Chapter 92: The First Objective

Arlo’s gaze narrowed as he looked at the top names. Each of the names was no doubt among the absolute monsters of the entire Newcomer classes.

"As you all can see, there are quite large discrepancies."

"But do not be hopeless if you have a very low ranking. The remaining 50% that will determine your entrance is based on the test that will be ongoing soon."

"All you have to do is make sure you perform exceedingly well in this test. In such a way, you will be able to bolster your low score and reach even higher levels."

"All you have to do is be the 76th ranker or be above him. Most of you should have been able to calculate just how much more score you need, don’t you?"

The teacher asked as each of the students’ eyes gleamed.

[New Quest Has Been Activated!]

[Your Current Rank is 92. Reach the top 10 at the end of the ranking!]

’Huh?’ Arlo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the sudden quest.

[I didn’t generate it.] The System responded before Arlo could even bother asking.

’Reaching the top ten would force me to go 100% out, reaching at least 48/50% of the phase’s score. It will be more than difficult.’

Arlo mused to himself as he stared at the holographic display.

Turning to the side, he could see Vael still seething with anger and disbelief.

The young man’s fiery pride seemed to have been watered down after seeing others surpass him in an area where he had always liked to claim himself as the undisputed king.

And what followed was deep anger.

"Tch, all of those names in the top ten are Class A students. How unfair!?"

Vael called out, a little too loudly, immediately drawing the attention of every student toward the top ten names.

The students then shifted their gazes toward Class A, whose members wore even wider grins of disdain, occasional chuckles escaping their lips as they basked in the wronged expressions of the other students.

It was one of the best experiences they could ever witness, and they made sure to savor every bit of the jealous attention directed toward them.

"Now that you all know half of your scores, we can officially begin the second half of the Outer-Session," she announced loudly as the students took their various seats once more, silence reigning throughout the room.

Immediately after her announcement, a single teacher rose to his feet.

It was a teacher Arlo was more than familiar with, Mr. Ian.

"Without wasting any more of your valuable time, I will immediately get into the specifics," he said, drawing everyone’s attention toward him.

"The first test is a test of... Survival!"

His words caused the students’ expressions to shift into confusion.

"Of course, you weren’t expecting to be tested on the same things you have already done in your class. You have already been tested, from the assessment on the board."

"I told you, duh!" Vael whispered to Arlo, who simply rolled his eyes.

He hadn’t expected them to literally use their class assessment to determine the first 50%. Once they had already done that, repeating the same test again wouldn’t make much sense.

"The Survival Test is a really simple one. The only thing you have to do is obtain as many golden cards as possible in a world where everything else is trying to devour you!"

Mr. Ian said with an evil smile, causing everyone’s expressions to morph into ones of confusion and unease.

"That’s right. You will all be transplanted into a realm, and everything inside this realm is filled with various creatures that will immediately try to eat you the moment they see you."

"But there are also certain areas within this realm where golden cards have been planted."

"Your job is to avoid being devoured by the creatures while seizing as many golden cards as possible."

"This test alone will be worth 25/50% of the total score, so I advise you to take it seriously." Mr. Ian said solemnly.

Some of the students, mainly those who weren’t particularly skilled in combat, felt their hearts thump harder at his words, while others simply shrugged them off without much concern.

"The test duration is a total of four days, although it might only be four hours within the world you’ll be transplanted to."

"A time-difference realm, huh?" Vael mused beside him.

"I’m sure even a kid can understand the aim of this test, so without wasting any more time, let’s get right into it." he said.

Immediately, another teacher rose to her feet and walked toward the end of the dais before stretching her hands forward.

A vast cloud of mana instantly spread throughout the entire hall, plunging the room into pitch-black darkness.

Soon after, a twirling vortex appeared high in the sky, its powerful force of absorption gradually increasing until the students’ bodies began to float upward.

"I wish you all good luck from the bottom of my heart. Goodbye..."

"Hey, wait! You said there’s a chance we get devoured, right?"

"Then what happens if we get devoured? Do we actually die, or is there another way.?"

A student being pulled upward shouted toward Mr. Ian.

The teacher only smiled even more sinisterly.

