It's been three days since the Survival Exam had started.

Today was the fourth day. The huge domed shape barrier surrounding the forest had shrunk twelve kilometers.

Amon had already left that place yesterday, traveling toward the center of the forest. During that time, he had fought against many rank-one beasts. He really wanted to find Seraphina, team up with her, and earn some good points.

Killing them was easy. He fought bravely, happily, while getting a lot of points. And each time he saw students or groups, he would just run away from them.

No need to take unnecessary risks, that's what he always believed. He was smart when it came to running… or maybe not. Still, he needed to increase his talent in running.

Every time he remembered that night at the ancient city, it made him shudder. That wyvern was really dangerous.

But that was not important now. Amon was in a dangerous situation again.

Thud!

Currently, he was fighting against a rank-two monster. Poor him. He really wanted to run away.

"Hah! Why did I meet this thing now? Why is my luck so bad?" Amon cursed his luck. He was alone. Why did he need to fight against a rank-two beast?

Thud!

The beast's strong, huge hand landed on the ground with a thud where Amon was standing just moments ago, breaking and shattering the earthen ground.

Ursadon was a towering bear-like monster standing nearly three meters tall on its hind legs. Its body was covered in coarse, obsidian-black fur that gleamed faintly in the dark, as if absorbing light itself.

Jagged stone-like spikes ran along its spine and shoulders, glowing faintly with dim purple veins of mana.

Its claws were thick, curved, and capable of cutting through solid rock. Its red eyes gleamed with a dangerous hue. Hunger could be seen in its eyes.

"Roaaarrrrrr!" A dangerous roar left its mouth, echoing through the forest.

Its long and big hand shot at Amon again.

"Tsk!" Clicking his tongue, he gathered mana around his feet and jumped high, avoiding another attack.

Thud! Shattered rocks and earthen soil flew into the air.

Amon's left hand moved instantly while remaining in midair. The hatchet left his hand, the blade covered with shadow, ready to tear apart the monster's flesh to spill its blood.

And it was a success.

Crush!

The blade dug into its furry left shoulder. But it didn't dig too deep. And then fell down on ground.

"Growllll!" This time it growled angrily. It was really angry at this tiny human.

Amon landed on the ground.

The Ursadon's furious eyes locked onto him. a predator's gaze burning with rage. It swung its massive arm again, faster this time, smashing through trees like they were twigs.

Crash! Boom!

Splinters and dirt flew everywhere as Amon rolled aside, barely avoiding the impact. The ground where he'd stood seconds ago was now a crater. It had really made up its mind to crush this human.

"Damn it! It's faster than it looks!" he cursed, panting hard. Sweat rolled down his cheek as he dashed behind a rock. He quickly gathered his mana.

The air around him shimmered faintly. The shadow of the monster darkened, twisting unnaturally.

[Shadow Clutch]

Dark tendrils burst from the ground, latching onto the Ursadon's legs. The beast roared as the shadows constricted, pulling at its thick limbs.

For a moment. Just a moment. Amon saw hope. He raised his hand, forming a ball of swirling dark mist.

[Gloom Orb]

The black sphere shot forward and struck the Ursadon in the chest, exploding into a wave of darkness.

Boom!

Dust and smoke billowed, the monster's massive frame hidden behind it. Amon took a deep breath, his muscles trembling slightly from mana exhaustion.

Amon didn't waste time and conjured his newly learned spell. He pointed his finger at the monster's direction. A compressed spear of darkness pulsed in front of his finger, full of energy.

[Eclipse Bolt]

The sphere launched at high speed. It tore through the air, leaving dark energy smoky trails behind.

Another explosion occurred in the dark smoke.

BOOM!

"…Did I get it?" he muttered, squinting through the haze.

The answer came a second later.

"ROAAAARRRRR!!!"

The smoke scattered as the Ursadon charged out, even more furious. Its spikes now pulsing violently with purple mana. One of its eyes was bleeding, and around it was a wound formed by the attack. It was bleeding as well, but that only seemed to make it stronger. More angrier.

"Oh, come on!" Amon shouted, jumping sideways as the monster slammed its paw down again. The shockwave hit him mid-leap, throwing him off balance.

