By nightfall, the ranking obelisk shimmered again.
Three official challenges.
All within the top 1,000.
Rank 812 — Corven Thale
Rank 643 — Ilyra Morn
Rank 589 — Kaedric Solane
The crowd gathering beneath the board grew thicker by the hour.
Saltwind loved spectacle.
And Jeather was quickly becoming one.
He stretched his shoulders and muttered, "I should start charging admission."
The otter inside the Beast Realm immediately perked up.
"Snacks?"
"You're not getting snacks," Jeather replied flatly.
The Rifthound stood near the fractured horizon of the realm, distortion rings humming faintly around its limbs.
It was evolving too fast.
Too violently.
Too noticeably.
Jeather exhaled slowly.
If I keep using you… they'll figure it out.
And once the Top 10 started dissecting you publicly, they wouldn't stop.
He looked inward.
Velkaria — calm, controlled, strategic.
Astrael — overwhelming but flashy.
Basilisk — terrifying but politically destabilizing.
Rifthound — the wildcard.
Then there was the newly sealed beast.
The Icebound Abyss Weaver.
The spider from beneath the reef war.
Still peculiar.
Still rare.
Still unstable.
It perched quietly on a floating shard of frozen mana inside the Beast Realm.
Eight crystalline legs.
A body encased in translucent glacial armor.
Eyes glowing pale blue.
And personality?
When it first spoke after being sealed, it had said:
"Cold is clarity. Chaos is inefficient."
Jeather blinked.
"…You're a judgmental icicle."
The spider had tilted its head.
"Accurate."
He smirked.
Good.
Let's see how Saltwind reacts to something new.
As he walked toward the arena for the first accepted match — Rank 812 — students whispered again.
"Is he bringing the distortion beast?"
"He'll climb fast if he does."
Jeather scratched the back of his neck.
That's exactly the problem.
Using the Rifthound repeatedly would:
Reveal its evolving mechanics.
Alert higher factions prematurely.
Create counters specifically designed for it.
And more importantly—
He didn't want to rely on a single path.
He needed breadth.
Adaptability.
Collection.
Besides…
He was curious what the spider could really do.
Inside the Beast Realm, the Rifthound's voice rumbled:
"You avoid using me."
Jeather snorted softly.
"You're too flashy."
"Flash wins."
"Flash paints targets."
A pause.
The Rifthound didn't argue.
Then quietly—
"I can grow further."
Jeather's gaze sharpened slightly.
Integrate?
The thought had been creeping in since the vortex fight.
If he integrated the Rifthound—
He might gain direct spatial distortion perception.
Short-range fold ability.
Improved survivability.
But integration came with cost.
Permanent merging of aspects.
Mental strain.
Possible instability.
And once integrated—
No turning back.
He rubbed his temple.
Not yet.
Not until I understand you fully.
The basin filled again.
This time — shallow water with floating ice fragments.
A change in terrain.
Corven stepped forward.
Broad-shouldered. Scar over one eye.
No smile.
"You climbed fast," Corven said.
Jeather shrugged.
"I tripped upward."
Scattered laughter from terraces.
Corven summoned his beast.
Silver-tier Frostmaw Ursidon.
A massive bear-like creature armored in ice plating.
Each step cracked stone.
Jeather whistled.
"That's subtle."
Corven's voice remained calm.
"You used spatial distortion in prior matches. I adjusted."
Ice spikes rose from the basin floor instantly.
Testing mobility.
Jeather nodded slightly.
Good.
He placed his hand lightly against the water's surface.
The Icebound Abyss Weaver emerged.
Students blinked.
"…A spider?"
"It's small."
"Is that Bronze-tier?"
The spider stood atop a floating shard of ice it formed instantly beneath itself.
Cold mana expanded outward.
Corven's Ursidon roared and charged.
Jeather didn't move.
The spider lifted two legs.
Threads of translucent frostweb shot outward—
Not toward the bear.
Toward the ice spikes.
The web connected spike to spike in geometric formation.
Corven frowned.
"What—?"
The Ursidon's massive weight shattered one spike—
But the web network redistributed the force across the entire structure.
Momentum slowed.
Jeather grinned.
"Cold is clarity, right?"
The spider replied calmly,
"Structural lattice complete."
The Ursidon lunged again.
The spider flicked another web strand.
This one struck the Ursidon's forelimb.
Ice crawled along the bear's armor.
Not freezing it—
But altering its density.
Corven reacted instantly.
"Frost surge!"
