While Asher and his team had just reached the center, Kevin's team had arrived 15 minutes earlier, but they were still unable to secure the Medallion.
The reason? The Third Professor standing in their path.
"You all are quite talented, but to take this Medallion, you need to get past me," he told them.
"How are we supposed to take on an S or above Rank hunter?" Ria asked, irritation evident in her voice.
However, the Professor ignored her comment.
"This test can't be impossible," Kevin said, eyeing the two medallions positioned behind the Professor.
They had been trying to bypass or attack the Professor for the past 15 minutes, but they had not succeeded in securing the Medallion.
"Let's not lose hope," Elena shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.
"They have still not arrived, so we're still ahead of them," Elena pointed at the Fourth Professor, silently observing them.
Surveying the four gates surrounding the room, it was evident that both teams needed to bypass the Professors somehow and secure one of the two medallions.
The issue, however, was that they were merely D Rank Hunters, and the Professors before them were SS Rank Hunters, significantly more powerful than them.
"They can't use their skills, so use that to our advantage," Eva reminded them.
She had noticed various patterns the Third Professor followed while impeding their progress.
"Right, he is only using physical attacks," Kevin realized, sparking an idea.
"Hey, can you grab his attention for a second," Kevin asked Matthew.
"Okay," Matthew responded as he gripped his sword.
"I will move after your attack," Matthew told Lishia in a polite tone.
Even amidst the battle, Matthew was conscientious about how he addressed his teammates. Unlike him, everyone on his team had a background substantial enough to deal with an orphan like him.
Lishia nodded at him, preparing a series of spells.
While Elena unleashed another Fire spell, followed by Blades of Wind, the Professor easily dodged them all.
The Third Professor smiled as he watched the First Year students desperately try to bypass him.
'Well, you need to show your strength,' he thought to himself.
Kevin's team had used a plethora of artifacts to clear through the monsters.
Using Eva's barrier, they managed to overcome most of the Rune Traps, but Elena and Matthew still suffered a few hits.
Despite all this, all four professors concluded that their team needed further testing so they could score them individually. The Dungeon segment was the only part where they would be graded, so they needed to be strict with their evaluation.
"These flimsy attacks won't harm me," the Third Professor taunted Matthew, hoping to provoke him.
Matthew didn't respond, merely slashing at the Professor, who deftly dodged again.
Kevin's eyes shone blue as he flared his mana, alerting the Third Professor to his presence.
"Elena, use an earth element spell when I reach there," Kevin whispered to Elena, who nodded in understanding.
She grasped Kevin's intention and focused on the opportunity.
"I will help him," Ria declared, dashing towards where Matthew stood.
"Take this," Matthew swung his sword as he ducked, but the Professor suddenly caught him and flung him into the wall.
"What?" Kevin halted midway as he saw Matthew sent flying into the wall.
"Did you think I wouldn't attack, only defend?" The Third Professor smirked, enjoying their shock.
Seeing them halt, the Fourth Professor shook his head.
"These guys aren't working as a team," he said, critiquing their teamwork.
They weren't employing their strengths as a team, instead focusing on supporting one member and relying on him to seize the Medallion.
While this was not inherently a poor strategy, executing it required exceptional teamwork, something Kevin's team was sorely lacking.
Matthew carefully followed Kevin's orders as the Team Leader while Lishia struggled to synchronize with Elena and Eva.
And Ria, who should have been working with Matthew, was instead coordinating with Elena.
"They still need a lot of time to become proper hunters," the Fourth Professor mused, shaking his head.
It was about time the Third Professor lessened the difficulty and allowed them to take the Medallion.
"So, how are we supposed to get past you?" Kevin asked.
"We told you guys to form a team for a reason," the Third Professor hinted.
"Is it our teamwork?" Eva murmured, realization dawning on her.
"Hey, I have a plan," Eva called them as Kevin went to assist Matthew.
The Third Professor allowed them to regroup and strategize once again.
"Let's see if they learned anything," he mumbled to himself.
"Have you noticed that the Professor has not moved from that area the whole time we fought him?" Eva asked, to which Kevin nodded.
"I wanted to take advantage of that, so I sent Matthew first," Kevin replied.
Recognizing their mistakes, Eva devised a new plan and discussed it with the entire team. Initially, they hadn't thought it through while battling the Professor, but now she knew what needed to be done to seize the Medallion.
"So, you guys are ready," the Third Professor announced.
"But it seems the other team has arrived as well," he added as the Fourth Gate to the Boss Room opened.
Emerging from it was a solitary young man with crimson-red eyes.
"Don't lose focus; we should concentrate on obtaining the medallion," Kevin reminded them, and they all nodded in agreement.
On the other side of the gate,
"Damn, what was that spell?" Damian was taken aback by Asher's magic.
"It was the spell I told you about," Amelia reminded him.
Sam, clueless about their conversation, inferred they were discussing the Mage Exam that took place a few days prior.
Following Asher, they saw Kevin's team in a confrontation with an old man donning a robe adorned with the World Academy Emblem.
"So, you guys have finally arrived," the Fourth Professor addressed them.
