Deep inside the Core Region of Grayridge Town, a ruined residential district had become a bloody battlefield.
More than a dozen Ferocious Beasts were tearing into one another.
On one side were four One-Horned Rhinos.
On the other were eight Blade-Armed Tigers.
If their numbers had been equal, the One-Horned Rhinos would have held the advantage.
Their thick hides and enormous bodies made them exceptionally difficult to bring down.
But there were twice as many Blade-Armed Tigers.
The difference in overall strength between the two sides was therefore not particularly large.
The Blade-Armed Tigers had only a slight advantage.
The battle had already been going on for quite some time.
Blood covered the cracked pavement.
Deep wounds had been carved into the bodies of both sides.
Yet strangely, none of the Ferocious Beasts had died.
That was the nature of Ferocious Beasts.
Once they began fighting, they rarely stopped until one side had been completely eliminated.
But then….
One of the Blade-Armed Tigers suddenly stopped.
Its nose twitched.
It had caught a scent.
The beast lowered its body and stared toward the entrance of the residential district.
A deep, threatening growl escaped its throat.
The other beasts immediately reacted.
The remaining Blade-Armed Tigers stopped fighting.
The One-Horned Rhinos also turned their heads.
One after another, every Ferocious Beast faced the same direction.
Their muscles tightened.
Their claws dug into the ground.
They were ready to attack at the slightest movement.
Then a figure slowly appeared at the entrance.
A young man.
He wore a black combat suit and sturdy combat boots.
His tall, lean figure moved with calm confidence.
His eyes were clear, but there was a sharpness hidden within them – a predatory edge that reminded one of a lone wolf.
A dark spear rested casually across his shoulder.
The black metal of the Obsidian Spear reflected the sunlight, its blade carrying a cold, dangerous gleam.
Kael Veyron looked at the beasts ahead.
His eyes brightened.
“Twelve Ferocious Beasts.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Perfect.”
This was the largest group he had encountered during the past hour.
And judging from their aura, every one of them was worth a considerable number of Ability Points.
Kael’s right hand slapped the bottom of the spear.
The Obsidian Spear immediately flipped through the air.
His hand caught it effortlessly.
The moment Kael was about to charge—
He stopped.
His eyebrows lowered slightly.
His gaze shifted toward an old building on the right.
The building had been partially destroyed during the Beast Tide decades ago.
Most of its windows were broken, and large sections of the outer wall had collapsed.
Kael stared into the darkness.
“Come out.”
His voice was calm.
“I know you’re there.”
A moment later, a young man walked out from behind the ruined building.
He was handsome, with slightly messy hair.
A long sword was strapped across his back.
His black combat suit was covered with dark-red stains.
Whether the blood belonged to him or to Ferocious Beasts was impossible to tell.
Despite his somewhat worn appearance, his eyes remained sharp.
Kael recognized him immediately.
“Ethan Blake?”
Ethan smiled.
“So you really are as perceptive as the rankings suggest.”
Kael raised an eyebrow.
Ethan Blake.
The famous Gale Sword.
The B-rank Wind-type student who had dominated the city’s rankings for most of the examination.
Until Kael took first place.
Compared with the polished and confident student everyone had seen before the examination, Ethan now looked considerably more exhausted.
His hair was disheveled.
His combat suit was stained with blood.
But that was hardly unusual.
After six hours of fighting Ferocious Beasts, almost every candidate who had reached the Core Region looked the same.
Kael glanced at him.
“How did you know it was me?”
Ethan laughed.
“There aren’t many candidates willing to enter the Core Region.”
He gestured toward the surrounding ruins.
“Anyone who reaches this far is already someone I’ve seen on the rankings.”
“Then suddenly, a stranger appears here.”
His smile widened.
“Who else could it be except the current first-place candidate?”
“I see.”
Kael nodded.
The Combat Examination had strict rules.
Candidates were forbidden from attacking one another.
Anyone caught deliberately attacking another candidate would immediately lose their examination qualification.
Besides, both Kael and Ethan had military tracking drones following them.
So there was little reason to suspect that Ethan had come here to ambush him.
Kael turned his attention back to the Ferocious Beasts.
He adjusted his grip on the Obsidian Spear.
Then he began walking toward them.
Ethan immediately realized what he was planning.
“Wait.”
Kael stopped.
“You’re seriously planning to fight that group alone?”
Kael looked at him.
His expression became slightly colder.
“What?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Are you trying to take my kills?”
Ethan froze.
For a moment, he felt an inexplicable chill.
That gaze…
It was as though he had suddenly become the target of a powerful Beast King.
Goosebumps rose across his arms.
What an incredible killing aura.
Ethan quickly shook off the strange feeling.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
He pointed toward the battlefield.
“There are two Mid-Tier One Ferocious Beasts among them.”
His expression became serious.
“You can’t deal with that many beasts alone.”
“If we work together, we might have a chance.”
Ethan had been watching the battle between the two groups for quite some time.
There were two different packs.
Each had a powerful Mid-Tier One beast acting as its leader.
Ethan had deliberately remained hidden.
His original plan was to wait until both sides had suffered heavy casualties before attacking.
But although the beasts were covered in wounds, none had actually died.
Worse, their fighting instincts had become even more savage.
Charging into the battlefield now would be extremely dangerous.
Yet Kael simply shook his head.
“No need.”
“I can handle it.”
