TWO HOURS LATER!
Inside the Academy's Command Room, dozens of screens showed off the various examinees engaged in battles throughout the Artificial Dungeon.
From students battling against Frost Bears and Wolves in the Forest, to other students in the open clearing fighting waves of Frost Zombies and Shadow Birds that constantly rained down attacks from above.
In the center of the room was a massive 3D projection of the battleground, with color-coded glyphs hovering above dozens of tiny dots representing the students.
On the left of that was a digital leaderboard was towards the left, updating in real-time with the names and scores of each of the registered teams.
Inside of the room were all the professors and other important staff, all looking on and muttering among themselves as they scouted all of the students, looking for the greatest talents.
"We're past the 2 hour mark, the examinees have begun fighting each-other." One of the professors said as he flipped through a floating holographic folder, "Thirty-eight teams have engaged battles against each-other. There's also 13 teams already eliminated due to injury or point theft already."
"More than least year, are the students really getting weaker? 13 of them lost before we even reached the phase they can battle each-other." Another professor said.
"Let them bleed," grunted a tall man clad in plated silver armor, arms folded, "Better to weed out the weak now, none of those losers will be useful against the Abyss."
At he said that, the temperature in the room rose by several degrees, and the flames of the floating braziers flickered unnaturally.
All conversation had ceased, because she had arrived.
Headmistress Raphaeline entered without fanfare, but her presence silenced the room more effectively than any shout.
She was dressed differently now than when she addressed the students, a form-fitting battle dress with high-collared black leather, crimson accents, and golden embroidery that crackled faintly with magical runes.
Her black horns gleamed under the room's floating lights, and her wings were retraced into her back. Without a word, she walked to the center display, the others instinctively making space.
"Someone give me a status report," she commanded, her voice velvet-smooth and brimming with authority.
A short, bespectacled elf with pale green hair stepped forward, bowing slightly as he begun to speak, "Headmistress. The examinees have adapted quickly. We are two hours in. The highest-scoring team is currently sitting at five hundred points."
Raphaeline's was a bit surprised when she heard that, her crimson eyes flicked toward the glowing leaderboard where she saw first place.
1st Place: Team A-079: Albedo Neverwinter & Elara Vance: 500 Points
She narrowed her eyes, "500 points already? Quite interesting, who are they, I haven't heard those surnames before."
Raphaeline asked, and one of the professors, a lean woman wearing glasses quickly had a projection displayed in front of Raphaeline as she begun speaking, "As for the guy, Albedo Neverwinter, commoner background, no noble lineage found. He applied through Pantheon's District 7 Registry Office. Minimal external affiliations. Weapon Type: Dual Soul Pistols. Rare."
"Soul Weapon you say?" Raphaeline asked, and her expression actually had one of surprise, "Yeah, we were all quite surprised when we saw it. Usually only those outstanding geniuses from Elite Noble Families have Soul Weapons, and none of them had it during their entrance exam."
"And it's pistols, I don't think I've ever seen Soul Weapons in the form of guns before." Raphaeline said.
"He's performing far above his expected tier," the elf steward added, adjusting his glasses, "His partner as well, Elara Vance. Low-tier commoner. Gifted with a passive talent called Battle Map. Support-oriented magic and medium enchantment capability."
"Show me," Raphaeline said.
The main tactical feed shifted its focus to the snowy forest region, zooming in on two figures currently moving through what remained of a frozen beast den.
~BANG~BANG!~
Albedo was running through the forest, bobbing and weaving through attacks as he unleashed timely shots from Havoc and Ruin.
Elara trailed behind him, in range of Albedo in case she needed protecting but not far enough that she can't buff him anymore. She was casting buffs and pointing out attacks before they happened using her internal map.
In the current projection, they had just handled three Bronze-Ranked FrostBack Boar, and were now going to engage with the leader, a Silver-Ranked of the same species.
"Hmm, I wonder how they'll handle this. The Boar's reinforced mana-hardened hide usually makes it hard for weapons like guns to pierce it at equal ranks." Raphaeline said.
Albedo dodged one of the Boar's lunges, dodging to the left.
"ROAR~STOMP!"
The boar roared out and sent a huge stomp to the floor, which caused jagged ice spikes to shoot out of the ground towards Albedo, each deadly sharp.
"SWIFTNESS!" Elara said, her mana flowing as she applied another enchantment to Albedo, once again increasing his movement speed.
Using the buff, Albedo leapt into the air, barely dodging the spikes and using the Crimson Apocalypse Flames to burn the spikes away.
