Reincarnated as an Elf Prince-Chapter 36: The Only Hope

Lindarion continued his training, slashing at a wooden dummy with his practice sword. His movements were refined, elegant—like a dancer lost in his art.

'I'm not fast enough.'

He channeled mana into his legs, his figure turning into a blur. To an ordinary human's eyes, he was invisible right now.

A few trainees stood frozen, mouths agape at his speed.

'Faster. Faster.'

Lindarion didn't stop. Even as the other trainees left, including the eighth-ranked one, he remained alone on the training grounds.

He continued training alone for a while. Without rest, without pause.

'I'm not good enough. Not even remotely close'

He accelerated, pouring every drop of mana into his sword—then slashed.

The training dummy split in half.

His sword, however, shattered into pieces.

'...I should head inside.'

Just as he turned to leave, a figure walked out of the building.

'Of course, my luck is great as always'

"Number One Trainee. What are you still doing here?"

Magnus's voice was calm, different from the one he used during training.

"Sir Magnus, I just finished my session and was heading back to rest," Lindarion replied evenly.

Magnus glanced at the wreckage—the destroyed dummy, the remnants of a broken sword—then sighed with an amused smile.

"How strong are you, kid?" He let out a chuckle.

"As far as I know, sir, it's not polite to ask such things," Lindarion responded, voice cold but carrying a faint smirk.

Magnus's smile faded slightly. "Fair enough."

"Rest up for tomorrow. You won't like it." He patted Lindarion's shoulder before walking away.

Lindarion turned after him. "What do you mean by that?"

No response.

'I guess fate will decide what awaits me tomorrow.'

Shaking his head, Lindarion slowly made his way back to his room.

He collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

With a flick of his mana, shadows coiled around him—Selene appeared beside him, her long black hair cascading down her back, eyes as dark as the void.

"Wow, young master! It's been so long since I've been in an actual room," she said, flopping onto the bed.

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"How was your first day?" she asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

Lindarion smirked. "Pretty average. Beat some guy, won every sparring match."

Selene beamed with pride, puffing out her chest. "That's my master!"

"I'm going to sleep. Something's happening tomorrow."

Selene tilted her head. "Something?"

"Even I don't know yet."

Lindarion sighed, laying back as Selene curled up near his head.

"Goodnight Master."

"Goodnight Selene."

Magnus's words echoed in his mind as his eyes slowly closed.

—

Magnus

Magnus sat in his office, sorting through the trainees' reports. A letter lay in his hands.

'They're not ready. Not even close.'

The letter was from his superior.

A Tier 2 dungeon had appeared. He was to send ten trainees—his best ones.

But in his honest opinion, only the first-ranked trainee was truly prepared.

'But he won't be able to clear a Tier 3 dungeon alone. There is no chance.'

Magnus exhaled, leaning back in his chair, scanning through the list.

'Trainees One, Five, Eight, Twelve, Thirty, Forty-Two, Seventy-One, One Hundred Twelve, One Hundred Eighty-One, and One Hundred Ninety-Eight.'

Those were the names. The names of the strongest trainees in the camp. If they couldn't clear it then no other trainee could.

Even if he doubted them.

'I just hope they make it out alive.'

—

Lindarion

Morning arrived.

Lindarion rubbed his eyes, stretching as Selene floated in the air before him.

"It's time for you to go back, Selene."

Her face fell, but she nodded. The darkness swallowed her, and she disappeared.

Lindarion pushed himself out of bed. He wasn't tired, yet something felt off.

'Something feels off.'

Ignoring the unease, he stripped off his uniform and stepped into the bath. The cold water ran over his skin, refreshing yet sharp.

When he was done, he dried off with a thick woolen towel, the sensation pleasant against his skin. The lingering scent of the water left him feeling more awake.

Dressing back into his uniform, he walked out of his room—heading straight for the training grounds.

Some of the trainees were already warming up, but not everyone had arrived yet. Magnus was also missing.

'Old man's probably running late.'

Lindarion quickly dismissed the thought.

Then, as if on cue, the rest of the trainees arrived and began lining up.

Still no Magnus.

'Just where the hell is he?'

And just as the thought crossed his mind, the office doors slammed open. Magnus stormed out, his booming voice shaking the entire training grounds.

"EVERYONE! ATTENTION!"

His voice was like an explosion, obliterating the fragile silence.

'Pretty sure everyone was already looking at you, old man.'

Lindarion shook his head as Magnus continued.

"Today is going to be a difficult and special day. You will be sent to explore a Tier 2 dungeon."

The trainees collectively froze.

His words hit them like a thunderclap.

Whispers spread like wildfire. Some trembled. One guy—was he crying?

"They're sending us to die!"

"Why?! Why do we have to do this?!"

"They want to get rid of us!"

'Tier 2 doesn't even sound that bad...'

Lindarion massaged his temple, watching the chaos unfold.

"Only ten trainees will be participating."

'Considering my luck, I'm going to be one of them.'

A wave of relief washed over the crowd. Some looked even more nervous.

Magnus began listing names.

"Trainee One, Five, Eight, Twelve, Thirty, Forty-Two, Seventy-One, One Hundred Twelve, One Hundred Eighty-One, and One Hundred Ninety-Eight. Step forward!"

Those whose names weren't called looked like they'd just been given a second chance at life.

'So I'm in. Who would've thought? Definitely not me.'

Lindarion was the first to step forward. As he walked, he could feel the stares burning into his back. He slowly arrived next to Magnus, but the whispers didn't stop.

"They're sending a kid?"

"What the hell are they thinking...?"

Lindarion ignored the whispers. He was just about to tune everything out when—

[Ding!]

A sharp beep rang in his head.

—[Quest Window]—

——————————

'...??? Excuse me? What the hell'

Lindarion's eyes flicked to the Failure section. Meanwhile, the other chosen trainees stepped forward—yesterday's girl and the elven man included. But Lindarion's focus remained locked on the screen.

'So failure could be death?'

[That depends on your abilities, Host.]

'...Fantastic. Just what I needed..'

Lindarion let out a quiet sigh.

'System I accept the quest.'

[Quest Started! Good luck in the dungeon, Host.]

Magnus scanned the ten trainees, then reached into his coat, pulling out... a wristband?

"A captain's armband. Whoever wears this will lead the mission."

His voice was firm. No one dared to object.

His eyes roamed over the group. Then—

He stopped on Lindarion.

'Oh, of course. Who would've thought.'

"Number One Trainee! Step forward!"

The murmurs started immediately.

"Is he serious?"

"This has to be a joke..."

Without hesitation, Lindarion stepped forward. Magnus secured the golden armband around his wrist—it melded into his uniform like it belonged there.

"You will lead this mission."

Magnus's voice was steady, filled with expectation.

'Because you're our only hope, kid.'