The blaring horn signaled the start of Round Four: The Survival Challenge. This round was designed to push Hunters to their physical limits, testing not just their strength but also their endurance, teamwork, and adaptability. The landscape around them was a vast expanse of rugged wilderness, dotted with dense forests, rocky cliffs, and shadowed caves. The only rule was simple: survive the onslaught of beasts that would be unleashed over the next twelve hours.
For Sirius, Luna, and Ron, this was the kind of challenge they had prepared for. But as they looked out over the landscape, they knew they weren't alone. Leon's team, with their intense and coordinated fighting style, and the sibling duo, Selene and Orion, two skilled C-rank Hunters with their unique talents, were also scattered across the terrain.
"Stay close," Luna instructed, taking point as the trio moved deeper into the wilderness. "We'll conserve our energy, only engaging when we need to."
Ron nodded, his fists already clenched in anticipation. "Good plan. But something tells me the beasts will come looking for us sooner rather than later."
As if on cue, the earth trembled beneath their feet, and a terrifying roar echoed through the forest. A massive Earth Bear lumbered toward them, its fur coated in rock-like plates and claws the size of daggers. Its red eyes gleamed with a savage hunger, and its growls shook the ground.
Sirius activated Orion's Eye, his vision enhancing to study the beast's stats.
Earth Bear
Strength: 34
Defense: 40
Agility: 15
Talent: Earth Fortress – Enhances its physical defense and allows it to regenerate health when in contact with soil.
"We'll have to hit it hard and fast," Sirius said. "It's got a talent that makes it almost invulnerable when it touches the ground."
Luna summoned her Ice Empress Spirit, conjuring shards of ice around her. "I'll try to freeze its legs. Ron, back me up with a frontal attack."
The Earth Bear charged, its massive frame shaking the forest floor with each step. Luna focused, unleashing a barrage of Hailstorm Barrage at the beast's legs. Sharp icicles formed instantly, piercing into the earth and binding the bear's front paws. The beast roared, snapping its jaws in fury, but its movement was momentarily hindered.
"Nice one, Luna!" Ron shouted, rushing forward. He activated Rock Skin Armor, his skin hardening to withstand the beast's powerful strikes, then used Colossal Might to launch a devastating punch directly at the bear's chest. The blow landed with a sickening crunch, forcing the bear back.
But the Earth Bear was resilient. It dug its claws into the ground, activating Earth Fortress, causing its fur to harden like stone as it absorbed nutrients from the soil.
"Ron, get back!" Sirius warned, summoning his Aurora Starblade and lunging forward. In one swift motion, he activated Explosive Flames along the blade's edge, turning it into a searing arc of fire. He struck down hard on the bear's foreleg, the flames weakening the earth coating its fur.
The Earth Bear howled, its defenses crumbling under the combined ice and fire assault. Luna saw the opening and fired an Ice Spear directly at its heart. The spear of ice penetrated its thick hide, freezing over its wound, and with a final, echoing roar, the beast collapsed to the ground.
"First one down," Luna said, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"Plenty more where that came from," Sirius replied, keeping his senses alert. "But let's keep moving. We don't want to be surrounded."
Across the forest, Leon's team encountered a pack of Thunderclaw Tigers—sleek, predatory beasts with sharp claws charged with electricity. The tigers moved as one, their striped fur crackling with electric sparks as they circled the group.
Leon smirked, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Stay on your guard. I'll take the largest one."
His teammates nodded, taking positions as Leon advanced, summoning his Thunder Edge, a sword that crackled with lightning. One of the Thunderclaw Tigers growled and lunged at him, claws extended, but Leon sidestepped, using Beast Suppression to momentarily freeze the tiger mid-leap.
With a swift, powerful strike, he drove his sword down, cleaving through the tiger's fur and muscle with a flash of lightning. The beast convulsed as the electricity coursed through it, then collapsed in a smoking heap.
Meanwhile, his teammates coordinated their attacks. One Hunter, with a Fire Manipulation talent, launched fireballs at the tigers, creating bursts of flame that forced the beasts back. Another, equipped with Steel Skin, absorbed the impact of the tigers' electric claws, countering with powerful strikes that sent the tigers reeling.
As the last tiger fell, Leon sheathed his sword, a confident smile on his face. "Good work. Let's keep moving before something else finds us."
Further in the forest, Selene and Orion, the sibling duo, faced a swarm of Shadow Wolves. These dark-furred wolves could phase in and out of shadows, making them hard to pin down. Each time one wolf was struck, it would vanish and reappear from another shadow.
Orion, the elder brother with a talent in Sword Mastery, took a defensive stance, his blade glowing faintly with an aura of light. "Selene, use your arrows to light up the shadows."
Selene, a skilled archer with the Reincarnation of Artemis talent, drew her bow and fired an arrow imbued with Light Magic. The arrow shot through the trees, illuminating the forest and revealing the wolves as they moved through the shadows.
