Alex, hiding behind a stalagmite, spots Tonpa, who is now encircled by a mob of furious examinees. Alex thinks.

    “Tonpa! Do you even recognize our faces? Do you remember what you’ve done to us over the years?”

    Angry shouts erupt from the crowd around him.

    “You trapped me and my brother three years ago! My brother’s permanently crippled, and he’s lost the will to live because of what you did to us. You’re going to pay for this.”

    Another voice calls out, “You miserable excuse for a human, you don’t even try to pass, do you? You just like destroying other candidates! You’re sick, and it’s time we dealt with you!”

    Tonpa, visibly sweating, stammers, “This is all a misunderstanding, folks! I’ve failed all these times because… because I’m just not skilled enough! It’s all coincidence; I didn’t do any of those things…”

    As he speaks, the leader of the group—a scarred man—slams a fist into Tonpa’s stomach, sending him to the ground. But he doesn’t stop there. With a vicious glare, he stomps on Tonpa’s head, causing blood to spill onto the rocky floor.

    “Just a coincidence, huh? Just a coincidence you threw me off that mountain path after teaming up seven years ago? I’ll never forget it, and I’ll never forgive you. Any last words?”

    Tonpa, despite the pain, suddenly grins and yells, “YOU’LL ALL FAIL THIS YEAR TOO!” At that moment, several figures appear from behind, and chaos erupts. Alex recognizes their distinct appearances and realizes,

    A violent struggle breaks out between the brothers, Tonpa, and the examinees. From his vantage point, Alex feels a surge of uncertainty—this was not the kind of scene he’d expected to stumble upon. But as he observes from a safe distance, a large shadow suddenly catches his eye. Alex focuses on it, making out the shape of an enormous green lizard, easily ten times his own size. he thinks, feeling a chill of dread.

    The beast ambushes Tonpa, the Amori brothers, and the dozen other candidates who had been set on revenge. Without giving them a moment to react, the lizard’s massive tongue snaps out, wrapping around one of the candidates, retracting, and pulling its victim straight into its maw in seconds.

    A stunned silence settles over the scene. Everyone seems paralyzed with fear, watching in horror. The lizard seizes the opportunity, snaring another candidate and swallowing them whole. Then, suddenly, it unleashes an agonized scream. It thrashes about, appearing to be in severe pain. Alex thinks, still keeping hidden.

    Suddenly, more lizards appear, smaller than the giant one but still larger than any human. Alex feels movement behind him and turns to see a group of Giant Yellow Frogs—his earlier foes—emerging. Reacting quickly, he bolts out from behind the stalagmites and runs forward to dodge their attack. He finds himself next to Tonpa’s group and the revenge seekers. With the lizards blocking all the exits and the massive lizard still wailing in agony, he watches in horror as even more Yellow Frogs approach from the only open direction.

    Alex thinks.

    Thinking only of his survival, Alex spots an opportunity. The giant lizard’s mouth is wide open in its scream of pain.

    He immediately grabs two of the four Annihilation Grenades strapped to his belt and hurls them forcefully into the creature’s gaping mouth. Without hesitation, he grabs the remaining two grenades and repeats his throw, the lizard continuing to scream, oblivious.

    The grenades detonate, and Alex watches as blood begins to pour from the lizard’s midsection. Now, it’s not just screaming but thrashing wildly, rampaging and attacking anything in its path.

    Alex receives an overwhelming number of damage notifications. he wonders.

    He sees one of the Amori brothers get knocked aside like a ragdoll and several smaller lizards trampled beneath the thrashing behemoth.

    The scarred leader of the group attacking Tonpa rallies the frightened candidates, shouting, “MEN, FIGHT! We take down these lizards first, and then Tonpa will get what’s coming to him!”

    Hearing Tonpa’s name, Alex realizes with a jolt that the scoundrel is gone.

    As the giant lizard begins to regain a sliver of composure, it locks eyes with Alex, as if recognizing who threw the grenades into its maw. In an instant, it charges straight for him. Alex, desperate, conjures another grenade and triggers the speed boost from his [Nimbus Cloak].

    With the added speed, Alex manages to leap to the side. Instead of fleeing, he seizes the moment and scrambles up onto the lizard’s back. Drawing his [Sword of Pluto], he plunges it into the creature repeatedly.

    The lizard, with Alex clinging to its back, charges headfirst into a wall. The impact dazes it, clearly injuring its head, but it also manages to shake Alex loose, flinging him off!

    “SHIT!” Alex shouts as he’s flung from the lizard. Thankfully, he manages to land safely, scrambling to hide between two large rocks. The lizard attempts to break through the rocks with its head but fails. It then extends its long tongue, trying to snag Alex from his hiding spot. Alex dodges the grasping tongue and immediately conjures Mustrano’s Malice Mauler lvl 3. He uses it to pierce the tongue and follows up with his sharp [Sword of Pluto] to slice off the front tip!

    The lizard lets out an ear-splitting scream, its expression twisted with malice and anguish. Despite the chaos, Alex almost feels a pang of pity for the creature. Realizing it can’t continue the fight, the lizard retreats, leaving Alex alone, hidden behind the rocks with the severed, oozing tongue still impaled by his claw.

    Noticing the tongue secretes a green liquid, Alex quickly deduces that it’s poisonous.

    He pulls out an empty vial and fills it with as much of the green liquid as possible, though it’s only a small amount since he managed to cut off just the tip of the tongue. Examining his prize, he finds:

    [Green Lizard Matriarch Tongue Poison]

    Alex grins, pleased with such a rare prize.

    Leaving his temporary hiding place, he tosses aside the now-drained tongue, which is no longer recognized by the system, and returns to the battlefield. No lizards remain, but several wounded candidates lie scattered across the ground. Frustrated by their reckless grudges that nearly got everyone killed, Alex decides to search them, finding another seven portions of [Diluted Gel’s Panacure]. he thinks, inwardly blaming them for creating such a dangerous situation.

    Spotting a dead lizard nearby, Alex fills another vial with poison from its tongue. The system classifies it as a Light Green item—not as rare, but still useful enough to present to Gel later.

    [Green Lizard Tongue Poison]

    He notices another lizard with part of its tongue missing and collects half a vial from it as well. Just as he finishes, he sees a horrifying sight—hundreds, if not thousands, of lizards pursuing a few terrified candidates, including the Amori Brothers, Tonpa, and some of the revenge seekers, with their leader among them. Without hesitation, Alex turns and bolts, fleeing through the same tunnel he’d used to enter.

    After twenty minutes of chaos, he reaches the central cavern illuminated by giant floodlights. He pauses, but the distant sounds of panicked shouts and scurrying footsteps catch his attention—Tonpa’s group and the others are still being chased, even under the floodlights. Alex and a few remaining candidates, who had been resting nearby, immediately scramble upward, racing back toward daylight. But the lizards are relentless, still pursuing them up the tunnel!

    As Alex and the others approach the surface, he spots Gel, along with dozens of hunters and armed guards, sprinting downward, weapons at the ready. The sounds of gunfire, explosions, and the frenzied roars of monsters echo through the tunnel.

    Reaching the surface, the candidates are urgently directed away from the entrance. “The second exam is canceled! Get back to the airship NOW!” one of the black-suited hunters orders. Sёarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Alex thinks, silently wondering what this means for the exam going forward.