Six hours had passed since the dungeon run began, and the participants had witnessed many things that had altered their perspective on the world. Their bodies were pushed to their breaking points, and their emotions were taken on a wild ride.

 

They had experienced joy, appreciation, excitement, disgust, anxiety, confusion, frustration, helplessness, despair, loneliness, guilt, and betrayal in such a short period of time.

 

One of the trainers' objectives could be said to have been met. They wanted these kids to be exposed to the dangers of a real dungeon and become accustomed to the sensation. 

 

It also made some of the students in higher sections realize how much they had neglected their training and had stagnated in terms of power, while providing new motivation for students in lower sections.

 

Only a few groups remained inside the dungeon space and were exploring the area. The ones who remained were obviously the cream of the crop and the ones who the trainers had the highest hopes for.

 

"I'm not sure how that particular group is still not kicked out," Sky said for the tenth time.

 

And that notion was shared by many other teachers, including Arata and Laura, because there was a specific group that was somehow able to avoid all dangers while still scoring by killing low leveled monsters

 

It was as if they had insider knowledge of the area and knew where the danger was, but this made no sense because it was impossible. No one from the first year possessed that ability, and only someone from tier one could do so.

 

That was why Laura was enraged; it didn't take an Einstein to figure out what was going on. Someone was assisting them, providing information about the monster pattern, and it was unmistakably the Overseer, Simon Seinfield.

 

The question was, however, how? The space inside the dungeon was specifically tuned to suppress the tiers of people inside, and even if it didn't, he couldn't have gotten around the cameras installed there because they were mana sensitive and focused on high level spells being used.

 

Laura had only a hunch and no evidence, so all she could do from here was watch the show.

 

Meanwhile Akira after killing the acolytes was going towards the eastern section of the dungeon because he knew that’s where some high leveled monsters were.

 

But he had no idea that of all the things that could have happened to him, the most cliched scenes from a shonen anime did. Getting jumped by a gang of students led by none other than Ryle.

 

He was in the middle of a jungle when his mana sense detected several incoming signatures, prompting him to raise his guard. But, strangely, they chose to remain hidden in plain sight rather than come out.

 

‘Sigh’

 

“Do you really think I can’t see you guys?” He was disappointed with them.

 

"Oh, your mana sense can see us even when we're using concealing magic? That was unexpected," Ryle said as he came out from behind a tree.

 

BLINK BLINK

 

“Your concealing magic needs practice, now can you tell why are you here with all these people?”

 

"Hahaha, cocky as usual. I wanna see if you can still be so indifferent after this, guys come out," he yelled, and about eight or nine students emerged.

 

They were holding various weapons and smirking; for them, this would be a double win because first, they would get Akira's point after obtaining his watch, and second, their leader had promised them rewards after that.

 

“This is going to cost me a ton of points.” Akira again sighed, he just couldn’t understand why this guy was doing all of this.

 

“Don’t worry we won’t eliminate you, we will only beat you up till the point you beg mercy-” Ryle couldn’t complete his sentence as he sensed the change in air.

 

Akira decided not to waste any time by having a dialogue with someone who was here to fight. If you want a fight then a fight is what you will get.

 

“Raijin.” He used his AOE skill with the intention to electrify each of them and eliminate them.

 

The sky rumbled, black clouds formed and soon the place was bombarded by lighting making the group yell in pain and suffering. The attack subsided after a while making the entire area silent.

 

“That was anticlimactic.” He said to himself.

 

“But man this is going to cost me so many points.” 

 

Ryle, on the other hand, began to doubt himself and his goals; how could he possibly lose to someone like Akira? He'd been training like a madman for the past week, but it was all for naught because he couldn't even defend against one attack.

 

For the second time in his life Ryle cried.

 

Following this fight, he moved on to the eastern section to have a real fight and gain some exp.

 

But after an hour of searching, all he found were some goblin soldiers, low-tier mana beasts, and booby traps set up by other students, leaving him wondering where the good stuff was. 

 

He had even decided to tail the protagonist's group because they had the best chance of finding a high level monster, but then he came across one of the groups led by someone from the A section.

 

He wasn't paying attention to them, but he came to a halt when the leader of the group appeared in his vision. 

 

Chris Von Deroy, from the Von Deroy noble family, had black hair, green eyes, an athletic build, and a golden chain around his neck.

 

And it didn't take long for Akira to figure out that this group was aided by Simon Seinfield from the shadows, as the De Roy family heir was incapable of doing so, and it was also from the game's plot.

 

So he began following them, but made it appear as if he was doing so by accident. 

 

And this decision was richly rewarded because Simon would steer the group away from high-leveled monsters and towards lower-leveled monsters, giving him the best chance. 

 

"Hahaha, following Simon's group was the best decision ever." 

 

"Hmm, I can feel it, the fourth tier is so close; just one good kill and I'll be there." He said this as he cheerfully walked towards the center of the area.

 

Now that only a few teams remained in the dungeon, the trainers decided to reduce the number of teams. space inside to allow all of them to proceed to the center, where the final monster awaited them.

