After the battle with a hundred or so participants, Ace Academy didn't encounter any other fights.
However, they did see many participants who had suffered injuries or were unconscious. There were also those who had been eliminated because agents from The Authority stepped in to save them from monsters.
Hiro led the Ace Academy participants as they made their way toward the location of the tokens. They encountered monsters here and there, however, they were only at Rank-D and E which was easily taken care of by them.
There were also a lot of traps and people hiding in the ambush. However, their target didn't seem to be them and whenever some participants noticed them, they would run away quickly.
Everybody knows the strength of Ace Academy and would normally avoid them in such competitions. They would only fight Ace Academy participants if and only if it was their only choice.
For example, if they were on the verge of being eliminated, and they needed to steal the token from them, then they might be willing but without such an objective, they would flee without hesitation. There was no merit in confronting a strong school.
That made it easier for Ace Academy. Even though other participants were much weaker than them, it was always a good thing to conserve mana and stamina, especially after they had gone through a big fight.
As Hiro and others went deeper and deeper into the forest, there were fewer and fewer students. Moreover, the number of monsters had increased proportionally with their rank also increasing. There were many monsters in Rank-D -, but some were Elite monsters of Rank-D + as well.
It was still easy for Ace Academy participants to defeat those monsters as they had someone in Rank-B with them. However, it was a different story for other schools that were far weaker than Ace Academy.
Some schools didn't even have a Rank-D+, much less someone who is Rank-B. They were struggling to make it past this road. Schools with Rank-C participants were also having a hard time as the number of monsters was too much.
Many had already given up on venturing into the forest and retrieving the token and were waiting to ambush the participants who managed to bring the token out. Others followed the path made by other people. They were slowly following behind schools like Ace Academy which would defeat the monsters and make a safe way for them.
Anyway, after reaching the deep area of Demonwood forest, Ace Academy had already caught up with those students who had once overtaken them. There were only a couple of schools that were ahead of them.
As Ace Academy moved deeper into the forest, they noticed that the environment around them had changed dramatically. The trees were taller and darker, and the atmosphere was filled with an eerie silence. The ground beneath their feet felt soft as if they were walking on a carpet of moss and dead leaves.
Hiro could sense that they were getting closer to their destination. He looked around, scanning the area for any signs of danger. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes nearby. He signaled his teammates to be on guard.
The group of participants immediately became alert. As Hiro's stats and senses are much better than theirs, they knew that Hiro sensed something that they failed to. Without wasting time, they immediately went into battle mode as they readied their weapons and spells.
Out of nowhere, a group of monsters appeared in front of them. These monsters were different from the ones they had faced earlier. They were bigger and more powerful, and their eyes glowed red with a sinister light.
The monsters were Ursoloth who had a bear-like appearance. They had strong and sharp claws that could easily tear down trees. They were usually ranked somewhere in D but some strong ones managed to break to Rank-C.
In this group, however, there were 3 Rank-C Ursoloth with a Rank-C+ Ursoloth leading the pack. Compared to the rest, the leader was twice the size of a normal Ursoloth with a menacing aura.
This was the strongest group of monsters that they had encountered. Judging by the rank, they were even stronger than those hundred participants who attacked them earlier. But their number was only 30 or so which was very less compared to hundreds.
However, even when faced with such strong monsters, Ace Academy participants didn't panic. This was because they were all regularly sent to dungeons to experience danger and even though the monsters in front of them were strong, they managed to remain calm. Moreover, they had Hiro who they knew was stronger than Ursoloth's leader.
Hiro immediately gave the command for Magicians and Archers to attack the Ursoloth. As Ursoloth were dangerous in close combat, it was in their best interest to keep their distance.
The Magicians and Archers followed Hiro's lead and unleashed a barrage of spells and arrows at the Ursoloth. The Ursoloth were fast and agile, but it was impossible for them to dodge the attack when hundreds of attacks were raining down on them.
Most of Ursoloth had begun defending themselves while others still sought to escape.
The Rank-C+ Ursoloth, however, was a different story. It charged toward Hiro without any regard for the attack. It had incredible speed and rushed with its sharp claws ready to strike. But Hiro was prepared. He focused his mana and used his sword to block Ursoloth's attack.
The other two Rank-C Ursoloth also followed suit and rushed to attack Ace Academy participants.
However, before they reached the other students, Zion and Misha had come to confront the two monsters. Zion and Misha attacked the two Ursoloth, however, the two monsters easily defended against their attack with their claws.
By following the three Ursoloth, other Ursoloths were also able to escape from the barrage of attacks from magicians and archers. Though the number decreased considerably, there were still more than 20 Ursoloth who survived.
The other Ace Academy also joined the fray. With all the Rank-C Ursoloth kept in check by Hiro, Zion, and Misha, there was nothing to fear for them. Additionally, they had support from two Rank-C, Sylvia and Lisa.
Hiro, Zion, and Misha fought with the three Rank-C Ursoloth. However, they were still conserving their energies and not going all out. They knew that defeating the Ursoloth was not their main goal and they still needed to conserve their energies for later fights.
Moreover, they only need to keep the three Ursoloth in check while their teammates defeat other Ursoloths. The three of them were mostly defending against their attack and not using much mana to attack.
On the other hand, Ace Academy participants were attacking the other Ursoloth and defeating them one by one. While Ursoloth had a good defense, it was still defeated. With Lisa and Sylvia attacking the Ursoloths, the number of Uroliths was decreasing fast.
In less than three minutes, all the other Ursoloths were defeated except the three Rank-C Ursoloths.
The leader of the Ursoloth also seemed to be on the verge of dying. Even without going out, Rank-B - Hiro was much more powerful than Rank-C + Ursoloth. As for the other two Ursoloth, their fate also didn't seem much better than their leader.