For three seconds—
No one moved.
The three awakeners in the clearing stared at Zael as if something invisible had tightened around their throats.
One of them, the one holding the watch, forced a laugh.
"…You serious?"
He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing the dark blue uniform of Ironcrest University. His aura flickered at around Level 19.
Next to him stood a girl with twin daggers and a smaller boy with a staff.
All three had already noticed something important.
The three people in front of them looked… calm.
Too calm.
The tall student glanced between Zael, Zane, and Lily.
Then he smirked.
"You think three of you can just rob us?"
Zane tilted his head slightly.
"Technically?" he said casually.
"Yes."
The dagger girl narrowed her eyes.
"Arrogant."
The boy with the staff raised his hand, mana gathering faintly.
"Let's just—"
Before he finished—
Zael moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just one step forward.
But the moment he did—
His Blade Domain activated.
A faint ripple spread across the clearing.
The leaves on the ground trembled.
The three opposing students suddenly felt their movements become… heavier.
The dagger girl's eyes widened.
"What—"
Zane grinned.
"Oh yeah," he said.
"That's the good stuff."
The staff user reacted first.
"Attack!"
A bolt of condensed mana shot toward Zael.
But before it even reached him—
Zael vanished.
Void Step.
He reappeared directly in front of the staff user.
The boy's pupils shrank.
Too close.
Too fast.
Zael's hand struck.
Not a punch.
Just a precise strike to the chest.
Resonance Strike.
The air cracked.
The boy flew backward like he had been hit by a truck, crashing into a tree and collapsing instantly.
Unconscious.
The clearing went silent.
Zane blinked.
"…Damn."
The other two students froze.
Their friend had just been taken out in one move.
The tall student clenched his teeth.
"Don't panic!"
He activated his ability.
Stone armor surged across his arms and chest.
An earth-type defender class.
At the same moment—
The dagger girl lunged toward Lily.
Her body blurred with speed.
Twin blades slashing toward Lily's throat.
Lily didn't retreat.
She simply raised one hand.
Space folded.
Void Rift.
The dagger girl's blades cut forward—
And suddenly the distance shifted.
Instead of Lily—
Her blades sliced through empty air three meters to the side.
Her eyes widened.
"What—"
Lily stepped once.
Then lightly tapped the girl's wrist.
A ripple of spatial distortion surged through the arm.
The dagger girl gasped as her grip vanished.
Both daggers fell to the ground.
Zane watched with amusement.
"Okay."
"That class is terrifying."
Meanwhile—
The earth-armored student charged Zael.
Stone plates formed around his fists.
He roared and swung.
Zael didn't dodge.
The punch slammed into him—
But at the moment of impact—
Zael twisted slightly.
Resonance Strike activated.
The stored force reversed.
The student's own momentum exploded back through his arm.
CRACK.
The stone armor shattered.
The student dropped to one knee, gasping.
"How—"
Zael looked down at him calmly.
"You're done."
The student hesitated.
Then slowly—
He raised his watch.
"…Fine."
Zane clapped once.
"Good choice."
A moment later—
All three watches were transferred.
The defeated students sat on the ground, frustrated but alive.
Lily checked her watch.
Points updated instantly.
---
Training Camp Entrance Trial
Time Remaining: 3 Hours 18 Minutes
Points:
Zael — 64
Zane — 78
Lily — 53
Ranking: Top 40 (rising)
---
Zane whistled.
"Nice."
He tossed one of the seized watches into his bag.
"Points are stacking."
The tall student on the ground looked up at Zael.
"…Who are you people?"
Zane answered cheerfully.
"Friendly students."
"Just passing through."
Zael had already turned away.
"Let's go."
They left the clearing without another word.
Behind them—
The three defeated awakeners exchanged uneasy looks.
One of them whispered.
"…Did you feel that?"
"The pressure?"
The dagger girl nodded slowly.
"That guy…"
"He's only level 19."
"But he felt like something much worse."
