The dungeon wasn't much of a dungeon.
They'd been moving for nearly an hour, and nothing had put up a real fight. Every beast they encountered either froze or backed away the moment Beatrice stepped forward. It was starting to feel like a walk through a haunted zoo — one where the ghosts were too scared to rattle chains.
Tori dragged his sword behind him, the tip scraping against the stone floor.
"This is lame. What rank is this dungeon supposed to be?"
Issac didn't bother looking up.
"Probably F-rank or lower."
Sunless adjusted his gloves and kept walking.
"They wouldn't throw us into anything higher than double-F anyway, not for the second exam."
Tori groaned. Mica groaned louder. Beatrice kept trotting ahead, tail flicking with every step.
They cleared room after room. Wolves, boars, insectoid creatures with too many legs — none of them attacked. None of them even moved when Beatrice got close. It was too easy.
Eventually, they reached the boss room.
The air shifted as they stepped inside. Humid. Thick. The stench of venom clung to the walls. A massive snake coiled in the center of the chamber, its scales glistening with mana, its fangs dripping poison. It didn't hesitate. Its eyes locked onto them, and it lunged.
Mica recoiled instantly.
"Eww. That thing looks disgusting."
Tori raised his sword and stepped forward.
"Guess this one isn't scared of Beatrice."
The snake's fangs clashed against his blade, the force of the impact sending a shock through his arms. Issac and Sunless moved in sync, firing long-range shots from opposite angles. The bullets hit, but barely pierced the snake's armor-like hide. Mana clung to its scales, reinforcing every inch.
"Damn scales are tough!" Sunless cursed under his breath, he then swapped his authority his dad's for Mica's and unsheathed his sword. He charged in, aiming for the gaps between the scales.
He then slashed across the soft scales near the mouth of the snake just barely dodging the posionus venom.
Mica spun her spear and hurled it with full force. The oceanic weapon slammed into the snake's eye, and the roar that followed shook the walls. Ripples of pressure tore through the air.
Tori didn't hesitate. He dashed forward and sliced through the snake's tongue, cutting it clean off. The beast recoiled, thrashing wildly. Its scales shattered mid-air, flying in every direction.
"Move!" he shouted.
They dodged what they could, but some of the shards hit. Sunless and Issac grunted as their shoulders were slashed open, blood splattering across the floor. They staggered, clutching their wounds, trying to stay upright.
Issac's eyes glowed as he activated his foresight. He tracked the snake's next move before it made it, then slammed it down with a pressure spike, pinning its head to the ground.
Sylph didn't wait. She activated her authority, dashed forward, and slashed the other eye. The snake's mouth opened wide, venom pouring out in a flood. Tori swapped her position with a nearby rock. The venom melted it instantly.
Tori wasted no time, he tossed his blade and imbuded it with mana.
His sword flew through the snake's open mouth, slicing through flesh, organs, and core in one clean motion.
The snake convulsed once.
Then stopped.
[ The Snake Faskfang has been slain ]
They stood in silence, catching their breath. Beatrice hopped out from behind a rock and trotted over to the shattered core. Then started eating it.
Tori lunged toward her.
"Hey! We could sell that!"
Beatrice dodged, tail flicking, and kept chewing.
"Urgh…"
They took a few minutes to bandage Sunless and Issac's wounds. Then made their way out.
"Team Two Dungeon has been cleared!" the intercom blared overhead.
Tori looked up at the scoreboard and froze. Their time was listed at one hour. Third place.
"What? We cleared ours in one hour. Who could've possibly beat that?"
Sylph pointed at the top of the board. Josh's guild had finished in forty-eight minutes. Sonjuro had cleared his solo dungeon in thirty-nine.
Tori clenched his jaw and stared at the numbers. The gap wasn't just time. It was strength. Precision. Efficiency. He didn't say anything, but the frustration sat heavy in his chest.
He didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to wonder if he was really that far behind.
This next exam would decide that.
Sonjuro appeared in front of him without warning, close enough that their noses nearly touched.
"Hey...?" Tori said, trying not to flinch.
Sonjuro grinned.
"You look strong. I look forward to fighting you."
Then he turned and hopped away like a lunatic.
Tori wasn't intimidated and just stared at Sonjuro.
More teams finished. The timer ran out. Sonjuro was declared the winner of the second exam.
The association lady stepped forward, mic in hand.
"We will now begin the final exam. Prepare for King of the Hill."
The ground shook as the arena rose from the earth — wide, circular, and glowing faintly. Mana surged through the zone like a heartbeat.
"The longer you stay in the zone, the more mana floods your body. The person with the longest time wins. You all have thirty minutes. On my signal, the game begins."
Guilds were placed at different starting points. The hill stood in the center.
"We will now begin the five-second countdown!"
Everyone moved into position.
Tori looked over his shoulder. His team stood behind him — Issac, Sunless, Sylph, Mica. Beatrice leapt onto his head, tail flicking.
"You guys ready for this?"
They smiled.
"Yeah!"
The countdown began.
"Five… Four… Three… Two… One…"
The doors shot open.
They lunged forward.
The final exam had begun.