His expression immediately softened after realizing Ethan wasn’t trying to steal his kills.
Then he tapped Ethan lightly on the shoulder.
“Stay here if you want.”
Kael raised the Obsidian Spear.
“I’ll be back in a moment.”
Before Ethan could respond, Kael disappeared.
He charged directly into the battlefield.
“Hey!”
Ethan reached out instinctively.
But Kael was already too far away.
Ethan could only sigh.
“Fine.”
He drew his sword.
“If you’re really that confident…”
A sharp light flashed through his eyes.
“Then let me see exactly what you’re capable of.”
Ethan remained outside the battlefield, ready to intervene if something went wrong.
But what happened next completely exceeded his expectations.
The instant Kael entered the group of Ferocious Beasts, his entire presence changed.
He became a blur.
The Obsidian Spear flashed.
Thrust!
A Blade-Armed Tiger charged toward him.
Kael’s spear shot forward.
The blade pierced directly through its throat.
The beast collapsed before it could even reach him.
Another attacked from the side.
Kael twisted his body.
The spear swept across.
Slash!
Blood sprayed through the air.
Another beast fell.
Then another.
And another.
Kael’s movements were so fast that Ethan could barely follow them.
The black spear seemed to disappear and reappear around Kael’s body.
Every thrust was simple.
Every movement was precise.
Every attack struck a vital point.
There was no wasted motion.
There was no hesitation.
In less than three minutes—
The battlefield had been transformed.
Of the twelve Ferocious Beasts that had been fighting moments earlier, only four remained.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
“What…”
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Two hours earlier, he hadn’t even known that Kael existed.
Then Kael had suddenly appeared in the rankings.
He had climbed into the top ten.
Then the top five.
And only a short while ago, he had taken first place.
Ethan had naturally become curious.
What kind of ability did this mysterious student possess?
An extremely powerful A-rank ability?
Perhaps some rare Enhancement ability?
Maybe even an ability with unusually high combat potential?
Ethan had imagined countless possibilities.
But none of them had prepared him for this.
Kael had not even used his ability.
He had simply relied on a spear.
And yet he had completely overwhelmed a group of Tier One Ferocious Beasts.
Ethan swallowed.
His mouth had gone dry.
Could he possess some kind of Enhancement ability?
Maybe he used it so subtly that I didn’t notice?
Ethan stared at Kael.
The battle was already nearing its end.
The remaining beasts attacked together.
Kael moved.
The Obsidian Spear flashed like black lightning.
One thrust.
Two.
Three.
The beasts collapsed one after another.
Finally…
The last Blade-Armed Tiger King fell heavily onto the cracked pavement.
Silence returned to the ruined residential district.
Kael stood among the corpses, breathing steadily.
Then the familiar notifications appeared inside his mind.
[Killed one Low-Tier One One-Horned Rhino.
Ability Points +12.]
[Killed one Low-Tier One Blade-Armed Tiger.
Ability Points +10.]
[Killed one Mid-Tier One Blade-Armed Tiger.
Ability Points +15.]
More notifications followed.
Kael’s eyes brightened.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
The feeling was incredible.
Every powerful Ferocious Beast meant more Ability Points.
Every battle brought him one step closer to becoming stronger.
What a harvest.
Kael glanced toward the surrounding ruins.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to enjoy it for long.
The Combat Examination would end tonight.
Once it was over, he wouldn’t have an environment like this again.
No endless supply of Ferocious Beasts.
No constant opportunities to earn Ability Points.
Therefore….
He needed to make every minute count.
“I’ve got to keep moving.”
Kael turned toward Ethan.
“See you.”
Before Ethan could reply, Kael sprinted away.
His figure crossed the ruined street in an instant.
Seven meters.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared behind the buildings.
Ethan finally came back to his senses.
“Wait!”
He immediately shouted.
“Kael!”
There was no response.
Ethan cupped his hands around his mouth.
“Is your ability an Enhancement-type?”
Kael’s voice drifted faintly from somewhere in the distance.
“No.”
A short pause.
Then…
“Lightning-type.”
Ethan froze.
“L-Lightning-type?”
He stood there in disbelief.
Lightning-type?
Where?
He had watched the entire battle from beginning to end.
There hadn’t been even the slightest trace of lightning.
Not a spark.
Not a flash.
Nothing.
Ethan stared in the direction Kael had disappeared.
His expression slowly became strange.
“Even if you don’t want to tell me your ability…”
He muttered under his breath.
“You didn’t have to make something up.”
“What a strange guy.”
Ethan shook his head.
Then he remembered Kael’s expression when he had first approached the battlefield.
“He actually thought I was going to steal his kills?”
Ethan couldn’t help laughing.
“Who would dare steal kills from a monster like you?”
He glanced at the corpses scattered throughout the ruined street.
Besides…
The Core Region contained countless Ferocious Beasts.
Why would he worry about running out of targets?
If anything…
Ethan’s expression became slightly resentful.
“I’ve been watching these two groups fight for more than ten minutes.”
He sheathed his sword.
“If anyone stole anything…”
He glanced toward the direction Kael had disappeared.
“It was you who stole my kills.”
Ethan shook his head and walked away, muttering to himself.
“Lightning-type…”
He still couldn’t understand it.
But one thing was certain.
The mysterious first-place candidate from Rivergate Second High School was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
And Kael Veyron’s rise had only just begun.