The movement of leaves in the wind, distant footsteps, the shifting of people beyond the stone—his body reacted to what he perceived more naturally than before.
Ryan picked up his monster-slaying saber.
He swung it forward lightly.
Whoosh!
His eyes moved slightly.
The saber itself hadn't become faster because his physical strength hadn't suddenly increased.
But the connection between seeing an opening and moving his body to exploit it had become noticeably smoother.
"This is the effect of Medium Reflex Talent."
Ryan was very satisfied.
If he had time to properly train and adapt to it, his combat ability would undoubtedly increase further.
Unfortunately, the trial was about to begin.
Ryan wiped the sweat from his forehead and returned to the crowd.
It didn't take long before the trial officially began.
Everyone took the trial seriously.
Ryan was no exception.
The rewards were quickly announced.
First place would receive three portions of Intermediate Beast Blood and 170,000 denari.
Second place would receive one portion of Intermediate Beast Blood and 170,000 denari.
Third place would receive three portions of Low-Grade Beast Blood and 85,000 denari.
The students ranked fourth through tenth would each receive one portion of Low-Grade Beast Blood.
The ranking would be determined by points.
After killing a beast, participants only needed to cut off the designated part of its body and bring it back to exchange for points.
The trial would last for three days.
During these three days, all participants would remain inside the controlled wilderness area.
For a group of Blood Warrior Apprentices, this trial was undoubtedly a genuine challenge.
"All Blood Warrior Apprentices, enter the trial area in turn!"
An instructor shouted.
The students began moving.
First Martial Academy entered first, its students carrying their enormous greatswords as they gradually disappeared into the valley.
Students from the other academies followed one after another, carrying sabers, glaives, poleaxes, heavy mauls, and other weapons suited to their own combat systems.
Finally, the students from Aegis Martial Academy entered with their sabers.
Ryan followed the crowd through the entrance.
Not long after entering the controlled wilderness area, the trees and uneven terrain quickly separated the students from one another.
"I can't see anyone anymore."
Ryan looked around.
Although this was only a controlled section of wilderness carved out specifically for the trial, its area was still enormous.
Dense trees, slopes, rocks, and uneven ground made it extremely easy to lose sight of other people after traveling only a short distance.
Ryan tightened his grip on his saber and before long, he encountered his first beast.
"Hyena!"
Ryan stared at the large hyena several meters in front of him.
This kind of beast was not particularly strong. An ordinary Blood Warrior Apprentice could deal with one alone as long as they didn't panic or allow themselves to be surrounded.
A lone hyena was especially easy to handle.
Whoosh!
The hyena suddenly rushed toward Ryan.
Ryan didn't dodge immediately.
With his current strength and Medium Reflex Talent, the beast's movements were easy to follow.
His hand tightened around the monster-slaying saber.
Whoosh!
The saber flashed forward.
The charging hyena suddenly collapsed to the ground.
"Too weak!"
Ryan shook his head.
He then collected the designated proof required by the trial—a large fang from the hyena.
It could be exchanged for one point.
Hyenas were among the more common beasts living in the outer parts of this controlled wilderness area.
Most were not particularly dangerous when encountered alone, but packs were another matter entirely.
According to what one of the instructors had mentioned on the way here, Greyhaven's Blood Warriors had already cleared the region of the truly dangerous beasts before opening it for the trial.
Even so, many ordinary predators had deliberately been left behind.
After all, the purpose of the trial was actual combat experience, not simply walking through an empty forest.
In the blink of an eye, most of the day had passed, and night was beginning to fall.
"I didn't get much today."
Ryan opened the bag carrying the designated beast materials and counted them carefully.
Altogether, they were worth only twenty-three points.
For an average student, twenty-three points on the first day was already quite good.
But it was far from enough to compete for the top three.
It might even be difficult to enter the top ten.
Ryan looked toward the darkening forest.
Hunting at night was considerably more dangerous.
Human eyesight was greatly restricted by darkness, while many beasts were far more comfortable moving through the wilderness at night.
Ryan's Medium Reflex Talent would certainly help him react if something approached, but there was no reason to deliberately place himself at a disadvantage.
He found a relatively safe position and stopped hunting for the night.
As long as he remained alert to his surroundings, ordinary hyenas and similar beasts wouldn't pose too much of a threat.
Nothing happened throughout the night.
The next morning, after eating, Ryan continued hunting.
This time, he began moving deeper into the controlled wilderness area.
The beasts closer to the entrance were generally weaker and worth very few points.
Deeper inside, however, stronger beasts appeared more frequently.
Hunting one of them could sometimes provide several times as many points as hunting ordinary beasts near the outer region.
Most of the morning passed.
After another period of searching and fighting, Ryan finally stopped.
He had already been moving continuously for quite some time and needed to recover some energy before continuing.
Ryan looked around before climbing one of the larger trees nearby.
He settled onto a thick branch several meters above the ground, leaning against the trunk while quietly resting.
The dense leaves concealed most of his body from below.
After some time, voices suddenly approached from the forest.
Ryan opened his eyes.
Several students were passing beneath the tree.
None of them seemed to notice him.
"Did you hear about it?"
One of them spoke in a lowered voice.
"A pseudo-Rank 1 Fire Lion appeared deeper inside."
"What?"
Another student sounded surprised.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. The news has already spread among some of the students farther inside."
"I heard several people from First Martial Academy have already gone after it."
"Those guys move fast."
"Who wouldn't? That thing is worth five hundred points."
Ryan's expression changed slightly.
Five hundred points?
The students beneath the tree continued walking.
"If they manage to take it down, the rankings are basically decided."
"Maybe. But it's a pseudo-Rank 1 beast. Even those First Academy students won't have an easy time."
Their voices gradually disappeared into the distance.
Ryan remained sitting on the branch for a moment.
"A pseudo-Rank 1 Fire Lion..."
He was genuinely surprised.
But what attracted his attention even more was the number he had just heard.
Five hundred points.
He had spent most of the previous day hunting and had accumulated only twenty-three points.
Yet a single pseudo-Rank 1 beast was worth five hundred.
If he could obtain the designated crimson mane tuft from that Fire Lion, first place in the trial would practically be within reach.
Ryan immediately stood up on the branch.