The urban district was where Grayridge had once been most densely populated.
It was also the part of the city that had suffered the worst devastation during the Beast Tide.
Naturally, that meant the buildings here were far more damaged than those in the outer suburbs.
Wherever Kael looked, he could barely find a single structure that remained intact.
Collapsed apartment buildings.
Half-destroyed shopping centers.
Abandoned vehicles buried beneath rubble.
Broken roads swallowed by weeds.
Decades had passed, yet the destruction left behind by the Beast Tide was still impossible to hide.
Kael slowly walked through the ruined streets, his Obsidian Spear resting against his shoulder.
So this is why the government insists on using real combat for the examination.
The thought crossed his mind.
Blue Star’s governments had gone to extraordinary lengths to protect ordinary citizens.
Unless someone lived in an especially unfortunate city that suffered a Beast Tide breach, most civilians might never see a Ferocious Beast in their entire lives.
For an ordinary person, that was a good thing.
There was no reason to expose civilians to unnecessary danger.
But Ability Users were different.
They were humanity’s frontline defense.
If they grew up without ever understanding the true danger posed by Ferocious Beasts, they would eventually pay for that ignorance on the battlefield.
The Combat Examination was therefore more than a test of strength.
It was also a brutal lesson.
It forced young Awakeners to experience the danger of the wilderness while they were still under military supervision.
Better to learn what fear feels like here than during a real Beast Tide.
Kael’s thoughts were interrupted by a low growl.
“Roar…!”
Something suddenly burst from behind a pile of rubble.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
A massive beast charged into the street.
At first glance, it resembled a tiger.
But it was significantly larger.
Its fur was a mixture of yellow and dark blue, giving it a strange, almost metallic appearance.
The most terrifying feature, however, was its forearms.
Long bone blades extended from both limbs like enormous natural swords.
Despite being made of bone, they reflected the sunlight with a cold, metallic sheen.
A thick tail hung behind its body, dragging slightly across the ground.
Kael immediately recognized it.
“A Blade-Armed Tiger.”
His eyes narrowed further.
“A low-tier Tier One.”
Blade-Armed Tigers were relatively common Ferocious Beasts.
Their strength was also easy to estimate.
The length of the bone blades on their forearms revealed their tier.
If the blades were shorter than twenty centimeters, the beast was considered unranked.
Once they exceeded twenty centimeters, the beast entered Tier One.
The Blade-Armed Tiger standing before Kael had bone blades roughly twenty-two to twenty-three centimeters long.
That placed it firmly in the Low-Tier One category.
Compared with the unranked Blade-Armed Tigers Kael had encountered before, this creature’s aura was considerably stronger.
Its amber eyes were filled with a much more intense bloodlust.
Kael smiled faintly.
“Looks like I got lucky.”
He had only just entered the Core Region, and a Tier One Ferocious Beast had already appeared.
More importantly–
It was the perfect opponent to test his Advanced Spearmanship.
Kael finished the last mouthful of his nutrition bar.
His stomach finally felt full again.
“Perfect timing.”
He casually threw the empty wrapper aside.
“Let’s see what Advanced Spearmanship can really do.”
Instead of retreating, Kael charged forward.
The Blade-Armed Tiger immediately noticed him.
Its eyes widened slightly.
The human in front of it had a remarkably weak aura.
Yet that same human was actually charging toward it first.
The beast’s natural brutality was instantly provoked.
“ROAR!”
Its massive body exploded forward.
It charged like a tank, its claws digging into the ruined pavement.
Its enormous jaws opened wide.
The bone blades on its forearms gleamed dangerously.
To most candidates, the sight alone would have been terrifying.
A Low-Tier One Ferocious Beast was already far beyond what an ordinary Awakener could handle.
But Kael didn’t even blink.
His expression remained calm.
His right hand tightened around the Obsidian Spear.
The spear, which had been dragging along the ground behind him, suddenly swept upward.
