After running for some distance, Ryan stopped.
He was carrying quite a few things on his back.
Although the designated beast materials he had collected were not particularly heavy, carrying them around would inevitably affect his movement during battle.
There were normally two ways to deal with this.
The first was to return to the entrance of the valley and exchange the materials for points.
But doing so would waste far too much time.
The second was to hide the materials somewhere and retrieve them before returning.
"Let's bury them first!"
Ryan quickly found a concealed place beneath several trees and dug a pit in the ground.
He placed the materials inside, covered the pit again, and carefully concealed the traces around it.
The controlled wilderness area was enormous.
The chances of another student accidentally discovering this particular place were extremely low, and ordinary beasts had little interest in the materials he had buried.
After memorizing the surroundings, Ryan stood up.
Everything was ready.
He immediately headed deeper into the wilderness in the direction the passing students had mentioned.
Boom!
After traveling for some time, the distant sound of battle reached his ears.
Even from this distance, Ryan could tell that the fighting was intense.
"Could it be the pseudo-Rank 1 Fire Lion?"
Ryan guessed.
Although a pseudo-Rank 1 beast was powerful, there were many strong Blood Warrior Apprentices participating in this trial.
Several students from First Martial Academy had already gone after it.
If enough Blood Warrior Apprentice Peak Stage students surrounded it, bringing it down should be possible.
"I hope they haven't killed it yet!"
Ryan secretly accelerated.
Not long afterward, he reached the source of the noise.
But the situation was different from what he had expected.
"This..."
Ryan's pupils contracted slightly.
In the open area ahead, more than a dozen students were surrounding a massive Fire Lion.
Its body was considerably larger than that of an ordinary lion. Reddish fur covered its powerful frame, while a dark crimson mane surrounded its head and neck.
Several injuries could already be seen across its body.
But the pressure coming from it was far beyond what Ryan had expected from a pseudo-Rank 1 beast.
"Rank 1."
Ryan's expression became serious.
"This Fire Lion has already reached Rank 1!"
The information he had overheard earlier was outdated.
The Fire Lion had apparently broken through very recently.
That also explained why such a beast could appear inside a controlled trial area.
When the region had been inspected before the trial, it had probably still been only pseudo-Rank 1.
Its breakthrough had happened afterward.
Ryan wasn't the only person who found this strange.
The students fighting the Fire Lion clearly hadn't expected this situation either.
But at this point, nobody had any intention of giving up easily.
A pseudo-Rank 1 Fire Lion was worth five hundred points.
A genuine Rank 1 Fire Lion was different.
Its designated proof alone was worth at least 1,600 points.
More importantly, the body of a genuine Rank 1 beast contained valuable materials and beast blood.
It could be said that the Fire Lion was valuable from head to toe.
Fortunately for the students surrounding it, the Fire Lion had only recently broken through.
Its strength had not yet reached the level of an established Rank 1 beast.
Otherwise, these Blood Warrior Apprentices would never have dared to surround it like this.
Ryan did not immediately join the battle.
Instead, he remained at a distance and observed.
The students surrounding the Fire Lion came from several academies.
Greatswords, sabers, glaives, poleaxes, and heavy mauls repeatedly struck toward the beast whenever an opening appeared.
Among them, the students from First Martial Academy were clearly the strongest.
Connor Blake and the other four seed students were all present.
Their massive greatswords continuously pressured the Fire Lion from different directions.
Even so, the battle was far from easy.
The Fire Lion was a genuine Rank 1 beast.
Every sudden charge or swipe forced the surrounding students to retreat.
As the battle continued, one student after another was forced to withdraw because of exhaustion or injury.
Ryan continued watching quietly.
About ten minutes later, only five students remained actively fighting the Fire Lion.
They were Connor Blake and the other four seed students from First Martial Academy.
Their condition wasn't good either.
Their breathing had become heavy, their clothing and equipment were damaged, and all five had suffered varying degrees of injury.
But the Fire Lion was in even worse condition.
Its movements had slowed considerably.
Several weapons had left wounds across its body, and its breathing had become rough and uneven.
"It won't last much longer."
Ryan narrowed his eyes.
At that moment, the Fire Lion suddenly let out a furious roar.
Roar!
Its exhausted body erupted with strength once again.
The heat surrounding it suddenly intensified.
The five First Martial Academy students reacted immediately, but the Fire Lion's desperate burst was faster than they expected.
Boom!
With one violent charge, it broke through their encirclement and forced the five students backward.
Before anyone could reorganize, the Fire Lion turned and fled into the forest.
"Damn it, let this beast run away again!"
Connor shouted angrily.
"Everyone chase! It's seriously injured and can't run too far!"
The remaining students immediately gave chase.
Ryan didn't move with them.
He waited briefly, watching the direction in which the Fire Lion had disappeared.
Then he moved.
Ryan had no intention of trying to outrun a Rank 1 beast.
Even seriously injured, the Fire Lion's speed during its desperate escape was still considerable.
But it had left behind a trail that was difficult to miss.
Broken branches.
Disturbed vegetation.
Marks in the soil.
Ryan followed the trail through the forest.
The Fire Lion had clearly exhausted a large amount of strength escaping the encirclement.
The farther Ryan followed, the clearer the signs of its deteriorating condition became.
After some time, the trail led toward the base of a rocky slope.
A dark cave entrance appeared between two large stones.
Ryan stopped.
"The Fire Lion went inside."
He didn't immediately enter.
A cave was different from the open wilderness.
The narrow space would restrict his movement, and he had no idea whether anything else lived inside.
Ryan stood outside for several moments before finally making his decision.
1,600 points.
And the materials from a genuine Rank 1 beast.
It was worth taking some risk.
Ryan tightened his grip on his fine-steel monster-slaying saber before carefully entering.
The cave stretched downward.
The farther he went, the dimmer the surroundings became.
Ryan slowed his pace and remained alert.