Rook remained perfectly still behind the broken slab of stone, forcing himself to ignore the burning sensation in his lungs. The muddy mist continued drifting through the arena, reducing visibility to only a few meters. Somewhere beyond it, the Demon Beast prowled cautiously, its heavy footsteps sending faint vibrations through the sand.
The creature had stopped roaring.
That worried Rook far more than the noise.
’A predator that goes quiet is usually planning something.’ He slowly lowered himself into a crouch and listened carefully.
The footsteps had stopped. His heartbeat quickened.
’Where...?’ A loud crack came from somewhere behind him.
Rook instinctively threw himself forward.
The Demon Beast burst through the stone slab a heartbeat later, reducing it to rubble with a single swipe of its claws. Fragments of rock flew past Rook’s face as he rolled across the sand before pushing himself back onto his feet.
"So much for hiding."
The beast hadn’t lost him.
The muddy mist was useful against its eyes, but it did nothing to fool its nose.
The Demon Beast lunged again.
Rook sprang backward and narrowly avoided another swipe before firing a Wind Blade directly at its face.
The compressed blade of air sliced across one of its horns before continuing into the mist.
The attack left only a shallow cut.
"It keeps getting tougher."
The beast didn’t even seem bothered by the injury.
Instead, it opened its mouth once more.
Rook’s expression changed.
"Oh, no you don’t."
Before the sphere of dark energy could fully form, he thrust both palms forward.
"Fireball!"
Two blazing spheres shot through the air one after another — base tier again, cast twice in the time it would’ve taken to gather the mana for one Greater Fireball. Speed mattered more than power here.
The first exploded directly against the beast’s muzzle.
The second detonated inside its open mouth.
A muffled explosion echoed through the arena as flames burst around its head.
The Demon Beast stumbled backward, shaking its head violently while letting out an enraged howl.
Rook didn’t waste the opportunity.
"Earth Spike!"
Several jagged pillars erupted beneath the creature’s front legs.
One spike pierced deep into its right shoulder while another tore across its chest, forcing the monster off balance.
It crashed heavily onto the sand.
Rook’s eyes lit up.
’Now!’ He immediately opened his status window while sprinting toward the fallen beast.
═══════════════
Wind Blade (F)
Upgrade Cost: 1 Point
[Upgrade]
═══════════════
"Upgrade."
The window shimmered and Wind Blade evolved.
═══════════════
Gale Blade (E)
Mana Cost: 20 MP
Upgrade Cost: 2 Points
═══════════════
He upgraded again.
The familiar glow appeared.
═══════════════
Vacuum Slash (D)
Mana Cost: 40 MP
Upgrade Cost: 4 Points
Skill Tree — Wind Blade: Wind Blade (F) → Gale Blade (E) → Vacuum Slash (D).
Any unlocked tier remains castable.
═══════════════
Rook smiled.
"Let’s see the difference."
He gathered mana into both hands.
The air around him began vibrating violently before condensing into a translucent crescent nearly two meters long.
Even before firing it, he could feel the difference in destructive power.
The Demon Beast had already climbed back to its feet.
Its crimson eyes immediately locked onto him.
"Vacuum Slash!"
The compressed blade shot across the arena with astonishing speed.
Unlike Wind Blade, which resembled little more than a sharp gust of wind, this attack left a visible ripple through the air itself.
The Demon Beast tried to dodge.
It was too late.
The crescent struck its left shoulder before continuing straight through.
Blood sprayed across the arena.
One of the beast’s forelegs separated completely from its body before crashing onto the sand several meters away.
The Demon Beast released an agonizing roar that shook the entire pit.
Rook stared in surprise.
"That... was stronger than I expected."
The creature staggered several steps before collapsing onto three legs.
Its breathing had become uneven.
Blood flowed continuously from the severed limb.
For the first time since the battle had begun, Rook felt like victory might actually be possible.
Then another notification appeared.
═══════════════
Current Mana: 10/150
Warning. Mana Critically Low.