Thud!

He crashed onto the ground, rolling painfully over dirt and roots. The world spun. Before he could recover, the Ursadon's shadow loomed over him. Its claws raised high, glimmering with mana.

Instinct screamed at him. He rolled desperately, feeling the claws swipe past, barely missing his leg. The blow dug trenches in the earth where he'd been lying.

Amon coughed, blood on his lips. His body was covered in bruises. Half of his mana was drained because of this bastard.

If this kept up, he wouldn't last much longer.

"Alright… you big bastard," he muttered, dragging himself to his feet, "time to risk it."

He clenched his right hand, channeling all remaining mana into his sword.

The shadow around him quivered growing darker, heavier, wrapping around his arms and weapon.

[Umbral Veil Sword Art: First Form — Crescent of Dusk]

His blade gleamed black, humming with lethal energy. The Ursadon, sensing the danger, roared and charged forward like a boulder of living muscle.

Amon dashed toward it, the shadow on his sword bursting behind him like dark wings.

Amon swung his sword in a horizontal slash.

A beautiful dark crescent-shaped slash left his sword.

BOOM!

The monster's claw and slash collided against each other. Their collision shook the ground. The crescent slash sliced through the Ursadon's claw, blood spraying in a crimson arc. The beast howled, thrashing wildly. But Amon didn't stop.

He twisted midair, cutting again, this time across its shoulder. The earlier wound from his hatchet reopened, spilling more blood.

But the Ursadon wasn't done yet. With its uninjured arm, it swung, landing a glancing hit on Amon.

CRACK!

"Gaaah—!" Amon's ribs screamed in pain as he was thrown backward, slamming into a tree trunk. The impact sent stars across his vision. His sword nearly slipped from his hand.

He gasped, clutching his chest. "Still… not… dead?"

The Ursadon stumbled, panting heavily, blood dripping from its wounds, yet its eyes still glowed, unyielding.

Amon forced a grin through the pain. "Alright, fine… let's end this properly."

He raised his sword one last time, channeling as much mana as possible into his sword. His shadow pooled beneath him, spreading like ink across the ground.

The Ursadon lunged. Amon moved.

For an instant both disappeared from their place, lunging at each other with all their speed.

Then,

Slash!

A flash of black light. A shrill roar tore apart.

The beast froze mid-attack, its massive body trembling, then collapsed with a heavy thud, shaking the forest floor.

Amon stood behind it, panting hard, his sword lowered. The shadows faded from his blade, moving toward his feet again, leaving only silence… and the faint glow of his mana slowly dimming away.

"Hah… finally…" he muttered, falling to one knee, breathing raggedly. "That thing was… insane."

He had just killed a rank-two monster. For the first time, he had defeated something this strong alone. It was something to be proud of.

"Hehehe~" he laughed. It was proof that Amon had grown stronger. His fighting sense had increased as well, which was truly an amazing thing.

He looked at the massive corpse and gave a weak smile.

"At least I'll get a ton of points for this… wait… only 100 points?" he sighed. This felt wrong. Killing two rank-one monsters was much easier compared to killing one rank-two monster. Yet both situations gave him a hundred points.

What were the professors even thinking before deciding these ranks?

'All of them are idiots… except Professor Adelia,' he thought, cursing the others.

He leaned back against the tree, exhausted but alive. A small, tired grin tugging at his lips as the forest wind blew across his face.

He was going to rest for a while.

---

Just a kilometer away from Amon, a young man with dark blue hair was walking calmly.

His deep blue eyes held mystery. They were cold, full of resolve.

A long sword was held tightly in his right hand. He was moving exactly in the direction where Amon was resting.

From a tree, a monkey-type monster lunged at him.

"Growl!"

Slash!

A beautiful silver line formed cleanly, leaving shiny, star-like particles with it.

The monster was cleaved in half in the blink of an eye.

Arnold's sword had moved at unimaginable speed, killing it instantly.

His wrist bracelet shimmered, indicating he got points.

Then he continued his stride forward.

----

[A/N : Sorry. Only one chapter today.]

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