Rook’s eyes remained fixed on the status window hovering before him as the Demon Beast slowly paced across the arena. Every step it took dug shallow grooves into the sand, its crimson eyes never once leaving him. The wound on its shoulder continued to bleed, yet it showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, it looked even more aggressive than before.
"So much for hoping it’d run away," Rook muttered under his breath.
He quickly glanced at the timer mounted above the arena wall.
Nine minutes and twenty-three seconds remained.
He had only survived for a little over half a minute.
The realization almost made him laugh.
He had gone from worrying about awakening back on Earth to being chased by a monster the size of a carriage in less than twenty-four hours.
His life really had taken a strange turn.
The Demon Beast suddenly lunged forward again, crossing several meters in the blink of an eye. Rook reacted immediately, throwing himself to the side as its claws slammed into the ground where he had been standing. Sand exploded into the air as the impact left several deep gouges across the arena floor.
Before the beast could turn around, Rook thrust out his hand.
"Earth Spike."
Mana gathered beneath the creature’s feet before several stone spikes burst from the sand. Two of them struck the beast’s underside while another scraped across one of its hind legs.
The attack forced the monster to stagger, but only for a brief moment.
It let out another deafening roar before crushing the stone spikes beneath its weight.
Rook clicked his tongue.
"It barely slowed it down."
He immediately sprinted toward the open stretch on the opposite side of the arena while trying to keep his breathing steady. Without quite meaning to, he’d already fallen into the same shape twice now — dodge, then put distance between himself and the beast before he dared cast anything.
Running wasn’t difficult.
Running while constantly watching a monster capable of killing him in a single hit was another matter entirely.
The arena wasn’t particularly large either. There was only so much distance he could create before reaching another wall.
The Demon Beast recovered almost instantly and charged after him once more.
Its speed was terrifying.
Rook had barely reached the center of the arena before the creature was already upon him again.
Without looking back, he raised his hand over his shoulder.
"Water Manipulation."
A sphere of water formed behind him before rapidly expanding into a waist-high wave. The water crashed directly into the Demon Beast’s face.
The attack wasn’t powerful enough to injure it, but it momentarily obscured its vision.
Rook immediately changed directions, sprinting diagonally across the arena.
Behind him came an angry roar.
"It worked."
Only slightly.
The beast emerged from the collapsing water almost immediately, shaking droplets from its massive head before locking onto him once again.
"It really doesn’t know when to quit."
Another glance at the timer.
Eight minutes and fifty-eight seconds.
He had survived just over a minute.
At this rate, he’d collapse from exhaustion long before the test ended.
His thoughts drifted toward the status window again.
Infinite Upgrade Points.
There had to be something he could improve immediately.
Strength? No. Agility?
His eyes lit up.
"If I can’t overpower it..." He mentally selected Agility.
A familiar window appeared before him even as he continued running.
═══════════════
Agility: 9
Upgrade Cost: 1 Point
[Upgrade]
═══════════════
He didn’t hesitate.
"Upgrade."
The number immediately changed.
Nine became ten.
A warm sensation spread throughout his legs.
He upgraded again.
Ten became eleven. Then twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen.
He continued increasing the attribute while keeping one eye on the charging Demon Beast.
His legs suddenly felt lighter.
Every stride carried him farther than before, while his movements became noticeably smoother.
The difference wasn’t overwhelming, but it was obvious enough for him to notice immediately.
The Demon Beast lunged.
This time Rook sidestepped instead of diving away — and true to habit, retaliated the instant his feet found the ground again.
"Wind Blade."
Its claws missed him by barely a handspan. The Wind Blade grazed its flank, and the beast twisted, already recovering from a dodge Rook had answered a half-second too predictably.
His eyes widened.
"So that’s the difference."
His reaction speed hadn’t changed much.
His body simply moved faster.
The creature skidded across the sand before spinning around with surprising agility for something so large.
Rook didn’t give it the chance to attack again.
He upgraded Agility once more.
Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen.
His speed increased another level.
He continued retreating while silently thanking whoever had designed the System.
If upgrading attributes required training instead of instant improvement, he would’ve been dead already.
The Demon Beast charged once again.
Rook ran.
The distance between them remained almost the same.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I can keep up now."
Above the arena, Cain watched everything without saying a word.
One of the attendants standing beside him frowned.
"He became faster."
Cain nodded once.
"He did."
"He wasn’t moving like that when the test started."
"No."
The attendant looked toward Cain.
"Did he break through during combat?"
Cain remained silent for several moments before answering.
"I don’t know. But watch how he moves when the beast pins him against the wall. Every time it happens, he breaks left."
Down below, Rook wasn’t paying attention to the people watching him.
His focus remained entirely on the monster.
The Demon Beast suddenly stopped chasing him.
Instead, it lowered its body and began circling slowly. Rook also stopped moving. Neither side attacked.
The arena fell strangely quiet.
The only sounds were their breathing and the faint wind blowing across the sand.
"What are you doing?" Rook muttered.
The creature’s crimson eyes narrowed.
Then it opened its mouth. A sphere of dark energy rapidly condensed between its fangs.
Rook’s expression changed immediately.
"Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me."
The sphere continued growing larger.
His inherited memories immediately supplied the answer.
Demonic Breath.
Many higher-ranked Demon Beasts possessed the ability to condense demonic energy before releasing it as a destructive blast.
"So you can use ranged attacks too?"
The beast answered by firing it.
The black sphere shot toward him like a cannonball.
Rook instinctively threw himself to one side, and, cornered against the arena wall with nowhere else to go, broke left without thinking about it.
The projectile struck the arena wall behind him.
A thunderous explosion echoed throughout the pit as stone fragments scattered in every direction.
Dust quickly filled the air.
Rook stared at the massive crater left behind.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"If that hit me..." He didn’t finish the sentence.
There wouldn’t have been anything left to say.
The Demon Beast fired another one.
Rook immediately sprinted sideways, breaking left again out of the same half-formed reflex.
The blast narrowly missed him before exploding across the sand, sending another cloud of dust into the air.
The repeated explosions quickly reduced visibility throughout the arena.
Rook suddenly slowed.
An idea formed in his mind.
The creature relied heavily on sight. If it couldn’t see him... He stretched out both hands.
"Water Manipulation."
A large quantity of water gathered around him before spreading into the dusty air.
The water mixed with the drifting sand, creating a thick muddy mist that rapidly expanded throughout the arena.
Within seconds, visibility dropped dramatically.
Even Rook could barely see more than several meters ahead. The Demon Beast let out a furious roar.
Its footsteps became slower.
Rook crouched quietly behind one of the larger chunks of broken stone created by the explosions.
His heartbeat echoed loudly inside his chest.
For the first time since the battle began, the monster had lost sight of him.
He carefully checked the timer.
Seven minutes and eleven seconds remained.
He exhaled quietly.
"Progress."