"Interesting... very interesting."

  To others, it might have looked like Auron had simply rushed up to the corrupted beast to dish out a few slaps before getting sent flying. But not to her. Her Gold-rank perception wasn’t for show. Faint black runes had been etched into the beast’s hide, spreading across its body like a living virus, eating away at its life force. Draining a massive chunk. Something like this shouldn’t have been possible. It was downright horrendous. A skill that ignored rank to deal damage? Where the hell did he learn this kind of 'martial art'? Was it even martial arts at this point?

  Even more baffling was why he hadn’t used this skill against the Bronze-rank Armoured Quadruped earlier. The fight would’ve been way easier. But then she noticed the sluggish movements that followed. That answered her question. It was a one-time move, the kind that came with a high cost of vital energy.

  “Surprised” didn’t even begin to cover what she felt. There was only a hint of disappointment that her contracted beast hadn’t learned another skill from watching him fight. Guess she couldn’t be too greedy. The chances of enlightenment were rare, and for her beast to have already unlocked a core skill just by observing his movement? That was absurd.

  Even now, his movements were smooth, refined. If she looked closer, she could pinpoint areas of improvement, but it was already good as it was. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was watching a diamond in the rough. Just a little polish here and there, and boom! A ready-made powerhouse. Not that it was ever that easy... but still, she could only watch how things played out. But first, playtime was over. It was time for the real fight.

  Lifting her arm, she folded it inward, then parted her cherry-like lips. “Retract.” Golden particles, visible only to her, peeled off the corrupted beast, before fading into obscurity.

  Then slowly, the beast's sluggishness and disoriented bearing melted away. Its already high speed, once a blur to Auron's group, shot up another notch. The blur split into mirages that flickered across their vision... until it appeared directly in front of them.

  “Just how many secrets do you have?” Lena thought, curiosity brimming within in her crimson eyes as she watched the battle unfold.

  °°°°

  “Oh fucking hell—it’s coming straight at us!” Riven cursed.

  And as much as he didn’t want to, he couldn’t help but shout: “Hurry up, Auron! Get up and slap it some more!”

  It had worked the first time, right?

  "Huh?" Auron blinked through the haze cloaking his senses. The exhaustion… he hadn’t felt something this intense in a long time. The pain from getting sent flying by the corrupted beast wasn’t helping either. But now wasn’t the time to crumble.He looked up, the beast was closing in, its speed a blur of motion before—

  “... What the fuck?”

  Mirages of the beast danced before his eyes. Its speed had exploded beyond all reasonable logic. So this was the real deal, huh? He had felt the beast had been holding back its strength, seemed strange for it to be that slow. Oddly, he didn’t feel fear. Quite the opposite actually. His blood was boiling with exhilaration. He hadn’t given this battle his all either, not yet.

  Lyra now stood beside him, her exhaustion finally catching up. She couldn’t keep this up much longer. Still, she shouted, anxiety laced in her voice: “Ice Wall!” Following her command, her frost wolf unleashed its third bloodline skill. Layers of ice rapidly formed into a defensive wall.

  “I can’t keep this up for long! We need another idea!” And as if to affirm her words, the corrupted beast slammed into the wall. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface, but the frost wolf spat out another blast of frost to reinforce it, at a cost. Its heavy panting said everything. The wall wouldn’t hold for long.

  Was this it?

  They all knew from the start that this wouldn’t be a real life-or-death battle. Sure, they’d get hurt, but not permanently. And when the danger got too high, Instructor Lena would intervene. But what if she didn’t? What if she wasn’t there the next time? She wouldn’t always be there. They were third years for fuck's sake, soon to leave the academy, to join guilds, to face real dangers. The next time they faced a beast like this… were they just going to roll over and die? Were they still this weak? Pathetic!

  A voice cut through the spiral of doubt. “Argh, guys! Buy me some more time. I’ve got another plan!”

  They turned to the source. A young man, flat on the battered rocks of the Wastelands, exhaustion clinging to his every breath. But his eyes… they burned, sharp and calculating. Under normal circumstances, his words might have sounded like a bad joke. But the feat he’d just pulled off was undeniable. Maybe he did have another trump card. Didn’t matter. He needed time. And they’d give it to him.

