He lights the match, looks around, and drops the match inside. The lantern bursts in an incandescent blue flame. The monk twin begins to mutter his chants as they move along.

--- Chapter 91 ---

As they run, swarms of moths would attack, only to be vaporized by the monk. They continue through the woods, making great progress. To their misfortune, however, they come across a cavern, with a wooden suspension bridge. Upon getting closer, they realize this bridge is spanning over a chasm that seemingly has no bottom. Where a bottom would be it just stretches into the darkness, like an infinite void.

Red: Well shit, how the hell is we supposed to get across this.

He says placing a little weight on the bridge, and the board he stepped on snaps, both pieces dropping into the abyss. Leo looks at the rest of the party and gets a cocky tone.

Leo: Well, getting across should be no issue thanks to me.

He puts his hands forward, and this green ooze forms from his arms and hair. This ooze pours out at a substantial rate. It floats to the chasm and forms into a large bridge across it. He looks at Red with a smirk and they all pick up the lantern and continue over it. They pass the halfway point and continue down to the other side. But as they reach it, several pinkish-purple tentacles climb from the abyss and latch onto the makeshift bridge. The tentacles curl around it and pull it down to the darkness below. They all look at each other with a hint of fear. Suddenly, two large wings rose from the chasm, decorated in yellow, black, and red colors. A giant moth, with red eyes, and its mouth filled with multiple purple tentacles. The group begins to run with great haste, but they are eventually cut off by monsters and moths from the woods. This beast finally catches up, and its tentacles stretch out toward the group. Panic rushes over them, but in a flash of black, a group of dark-cloaked figures wearing white masks with animal-like details soar from the trees in front of the group.

Red: W-who are you?!

???: Sigma.

One of the cloaked figures proclaims. The one who spoke brings their hand out, and in a puff of smoke, a blade appears in their hand. They swing the blade, and the approaching tentacles are sliced off, and the moth reels back in pain. The middle one looks back at them.

Sigma: Continue. We will handle the forest guardian.

Red: R-right. Let’s fucking go!

The group runs fast, pushing past the group of monsters. Ryan’s sister looks back at sigma. One of the figures turns around to face the monsters. It lifts its hand, a spark is lit under the monsters, before a pillar of fire rises and curls around the monsters, reducing them all to ash. Another lifts its arm, electricity dances around it, and the electric leaps on the monster, causing it to spazz out. The monster crashes down into the ground. The one with the sword walks up to the creature. He pulls a strip of paper with writing on it out and places it on the monster. He then places his foot on its body and pushes it with enough force to launch it into the chasm it came from. Then oddly enough, the figures of sigma form into one body and merge into the ground. Eventually, the group arrives back in camp.

Ryans sister: WOW! THAT WAS WICKED!

Geno: No it wasn’t! That was an S rank monster!

Ryans sister: No you buffoon! I was talking about Sigma! They were made by the number 5 SS+ mage!

Geno: Buffoon…

Red: Wow really? I see why they were so confident.

Red then takes a look around, seeing multiple groups of people who passed. Luckily it seems all the Elune members made it. Then Red notices something odd, Luna is standing in front of her lantern alone.

Red: Luna! How did you pass on your own?!

Luna: Well I just summoned four golems to carry it for me.

Red: Oh wow, that’s pretty smart.

The proctor looks around and begins to speak.

Proctor: It looks like all the lanterns have been returned.

She then begins to count.

Proctor: You forty will advance to the next round.

She gets a sly, almost sadistic smile.

Proctor: Now, let’s begin the fear test.