After leaving his companions, Nyris hid atop a nearby tree, watching the approaching monster horde with interest.
When he confirmed there were no monsters with any affinity for space within the group, he felt relieved.
Thanks to his special body, his affinity with the space dao was several times greater than that of a normal human.
This made it easier for him to notice new things and develop new techniques.
During his breakthrough, he had entered a state of enlightenment and discovered he could hide within dimensions.
He planned to use this exact ability against the monster horde.
The power of space served multiple purposes—attack, concealment, imprisonment, sealing, and more.
For this reason, it was considered an exceptionally powerful affinity, and those who possessed space attributes were truly rare.
The monster horde began to gather around the corpse of the general-level monster.
They were fighting each other over the corpse.
And that was exactly Nyris's target—taking advantage of the chaos while hiding within dimensions through his space dao, quietly thinning their numbers.
Ehehehe… here I come, my points, he thought to himself.
He swiftly vanished from the tree and appeared within the horde.
After waiting a moment and realizing no one had noticed him, he sighed in relief and infused his dagger with space power.
He moved quickly through the horde.
Everywhere he passed, a head fell to the ground.
In a short time, he had killed two commander-level and fifty soldier-level monsters.
With his previous points combined, he now had 2,700 points.
Truly a point paradise—especially for me, he chuckled inwardly.
Every passing second, his points increased rapidly, but the monsters had begun to sense that something was wrong.
They went on alert and began paying closer attention to their surroundings.
But this didn't deter Nyris—instead, he became even more careful, killing in a more scattered pattern.
As their numbers decreased, the monsters began forming groups, making Nyris's job harder.
With time, his understanding of space continued to grow.
He had entered a trance-like state, acting like a weapon that slaughtered everything in his path.
Gradually, the monsters' numbers dwindled, and their attacks on Nyris became more precise.
It was as if they had declared a truce among themselves, focusing on their common enemy—though they didn't know where that enemy was or how he attacked.
The horde had split into seven groups, each with a commander-level monster.
The seven monsters decided to unite and launch an area-wide attack.
In his trance, Nyris was acting on instinct and didn't realize what was about to happen.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake around them. From below, earthen spikes shot up; from above, wind attacks descended; and the entire area split into two—one half freezing cold, the other scorching hot.
He dodged all the attacks purely by instinct as the space around him began to ripple.
Since this was his first large-scale battle, he was immersing himself in the experience, focusing on developing himself.
Suddenly, the entire space around Nyris began to tremble.
He emerged from the spatial void, standing before the monsters.
He stood still, faint murmurs escaping his lips.
"So that's how it is… it can be used this way too… spread it! Yes, spreading is the right choice!" he shouted.
"Collapsing Domain!"
Within a 200-meter radius centered on Nyris, all space began to collapse.
The monsters suddenly found themselves in a foreign realm.
Before they could recover from their shock, something else happened—
The shattered fragments of space began attacking them.
Spatial shards sliced their skin, severed their heads.
The area quickly filled with blood as corpses floated in the void.
"Yes… this is the answer I was seeking. By turning the surrounding space into my own domain, I can make even greater progress."
"If I can't even control the space around me, sealing or imprisoning someone will remain nothing but a dream."
"At last, I can see my path more clearly."
"Now then, let's finish off these monsters," he said, continuing the slaughter.
From thousands of monsters, only a few hundred remained—and they too were doomed to die soon.
Their attacks couldn't reach Nyris; any that came close were shredded by space itself.
…
"Five hours have passed, and my points have reached 15,000."
"I should be ranked quite well among the others."
...
At the Stadium]
The exam footage was being played through the installed cameras.
From the surrounding parents, sounds of pride and pessimism could be heard.
Where Nyris's father and mother were sitting:
"I knew he had awakened the power of space, but I didn't expect him to reach this level so quickly," said his father.
"Ken must have helped him; otherwise, he couldn't have found such a technique in such a short time," said his mother.