  “My beast has almost recovered,” Kara said, a fascinated glint flickering in her eyes as she stared at Auron. “It should buy you a little more time.” A brown rune flared on her arm, and her summon exploded into existence, a two-meter armored boar. Its spine was only partially healed, full recovery still far off.

  “Whatever you just did, you need to do it again!” Riven barked summoning his contracted beast. A flaming sparrow burst forth from his beast space, still faint with vitality but burning with raw battle intent. Auron blinked, stunned. Sure, he had asked for time, not for them to risk their beasts’ lives for him.

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  Calling out injured beasts again would delay their recovery or even worsen their wounds.

  That they were willing to take that risk… showed how much trust they’d placed in him.

  Not that he had some miracle to kill the beast right away. But he did have a plan to chunk down a good portion of its vitality. He just needed time to set it in motion.

  What followed next only reaffirmed his choice. “Damn it! If you’ve got a way to deal more damage, we’ll make you an opening!”

  Mila’s words followed as a brown rune formed between her thighs before she summoned her spider. Its spinnerets still dripping with some sort of acid. Injuries aside, it was in better shape than most.

  The others followed suit. Even Fel, who had earlier called Auron a freak, felt a twinge of guilt, but still joined in. A flicker of hope was reignited. Seeing them, Auron stayed silent. Words would mean nothing now. It was time to act.

  His plan was simple: finally allocate all those blank attribute points he’d been saving. He’d intended to use them for a balanced distribution across his stats, to create uniformity. Yeah, screw that. He needed endurance. Now. His [Mark of Destruction] skill fed off stamina. And stamina came straight from endurance. He was banking everything on this, burning more of that stamina to dish out one more devastating blow.

  Though... would the beast fall for it again? Doubtful. The only reason he’d gotten close before was because the beast had underestimated him. It hadn't seen him as a threat. But now was different. Having established that, running straight up to it again would be dumb even for him, so he needed to do it differently, he would have to... run faster.

  Coming to that conclusion he dumped all his blank attributes on agility and endurance then braced for the pain that usually came with it.[Blank Stat Points: 70 ]

  +50 Endurance | +20 Agility. But this time, he strangely felt nothing. No pain, just warmth. A rush of energy flooding his body, followed by minor changes unfolding within him. It still puzzled him how stats could affect his physical being like this, but he had no time to ponder over the thought before the warmth gradually faded, replaced by clarity and lightness. The exhaustion now replaced by something refreshingly soothing.

  And with it, a burning restlessness. He needed an outlet, now! With no time to check his system panel, he stood up. Eyes still closed, his body synced with the earth, as if it were an extension of him. Myriads of thoughts flashed before him as a flicker of hope reignited within him. Sure, he had pumped his agility, but matching the corrupted beast’s speed was a pipe dream. Still, with enhanced agility, his fledgling earth affinity, Sphere of Detection, and the faint Will of the Earth guiding each energy-efficient movement… maybe just maybe he now stood a chance. On his feet now, a maniacal grin split his face. His battle plan had already crystallized.

  Earthen Projection wouldn't cut it. Not unless his affinity grew enough to harden the structure to even pierce that monster's hide. Not to mention the crimson runes that flared like a secondary defense layer. Good thing he wasn't banking too much on it.

  The ice wall had already shattered.

  Lyra’s frost wolf was still doing its part, but a nasty wound that now run across its neck made things worse.

  They had divided themselves strategically: Arthur and Zeke, whose beasts were most injured, fought the half-baked version of Dante’s lightning back-boar that the corrupted beast had conjured. The others attacked from range. Only Dante and Max sat out, as the injuries to their beasts left them sidelined. Finally setting his plan in motion. Auron made his move. He ran forward. His body, light and spring-like, exploded into speed. And thanks to the Will of the Earth, he wasn’t overwhelmed by the sudden increase to his speed like when he first devoured and integrated agility into his being. Now, he felt a pull each time he allocated attributes, as if it was only natural. He wasn’t sure if it was just a result of growing stronger or the innate nature of his ability, but now wasn’t the time to ponder it.