---
High above the forest.
Inside a hovering observation vessel.
A large holographic map displayed the entire trial area.
Dozens of dots moved across it.
Each representing a student.
Several officials watched quietly.
One of them adjusted his glasses.
"Team AEGIS PRIME."
Another official zoomed the screen slightly.
Zael's group appeared.
Their point totals rising rapidly.
"Hm."
"Interesting synergy."
A third official leaned forward.
But his eyes weren't on Zane.
Or Lily.
They were fixed on Zael.
"…Look at his combat efficiency."
"One strike."
"One takedown."
No wasted motion.
Another official frowned slightly.
"That boy…"
"His control is abnormal for his level."
The first official nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"And this is only the entrance test."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Let's see how long they keep climbing."
---
Meanwhile—
Deep in the forest.
Zael suddenly stopped again.
Zane groaned.
"Please tell me this one is another group of students."
Zael shook his head.
"No."
Lily's spatial sense expanded.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
"Something big is coming."
A moment later—
The ground trembled.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the trees.
Branches snapped.
A massive shadow emerged from the forest.
A beast nearly four meters tall stepped into view.
Its body was covered in black armored scales.
Its jaws dripped venom.
Lily whispered quietly.
"…Level 27."
Zane stared.
Then slowly grinned.
"Well."
He cracked his neck.
"Looks like we finally found something worth points."
Zael's eyes remained calm.
Because somewhere deep inside—
His new class was already responding.
The Child of Dao.
And the battle ahead…
Would be the first time its power truly awakened.
---
The forest trembled.
Heavy footsteps crushed branches as the massive beast stepped into the clearing.
It looked like a nightmare carved out of black iron.
Thick armored scales covered its body, layered like plates of natural armor. Venom dripped from the creature's jagged fangs, sizzling faintly when it touched the ground.
Its eyes glowed a dull crimson.
The smart watches reacted instantly.
---
Target Detected
Beast: Venomscale Ravager
Level: 27
Threat Level: High
---
Zane let out a low whistle.
"Level twenty-seven already?"
He rolled his shoulders.
"Camp designers really want students dead."
Lily's gaze sharpened as she observed the creature.
"It's not just the level. Look at the armor density."
The scales overlapped like reinforced shields.
Direct attacks would be difficult.
The Ravager roared.
The sound shook the clearing.
Then it charged.
Fast.
Much faster than its size suggested.
The ground cracked under its weight as it lunged straight toward the group.
Zane stepped forward immediately.
"Guess I'll warm up."
His body blurred as he dashed toward the beast, blade flashing.
The first strike landed.
CLANG.
The sound was like metal hitting metal.
Zane clicked his tongue.
"Yeah… figured."
The armor barely scratched.
The Ravager swung its massive tail.
Zane jumped back just in time as the tail smashed into the ground, shattering rocks.
Meanwhile—
Lily raised her hand.
Space folded.
Void Rift.
The Ravager's next bite tore forward—
Only to rip through empty air as the space in front of Lily distorted and redirected the attack.
She shifted position instantly with Void Stride, appearing several meters away.
"Zael," she said calmly.
"The armor is extremely dense."
Zael was already moving.
The moment the Ravager lunged again—
He stepped into range.
His blade moved.
A single precise strike.
Night Sever.
The blade slid between two scale plates.
The Ravager roared in pain.
Internal damage.
Zane grinned.
"There it is!"
The beast spun violently, claws tearing through trees.
Zael vanished again.
Void Step.
He reappeared behind the creature and struck again.
This time—
Resonance Strike.
The stored impact detonated into the Ravager's ribs.
CRACK.
The creature staggered.
But it didn't fall.
Level 27 beasts weren't that fragile.
It roared and slammed its forelimb downward.
The ground exploded.
Zael slid backward across the dirt.
Zane jumped onto the creature's back, stabbing repeatedly between scale gaps.
Lily opened another Void Rift, redirecting the beast's venom spit into the ground beside it.
