Chapter 77: Group 7 and A Uniform Pushed to Its Absolute Tightest Limit!

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Group 7 and A Uniform Pushed to Its Absolute Tightest Limit!

Inside the boss room on floor five, students of Nine Star Zenith Academy stood infront of the Bloodveil Matriarch’s lifeless corpse, it being fully riddled with wounds.

It looked almost exactly like the normal Bloodveil Nightbat, besides it being way bigger, having four wings instead of two and six glowing red eyes that dulled upon death.

"Seriously, that was it?" Darius asked, his great axe still resting on one shoulder, as he looked at the giant bats dead body.

"You almost sound disappointed," Kiera said.

"We spent more time walking here than actually fighting this so called boss, couldn’t it have provided a bit more of a challenge, at least before keeling over."

"It’s a Peak C-Rank boss, for a C Rank Floor, so no, it couldn’t." Garruk said, checking his slightly cracked spare shield. "Especially when every one of us here being at least Mid B Rank."

"With some of us even being at A-Rank," Nyla added, examining her bowstring.

"And one of us at S-Rank," Thalen said, glancing toward Adrian. "And a monster among S Ranks to boot."

A young man stood a few feet from the beast’s dead body, clothed in the Nine Star Zenith Academy’s uniform. He wiped a streak of blood off his cheek using the back of his hand, his breath coming in a steady and measured rhythm, that showed no strain.

Adrian sheathed his sword calmly. "Don’t get careless, the upper floors are only for C-Rank dungeon Beasts and monsters, that’s why it felt easy. But the examination isn’t only about killing things."

One of the girl’s, an Elf dressed in the academy’s uniform that appeared one size too small for her with it clinging tightly to her body, stood with one of her arms hanging in front of her awkwardly, as she drank a healing potion with annoyance. "Tell that to the bastard that nearly tore this off me."

"What about the rest of you?" Adrian asked.

​"Minor cuts," Nyla replied from behind the group, the dark elf girl storing her bow back into her storage ring. "Nothing a potion can’t fix in ten seconds."

Near the center of the hall, a massive Lionkin boy rolled his shoulder as a sickening crunch sounded. "The bastard hit harder than a runaway carriage,"

Orion Escanor grunted. "Its Blood Frenzy blew right through me."

​Neris, a pink long haired female wearing Nine Star Zenith Academy’s uniform, gave him a sideways glance while dusting off her skirt. "That’s because you were standing directly in front of it, were you trying to catch it or something, wouldn’t put it past something an moron like you would do."

​"I wasn’t trying to catch it," Orion said defensively as his tail swept through the air behind him. "I was holding it’s agro so you guys could attack it."

"Yeah, sure buddy." Darius said feom the side.

​"You were screaming, Orion."

​"That was intentional, it’s called tactical roaring!"

​"Right," Neris drawled, her deep aqua eyes glinting with amusement. "And the high-pitched part at the end?"

​"Enough, both of you," Adrian sighed, though the corner of his lip twitched slightly as he sheathed his longsword. "Take your healing potions, check your gear, and fall into formation. We aren’t here to play."

Around them, the rest of the ten man group began to stir. They were a diverse, all of the wearing the prestigious uniform of Nine Star Zenith Academy, though each of them hailing from vastly different races.

​There was Darius, a broad shouldered beastman heavy warrior who was already leaning against his greataxe, Selene, the Elf girl, with her long elf ears and hourglass curves, Garruk, a red skinned Oni shield bearer grumbling over a dent in his spare shield.

Kiera, a Wolf Beastman girl with two white wolf ears and a wolf tail, with quite the muscles and abs on full diaplay, her uniform already Repairing itself, Mira, a female shadow demon crouched on a ledge above, with her dark skin which dhadow demons were known for.

And the there was Thalen, a male Dryad, Orion, the Lion beastman who was still denying trying to catch the bat barehanded, Neris a Merfolk female or as commonly known, a mermaid, with two long and sexy legs instead of the expected mermaid tail.

Nyla, the Dark Elf archer of the group, looking like a compete opposite of Selene, with her being petite instead of tall like Selene and finally Adrian, human male and also the leader of group 7.

Around the group, minor wounds showed, Garruk’s spare shield, Selene’s poisoned arm, a deep scratch across Darius’s chest, Kiera favoring one ankle over the other, Neris’s mana pool visibly drained as she downed a mana recovery potion.

Mira slid down from her perch, landing noiselessly near the monster’s corpse. "It was just a C-Rank boss, Darius. We are a team of elite class students. If this took us more than five minutes, we’d all deserve to be expelled back to the lower classes."

