The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Training Field No.12- Special Arena)

The training field was where the final round of the battle ranking exam would take place.

An enormous metallic dome covered the entire field and prevented the spectators from seeing what was hidden inside.

Hundreds of doors were placed along the circumference of the dome and each door had one of two symbols etched onto its exterior.

The first symbol was what appeared to be a blazing sun while the second symbol was a full crescent moon that softly glowed.

Stands had been constructed along the edges of the arena but today the number of spectators was much less than the previous rounds.

Well, this was to be expected.

The students who made it to the third round had already qualified to enlist in the elite class.

Therefore, there were certain members of the ordinary class who did not wish to see this event in person and would rather watch the highlights online.

Above the arena was a floating platform with several chairs.

Principal Malik and several other professors sat down on those chairs and waited for the remaining students to arrive.

"Selvon… you have outdone yourself with your plan for this year!" Principal Malik laughed merrily as he rubbed his paws together in excitement.

Instructor Selvon smiled wickedly, and his sharp fangs glinted in the sunlight as he stared at the students who were curiously looking at the dome.

"It was my pleasure… I can't wait to see the results…" Instructor Selvon softly replied as he checked his wrist communicator.

Everything had already been put in place and now the most unique final round of the battle ranking exam would begin shortly.

For such a powerful and high potential batch of first years…

They truly deserved a battle ranking exam that would test their limits.

One could not grow without challenges. Instructor Selvon had enlisted the help of multiple AI units to specially design trials for each individual student based on their results and battle styles.

The hardest challenge was designing a trial for the daughter of Duke Peterlor but eventually Selvon had settled on modifying a practical exam for third year and fourth year students.

He had already informed the other judges of his decision so Sophie's performance would receive an additional boost in score due to the difficulty.

Principal Malik checked his watch and discovered that it was now midday which meant that it was time for the exam to begin.

The elderly Mendolesa warrior got up from his chair and walked over to the mic at the front of the raised platform.

He cleared his throat twice to get the attention of the students who were chatting amongst themselves and then begun his speech.

"Welcome everyone to the final day of the battle ranking exam!" Principal Malik shouted loudly into the mic.

"I must congratulate all the students who have made it this far and I hope that in the next couple of hours we can witness the true display of your strengths!"

"Please give these brave students a round of applause!"

Principal Malik clapped his paws together with great enthusiasm and the crowd below followed his lead.

Sophie leaned against Cleo's shoulder and clapped a few times lazily. She stretched out her arms and yawned.

Last night… she made the mistake of getting in the mood without remembering that today was the exam.

Naturally she could not toss Cleo without tiring out her girlfriend's body so there was only one solution… spending some time alone in the bathroom until her urges disappeared.

Sophie rubbed her fingers absentmindedly and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

The hybrid girl focused her attention back on the metallic dome since she really didn't want to recall her shameful cries in the bathroom.

Outwardly the dome appeared to be quite unremarkable save for the hundreds of doors that were placed seemingly at random points.

Those symbols… a sun and a moon…

What were their significance?

Sophie furrowed her brows and stared at the symbols but could not recall ever seeing such an art style before.

"Now I will go over the rules for this exam… don't worry they are pretty simple," Principal Malik spoke casually but there was a gleam in his eyes.

"This exam will be solo, and each student will be assigned a door to enter the arena."

"Within seven hours you must find an exit that corresponds to the symbol printed on the door you were assigned to."

"That's it… simple right?"

"Alright well you have an eight-hour window to begin the exam and the timer will countdown for you once you open the door…"

Sophie laughed when she saw the mischievous grin on the old principal's face.

At this point everyone knew that the principal was most likely hiding something about the exam, but it did make the experience quite exciting.

A crimson mist began to spread from the corners of Sophie's golden eyes as she felt the familiar urge of bloodlust rise up her chest.

She knew that feeling… it was the desire to hunt…

Something dangerous was hidden inside the metallic dome, Sophie wasn't sure how she knew this but was convinced that her hunch was correct.

Buzz! Buzz!

Sophie's wrist communicator vibrated twice, and she received a location that led to a door on the southern side of the metallic dome.

"Did you get a location as well?" Cleo asked sweetly as she checked her communicator.

"Yeah… I'm on the opposite side..." Sophie replied with an eager grin.

Cleo clicked her tongue in disappointment and showed Sophie the location on her communicator which was far away from the hybrid girl's assigned door.

"Best of luck babe…. let's celebrate when the exam finishes…" Cleo leaned in closer and whispered in a seductive voice.

The princess briefly kissed her girlfriend's lips but then left before Sophie could pull her in and deepen the kiss.

Sophie touched her lips in a daze as her girlfriend disappeared in the crowd and headed for a door with a moon symbol painted on its outer surface.

Cleo turned around and winked at Sophie before opening up the door confidently and stepping inside.

The door behind her slammed shut and several red iron chains rose up from the ground and locked the entrance.

Unlike the other rounds of the battle ranking exam there were no holographic screens floating above the arena that displayed what was happening inside the dome.

Honestly… this round was quite… boring…

At least for the spectators.

Sophie took in a few deep breaths to steady her nerves and followed the directions on her wrist communicator.

She occasionally stopped to say hello to her fellow classmates who were walking in the same direction.

Eventually Sophie reached a large door with the symbol of a blazing sun painted on its exterior.

The sun seemed almost angry, and the paint used to create the symbol faintly glowed as if it were somehow alive.

Sophie grabbed the doorknob which was very hot and opened the door. She stepped inside and the door slammed shut behind her.

The room that she found herself standing in was shrouded in complete darkness.

Fortunately, Sophie's golden eyes could see in conditions without light but what she saw made the hybrid girl take a step back in shock.

There was a man dressed in what could only be described as a suit made from old newspapers sitting down quietly in a chair and staring at her.

He appeared to be in his late fifties with a balding hairline and tiny beady eyes that shifted from side to side erratically.

There was a blade in the palm of his right hand which the man used to casually chop off a piece of his fingertip all the while he continued to stare at Sophie.

"Survive in this room for three minutes to move on…" the man suddenly whispered in a hoarse voice.

He stood up and vanished from the spot.

The man's severed fingertip squirmed on the ground and a monstrous creature crawled out of the pinkish flesh.