The massive chamber fell silent as Arthur's team stared at the 4 cave-like entrances.
Each passage was wide enough for several people to walk through at once. Darkness swallowed everything beyond the entrances, and even the blue mana torches along the chamber walls could not reveal what waited deeper inside.
A faint, cold wind drifted out from the caves.
It carried the scent of damp stone, ancient blood, and something far more dangerous.
Jasmine studied the 4 entrances carefully.
Then she spoke.
"I am positive we are the first team to arrive here."
The others turned toward her.
"Each of these entrances should lead to one crystal," Jasmine continued. "There are 4 crystals in total, and we have found 4 paths."
Her eyes narrowed.
"So what should we do now?"
She looked at the others.
"Should we split up? Each of us can take one cave."
Jasmine's gaze moved toward Arthur.
"If every path contains a crystal, we can secure all 4. That would give us 4 points from the treasures alone."
Victor nodded.
"I agree with Jasmine."
00:08–00:22His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"We should split up."
His expression remained calm.
"I am confident that I can fight alone and secure one crystal for the team."
Evangeline looked toward Arthur.
"Captain, what are your orders?"
Arthur had remained silent the entire time.
His crimson eyes were fixed on the 4 entrances.
Something about this place bothered him.
The dungeon was too quiet.
The 4 paths were too convenient.
And the tournament organizers were not stupid enough to create an opportunity where one team could simply walk in and collect all 4 crystals without facing some kind of obstacle.
Arthur's thoughts returned to the rules.
4 crystals.
10 competing academies.
Only 1 exit.
Limited mana.
Restricted attributes.
And combat between teams was allowed.
Then he understood.
Arthur looked toward Jasmine and Victor.
"You two will do no such stupidity."
Victor frowned.
Jasmine's eyes narrowed.
Arthur continued.
"Getting all 4 crystals is useless if we cannot secure the time points awarded to the first team."
Victor opened his mouth.
"Every one of us is strong enough to take on—"
Arthur cut him off.
"So you think the professors are idiots?"
The chamber became silent.
Arthur pointed toward the dark entrances.
"I will bet you a million dollars that every one of these entrances has at least 1 A-rank monster guarding its crystal."
Victor's expression became serious.
Arthur continued.
"And there is no way we can defeat an A-rank monster alone with our abilities and mana restricted like this."
His gaze moved across the team.
"Even if one of you manages to defeat the boss, another academy could find you alone, wait until you're exhausted, and ambush you."
Arthur's eyes sharpened.
"So don't get cocky."
Jasmine crossed her arms.
"I cannot believe you are the one saying that."
Arthur ignored her.
Jasmine sighed and looked toward the entrances.
"Then what is your plan, genius?"
00:23–00:30She stepped closer to the 4 paths.
"We have a few options."
She raised 1 finger.
"First, we choose 1 cave, fight the A-rank boss together, take the crystal, and leave as quickly as possible."
Her expression became serious.
"The problem is that another academy could arrive while we are fighting and ambush us after the fight."
She raised a second finger.
"Second, we split up and try to sneak past the boss without fighting it."
Victor nodded slightly.
"That could work if the crystal is in an exposed location."
"Yes," Jasmine replied. "But it is extremely risky. If the boss notices us, whoever takes the crystal may have to escape alone."
She raised a third finger.
"Third, we wait here and ambush another academy after they secure a crystal."
Evangeline raised an eyebrow.
"That would save our mana."
"Yes," Jasmine said. "But another academy could take a crystal through a different route and reach the exit before us."
She raised a fourth finger.
"Fourth, we set traps around the entrances, force the other teams to fight each other, and steal the crystal from whoever survives."
Rubina looked uneasy.
"That sounds dangerous."
"It is dangerous."
Jasmine lowered her hand.
"Every option is dangerous."
00:30–00:50Arthur smiled.
Then he spoke.
"Just shut up and do what I say."
Jasmine's eye twitched.
Arthur turned toward Victor.
"Victor."
Victor looked at him.
"Can you destroy the entrances to 3 of these caves?"
Everyone looked at Arthur in surprise.
"Leave only 1 path open."
Victor stared at him for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Fine."
Victor stepped toward the first cave entrance.
His sword slid out of its sheath.
Dark mana gathered around the blade.
The light in the chamber seemed to dim as shadows gathered around him.
"Dark Sword, First Form."
Victor's voice was low.
"Black Severance."
Darkness surged around his sword.
It wrapped around the blade like a living shadow.
Then Victor swung.
Slash!
A black crescent of energy tore through the air.
It struck the cave entrance.
BOOM!
Stone shattered.
The ceiling collapsed, sending a wave of rubble crashing down and completely blocking the passage.
Victor immediately moved to the second entrance.
He raised his sword.
Dark energy gathered again.
Slash!
The second entrance collapsed beneath the force of the attack.
Without wasting a second, Victor moved toward the third.
Darkness once again gathered around his blade.
He swung.
Slash!
The third passage collapsed.
Dust spread throughout the enormous chamber.
When it finally began to settle, 3 of the 4 entrances were buried beneath stone and rubble.
Only 1 path remained open.
The team stared at Victor.