 

"Students, proceed to the center of the dungeon," said a robotic voice, drawing everyone's attention.

 

Richard, Drake, Aurora, Alexandria, and everyone else in the area made their way to the center to see what was going on. This also made it difficult for Simon to perform his tricks.

 

On the way, Drake grumbled and asked, "Lana, how many points do we have?"

 

"1072," she said.

 

"Isn't that more than last year?"

 

"Yes, last year's top team scored 1021 points,and we are 51 points ahead of them," Lana said proudly.

 

"However, I'm curious about Richard and Aurora's group," Drake responded.

 

Dungeons were not unfamiliar to Drake and his group; there were a few of them in the Lionheart empire, and as the prince, he and his group had unlimited access to them. 

 

Exploring the dungeon was also added to their training regimen, which improved their group's coordination, strength, and temperament. But he was also aware that his main competitors had the same advantage.

 

"Oi, what's got you thinking?" Drake asked, tapping wolfkin on the shoulder.

 

"Hmm?" Shin raised his head from his thoughts.

 

"He's always thinking about something," Tyson, the tiger-kin, observed.

 

"That's right, Drake, he always does that," Altair added.

 

"Come on guys, it ain't like that," Shin said, dismissing their claims and proceeding.

 

Richard's crew had recently killed a swarm of high-tier scorpion mana creatures and were now making their way to the center of the arena.

 

"Lily, how many points do we have?"

 

"Umm, let me check, it's 1099." She responded cheerfully.

 

"That much? Wow, it appears that we will be number one." He called his companions, and they all cheered.

 

His gang was especially pleased to have Richard as their leader since, no matter how strong the monster was, Richard was able to vanquish him with his spear, and he was also polite and humble in giving them a few hints to better their talents.

 

Lily was also impressed by his battle prowess and quick thinking; during one of the fights, a monster sneaked up on her and was about to eliminate her, but was killed at the last second by a spear in his head.

 

Her heart was racing and her face was flushed red, but she was able to thank him in the end.

 

When the announcement was made, Alexandria was in the southern part of the dungeon, killing two massive wolf mana beasts.

 

"I guess this is it," she said as she jumped back to the empty land in front of those two wolves.

 

GROWL…

 

The two wolves were becoming increasingly enraged at this little human who was playing with them; no matter how quick they were on their feet, the girl seemed to be a tad bit faster.

 

The wolves gained some ground and began charging their mana cores in preparation for a large attack; they opened their mouths, and a dense black ball made entirely of pure mana appeared and grew in size. 

 

"That's bad," Alexandria said as she charged forward with her sword and shield.

 

The wolves had already hurled the mana balls in her direction, which was moving quickly and engulfing everything in its path; the attack had drained all their mana and left them huffing and panting.

 

"Stardust formation," she said as the round shield in her hand grew larger and several runes appeared on it. 

 

When the mana attack collided with the shield, a massive explosion occurred, completely destroying everything nearby. The scale of the explosion was so large that people in the center could see it.

 

The wolves were certain that the human was dead this time, so they let their guard down, but when the smoke cleared, they were stunned.

 

Alexandria's shield had survived the onslaught of two mana blasts; sure, it had cracks and would be broken if even a minor fireball hit it, but the important thing was that she was still there and angry.

 

Teeth grinding against each other, face contorted from the pain in her hands, blood dripping from the head, she was fuming, irritated because if her power had not been suppressed, it would never have come to this.

 

"Destiny Slash." She moved forward with the shield on her back, using a sword skill.

 

Her figure blitzed in front of the two wolves, who were still trying to figure out what was going on and when it was too late.

 

Her sword was dripping with mana, and she slashed both of their heads off with a single slash. Destiny slash was a difficult skill to master, but once mastered, it could slash off an enemy's head in the blink of an eye.

 

"Finally," said Alexandria, slumping to the ground.

 

She used her movement skill to cover the large distances and reach the center of the place after taking a few health and mana potions, but she was too shocked to say anything when she saw the condition of that place.

 

Drake's team, Richard's team, and Aurora's team were all unconscious on the ground, and their respective leaders were battered and bruised.

 

Their wounds were bleeding, their breathing was labored, and their faces had swollen with rage. Lily appeared to be in particularly bad shape, as her right arm appeared to be broken and she was holding her sword with her left.

 

The rest of them had their weapons drawn, and the only monster that had forced them to this state was a stone type? 

 

“No this is the stone golem with impenetrable defenses and the amount of mana it is radiating, it is no less than first tier.” She was taken aback by the discovery.

 

"Aargh..." Richard was attempting to impale the golem, but a flick from golem sent him flying away.

 

"NOOO Richiee..." Lily yelled as she ran towards him.

 

SWISH SWISH SWISH

 

Three arrows pierced the air and struck the back of that 9-foot structure, but nothing happened, as if they were toy arrows rather than deadly shots that could have killed anyone else.

 

"Damn it!!" Aurora fired another set of arrows, but nothing penetrated the golem's outer layer.

