The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Training Field No.12- Special Arena)

There was a metallic bubble covering the entire length of the training field and the stands were located outside the structure.

A raised platform floated in the air above the bubble and overlooked the thousands of students who were currently filling up the stands.

"Good morning and welcome to the second round of the battle ranking exam," Principal Malik loudly shouted as he stretched his arms outwards.

"I would like to congratulate the five hundred students who passed the first stage and must commend them on their ability."

"Unfortunately, there are only two hundred spots available in the elite class, so you need to perform at your best!"

Astrid hurried over to an open seat and sat down as the principal's words echoed through the crowded stands.

There were more people in the stands today than the previous day and Astrid observed that most were upperclassmen.

It was likely that the video clips on the university's open forum had roused their curiosity about the powerful first years.

Astrid's communicator buzzed twice so she quickly glanced at the screen and saw a few messages in the group chat.

Sophie: [Which biome did you all select? I chose the desert option… but now I'm kind of regretting it]

Qiana: [Island… it seemed like an interesting choice…]

Cleo: [ I also chose island! Maybe we'll see each other in the arena.]

Astrid: [Oh… I picked tundra! Well not me… my little brother tapped my screen when I wasn't looking…]

Principal Malik continued to talk for several more minutes, but Astrid's attention was on the messages in the group chat.

She didn't even notice the tiny figure stealthily creeping up behind her until it was too late.

Slap!

Astrid rubbed her head as she felt a light hand smack against the back of her head.

She growled hoarsely and turned around to see Archmage Hollystorm staring at her.

"Pay attention!" her mentor lightly scolded as he pointed at principal.

"But he's so boring…" Astrid whined as she pursed her lips together and put on a puppy eyed expression.

Archmage Hollystorm looked away and secretly cursed his apprentice for pulling out the one move that usually softened him.

"Look just… at least pretend that you are listening…" Archmage Hollystorm finally compromised before flying away in a certain direction.

Astrid let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly closed the group chat.

She propped up her head using her furry paws and stared at the principal.

"This great university has long had a tradition of both excellence and ambition! I hope that you all may continue to exhibit the characteristics of…" Principal Malik droned on.

Time slowly passed and Astrid was not the only one who gradually began to either yawn or tune out from the speech.

Eventually the principal finished and stepped back from the raised platform. A holographic projection rose up in the air above the arena with lines of text.

[Now Selecting Stage: Tundra]

[Players: 46]

[Difficulty: Medium to Hard]

The metallic bubble surrounding the arena suddenly disappeared to reveal a frozen wasteland of ice and bitter cold.

Large glaciers could be seen along the edges of the arena and snow was falling down from a blue runic portal in the sky.

Someone had clearly manipulated the spatial dimensions of the arena using a spell since the frozen wasteland seemed to be much larger than what would be expected.

The temperature rapidly plummeted and Astrid saw that her breath had now turned into a white wisp of smoke.

The Tundra arena…

Astrid's tail began to wag furiously as she stared down at the arena with excitement running through her veins.

Buzz! Buzz!

Astrid checked her wrist communicator and saw a message from the principal detailing the information about the second round.

Apparently, this time they would not be attacking fellow students but rather hunting down the dangerous animals that lurked in their chosen arenas.

Students could team up in groups or go solo but either way points would only be awarded on an individual basis.

The professors would review the footage of the exam and award points based on a variety of factors such as the strength of the animal, the method used, and the length of time taken to defeat the beast.

Astrid looked up at the holographic screen and saw that new lines of text had been added to the bottom of the display.

[The Battle Ranking Exam Will Begin Shortly… Five minutes…]

[Four minutes…]

Astrid quickly made her way down a flight of stairs and nodded at the other students that she was somewhat familiar with in the mage class.

A fearsome smile flashed across the Mendolesa girl's face as she lightly stepped on the snow and watched her feet sink.

It was hard to get a good grip on the ice since her shoes didn't have cleats.

Astrid took off her footwear and used her claws to dig into the ground and stabilise her posture.

She could hear the sounds of other students complaining as they arrived one by one to the entrance of the arena.

Astrid's wolfish ears pricked up as she eavesdropped on the conversations happening between the students.

"Fuck… this is stage is so cold… I knew I should have brought a winter jacket!"

"Do you want to team up? I'm a decent swordsman…"

"Team up? Sorry I'm a lone cultivator… I don't do teams..."

The snow began to fall even faster and soon Astrid's body was lightly covered by white flecks of ice.

[Thirty seconds… twenty seconds… ten… nine…]

[Start!]

A bloodthirsty howl erupted from somewhere in the deeper parts of the arena which sent a shiver down the spines of most students.

Astrid bent her knees and leapt forward as she rushed towards the direction of the sound.

Black tattoo-like symbols appeared beneath her fur as she felt the mana coursing through her body in a state of excitement.

Astrid glanced behind her and saw that there were several students rushing in the same direction as her.

The Mendolesa girl chanted a spell under her breath and a blue runic symbol hovered above her right palm.

"Spatium paucis metris deinceps!" Astrid roared as she thrust her right hand forward.

The space around her body rippled and she vanished from the spot.

The students who were following her from the distance looked around in confusion since they could not understand where she had suddenly gone.

Astrid reappeared several thousand meters away and nearly slammed into a huge chunk of ice that rose up from the ground.

"Woops," Astrid muttered as she tilted her body sideways and narrowly avoided crashing into the chunk of ice.

Clearly, she still had some work to do regarding her ability to recover after using a spatial spell.

ROAR!

A loud cry pierced through the relative quietness of the frozen tundra once more and Astrid could vaguely make out a creature in the distance.

The beast was around the size of a large house with three snake-like heads that extended outwards from a slender body.

The beast possessed ferocious claws with sharp pointed talons that gleamed under the light.

Its flesh was a dull grey colour and certain sections of its skin appeared to be rotting.

One of its heads would occasionally sniff the air while the other two sniffed the ground. Astrid held her breath and hid behind a pile of snow.

She stared at the creature while numerous battle plans ran through her mind.

This beast was hers to kill!