Zane heard the sweetest sound he could imagine—

the chime of the System.

Ding!

[Auxiliary Quest No. 1 Completed!]

[+2000 Points granted to all stats]

[Host's Updated Stats:]

Strength: 3464 (Core) + 5 (Divine Radiance) + 10 (Divine Strike) → 3479

Agility: 3475 (Core) + 5 (Divine Radiance) + 10 (Luminous Step) → 3490

Intelligence: 3470 (Core) + 5 (Divine Radiance) + 10 (Sacred Barrier) → 3485

Health: 7250 / 7250 (Regen: 160 HP/s)

Mana: 8370 / 8370 (Regen: 60 MP/s)

Current Load: 35,567 kg

Mana Core Rating: One-Star

Suddenly, a powerful aura surged through his body. Mana and raw energy flooded every cell, making his veins bulge and his heartbeat thunder in his ears.

Yet—he felt no pain. No harm. Only pressure, burning to be released.

His gaze swept the battlefield. Then he spotted them—an entire cluster of beasts, each with Strength stats hovering around 9995.

"Perfect timing. Let's burn this off. Luminous Step!"

His figure blurred into a streak of white motes.

A twin-headed ape came into view. Zane's fist shattered it into a wet explosion. He didn't bother with the core stone—Auxiliary Quest 1 was done.

One strike. Move on. Another strike. Move on.

The trail he left behind was nothing but meat paste.

Finally, he found it—his true prey.

The corrupted Mammoth.

It looked like an elephant, except for the massive hump on its back and the unnervingly curved tusks.

The System displayed its stats:

Strength: 9999

Agility: 9999

Intelligence: 9999

One single point away from breaching into Two-Star territory.

Its eyes locked onto his. There was intelligence there—

and fury.

It knew.

It knew Zane had already slaughtered hundreds of its kin.

It roared, and the earth quaked.

Zane stopped in his tracks, feeling the tremors run up his legs.

"This… feels like the perfect target to unload everything."

He considered letting it strike first—or charging in immediately.

Decision made: "I'll wait."

The mammoth struck first.

Mana flared around its legs, runic sigils spinning in intricate patterns. It trumpeted, unleashing a devastating sonic wave.

Zane braced, lowering his stance, channeling part of his load into sheer resistance.

The forest around him was not so lucky.

Trees tore from the ground.

Weaker beasts were flung through the air like ragdolls.

Even some of the stronger beasts were sent tumbling in the gale.

The wild mammoth, realizing its magical attack had little effect on Zane, raised its trunk and trumpeted again.

Zane dug his feet into the ground, using his weight to stay rooted.

He was wrong.

The beast spat out a massive net of clear water—one that shimmered with magical energy.

Zane instantly activated his movement technique, his figure flickering like a shadow.

Yet, no matter how fast he moved, the beast seemed to track him. More watery nets shot forth in rapid succession.

Each one narrowly missed, slapping against the ground instead.

The moment they landed, the nets dissolved into a slick liquid, and everything they touched withered. Grass shriveled, the earth turned black, and the very life essence was sucked away.

Zane's eyes narrowed.

That water contains poison… or some kind of life-draining property.

The mammoth didn't relent. Sonic waves blasted toward him between volleys of those deadly nets.

Zane understood—this was only the warm-up.

Judging from the mana consumption, he estimated the creature could fire at least fifty thousand such spells, thanks to its enormous mana reserves and rapid regeneration rate.

Suddenly, the mammoth stopped its assault.

Its eyes locked on him, and a faint ripple in the air told Zane exactly what it was doing—mana scanning.

A System notification confirmed it.

The beast trumpeted in confusion. It couldn't read his mana quality.

"Not even a Two-Star beast, and you think you can scan my stats? Foolish." Zane's voice rang out, cold and mocking.

The mammoth didn't understand his words, but the tone alone was enough to provoke it. It let out an enraged roar, rearing up before slamming its forelegs down.

A glowing sigil flared beneath its feet. In an instant, jagged earthen spikes erupted from the ground in all directions.

Zane burst forward with his Luminous Steps. With an extra two thousand points added to his Agility, his top speed had nearly tripled.

He dashed clear just in time. When he glanced back, the battlefield was a forest of rocky spikes—five unfortunate late-stage beasts had been skewered by the attack, their bodies dangling in the air.

Each spike's tip was coated in that same bubbling, watery substance. The impaled beasts' flesh began to dissolve, their vitality drained in moments. They screamed in agony, their bodies twisting before collapsing into husks.

A gust of wind swept through, scattering their remains into pale dust.

