amaotonovel Chapter 132 The Ruins Screamer
Chapter 132 The Ruins Screamer
Sometimes, people's rationality can be obscured by various factors, one of which is despair.
Students who rank lower are in this mindset when taking the midterm exam.
Arcadia Hunter Academy is ruthless; students who fail to meet expectations will be eliminated.
Who will be eliminated?
Those are the backward people.
Therefore, they desperately wanted to achieve good results in this exam and improve their ranking. However, despair never goes hand in hand with reason.
When life is in danger, staying rational and calm is the most important thing.
As the students rushed past me, their attention was completely focused on overtaking others.
This is a typical scenario: desperate students eager to explore and conquer the dungeon.
As they charged forward, they triggered something I'd suspected since the moment I entered the dungeon. Roars and howls echoed from the dilapidated buildings, and dangerous figures gradually emerged from the darkness.
"Gurgle..."
Strange creatures emerged from dark doorways and broken windows. Their forms were grotesque, their rotting flesh fused with deformed limbs. They were the inhabitants of the dungeon, awaiting our challenge.
'The Screamer of the Ruins.'
These monsters are typically between tier 2 and tier 3, depending on their level of evolution. From the moment we entered the dungeon, I knew we would encounter monsters we had learned about in class. The academy may be ruthless, but it is fair to its students.
This is at least true for those students who are fulfilling their duties.
Whoosh!
A monster suddenly leaped out of the shop ruins, and weapons were quickly drawn.
Clang!
"Hold on!" a student shouted as his weapon clashed with the monster's claws as it drew closer.
The real battle began. The students started wildly swinging their weapons, their fighting skills varying greatly.
This was a life-or-death battle, but I couldn't help but shake my head at the chaos.
That's why teamwork is so important.
Without scouts and proper teamwork, a disorganized team simply cannot survive against these monsters.
This midterm exam was also a lesson, demonstrating the importance of teamwork to those arrogant students.
This is also why humans have been able to survive in the face of monsters, otherworldly creatures, and demons.
In a sense, this was a valuable lesson.
'It's time for me to get started. Thank you for paving the way.'
With this in mind, I climbed to the top of an abandoned building and began to walk, using the battle taking place below to conceal my presence.
Although hunting monsters would boost my score, I wasn't foolish enough to face so many enemies alone and waste the opportunity presented to me.
……
Beneath the abandoned buildings, chaotic battles continue in the ruined town. Desperate students are forced into a life-or-death struggle against the ferocious shriekers of the ruins.
"Ah!" A student's shout cut through the air as he brandished his weapon to attack a monster.
Boom!
His attack struck the monster's rotting flesh, producing a nauseating thud.
"Fizz!"
The shrieking creature in the ruins retaliated with its deformed claws, viciously scratching the student's arm.
The once quiet town is now filled with the sounds of battle.
The desperate students fought against these bizarre, shrieking ruins, each attack and each swing accompanied by grunts and screams.
"Watch out, behind you!" a student shouted as he saw a shrieking figure from the ruins approaching another student from behind.
The warning allowed the student to barely dodge the sneak attack, rolling to the side and narrowly avoiding the monster's claws.
Two students wielding swords worked together, their blades flashing in the air.
They exchanged a glance, and then one of them shouted, "Come on!"
"Ah."
Together they charged toward a shrieking ruin, launching a synchronized attack that successfully sliced through the monster's flesh.
Not all cooperation is so coordinated. Two students wielding staffs tried to fend off a shrieking ruin, their movements hesitant and lacking in coordination. "Draw its attention!" one shouted to the other.
The second student tried to distract the monster with a feint, which worked temporarily, but the Ruins Screamer quickly refocused and pounced on the first student, forcing him to block with his staff.
Amidst the chaotic battle, a conversation can be heard between two students who knew each other before entering the dungeon.
“Sam! We should move together!” a female student shouted, gripping her bow and arrows to defend against the approaching shrieks of the ruins.
Tom nodded and replied, “Come on, Elsa. I’ll cover your back.” As he spoke, he stood guard behind her to make sure no monster could attack her from behind.
Although such scenes of cooperation were playing out all around, not all students were able to remain calm.
Despite their best efforts, some people still could not avoid fatal attacks.
"Roar!"
Whoosh! Thud!
