Chapter 51: Results of Dungeon Trial
Emily's reflexes kicked in as she tried to evade the incoming blade of the Katana, but her efforts fell short, resulting in a deep gash on her shoulder. Agony was exhaled from her lungs in a sharp cry of pain—"Akh!"
Even in this pain, she wasn't going to surrender. With determination, Emily rolled back, summoning the last bits of her strength and aimed an arrow on the approaching katana wielder.
Karthik's confident footsteps echoed in her ears ???????? ???????? ????????.
Her arrow soared through the air, guided by her resolve, only for Karthik to effortlessly evade the projectile.
The distinct sound of the katana being unsheathed resonated as the Karthik came closer to her, each of his steps amplifying the tension in her nerves.
Struggling to steady her breath, Emily braced herself for the final round. This was it, this was going to be the defining moment.
But she knew this battle was a lost cause for her, but her nerves were a rebel, urging her not to let defeat define her. But what was she even supposed to do? She was out of mana, she was out of arrows, she was out of strength and apparently she was even out of breath—the reminder from her gasping lungs.
As Emily was watching the now approaching figure of Karthik, a sudden thought—an advice...of sort, crossed her mind, one she hadn't listened to, not too long ago—"????????, ????'?? ?????? ???? ???????? ???????????? ???? ??????????????? ???????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????? ??????????, ?????????? ?? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????..."
Had she had listened to Noah's advice...perhaps, perhaps she could have won?
And he wasn't trying to insult her?what he said was indeed right, all he ever tried to do was help her and he even helped their class...but her own ego...that... her fault?
She felt sorry, and thankful, albeit very subtle, but it was there, born out of unknown origins—perhaps the same place where she found the motivation to always insult the guy. Pathetic.
??????????! A subtle and decisive click echoed through the air, sealing Emily Reed's fate— eliminated from the dungeon trial.
***
Torrents of fire and electric current fell on the hornet-like monster, the intensity of everyone's spells was unleashed in a frenzy.
Amidst the smoke that blanketed the cave, the sound of panting filled the air.
Confusion laced with fear etched across Aurora's face as she asked herself a question—a question lingering in everyone's mind. 'Did we kill it? No-why is the dungeon trial still..?'
Aurora found herself drained of mana, and to her dismay, it seemed that everyone else was in the same state.
As the dust began to settle, they gazed on the boss monster, its wings seared and disintegrated.
Though it appeared to be on its last leg, their hearts sank realizing that it wasn't dead yet, it defied their hopes of victory.
Without a moment to spare, Aeravat flew through the air, launched by the flaming wings on his back.
"Kkrriieek!" The monster released its final cry, but Aeravat had no intentions of mercy.
His talwar glowed brilliantly, radiating a pure white light, as he descended on the hornet with an earth-shattering crash.
As the light dissipated, I found myself sprawled on a stage, the hard rocky earth of the dungeon replaced by a polished surface.
"Anh!" I exhaled in pain, shielding my eyes from the sudden burst of LED lights that bombarded my vision.
The intense brightness caused my eyelids to instinctively close, allowing me a few precious moments to adjust to this unexpected shift.
Once my senses acclimated, I opened my eyes again, greeted by the sight of a colossal digital leaderboard mounted on the wall.
Its vibrant display read "updating," signifying that further information was coming or being updated.
As I rose to my feet, I took in my what had me enwreathe.
The stage beneath my feet was designed with tiles.
The gathering on the stage had only about twenty students, including myself.
It was clear that we were the ones that persevered until the very end.
Beneath the stage, my eyes fell upon a throng of several hundred students, their gazes on our group.
Some were seated on the floor, some others receiving medical assistance, their injuries testimony of their resistance in the trial.
Amidst the crowd, I spotted familiar faces of Emily, Sophia and Aurora.
Their eyes locked with mine and in that second, Sophia and Aurora's expressions changed to a mix of shock and disapproval, though shock appeared to dominate.
While Emily on other hand...wait? She was smiling at me? uh what? She even gave me a nod and I had to shift my gaze, my CPU crashed and my mind decided that ignoring the trio would be the best option of whatever this was.
'Better to stay away from the main cast,' I reminded myself, but my simp side wanted my eyes to look at them one more time. Disgusting!
I diverted my attention back to the stage to watch the others whom I shared the platform with.
It wasn't long before my eyes met with the piercing gaze of Aeravat.
'What the hell? Is this some kind of bizarre staring contest?' I mused, my thoughts drifting momentarily towards of this whatever happening of a confrontation coincidence.
I shifted my gaze from Aeravat, not wishing to engage.
Suddenly, the leaderboard mounted on the wall flickered and illuminated with a radiant glow.
One by one, names began to appear before our eyes, each announcement stirring a sense of anticipation and curiosity in the crowd.
1 Aeravat Indrath : 890 Points
2 Myung Joon : 759 points
3 .....