Amon followed Seraphina through the hallway until they reached a quieter section of the academy.
There were still a few students walking around, but nobody was close enough to hear their conversation.
Seraphina finally stopped and turned toward him.
Amon looked at her for a moment before asking, "Did you come looking for me yesterday?"
Seraphina nodded her head.
"Yes," she replied. "But I didn’t find you."
Amon tilted his head slightly. "I was busy with some work."
"I see..." She looked away for a moment before taking a small breath. "Anyway, that’s not why I came today."
Amon raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it?"
Seraphina hesitated before looking at him. "I need a favor."
Amon crossed his arms. "What kind of favor?"
Seraphina remained silent for a few seconds as though she was embarrassed to even ask.
"My mother’s birthday is coming soon." She looked away from him. "I don’t know what to give her."
Amon stared at her with a slightly confused expression. "Why don’t you ask one of your friends?"
Seraphina’s expression immediately became awkward. "I don’t really have any friends."
Amon blinked, surprised by her unexpected words.
He had expected her to have plenty considering how many students were constantly trying to talk to her.
Seraphina gave him a faint, somewhat sad smile.
"The only person I was ever really close to was my aunt." She lowered her eyes. "But she lives in another kingdom now."
Amon nodded slowly. ’So that’s why she came to me.’
He thought about it for a moment before asking another question. "What does your mother like?"
Seraphina shook her head. "I don’t really know."
"You don’t know?"
"My mother is... very conservative." Seraphina sighed. "She doesn’t talk about herself much and keeps almost everything to herself."
Amon frowned slightly. That made choosing a birthday present considerably harder.
"Then does she have any hobbies?"
Seraphina thought about it for several seconds. "She likes killing monsters."
Amon stared at her. "...That’s not really a hobby."
Seraphina let out a soft chuckle. "It’s what she does whenever she has free time."
Amon rubbed his chin while thinking. ’What kind of mother spends her free time killing monsters?’
He eventually shrugged. "Alright. Then we can work with that."
Seraphina looked at him curiously. "How?"
"We could get her something useful for hunting monsters." Amon started listing possibilities. "Maybe a staff that improves Ice affinity, or some kind of armor or combat suit."
Seraphina’s expression became slightly uncertain. "Wouldn’t that be too straightforward?"
Amon smacked his lips slowly. "We don’t really have another choice."
Seraphina thought about it for a while and finally nodded her head. "That could work."
Amon smiled slightly. "Then I’ll help you find something."
Seraphina looked at him. "You will?"
"Of course." Amon pointed toward himself with a confident expression. "I have really good eyes when it comes to this kind of thing."
Seraphina stared at him for a moment.
She probably remembered the earrings he had found for her and the cultivation technique he had somehow obtained.
After a short silence, she nodded. "Alright."
"Then let’s meet after class, uh, at 5 P.M. in the weapons market."
Seraphina nodded again. "Okay."
She turned around but stopped after taking a few steps. There was something clearly bothering her.
She looked back at Amon. "What do you want in return?"
Amon smiled. "I’ll tell you what I want when the time comes."
Seraphina’s eyebrows rose. "That’s it?"
Amon shrugged as though it wasn’t important. "You don’t need to worry about it now."
Seraphina stared at him suspiciously. "You’re making me nervous."
"I won’t ask for the pink remote, don’t worry."
Seraphina rolled her eyes before walking away.
Amon watched her disappear down the hallway before turning around and heading back toward his classroom.
The moment Amon entered the classroom, several students looked toward him.
The strange looks were even more obvious than before.
Some students whispered to each other while others stared openly at him.
Amon’s eyebrow twitched.
’Again?’
He slowly walked toward his seat.
It didn’t take him long to understand what was happening.
The rumor from the day of awakening had apparently spread even further.
’So everyone really believes that Seraphina and I are getting married.’
Amon sighed, though he wasn’t particularly bothered by it.
If anything, the rumor was technically true in one way or another.
Eventually, the classroom door opened.
Miss Helena walked inside carrying several books beneath one arm.
She placed them on the teacher’s desk before setting a crystal tablet beside them.
The classroom immediately became quiet.
Helena looked around at the students.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Miss Helena."
She nodded before picking up one of the books. "I’ve spent the last few days reading through research papers concerning newly formed dungeons."
The students immediately became more attentive. Helena placed the book on the desk. "And what I’ve found isn’t particularly reassuring."
Amon leaned back in his chair as he listened to her.
Helena activated the crystal tablet, causing several images of dungeon entrances to appear above the desk.
"Over the past few months, the number of newly formed dungeons has been increasing."
Several students exchanged worried looks.
"The problem isn’t simply the number of dungeons."
Helena changed the image.
A map appeared in the air, covered with numerous marks.
"The environments inside newly formed dungeons are becoming increasingly unstable."
Helena continued after making sure everyone was paying attention.
"Based on the research we’ve gathered, there is a strong possibility that we’re about to experience a new wave of unexplored dungeons."
The classroom became completely silent.
Helena looked across the room. "That means you need to be prepared."
She paused for several seconds before continuing.
"There is also a possibility that your generation will face some of the hardest low-level dungeons ever recorded."
A few students immediately began whispering.
Amon remained silent. ’Hardest low-level dungeons?’
That sounded contradictory, but if the recent increase in dungeon activity was connected to it, then perhaps something unusual really was happening.
Helena looked toward the entire class with a serious expression.
"Don’t assume that because you’re Level 1, the dungeons you’ll enter will be easy."
She tapped the crystal tablet.
"The world of dungeons is changing."
Her gaze swept across the students.
"And if these reports are correct, your generation may be the first to experience what comes next."