Chapter 51: Results of Dungeon Trial
Emily's reflexes kicked in as she tried to evade the incoming blade of the Katana, but her efforts fell short, resulting in a deep gash on her shoulder. Agony was exhaled from her lungs in a sharp cry of pain—"Akh!"
Even in this pain, she wasn't going to surrender. With determination, Emily rolled back, summoning the last bits of her strength and aimed an arrow on the approaching katana wielder.
Karthik's confident footsteps echoed in her ears ???????? ???????? ????????.
Her arrow soared through the air, guided by her resolve, only for Karthik to effortlessly evade the projectile.
The distinct sound of the katana being unsheathed resonated as the Karthik came closer to her, each of his steps amplifying the tension in her nerves.
Struggling to steady her breath, Emily braced herself for the final round. This was it, this was going to be the defining moment.
But she knew this battle was a lost cause for her, but her nerves were a rebel, urging her not to let defeat define her. But what was she even supposed to do? She was out of mana, she was out of arrows, she was out of strength and apparently she was even out of breath—the reminder from her gasping lungs.
As Emily was watching the now approaching figure of Karthik, a sudden thought—an advice...of sort, crossed her mind, one she hadn't listened to, not too long ago—"????????, ????'?? ?????? ???? ???????? ???????????? ???? ??????????????? ???????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????? ??????????, ?????????? ?? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????..."
Had she had listened to Noah's advice...perhaps, perhaps she could have won?
And he wasn't trying to insult her?what he said was indeed right, all he ever tried to do was help her and he even helped their class...but her own ego...that... her fault?
She felt sorry, and thankful, albeit very subtle, but it was there, born out of unknown origins—perhaps the same place where she found the motivation to always insult the guy. Pathetic.
?????????! A subtle and decisive click echoed through the air, sealing Emily Reed's fate— eliminated from the dungeon trial.
***
Torrents of fire and electric current fell on the hornet-like monster, the intensity of everyone's spells was unleashed in a frenzy.
Amidst the smoke that blanketed the cave, the sound of panting filled the air.
Confusion laced with fear etched across Aurora's face as she asked herself a question—a question lingering in everyone's mind. 'Did we kill it? No-why is the dungeon trial still..?'
Aurora found herself drained of mana, and to her dismay, it seemed that everyone else was in the same state.
As the dust began to settle, they gazed on the boss monster, its wings seared and disintegrated.
Though it appeared to be on its last leg, their hearts sank realizing that it wasn't dead yet, it defied their hopes of victory.
Without a moment to spare, Aeravat flew through the air, launched by the flaming wings on his back.
"Kkrriieek!" The monster released its final cry, but Aeravat had no intentions of mercy.
His talwar glowed brilliantly, radiating a pure white light, as he descended on the hornet with an earth-shattering crash.
??????????????!!!
***
Noah's Pov:
"Huff huff huff!" laying sprawled on the ground, my breath came in ragged gasps.
I managed to eliminate a couple of people, relying solely on my instincts rather than using the battle mode.
But now, I was on my limit.
I had no desire to fight any further, damn this accursed trial!
Emily, James, Anastasia, Nola, Luke – they were all eliminated, thanks to that insufferable Ellie from class A2. Her support spells proved too much, today was the day I learned how annoying supporters can be as an enemy.
But I was not worried since I already knew we won.
My breaths came heavily, as I watched the final battle right before my eyes.
??????????-??????????!— The clash of mace and glaive reverberated through the air as Takahashi and Myung Joon locked in a battle, their forces evenly matched.
While one could argue that Myung Joon had more physical strength, it was Takahashi's agility and dexterity that compensated for that.
"Yeaah!" Myung Joon's powerful cry accompanied a devastating blow, propelling Takahashi three feet into the air, the resulting impact echoing like thunder.
Myung panted heavily, gasping for breath as he let out, "I am done with you, Aoi. This ends here!" The frustration in Myung's voice was sensable, while his mace began to glow in a red light. Whatever this attack was, seemed to be his final.
But, my view was cut short by a figure, wielding a sword, who approached me.
Judging by her strength, she appeared to be at least (F+).
A smug expression adorned her beautiful face, her sword poised to deliver a final blow.
"What do we have here... A cockroach who survived! Have any last words?" she taunted, amusement in her eyes.
"Yea...you look kinda cute..," I let my mind slip, uncaring of whatever this was, my body too tired to keep in check of my manners. Well she was cute...
"W-w-what?!" suddenly the girl blushed which only made me smile.
I raised my fist and gifted her my middle finger, "Still, fuck off."
The girl was too surprised and puzzled to say anything, but in that moment—????????! The entire dungeon quaked, as if an earthquake had struck.
Simultaneously, a notification materialized in the form of a digital hologram on my smart bracelet.
[Notification: Dungeon trials are complete. The boss monster has been vanquished. Class A1 emerges victorious.]
With those words, I could felt myself being teleported, bathed in a soothing blue light. But I sent a playful wink at the girl infront of me who now had a defeated expression on her face.
As the light dissipated, I found myself sprawled on a stage, the hard rocky earth of the dungeon replaced by a polished surface.
"Anh!" I exhaled in pain, shielding my eyes from the sudden burst of LED lights that bombarded my vision.
The intense brightness caused my eyelids to instinctively close, allowing me a few precious moments to adjust to this unexpected shift.
Once my senses acclimated, I opened my eyes again, greeted by the sight of a colossal digital leaderboard mounted on the wall.
Its vibrant display read "updating," signifying that further information was coming or being updated.
As I rose to my feet, I took in my what had me enwreathe.
The stage beneath my feet was designed with tiles.
The gathering on the stage had only about twenty students, including myself.
It was clear that we were the ones that persevered until the very end.
Beneath the stage, my eyes fell upon a throng of several hundred students, their gazes on our group.
Some were seated on the floor, some others receiving medical assistance, their injuries testimony of their resistance in the trial.
Amidst the crowd, I spotted familiar faces of Emily, Sophia and Aurora.
Their eyes locked with mine and in that second, Sophia and Aurora's expressions changed to a mix of shock and disapproval, though shock appeared to dominate.
While Emily on other hand...wait? She was smiling at me? uh what? She even gave me a nod and I had to shift my gaze, my CPU crashed and my mind decided that ignoring the trio would be the best option of whatever this was.
'Better to stay away from the main cast,' I reminded myself, but my simp side wanted my eyes to look at them one more time. Disgusting!
I diverted my attention back to the stage to watch the others whom I shared the platform with.
It wasn't long before my eyes met with the piercing gaze of Aeravat.
'What the hell? Is this some kind of bizarre staring contest?' I mused, my thoughts drifting momentarily towards of this whatever happening of a confrontation coincidence.
I shifted my gaze from Aeravat, not wishing to engage.
Suddenly, the leaderboard mounted on the wall flickered and illuminated with a radiant glow.
One by one, names began to appear before our eyes, each announcement stirring a sense of anticipation and curiosity in the crowd.
1 Aeravat Indrath : 890 Points
2 Myung Joon : 759 points
3 .....
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