"That watery skill… one touch, and it's game over," Zane muttered, eyes narrowing. "But that just makes this more fun."

The fight between man and beast had grown so violent that nearby students turned their heads. When they saw the mammoth's destructive magic, the color drained from their faces. Even the stubborn freshers, dead set on entering the city, reconsidered and edged away.

The terrain was unrecognizable—ripped apart by magic and raw force.

Zane blurred across the battlefield, reveling in his newfound speed. If I still had my old pace, I'd be in trouble against this lunatic… He smirked. You're better than most late-stage One-Star beasts or humans I've fought. I bet you can survive a few punches… shame you already know how deadly my fists are.

The mammoth wasn't stupid—it kept up its barrage of ranged magic, refusing to let him close in. Its mana bar barely dipped, and when it did, it surged back like a tide. The regeneration rate was absurd.

"Alright," Zane cracked his neck. "I'll get serious too."

He launched forward. "Luminous Step!"

His figure became a blur.

The mammoth trumpeted, hurling a flurry of watery nets. Each one hissed as it cut through the air, aiming to drench him in death. When Zane closed in, a sonic wave blasted from its trunk, forcing him to halt and root himself with sheer weight.

The wave tore a swath through the forest, ripping entire groves out by the roots. Students who had been watching quickly retreated—only a madman would take this monster alone.

The nets came again.

Zane veered off, keeping his distance. The risk was too great—he'd seen what that liquid could do. This wasn't about cuts or burns. One touch, and it would strip him of his very vitality.

His eyes sharpened. Time to end this.

Still in motion, weaving through the incoming nets, he began forming hand seals—one after another. Mana surged inside him like a roaring river.

If anyone had seen it, their jaws would've dropped. Casting a high-level skill while maintaining peak-speed movement? Few in the world could manage it.

But he could.

The last seal formed.

"Sacred Barrier."

White motes of mana burst from Zane's body, swirling like fireflies in a storm. Sigils ignited across the ground, and a radiant sphere of light snapped into place around him. The brilliance was blinding—students shielded their eyes, and the mammoth was forced to squint against the glare.

It didn't need sight to fight. Snapping its eyes shut, it unleashed another storm of watery nets, spraying in every direction.

This time, Zane didn't even bother to dodge. He surged forward. The sacred dome shimmered with every impact, each deadly stream dissolving harmlessly against the light.

In a heartbeat, he was there—right in front of the beast.

The mammoth smelled him. It trumpeted, an ugly mix of surprise, rage, and fear, and reared up to crush him beneath its front legs.

Too slow.

Zane's fist slammed into its chest. Muscle compressed, bones bent inward with a sickening crunch, and the beast collapsed to the ground, bellowing in agony. It writhed, unable to rise.

"So this is all you've got?" Zane stepped closer, voice like ice. "I praised you for nothing. I've had enough of your tricks… now feel my stampede."

He raised his leg and brought it down like a falling mountain. The impact echoed across the battlefield. The mammoth gave one last roar, then fell silent forever.

The excess energy inside him finally bled away—mostly. "Feels good," he muttered. "Though I'm still running at half pressure."

Kneeling, he dug the core stone from its skull. The green card absorbed it instantly. He grinned. "Still intact after one punch. No explosion. Good meat." He stuffed the carcass into his silk pouch.

His eyes swept the field. "How's the team doing?"

He spotted the twins and burst out laughing. "Hah! Look at them—bulldozing straight through the beasts. Knives to the legs, cripple them, move on. Efficient."

Next, Asphalt—cutting beasts down and hurling his blade like a boomerang. "Not surprised anymore. Bet he's still holding back."

Then he scanned for Henry. "Where's that brat? Probably chasing after something—"

He froze. A mountain of corpses—three stories high—rose ahead. And at the very top sat Henry, drenched head to toe in blood.

"…What the hell?" Zane squinted. "Did he kill all of them? No wonder his ranking shot up from the bottom. Asphalt was right to be wary… but why do I still feel like this kid's pure as a newborn, even covered in gore?"

His gaze shifted to the six towering figures at the city wall. They lounged like predators watching a buffet. None of the participants had died yet, but more than half had been injured badly enough to be sent home.

"Fine. Let them clear the leftovers. Then I'll take the six."

He leaned back against a tree, resting, as the battlefield shifted.

Students from noble and super families had already finished their sectors, regrouping and recovering their mana for the inevitable clash with the giants. Meanwhile, the others struggled to bring down the last of the late-stage One-Star beasts, slowly finding and exploiting each weakness until the tide began to turn.

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