"Haa…Even Julia was eliminated. This event truly is harsh on the kids."
"It's only natural. They are having a feel of what it means to be a hunter and the dangers it entails. It's also teaching them a very important, yet simple lesson."
"Teamwork."
"Exactly. One may be strong but if they are alone, they wouldn't survive for long. Some students managed to learn that and formed teams but others preferred going solo."
"We did separate them, you know? And with a planet as large as the one they're playing on, it's to be expected. Some students have not come across anyone since the beginning of the event."
"What's more, what can teamwork do in the face of a cosmic mana wave? They are unpredictable and move extremely fast. Even Class B hunters would have trouble outrunning them."
Of course, the instructor was aware the speed of the cosmic mana wave was set low to give the students a chance, but his words still hold true.
"With less than three hours remaining, and even fewer students, the event should be concluded before the time even runs out."
"Well, the point of this event wasn't to last the whole six hours, simply how long you can survive."
"Mm…"
The instructors turned their attention to Alex once more, watching as he prepared to face the Astralyon.
"Is he really going to fight that beast?"
An instructor was sceptical about what Alex planned on doing and while he understood that running was useless, it still gave him a chance.
'At the same time, running might expose him to more dangers the deeper he goes.' He as well as the other instructors watching knew where exactly the path Alex travelling led to.
The small opening in the cavern roof only served as a shortcut. But it also came with a challenge he had to overcome.
"That's his only choice. The question is if he can overcome the gap in strength between a Class E low-tier and high-tier."
"There's only one way to find out. I'm also curious to see if he will take on that blazing form again."
More and more instructors joined in on the conversation, eager to deduce what could happen next.
...…...
Having no other choice in the matter, Alex slowly climbed up into the den of the Astralyon, his eyes not daring to move from its figure.
*Gulp*
Alex's eyes remained on the beast as it let out a low menacing growl, its left paw scraping the ground slightly with its powerful claws.
With careful movements, he moved his hand behind his back to retrieve his staff. But the beast noticed the action and snarled at him.
'Okay… no weapons yet. But that won't stop me from using my mana.'
He promptly returned his hand to his side, but he had a plan on how to retrieve it during the fight. Right now, he could only rely on his fists and mana.
One thing that concerned him about using his fists and legs was the white flames.
'Stay away from them as much as possible. That means evading the ones it fires my way.'
With narrowed eyes, Alex circulated his mana and then condensed a defensive light wade around his body.
The astralyon gave a loud roar before suddenly disappearing from its spot, instantly arriving before Alex with its right paw raised for a strike from above. The beast was very agile and Alex almost missed its movement.
'Shit!'
The suddenness of the move took him by surprise as he reacted more than responded. He leapt upward and backwards with a swift backflip, creating a bit of distance from the beast.
'It's fast!'
But he didn't have time to think too much as the beast moved again. With no choice, he had to evade every time the beast moved to attack him.
And it took everything just to evade its claws. For every swipe of its claws, Alex had to strain in order to get out of the way.
But it was not enough.
He began to take hits as sometimes the beast's claws would scratch his armour producing sparks every time. His defensive ward barely helped in reducing the impact.
The two went back and forth with Alex pressed heavily. He gritted his teeth in frustration at not being able to do anything!
'The gap in power is wide! At this rate, I'll not be able to do a damn thing!
Suddenly the beast exploded with more speed and before he could react this time, the beast's powerful claws connected with his armour, tearing a huge chunk of it from his chest.
*BOOOM!*
Alex smashed into the cavern wall with so much force, he spat out blood. The pain coursing through his body momentarily blinded him. His chest was now exposed with faint claw marks that leaked a bit of blood.
The beast snarled after finally landing a blow on its prey. For a moment, the beast was getting frustrated at failing to land a proper hit on Alex.
Normally, its usual speed was more than enough to handle its prey, yet this one seemed stronger than usual. Left with no choice, it had to use a bit of its flames to boost its speed.
It was a small blow to its pride, but it was worth it. The astralyon prided itself in having a magical flame that symbolized its majesty. It rarely used it on prey it found unworthy.
Yet Alex proved to be more than a normal prey.
With deliberate slowness, it approached Alex with its head raised proudly. That attack was more than the prey could handle and should be too weakened to fight back.
Alex was lying on the ground face first as he lifted his head to look at the beast. He could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. That and the aching pains he felt all over made him understand that he was injured.
But…
It wasn't enough to put him out of the count!
'It seems to think it had won. Let's see how you handle a surprise attack,'
He could make a move for his staff at the moment as he wanted to fake being too injured to move. However, he did perform a few moments to show his struggle as he continued to keep his eyes on the beast.
The beast arrived a moment later as it watched Alex struggle to get up. It snarled in mockery at his pathetic attempts and raised its left paw to finish him.
'Now!'
Once in range, Alex utilized the mana he gathered in his eyes and unleashed a powerful flash of light that momentarily turned the cavern white.
*ROAR!*
The astralyon was pissed, yet there was no denying falling for the prey's weird magic.
Alex wasted no time as he was fully prepared. With swift movements, he got up and instantly appeared above the beast, retrieved his weapon and channelled his mana into it before plunging it into the head of the beast.
His movements were flawless and only took a second to appear above the creature!
*ROAR!*
The beast cried out but it was already over as the spear went into the back of its head before coming out through its opened maw.
"Brawn isn't everything…"
Alex understood that a beast like the astralyon carried immense pride. Because of that, he noticed the beast not making use of its deadly flames, choosing to use physical attacks. If it had used its flames from the start, he would have been dead before the fight began.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He would have been dead, and the realization made him think about his actions.
'I should be more careful.'
Now all that was left was to mind the resources around him and make his way back. He flashed a victorious grin despite the stinging sensation in his chest. It was his victory after all.