[Dimensional Zone.]
[One Day Later.]
WHOOSH!! X5
BAM!
Dust plumed into the air as five figures descended from the canopy, their boots hitting the earth with heavy, calculated impact.
Carl and his team straightened up, shaking off the debris of travel. They stared at the open field sprawling before them. It was an unnatural clearing, a jarring break in the geography; surrounding the field were dense lines of trees leading back into the twisted forests they had just navigated.
But all eyes were drawn to the center.
Dominating the clearing was a colossal dragon statue, carved from a stone so dark it seemed to absorb the light. At the base of the statue, resting openly on a stone pedestal, were 25 scrolls. They lay bare, unprotected, and gleaming with a faint, inviting hum.
"Huh? Seems we're in the inner region," the guy on Carl's right said, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Should we go and take it?" A lady asked. She was the group's healer, her hands glowing faintly with the residual energy of a restoration spell she had prepped.
The four of them turned to Carl. He was the anchor, the group leader. They had survived the chaotic skirmishes of the last twenty-four hours solely because of his judgment. Carl moved his gaze around the clearing, scanning the treeline and the statue. The silence here was too heavy.
Remembering Mirabella's warning about the deceptive nature of the Zone, he shook his head.
"Stay in the trees, let another team taste the water."
With that, he channeled strength into his legs and leaped back into the air, vanishing into the foliage.
"Oh. Ok."
The four nodded. Without hesitation, they followed his action, their silhouettes blurring as they merged with the shadows of the high branches.
Once settled on a thick bough, the second girl in the group spoke up. She had the Warrior Bloodline running through her veins, evident in the sturdy grip she kept on her sword hilt.
"Leader, why are we hiding?" she asked, staring at Carl.
Carl crouched low against the bark, eyes fixed on the clearing below.
"Foremost... The Elders said the scrolls are hidden, but do those scrolls look hidden?" Carl asked.
The four blinked in surprise. They looked back down at the pedestal, really seeing it for the first time. It was too easy. They nodded their heads slowly.
"Yeah. These scrolls are in the open, this must be a trap," the healer whispered, realization dawning on her face.
"Are you guys missing something?"
The third guy in the group, Daniel, stood casually on a higher branch, his arms folded across his chest. He had the sharp, hawk-like vision of an Archer.
"The elders also mentioned there are three regions: outer, inner, and core. We spent a whole day, and finally arrived at the inner region." He turned to the four, his expression serious. "Do you have any idea how we can get to the core region? Look around you. The other side of the dragon statue is still the outer region. This is the center, and I am pretty sure this isn't the core region."
Carl rubbed his chin, processing the geography.
"You are right... Maybe the key is related to the scrolls." Carl slowly nodded his head. "If this is true, only 25 teams will enter the Core region."
A cold smile touched his lips: "There is a catch to this... Don't you think?"
"Huh?" The four looked at him in confusion.
"All the teams will arrive here soon," Carl explained, his voice dropping to a strategic whisper. "Then, we can simply watch them fight... Once exhausted, you can take them all out."
He turned his gaze upward to the branch above him.
"Can you do that, Daniel?" He asked.
Daniel flicked his wrist. His spirit energy coalesced in his grip, weaving together until a glowing bow materialized in his hand.
"With my archer bloodline backing me up, I won't miss," he said, the string of the energy bow humming softly.
Suddenly, Daniel turned his head to the side, peering through the dense leaves. "Movement," he signaled.
Below them, a team of five walked out of the forest, their eyes immediately fixed on the statue.
"Ok... Listen up guys," Carl commanded softly. "Daniel, you'll be our cover, assisting us from behind. Mitsuki, you will charge in with me. With your Warrior Bloodline, you will be our shield. Gabby, you should be ready to heal any of us who gets injured, and Connor..."
Carl turned to the second guy, who held a mage staff topped with a crackling crystal, a confident smile on his face.
"How's your skills?"
"All ready," Connor replied, the energy around him vibrant.
"Good... You'll stay back with Daniel and cover both Mitsuki and I... You know what to do."
"Yes!" The whole team nodded in understanding, their formation set.
_
Down in the clearing, the atmosphere shifted.
"Huh? Why is there a statue here?" a girl from the newly arrived team asked. She was staring intently at a holographic map she had generated with her exploration skill.
The leader of this new team, a sharp-eyed lady with a commanding aura, looked at her subordinate over her shoulder. She turned her gaze back to the statue and the enticing pile of scrolls.
"There are a total of 25 scrolls there, which means we're the first team," she pointed out, her hands drifting to her waist to draw both her daggers. The metal gleaned dangerously in the strange light.
She narrowed her eyes. The setup was wrong.
"I don't buy it!"
Without hesitation, she whipped her arm forward, throwing her daggers with blinding speed—not at the scrolls, but towards an empty space near the statue's flank. Her action stunned her team.
BAM!!
"....?!!!"
The four behind her blinked in shock. The two daggers had frozen midair, caught by an invisible force.
The air shimmered, and the next moment, a figure materialized from the void. A guy with a long red ponytail and piercing gray eyes stood there, holding the two daggers casually in his hands.
"As expected of an elite student. We never disappoint..." he said with a smile that didn't reach his cold eyes.
The female leader's expression darkened.
"Austin. Austin Draconian," she said with a frown.
"Austin?! One of the Five! Shit!" the guy on her right cursed, a slight frown creasing his forehead as he quickly drew out his sword.
Austin looked over the group, analyzing them like insects.
"A swordsman, mage, two assassins, and a knight... Impressive combination, but do you think that can stop me?" Austin asked, a sneer forming on his face. The pressure radiating from him was palpable.
"Oh? Are you sure about that?" the leader asked with a smirk, her confidence unshakeable.
"Huh?"
Austin lowered his gaze to the daggers in his hand, confused by her sudden amusement.
"This?"
BOOOOOM!!!!
A violent explosion erupted from the weapons.
The two daggers detonated with the force of a high-tier spell, sending shockwaves rippling all over the place and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
'What the hell?!' Carl thought in shock, nearly losing his footing on the branch as the blast wind shook the trees. He stared wide-eyed at the smoke consuming the clearing.
'These guys are monsters! So this is why elite students are more valuable, they're on another league.'