Clang!
The weapon spun in a wide arc.
Then…
Kael thrust.
Puff!
The spearhead pierced the Blade-Armed Tiger’s abdomen before the beast could react.
A terrifying wound opened beneath its thick fur.
The Obsidian Spear had punched deep into its body, tearing through muscle and flesh.
Blood sprayed across the ruined pavement.
The Blade-Armed Tiger staggered.
“Awooo–!”
It let out a painful roar.
For an ordinary creature, an injury like that would have been enough to end the fight immediately.
But a Tier One Ferocious Beast was not an ordinary creature.
Its vitality was astonishing.
Instead of falling, the Blade-Armed Tiger became even more violent.
It twisted its massive body and charged again.
Kael’s expression didn’t change.
“As expected.”
He had never expected a single ordinary spear thrust to kill a Tier One beast instantly.
“Your vitality is impressive.”
The Blade-Armed Tiger swung one of its massive forearms.
Kael stepped aside.
The bone blade sliced through the air barely a few centimeters from his combat suit.
He countered immediately.
The Obsidian Spear flashed.
Puff!
Another wound appeared.
The beast roared.
Kael moved again.
Puff!
Another thrust.
The spearhead pierced its shoulder.
The Blade-Armed Tiger attempted to close the distance.
Kael stepped backward.
His spear remained between them.
Every time the beast tried to advance, the weapon struck first.
This was the true advantage of a spear.
Reach.
The Blade-Armed Tiger had enormous strength and terrifying claws.
Its bone blades could easily tear through an ordinary combat suit.
But it couldn’t reach Kael.
Before its claws could touch him, the spear was already there.
Kael’s movements were precise.
No wasted motion.
No unnecessary swings.
Every thrust targeted a vulnerable point.
The advantage of Advanced Spearmanship was becoming increasingly obvious.
The Obsidian Spear moved through Kael’s hands like a living creature.
Sometimes it was a straight line.
Sometimes it curved around the beast’s attacks.
Sometimes the shaft itself was used to deflect a claw.
The Blade-Armed Tiger grew increasingly furious.
But its anger couldn’t change the outcome.
Less than a minute later….
Puff!
The spear pierced its skull.
The enormous body froze.
Then it crashed heavily onto the ruined street.
Boom!
Dust rose into the air.
Silence returned.
Kael stood nearby.
His breathing was steady.
His combat suit was completely clean.
Not even a drop of the beast’s blood had touched him.
He glanced down at the corpse.
“That was easier than expected.”
Then the familiar mechanical voice of Deep Blue sounded inside his mind.
[Tier One Low-Tier Blade-Armed Tiger eliminated.]
[Ability Points +10.]
Kael’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Ten points?”
He had received only a few Ability Points from unranked beasts.
A Tier One Ferocious Beast had given him ten.
That was almost double the reward from many of the stronger unranked beasts he had fought earlier.
Kael’s smile widened.
“So that’s how it works.”
His gaze sharpened.
“If stronger beasts give more Ability Points…”
He looked toward the deeper part of Grayridge Town.
“…then I need to kill as many as possible.”
Kael swung the Obsidian Spear onto his back.
He didn’t waste another second.
He ran toward the direction from which the greatest number of roars could be heard.
The examination area had been divided according to the strength of the Ferocious Beasts.
Outer Region.
Middle Region.
Core Region.
Inner Region.
Most candidates could only survive in the Outer Region.
Even reaching the Middle Region required a certain level of strength and courage.
Only a small number of candidates dared to enter the Core Region.
As for the Inner Region….
That was an entirely different matter.
Tier Two Ferocious Beasts could be found there.
Even the strongest candidates from Rivergate First High School had to think carefully before entering.
For most students in Redhaven City, entering the Inner Region was essentially suicide.
Only true provincial-level geniuses had the confidence to venture that deep.
But Kael was different.
