As we moved towards the second nest, we found only weblings—small, underdeveloped versions of the spiders we'd faced earlier. They were easy to deal with, and we quickly eliminated them with minimal effort. After a few minutes of rest, we continued deeper into the cave.
The further we ventured, the more the tunnels expanded, revealing the true size of the cave system. The tunnels were long, twisting in several directions, making it easy to get lost without paying attention. As we pushed forward, we stumbled upon a nest of snakes—just like the ones we had faced earlier. Peter and I worked in sync, dispatching the snakes while Eryndor stood as our vanguard, ensuring no surprise attack caught us off guard.
Suddenly, we were interrupted by a loud noise—a deep, rumbling sound like something crawling through the earth. The noise echoed through the tunnels, sending a shiver down my spine. Eryndor immediately tensed up, his eyes narrowing as he turned towards the source of the sound.
"Hide," he ordered in a low voice, pointing towards a small tunnel on our left. Without hesitation, we dove into the narrow space, staying completely still. The ground vibrated slightly beneath us, and the noise grew louder as a massive creature slithered into view—a worm-like beast, its slimy body glistening in the faint light of the cave.
The worm was enormous, easily the size of several horses combined, its skin a mottled gray and brown color, blending seamlessly with the rocky environment. Its entire body undulated as it moved, the sound of its flesh scraping against the stone echoing through the tunnel. It was a Terra Devourer—a rank 7 mana beast known for burrowing deep into the earth and devouring anything in its path. Fortunately, the creature relied on its sense of touch and vibrations to locate prey, meaning it hadn't noticed us yet.
We waited in silence as the Terra Devourer slithered past us, its body creating a low rumbling as it dragged itself deeper into the cave. Once it was out of sight, we let out a collective breath of relief.
"That thing was massive," Ren whispered, his voice filled with awe. "But I bet if we worked together, we could take it down."
Eryndor shook his head, his expression serious. "There's no need to waste our strength on it this early in the test. We have a long way to go."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? That thing would be worth a lot of points."
"Maybe," Eryndor replied coolly, "but near a worm like that, there's usually a nest of others. And if that's the case, there's a good chance there's a peak rank 6 beast or even a rank 5 nearby. These tunnels... they were likely carved out by creatures like it. We can't risk facing something that strong yet, especially when we don't know how many more there are."
Peter nodded in agreement, the tension clear on his face. "He's right. We should save our strength and move to the surface."
The idea of facing an entire nest of creatures like that worm was enough to convince me. We had no idea how long we'd been underground, and the thought of getting caught in one of those tunnels by a rank 6 or 5 beast wasn't something I was eager to experience.
Reluctantly, Ren sighed. "Fine, but if we run into another one, I'm taking it down."
We carefully made our way out of the tunnels, keeping an ear out for any more creatures that might be lurking in the depths. The further we moved, the more cautious we became, the weight of Eryndor's words hanging over us. This test was far more dangerous than any of us had anticipated, and it was only the beginning.
---
After four hours of hunting and hiding, we had managed to gather 67 points. The process was slow, but it was safer. We avoided confrontation with other teams for the most part, focusing on the weaker beasts that crossed our path. Every time we encountered a team, Eryndor's cold gaze would assess them before he'd make the call.
"It's not time to hunt them yet," he said in an eerie voice after spotting a particularly weak team from a distance. A small smirk formed on his lips. "As they say, you should fatten the sheep before the slaughter."
I exchanged a glance with Ren and Peter, both of them appearing to share my unease. Eryndor was calculating, always thinking two steps ahead. His attitude toward the test was methodical, and his way of speaking about other teams as prey was unsettling, but I couldn't argue with his results.
After approximately 30 minutes of resting in a hidden corner of the cave, we began to prepare for the next phase of our strategy. The rest had done us good, but now it was time to shift our focus. Eryndor gave the signal to move, his eyes glinting with a sharp determination.
"We've got enough points for now," he said, his voice carrying a dark undertone. "It's time to hunt some real prey."
Ren grinned, stretching his arms. "Finally! I was starting to get bored with the beasts. Let's see how the other teams handle us."
With our points steadily growing, we readied ourselves for the next hunt, but this time, it wasn't just the beasts we were after. We were ready to take down anyone standing in our way.