[Bear with me on this I just came online, I'm happy to see that you're still supporting, I'll spam 3 chaps everyday for this week!]
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Dawn broke cold and gray over the academy. Lukas stood with the rest of Alpha Class in the central courtyard, where six large teleportation arrays had been set up. Each team would be transported to their designated zone simultaneously.
Team 3 gathered around their assigned array. Marcus looked nervous, constantly checking his equipment. Elena clutched her notebook like a lifeline. Kieran appeared relaxed, but his eyes were sharp and alert. Theo stood quietly, already focused inward in preparation.
Professor Kaine walked among the teams, distributing small crystals that glowed with a faint blue light. "Emergency extraction crystals. Crush them if you're in mortal danger. Remember, using one disqualifies your entire team, so make the choice carefully."
She handed one to each team leader. Lukas pocketed his without much thought. He doubted they'd need it.
"Any final questions?" Professor Kaine asked the assembled students.
Silence.
"Good. Teams, take your positions."
Team 3 stepped onto their teleportation array. The circular platform hummed with magical energy, runes glowing brighter as the spell activated.
"Good luck," Professor Kaine said. "And try not to die."
The world dissolved into light.
When vision returned, they were standing in a forest. Tall trees with dark bark stretched overhead, their canopy thick enough to block most of the early morning sun. The air was damp and cool, carrying the scent of moss and earth. Somewhere in the distance, bird calls echoed through the woods.
"Well, we're here," Marcus said, looking around nervously.
Lukas took a moment to orient himself. The Whispering Woods earned their name from the constant rustling of leaves, creating an ambient whisper that never quite stopped. The terrain was hilly, with thick underbrush and scattered rock formations providing both cover and obstacles.
"Elena, which direction should we head?" Lukas asked.
She pulled out her map and a small compass. "Our zone extends roughly three kilometers north to south, two kilometers east to west. According to the briefing materials, higher-value targets tend to congregate near water sources. There should be a stream about half a kilometer northeast of our current position."
"Kieran, scout ahead," Lukas instructed. "Stay within shouting distance and report back if you find anything."
"On it." Kieran disappeared into the underbrush with surprising stealth, his footsteps barely audible.
"Theo, stay in the middle of the formation. Marcus, you're with me at the front. Elena, you take the rear and watch for anything approaching from behind."
They moved out, following Kieran's path through the forest. The terrain was exactly as Elena had described, with rolling hills and dense vegetation that limited visibility to about thirty meters in most directions.
After ten minutes, Kieran reappeared. "Found something. Small pack of Thornback Wolves about two hundred meters ahead. Five of them, bronze-rank. They're gathered around what looks like a recent kill."
"Perfect," Lukas said. "Easy points to start with."
They approached carefully, using the terrain and vegetation for cover. Through a gap in the trees, Lukas could see the wolves. They were larger than normal wolves, with dark fur and visible bone spikes protruding from their backs and shoulders. They were tearing into the carcass of some unfortunate deer.
"Standard formation," Lukas said quietly. "Theo, be ready with a barrier if they all charge at once. Marcus, you and I engage first. Elena, hit them with fire from range. Kieran, flank around and attack from the side if you get an opening."
Everyone nodded and moved into position.
Lukas and Marcus approached from the front while Kieran circled wide to the left. When they were about twenty meters away, one of the wolves looked up, blood dripping from its jaws. It growled, alerting the pack.
"Now!" Lukas called.
Elena launched a fireball that exploded among the wolves, scattering them and setting one partially ablaze. The wolves snarled and charged.
Lukas met the first one head-on. It leaped at him, jaws wide, aiming for his throat. He sidestepped and brought his sword down in a clean arc, cutting through the wolf's neck. It collapsed mid-leap, dissolving into light particles and leaving behind a small bronze token.
**[+5 Points]**
Marcus engaged another wolf, blocking its initial lunge with his shield and countering with a sword thrust that caught it in the side. The wolf yelped and backed off, circling for another angle.
The burned wolf charged at Elena, but Theo raised an earth barrier between them. The wolf slammed into the barrier with a solid thud, dazed. Elena took advantage and hit it with a lightning bolt that dropped it instantly.
**[+5 Points]**
Kieran appeared from the side, his daggers flashing as he struck at a wolf that had been about to attack Marcus from behind. His blades found the gaps between the bone spikes, and the wolf went down quickly.
**[+5 Points]**
The remaining two wolves hesitated, realizing they were outmatched. One tried to flee, but Lukas was faster. He closed the distance in two steps and cut it down before it could escape. The last wolf tried to attack Marcus in desperation, but Marcus had recovered from his earlier engagement and finished it with a clean strike through the chest.
**[+5 Points]**
**[+5 Points]**
The entire fight lasted less than two minutes.