The Ursidon slammed its paws down.
Ice wave blasted outward—
Shattering half the web lattice.
Jeather cursed under his breath.
"Okay, that's annoying."
The Ursidon charged again.
This time faster.
Jeather pivoted—
And the spider launched itself.
Not away.
Toward the Ursidon's face.
Students gasped.
The spider landed briefly—
And its abdomen pulsed.
An expanding sphere of hyper-compressed cold burst outward.
Localized freeze.
Not environmental.
Targeted.
The Ursidon's head froze mid-roar.
Just for a second.
But a second was enough.
Jeather stepped in and slammed his palm against the Ursidon's chest.
Mana burst.
Ice cracked violently.
Corven's beast staggered backward.
Corven narrowed his eye.
"You're manipulating structural stress."
Jeather smirked.
"You're observant."
The Ursidon attempted one last charge—
But the web lattice, partially rebuilt mid-fight, redirected its momentum again.
This time—
The Ursidon slipped.
Hard.
It crashed against the basin wall.
Corven exhaled.
"Yield."
Board shimmered.
Rank 812 — Jeather Vale.
The crowd reacted louder this time.
Less mockery.
More calculation.
As the basin drained, the otter popped its head out inside the Beast Realm.
"Big fuzzy one fall down!"
Jeather grinned.
"Gracefully."
The spider spoke flatly.
"He lacked structural awareness."
The otter blinked.
"You talk funny."
"You think inefficiently."
Jeather laughed out loud mid-exit from the arena.
Several students stared at him.
"Did he just laugh after fighting?"
"Is he unstable?"
"Probably."
He wiped water from his hair.
Good. Let them underestimate.
From the upper terrace, Mirelle Kaith stood.
Vorn Halcyon beside her.
"He's diversifying," Vorn muttered.
Mirelle's gaze was sharp.
"He's hiding his true capability."
Darius Vell joined them silently.
"He hasn't used the distortion beast again."
Vorn's voice lowered.
"That means he's saving it."
Selvaris Noct leaned lazily against a pillar.
"Or he's deciding whether to integrate."
Silence.
Mirelle turned sharply.
"You noticed that too."
Selvaris smiled faintly.
"If he integrates that creature, he jumps tiers instantly."
Vorn's jaw tightened.
"Then we disrupt him before that."
Political tension crackled like distant lightning.
The climb was no longer entertainment.
It was threat assessment.
Night settled over Saltwind.
Jeather stood alone on a high stone bridge overlooking the ocean.
Wind carried salt and distant thunder.
Inside the Beast Realm, he walked toward the Rifthound.
"You want integration."
The Rifthound's distortion rippled softly.
"I want growth."
"It won't be temporary."
"I know."
He studied the beast.
It had evolved once already.
It had folded space slightly in the last fight.
If integrated—
He could potentially:
• Short-range blink
• Resist spatial compression
• Perceive distortion fluctuations
• Possibly anchor himself against environmental control
But—
Integration required mental synchronization.
Spatial distortion wasn't elemental.
It was conceptual.
Miscalculation could fracture his mana core.
He sighed.
"Damn it."
The Rifthound's voice was steady.
"I will not consume you."
Jeather barked a laugh.
"Comforting."
The spider chimed in calmly.
"Integration success probability: seventy-three percent if performed after next evolutionary stabilization."
Jeather blinked.
"…You can calculate that?"
"I observe."
The otter floated upside down nearby.
"Jett thinking too much!"
He exhaled.
"Yeah. I am."
He looked toward the fractured horizon again.
Something pulsed there.
Stronger now.
Higher ranks meant higher pressure.
Higher pressure meant faster evolution.
Integration was coming.
Just not yet.
The ranking obelisk flickered again that night.
Rank 643 accepted his pending challenge.
Tomorrow at dawn.
And—
A message from Rank 233.
We should talk before you climb further.
Jeather grinned faintly.
"Sharks smell blood."
Velkaria's current swirled gently.
"You are not prey."
"No," he agreed softly.
"But I'm not apex yet either."
The wind picked up.
Far below, waves crashed violently against the academy cliffs.
Inside the Beast Realm, the Rifthound's distortion expanded slightly—
As if sensing what was coming.
Tomorrow would not be easy.
Rank 643 was known for adaptive combat.
And if he climbed further—
The Top 10 would stop observing.
They would act.
Jeather cracked his knuckles slowly.
"Alright."
He looked toward the ocean horizon.
"Let's see how deep this academy really goes."