The injured student fell to the ground, screaming in pain, as the shrieker's claws struck their target, leaving a deep wound.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
One by one, the students, fatally wounded, vanished in a flash of light.
This measure was taken to prevent a repeat of the tragedy in the past, where students died due to interference from demon contractors. The students were teleported back to the dungeon entrance to avoid fatal injuries.
As the battle continued, the injured students were teleported to the safe zone, while three students witnessed the chaotic battle from a distance.
They huddled behind a crumbling building, their eyes glued to the scene of the battle.
A serious-looking girl turned to her companions. "Is everything ready? We can't afford any mistakes this time. A lot of eyes are on us from the academy right now."
A tall, thin student, toying with a dagger in his hand, nodded. "Everything is ready. We just need to wait until he's alone before we make our move."
“I still don’t think we should have taken this mission.” Although the boy seemed relaxed, the girl’s tone clearly betrayed her unease. She seemed to have serious doubts about the mission they had been given.
“You should know we have no choice. If we can’t prove our worth, they will abandon us,” the boy replied in a low voice.
“Yes…but can we find his location?” the girl asked.
“Yes, he’s here.” The boy held up his watch, which showed a small dot moving on the screen.
“Well then, let’s hurry. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling he’s much stronger than we know. We need to be careful,” the girl said.
“Really?” At this moment, the third member of the group, a girl with a sly smile, joined the conversation. “Wouldn’t that be even more interesting?” She licked her lips, a crazy smile spreading across her face.
The team leader solemnly reminded them, "Be serious, this is a mission, not child's play."
The enthusiastic girl couldn't help but add a playful remark: "What's the point of life if there's no excitement?"
The team leader stated firmly, "Regardless, our main objective is to ensure this mission appears to be an accident or a monster attack. We cannot leave any clues or arouse suspicion. If we are discovered, we all know the consequences."
"clear."
"Very good. Now, let's get started."
The squad began moving through the complex terrain of the dungeon, slowly approaching the target point on the map while slaying monsters, just like the other students.
……
"Gurgle..."
Looking at the monsters blocking my way, I slowly counted their number.
'10.'
Because the students' foolish behavior attracted the monsters' hatred, I am carefully moving around the dungeon, concealing my presence.
This isn't a cave, but an open area, so I have to scout carefully to find my midterm exam assignment target.
It's exam time now, and I can't use the [Shadow] ability to hide myself.
Therefore, you will always encounter monsters at some point, and now is that time.
I reached for my bow and arrow, smoothly drew one, and aimed at the nearest shrieking ruin.
"call……"
Whoosh!
With a breath, I released the bowstring, and the arrow struck its target precisely, knocking the monster to the ground.
"Roar!"
The monsters reacted quickly, letting out a piercing scream and roar. They realized my presence and pounced on me.
Whoosh!Whoosh!
I continued firing arrows rapidly, aiming at the approaching shrieks of the ruins, trying to reduce their numbers as much as possible.
Since the academy and other guilds are currently focused on exams, I don't want to use too many different magical attributes. I don't want to provide them with too much data to analyze my combat style.
I only use green mana to improve the trajectory of my arrows, gradually reducing the number of enemies.
'9'
Whoosh! Bang!
A monster fell.
'8'
Another one was also knocked down.
Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
I fired three arrows at the same time, aiming precisely at the two shrieking figures in the ruins.
"Roar!"
The arrows weren't powerful enough to defeat all three monsters at once, but that didn't matter.
The Eye of Time
As time slowed down, mana threads connected to the monster, and I quickly nocked three arrows.
I infused it with green magic and used my senses to connect the threads to the arrow.
Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
In that instant, I released the bowstring, and the arrows flew toward their target. This time, their trajectories were more precise, unlike the scattered ones before.
boom! boom! boom!
'5'
All the arrows struck their throats precisely, and the three monsters fell at the same time.
Whoosh!
"Roar!"
They're getting closer.
As the monsters drew closer, I knew it was time to switch to my dual daggers.
'This should be enough to demonstrate my archery skills.'
Using dual weapons as my main skill means I'll be subject to different types of assessments, and the assessments will be more rigorous. Therefore, I've decided to switch weapons to prepare for the upcoming battle.
With dagger in hand, I faced the monsters' challenge.
'bring it on.'