Teams continued to rotate through the dungeon gates.
One after another.
Teams kept coming out.
And the gap became obvious.
Top academies weren't just clearing faster.
They were clearing cleaner.
The ranking board updated again and again.
18:48
19:02
19:11
All from the same cluster of academies.
Starfall First.
Radiant Sky.
Northriver Combat.
Someone in the audience finally said what everyone was thinking.
"No one's even close."
A teacher from a mid-tier academy clenched his jaw.
"After the top schools… it jumps straight past twenty minutes."
And that was true.
Once the elite academies finished, times dropped sharply.
20:34
22:10
24:55
Some emerged battered but standing—faces pale, armor cracked, healers immediately pulling them aside.
Others came out arguing, voices tight.
"We were too slow at the second fork—" "You overextended." "That wasn't my call."
A few gates dimmed without applause at all.
[ Dungeon Failed ]
[ Team Wipe Detected ]
Medical staff moved faster then.
Stretchers. Silent escorts. No commentary.
Some teams didn't come out together—only three, sometimes four.
The missing names lingered unspoken.
A low-ranked academy team stumbled out of Venomroot, coughing violently.
[ Disqualified — Poison Accumulation Exceeded ]
Someone in the stands muttered, "They shouldn't have rushed."
Another replied flatly, "Rare+ doesn't forgive mistakes."
Stonefang Gorge remained unopened.
Its gate pulsed steadily, gray light flickering like a restrained breath.
Teacher Han Qiu stood with his arms crossed, eyes fixed forward. He hadn't spoken in a while.
Then—
The screen updated again.
[ NEXT TEAM — PREPARE FOR ENTRY ]
Numbers shifted.
Names rearranged.
And finally—
Team 211 appeared at the top of the queue.
A soft ripple passed through the arena. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just attention shifting.
"9.9 team." "Stonefang, huh." "Let's see how they do."
Jin exhaled once and stepped forward.
"Alright," he said calmly. "Gear up."
Weapon racks slid open near the gate.
Jin reached for a spear—simple, balanced, no ornamentation. He rolled it once in his palm, testing weight and grip.
Lightning affinity favored reach and burst. This suited him.
Zhao Chen selected a sword, the blade narrow and slightly curved. He tested the edge with his thumb, eyes focused.
Liang Xu lifted a heavy shield and a short mace, the shield's surface reinforced with layered alloy. He planted it once on the ground, feeling its stability.
Sun Wei hesitated only a moment before taking a staff fitted with a hollow channel along its length—designed for spell discharge rather than impact.
Qiao Ning chose no weapon at all, only fastening a bracelet of wooden segments around her wrist, faint green patterns pulsing softly.
The system display refreshed beside the gate.
Team 211
Academy: Starfall Tenth Academy
Dungeon: Stonefang Gorge
Team Leader: Wei Jin
Gene Purity: 9.9
Main Gene: — Undisclosed
Affinity: Lightning
Team Members:
Zhao Chen
Main Gene: Bladetooth Lynx
Type: Agile melee gene
Affinity: Wind
Role: Striker
• Liang Xu
Main Gene: Stonehide Mammoth
Type: Heavy defense gene
Affinity: Earth
Role: Frontline
• Sun Wei
Main Gene: Bogscale Toad
Type: Caster / toxin gene
Affinity: Poison
Role: Area control
• Qiao Ning
Main Gene: Greenveil Treant
Type: Support gene
Affinity: Wood
Role: Healing / sustain
"A treant healer…"
"At least they won't collapse immediately."
The screen beside Gate C-7 stayed on Team 211's information longer than usual.
Someone near the front seats squinted.
"Why's his main gene blank?"
Another student leaned over.
"Can you even do that?"
"I thought registration was mandatory."
"It is," someone replied. "Unless you delay disclosure."
That got a few looks.
"So he's hiding it?"
"Or it's not worth showing."
"Purity's high, but if the gene's trash, that explains it."
A few people laughed under their breath. Not loudly. Just enough to be heard.
Up in the instructor section, the same question came up—less casual, more direct.
A man in a gray coat turned toward Han Qiu.
"Your student didn't register his gene."
Han Qiu nodded.
"I saw."
"That usually means instability or classification issues," the man said.
"Is that the case?"
Han Qiu didn't answer right away.
Another instructor added, "Lightning affinity's rare. Pair that with an unregistered core… that's risky in a speed dungeon."
Han Qiu shrugged.
"He's aware of the risk."
"That's not what we asked."
Han Qiu finally looked at them.
"I know what it is," he said. "I'm not explaining it here."
That ended the conversation—not because they were satisfied, but because there was nothing to press without crossing lines.
Han Qiu turned back to the screen.
Why didn't you register it yet…
He didn't know either. Jin had never told him.
Just don't force it, he thought.
Stonefang isn't a place for mistakes.
Around the arena, attention had shifted naturally.
People were already bored of the top academies clearing cleanly. Team 211 was different—unknown, untested.
"That's the 9.9 kid."
"Low academy though."
"Stonefang's fast. Let's see if he can keep up."
No one shouted.
No one cheered.
They just watched.
At the gate, Jin adjusted his grip on the spear, rolling his wrist once.
"Same formation we discussed," he said quietly.
"No rushing."
Chen nodded.
Liang Xu braced his shield.
Sun Wei adjusted his grip on the staff.
Qiao Ning closed her eyes briefly, green light pulsing once beneath her skin.
The gate activated.
Stone light flooded outward.
The team stepped in.
And the screen switched to live feed.
They stepped through the gate.
Cold air hit first.
Stone walls rose on both sides, uneven and narrow, the path winding forward like it had been bitten out of the mountain.
Stonefang Gorge.
The system overlay appeared briefly.
Stonefang Gorge
Trait: High Agility
Primary Monster: Stonefang Wolves
Wolves moved along the edges almost immediately—low shapes slipping between rocks, claws scraping softly.
Jin slowed.
For half a second, his grip on the spear tightened.
…Figures.
Wolves again.
Funny, he thought. No matter the life… it's always wolves.
He shook it off.
"Alright," he said. "Same plan."
Liang Xu moved up without being told, shield forward.
Qiao Ning stayed close behind him.
Sun Wei drifted left, staff already warm with energy.
Chen slid to the right, blade loose in his hand.
Jin didn't stop with them.
"I'll go ahead," he said, already walking.
Chen blinked. "Oi—"
"I'll pull them."
Chen frowned. "You sure about that?"
Jin glanced back.
"I won't overdo it."
Sun Wei muttered, "That's not reassuring."
Jin snorted once. "You'll manage."
Before Chen could argue again, Jin stepped forward—
—and suddenly he was just gone.