A pale blue blade decapitated a beast as a pack of wolves rushed at the duo. With grayish fur, the crazed animals pounced on them with frightening speed.
Call.
A surge of energy gathered in the palms of Elysia, gaining the attention of the monsters. Low growls were heard as a wolf leaped through the air, aiming for the mage.
It was quickly dispatched as Nox swiftly sliced off its limbs. Grabbing the body, he launched it back at the rest of the pack, stopping their advance.
"Dodge!"
The black-haired girl shouted from behind him, before unleashing her attack. The boy quickly rolled over to the side, right as blades of verdant energy sliced through the air.
Black blood spluttered as the beasts were dismembered one after the other. The once feral animals now lay lifelessly on the ground.
Suddenly, a voice rang.
[You have completed Round 3.]
[The following round will commence immediately.]
Elysia slumped over, sweat flowing down her elegant robe. The duo had been fighting for half an hour now, with no signs of pause.
Nox also sat down to catch his breath. The previous rounds had also consisted of numerous monsters, but they all had one thing in common.
"They're all weak." He muttered, with a hint of confusion.
"What do you mean?" The mage questioned, with eyes still closed.
"They seem like they've already been weakened." He suddenly stood up.
Walking over to the corpses of the wolves, he picked up a fallen limb. Though providing substantial amounts of power, it was dangerously skinny.
"Something has starved them so that they would be more aggressive towards us." Nox frowned, he didn't like where this was going.
"You mean, something is purposely leading us here?" Elysia opened her eyes, seeming to have come to the same conclusion.
The boy let go of the detached arm as the bodies slowly crumbled into dust.
The next round has started.
A beast emerged from the darkness. With reddish-black fur, it was another wolf. Towering over the past monsters, this one had well-defined muscles and seemed more suitable for battle.
Elysia was about to lift her hand when an arm stopped her.
"Let me have this one, you get some rest."
Nox cracked his joints, walking towards the monster. He had been itching for a good fight this entire time.
The creature slowly circled him, looking for an opening. Then, it vanished.
Like an arrow, it zoomed through the dungeon, closing the gap between the two in an instant. However, the boy was ready.
Blocking the blow with his sword, he took a few steps back from the impact. Nox bent his knees and exploded forward.
The beast sensed danger and jumped to the side, bending down as the living weapon sliced through the air.
Channeling his energy, he delivered a punch straight to the wolf's body. Feeling the blow connect, he released his fist. During the exchange, the beast managed to nick his fingers, drawing a drop of blood.
It let off a yelp as it fell backward. Standing back up, the beast bared its fangs.
That was when an azure arrow penetrated right into its skull, killing it instantly.
Nox had spent all his free time practicing ways to efficiently utilize Opal, and it had paid off. He was able to rapidly switch between forms, being relatively well-versed in melee and ranged combat.
[You have completed Round 4.]
[The following round with commence immediately.]
A green aura enveloped both Nox and Elysia. Before any of them could open their mouths, they felt their energy levels be replenished.
The nick on his finger regenerated as the two heard the rustling of leaves behind them.
A group of humans stared at the two, holding up various weapons.
Before the boy could open his mouth, a blonde-haired man spoke.
'Otherworlders.' Nox frowned. He knew that they would encounter other Challengers eventually but, not this early.
"We mean no harm. Just give us the completion of the hidden mission and we'll let you go."
Standing at the forefront of the group, it was clear that they thought of him as their leader.
Elysia shouted from behind Nox, "Absolutely not! We found this challenge and we already fought half the monsters. You can't just come in here-
Nox quickly covered her mouth. Struggling to rip his hand away, the mage glared at him.
He suddenly leaned over and whispered something in her ears. Her eyes grew wide as she nodded.
Walking over, Nox spoke to the blonde-haired Challenger.
"If we let you have the challenge, do you promise to let us go?"
The Otherworlder smiled and offered a handshake.
"Of course."
He turned to the group and signaled them to put their weapons down. The Challengers slowly put down their weapons, still vigilantly looking at the duo for any signs of sudden movement.
The boy grasped his hand. It was firm. Looking at the scars, it was clear that he had been through a lot.
Nox tried to let go, but the man wouldn't budge.
Noticing something was wrong, Elysia started to channel her energy.
A figure suddenly appeared behind her. With a quick chop to the neck, the mage fell to the floor, unconscious.
"Pierce, don't kill her yet. We have some uses for them." The blonde-haired man chuckled.
Chucking her over to the side, the figure took off his head, revealing a bald head.
"Neo, what about the boy over there?"
Nox was unable to get out of his grip as a searing heat ran through his body. A beam of light materialized from Neo's fingers as he was about to blow a hole through his head.
At that moment, the boy smirked.
The Phenomenon was fair. It provided checks and balances to the Challengers. Elysia and him didn't receive any rewards from the previous rounds, but before the 5th round, they both received energy and healing.
Which could only mean…
A low growl reverberated from the dungeon. Pausing his attack, Neo suddenly shouted, "GET DOWN!"
Nox managed to get away just in time. Ducking down, he saw the shadow of a dark beast streak through the space above him.
Heads flew through the air as several bodies crumpled to the ground. A bald head rolled on the floor, eyes still wide with surprise.
Just like that, the second-place Challenger was eliminated.
A scream erupted from Neo as he launched several beams of light. One managed to hit the beast as it let off a screech, speeding up.
Shadow and light intertwined as the two engaged in a battle.
[The Final Round has commenced.]