Ken, Elena, Noah, Luna, and Marry found themselves standing before the menacing Red Ogre.
It was a towering, intimidating figure, standing at least twice the height of an average human. Its skin was a deep, dark red, giving it an almost demonic appearance.
Thick, bulging muscles rippled beneath its skin with every movement, making it clear that this creature was incredibly powerful. Its eyes were small and beady, set deep within its skull, and glinted with a fierce intelligence.
After hearing Ken's instructions, everyone nodded and started taking the position.
Noah nodded in agreement and moved to a hidden spot where he could attack the Ogre from a distance.
As Ken charged toward the Red Ogre, he muttered an incantation and cast a spell that strengthened his sword.
His blade glowed with a bright blue light, indicating that it had been imbued with magical energy.
The Ogre swung its massive club towards Ken, but he was ready this time. The club was twice the size of a man and had been carved from a single piece of dense, black stone.
The surface of the club was rough and pitted, as though it had been used to bludgeon countless foes over the years.
The weight of the club was evident in the way Red Ogre swung it effortlessly through the air, ready to crush anything that dared to cross its path.
[Ward of the Ancients]
He raised his shield and cast a spell that created a powerful barrier around him. The barrier absorbed the impact of the Ogre's attack and protected Ken from harm.
Luna and Marry, standing at a safe distance, started casting spells of their own.
[Arcane Volly]
Luna chanted a spell that created a swarm of magical arrows that rained down on the Ogre, piercing its thick skin.
[Fire Strom]
Marry, on the other hand, summoned a wall of fire that engulfed the Ogre, causing it to roar in pain.
Elena, who was guarding the two mages, drew her sword and strengthened her body with mana, increasing her speed and agility.
With lightning-fast movements, she dashed toward the Ogre, aiming for its weak spots.
[Venomous Blades]
Her sword glowed with a green light, indicating that it had been enchanted with a poison spell.
[Illusionary Decoy]
Noah, who was hidden from the Ogre's view, cast a spell that created a magical decoy. The decoy appeared behind the Ogre and started shooting arrows, distracting it from the rest of the group.
The effects of their spells were apparent. Ken's strengthened sword was able to cut through the Ogre's thick hide, Luna's arrows pierced its skin, Marry's fire burned it, and Elena's poison weakened it.
Noah's decoy kept the Ogre's attention away from the rest of the group, allowing them to attack without fear of retaliation.
As the group attacked the Ogre, it roared in anger and swung its club wildly. "You puny humans think you can defeat me?" the Ogre bellowed. "I am the Red Ogre, the strongest of my kind!"
"Then your kind would be the weakest. Even weaker than goblins." Noah responded loudly as he shoot arrows at the Red Ogre.
Even though the Red Ogre dodged the arrows shot by Noah. However, the words said by Noah sting quite a bit.
"AHH!!" It roared loudly and started attacking more aggressively.
But the group was prepared for this.
Marry quickly chanted a spell, creating a shield around them that protected them from the Ogre's attacks.
Meanwhile, Elena used her poison to slow down the Ogre's movements, making it easier for the others to land their attacks.
Ken swung his sword with even more force, cutting deep into the Ogre's flesh.
Luna's magic arrows found their mark more often, and she even managed to hit the Ogre's eyes, blinding it temporarily.
Noah was monitoring everything with keen eyes to see if any other orc wasn't coming their way.
With each blow, the Red Ogre weakened, and soon it fell to the ground, defeated.
The group let out a cheer, relieved that the battle was over.
As the group stood over the defeated Red Ogre, they knew that they had accomplished their mission.
Ken stored the Rad Ogre's corpse in his space ring [given by the academy] as proof - they completed their mission.
After the fight, the group took a moment to catch their breath and assess any injuries. Elena checked on everyone and asked, "Is everyone okay? Did anyone get hurt?"
Marry replied, "I'm fine, but I'm out of mana. I need to rest and recharge before we continue."
Ken nodded in agreement, "I also need to rest and recharge my mana. That was a tough battle."
'I can't say - it was too easy for me. I would have even killed that Ogre alone in a few minutes.' Ken thought.
Luna added, "Same here. I'm completely drained."
Noah chimed in, "I'm good, but we should keep moving. We don't know if there are more monsters in the area."
Elena nodded, "He's right. Let's continue moving. We can rest once we get to a safe location."
As they continued on their mission, they discussed the battle and how they could improve their tactics in the future. They also congratulated each other on their teamwork and praised each other's strengths.
"Let's exit this dungeon," Ken suggested.
"Eh?" Luna let out surprised noise and suggestions as she stood up.
"Don't we have a map? We can kill more monsters and get extra points."
"I guess as we have killed that Red Ogre easily, we can easily solo those monsters," Marry said in a smug tone.
"But we don't know what kind of monster there will be. There might be some powerful monsters.." As Ken tried to reason with them, Elena interrupted him.
"I don't think we have to worry about that. We are students from the top 100. While you are strongest among freshmen. Moreover, we have senior Nick too." As Elena said this, she turned her face towards Nick who appeared out of nowhere.
"Senior Nick is 3rd ranked among third-year students. I heard he is even a B-ranker. He might even break through to A rank soon." As Elena said more she looked like some fangirl of Nick.
"Ken," Noah called to Ken. "We should explore the dungeon a bit more. Aren't we here to take combat experience? If some danger arises we can also contact the professor." Noah tried to convince Ken.
He felt - the battle with the Red Ogre was too easy. He couldn't even try his all skills.
As Ken looked over the group. He met their eyes - filled with expectations.
Even though everything they were telling was true. Ken really didn't want to agree.
His senses were telling him to leave this dungeon as soon as he can.
He also remembered something that happened a few days ago when Kevin said, "The venue for the practical exam will be different for the top 100 students."
***
[S Class, The Academy, Dawn City]
"This time, the exam will be based on theoretical and practical knowledge," Kevin said nonchalantly.
Kevin continued to explain the details of the exam. "The theoretical portion will be similar to previous years, but the practical exam will require you to navigate through a maze-like dungeon filled with challenges."
The thought of taking a practical exam in a dungeon sent shivers down the spines of the students.
They had never heard of such a thing before, and the idea of it seemed daunting. Some of them even began to wonder if Kevin was serious, or if he was just trying to scare them.
As soon as these words came out of Kevin's mouth, the classroom fell silent.
It was like they were trying to comprehend what Kevin said.
The students listened intently, trying to imagine what this dungeon would be like and how they would fare in such an environment. Some of them felt excited at the prospect of a new challenge, while others felt intimidated and anxious.
"As security measures, I won't disclose the name of the dungeon. But I can say it won't be an easy one." While Kevin was saying this, he remembered something.
"By the way, only the top 100 students from the first year will take practical exams in the dungeon. That dungeon will be outside of the academy campus."
As Kevin finished his explanation and dismissed the class, the students filed out of the room, still talking about the upcoming exam. They knew they had a lot of studying and preparation to do if they wanted to succeed in the dungeon.
As he was leaving the classroom, "Ken." He called out to Ken.
Ken was thinking about the announcement Kevin made when he heard someone calling him. He responded absent-mindedly. "Yes?"
"Come to my office after attending all of the lectures," Kevin said and left the classroom.
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