(Elaine Vaelthorne's POV)
The battlefield erupted into pure chaos.
All across the ruins, examinees abandoned their fights, rushing toward the newly revealed dungeon doors.
Some sprinted toward the closest entrances, hoping for a direct path to the boss.
Others fought to eliminate the competition, ensuring fewer challengers remained for the final battle.
And then there was us.
Four of the strongest contenders in this exam—rivals only moments ago—now racing toward a single goal.
****
I scanned the battlefield.
Seven doors had appeared, scattered across the ruins.
The closest one was just ahead—about 200 meters away.
Others were farther, hidden behind broken structures or at the base of crumbling cliffs.
"Which one do we go for?" Evelyn called out, keeping pace beside me.
"The closest," I said instantly. "The others are too far. If we hesitate, someone else will take it."
Morganna chuckled. "Fine by me. Just don't slow me down."
Dain, running just ahead us, smirked. "Don't fall behind, princesses."
I ignored him.
This wasn't about ego.
This was about winning.
And we weren't the only ones after that door.
****
A group of six students were already ahead, closing in on the dungeon entrance.
I recognized two of them—fighters from noble families.
Strong, but not strong enough.
"Obstacles," Morganna mused.
"They won't let us pass without a fight," Evelyn muttered.
Dain cracked his knuckles. "Then let's make this quick."
We didn't slow down.
If anything—we sped up.
The students saw us coming, and their leader—a tall spear-wielding noble—shouted, "Stay back! This door is ours!"
I didn't waste time arguing.
I lunged forward, my swords flashing silver as I struck at the spear-wielder.
He barely had time to raise his weapon before my blade clashed against his, sending a sharp shockwave through the air.
His arms buckled under the force—
And then Evelyn was beside me, her golden shield slamming into him.
CRACK!
He flew backward, hitting the stone ruins with a grunt of pain.
The rest of his group hesitated.
Dain took full advantage of it.
A burst of flames erupted around him as he crashed into them like a meteor.
His fist caught one opponent in the gut, sending them airborne before they even realized what had happened.
Morganna weaved through the chaos, her rapier dancing through the openings in their defense.
By the time their leader staggered back to his feet, four of his teammates were already on the ground.
The last one standing—**a mage—**tried to cast a spell, but Morganna's shadowy aura wrapped around his throat.
She smiled sweetly.
"Good night."
He collapsed.
We didn't stop running.
****
We reached the dungeon door just as the magic runes finished activating.
A dark void of swirling energy stood before us—a portal leading into the unknown.
Dain grinned. "Well, ladies, looks like we made it first."
I exhaled, my heart pounding from the sprint and battle.
But something felt… off.
I glanced back.
Other students were still approaching, some engaging in fights, others hesitating to enter.
Why?
Then it hit me.
"There's no guarantee this door leads to the boss."
The system announcement had said some doors led to boss.
And we had just blindly chosen the closest one.
A gamble.
Morganna smirked. "Only one way to find out."
And without hesitation—
She stepped through.
****
The moment I crossed the threshold, the world around me shifted.
The battlefield outside disappeared, replaced by a dimly lit cavern.
Massive stone pillars stretched upward into darkness, their surfaces covered in ancient glowing runes.
A single, narrow path lay before us, surrounded by chasm-like drops on either side.
Far ahead—deep within the cave—something growled.
A low, bone-rattling sound that sent a shiver down my spine.
Dain cracked his neck. "I like the sound of that."
Morganna stepped forward, eyes gleaming. "Shall we?"
Evelyn exhaled, gripping her sword. "Be ready. We don't know what's waiting for us."
Neither did I.
But there was no turning back now.
If this was the boss room…
Then we would finish this fight.
And claim victory.
****
The cavern stretched endlessly before us.
Dimly lit by ancient runes embedded into the stone, the pathway ahead was narrow, with jagged edges that overlooked a seemingly bottomless abyss.
The only way forward was a single winding bridge of rock, leading deeper into the dungeon's heart.
