne.

"I do not know," Anne replied. She tilted her head toward the table, not wanting to get involved in the matter.

"You insignificant…" Just as Detlev was about to curse, Moon spoke up.

"Do you really want to Duel with me?" she asked.

"Of course. It will become my first winning streak. Through you, I will show this Academy and the people who I truly am," Detlev said, puffing out his chest.

"Very well, let us do it. Tomorrow at 8 o'clock. We will go to the arena and register officially." With that, Moon stood up from the table and stared directly at him.

---

"Max… Max…" Max heard someone calling his name.

Where was he currently? Why were they calling him? What was the purpose? These were the thoughts Max's mind attempted to process, until he suddenly jolted awake from his sleep.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes. I am okay." Max quickly rubbed his eyes, attempting to obtain a clear view and understand his situation.

While doing so, he felt his body become extremely light; at the same time, his muscle fatigue still lingered. Once his mind began to process, he realized where he was. However, to his surprise, he was currently sitting on a plush floor bed. Before him, Adrien crouched down and looked at him.

"Hey," Max greeted.

"Are you feeling okay?" Adrien asked again.

"Yes, I feel good. Are we still in the Hall? How much time has passed?" Max asked, realizing he was inside the Temple Hall.

"Yes, we are still in the Hall. It has been 24 hours since we arrived here," Adrien replied.

"Twenty-four hours?" Hearing how long he had been asleep, Max was surprised. Did the Boss not attack them yet?

"Do not worry; we have plenty of time. I woke you up so you could eat something. Without natural nutrition, you will not recover from your Mana exhaustion. So, come have something to eat. If you want more rest, you can take it later," Adrien suggested.

Now realizing he was indeed hungry, his stomach began to growl. Max stood up, but his joints and muscles immediately started to ache. This was the aftereffect of consuming too many Mana Recovery Potions.

Mana Recovery Potions were considered emergency items; they were not meant to be used leisurely. Max had been in a state of euphoria when the battle occurred, which caused him to drink too many vials. However, consuming this much so frequently would definitely put his body under heavy strain and eventually weaken it. Thus, he had to consider his overall health before focusing on his skills and proficiencies.

After freshening up, Max arrived to eat, expecting some dried meat or bread. However, what he saw was a large banquet of food. There were fruits, meats, desserts, and much more. It did not feel like they were inside a Dungeon; rather, it felt like a cookhouse.

"Wow, that is a lot of food," Max commented as he sat down and began to eat.

"Yes, you can eat as much as you want and recover your health before we move to the Boss Hall," Candice said.

"Oh, right. I will be doing a lot." Max realized he would play a major role in the upcoming Boss battle. Thus, he needed to be in a 100% state in order to utilize 100% of his skills. If he felt fatigued or tired, the Boss battle would become hard. He had already witnessed what a grueling battle looked like.

"How much time do we still have until we face the Boss monster?" Max asked, wanting to know if there was a time limit for them to enter.

"There is no time limit. We can even take weeks to rest in this Hall; this is a Safe Zone," Leon said while chewing his steak.

"Wow, that much time? How do we have this kind of luxury?" Max was a little taken aback by this scenario. They could take weeks to rest in this Hall, meaning there was no urgency to attack the Boss. This was the first time he had heard of this kind of Dungeon.

"In Special Dungeons like this, there are always places called Safe Zones. It is very hard to reach these places, but once you arrive, you can stay and rest for as much time as possible," Adrien explained. "Since you are a first-year, you will eventually learn about different types of Dungeons and features like this."

Although Max had read a few books about Dungeons and monsters, they were only beginner-level books. Therefore, it was obvious why he was unaware of this.

"So, when are we planning to attack the Boss? I do not think you all want weeks of rest, right?" Max asked.

"No, we do not, Max. As long as you are at 100%, we can march to the Boss Hall," Adrien replied as he tossed a fruit into his mouth.

Max nodded his head; he had expected as much. It was obvious these people were in good condition just by looking at them with the naked eye. Furthermore, these were people with three evolutions. Their recovery time would be astonishingly fast.

"I may need two more days to return to my prime condition," Max said.

When he had agreed upon this Quest, the overall Quest time was three days. However, two days had already passed, and two more days would be spent here. In the end, this Quest was taking almost a week's time.

Max suddenly thought about the Academy. The results would have already been announced, and overall, the first-years would be very busy with a lot of activities.

Although he could head into battle right away if the situation demanded it, but the current situation was different. He could take two days of rest and recover his body. If he were to rush simply for the sake of the quest and subsequently failed to handle the situation properly during difficult moments, lives could be lost. so, he needed time.

"Not a problem, Max. Take your time," Adrien agreed.