Shapes moved within the darkness, encircling Xu Ran before slowly detaching from the shadows.
It was a pack of four wolves — (Lv. 4 x4) — led by a wolf leader — (Lv. 5) — distinguished by its larger build and slightly different fur.
— It's been a while, my friends, Xu Ran said.
Wolves were the most dangerous monsters in the outer zone.
Because of their speed and near-perfect coordination—made possible by pack telepathy—and especially because of the wolf leader—a highly intelligent and observant monster capable of devising deadly tactics—they were the absolute nightmare of students during dungeon training.
As the four wolves circled Xu Ran slowly, tightening their formation, the wolf leader stayed back, observing.
Suddenly, one of them — wolf 1 (HP: 100%) — charged forward at blinding speed.
It leapt and struck with its paw.
Xu Ran blocked the attack with the dagger in his hand.
But the impact forced him to slide backward.
Then—
Krik.
A sharp crack echoed, followed by a tchaaak.
The dagger shattered into pieces.
Xu Ran looked at the broken blade in his hand.
— This goblin dagger is really low quality.
He tossed it aside without hesitation.
Stepping forward, he summoned the Degraded Great Hammer, assumed a stance, and added:
— Well… shall we go for a second round?
Wolf 1 charged again immediately, launching the same attack.
Xu Ran tightened his grip on the hammer and struck.
BAM.
The two attacks collided.
The impact pushed Xu Ran back a few centimeters, while wolf 1 — (HP: 0%) — was violently blasted away.
Xu Ran +400 EXP (46%)
Xu Ran planted the hammer into the ground.
— Next.
The remaining three wolves repositioned instantly, forming a triangle around him.
They began circling slowly, closing in.
At the wolf leader's growl, all three charged at once.
From Xu Ran's blind spot, wolf 3 — (HP: 100%) — faster than the others, reached him first, attacking with its fangs aimed at his ankle.
Xu Ran turned sharply, lifting his hammer—
BOOM.
Wolf 3 — (HP: 0%) — was crushed into the ground.
The remaining two wolves, now behind him, were already too close.
Xu Ran pivoted instantly.
Wolf 2 — (HP: 100%) — slowed slightly, allowing wolf 4 — (HP: 100%) — to rush ahead.
Wolf 4 attacked in the same way as the first wolf.
Xu Ran responded exactly the same way.
But just before impact—
Wolf 2 suddenly accelerated, feinted to the side, and lunged from behind at the precise point where the two attacks would collide… slightly closer to Xu Ran, right where his hand gripped the hammer.
BOOM.
This time, the impact was violent.
Wolf 4 — (HP: 0%) — was flung away just like wolf 1.
Wolf 2 — (HP: 5%) — was slammed into the ground but still managed to strike Xu Ran's hand.
The hammer slipped from his grasp.
Xu Ran — [Lv. 5, 62%] | HP: 90% | Energy: 70%
With its last breath, wolf 2 sank its fangs into Xu Ran's ankle — (HP: 89%).
The damage was minimal, but it was enough to delay him from immediately retrieving his weapon.
The moment Xu Ran realized the situation—
The wolf leader was already upon him.
Midair, jaws wide open, fangs aimed straight at his throat.
Xu Ran did not panic.
He smiled faintly.
— So… that was your plan? Well played. Except—
The wolf leader's eyes widened in shock.
He was suspended in midair, unable to fall normally.
— Except I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.
[Ding. Wolf Leader Lv. 5 enchanted with "Weight of a Feather."
Beneficiary: Gravity.]
Xu Ran — [Lv. 5, 62%] | HP: 88% | Energy: 60%
Swiftly, Xu Ran stored the hammer—still within five meters—then instantly re-summoned it into his hand.
— You've lost… Wolf Leader.
He eliminated the wolf leader and "devoured" them.
[ +400 EXP, +500 EXP, +21,000 PC (4,000 x4, 5,000) ]
Xu Ran — [Lv. 5, 80%] | PC: 30,000
Inside the observation room, the other instructors were busy analyzing the performances of different students.
Only Mr. Yan had witnessed Xu Ran's entire battle.
'Xu Ran…?! How did he do that? Wasn't he professionless? Did he awaken his profession before the exam?' he wondered.
On other screens, some groups were performing decently without truly standing out. Few students were operating solo.
Other students—eliminated due to surrender, injuries, or other reasons—reappeared on the assembly field using Return Scrolls.
Normal dungeons disappeared once cleared.
However, there also existed special dungeons with unique parameters.
The Devouring Forest was one of them.
It possessed a recycling parameter: it did not disappear after being cleared, and after a certain time, monsters respawned.
Because of this special parameter, Return Scrolls were provided to students.
Return Scroll — Field
Can be used inside the Devouring Forest dungeon to return to the designated anchor point (the field in front of the dungeon gate).
Use prohibited in PVP!
The injured among those who returned were taken care of by medical teams.
As for those who failed to use it in time…
Meanwhile, Zhao Qiang's group was not falling behind.
Liu Ming, the silent Wind Master, unleashed his skill Wind Blade.
Against him, level 3 monsters with weak defenses stood no chance.
Around them lay monster corpses scorched by Wang Peng's flames.
As the two advanced ahead of Zhao Qiang, a wolf pack suddenly appeared.
They immediately assumed combat stances—
But an arrow entirely formed of energy flew between them and soared upward.
The arrow split into multiple projectiles before raining down.
The wolves tried to evade, but the projectiles altered their trajectories midair and struck them directly.
The injured wolves collapsed to the ground.
Wang Peng and Liu Ming turned around calmly.
Behind them stood Zhao Qiang, an energy bow in hand.
Zhao Qiang — Ethereal Archer
An archer whose arrows can split into multiple projectiles, animated by Link, allowing him to modify and guide their trajectories in real time.
Bow and arrows formed entirely from his energy.
— Good. Let's not waste time, Zhao Qiang said. — Let's switch to PVP mode for a bit before entering the inner zone.
After finishing off the wounded wolves, they continued onward.
The hunt for teams had officially begun.
Meanwhile, Xu Ran continued pushing deeper into the forest when he sensed a group's presence through his Preda-Sense.
'More than five people… Are they already in PVP?' he thought.
As he moved to detour around them, a familiar voice froze him in place.
— I said I don't want to be part of your group.
Xu Ran approached slowly.
Then—
'That's… over there. That girl is…'
End.
Participants: 101
Returned to field: 8
Deaths: 4
Remaining students: 89