Simultaneously, he twisted his body mid-air, one arm extended forward, the other slightly back, Havoc and Ruin gleaming in his hands.
Ruin - Graviton Mode
Havoc - Infernal Mode
He pulled the trigger on Ruin first.
~BANG!~
A graviton slug arched downward and struck just in front of the Boar, causing the space to warp violently, pulling the Boar's forelegs and breaking it's stance.
"ROARR!"
The Boar instantly reacted, blowing a blast of frost breath to try and dispel the effects and once it was free, it immediately charged forward.
~THUMP~THUMP!~
The earth rumbled beneath its hooves, the sound like a band slamming war drums. The ice cracked as the beast moved with frightening speed, its tusks glowing with compressed mana meant to increase penetration power.
Albedo hit the ground and rolled to the side at the last possible second.
~CRASH~BOOM!~
The boar slammed into a frozen tree behind him, splintering it into powder. Shards of bark flew everywhere.
Meanwhile. Albedo used the rebound to his advantage, turning and firing two ( 2 ) more shots as the Boar's flank.
Albedo used the rebound to his advantage, turning sharply and firing two more shots at its flank.
~BANG~BANG!~
Both infernal rounds struck its thick hide, and though the skin resisted, the impact caused the flames to ignite and cling to its fur, forcing the boar to writhe in pain, screeching as parts of its body began to smolder extremely quickly.
The Boar, realizing it needed to remain on the offensive, roared again and stomped hard, sending an arc of jagged ice towards Albedo in a crescent wave.
"Voltis!" Elara shouted.
A blue-gold enchantment circle flared to life under Albedo's boots, and his attack power increased while he felt the speed at which he consumed mana decreasing.
He jumped backward, feet skating across the ice, letting the burst glide carry him just over the edge of the spell.
He skated under the boar's charge, sparks flaring from his boots as he slid directly beneath the beast's exposed underbelly.
~BANG~BANG~BANG!~
Three shots crashed into the beast's underbelly, the resulting damage completely taking the boar off of its feet.
A horrible squeal echoed through the woods as the boar collapsed, bloodied, but still alive.
It wasn't down yet.
Albedo clicked his tongue and dashed to the side before the beast could react, just narrowly avoiding another mana-fueled stomp that cratered the ground beneath it.
He needed more pressure.
"Elara, mark its left rear leg, that's where the mana's thinnest!"
"Already did!" she called, her hands weaving another enchantment, this one subtle, a mana tag with a faint luminescent glow that only Albedo could see.
The mark pulsed over the boar's thigh and Albedo readied his shot, spinning Ruin to steady his grip as he leapt forward, twisting through the snow.
Time seemed to slow as he pulled the triggers.
~BANG!~
The Infernal Round struck the glowing mana tag, and then....
~BOOOOOM!~
The explosion was far more intense than before. A bloom of intense crimson flames enveloped the boar's leg, and the limb bent unnaturally before snapping with a crunch.
The boar wailed, collapsing fully into the snow, its body writhing, thick silver blood staining the ice.
It tried to rise, groaning and snarling with feral energy, but Albedo didn't give it the chance.
He rushed in with supernatural speed, firing six rounds point-blank into its skull, one after the other.
The final shot cracked through its skull, and with one last exhale of freezing breath, the Silver-Ranked Frostback Boar went still.
Steam rose from its corpse, and the surrounding air quieted again.
Albedo stood over it with only a bit of sweat trailing down his temple.
Behind him, Elara approached with wide eyes and a tired but impressed smile.
"You know…" she said, "I'm starting to think you're either terrifyingly lucky or the universe just made a cheat code and called it a person."
Albedo holstered his weapons with a practiced flourish and turned, "Neither. I just don't waste movement. Or bullets."
{ DING! }You have earned 150 Points!
Their new total: 650 Points.
He turned and looked at the dark forest again, then at Elara, "How's your mana?"
"Low, but I've got two more full capacity crystals," she said, patting her pouch, "And I've been keeping your buffs rotating on a delay to conserve power."
"Smart," he said. "Any more Silver beasts nearby?"
Elara's eyes lit up briefly as her Gift activated. She closed them, feeling the pulse of her Battle Map filling her mind with markers, terrain data, and mana signatures.
"…There's another Silver, maybe two kilometers north," she said, "but this one feels… different. Stronger. Maybe Mid Silver?"
Albedo cracked his neck and began walking, his crimson coat fluttering behind him.
"Then let's go meet it."
Elara sighed and followed, shaking her head with a wry grin, "You know, most people would take a break after killing something three ranks above them."
"Most people aren't me."