The next couple of days were frantic. Zach had exactly two weeks and 3 days to set his plan in motion. First things first, strength.
*A few days later*
The moon hung over the horizon, bathing the sandy shores of the oasis ring surrounding the Persian Kingdom with a warm glow.
By the campfire on one of the patrol stations located at the base of the tall cliff, a group of patrol guards were chatting away by the flames; their spears were stuck lazily in the ground.
"Tch... can you believe they raised dough prices again?" One of the guards hissed, chewing on a piece of dried meat with enthusiasm.
"You're complaining about that?" Another guard's face turned grim. "The pre-swordsmanship teachers are insisting on new slates every month... so guess who's taking double shifts tonight?" he commented sarcastically, smacking the flames with his spear's tip.
"Tsk... do they think we're made of gold...?" One of the other guards retorted.
"Well, at least you guys can choose... they've had me running double shifts all week—although not as bad as it used to be."
"What do you mean?" The guards glanced at their comrade leaning against the cliff's tall rocks.
The man lowered his voice slightly. "Don't you notice it?... Patrols have been easier lately; fewer beasts are now approaching the base." He paused.
The other knights shook their head.
"Now that you mentioned it..." one muttered. "I thought it was luck... it's been getting more quiet."
The first guard shook his head. "Nope, not just quiet; I heard some kid from the academy was sent here on a mission, but he's totally eradicated more than 200 monsters on his own."
"No... that's impossible..." one of the guards laughed.
"No, I've seen him with my own eyes," the guard standing up leaned off the wall. "That guy was like a madman." He muttered.
"Well... whatever he's doing, it's making our job a hell of a lot easier."
*Somewhere in the distance*
The desert beach reeked of blood and iron; the lush sands that once glittered under the moon were drenched with dark stains.
Around, were littered the mangled carcasses of beasts, torn violently like an animal.
At the center of the massacre, near the shores, Zach stood holding a red orb in his hands.
He gave it a satisfactory lick, grinning at the system screen that appeared before him.
[Mp +1]
In this period of time, Zach hadn't even rested nor slept.
Under the deep, a massive shadow moved, and a monster, which looked like a snake with massive wings, burst out—jaws wide at Zach.
Zach's eyes flashed, and the next moment, his hand moved towards the monster, grabbing its dagger-like fangs.
With a brutal twist, Zach ripped off the monster's fangs and stabbed the snake in the eye with it.
The snake hissed and tried to slither back into the deep, but Zach stepped on its tail, breaking its bones.
The snake pulled hard, but Zach's grip was absolute; he pulled, slamming the snake into a nearby tree.
The snake trembled as Zach stomped on its head, breaking it open with a sickening crunch.
With no hesitation, he pulled out the red orb, licking it, absorbing its power.
[Mp +1] Zach sighed.
Stepping off the creature, he checked his stats.
[Name: Zachariah Oliver Keal]
[Age: 17]
[Class: Shifter class]
[Sequence level: Earth]
[Existence pool 0/100]
[Soul essence 150/421]
[Skill: Shadow Morph
User can transform into any animal imaginable; beware, the stronger the animal, the more soul essence it'll drain; you possess speedy transformation and can incorporate one attribute of a monster by touching them.] -
It's been almost a week, and he's managed to accomplish this in such a short amount of time.
Zach noticed his skill was much more shadow and less animal.
Previously, in the Ignorant stage, his claws would have black fur, and the resemblance to that of a tiger when it transformed, but now, the fur was gone, replaced by a thick shadow.
Zach reverted his hands, looking around.
Scaled hides, cracked shells, and broken fangs were some of the things littered all around him; his breath was foggy in the cool night of the oasis desert.
The wind blew against his tattered armored vest; he looked up to the sky; blood flowed down his cheek.
Zach trotted to the waterfall behind the oasis, far away from the shores.
Unlike there, the water was actually pure, flowing from the clean water of the city above, and didn't sting his wounds.
Zach washed the blood off, shirtless.
His hair—though still brown, was tinted with glistening bronze; his eyes looked more like polished amber, and the signature dark circles under his eyes gave his chiseled face a majestic appearance.
His skin was a bright fair, and beneath were elegant muscles that were defined with precision.
Zach beamed with joy, looking at his appearance.
Slight veins traced around his forearms, and well-defined abs were layered perfectly on his stomach.
"This is..." He grinned. "Even better."
And in a shorter amount of time than last time, too.
Now, the goal was to gather all platinum-ranked knights.
Zach had a lot of time to think about it; if a hunter shows up, he would be countered by the star knight Ingrid.
Zach can't plan ahead, so if another hunter shows up, Zach would have to fight it—but that would be the worst-case scenario.
There are 10 platinum-ranked students in the entirety of the academy, ranked from strongest to least strongest:
- Grey – Illusionary Swordmaster
- Arthur – The King's Son, Prodigy
- Isolde – The Frozen Rose
- Seraphine – The Dawnblade
- Orion – The Mountain Spear
- Kael – The Bladebearer
- Lysander – The Arcane Knight
- Darius – The Trapmaster
- Valen – The Silent Reaper
- Roland – The Beastslayer
And Zach, a week into the future, so they are really 11 now:
- Zach – The Rising Anomaly
Zach put Grey above Arthur in rankings because of his achievement, and it really seems Arthur is a little bit weaker, just saying from perspective.
The titles you see by their name are actually earn by gruesome trials and accomplishments.