 

"YOU MONSTER!! taste my cataclysmic carver." 

 

Drake's sword split into several swords and began dancing in the air.

 

"Kill this monster," he said, directing the dancing swords.

 

Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh

 

Multiple swords began attacking the golem from all directions, attempting to slash its heads and limbs. Several of them even detonated in front of his face, but they did nothing except cause minor cracks.

 

Drake had hoped to see the golem's sorry state after the smoke cleared, but his jaw dropped when it was perfectly fine.

 

"What! That's impossible!" both he and Aurora exclaimed at the same time.

 

Cataclysmic carver was one of his most lethal attacks, and it had never failed him, but the golem in front of him was standing upright, making him frown.

 

"Shin, what the hell is this thing made of?" There's no way it's a regular stone." He shouted at the wolf kin who had earlier tried to attack the golem and was now recuperating.

 

"Ahh, it's not a golem, but an earth elemental," he coughed and returned.

 

"What are you talking about, an elemental?" Drake asked, not believing him.

 

"How can you be so sure?" Alexandria inquired, having personally checked it previously.

 

"Take another look at his skin; it's not entirely made of rock, but it does contain some sand and lava granules." Those granules are actually holding it together."

 

When they examined the golem carefully, they discovered that it was indeed an earth elemental, which meant that killing it would be much more difficult.

 

"Physical attacks are ineffective, mana attacks are ineffective, and he has impenetrable skin." "How are we going to defeat him?" His voice was filled with frustration.

 

Alexandria first gave them health potions before turning around and wondering how she could defeat an earth elemental. Her Aunt used to say that nothing in this world is insurmountable; all you need is a plan.

 

"Strategy, we need a strategy," she murmured to herself as she looked at the elemental who was currently engaged with Aurora.

 

"We definitely need a strategy and we need to work together if we want to defeat that monster," Lily and Richard explained.

 

Drake scoffed, "Work together? I'd rather be eliminated than do anything with you."

 

"YOU IDIOT! Don't you see that's the only way, no one can defeat him alone, Alexa?" Richard asked.

 

‘Sigh’

 

"Look, Drake, I don't want to team up, but it's the only way if we don't want to be eliminated," she finally admitted.

 

SWISH SWISH SWISH

 

Aurora followed them after she had a one-on-one with the elemental.

 

"What's taking you guys so long? Do we have a plan or not?" she demanded.

 

Drake couldn't believe it when she said that, "Even you, Aurora."

 

"We don't have a choice, Drake."

"Tch, fine, but only because you're saying," he agreed reluctantly.

 

"Great," Richard replied, and they began devising a strategy.

 

"First, Aurora will build a thick ice wall, which he won't be able to cross for a while," he said, and she nodded.

 

Back in the camera room, everyone was taken aback by the appearance of elemental and couldn't help but wonder who was behind it.

 

"Arata, I know it was your first big job, but don't you think it went a little too far?" Sky inquired.

 

"Ehh? I think it's perfectly fine; I was going to go with a golem, but this year's talent is much higher, so an elemental it is," he replied.

 

"You could have simply added more golems; our goal is to assist them in their development, not to hinder that by sending such monsters." Giuseppe was clearly displeased.

 

"Uhh... I still think it's fine," he argued.

 

"I think it's fine," Laura said, drowning out everyone else.

 

"Officer, would you mind explaining why?" Sky inquired.

 

"The only ones left on the field are the SIT members, and isn't this a perfect opportunity to see their collective might?" I've been training them, but working together is something they must learn on their own." She concluded.

 

How could Sky not understand her intentions? Fighting the elemental was just a front; her true goal was to straighten their ego and attitude, their belief that sometimes teamwork was required rather than working alone.

 

It wasn't a secret at this point that the first year was different; it wasn't like the previous year or any year before that. 

 

The students were more capable, sharper, and stronger, and they were the future rulers of the various empires. How long has it been since something like this happened?

 

But what use is a future ruler if he can't even collaborate with those in need?

 

The principal lacked the ability to predict the future, but he had an inkling that it weighed heavily on their shoulders, and if the ‘revelation’ made by his tribe was any indication of what was to come, he needed them to become stronger.

 

Laura thought to herself, 'They need to be stronger.'

 

The sound of stifled laughter came from the back of the room and caught everyone's attention at that tense moment when everyone was looking at the group forming a plan.

 

Martin was trying to keep himself under control while staring at the screen.

 

"Oh, I'm so sorry for that unsightly behavior," he apologized before returning to the screen.

 

The others were perplexed; had they just heard the no-nonsense Martin laugh about something?

 

The majority of the teachers responded, 'No, that didn't happen, my ears must be playing tricks on me.'

 

But when they looked at the screen he was previously looking at, they realized he was actually laughing.

 

Martin, the man known for his strict demeanor and rigid persona, laughed at something, and they noticed.

 

Laura looked up and noticed that someone was watching the battle between the SIT group and the elemental while sitting on a tree branch, eating sandwiches and drinking fruit juice.

 

That's why Martin couldn't help but laugh.