(Outer region of the zone)

A group of students were sitting around and discussing the announcement sent by the exam administrators with different thoughts running through their minds.

Some wanted to investigate the red dots on the map in case they were actually hidden opportunities while others were in favour of moving away from this mysterious force.

The team leader was getting a headache over the matter and decided to let the decision be made by a vote between the members.

There were twenty members in the squad, so the voting was a rather straightforward process.

It was a shame that the discussion proved to be a fatal distraction as none seemed to notice that one red dot had begun to rapidly approach their location.

Reeeeeeeee!!!

A shrill cry of rage was heard from beneath a student's feet as an enormous beast burst out from the ground and chomped down on her legs.

The girl shrieked out in horror as her companions rushed to her aid while unleashing qi techniques and weapon strikes against the creature.

But this low-level Insectoid beast seemed to take no damage as the pinkish fleshy blob just absorbed all the attacks.

Blood spurted out of the girl's legs as the razor-sharp teeth of the creature pierced the flesh easily.

She could not take the pain any longer and activated her barrier device to teleport herself back to the transport ship.

The beast opened its maw to take a bigger bite but strangely enough its prey had somehow disappeared.

Where had it gone? Was the food hiding?

It was not very intelligent so it sniffed the air a few times but could not find where the delicious snack had gone.

The team leader of the squad noticed that the beast was momentarily distracted and hurriedly issued a series of commands.

"Fuckwe need to leave this area now and head further inside."

"But sir what about our tents?" another member asked.

"Just leave the damn things and run!"

To the leader's credit, it was a decisive move on his part to abandon all the supplies on the ground and immediately run but he inadvertently made a serious error in judgement.

Members of this insectoid race. were pack animals.

One beast after another erupted from the ground and soon agonising scream could be heard from the terrified students.

"Move! Move!" Qiana yelled as Sophie and the rest darted through the forest. They passed several other groups of students along the way but paid them no attention.

Whatever those red dots were. they moved faster than expected.

What was strange was that the red dots seemed to be unaffected by obstacles in their path such as trees or cliffs and kept travelling in straight lines.

Sophie reasoned that the only explanation was that this unknown force was travelling either below ground or flying in the skies above.

"How close are we from the center of the zone?" Rachel panted as beads of sweat rolled down the sides of her face.

Qiana consulted the holographic map before making a rough estimate of about three hours.

Travelling to the interior of the zone did increase some risks as there would be more confrontations with enemy candidates but the red dots getting closer and closer put a sense of urgency in their hearts.

Archangel Descent!

White wings filled with holy energy sprouted from Rachel's back as she flew above the treetops to scout the area ahead.

"Where is the nearest red dot?" she called out.

"There should be one around three kilometers to our right," Sophie checked the map and replied.

Rachel squinted her eyes to get a better view but could see no enemies in sight.

Meanwhile Astrid at the front of the pack with her powerful hindlegs making large jumps that covered a great distance with every leap.

She turned her head around and noticed that Qiana had a tired expression on her face as stealth techniques did not also grant her a great amount of stamina.

"You. what the heck are you doing?!" Qiana stammered as Astrid suddenly stopped and approached her.

The Mendolesa girl scooped Qiana up in a princess carry and ran with the now blushing girl in her arms.

"Put me down right now you stupid mutt!"

Sophie cracked a small smile at the actions of the duo but then immediately perked her ears up to listen for any movement in their surroundings.

She had no way of knowing but already the surviving members of the entrance exam had drastically dwindled to around two thousand.

Scouting type Insectoids were nothing more than simple cannon fodder in Interstellar wars and one expert could eliminate their entire presence from a battlefield.

But for students in the qi body and spirit stage, they presented a tough challenge to overcome.

"Stop right there!" came a fierce voice.

Sophie snapped out of her thoughts and realised that a group of seven students had surrounded Astrid and Qiana.

Astrid was eager to fight and had already activated the mana inside her body which caused a heavy pressure that was emitted from her runes.

"We don't have time for this," Sophie muttered to herself. She yelled out an order to Astrid when she saw the Mendolesa girl stopping her movements to fight.

"Astrid you go on ahead with Qiana and Rachel. I'll take care of these guys."

"Are you sure?" came a reply with a touch of disappointment.

Sophie narrowed her eyes in displeasure at Astrid's reluctance and the wolf girl soon got the message and just bent her knees and leapt out of the ambush.

Rachel flew by overhead while shooting the Sophie a look that signaled her to hurry up and finish the battle.

The other students had attempted to follow Astrid, but Sophie soon arrived at their location and activated her carbon fibre whip.

The long and thin weapon coiled dangerous around Sophie's hands as she carefully circulated her qi to use one of her more powerful cultivation techniques.

Black Waves Consume All!

The whip in Sophie's hand started to move in a strange pattern as she jumped into the air and lashed out towards her would-be attackers.

Waves of dark qi energy smashed into their bodies and the force of the attack caused the barrier devices to instantly activate.

Sophie landed gracefully on the ground and approached the weapons that were now scattered about

One of them caught her eye which was a collection of vials with the symbol for poison printed on the side.

She planned to just grab it quickly and then run to catch up with the rest of her teammates.

Reeeeeeeeeee!!!!

What could only be described as the cross between a pig squealing and a shrieking cry of a child was heard from below Sophie's feet.

Sophie's quick reflexes saved her life as she leapt backwards as the creature's jaws snapped at the place she had been before.

The beast was one that she had never encountered so far in the examination and yet it seemed oddly familiar.

Sophie quickly shifted through the memory inheritance her aunt had given her and a particularly nasty species crossed her mind.

Tarkkakans!