"Students, auxiliaries, professors," Director Ignatius's voice resonated throughout the stadium. "The first trials of the Two Hundred and Forty-Eighth Semester Tournament officially begin." The audience fell silent as the Director yielded the attention to the professors of different years to continue. In the first-year stadium, Yang continued, his gravelly voice carrying effortlessly across the arena: "Team One of Group A, prepare to face the Big Stone Lurker. Remember: coordination, strategy, and prudence. The objective is to demonstrate that you can defeat the beast together, not to showcase individual bravery." Ron and his teammates entered the arena, wearing the characteristic black uniform with chest protections. Their steps were confident, almost swagger, as they approached the center. "Weapons?" asked the auxiliary professor, offering a rack with various combat tools. The arsenal gleamed under the morning sun—hammers of different weights, reinforced spears, even pickaxes designed to penetrate stone. Ron looked disdainfully at the arsenal, his lip curling slightly. "We don't need those fragile tools," he declared with a confident smile that bordered on arrogance. "Our beasts are more than sufficient." His teammates exchanged glances, a flash of uncertainty crossing their faces, but followed his example, rejecting the offered weapons. The auxiliary professor shrugged and withdrew the rack, though not before casting a knowing glance toward Yang. "Typical of a tamer with fire element," Min muttered from his seat in the stands. "They always think scorching everything around solves all problems." Liu laughed briefly, remembering something, and added, "Weapons are frowned upon because for many, they're an admission that your beast is too weak. But there are still those who use them... Hammers are the most popular, but unlike iron-rank stone lurkers, these evolved ones have very thick defenses, and only students with really good strength enhancements can use them properly." The team took position as far as possible from the Stone Lurker, which remained motionless, as if in slumber. Its massive form dominated the center of the arena, casting a long shadow across the packed earth. Ron positioned himself at the front, the red eagle girl, Nia (according to the board's announcement) to his right, and the mole boy, Gulhan, maneuvering to the left. They moved with practiced coordination, suggesting they had trained together extensively. "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted down, his voice resonating throughout the arena. The roots containing the monster receded underground, their retreat marked by the soft whisper of earth shifting, leaving nothing between the students and the Stone Lurker. For an instant that felt far too long, nothing happened. The Stone Lurker remained motionless, seemingly oblivious to the presences surrounding it. "Now!" Ron's shout broke the silence, echoing against the stadium walls. His salamander fully manifested in his body, enveloping his arms in crimson scales that gleamed with intense heat. With a fluid movement, he generated a fireball the size of a melon and hurled it against the stone beast. The flames left a trail of shimmering air as they flew toward their target. The impact resonated with a small explosion, raising a cloud of dust that momentarily obscured the creature. When visibility returned, the Stone Lurker showed only a blackened spot on its surface, like a small bruise on its otherwise untouched hide. "Seems like we'll need more power," exclaimed Ron, without losing his confident smile. "Nia, use the wind as we practiced!" The girl nodded, manifesting her red eagle. The air around her arms began to swirl, forming visible currents that extended toward Ron. Meanwhile, Gulhan had invoked the physical form of his digger mole. With a quick movement, the creature submerged into the arena's earth as if it were water, leaving only a small hole to mark its passage. Ron, now backed by Nia's air currents, began launching larger and hotter fireballs. Each impact generated a more powerful blast than the previous one, but the Stone Lurker barely reacted. The blackened spots expanded slightly, but the creature's integrity remained largely uncompromised. "Classic strategy," commented Liu, leaning forward in his seat. "Attack from a distance while enhancing their main offensive strength. It usually works, but..." "But they have an elemental disadvantage... Though something's not right with the beast," murmured Ren, his mushrooms pulsing with a calm rhythm. "It's not responding as it should..." As if answering his words, the Stone Lurker finally moved. But it walked slowly, very slowly. Its massive limbs dragged against the ground, each movement accompanied by the grinding sound of stone against stone. It seemed to be in a dream from which it was gradually awakening. Ren understood that what the auxiliaries had done to contain it was still affecting the monster, and it was taking time to readapt to freedom of movement... But Ron's team didn't realize this. Seeing the monster approaching slowly, they decided to take advantage and maintain their attack without worrying about keeping their distance. The salamander's flames intensified, pouring forth in an almost continuous stream now as Ron pressed what he perceived as an advantage. Ren noticed the change in mana flow, the monster had fully awakened. Its energy signature shifted from dormant to active, a surge of power rippling through its stone body. But Ron's team maintained their attack, oblivious to the danger. Until the monster was too close... The frontal crevice opened slowly, revealing a cavernous mouth filled with crystalline protrusions that resembled teeth. "Watch out!" Ren shouted from the stands, unable to contain himself. With a speed that contradicted its heavy appearance, the monster pivoted slightly and leaped toward Nia. The movement was so sudden that the girl barely had time to react, using her wind control to propel herself backward. The Stone Lurker's jaws closed in the space where she had been a second before with a chilling crunch. "Gulhan, now!" ordered Ron, taking advantage of the beast's distraction. From beneath the beast, the ground trembled. Gulhan's mole emerged like a projectile, its reinforced claws striking the monster's belly with brutal force. The impact slightly damaged the Stone Lurker, eliciting a growl that sounded like rocks sliding against each other. But when Gulhan's mole tried to submerge again, the beast reacted. One of its strange feet struck the ground with precision, blocking the tunnel the mole had created. The impact was so violent that the tunnel collapsed. "It knows how to defend its belly well," observed Taro with concern. "It's the thinnest area... Fortunately for them, it's not using its real press ability. It seems its earth abilities are blocked by the auxiliaries too," Ren explained, his eyes never leaving the battle. The mole survived with moderate damage and dug a new tunnel while Ron and his team began to move away from the enormous monster. Ron maintained his offensive, launching continuous fire attacks enhanced by Nia's currents. The surface of the Stone Lurker began to show signs of heating, acquiring a reddish tone in some areas. Small cracks appeared where the heat was most intense, suggesting a potential vulnerability. "Keep it up!" Ron encouraged his companions, his voice hoarse from the exertion. "It's weakening!" But Ren could see what Ron ignored. The beast wasn't weakening; it was retracting its blood to the center to maintain a stable body temperature. While the group spent their energy on attacks that generated minor damages… "It's more concerned about the attacks from below," commented Ren.