"How did we all end up here at the same time?" Zephyr asked, looking at the dungeon core.

But that was not the only thing there.

The other students were also there, their gazes fixed on the core.

They did not reply to Zephyr, the only thing that got their attention was the core.

The only person not there was Malaric.

Outside the dungeon, the teachers also looked at the students with smiles.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" Yvonne asked, staring at Aiden.

Aiden shook his head slowly.

"I would leave all the thinking to you since you are the game master," he replied.

Yvonne rolled her eyes at this.

But she turned back to the screen.

At that exact moment, all the students froze, their bodies seemingly paralyzed.

Then, Yvonne’s voice appeared in their heads.

"Since it has come to this, you can all fight this out, the last man standing gets to keep the core."

Those were the words that spread through all the students’ heads.

The only person who got an extended version was Azrael.

"You are not allowed to use the construct you created."

Then, they were back to normal.

There was silence between all of them as they sized each other up.

Outside the dungeon, the instructors looked at each other.

"Let’s place bets, who do you think would win?"

Before they could continue, Yvonne said another thing.

"Okay, it is clear that Azrael has the highest chance to win, so let’s do it this way, we bet on who has the highest chance to be second place."

"Okay," they all nodded.

Through the screen, they watched the first confrontation.

Nyx tore forward, her dagger thrusting towards Valdren’s neck.

Valdren was caught unaware by the suddenness of the attack.

But he reacted quickly.

"Pause," he muttered.

Instantly, the dagger stopped, Nyx’s body froze in place, and even her breathing stilled.

Time seemed to forget her for that moment.

Valdren’s sword arced upwards, tracing a clean silver line through the air as it neared Nyx.

At that moment, time snapped back into place.

Nyx reacted quickly, ducking beneath the attack before it could reach her.

As the attack passed, she closed in, driving the tip of her dagger towards Valdren’s chest.

Valdren lunged backwards in a burst of orange lightning.

Nyx’s dagger met thin air.

In the next instant, Valdren was already over her, sword slicing in a clean horizontal slash.

Nyx caught the attack with her dagger.

A loud chime echoed through the air as a rattle swept up Nyx’s shoulder.

They broke the lock, eyes fixed intently on each other.

’He is stronger than me,’ Nyx mused, finding it hard to believe that the shy guy was actually stronger than her.

"I don’t need to win since I don’t owe the instructor anything," Valdren said calmly, dragging Nyx out of her thoughts.

Nyx considered what he said.

"I don’t need it either," Nyx said with furrowed brows.

Then she frowned.

"What if we need it in the future?"

Valdren sighed.

He did not hesitate.

He lunged again, this time far more ferociously.

Lightning danced across his sword till it arced outward, covering the space around him.

Nyx’s eyes widened as the floor beneath her became a pitch black that swallowed her.

Valdren’s sword struck the space where she had been.

Like a piece of cloth being folded, the earth behind that point of attack began to fold, breaking as the lightning tore through it.

"Are you trying to kill me?" The voice came from behind Valdren as a sharp glint tore towards his neck.

"Pause," he said, turning back.

His sword was already in motion towards her neck.

Creak.

The sound of metal chipping filled their little space as a katana caught the sword.

As time resumed for Nyx, a smile blossomed on her face.

"Seems like I summoned something good today," she mused, leaping backwards.

Her summon, a short green being with a sleek black katana, pulled back beside her.

Valdren stared at the being then towards where Nyx had stood previously.

"Where is she?" he whispered.

"Here," she said, already thrusting towards his nape.

"Pause," Valdren said the moment he caught sight of her.

Nyx’s body moved against her will, freezing mid air.

Valdren acted through that short window, slashing towards her neck.

But the goblin moved, catching Valdren’s attack.

Both of them were at a standoff.

But that did not last long.

Essence pulsed through Valdren’s body, strengthening him far beyond normal.

The earth cracked as he planted his feet deeper into it.

Boom.

Lightning tore through the air at Valdren’s command.

Before the goblin could register it, Valdren’s sword was already near its neck.

The goblin did not linger, it sliced through the lightning as though it were paper.

Outside the dungeon, the teachers watched with a smile.

"That’s a true goblin," Sylvester muttered. "They are one of the few races that can cut through phenomena like that."

The teachers looked at each other.

"But a skill that actually summons a being that is not a construct, that is really rare."

Although they had seen lots of skills that summoned constructs, very rarely had they seen a skill that actually summoned a true being.

The universe’s restriction on that was just too rigid.

But they returned their eyes to the screen.

Valdren ducked beneath another one of the goblin’s attacks.

Then his sword arced forward, this time faster than he had swung since the start of the fight.

Green blood splattered into the air as the sword cleaved through flesh.

The goblin’s arm fell to the floor with a loud thud that reverberated through the air.

A smirk graced Valdren’s lips as he stared at the blood.

Something seemed to unlock within him the longer he looked at it.

His eyes turned bloodshot.

Looking away from the blood, his grip tightened against the hilt of his sword.

The goblin took advantage of the momentary pause, slashing upwards.

Valdren caught the attack with his sword.

His eyes were calm as he pulled his sword back and thrust forward in the same breath.

Silence followed.

Even Nyx, who was moving in the shadows, froze.

The instructors watched the sudden change without so much as batting an eye.

"Seems like he could not fully control his Primordial grade bloodline," Ymir said with a sigh.