Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Floor 10: First Points I

"SNRRRRT!"

The boar’s black eyes locked onto Team Zero.

"RRRRAAAAGH!"

The ground shook as it charged down the street while hooves cracked broken asphalt with each step.

Finn moved first while shifting his weight forward to test the boar’s strength. His weapon came up defensively because taking a direct charge from something that size would break bones.

James shouted over the sound of cracking asphalt. "Don’t take it head-on!"

The boar covered fifteen meters in seconds while lowering its head so the iron tusks aimed directly at Finn’s chest.

Finn deflected part of the charge with his weapon angled to the side at the last possible moment. The impact sent him sliding back three meters while his boots scraped concrete and left marks. The force knocked him off balance, but he stayed on his feet while breathing hard from the effort.

That told James enough.

The boar was strong and could kill someone with a clean hit, but it was not a boss-level threat that would require perfect coordination. With their full team and his contracted undead, this fight should not drag past a minute.

James raised his hand while calling on the contracted undead already bound to him.

[CONTRACTED UNDEAD SUMMONED]

[REANIMATED OGRE — LEVEL 10]

[REANIMATED DIRE WOLF — LEVEL 9]

The ogre materialized first with gray flesh covered in black scars from old wounds and green necrotic energy burning in its empty eye sockets. It stood over two meters tall while gripping empty air where its club had been before death.

The dire wolf appeared next with matted fur soaked in dried blood and glowing eyes filled with unnatural light. Its muscles looked wrong because death magic had enhanced them beyond what they had been in life.

The boar skidded to a stop when it saw the undead appear between it and Team Zero.

"GRRRRRRR!"

It pawed at the ground while trying to decide whether to charge the living or the dead.

The dire wolf did not give it time to choose. It charged without waiting for orders while moving fast and low with predator instincts that remained even after death.

The boar turned to face the wolf, but that was the mistake.

The wolf’s jaws locked onto the boar’s front leg and tore deep into muscle while shaking its head to rip flesh.

"SQUUUEEEEAL!"

The boar tried to shift direction and gore the wolf with its tusks, but the ogre was already moving from the other side.

It crashed into the boar with both fists raised like hammers.

The impact knocked the boar sideways while cracking ribs beneath thick hide. The beast staggered and exposed its flank when it tried to recover balance.

Finn saw the opening and moved in while raising his weapon.

James ended it before Finn reached the boar. He fired Necro Blast at the exposed side where ribs had already cracked.

[NECRO BLAST ACTIVATED]

[MANA COST: 10]

Black energy shot from his palm and hit the boar directly. Necrotic rot spread across its flesh while eating through hide and muscle. The damage went deeper than a blade because it rotted from the inside.

"RRRRAAAGH!"

The boar collapsed forward while blood poured from its mouth. It twitched twice and then died.

[DEMONIC BOAR SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 120]

[EXP: 1,840/9,000 → 1,960/9,000]

[POINTS ACQUIRED: 8]

[TEAM ZERO TOTAL POINTS: 8]

James dismissed the notifications and checked the ranking board.

[MIDTERM RANKING BOARD]

[1ST PLACE: TEAM AUREL — 31 POINTS]

[2ND PLACE: TEAM VERA — 18 POINTS]

[3RD PLACE: TEAM KAISER — 14 POINTS]

...

[TEAM ZERO — 8 POINTS]

Finn wiped blood off his weapon. "Eight points for that thing. The top teams are still way ahead."

James studied the rankings while calculating what they needed. "The academy students know City D. They know monster values and where to hunt. We are learning from zero."

The boar had given useful points, but it was not enough. Not even close.

Team Zero checked the area quickly after the kill.

The boar’s corpse showed dark veins running across its snout and face like black lightning frozen under skin. James noticed them and made a mental note, but he did not stop to examine the corruption closely because they were wasting time standing still while other teams were scoring.

He looked at the ground ahead and found tracks that were heavier and fresher than anything they had seen near the starting zone. Something with significant weight had moved this direction recently while leaving claw marks three times deeper than the boar’s hooves.

The better targets were not near the starting zone where weak beasts gathered. The top teams knew that from the beginning because they had run this test before or studied City D beforehand.

The ranking board updated again while Team Zero prepared to move.

[1ST PLACE: TEAM AUREL — 42 POINTS]

[TEAM ZERO — 8 POINTS]

The gap was getting worse instead of better.

James decided immediately. "We follow signs of stronger beasts instead of wasting time on weak targets. Eight points will not get us top three."

Finn agreed while already moving toward the heavier tracks. "We will still kill easy monsters if we come across them, but we cannot spend an hour hunting two-point hounds."

Team Zero moved deeper into City D while following the claw marks carved into asphalt.

They found proof that other teams had passed through earlier when they entered a section of City D that looked recently disturbed.

Dead beasts lay with cores removed and bodies left to rot. The cuts were clean and professional because academy students knew exactly which parts had value. Fresh cuts marked vines where someone had cleared a path through thick growth instead of going around. Broken academy markers hung from trees with numbers and arrows that pointed toward cleared routes. Burn marks scarred walls in patterns that showed coordinated spell usage. Blood trails led between buildings where wounded beasts had tried to escape before dying.

This showed why the top teams were ahead.

They were not stronger only because of power levels or better skills. They had map knowledge from previous runs or academy training. They had experience working together in City D specifically. They had a plan before entering that told them which routes to take and which beasts to prioritize.

Team Zero was learning the layout in real time while everyone else already had answers.

They heard fighting nearby when distant shouts and explosions echoed through ruined streets about two blocks away.

Magic detonated against something large based on the sound.

James stopped the team from rushing toward the noise. "We still do not know if teams can interfere with each other during the test. The rules did not say it was forbidden, but they did not say it was allowed either. Avoid unnecessary contact for now."

They spotted another student team from a distance when they reached a corner. Five students were finishing off smaller beasts in coordinated strikes while one person collected cores and stored them efficiently. The students were organized and moved like they had practiced this specific scenario multiple times.

The team finished their kills and noticed Team Zero watching from fifty meters away.

One student glanced over at Team Zero, then turned away without concern or acknowledgment. Another student laughed at something and the whole team moved on without even checking if Team Zero were a threat.

To them, Team Zero were unknown recruits who would not matter in the final rankings. Outsiders who did not belong in the top brackets.

Finn’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing while Team Zero moved in a different direction.