  His focus was stretched to the limit. The vibrations around him didn’t fail, mapping a faint trajectory of the beast’s movements as it defended itself from incoming attacks. When he closed the final five-meter gap, the image sharpened. His sphere of detection giving him a refined, near-perfect read. He waited, biding his time until the beast fully turned its back to him, busy deflecting an ice crystal hurtling toward its head, thanks to Lyra’s Frost Wolf.

  Auron dashed in. The five meters vanished faster than he could’ve imagined. He’d already visualized the outcome, tap the beast thrice, brand it, and get out. Easy, except it wasn’t. The beast spun with unnatural speed, 180 degrees, its maws wide open and waiting. "Argh, shit!" Talk about some fucked up timing.

  He had approached, confident in his speed, planning to land his hits while its back was turned. Instead, the bastard turned mid-fight, playing dirty, eyes gleaming with that uncanny intelligence. Stopping wasn’t an option for now. He shifted his weight sharply left as the beast’s razor-sharp teeth snapped shut on empty air, but not before he managed to tap its leg on the way down. The brand took hold. Black runes slithered over its flesh as the Mark of Destruction activated. His endurance took a hit, but it was manageable.

  No time to think. The beast retaliated immediately, claws swinging downward with a vicious growl. Auron rolled to his left, barely dodging the blow, though not completely. Pain flared as the claws raked his shoulder, tearing through flesh. He hissed, but didn’t falter, he’d felt worse.

  But then he felt surprised. Not due to his amazing dodging reflex, but due to the fact the moment the beast’s claws touched him, he felt the brand take hold again. The mark had stacked.Agony rippled through the beast as its vitality took another hit. Auron’s eyes widened. Damn right, cool skill. So even if they touched him, it counted? That was insane. The beasts would essentially be hurting themselves every time they attacked. A constant trade of damage. Fucking exhilarating!

  But the corrupted beast didn’t share his enthusiasm. It snarled, and crimson runes flared across its body. Auron blinked again, its vitality was draining, but something felt off. The corruption and life force were intertwining, opposites folding into one another like light and shadow. What happened next completely shattered his understanding. The black runes gnawing at its life stopped after five seconds had passed. Then, a rush of overwhelming vitality surged from its core, flooding its body. The damage faded, scars vanished.

  Its aura returned to full strength.

  °°°°°

  Auron’s team had started to rise, hope kindling in their eyes after they saw him dealing damage again to the corrupted with what they now termed as an advanced martial art, probably his hidden trump card. Even Lyra’s eyes widened in quiet awe, until everything went to shit

  Kara was the first to notice.

  “…Wait,” she breathed. “It’s... healing?”

  “What the fuck!” Dante backed up a step. “That… that’s not healing. That’s straight up fucking cheating! How the hell are we supposed to defeat that? A wave of dread swept through them as the beast’s corrupted aura returned, thicker than ever. The ground around it trembled.

  Max clutched his staff tighter, voicing out what everybody feared to be true.“It’s stronger than before.”

  Even from afar, they felt the shift, the way the beast’s gaze locked onto them not as opponents… but as prey.

  °°°°

  "What in the actual fuck is this supposed to mean?" Before he could contemplate further on his life choices, the beast turned toward him, gaze brimming with disdain. Its maw opened again, and he barely had time to react.

  But before it could strike—

  The sky shifted. A colossal pressure blanketed the battlefield, eclipsing even the corrupted beast’s might. It was power unlike anything he'd felt, save for when his elder brother once radiated his true might before him.

  A figure appeared in the sky, levitating in defiance of gravity. Auron’s eyes widened. A feat only Platinum rank beings, if not beyond could perform. He recognized the man, everyone did. Dean Darius. His thoughts were once more interrupted when with a single motion, the Dean extended his hand. The corrupted beast, mid-lunge, was pulled into the air, caught in an invisible grip and flung backward.

  “Die, you foul beast!” The words left Darius's lips as they echoed across the wastelands, not as a command but a confession, of failure, of loss, of all he couldn't protect.