"This is the final test in this Dungeon," he explained.
"Get past me and secure that Medallion," he instructed, smiling.
'Will they make the same mistakes as them?' he pondered.
Just as the other team was mobilizing around Kevin, this team had Asher, who was even more talented than Kevin Whiteheart.
"Is he a Professor?" Damian questioned, noting the symbol of the World Academy on the man's robe.
"What kind of test is this?" Vanessa asked, looking at the other team engrossed in their battle with the opposing Professor.
Her question, however, went unanswered.
"Get ready," Asher commanded, brandishing his sword.
"Treat him as a monster we need to kill," Asher declared, his face indifferent.
"That's too harsh. I'm a beloved professor that all your seniors adore," the Fourth Professor quipped.
"I ask Grant Strength, Szephelm," Amelia activated her Tier 2 Spell, a shorter version of the original Szephelm Spell, a Tier 3 Spell.
Their entire team, including Asher, felt a surge in their power.
"This feels nice," Vanessa noted as she experienced the increase in strength.
While Amelia felt weak from the extensive use of her mana, she significantly boosted her team's power to face the Professor.
<Host's Strength and Agility are boosted by 10%>
Asher observed the effect of Amelia's spell. It was more potent for the others as they were D Rank or below.
As they prepared to move, they noticed Ria holding onto the Medallion as the Professor was overwhelmed by Matthew and Kevin from both sides, with Elena and Lishia providing cover. Eva used her barrier magic to limit the Professor's movements.
"Well, you guys need to exit the Dungeon now," the Third Professor announced.
The next second, Ria tossed the Medallion to Kevin, who immediately caught it.
"Let's go!" Kevin shouted.
He glanced at Asher's team, which had just arrived, as they exited the room.
"Looks like you guys are behind them now," the Fourth Professor observed, smiling.
But in the next instant, he stepped back as Asher's sword swung for his neck.
"Resorting to lethal attacks," the Fourth Professor said, looking into Asher's eyes.
'Damn, these eyes remind me of that old monster,' he thought, reminded of Nathaniel Greville as he observed Asher's indifferent gaze.
Asher didn't hesitate, swinging his sword at the Professor again.
The gap in skill between them was considerable. Asher's movements were easily dodged by the Professor, yet even he could see that Asher's swordsmanship was on another level compared to the other students.
Even Final Year students had flaws in their movements, but he could not identify such shortcomings in Asher.
'He is making the same mistake as them,' the Professor thought.
Just like Kevin's team, Asher was also charging in alone.
"Let's go!" Damian yelled as Sam and Vanessa moved to support Asher.
Meanwhile, Alyssa hovered above, eyeing the Medallion.
She raised her hand to attract the Medallion, but she noticed a rune formation that neutralized her gravity magic's influence on the Medallion.
Seeing that Gravity Magic was not working, she changed her target.
"Lance," Alyssa commanded, summoning various Ice Lances to momentarily trap the Professor, creating an opening for Asher.
While Sam tried to sneak out to reach the Medallion, the Professor disappeared and reappeared to halt Asher's advance, redirecting his own attack towards Damian.
"Do you think SS Rank is a joke?" the Fourth Professor asked them.
He was hell-bent on causing them to lose 5 minutes, just as the other team had wasted an entire 16 minutes attempting to secure the Medallion.
"Swift Strike," Asher calmly dived toward the Professor, who managed to grab his hand.
"Go rest for a few seconds," He flung Asher away, but at that moment, Asher created a mid-air platform to perform Mir Steps.
Using all his mana, Asher made a dash for the Medallion, but the Professor caught on to his plan.
"Not today," He extended his hand to snatch Asher once again.
"Aura Shield," Asher twisted his body and swung his sword.
He activated a new skill that he had learned from his Sword Art.
As he swung his sword, a thin aura shield materialized in its path.
Changing his open hand into a fist, the Professor attempted to break through the strange aura that had materialized in front of him.
But at the same time, Asher created another platform in an instant to use Mir Steps again.
In response, the Professor vanished from his spot, reappearing beside Asher in an attempt to halt him.
"Aura Shield," Asher declared, once again swinging his sword.
The shield materialized again, but Asher's sword changed direction in mid-air this time.
"Swift Strike," Asher's sword passed through the Aura Shield he had created easily, aiming straight for the Professor.
The Professor found this skill a bit strange as Asher's sword passed through what appeared as a materialized aura, but it was not enough to catch him off guard.
"Useless," The Professor used the back of his hand to deflect Asher's sword. The strength behind the Professor's blow was enough to cause Asher to lose his grip, sending the sword flying.
"Shadow Bind," Asher raised his hand, and multiple chains appeared as black energy surged from the ground, causing the Professor to smile at Asher's attempt.
"Use your team. You cannot win alone," he advised Asher as he shattered the chains with a mere flick of his fingers.
"The test has ended, Professor Zacram," Arman suddenly intervened, halting the test.
"What do you mean?" The Fourth Professor asked Arman, confusion etched on his face.
"They have the Medallion already," Arman pointed at Alyssa, who floated down gracefully, clutching the Medallion in her hand.
