His fist crashed into Jin's side first, then twisted mid-swing and slammed into Lin Hao a heartbeat later. The impact was brutal and compact, dark energy rippling along his arm as the force detonated on contact. Both of them were lifted off the ground and thrown backward, bodies smashing into the far wall with a dull, cracking sound before dropping hard to the floor.
Jin tried to breathe and failed, his vision blurring as pain flooded in. Lin Hao coughed, blood rising in his throat as his back refused to respond. Neither of them could stand now. They could barely move.
The man straightened, rolling his shoulder once as if loosening up.
Blood-Tusk
Real Name: Gorath Veln
Primary Monster Gene: Nightfang Dire Boar
Rank: Five-Star Warrior
Affinity: Darkness — High
He stepped forward again.
Then stopped.
His eyes shifted toward the doorway.
Someone was there.
Not pressure.
Not killing intent.
Just… presence.
Gorath frowned and turned fully toward the open entrance. An old man stood there, hands tucked into his pockets, leaning slightly forward as if he were peeking into the wrong classroom. He looked to be in his early sixties, hair unkempt, clothes plain, expression mildly curious rather than alarmed.
Gorath scowled. "This isn't where the NCEE exams are being held," he said. "Leave. Now."
The old man didn't move.
Instead, his gaze drifted around the room—broken equipment, damaged walls, fallen bodies—before settling on Jin. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the uniform.
"Oh," he said casually. "Starfall Tenth Academy."
He nodded once, satisfied.
"Yeah," the old man added. "Looks like I'm in the right place."
Gorath's irritation flared. "I said get out. This doesn't concern you."
The old man finally looked at him.
Then sighed.
"Bullying kids?" he asked, tone light, almost disappointed. "That's a bad habit to pick up."
Gorath's eyes darkened. "Last warning."
The old man scratched his cheek. "See, that's awkward." He glanced back at Jin. "I'm here for that one."
Gorath let out a short, humorless laugh. "And what if I don't allow it?"
The air shifted.
The old man's posture didn't change, but something behind his eyes did. The casual haze vanished, replaced by something sharp and absolute.
"Then," he said calmly, "you die here."
Silence stretched for half a second.
Gorath's face twisted in anger. Darkness surged along his arms as his boar gene flared fully, muscles swelling, tusk-like projections forming along his jaw.
"Old bastard," he snarled, launching forward.
The floor shattered beneath his feet as he charged straight at the man.
Gorath crossed the distance in an instant, the floor collapsing under his charge as darkness wrapped his body like armor. His fist came straight for the old man's head, heavy enough to pulp stone.
The old man didn't step back.
He lifted two fingers.
The fist never landed.
A sharp crack echoed through the room as Gorath's arm was deflected sideways, not with force, but with precision. The impact twisted his momentum off-line, his massive frame skidding several meters before he dug his feet in and stabilized.
Gorath's eyes widened for the briefest moment.
"…What?"
The old man looked at his fingers, flexed them once, then glanced up with mild disappointment.
"Didn't your elders teach you?" he said. "You don't raise your hands so casually around people older than you."
Gorath snarled and surged forward again, darkness exploding outward as his muscles swelled further, tusks fully formed now, veins bulging beneath his skin. He swung with both arms this time, a brutal, crushing arc meant to overwhelm through sheer power.
The old man took a single step to the side.
Just one.
Gorath's strike tore through empty air, shattering the wall behind it instead. Before he could recover, something touched his chest.
Not a punch.
A tap.
Two fingers pressed lightly against his sternum.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then heat bloomed.
Not flame.
Not explosion.
Pure, condensed light surged inward, searing through muscle and mana alike. Gorath's eyes bulged as his body lifted off the ground and slammed backward, crashing into the far wall with enough force to crater it.
He dropped heavily to one knee, coughing, smoke rising from his chest.
The old man walked toward him at an unhurried pace, hands back in his pockets.
"Too stiff," he remarked. "And you rely too much on brute force. That's why you missed."
Gorath forced himself upright, fury twisting his face. "Who… are you?"
The old man paused, as if thinking about whether the question was worth answering.
Then he waved it off. "Names aren't important."
Light shimmered faintly behind him, the air bending as something like wings briefly took shape before fading again.
Old Man
Primary Monster Gene: Solar-Plume Crane
Affinity: Light — ??
Rank: ??
Cranes were symbols of longevity, and this one moved exactly like that—effortless, unhurried, as if time itself gave way around him. When Gorath lunged again, the old man was already there, tapping Gorath's shoulder, then his elbow, then the side of his neck.
Each touch landed lightly.
Each one burned.
Gorath's movements slowed, joints locking up as scorching pain flooded his nervous system. He staggered, breath ragged, darkness flickering wildly as his control collapsed.
The old man sighed.
"Young people always rush," he said. "You think power is about hitting harder."
He stopped directly in front of Gorath and leaned forward slightly.
"It's about knowing exactly where to touch."
Two fingers pressed gently against Gorath's forehead.
The light flared.
Gorath's body slammed into the floor and slid several meters before stopping. Dust rose around him, and for a moment, it looked like the fight was over.
The old man turned his back on him, already shifting his attention to Jin and Lin Hao.
He crouched slightly, eyes scanning Jin's condition with quiet focus, then nodded to himself.
"…Still breathing. Good."
He straightened, hands slipping back into his pockets, posture loose and unbothered.
"Hang on," he said casually. "Things are about to get noisy."
Behind him—
The floor cracked.
A low, distorted growl rolled through the room as Gorath's fingers dug into the stone. His body trembled, then began to rise, dark energy pouring out in violent waves. His breathing turned ragged, tusks elongating further as his frame expanded, bones shifting with heavy, grinding sounds.
The pressure surged.
Perfect.
The boar gene didn't fight him anymore.
It obeyed.
Darkness swallowed Gorath's body as his form twisted and expanded, muscle layering over muscle, armor-like hide spreading across his skin. His silhouette blurred, then solidified into something far more monstrous—half-man, half-beast, towering and brutal, eyes burning with feral clarity rather than madness.
Perfect fusion.
Five-star mastery.
Gorath lifted his head and snarled, the sound shaking the room.
The old man paused.
Then slowly turned back.
For the first time, his expression changed.