"Now!" Roran shouted. "Seeding formation!" Instead of attacking directly, Mira extended both hands toward the ground, channeling energy through her gloves. "Neutral pattern!" she directed as her mana traced a complex circle on the ground. Where her fingers touched, moss sprouted at a supernatural speed, expanding in precise spirals. Simultaneously, Trent invoked his fire ant. The creature materialized beside him, its exoskeleton gleaming like burnished copper in the arena light. Though only the size of a large dog, the ant's mandibles looked capable of crushing stone, and heat shimmered around its body. "Curious beast," Liu commented. "Fire ants are rare. They're not as powerful as salamanders in elemental control, but their endurance is remarkable. They're highly valued because they can reach Silver 3, though it's a shame they're not specialists." Ren knew what Liu meant. The ant provided a 30% increase in strength and defense instead of a specialized increase in fire like the salamander's. That's why they called it a generalist. But he knew that like all beasts, Silver 3 was far from the actual limit. The Stone Lurker, apparently confused by the lack of direct attack, emitted a growl that resonated like crumbling rocks. It began advancing toward Mira, identifying her as the most vulnerable target as she crouched. "Watch out!" several students shouted from the stands, their voices merging into a single warning cry. But Mira didn't seem concerned. Without interrupting her tracing, she continued expanding the moss. In the last second, when the Lurker was almost 3 meters away and its jaws seemed about to open, Roran intervened. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺 His transformation was the most dramatic of the three. His muscle mass visibly increased, and his features took on a canine aspect, with prominent jaws and pointed ears. With a roar that blended human and animal, Roran hurled the hammer that struck the Lurker's flank. The force of the impact, amplified by the 40% increase his beast granted him, momentarily destabilized the Stone Lurker, distracting it just enough for Mira to finish her pattern. "Ready!" she exclaimed, moving away from the area now covered in moss. "Trent!" The ant boy nodded, sending his beast to the edge of the moss circle. The creature scuttled forward obediently. "Wait," Min murmured, observing with growing interest. "What are they doing?" The moss began to change, its green tones acquiring reddish hues where Trent's ant touched it. A reaction was occurring, one that shouldn't be possible without... "The neutral mana pattern," Ren explained. "Mira can not only create moss that denies the passage of mana, she can also create moss that can adapt to other elemental energies. It's something like when your snake changes the mana pattern to heal." While the Stone Lurker recovered from the destabilization, Mira ran to reposition herself and began frantically digging with her shovel. Trent and Roran moved to the flanks as the dog was summoned fully and sent next to the ant. Then, both Roran's troll dog and Trent's ant began devouring the moss that Mira had sown. The scene surprised many spectators; it was unusual to see beasts of different elements feeding on a magical resource, especially one of a different element. "What are they doing?" a nearby student murmured, incredulity in his voice. "Are they crazy?" "They're not," Ren responded with quiet confidence. "They're applying a synergy I taught them, one that few know about." The effect was immediate and striking. Roran's troll dog, after consuming the moss, experienced a visible increase in muscle mass. Its claws grew and its fur acquired an unnatural sheen, almost metallic in quality. "The troll dog's ability isn't the bite as everyone believes since it's strong," Ren explained, observing with satisfaction. "It's actually the passive 'Glutton', which doubles the effects of any food or medicine it consumes." Simultaneously, Trent's ant also changed after ingesting the moss. Its reddish carapace acquired greenish streaks, and the small flames that occasionally emerged from its pincers intensified, acquiring an emerald tone. The creature's size increased by nearly a third. The Stone Lurker, oblivious to its opponents' transformation, continued its slow but relentless advance. "Phase two!" Roran indicated. Without further warning, his empowered troll dog began frantically digging in the ground. Its claws, strengthened by the moss effect, tore through the earth as if it were butter, quickly creating a tunnel that extended under the monster. At the same time, Trent's ant also began excavating, but in the opposite direction, creating a second tunnel that would eventually meet the first. "They're digging a trap," Min realized, his eyes bright with understanding. "Like the previous team." The Stone Lurker, sensing the vibrations beneath its feet, tried to turn away from the new threat to its belly. Its movement was heavy and slow, as if its entire mass resisted the change in direction. "The disadvantage of Big Stone Lurkers," Liu commented. "They can make surprisingly quick leaps forward, but turning costs them great effort." Taking advantage of this limitation, Mira began generating more moss at an accelerated rate where she had dug. Her giant rat worked tirelessly, consuming mana to produce more and more organic material. Underground, the troll dog and ant had completed their interconnected tunnels. "Ready for the final phase!" Roran announced. The trap was set. The tunnels formed a complex structure beneath the Stone Lurker, weakening the ground while saturating it with the moss that both the dog and ant transported in their mouths. "Collapse in three!" shouted Mira, running toward Roran to distance herself from the center and draw the beast. Her small form darted across the arena, deliberately catching the creature's attention. The Stone Lurker, oblivious to the danger, followed her with single-minded determination. "Two!" Trent also joined them, completing their formation at a safe distance. "One!" The ground beneath the monster began to visibly give way. Cracks extended in a radial pattern, and the Stone Lurker emitted what could almost be interpreted as a sound of confusion. "Now!" Roran's troll dog, still empowered by Mira's moss mana, launched itself upward, emerging directly beneath the Stone Lurker. The impact was devastating. The doubly increased strength of Roran's beast struck a specific point at the base of the monster. The Stone Lurker rose slightly, losing its balance. It teetered precariously, its massive bulk shifting as gravity worked against it. Trent slammed both hands against the ground, and his ant channeled an intense fiery discharge directly into the moss-filled tunnels. The reaction was immediate: the moss, prepared by Mira's neutral pattern and strategically transported under the monster, ignited with explosive violence. The moss, modified by Mira's neutral pattern and Trent's elemental influence, erupted in flames that didn't spread horizontally but ascended in a perfect cylinder. The Stone Lurker became trapped in a column of fire more intense than all of Ron's attacks combined. "The furnace is ready!" exclaimed Trent, his voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. "Roran!" At this critical moment, Roran's troll dog executed the final play. Emerging from a lateral tunnel they had kept sealed precisely for this purpose, it charged with all its enhanced strength directly against the already cracked base of the monster. The creature's body had become a living battering ram, its every muscle straining toward this single, decisive impact. The chain reaction was immediate. The crack expanded, heat penetrated the monster's interior, and with a thunderous boom that resonated throughout the stadium, the Big Stone Lurker fragmented from within. In the center of the arena, where the monster had stood, now remained only its exposed crystalline core and a pile of debris. Steam rose from the shattered remains, carrying the scent of hot stone and burned earth. The silence that followed was broken by an ovation even more enthusiastic than the previous one. Even upper-year students rose to their feet, applauding the strategy they had witnessed. "Victory for Team One of Group B," announced Yang, not attempting to hide his impressed tone. "Time: seven minutes, eleven seconds." Unlike the previous team, Roran, Mira, and Trent didn't collapse exhausted. Tired, yes, but still able to stand and acknowledge the applause with grateful gestures. "That was a brilliant application," Liu commented, looking at Ren with renewed respect. "You taught them well." "Actually, I only pointed out some synergies that already existed," Ren responded, modest but evidently satisfied. "They developed the strategy."