The five main characters targeted a landing zone near the Screecher. But Finn wanted to land somewhere relatively safe instead.
Seeing this, Ariel approached him.
"Is the top-ranked student not interested in the Screecher?"
"No. My rank won't be affected by bonus points."
He became number one simply to satisfy his own desires, because in his previous life, his school years were terrible. But this was just training, not an exam—his rank wouldn't drop even if he did nothing.
"Just admit you're scared," Ariel kept teasing him.
"I'm just lazy to make wasted effort."
"So far, we've only had written exams. But things will change—there will be practical exams too. I'm sure your rank will drop."
"What did you say?" A vein popped on Finn's forehead.
"Arnold will definitely take your spot. He's far more talented than you. With practical tests, he'll easily surpass you."
Ariel succeeded—she had lit the fire in Finn's chest.
"Goodbye, soon-to-be former number one~"
Ariel giggled and rejoined Arnold's group.
That group passed by Finn and landed near the Screecher.
'Damn bitch! Even after being rejected, she's still praising Arnold. Fine! I'll show her! I'll show them all why I'm number one!'
Boom! An explosion—no, a shot that sounded like one—rang out.
The sudden gunfire startled every student, leaving their ears ringing. The shockwave from the blast even slammed into them.
They looked to the source of the sound—and saw Finn, having just pulled the trigger on the Oblivion Lance.
The bullet shot toward the Screecher, blowing its head into pieces.
Everyone was stunned, unable to believe what they saw—including Ariel, who had just mocked him.
The Screecher, said to be the strongest giant monster here, had its head obliterated in a single strike.
And it wasn't destroyed with a Neobeast, but with a Monstrarium, a weapon meant for smaller monsters.
"Is this real?"
"He just used the Oblivion Lance!"
"He's okay even after using that deadly weapon!"
"How the hell did he do that?!"
The show wasn't over.
The Screecher's head began regenerating.
Finn folded his arms and legs inward to reduce air resistance and increase his descent speed. His body shot downward diagonally, overtaking every other student, heading straight for the Screecher.
The spectators wondered what he was planning.
He was five hundred feet from the ground.
He should've deployed his parachute by now.
But he kept going.
[Finn, what are you doing?] Lucy's voice came through.
"Killing the Screecher," Finn replied flatly.
[Deploy your parachute, now!]
Even if Predascion offered protection, it wasn't omnipotent.
"No need."
[Are you insane?!] Lucy panicked.
As Finn neared the ground, the spectators grew more frantic and tense. Some even covered their eyes, unwilling to witness what they assumed would be a horrific scene.
And a horrific scene did occur—just not for Finn.
With an extra 300 kilograms from the Oblivion Lance and the velocity gained from skydiving, Finn had gathered the perfect momentum.
Right in front of the Screecher, he swung his leg, kicking the monster's chest with terrifying force.
Boom!!!
The Screecher's chest exploded, chunks of green flesh flying everywhere.
A blue crystal once hidden in its chest was revealed and thrown from its body.
Once again, jaws dropped.
"Seriously, how did he do that?"
"I have no idea."
"Even with Predascion, a human would die falling from that height."
Even the teachers monitoring the students from the control room had no idea how Finn survived.
"What… was that?" Lucy muttered.
The monitor in front of her showed Finn's affinity rating—extremely low. With affinity that low, he should've died from that fall.
She was truly baffled.
"That was magic," said a woman.
She had an elegant and graceful aura, pale skin, light purplish-blue hair, and a tall, curvy figure.
"Principal! What do you mean?"
"Magic wasn't originally meant to fuel Predascion, Monstrarium, or Neobeast. When used directly—or through ancient styles—it can enhance physical attributes.
Finn used magic to strengthen his body to survive."
"But… is the ancient style really that powerful?"
Lucy was doubtful.
Just from the name ancient, it sounded outdated and obsolete—something that should be discarded.
Modern people believed the ancient style was weak, inferior to modern techniques.
Upon hearing Lucy's question, the principal chuckled as if she'd heard something funny.
"Yes, it's that powerful. Proof? This entire nation is proof of the ancient style's greatness. Humanity survived against monsters for millions of years thanks to it. Without it, we'd be extinct—you, and this nation, wouldn't even exist."
Lucy and the others were shocked to realize the truth.
They felt like fools.
The proof was everywhere, but they only realized it now.
"How does it compare to the modern style?"
"There's a terrifying and troubling fact: All Virtuous Paragons were born during the ancient style's reign—except one. But even the last one, I heard he also used the ancient style."
"…What do you mean…?"
"The Virtuous Paragons are deeply connected to the ancient style. But I don't fully understand why."
In this modern age, people had focused too much on the modern style, neglecting the ancestral knowledge of the ancient way.
Simply put, knowledge of the ancient style had vanished.
But how did Finn obtain that knowledge?
Back to Finn. He was now staring at the blue crystal dropped by the Screecher. It began sprouting flesh, trying to regenerate.
That blue crystal was the monster's core.
As the name suggested, it was the monster's heart. As long as the core remained intact, the monster wouldn't die—and would keep regenerating.
Cores were usually located in the head or chest and protected by tough bones like the skull or ribs.
Finn aimed at the Screecher's core, pulled the trigger, and the bullet flew— Bang! The crystal shattered into fragments.
The students and teachers stared in awe.
The strongest monster here had just been killed.
And Finn simply walked away, casually.
Ariel regretted teasing Finn. This was supposed to be the perfect chance to attract Arnold's attention by helping him. But because of her own actions, she had lost that opportunity.
'Next time… maybe I won't tease him again.'
'Easier than the Screecher in the game,' Finn thought.
In the game, the main character who kills Screecher is the one the player plays. Usually, it took a full team to defeat it. But this time, he had done it solo.
'I'm like an overpowered main character.'
And Finn hadn't even used his true power yet.
"Maybe I'll use my real power… when I go after that legendary artifact. …Maybe."