The serpent's hiss rolled across the arena like a storm wind, sending dust spiraling into the air. Its emerald scales shimmered under the sunlight, each one edged like a tiny blade.
Shunya stared up at it and thought, I really should have stayed in bed today.
"Alright, rookie," Naomi called from across the field, her eyes never leaving the beast. "You're going to want to avoid anything with teeth, tail, or breathing holes."
"Breathing holes?!" Shunya repeated. "How is that a normal warning?!"
The serpent's head swung low, scanning the field. The cultivators scattered, some sprinting toward the swamp terrain, others diving behind rocks. Shunya wasn't sure where to go—every direction felt equally bad.
> *[System Tip: The beast's attention is drawn to movement in its peripheral vision. Standing still may prevent detection.]
"Great," Shunya muttered. "I just have to stand here like a garden ornament while everyone else runs."
A shadow fell over him. He looked up. The serpent's head had stopped turning. Its yellow eyes locked onto him.
"…Or maybe standing still was a terrible idea," he whispered.
The serpent lunged.
He barely rolled aside, the ground shattering where he'd been a second ago. Dirt and rock sprayed over him, stinging his arms.
Vikoria was suddenly at his side, her staff glowing faintly blue. "Get up—move!"
"I thought moving was bad!" Shunya shouted, scrambling to his feet.
"Only if you want to be lunch!" she snapped. She thrust her staff forward, sending a pulse of energy toward the serpent's head. The creature hissed, recoiling slightly, but not nearly enough to retreat.
Naomi darted in from the other side, her blade slicing across the serpent's tail. It didn't cut deep—just enough to make it whip around in anger, smashing into a group of unlucky participants and sending them flying.
"Focus on its underside!" Naomi yelled, dodging another swing. "The scales are weaker there!"
"Sure," Shunya said, "I'll just casually run under the gigantic murder snake, no problem."
> [Optional Objective Unlocked: Assist in disabling the beast. Reward: +10 Combat EXP, Random Item.]
The system window blinked expectantly. Shunya groaned. "You're just begging me to die, aren't you?"
Still, he couldn't ignore it. He grabbed the short blade he'd picked up earlier and made a run for it, circling toward the serpent's midsection. Every step felt like a gamble—the creature's tail kept smashing into the ground, sending vibrations through his bones.
Naomi and Vikoria worked in tandem, one distracting the head, the other harassing the tail. Shunya took the gap they opened, sliding under the serpent's body and slashing at the softer, pale-green belly scales.
The cut wasn't deep, but the serpent hissed in pain, rearing up.
"Nice hit!" Naomi called. "Do it again!"
Shunya peeked at the wound. "Yeah, except it's looking at me like I just insulted its mother!"
Before he could retreat, the serpent's body twisted sharply, pinning him between its coils and the ground. The pressure forced the air from his lungs.
> [Warning: Stamina dropping rapidly.]
"Oh no, you don't—" Shunya grunted, wriggling desperately. His free hand fumbled for the fallen spear of another participant nearby. He grabbed it and jabbed upward at the serpent's side, over and over.
It loosened just enough for him to roll free—straight into the swamp mud.
Naomi was there a second later, yanking him out by the collar. "Try not to die before the final count, rookie."
"Noted," he coughed, spitting out mud.
The fight raged on for another tense five minutes. More participants dropped out, some knocked unconscious, others wisely surrendering. Shunya's arms ached from swinging his blade, and his legs burned from dodging, but they were wearing the serpent down.
Finally, a loud whistle pierced the air. Jean's voice rang out: "Enough! Remaining participants, halt combat!"
The serpent froze mid-lunge, as if obeying some unseen command. A faint golden seal shimmered across its body, and handlers rushed in through the gates, guiding it back with a mixture of chains and glowing talismans.
Shunya collapsed onto the grass, chest heaving.
Naomi leaned on her blade, looking only mildly winded. "Not bad, rookie. You didn't scream too much."
Vikoria sat down beside Shunya, her expression calm but her breathing heavy. "We're in the final ten."
Shunya blinked at her. "Wait… so we passed?"
Jean walked into the arena, clipboard in hand. "Congratulations. You all qualify for official registration as cultivators of New Fornia City." He paused, scanning the group with a smile that was a little too satisfied. "Of course, the real work starts now."
Shunya had a sinking feeling in his stomach. If this was the entrance exam, what did "real work" even look like?