"Well, that was effective," Elena said, gathering the bronze tokens scattered around the clearing. "Twenty-five points already."
"Good coordination," Lukas said. "But those were weak opponents. We need to be more careful against silver-rank monsters."
They continued northeast toward the stream Elena had mentioned. Along the way, they encountered two more small packs of bronze-rank monsters. A group of Stone Lizards that Theo trapped with earth walls before the team took them down methodically, and a trio of Shadow Rats that Kieran spotted before they could ambush the group.
By midday, they had accumulated seventy-five points from bronze-rank kills.
"We're making decent progress," Marcus said as they stopped to rest near the stream. "But we'll need silver-rank kills to really compete with the other teams."
"Cassius's team probably has over a hundred points already," Elena added, checking her notes. "They're all stronger than us individually."
"We don't need to beat them," Lukas said. "We just need a respectable score. Let's focus on hunting efficiently rather than taking unnecessary risks."
Kieran, who had been scouting upstream, returned with an interesting report. "Found tracks. Something big, definitely silver-rank based on the size. Looks like it's been moving back and forth along the stream, probably hunting."
"What kind of tracks?" Lukas asked.
"Four-legged, large paws with claw marks. Could be a Dire Bear or maybe a Shadowfang."
Elena consulted her notes. "Both are silver-rank predators. Dire Bears are stronger but slower. Shadowfangs are faster and more aggressive but slightly weaker overall."
"Can we handle a silver-rank with our current formation?" Marcus asked, looking uncertain.
"Depends on how we approach it," Lukas said. He was confident he could kill a silver-rank monster on his own with his current stats, but his team didn't know that. Better to let them think it was a team effort. "If we set up properly and use the terrain, we should be fine."
They followed the tracks upstream, moving cautiously. After about fifteen minutes, Kieran signaled a halt. Ahead, partially hidden by trees and underbrush, was a massive bear. Its fur was midnight black, and faint wisps of shadow seemed to drift from its body. A Shadowfang Bear, a hybrid creature that combined the strength of a Dire Bear with shadow-element abilities.
"That's definitely silver-rank," Marcus whispered.
The bear was drinking from the stream, its back to them. This was an ideal ambush opportunity.
"Theo, can you create a barrier that blocks its retreat?" Lukas asked quietly.
"If I'm close enough, yes. But I'll need about ten seconds of preparation."
"Okay. Elena, prepare your strongest fire spell. Hit it hard right after Theo raises the barrier. Kieran, Marcus, and I will engage from three different angles to keep it confused. Everyone understand?"
They all nodded.
Theo moved into position, circling around to the bear's rear while staying hidden. Lukas, Marcus, and Kieran spread out to create a triangle formation around the creature. Elena readied her spell, her hands already glowing with gathered mana.
Lukas waited until Theo signaled he was ready, then gave the command. "Now!"
Theo thrust his hands forward, and a wall of earth erupted from the ground behind the bear, cutting off its escape route. The bear roared in surprise and spun around.
Elena's fireball struck it directly in the chest, exploding in a burst of flame and force. The bear staggered, fur singed, and roared again, this time in pain and anger.
Lukas charged from the left while Marcus came from the right. The bear swiped at Lukas with a massive paw wreathed in shadows. He ducked under the attack and slashed at the bear's foreleg, his blade cutting deep. Marcus struck from the other side, his sword finding the bear's ribs.
The bear was strong and fast despite its size. It spun and lunged at Marcus, who barely raised his shield in time. The impact sent Marcus stumbling backward, his shield dented.
Kieran darted in from behind, his daggers targeting the bear's legs. He managed two quick strikes before jumping back to avoid a retaliatory swipe.
Elena hit the bear with another spell, this one a concentrated lightning bolt that struck its head. The bear roared and charged at her, moving faster than something that size should be able to move.
Theo raised another barrier, this one directly in the bear's path. The creature slammed into it full force, cracking the barrier but stopping its charge.
Lukas took advantage. He closed the distance and drove his sword into the bear's side with his full strength behind it. The blade punched through fur, muscle, and bone, reaching vital organs. The bear thrashed once, twice, then collapsed.
It dissolved into light particles, leaving behind a silver token.
**[+20 Points]**
The team stood there for a moment, breathing hard. Marcus's shield arm was shaking from the impact, and Kieran had a shallow cut on his shoulder from getting too close. But overall, they were in good shape.
"Everyone okay?" Lukas asked.
"I'm fine," Marcus said, lowering his damaged shield. "That thing hit like a battering ram."
"Minor cut, nothing serious," Kieran reported.
"I used a lot of mana for those spells," Elena admitted. "I'll need some time to recover."
"Let's rest here for a bit," Lukas decided. "Good work everyone. That was a clean fight."