"Seriously… even though we've warned him so many times, he still spoils him," said his father.
"After so many years, he's reached that stage and created this system—let him live a little according to his own will," said his mother.
"Hmph… time is approaching, yet he's still busy with these meaningless things. It's obvious this won't create another universe," said his father.
This magnificent conversation happening there seemed to go unnoticed, as if no one could hear anything at all.
…
"I still have seven hours left; I should head to other regions as well," said Nyris.
Suddenly, all the collapsed space returned to normal, and Nyris blended into space, disappearing from sight.
On the way, he took some time to check his stats.
[System]
Name: Nyris LorienLevel: Radiance Stage – Mid LevelPhysique: Void Body (1 Star)Divinity: Space Dao (Level 1 – 99%)Bloodline: None
Strength: 40Agility: 42Endurance: 33Intelligence: 47Perception: 50Mana: 60Soul: Radiance Stage – Mid LevelLuck: 21Aura: None
[Skills]
Innate Skill: Astral Rift (Will – Unique)
Creates an astral rift in space; the location and form of the rift depend entirely on the user's will.
The opening time depends on the dimension's level—low-level dimensions require 10 mana per second. For each higher level, the cost increases tenfold.
Astral Void: By opening a rift, the user can create a dimension connected to it, which can store living or non-living objects or serve as a hiding place. (The detectability of the dimension depends on the user's understanding of space.)
LOCKED...
(Passive Skill): Multiplies spatial sensitivity. You can sense and comprehend space thousands of times faster than other beings.
Acquired Skills:
Rabbit's Speed: Increases agility by 5 for 10 minutes.
Spatial Step: Allows instant movement anywhere within a 300-meter radius for 7 minutes.
Spatial Slash: Injects spatial energy into a specific target (weapon or body), increasing the attack's power and enabling manipulation of the surrounding space to your advantage.
Collapsing Domain: Within a 200-meter radius, gain complete control over all space. (A Dao user stronger than yours can destroy the domain.)
"My perception has increased again, and I've advanced to mid-level in the Radiance Stage. I didn't notice it while in enlightenment, but now I can feel the growth. Most importantly, I've reached the end of Level 1 Space Dao. If I could take one more step, I'd reach Level 2—but that one step feels so far away," said Nyris.
"Also, the Collapsing Domain can be shattered by someone stronger, but only if their Dao level surpasses mine."
"In this exam, the chance of encountering someone with a developed Dao is close to impossible, so there's no need to be concerned."
Quickly heading toward the fire region, he saw a massive volcano in the center—and at its peak, a tree whose survival was a mystery.
Around the tree, a group was meditating.
Continuing to hide within space, Nyris approached and secretly listened to their conversation.
"According to legend, whoever eats the fruit of the Fire Blood Tree will gain something called Blood Flame—and the Blood Flame will grant them a bloodline," said the weaker of the young men.
"What's Blood Flame Bloodline? I've heard of far stronger bloodlines, especially those with space and time attributes," said a slightly more muscular youth.
Having learned new information, Nyris now fully understood what the tree was and the meaning of the bloodline slot in the system.
A bloodline could grant you unique abilities and physiques while also increasing your power.
One reason many families remained strong for thousands of years was this bloodline inheritance.
As this inheritance deepened, the bloodline would grow stronger, and its abilities and power would increase proportionally.
This thought made Nyris desire the Space and Time Bloodline even more.
At that moment, the clearly stronger youth in the group opened his eyes.
"My father told me that in the central area of this exam, there's a hidden space containing something with the Space and Time Bloodline. But it's just a legend—the academy couldn't find that space even while shaping the exam grounds. That's why the legend still lives on," he said.
"Young master, if we find that bloodline, our family could reach new heights. Especially if we already possess the Fire Bloodline inheritance—adding another one like that could make us the strongest family on the planet," said the skinny youth.
The young master simply replied with a smirk.