"Oh-oh. Don’t worry. You’ll find out when half of your body is in the jaws of a predator creature. Bye-bye!"

"NOOOOOO!!!"

And soon, the entire hall was devoid of anyone except the staff standing upon the dais.

___________________

RUSSSTLEEE

The sound of the wind blowing through the dark night resounded across the land, barely illuminated by the crimson moon hanging high in the sky.

Its scarlet glow spilled across the earth, bathing the surroundings in an eerie light and filling the desolate landscape with a spine-chilling aura of the unknown.

In the distance, strange creaking and rustling sounds could be faintly heard, sometimes resembling eerie whistles, while at other times sounding like iron being violently bent.

STEP!

STEP!

STEP!

Suddenly, another sound interrupted the abyssal silence, the gentle and unhurried footsteps of someone approaching.

The noises in the background seemed to come to an abrupt halt at the presence of a new visitor, a faint dark aura slowly oozing from the humanoid figure standing at roughly 1.8 meters tall.

His uniform fluttered around his body in the chilling wind, both hands casually tucked inside his pockets.

His crimson-speckled eyes, surrounded by a faint hint of gold, held no emotion whatsoever as they stared blankly several meters ahead.

After walking a few more steps, he reached the middle of the long, winding street, where rows of huts stood facing one another and stretched far into the distance.

He came to a sudden halt.

His gaze rose toward the crimson moon before sweeping across the surrounding area, occasionally pausing on the dark nooks and crannies hidden between the various huts.

"I sense a lot around here..." he suddenly mused.

As though his words had ignited a flame, the quietness of the dark night was instantly shattered.

THUMP!

THUMP!

SCREEECHHHH!

SCREEEECHHH!

A cacophony of legs violently pounding against the ground filled the night, accompanied by the chilling screams of creatures rapidly emerging from the darkness of the surrounding nooks and crannies.

They approached the young man from every direction.

The larger creatures stood as tall as three meters, their rough, burnt-looking skin gleaming with an otherworldly beauty beneath the moonlight, while their rough black eyes remained locked onto the young man, overflowing with malevolence and every form of murderous intent.

Their claws glinted fiercely as they lunged toward him, each one intent on being the first to tear him apart.

[The more cards there are, the more devils there are present.]

That was the last golden color he saw before the entire world turned crimson red.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A terrifying explosion erupted through the chaotic night, cracking a crater into the ground and blowing apart the desolate huts nearby.

The source was none other than a monstrous devil that had slammed both clenched fists into the ground where the figure had stood moments before.

Yet when it raised its hands, it found none of the splattered remains it had expected.

Instead, the last thing it saw was the shattered ground beneath it, a leg gently stepping onto its monstrous head, and then...

BOOOOOOOOOM!

An explosion twice as loud as the first erupted, sending blood and viscous matter splashing through the air as the creature’s enormous head was obliterated.

Its large, headless body collapsed to the ground, crushing the lesser devils that had finally managed to arrive at the scene.

STEP!

STEP!

Arlo’s footsteps resounded through the night as he gently landed on the back of the monstrous corpse, crouching atop its body while directing his attention toward the other monstrous devils.

They immediately turned toward him and violently smashed their fists in his direction.

BAAAAAAANG!

The deafening sound of a spine being shattered resounded through the night, originating from one of the fallen creatures.

Another explosion followed, clearing away the dust and debris to reveal nothing but the creature’s horribly disfigured corpse.

BAAAAANG!

BAAANG!

BAAAAAANG!

One after another, the sound of violent explosions tore through the night as a gigantic dark ball brimming with destructive power shot forward, passing through the heads of three gigantic titans and drilling enormous holes through their skulls.

Their knees violently struck the ground as their titanic bodies collapsed heavily one after another.

"Vorath Mana Art: Piercing Needle Technique." the whisper echoed throughout the night as Arlo slowly lowered his outstretched left hand, leaving it hanging mysteriously in the air.

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!

Thunderous roars erupted as the remaining titanic devils instantly swarmed him, their claws sweeping forward with such overwhelming force that everything in their path was reduced to rubble.

All of them rapidly converged upon the young man, whose normally expressionless face finally changed slightly as the corner of his lips curled upward.

"Fallen Angel Art: Arms of Rakhasa."