​A few of the students chuckled, the tension of the brief battle dissipating into easy banter.

Adrian turned back to face his team. "The first five floors of the Bloodmoon Ruins are designed for basic coordination, resource management, and pathfinding. They were never meant to be a challenge for us."

He pulled up the exam info on his academy bracket, as a scythe reel materialized in front of him.

​[Nine Star Zenith Academy — Mid-Term Dungeon Examination]

​Location: Bloodmoon Ruins (Demon Continent)

​Active Student Groups: 15

​Composition: 10 Students per group

​Objective: Clear a minimum of upto Floor 10

​Group Evaluation Criteria: Clear speed

Individual Evaluation Criteria: Depends upon performance

Assigned Group: 7

He turned the screen privacy off as the others stepped closer to see.

​"Fifteen groups entered," Lysandra noted, her pale brows furrowing slightly. "We’re likely in the top three for clear speed on the lower floors, but the real test starts after Floor Five."

​

"We should aim for first place," Darius said.

"That was already the plan," Mira said.

"So which group do you guys think is our biggest problem?" Garruk asked.

"Group One," Lyra said instantly. "They have three Peak A-Rank students and a healer with a Legendary-grade talent."

Orion crossed his arms. "And Group Three’s got that stuck-up vampire prodigy."

"Silas Dracul Aethernis," Adrian said.

"That’s the one, acts like he’s above everyone, this is his family’s territory so he should have more I fo on this dungeon than the rest of us."

Garruk shrugged. "Didn’t seem that strong to me, mostly just arrogant."

"That doesn’t mean he isn’t," Lyra said.

Adrian said nothing, already having known about Silas, as both were in the top students of their year.

"Group six might also be worth mentioning, though slightly less worrying than the other two." Nyla added.

A magical circle bloomed above the Matriarch’s corpse, and the cavern trembled as a treasure chest materialized next to it, the chest being plain looking.

The complaints started immediately.

"Iron Rank?" Darius said. "For a boss?"

"The dungeon is insulting us," Garruk muttered.

"No it isn’t, the rank depends on the dungeon, boss and our luck," Mira said, "not our strength."

"Still disappointing," Orion said.

Adrian stepped forward and opened it anyway.

Pale red light spilled out, revealing a Bloodfang Short Sword, a Crimson Thread Bowstring Nightwing Daggers, Bloodveil Leather Armor, a Crimson Wing Mantle, Nightfang Bracers, an Echo-Silencing Pendant, a Blood Scent Mask, a Minor Venom Purification Ring, three thousand gold, and a scattering of common and uncommon mana crystals, potions, and materials, with all of the stuff ranging from Common Rank to Uncommon Rank.

"Better than nothing, I suppose." Adrian said, claiming the pendant. Nyla took the bowstring. Mira claimed the mask, as the rest was divided by contribution, with the gold coins and mana crystals split evenly.

"Still underwhelming, but can’t expect anything better from an Iron rank treasure chest." Mira said.

"It’s not like this is the only one we’ll get in this dungeon, so let’s just hope we getter better chests on the lower floors." Garruk shrugged.

"It gets better on lower floors," Adrian said, and turned toward the two new formations, a glowing exit portal, and a staircase leading down.

"We could leave now," Orion said. "Floor Five clears the minimum."

"Minimum is Floor Ten, pay attention." Adrian said. "This is only Floor Five."

"So we’re halfway there, though I suppose we’re going the full way down." Darius said.

"Exactly."

He turned toward the staircase.

"We continue, just a before."

They gathered their gear and descended, Orion smiling faintly as the darkness swallowed them.

"Good," he said. "Hopefully it’s an actual challenge from here on out."

Far above, on Floor Three, the Crimsonroot Forest sat in unnatural stillness.

A figure moved between the trees, Malrith, still wearing his fake identity, as he was heading toward the staircase leading down to Floor Four.

Behind him lay an entire pack of Crimsonfang Hounds, the pack containing about 50 hounds, all scattered across the tree roots.

Every single one killed with terrifying and clinical precision.

No broken branches, no torn earth and not a single wasted motion.

And almost no blood at all, throats severed so cleanly the wounds hadn’t had time to bleed before the hearts stopped.

Malrith paused beside one corpse, studying it without expression.

"C-Rank beasts attacking an A Rank being, do they have no survival instincts?" he murmured, wiping a thin trace from his blade. "They’re barely worth me drawing a weapon."

He lifted his gaze toward the distant staircase down.

A faint, and humorless smile touched his mouth.

​"Run all you want, Lucien, but eventually the road will end." Malrith whispered into the quiet dark.

"And the deeper you go, the narrower the maze becomes."

He began walking again.