Chapter 138 32.4 - Mid-Terms
There are certain times when people's rationality gets blocked out by different reasons. One of them is when they are desperate.
Students who are at the bottom of the rank chain were in such a mindset while participating in the mid-term exams.
The Arcadia Hunter Academy was ruthless, and they would cut down those who failed to meet their expectations.
Who were the ones that failed?
That would be the ones that fell behind.
Therefore, they were desperate to get good notes in this exam, improving their ranks. However, desperation had never been something that cooperated with rationality.
And staying rational and calm is the most important thing when you are putting your life in danger.
As the students rushed past me, moving at high speed, their focus was solely on getting ahead.
It was a typical sight – desperate students in a rush, eager to explore and conquer the dungeon.
But as they raced forward, they triggered something I had suspected from the moment I entered. Growls and snarls echoed from the dilapidated buildings, and dark, menacing figures began emerging.
"Grrrrr…"
From the darkened doorways and broken windows, grotesque creatures emerged. They had monstrous appearances, a mix of decaying flesh and misshapen limbs. These were the dungeon's denizens, the challenges that awaited us in this place.
'Ruinscreechers.'
It was a monster between rank-2 to rank 3, depending on their evolutions. From the moment we entered the dungeon, I knew the monsters we would encounter here could be found in our curriculum. After all, the academy may be ruthless, but they were fair to students.
At least to those who fulfilled their responsibilities.
SWOOSH!
As one of the monsters immediately jumped from the stores, the weapons were drawn.
CLANK! "Hold your ground!" one student shouted as the monsters drew nearer, with his weapon clashing the claws of the monster.
The real battle had begun. Some students frantically wielded their weapons, and their combat skills varied.
It was a fight for survival, but I couldn't help but shake my head at the chaos.
'This is why parties are important.'
Without a scout and proper party formation, the sloppy parties wouldn't be able to live against the overwhelming monsters of dungeons.
This mid-term exam was actually serving as an example at the same time as the lessons. It was to show why teamwork was this important to those arrogant Hunters.
The reason why humanity was able to survive against the huge numbers of monsters, otherworldlers, and demons.
In a sense, this was also a lecture.
'I should move as well. Thanks for making the way.'
With that thought, I climbed on top of the abandoned buildings and started walking while masking my presence, thanks to the fight happening underneath.
Even though hunting monsters also contributed to our notes, I had never been stupid enough to confront this amount of enemies alone and waste such an opportunity presented to me.
**********
The chaotic battle in the ruined town continued to unfold beneath the abandoned buildings. The desperate students were forced to fight for their lives against the menacing Ruinscreechers.
"Arghh!" A student's cry pierced the air as he swung his weapon at one of the monsters.
THUD!
His strike was met with a sickening thud as he landed a blow on the creature's decaying flesh.
"SCREEECH!"
The Ruinscreecher retaliated with a swipe of its misshapen claw, leaving deep gashes on the student's arm.
The once-silent town was now filled with the sounds of battle.
Desperate students clashed with the grotesque Ruinscreechers, each strike and swing accompanied by grunts and shouts.
"Look out, behind you!" one student cried out as he spotted a Ruinscreecher approaching another from the rear.
The warning allowed his fellow student to narrowly evade the surprise attack, rolling to the side and narrowly avoiding the creature's claws.
Two students wielding swords moved in tandem, their blades flashing through the air.
They exchanged quick glances before one called out, "I am counting on you."
"Yeah."
They lunged at a Ruinscreecher together, delivering a synchronized attack that cut through the monster's flesh.
However, not all interactions were as coordinated. Two students with staff-like weapons were trying to fend off a Ruinscreecher. Their movements were hesitant and uncoordinated. "Get its attention!" one yelled to the other.
The second student attempted to distract the monster with a feint, and it worked momentarily. But the Ruinscreecher quickly refocused its attention and lunged at the first student, forcing him to parry with his staff.
In the midst of the battle, a conversation could be heard between two students who had luckily known each other before entering this dungeon.
"We should stick together, Sam!" a female student exclaimed as she defended herself from an approaching Ruinscreecher with her bow in her hand.
Sam nodded and replied, "Agreed, Emily. I'll cover your back." He stood guard behind her, ensuring no monster could get the drop on her.
Of course, while such positive scenes were happening all around the place, not every student was in a good condition.
Despite their best efforts, some of them couldn't avoid fatal strikes.
"SCREEECH!"
SWOOSH! SPURT!
