Celestial Bloodline Chapter 4: What a lucky fellow!

Upon realizing no one was pursuing him, Carcel spun around to confront the other three.

"What are you all waiting for? Let's get it over with before more participants arrive."

Carcel launched the initial strike against the Bear, his spear surging with immense power. Yet, it merely grazed the beast's hide. The Bear flew into a rage over Carcel's strike.

GRRRRR!

The beast bellowed and swiped with its front paw. In an instant, a razor-sharp wind blade sliced toward Carcel.

["Protection of the Unbreakable Shield"]

A defensive barrier materialized around Carcel, warding off the monster's assault. The shield collided violently with the incoming slash.

Within mere seconds, fissures spread across the barrier. Carcel swung his spear to neutralize the fragments of the attack that breached the shield.

After deflecting the blow, he bounded backward, creating more space between himself and the Bear.

"Thanks."

Carcel regarded Mia with appreciation in his eyes.

Mia gave a nod; as a Mage, she emphasized magical skills and incantations over hand-to-hand fighting.

Alec drew his sword as well. An (F+)-Rank Aura radiated from his frame, immediately capturing everyone's focus.

Rich mana enveloped his blade densely as he dashed ahead, targeting the Bear's throat.

SLASH!

Alec's blow connected with the Bear from the rear, carving a slight wound on its neck.

The Bear's eyes flared crimson with fury as it lunged forward, flailing its left paw in wrath.

Lara shot a look at Alec. A trace of astonishment flickered in her chilly gaze.

"He's a sub-rank above me."

She loaded two arrows onto her bow. Similar to Mia, she excelled in ranged combat.

Lara fired the arrows from her bow, aiming to impale the Bear's head.

The arrows streaked by at such velocity that few ordinary (F)-Rank fighters could track their path, yet the (E-)-Rank Monster evaded them effortlessly.

With its eyes blazing red in anger, the Bear parted its jaws and unleashed a powerful shockwave outward in all directions.

Alec, being closest, just managed to ward off the blast, but the force sent him stumbling back several steps.

["Support skill: Empower the allies"]

Mia fixed her stare on the Bear and promptly activated a support ability, enhancing the offensive strength of her companions.

["Freezing barrier"]

Next, she invoked another technique, rendering the Bear motionless for several seconds.

Alec arched an eyebrow at Mia. Those brief moments allowed the team to overwhelm the Bear.

Carcel jabbed his spear at the Bear's torso, feeling his striking force amplified by Mia's buff.

Alec rushed in once more and struck the Bear.

Lara, unwilling to fall behind, fitted a keen arrow to her bow. She let it fly toward the Bear's neck.

Overwhelmed by the onslaught, the Bear couldn't mount a defense. It wailed in torment and sustained heavy damage.

Capitalizing on the opening, the group hammered the Bear with relentless attacks, and it succumbed after a minute.

"Huff.. Huff"

Mia gasped for air, having exhausted her mana completely on that final ability.

Lara looked at Mia with worry.

"Are you alright?"

"I am fine."

Alec peered over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. He let out a sigh and motioned for the others to advance.

"We should start moving. I can see other participants approaching from afar."

Lara glanced at Alec. Her gaze stayed icy, but she harbored a faint liking for him, since unlike the drooling parasites who leered at her figure, his look was untainted.

A sly smirk crossed her face as she began to sprint.

"Let's see who reaches the finishing line first."

Carcel and Mia exchanged glances and quickly trailed after Lara.

Alec was the last to start running, but he overtook the group with ease, seizing the lead anew.

Outside the Dungeon,

Various projections hovered in the sky, displaying live feeds of the participants within the dungeon.

The largest display captured Alec, Mia, Lara, and Carcel overcoming the (E-)-Rank monster.

The audience exploded in excitement at their display, shouting cheers for them boisterously.

All the attending teachers, along with the Vice Principal, found their showing impressive.

One teacher focused on the feed featuring Carcel.

"Second Prince Carcel is surpassing our expectations."

The remaining teachers concurred with his statement before noting other promising students.

"Right, Duke Evan's daughter Lara and Count Albert's daughter Mia are also performing admirably."

"Who is the black-haired boy? He doesn't appear to hail from any prominent house."

"A dark horse! This year brings many talented figures."

Several other students drew the teachers' attention, including Kyle, who seemed adrift in the forest.

A teacher observed Kyle's predicament with compassion.

"What an unlucky participant."

A few additional teachers eyed Kyle.

"Who is he anyway."

Vice Principal George smiled at the projection of Kyle's position and muttered under his breath.

"Are you sure he is unlucky?"

His words prompted the teachers to examine Kyle's feed intently, and eventually, they spotted it!

"Huh... What's happening.."

The teachers voiced their astonishment upon witnessing Kyle skillfully dodging every monster.

He'd alter his course every time a beast blocked his path ahead. It appeared as though he could detect the monsters' presence!

All the teachers then thought at once: What a lucky fellow!

However, before they could remark on Kyle's peculiar fortune, they saw him plummet into a pit, and then the feed for Kyle abruptly went black.

"Did he run out of luck?"

One teacher muttered.

Vice Principal George let out a chuckle, but upon viewing Kyle's location, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he vanished without a word.