They set up a temporary camp by the stream. Elena sat down to meditate and recover her mana. Marcus examined his shield, deciding it was still functional despite the dent. Kieran cleaned and bandaged his shoulder. Theo simply sat quietly, his earth magic having used less energy than Elena's offensive spells.
Lukas checked their token count. Ninety-five points total. Not bad for half a day's work.
"If we can get one or two more silver-rank kills, we'll be in good shape," Marcus said, looking more confident now. "That fight went better than I expected."
"The ambush setup helped," Elena said. "Fighting it head-on would have been much harder."
As they rested, Lukas heard something in the distance. Shouting, followed by the sound of combat. Another team was engaging something nearby.
"Should we check it out?" Kieran asked.
"No," Lukas said. "We focus on our own hunt. Getting involved with other teams just creates complications."
They rested for another thirty minutes, then continued their hunt. The afternoon brought more encounters with bronze-rank monsters and one more silver-rank creature, a Venomous Serpent that Theo trapped with earth walls while the team attacked it from range.
By the time evening fell, they had accumulated one hundred sixty points. A solid day's work.
"We should find a defensible position and camp for the night," Lukas suggested. "Fighting in the dark is too risky."
They found a small clearing surrounded by rock formations that provided natural walls on three sides. Theo reinforced the area with earth barriers, creating a secure perimeter. They took turns on watch through the night, two people awake at all times while the others slept.
Lukas took the midnight watch with Kieran. The forest at night was alive with sounds. Creatures moving through the underbrush, distant howls, the constant whisper of wind through leaves.
"You're really strong," Kieran said after a long silence. "That bear would have killed most first-years, but you handled it like it was nothing."
"Team effort," Lukas replied.
"Maybe, but I saw how deep your sword went. That kind of strength isn't normal." Kieran paused. "I'm not complaining. Having a strong leader makes this a lot less terrifying."
Lukas didn't respond, and Kieran let the topic drop.
The night passed without incident. When morning came, they broke camp and resumed hunting.
Day two was more productive. They encountered a pack of Silver Wolves that netted them sixty more points after a lengthy fight. Later, they stumbled upon a Crystal Golem, a rare silver-rank monster made of animated stone and crystal. It was slow but incredibly durable, requiring combined attacks from the entire team to bring down.
**[+20 Points]**
By late afternoon, with just a few hours left before the extraction, they had accumulated two hundred seventy points.
"That's a good score," Elena said, checking her calculations. "Probably not enough to beat Cassius's team, but definitely respectable."
"Should we try for one more big target?" Marcus asked.
Lukas considered it. They could play it safe and finish with their current score, or push for more points in the remaining time.
Before he could decide, Kieran returned from a quick scout, his expression serious. "We have a problem. There's something big moving in the valley to the east. Really big. I couldn't get close enough to identify it, but based on the size and the way smaller monsters are fleeing from it... I think it might be gold-rank."
The team exchanged glances.
"Gold-rank is one hundred points," Marcus said. "But also way more dangerous than anything we've fought so far."
"We could avoid it," Theo suggested. "We have a good score already."
Elena looked torn between caution and ambition. "A gold-rank kill would put us solidly in the top three teams. But the risk..."
Lukas thought about it. With his current stats at one hundred seventy-five, he was confident he could handle a gold-rank monster. The question was whether his team could support him without getting hurt.
"Let's at least look at it," he decided. "We don't have to fight, but if it seems manageable, we should consider it."
They moved cautiously toward the valley Kieran had mentioned. As they got closer, they could hear something moving through the trees. Heavy footsteps that shook the ground slightly with each impact.
Through a gap in the foliage, Lukas finally saw it.
A Titan Boar. Massive, easily three times the size of a normal boar, with tusks as long as swords and hide that looked thick as armor. Its red eyes scanned the area as it moved, and steam seemed to rise from its nostrils.
Definitely gold-rank.
"That thing could kill us all," Marcus said quietly.
"Maybe," Lukas admitted. "But it's also slow and predictable. If we can set up a proper ambush with Theo's barriers and Elena's ranged attacks, we might be able to wear it down."
"And if we can't?" Elena asked.
Lukas pulled out the emergency extraction crystal. "Then we use this and get out. But I think we can do it."
He looked at his team. "I'm not ordering anyone to fight. If you want to play it safe and finish with our current score, that's fine. But if we work together and fight smart, I think we can take it down."
The team looked at each other, having a silent conversation with expressions and gestures.
Finally, Marcus spoke. "I'm in. We've come this far, might as well go for it."
"I'll support from range," Elena said, though her voice shook slightly.
"I can create barriers to control its movement," Theo added.
Kieran grinned. "Well, I'm not going to be the only one who backs out. Let's kill a gold-rank monster."
Lukas smiled. "Alright then. Let's plan this carefully."