One of the Shadow Wolves lunged at Orion, but he countered with Light Edge, slashing his sword upward in a blinding arc that severed the wolf in two. Another wolf leaped at Selene, but she spun gracefully, firing an arrow that struck it mid-air, pinning it to a tree.
Working in perfect sync, the siblings defeated the wolves, their combined talents allowing them to hold their ground. When the last wolf fell, Orion grinned at his sister. "Not bad for a warm-up."
Selene smiled back, already preparing another arrow. "Let's find some more. The clock's ticking."
Back in the forest, Sirius, Luna, and Ron continued to push forward, conserving energy while keeping an eye out for threats. Suddenly, the sound of beating wings echoed through the treetops, and they looked up to see a massive Rock Wyvern descending toward them. Its scales were made of hardened stone, and its eyes glinted with malice as it opened its jaws, revealing rows of sharp, rock-like teeth.
Rock Wyvern
Strength: 45
Defense: 50
Talent: Stone Skin – Reinforces its scales, making them impervious to most physical attacks.
"It's going to take more than brute force to bring this one down," Luna observed, notching an ice-tipped arrow.
"Let's weaken its defenses first," Sirius suggested, summoning Raven and sending it to distract the wyvern with a flurry of smaller crows that pecked at its eyes.
While the wyvern thrashed about, Ron activated Geokinesis, raising a spire of rock beneath the wyvern's wing and forcing it to land. The wyvern crashed to the ground with a screech, flailing its wings to regain balance.
Sirius seized the moment, activating Lightning Strike to send arcs of electricity coursing through his Aurora Starblade. He lunged forward, aiming at the wyvern's joint, where its stone scales were thinner.
The blade struck true, and electricity surged through the wyvern's body, causing it to convulse. The rock scales began to crack, exposing its vulnerable underbelly. Luna saw the opening and fired an Ice Spear at the exposed area, embedding it deep within the wyvern's flesh.
With a roar, the wyvern thrashed about in pain, but the icy wound hindered its movements. Sirius activated Gale Foot, dashing around the beast to strike from multiple angles while Ron used Colossal Might to hammer down on the wyvern's weakened scales, breaking through its stone armor.
Finally, with a coordinated attack, Sirius and Luna struck simultaneously—Sirius delivering a powerful slash with Explosive Flames and Luna firing a final Ice Arrow into the wyvern's heart. The beast let out a final, agonized cry before collapsing, its stone scales disintegrating into dust.
They took a moment to catch their breath, each feeling the weight of the battle but invigorated by their victory.
"That was intense," Ron said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Luna nodded. "We're holding our ground well, but we should be prepared for anything stronger."
As the challenge progressed, the roar of beasts filled the air, and the surviving teams began to encounter one another amidst the chaos. Each team had gathered strength from earlier battles, facing creatures like Wind Serpents, Flame Golems, and Shadow Basilisks.
Leon's team clashed with a Flame Golem, its massive, fiery body radiating intense heat that scorched the ground. Leon unleashed his Thunder Edge, carving through the golem's fiery shell while his teammates coordinated to launch water-based attacks to extinguish its flames.
Selene and Orion encountered a Shadow Basilisk, a serpentine creature with scales that could absorb light and vanish into darkness. Orion used his Light Edge to keep the beast illuminated while Selene launched pinpoint shots at its exposed underbelly.
As the clock neared the final hour, a terrifying roar shook the entire forest. A monstrous Chimera appeared—a three-headed beast with the heads of a lion, a snake, and a dragon. Its lion's head roared with ferocity, while the snake lashed out with venomous fangs, and the dragon head prepared to breathe fire.
Sirius, Luna, Ron, and several other teams converged to face this final challenge together.
"This thing is no joke," Leon said, stepping forward with his blade drawn. "We'll need everyone's talents to bring it down."
Sirius nodded, stepping up alongside him. "Let's work together on this."
The teams coordinated, with each Hunter taking on a specific head. Sirius used Sphere of Total Perception to guide their movements, keeping everyone in sync. Raven split into countless crows to distract the beast, while Luna's Ice Empress Spirit froze the Chimera's legs, slowing its movements.
Ron activated Colossal Might and slammed his fist into the lion's head, stunning it momentarily. Leon used Beast Suppression on the snake's head, freezing it in place while Selene and Orion launched a barrage of arrows and sword strikes at its exposed scales.
As the Chimera roared in pain, Sirius saw an opening. He activated Predator Mode, his stats surging, and charged at the dragon head, unleashing a flurry of slashes with Explosive Flames. Luna followed up, firing an Ice Spear into its throat, freezing the fire in its mouth.
With a final, unified assault, the teams struck together, bringing down the Chimera in a crescendo of flames, ice, and thunder.
As the beast fell, the final horn sounded, signaling the end of the Survival Challenge. Exhausted but victorious, Sirius's team stood among the last Hunters, their skills and teamwork proving stronger than ever.