When a Ruinscreecher's claws struck home, leaving a grievous wound, the injured students would fall, cries of pain escaping their lips.
"AAAAAAH! IT HURTS!"
One by one, the students who had been fatally wounded disappeared in a flash of light.
They would be resummoned to the entrance of the dungeon, saving them from the fatal wounds. This was the countermeasure for the past events where the students almost lost their lives thanks to the interference of demon contractors.
As the battle raged on and the wounded students were resummoned to safety, a group of students watched the chaos from a distance.
They huddled together behind a crumbling building, their eyes fixed on the ongoing fight.
A young woman with a serious expression turned to her companions. "Is everything in place? We can't afford any mistakes this time. All the eyes on the academy right now."
A tall, lanky student, twirling a dagger in his hand, nodded. "Yeah, everything's set. We just need him to get isolated enough."
"I still think we shouldn't have taken this mission." Even though the man looked relaxed, that wasn't the case for the girl. She was still not sure about the mission they had, it seemed.
"You know we don't have much choice, right? They will cut us down if we don't prove we are useful."
"...Yeah….Anyway, can we locate where he is?"
"We can, here." As the young man raised the watch in his hand, there they could see a small dot moving.
"Then, we should start moving. I am not sure why, but I feel like he is a lot better than what we know. We should be more careful."
"Really?" At that moment, the third member of their group, a girl with a sly grin, joined the conversation. "Then, won't it be more fun?" she had a crazy smile on her face as she licked her lips. "Maybe he can entertain me more."
The leader emphasized the seriousness of their mission. "Indeed, this is an assignment, not child's play."
The enthusiastic girl couldn't resist adding a playful comment, "But what's life without a little excitement?"
The leader concluded, "Regardless, our primary objective remains to ensure this mission appears as an accident or a monster attack. We can't afford any suspicion of foul play or any traceback. If such a thing happens, we both know what is going to happen to us, don't we?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now, let's start moving."
Just like that, the group started moving in the terrain of the dungeon, slowly approaching the dot shown on the map while slaying monsters on the way, just like any other student was doing.
*********
When it comes to dungeons, the monsters never meant to leave you alone. This is basically how it is.
"Grrrr...."
Looking at the monsters obscuring my path, I slowly counted their numbers.
"10, huh?"
While the students took the aggro, thanks to their stupidity, I was walking in the dungeon, masking my presence.
Since this was not a cave but rather an open field, scouting was needed to find where my mid-term artifact was.
However, not every time my presence masking was going to work without using my [Shadowborne] trait.
I knew at some point I would encounter monsters, and here we were.
I reached for my bow, smoothly drawing an arrow and taking aim at the closest Ruinscreecher.
"Hufff….."
SWISH!
With a focused breath, I released the arrow, and it struck true, dropping the creature in its tracks.
"SCREEEECH!"
The monsters reacted quickly, letting out a cacophony of screeches and growls. They were already aware of my presence and charged towards me.
SWISH! SWISH!
I continued to fire arrows rapidly, targeting the approaching Ruinscreechers, aiming to thin their numbers.
Since the academy and many other guilds were watching me right now, I didn't want to use many different mana attributes. After all, I don't want to give them enough data to work on.
Using only green-colored mana to improve the trajectory of my arrows, I slowly reduced their numbers.
'9'
SWOOSH! THUD!
One was down.
'8'
So was another.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Firing three arrows at the same time, I targeted two Ruinscreechers.
"SCREEECH!"
The power of the arrows wasn't strong enough to kill three at the same time. But that didn't matter.
Eyes of Hourglass.
With the time slowing down and the mana tendrils connecting the monsters, I once again knocked three arrows at the same time.
Imbuing them with the mana of green color, I intuitively connected the tendrils marking each monster to the arrows.
'Bam'
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
With that, I released the string, and at that exact one second, the arrows flew to the monsters. However, this time, their trajectory wasn't as sloppy as the former wave.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
'5.'
All of them hit the Ruinscreechers from their necks, and three monsters died at the same time.
WOOSH! "SCREEECH!
'They are close.'
However, the enemy's number was still high.
As the monsters drew nearer, I knew it was time to switch to my dual daggers.
'This should be enough display for the sake of my bow skills.'
Having two weapons as a major meant I would be subjected to a different type of grading, and it would be harder to pass the grade. Thus, I was doing this right now.
With my daggers in my hand, I stood facing the monsters.
'Bring it on.'
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