The Ascension : A New Beginning (Solo Leveling x Tower of God) [ON A HIATUS]

Chapter 20 : The Thirteenth Floor

<Test Arena, Thirteenth Floor>

In a rocky terrain located in the valley between two mountain ranges, the preliminary test for a group of regulars was currently being held. The uneven topography of the terrain made it difficult for normal people to traverse it, making the location even more suitable as a testing ground for regulars. This time, the test was rather simple - A team vs team elimination match. In order to proceed to the next stage, it simply required one team to knock out or kill all members of the opposition. There was a one hour time limit for the match and if both teams still remained at the end, then the team with more members remaining will claim victory.

So when the match was revealed to be between team A that had almost a dozen members and team B which only had two, everyone including the examiners had already predicted who would emerge victorious.

____________________

"Are you sure splitting up is a good idea, Lusat?" One of the regulars asked their team leader, a spiky purple-haired man who was dual-wielding daggers.

"What do you mean Zaru?" He questioned him. "They are just two regulars. It would be best to surround and finish them off as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, about that. Didn't you hear what Edona found about one of them? He's the guy nicknamed 'The Huntsman of Black' ! They say he can accurately hit targets upto four kilometers away with his bow and has never failed a floor test till date!" The guy named Zaru told him.

"Pfft! And you believe all that bullshit?" Lusat scoffed. "Those are just baseless rumors! From what we know he isn't even from any of the ten great families. What do you think he is? An irregular or something?"

"Well... There was that rumor about an irregular appearing in the test floor two years ago, so-"

"Yes. And he died while taking a test." Lusat interrupted him. "Look. I know you are worried. But you need to relax. In the end, there are just two guys in that team, while there are eleven of us. What's the worst that can happen anyway?"

*BEEP*

At the exact same moment, Lusat received a call in his pocket.

"What is it Edona? Did you loca-"

"Lu!! There is a big problem!!" The desperate cry of a girl was heard on the other side. "That guy is -"

But before she could complete it, the call was abruptly cut off, leaving both Lusat and Zaru baffled.

"Edona? What's wrong? Answer me!" Lusat shouted at the pocket, the worry being clear shown in his voice. Unfortunately, there was no reply.

"Lusat, something's wrong! I can't contact any of the others!" Zaru cried out.

"What? Let me try... " With a troubled look on his face Lusat tried contacting his other team members. Unfortunately all it did was confirm what Zaru said.

'There doesn't seem to be any communication jammers in this vicinity...' Lusat confirmed this by sending a message to Zaru's pocket, which beeped in response. 'Does that mean... They were all eliminated? But how?! It hasn't even been five minutes since the test started!'
____________________

Meanwhile, a different set of events were transpiring at Team B's starting point. Of the two members, one of them was inside his lighthouse while the other was holding a black bow in hand and keeping a watch at the distance.

"Boss, there are two of them far to the south. I'll send in their coordinates." The person inside the lighthouse spoke out.

"... " The bowman didn't say anything and simply outstretched his palm. The black mask he wore made it impossible to deduce his emotions, as waves of bluish-black shinsu started gathering around his hand, forming the shape of an arrow. Adjusting the aim with the bow, he drew the arrow back as much as it was possible.