Then Evangeline clapped.
"Not bad."
Victor calmly sheathed his sword.
Arthur turned toward Jasmine.
"Now cover those entrances with ice."
Jasmine stared at him.
"You want me to waste even more mana?"
"Do it."
Jasmine clicked her tongue.
She raised both hands.
Cold mana spread throughout the chamber.
The temperature immediately dropped.
A thick layer of ice formed over the collapsed entrances.
The ice spread across the rubble, filling every crack and sealing the passages completely.
Soon, 3 enormous frozen barriers stood where the cave entrances had been.
Jasmine lowered her hands.
Her breathing had become slightly heavier.
"I have around 40% of my mana left."
Evangeline looked at the sealed entrances.
"But why did we do that?"
She turned toward Arthur.
"Didn't we just reduce our own chances?"
Her gaze moved toward Victor and Jasmine.
Arthur smiled.
"And waste Victor and Jasmine's mana?"
Arthur smiled.
"Listen carefully."
A hint of cunning appeared in his crimson eyes.
00:51–01:07"As you may have realized, we cannot defeat an A-rank monster alone."
The others listened.
"By blocking the other routes, we leave the other academies with only 1 practical choice."
Arthur pointed toward the remaining entrance.
"They have to use the same path as us."
Rubina's eyes widened slightly.
Arthur continued.
"They will enter the open cave."
His smile grew sharper.
"And they will have to fight the boss guarding the crystal."
Victor immediately understood.
Arthur looked toward the frozen entrances.
"Some academies may try to break through the rubble and Jasmine's ice walls."
He shrugged.
"But doing so will cost them time, mana, and strength."
He paused.
"Even if they manage to break through, they will still have to deal with an A-rank boss with limited resources."
Arthur's eyes glinted.
Rubina slowly realized what Arthur was planning.
"But if the other academies follow us, won't we all be caught in the same battle?"
Her eyes shifted toward the open cave.
"We will have to fight the boss and the other students at the same time."
Arthur's grin widened.
"That is exactly the chaos we want."
The chamber fell silent.
"The other academies will be too busy fighting the monster to focus on each other."
Arthur tapped the katana at his waist.
"We will use that chaos to our advantage."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"And secure the crystal."
The others thought about his plan.
It was bold.
And, in a strange way, it made perfect sense.
The ice walls were not something most students could destroy without wasting a huge amount of mana.
Only students with powerful fire or earth magic, or overwhelming physical strength, would have a realistic chance of breaking through.
Even then, they would lose valuable time.
And in the Treasure Hunt, time mattered.
The other academies would have little choice but to use the open path.
They would all enter the same cave.
They would all face the same boss.
And Arthur's team would be waiting for the perfect opportunity to take the crystal.
Arthur's confidence slowly spread through the group.
Jasmine gave him a sideways glance.
"Well, well."
A faint smirk appeared on her lips.
"It looks like you are not an idiot after all."
Arthur's mouth twitched.
"I wish I could say the same about you, Princess."
Evangeline burst out laughing.
Rubina also let out a small laugh.
But the moment she noticed Jasmine's glare, she quickly covered her mouth.
Jasmine turned toward Evangeline.
"Hey, you bitch. Stop laughing."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Get inside and shoot some bullets. That's all you're good for."
Evangeline's face turned red.
"What did you say?"
She raised her Desert Eagle.
"Sorry, I don't entertain idiots just like Arthur said."
The 2 girls glared at each other.
Victor looked toward Arthur.
"Are you not going to stop them, Mr. Captain?"
Arthur shrugged.
"Why would I?"
01:15–01:21A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It will be fun if they start pulling each other's hair."
Victor stared at him.
"Every one of them is an idiot."
Victor was the first to enter the only remaining cave.
Arthur followed directly behind him.
Rubina hurried after Arthur.
"Wait for me."
Evangeline and Jasmine finally stopped arguing.
They exchanged one last glare before following the others into the cave.
Arthur and his team continued through the twisting passage.
The cave became narrower as they went deeper.
Uneven stone walls surrounded them, and strange green liquid dripped from the ceiling.
Each drop that touched the ground released a faint hiss, leaving small burn marks on the stone.
The further they went, the heavier the air became.
The smell of decay grew stronger.
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
Something was watching them.
He could feel it.
Everyone stopped.
Then the narrow tunnel suddenly opened into a massive chamber.
Everyone stopped.
At the center of the room stood a tall stone pedestal.
Resting on top of it was an egg-shaped crystal roughly the size of a human head.
It radiated a brilliant golden light.
01:21–01:26The crystal.
The treasure they had been searching for.
But before anyone could move toward it—
Boom.
The ground shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Another tremor followed.
BOOM.
Victor immediately drew his sword.
Evangeline raised her Desert Eagle.
Jasmine gathered cold mana around her hands.
Rubina moved closer to Arthur.
The ground in front of the pedestal suddenly cracked.
A deep rumble echoed through the chamber.
Something enormous was slowly emerged from the darkness.
Arthur's expression became serious.
The crystal was right in front of them.
But getting it would clearly not be that easy.
Everyone prepared for the battle that was about to begin.