═══════════════
The smile vanished from his face.
"I forgot."
Vacuum Slash had consumed far more mana than Wind Blade.
After using Fireballs, Earth Spike, Water Manipulation, Wind Blade, and Vacuum Slash repeatedly, his mana reserves — already down to seventy from the night before — had nearly run dry.
The Demon Beast, despite its injuries, was still alive.
It slowly raised its head.
One crimson eye stared directly at him.
Rook sighed.
"Of course."
The beast began walking again.
Rook checked the timer.
Five minutes and forty-two seconds remained.
His shoulders slumped.
"You’re seriously telling me this thing refuses to die?"
The Demon Beast answered with another furious roar before charging once more.
Its speed had dropped noticeably after losing a leg, yet it remained far faster than an ordinary human.
Rook immediately began retreating.
Without mana, his elemental abilities were practically useless.
His only advantage now was his upgraded Agility.
As he ran, another idea crossed his mind.
’If mana is the problem...’ His eyes shifted toward Intelligence.
According to Rook’s memories, Intelligence governed spell control and efficiency.
Spirit increased total mana.
Intelligence improved how effectively it was used.
"If that’s true..." He mentally selected the attribute.
═══════════════
Intelligence: 15
Upgrade Cost: 1 Point
[Upgrade]
═══════════════
He upgraded once.
Then again.
And again.
The warm sensation spread through his head rather than his body this time.
His thoughts immediately became clearer.
The flow of mana inside him, though nearly exhausted, suddenly felt easier to perceive.
He continued upgrading.
Twenty. Twenty-five. Thirty.
Another familiar notification appeared.
[Body Adaptation has reached its current limit.] Rook ignored it.
His attention was focused elsewhere.
His understanding of mana had changed completely.
It no longer felt like a chaotic energy flowing through his body.
Instead, it resembled countless tiny streams following precise paths.
He instinctively raised one hand.
A tiny flame appeared above his fingertip.
It consumed almost no mana.
Rook blinked.
"...Seriously?"
He extinguished it before creating another.
The amount of mana consumed was almost negligible.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"So Intelligence reduces mana consumption."
It didn’t restore his depleted reserves.
It simply allowed him to use what remained far more efficiently.
That changed everything.
The Demon Beast was already closing the distance again.
Rook extended one hand and, without thinking twice about it, chose the cheaper rung of the ladder he’d already unlocked instead of the one that had cost him almost everything.
"Gale Blade."
A blade of compressed wind formed.
The notification appeared immediately.
[Mana Cost Reduced. 20 MP → 10 MP.]
Rook’s grin widened.
"There it is."
He swung his arm.
The Gale Blade shot forward and sliced deeply into the creature’s flank.
Although weaker than Vacuum Slash, it was far cheaper — and now, with his Intelligence pushing the cost down further, cheap enough to spam.
He fired another. And another.
The Demon Beast accumulated wound after wound as it continued chasing him across the arena.
Its breathing grew heavier. Blood covered the sand beneath its feet yet it refused to stop.
"You’re persistent."
The timer continued counting down.
Four minutes. Three.
The fight became a battle of endurance.
Rook maintained his distance, firing Gale Blades whenever an opening appeared while carefully conserving every remaining point of mana.
The Demon Beast gradually slowed.
Its movements became sluggish.
Eventually, it stumbled.
Then it fell.
The enormous body crashed against the sand with enough force to shake the arena.
For several seconds, neither side moved.
Rook waited.
The creature’s chest continued rising and falling.
Rook lowered his hand.
’I don’t need to kill it.’ Cain had never said the objective was to defeat the Demon Beast. Only to survive.
Rook slowly backed away while keeping his eyes on the monster.
Above the arena, Cain silently watched the entire exchange.
One of the attendants finally broke the silence.
"He figured it out."
Cain nodded once.
"He evolved during combat. And he never once used the strongest thing he had unlocked when the weaker version would do."
A faint smile appeared beneath his helmet.
"For someone who awakened yesterday...he’s frightening."