Time painfully drifted by.
The battle between the demonic beasts and the trainees was nearing its end as the population of the beasts had been greatly reduced from thousands to just a few dozen.
Drever, Selena, and the 'unnamed masked prodigy' were the main offense unit against the remaining horde, while the other trainees assisted their injured colleagues back to the camp.
A part of the battlefield glimmered and sparked with electricity as the low-level demonic beasts were vanquished by the trainee captain's lightning sword.
Cries of demonic beasts being strangled by Selena's vines spread across the battlefield.
At a corner, Marlon, who had hidden his face for the sole purpose of mystery, crazily slaughtered a swarm of mutated rats.
His movement speed had increased exponentially.
The damage dealt by his fists alone had become so powerful that he could eliminate stronger demonic beasts with a single punch.
He gradually stole the attention of the other trainees and even the previous stars of the battlefield.
As Drever fought, he stole glances at the person who had begun to dominate the spotlight.
Even Selena found his prowess astonishing. His hidden identity created a subtle craving within her to reveal it.
Both of them had a single question on their minds — Who was he?
Paying no heed to the heads turned in his direction, Marlon's grin widened as he slayed the last member of the mutated rat swarm.
[ You've slayed X1 mutated rat, EXP + 31 ]
[ Drain activated, you've obtained a new skill: Night Instinct ]
[ Do you want to learn Night Instinct immediately? ]
Seeing the new type of prompts, the grin on his face widened further.
Fortunately, there were no demonic beasts around him, as the others were taking care of them, giving him enough time to interact with the system.
"Show me the skill description," he commanded.
[ Night Instinct (F-rank, Passive) — Heightens the user's senses in darkness. Detects movement and hidden dangers in a small radius. Improves reflexes, allowing instinctive dodges. ]
[ Do you want to learn the skill immediately? If no, the skill would be stored for 24 hours; afterwards, it would be unavailable. ]
"Yes!"
[ DING! You've learnt skill: Night Instinct ]
Marlon felt a wave of data flood his brain and a small pain in his eyes forced him to shut them for a short while, only opening them after the pain subsided.
As he opened them, the battlefield around him became clearer, as though the light from the moon had increased its intensity slightly. But it hadn't — it was the effect of his new skill!
"This skill will be incredibly useful, especially when I explore dangerous places in the future… like dungeons," he smirked.
In the short moment he had taken to interact with his system and learn his newly obtained skill, the last of the demonic beasts was slain by Drever.
The battlefield fell silent, but the consequences of the fight remained.
Corpses of demonic beasts and fallen trainees littered the sandy plain, sinking in their own blood.
The metallic smell of blood slowly crept into the noses of the nearby trainees.
Gazing at the battlefield, Drever's expression darkened.
The blonde secretly blamed himself for not being competent enough to guide them. He loathed himself for their deaths.
'When father was my age, he could already command thousands to bloody victories and emerge unscathed,' he thought. 'He would definitely be disappointed if he found out about this.'
He heaved a sigh and pushed the self-loathing thoughts aside.
He sheathed his sword and lifted his gaze toward the other trainees spread across the area.
"Help the wounded back to the camps," he ordered. "The rest of you, help move the corpses of our comrades to a separate area for a proper farewell."
The trainees nodded solemnly at the thought of burying their colleagues.
Some tended to the injured while others joined hands to carry the deceased away.
Selena also assisted, using her vines—which had grown even stronger from the concluded battle—to lift and carry injured colleagues back to the camp for treatment.
Marlon lingered on the battlefield for a few seconds, observing the ongoing activities before rushing away before anyone could try and find him.
'My display just now will definitely stir some curiosity,' he grinned, dashing toward the encampment.
But someone blocked his path.
It was a white-haired girl.
'Lyra… why is she blocking me? Does she know who I am?' he wondered, staring at the young lady in front of him.
He had seen her a few times around the encampment, and he could not deny that she was beautiful. If he had the courage, talent, and family background, he would've tried to make her his girlfriend already.
'Now that I've got talent and extraordinary talent at that I can make her my lover, hehe,' he daydreamed. 'But for now, my mysterious character arc must prevail!'
While he was lost in thought, Lyra stepped closer, her red eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Why are you hiding your face?" she asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and annoyance.
'I almost forgot she's kind of bitchy,' Marlon sighed inwardly 'But who doesn't like a tsundere?'
He kept silent for a long moment, which only annoyed her further.
Lyra lunged, hands forward, attempting to pull off his scarf and reveal his face.
Marlon's Night Instinct activated. He sidestepped smoothly, letting her hands swipe through empty air.
Then he caught her hands midair and brought his ear close to hers. He deepened his voice as best he could and whispered quickly,
"You know you're more beautiful when you're angry, and I like that."
Lyra, using her assassin reflex, freed her hands swiftly and tried to bring Marlon to the ground.
But once again, her skill was anticipated by Marlon. He caught her hands again and whispered,
"Obsidian Fist… remember this name. The man who will make you his lover very soon."
Lyra froze—not because of his firm grip, but because of his words. A small blush spread across her face.
For the first time, she felt flustered by a man's sweet words.
'What am I thinking?'
She broke free once more, trying to catch Marlon again.
But this time, Marlon let her fall gently to the ground and then sprinted away, disappearing into the crowd of trainees.
Before Lyra could stand, he was already gone, lost among the trainees.
"Who… who is he?" she muttered.
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