With an S-rank ability like Purple Sky Thunder, he naturally had the qualifications to enter.
There was only one problem.
Ability endurance.
Kael’s Purple Sky Thunder was incredibly powerful, but he couldn’t maintain it indefinitely.
Once his ability energy was exhausted, his combat effectiveness would drop.
That was why Kael had no intention of entering the Inner Region immediately.
He had another plan.
Stay in the Core Region.
Kill as many Ferocious Beasts as possible using only his physical strength and Advanced Spearmanship.
Then, during the final two hours—
Enter the Inner Region.
That would allow him to preserve his ability energy for the most dangerous stage of the examination.
Of course, the real wilderness outside the examination grounds was nothing like this.
There were no convenient zones marked by color.
There was no guarantee that the Outer Region contained weak beasts.
A candidate could walk through a seemingly safe area one moment….
And encounter a High-Tier Ferocious Beast the next.
That was the true wilderness.
One mistake could mean death.
Kael understood that perfectly.
This examination, however, was a rare opportunity.
He could fight Ferocious Beasts under controlled conditions.
He could accumulate combat experience.
And most importantly—
He could obtain Ability Points.
Deep Blue’s Ability Points were perhaps the greatest advantage he currently possessed.
As long as he had enough points, his strength could continue to rise.
Therefore, Kael had no intention of wasting a single second.
He searched for another Ferocious Beast.
Soon…
He found one.
A shadow moved between two collapsed buildings.
Kael’s eyes sharpened.
His spear flashed.
The battle ended quickly.
[Ability Points +6.]
Kael immediately moved on.
Another beast.
Another kill.
[Ability Points +5.]
Another.
[Ability Points +8.]
Another.
[Ability Points +10.]
Kael quickly discovered an important pattern.
The number of Ability Points awarded wasn’t determined solely by the beast’s tier.
It also depended on its actual combat strength.
For example, Shadow Cats and Horned Rhinos could both exist at the same general level.
But their actual combat abilities were very different.
A powerful Horned Rhino could fight several Shadow Cats at the same time.
Therefore, killing a peak unranked Horned Rhino could provide roughly the same Ability Points as killing a Low-Tier One Shadow Cat.
Kael didn’t care.
The exact calculation didn’t matter to him.
As long as the beast was strong…
He would kill it.
As long as it gave Ability Points….
He would take them.
His philosophy became extremely simple.
Find a beast.
Kill it.
Take the Ability Points.
Then repeat.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Kael moved through the ruined streets like a black shadow.
His Obsidian Spear repeatedly flashed through the darkness.
A Ferocious Beast would emerge from the ruins.
Kael would meet it.
A few seconds later….
It would be dead.
He didn’t use Purple Sky Thunder.
He didn’t need it.
His 141 Blood Qi Physique combined with Advanced Spearmanship was already enough to slaughter most of the beasts wandering through the Core Region.
His combat experience continued to rise.
His movements became smoother.
His understanding of the Obsidian Spear became deeper.
And the Ability Points on his Deep Blue System climbed steadily.
At the same time….
His examination score was rising at an equally frightening speed.
256.
Then higher.
Then higher again.
Kael didn’t even bother checking the ranking.
He was too busy hunting.
He had entered a state of complete concentration.
Find a beast.
Kill it.
Earn Ability Points.
Move on.
Find another.
Kill it.
Earn more Ability Points.
The cycle continued without pause.
The ruined streets of Grayridge Town gradually became filled with the corpses of Ferocious Beasts.
And Kael…
Was becoming more and more dangerous with every battle.
What he didn’t know was that his actions had already begun causing a stir outside the examination area.
The cameras had begun capturing his rapidly increasing score.
The ranking board had begun moving.
And the teachers and officials watching the examination were slowly realizing something strange.
The E-rank Awakener they had barely noticed before—
Was climbing.
Fast.
Very fast.
And before long, everyone would know his name.
Kael Veyron.
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