There were those who were crying their eyes out from losing their companions, but there was nothing they could do except continue moving forward.
And while they may be eliminated, they were still eligible for the other events. It was a point-gathering competition after all, and they could make a comeback.
Zen Henjok and his friends were among the students trapped in a mana-draining zone while fighting multiple void creatures.
"Fuck! Why are there so many of them?!"
Phell Cussell, a one-horned, cussed as he dashed around evading the void creatures and attacking whenever he had the chance.
It didn't also help that whenever they made contact with the floor, their mana would be drained. Of course, the amount drained was minimal compared to their pool of mana. But the problem was that they were trapped in a room fighting void creatures, many of them too.
Even if they finished off all the void creatures, the room was still a problem. If the next shift didn't happen soon, they would be sitting ducks waiting to be slaughtered.
"Just shut up and fight!"
Amon shouted from his position, throwing wind-blades here and there. His moves were exceptional and well-timed to deliver the most efficient attack to finish off the creatures. They may be under the shadow of Zen, but they were still Class 1A students!
Zen himself was busy fighting off his own void creatures, and while he wasn't having much of a problem fighting them, his expression was getting gloomier and gloomier.
There was only one person he saw as an adversary, and his thoughts were always on him. Everything with him involved turned into a competition for him as he wanted to beat him in every category possible.
But as it was now, if he and his friends were trapped in here while they lost mana as time passed, wouldn't that mean Alex would be ahead of them? Naturally, he had considered the possibility that he was trapped as well, but what were the chances?
His mind was a mess of cusses and frustration. Fortunately for him, the void creatures provided an avenue to dispel his disparaging thoughts. However, his friends did notice his condition and how he was going all out when it was not necessary, even if the creatures were this many.
A few minutes later, they had finished off all the void creatures and their trapped room was littered with the flesh and blood of the void creatures. And because the creatures were not your typical living and breathing organisms, they gave off no smell.
"What do we do now?" Collins Radell, a normal human asked. He was moving around trying to find a spot that had less draining power but to no avail. The walls were equally draining mana if they touched them, so there was no room for overcoming the draining zone.
The only thing they could do to slow down the draining speed was to stand on the corpses of the void creatures. Because the simulation was programmed to make them believe it was real, anything eliminated could not be turned into particles of data and disappear.
"What can we do besides wait?" Menz Olive replied, annoyed that Collins had even to ask. He was the only dark-sclera human among the group and had no tolerance for nonsense.
"Urge…" Collins could only complain bitterly. Every second that passed, more of their mana was draining.
Amon observed their interactions and just shook his head. His attention returned to Zen whose expression suggested he was lost in thought.
"Zen, what's on your mind?" Amon asked from where he stood. His words brought Zen out of his thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"What are you thinking about?" He repeated his question. Of course, he knew the kind of person Zen was and what was most likely on his mind.
"It's nothing… I'm just frustrated being trapped here." He replied with a sigh and then looked around the large room. His gaze moved to the others and noticed their childish bickering even in this situation.
"Right…" Amon accepted his words not really believing him. They were all frustrated being kept here, but the issue was how he was fighting earlier.
'I don't even know why I bother.'
Amon was tired of Zen's obsession but could not say anything. It was getting old and just plain nonsense. Of course, he wouldn't say anything.
'Let's just hope he gets his chance soon.'
Time passed as the others continued to make small talk to avoid thinking of their unfavourable situation. Five minutes later, the walls of the maze rumbled again, prompting all of them to gather around each other in a circle, each of them focusing on a direction to watch out for dangers.
The mana-draining effect had also disappeared once the rumbling began. However, the amount of mana they had lost during that time period was over 15% of their total reserves. While not too much, it was not little either.
After all, this was still the 4th floor and there were many zones there like that. Mana was also the only way to destroy the void creatures. Running out of mana was not an option. Mana recovery was very slow without a mana platform.
"Alright, stay sharp and be ready."
Zen ordered with his gaze moving around observing the shifting walls. They could hear the sound of explosions and loud screams in the distance.
"Looks like some people are still fighting," Amon commented, slowly circulating his mana.
"Oscar, make a scan."
"Roger." He quickly prompted his device to scan their layout to determine their path. Once he determined where they needed to go, he shared with his companions.
"Okay, we're moving. Don't fight the void creatures if you can help it and focus on moving. We're not here to help others." Zen instructed and the others acknowledged. As soon as they did, they all sped out.
The students they met along the labyrinth path busy fighting off void creatures were ignored as they swiftly made their way past them, not bothering to look behind.
It was every man for himself, or more accurately, every team for themselves.