A deep growl echoed from the shadows ahead.
Then—movement.
Figures emerged from the darkness, stepping into the faint glow of the rune-lit cavern.
Humanoid, yet wrong.
Their bodies were distorted, their flesh covered in obsidian-like armor, glowing with pulsating red veins of corrupted mana.
Their eyes—void-like and hollow—locked onto us with inhuman hunger.
Dungeon Corrupted Guardians.
Twisted remains of once-powerful warriors—now nothing more than monstrous sentinels bound to defend this place.
Five of them.
Each at least seven feet tall, carrying jagged weapons forged of dark mana.
One wielded a massive greataxe, another a warhammer, and the rest carried curved blades dripping with corrupted energy.
They moved in eerie silence, their bodies unnaturally smooth despite the heavy armor they wore.
And then—
They charged.
CLANG!
The first Guardian swung its greataxe toward me with terrifying speed.
I sidesteped, the blade carving into the stone ground—splitting it apart.
I countered instantly.
My swords flashed, silver mana surging as I slashed across its chest.
Sparks flew.
But the blade barely scratched its armor.
I clicked my tongue. Reinforced defense.
BOOM!
Behind me, Evelyn had already clashed with another.
Her golden shield shattered the air with divine force as she intercepted a warhammer strike, the impact sending a shockwave rippling outward.
Morganna twisted between shadows, her cursed rapier darting toward the weak points of her enemies.
Dain?
Dain exploded forward in a burst of fire, his flaming fist colliding with one Guardian's chest.
CRACK!
The creature staggered, but barely faltered.
They weren't just tough.
They were unnaturally durable.
These things were heavily armored, resistant to physical attacks.
But—
Armor doesn't matter if you strike what's underneath.
My eyes flickered to the crimson veins pulsing across their bodies.
Their corrupted mana cores.
That's the weakness.
I activated my blessing, feeling the Moon Huntress' power surge through me.
My blades shimmered—coated with lunar mana.
The greataxe-wielding Guardian lunged for me again, bringing its weapon down in a deadly arc.
But this time—I didn't dodge.
I sidestepped inward, getting dangerously close, and with a swift movement—
I slammed both my blades straight into the glowing veins at its ribs.
CRACK!
The effect was instantaneous.
The Guardian jerked, its body trembling as the corrupted mana reacted violently to the lunar energy.
It let out a distorted shriek as its body cracked apart, collapsing into glowing embers before vanishing entirely.
One down.
****
Evelyn caught onto my strategy instantly.
She bashed her opponent's blade aside and plunged her sword into the pulsing core at its neck.
CRACK!
Another fell.
Dain roared, gripping a Guardian's skull, his entire body igniting as he incinerated its corrupted mana, reducing it to ash.
Morganna, as usual, had already figured it out before any of us.
She elegantly stepped behind two Guardians, her rapier piercing through both of their cores with a single fluid motion.
As their bodies collapsed, she flicked her blade with a smirk.
"Too easy."
I rolled my eyes.
But she wasn't wrong.
With their weakness exploited, we made short work of the remaining monsters.
And just like that—
The dungeon fell silent again.
***
I took a deep breath, steadying my mana.
The fight hadn't lasted long, but it had drained more energy than expected.
These Guardians weren't just any dungeon mobs.
They were part of something bigger.
And I had a feeling we were about to find out what.
Because just ahead of us—
The cavern opened into a massive stone chamber.
At its center, a raised platform stood, with six more separate tunnels leading into stone chamber.
And at the far end—
A massive stone door.
Carved into it were ancient glyphs, glowing faintly with dormant power.
The Boss Room.
Evelyn exhaled. "Looks like we weren't the only ones who found a way here."
I followed her gaze.
Two more groups of examinees had already arrived, stepping out from two of the other tunnels.
And judging by the approaching footsteps echoing from other passages—
More were coming.
Morganna sighed. "Well, well. This just got a lot more complicated."
Dain grinned, cracking his knuckles.
"Good."
TO BR CONTINUE...