The battle lasted less than a minute.
But the clearing already looked like a battlefield.
Broken trees.
Shattered earth.
Scattered venom burns.
Finally—
Zael moved again.
He stepped inside the creature's guard.
One clean motion.
Night Sever.
The blade pierced deep.
Then—
Resonance Strike released.
The stored force exploded inside the beast's chest.
The Ravager froze.
Its body trembled.
Then the massive creature collapsed.
The ground shook as it hit the forest floor.
Silence followed.
Zane hopped off the corpse.
"Well."
"That's a lot of points."
Lily checked her watch.
Points were already updating.
But Zael wasn't looking at the watch.
He was looking at the beast.
Something inside him had awakened.
Not a thought.
Not an instinct.
Something deeper.
The moment the Ravager died—
He felt it.
Energy.
Spiritual essence.
The Devouring trait responded.
Zael stepped closer to the corpse.
Zane frowned slightly.
"…What are you doing?"
Zael placed one hand on the beast.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The air changed.
The beast's corpse trembled slightly.
A faint ripple spread outward from Zael's hand.
Then the impossible happened.
Black-gold threads of energy began flowing out of the Ravager's body.
They twisted like living strands of light.
Flowing.
Spiraling.
Being pulled directly into Zael's body.
The corpse began shrinking.
Drying.
Like its very essence was being drained.
Zane's grin slowly disappeared.
"…Okay."
"That's new."
Lily's eyes widened.
She could feel it clearly with her spatial perception.
The energy wasn't mana.
It wasn't any elemental force she recognized.
It was something… older.
Something closer to pure life essence.
Within seconds—
The massive Ravager corpse collapsed into dry fragments.
Then dust.
The black-gold energy disappeared into Zael.
The forest became quiet again.
A notification appeared in his vision.
---
Devouring Activated
Target Devoured: Venomscale Ravager (Level 27)
Rewards Obtained:
• +3 Universal Attribute Points
• +2 Vitality
• +1 Strength
---
Zael slowly lowered his hand.
Zane stared.
"…You want to explain what the hell that was?"
Zael simply said,
"Something new."
---
High above the forest.
Inside the observation vessel.
Every official in the room had gone silent.
The replay screen froze on the moment the Ravager dissolved.
One of the analysts leaned forward.
"…Run that again."
The footage replayed.
Black-gold energy strands.
The beast collapsing.
Energy absorption.
Another official frowned.
"That isn't mana absorption."
"No known devouring skill behaves like that."
A third officer opened Zael's registered information.
Student File: Zael
University: AEGIS PRIME
Public Profession: Combat Scholar
The officer adjusted his glasses.
"…Combat scholar?"
He looked back at the recording.
"Since when do combat scholars dissolve monsters into dust?"
Another official spoke quietly.
"That energy signature…"
"It's not elemental."
"Not spiritual."
"And not system mana."
The room remained silent.
Then the lead examiner slowly said,
"…What exactly is that boy's real class?"
Because whatever Zael had just done—
None of them had ever seen anything like it.
And for the first time since the trial began—
The observers began paying very close attention.
---
Meanwhile—
Back in the forest.
Zael opened his status quietly.
The numbers had changed slightly.
The Child of Dao class felt… alive.
Growing.
Adapting.
Zane finally broke the silence.
"So."
He crossed his arms.
"You gonna tell us what that was?"
Zael closed the panel.
"…Cultivation."
Zane blinked.
"…I have more questions now."
Lily, however, was staring at the ground where the beast had been.
Her spatial sense had detected something else.
She spoke quietly.
"…We're not alone."
Zael looked up.
Across the clearing—
Several figures stepped out of the forest.
Five awakeners.
Their uniforms carried the crest of another elite academy.
At the front stood a tall man with silver hair.
His watch displayed a ranking number.
#6
Zane's grin returned instantly.
"Well."
"Looks like the real competition just arrived."
And the entrance trial…
Had just escalated again.