The leaderboard glowed ominously, a harsh reminder of how far behind Eclipse Faction truly was.
Ice Faction – 1,500 kills
Earth Faction – 1,423 kills
Wind Faction – 1,390 kills
…and at the very bottom:
Eclipse Faction – 499 kills
Kairo's crimson eyes scanned the numbers, disbelief flickering across his calm expression. He turned to Riven, voice low but edged with tension.
"That can't be right… we've been working efficiently. Are you sure the numbers are accurate?"
Riven's jaw tightened. He didn't look at the leaderboard—his gaze fixed ahead, thoughtful.
"It's accurate. And if we don't surpass a certain Critical Assessment score… we won't be allowed to graduate. Ever."
Kairo's eyes widened, a rare hint of shock cutting through his usual stoicism.
"Never graduate?"
Riven nodded grimly. "The CA score doesn't just measure kills—it measures efficiency, strategy, survival, and teamwork. Even if we keep surviving, if we don't perform, the academy will mark us as failures."
A tense silence settled between them. The forest, once a playground for training, now felt like a looming cage. Every other faction had surged ahead, leaving Eclipse Faction struggling to keep pace.
Kairo's crimson eyes narrowed. "Then we have no choice. We have to surpass that score… or the academy will never accept us."
Riven smirked faintly, the faintest spark of challenge in his eyes. "Then let's figure out how to do it without playing by their rules. That's our advantage."
Kairo studied him, realizing for the first time how much this battle wasn't just about monsters—it was about surviving the system itself.
The hunt was far from over, but now the stakes had become painfully clear: one misstep, one failed strategy, and Eclipse Faction would remain forever at the bottom.