A guttural roar ripped through the mist-shrouded forest.
Birds exploded into the air.
The ground trembled.
Students screamed—some scattered, others froze in place.
From between the trees charged a Crimson Fang Bear.
Four meters tall. Mutated. Foaming at the mouth.
Its crimson fur shimmered with venomous energy.
Every step crushed trees like twigs.
A beast meant for upper-year extermination squads.
Not first-years.
In its path stood a boy.
No weapon drawn.
No stance.
Just a calm expression and golden hair fluttering in the wind.
Behind him, students peeked from cover.
> "What's he doing!?"
"He's insane!"
"Run, idiot!"
The bear roared.
Then charged—
A tidal wave of muscle and rage.
---
The boy stepped forward.
Still calm.
Still silent.
Mana flickered to life in his right hand.
A blade formed—
Not steel, but pure, compressed energy.
Razor-thin. Silent.
At the last possible second—
One step.
One breath.
One arc.
> FSSCH—!!
---
The bear's head slid clean off.
Its body continued a few steps…
Then crumbled like a collapsing hill.
> THUUD—!!
Silence.
Leaves fluttered down like confetti.
The forest held its breath.
The hidden students stared in disbelief.
He had killed it.
In one strike.
---
The boy crouched.
Reached into the corpse.
Pulled free a glowing beast core—violet, warm, thrumming with energy.
Valuable.
A credit boost.
And rich with mana.
He tossed it into his spatial bag like junk.
Then turned away, walking deeper into the woods.
---
Inside the Nalanda Academy command tent, the instructors watched in silence.
Floating screens replayed the moment in crisp detail.
Murmurs spread.
> "...Did you see that?"
"Precision… timing… mana control…"
"That was surgical."
Gorath the Orc grinned, arms folded.
> "Heh.
That kid's not prey.
He's a wolf in rabbit skin."
Selena Vermillion frowned.
Her fingers tapped the chair arm.
Fenrir Blackmane gave a quiet nod.
Leon Dobhal, cold strategist, leaned in slightly—eyes sharpening.
---
Meanwhile, chaos ruled the Trial Grounds.
Students screamed.
Fought.
Betrayed each other.
Wolves tore through the weaker ones.
Friend groups turned brutal.
> "Give me your map or die."
"Sorry, it's just strategy."
Some ran.
Some wept.
One boy was knocked out cold—his entire bag looted.
Another girl's teammates shoved her down a ravine.
Floating scoreboards flickered above the trees.
Names rose and fell.
Rapidly.
---
But one name didn't fall.
It rose.
> Rank 1: Lucien Arkanveil — 3870 pts
Whispers spread.
> "Who the hell is that!?"
"He's making us all look like trash."
"We should gang up. End him."
Alliance messages started flying.
Students began plotting.
---
And Arkanveil?
He kept moving.
Alone.
Slaying monsters.
Harvesting rare plants.
Solving hidden trial puzzles.
Climbing ruins.
He took the hardest paths—
And made them look easy.
Not once did he stop to rest.
Not once did he ask for help.
His lead on the scoreboard grew.
---
But eventually—
Something changed.
As he crossed into a darker region of the forest…
A new pressure settled on him.
Not the wild bloodlust of beasts.
Something sharper.
Colder.
Tactical.
He halted.
Red eyes gleamed.
Ahead—
In the trees—
Figures shifted.
Dozens.
Students.
Traps. Mana seals.
Ambush formations.
All aimed at him.
---
He smiled faintly.
> "Oh?
I was getting bored."