两男一女的双龙挺进

"Come on, let\'s take the crystal and leave already!" R shouted, his tire body trembling with excitemt. With two elemtal crystals like these, there\'d be no need to hunt the elemtal beast again. He could ev be promoted to the special class, where all the academy\'s giuses were.

R\'s eyes sparkled as he imagined the academy\'s reaction wh he handed over not one, but two crystals. The glory, the accolades—his mind raced with thoughts of the recognition he\'d receive. In his daydream, he failed to notice the anxious expression on Brandon\'s face.

Brandon squinted, his eyes fixed on the ticing crystals beckoning him. Like R, he knew the immse value and importance of these crystals. Elemtal beasts were far more powerful and rare than the magical beasts that roamed Eos and the dimsional rifts. Their crystals were vital for crafting destructive items.

Two crystals would undoubtedly elevate the influce of the Vermilion Royal Academy, possibly breaking the natural power equilibrium and surpassing ev the noble households in the kingdom.

Considering all of this, one might wonder why Brandon hesitated to snatch the crystals. The reason was simple.

"This... is too easy!" Brandon\'s thoughts churned as he glanced behind him, half expecting the elemtal beast to be lurking. But there was nothing.

\'Am I overthinking?\' Brandon wondered, giving a sidelong glance to R, who was practically salivating as he stared at the crystals, his eyes gleaming with glee. R stretched his hand out, ready to snatch the crystals.

As a special class studt, Brandon had be on his fair share of missions. From those missions, he learned one crucial thing: nothing was ever this easy—unless you had invisible luck 0 times over.

Whever things seemed too simple, either someone got horribly injured or killed. It was the reason Brandon was always cautious, never reacting with greed like the pampered scions of noble households.

"Wait!" Brandon shouted, slapping R\'s hand just inches away from the elemtal crystal. He applied ough force to make R wince in pain, earning an extremely irritated glare.

"What was that for?" R yelled, his voice higher than usual. Under any other circumstances, he wouldn\'t dare speak to a special class studt like that. But the crystal was right there, wasn\'t it their job to take it and leave this inhospitable place? Why was Brandon stopping him?

"Can\'t you see it?" Brandon said in a calm voice. Though he could easily crush R if he wanted to, Branson wasn\'t someone who lost his composure over petty matters like R\'s antics.

"See what?" R snapped, still visibly annoyed but restraining his anger. He wanted to grab the crystal again and stow it away in his invtory, claiming all the glory for himself. But something made him pause and list to Brandon.

\'He must have a reason,\' R thought as Brandon began to explain.

"I\'ve be on many missions, and of them are this easy—especially not an A-ranked mission like this," Brandon said, his eyes scanning the cavern again. His gaze lingered on the crystals, th moved to the shadows. "Something feels off. Think about it. Why would the sder leave such valuable crystals behind for us? What good did we do to deserve this?"

R\'s eyebrows twitched in annoyance as he listed. "Pathetic!" R sneered, his eyes fixed on the crystals. "You\'re telling me we finally found the crystals, and you\'re still hesitating? Ar\'t special class studts supposed to take risks? Why are you so differt..."

Th, in a low voice, he added, "Or is it because your father is just a mere viscount?"

Though R spoke quietly, Brandon heard him clearly. His calm expression faltered for a momt, and he took a step back. He didn\'t say anything, but R knew that was all the permission he needed.

"Thank you," R said with a grin, stretching his hand out to snatch the crystals. Time seemed to slow as Brandon watched with a careful gaze. Whatever happed next wouldn\'t be his problem; R had chos recklessness, so let him face the consequces.

As R\'s hand drew closer to the beautiful crystals, gleaming with an irresistible allure, neither of them noticed the faint flickering shadow on the froz walls. Ev Brandon, cautious as he was, remained oblivious. All he felt was the temperature in the cavern dropping, the air growing colder.

Th, Brandon saw it—a massive shadow shifting along the wall. Ev though it was dark, he could make out the terrifying pale blue eyes staring at them. He had promised himself to sit back and watch this play out, but the oppressive aura bearing down on him made him reconsider.

"R, wait!" Brandon\'s voice rang with urgcy. "Don\'t touch that!"

But it was too late. R\'s hand made contact with the crystal, and a glittering ice formation lit up. The sound of shifting ice echoed through the cavern...

---

Meanwhile, the various factions had arrived in the Iceborn Forest, where the cave was located. Their faces were deadly serious. If the rumors were true, this would be their final counter with the elemtal beast, and they had to kill it this time.

As they collectively thought about the mission, a powerful aura burst forth. They were not the only group in the forest—others had arrived as well, drawn by the news of the elemtal beast\'s appearance.

Among them was Professor Orion, a middle-aged man who glanced at the parchmt in his hand and nodded to himself. \'I\'m at the right place.\'

Elsewhere, a red-skinned girl stood with her squad, calmly cleaning her wrapped sword before sheathed it behind her back. She headed deeper into the forest.

Reyes glanced at the members of their temporary alliance, and they all nodded, following him deeper into the forest.

Hearts pounded like a drumroll, and the air became electric. Ev the froz trees seemed to dance as gusts of wind swept through the forest. Something monumtal was about to happ... ev the forest knew.

Amidst the commotion, a snake slithered through the underbrush to a deserted spot. Black mist erupted a the serpt, shifting it into the form of a humanoid figure. They watched the hundred-plus individuals rushing into the forest.

Clad in a black cloak, they smiled to themselves, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. "The time of reckoning approaches," they whispered. "Let them clash, and the strongest shall claim the prize."

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