Derek stared at Rose, then back at Harry. "But... but that thing just destroyed a Level 5 drake-controller like it was nothing! How is that trash-tier?!""It's not," Yona said quietly, studying Rose with new appreciation. "It never was, was it?"Harry didn't answer. Instead, he gestured toward the two bodies lying in the clearing. "What happened here? How did you encounter that fog creature?"The levity drained from the group immediately. Derek's face crumpled, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks."We were hunting together," Yona explained, her voice heavy. "Five of us—we'd been friends since childhood. We found a good spot with Level 2 beasts and were doing well. Then that... that thing appeared. We didn't even see it at first. The drake just attacked us out of nowhere, moving wrong, like it was drunk or possessed.""Jason tried to defend us," the stone turtle girl whispered. "He was always the brave one. But the drake was too strong. It killed him in one hit. Just... just one hit."

The group rushed toward the nearest exit point—a clearing marked by glowing runes where the portal would manifest. Other candidates were already there, dozens of them, all looking expectant and terrified.The runes pulsed.And pulsed.And pulsed.Nothing happened."Why isn't it opening?" someone shouted."It should be opening!""Something's wrong!"Panic erupted. Candidates pushed and shoved, some crying, others shouting accusations. The portal remained stubbornly closed, its runes glowing mockingly.Harry's blood ran cold. This wasn't supposed to be possible. The realm's magic was ancient, absolute. When the trial ended, it opened. Always.Unless something was interfering on a fundamental level.Across the realm, John's group huddled in a rocky outcropping, their earlier confidence completely shattered."Where the hell is the portal?!" John screamed, his voice cracking. His perfectly styled hair was matted with sweat and dirt. Blood streaked his expensive clothes from multiple encoun

Silence.Then chaos."We have to do something!" a woman screamed from the observation deck—a parent, Harry realized, who'd been allowed to watch the examination."My son is in there! He's only eighteen!""Please, you have to save them!"More parents joined the outcry, their voices rising in desperate pleas. Cross raised his hand, and somehow, the gesture brought silence."I understand your pain," he said quietly. "But you need to understand the reality. An ordinary Fog Demon is equivalent to a Level 20 magical beast. Its core—the only way to kill it permanently—is protected by dense fog that creates infinite clones. The clones can't be killed, only temporarily dispersed. They regenerate endlessly.""Then the candidates..." Walsh couldn't finish the sentence."Have no chance," Cross said bluntly. "These are newly awakened tamers with Level 1 to Level 5 beasts at most. Even working together, they couldn't scratch a Level 20 entity. The Fog Demon will hunt them systematically until every

Rose destroyed the clones attacking Luna, but more kept coming. They were being overwhelmed. Tumble was already unconscious, his earth armor shattered. Ben had collapsed, unable to stand on his frozen leg. Only Harry, Rose, Yona, and Luna remained fighting.And they were losing."This isn't working!" Yona shouted, tears streaming down her face. "There are too many! We can't—"Luna suddenly began to glow.Brilliant white light erupted from the Chimera's body, so bright it forced the fog clones back. Yona gasped as her beast began to transform. Luna's three heads merged, reforming into a single massive draconic head with crystalline horns. Her wings expanded, now crackling with pure elemental energy that seemed to warp the air around them. Her body grew larger, muscles rippling with newfound power that radiated like a physical force.[Evolution Complete: Chimera → Mythical Hydra][Rank Increased: Legendary → Mythical]"She evolved!" Ben gasped from the ground, his eyes wide with awe and

The fog clones went berserk, thousands of them materializing simultaneously. They poured into the clearing like a tsunami, desperate to stop Rose before she could finish.But they were too slow.Rose spun, her hammer extended, and the movement created a cyclone of destructive force that dissolved every clone within a hundred feet. Then she turned back to the core and struck with both hands, putting every ounce of her amplified strength into a single devastating blow."Crushing Blow!"The hammer blazed with power so intense it hurt to look at. When it connected with the core, time seemed to stop.For a heartbeat, nothing happened.Then reality caught up.The core shattered.Not cracked or damaged—shattered completely. Fragments of corrupted darkness exploded outward, and where they touched the ground, they dissolved into harmless light. The swirling vortex that had anchored the Fog Demon to this realm began to collapse, imploding on itself.The entity's death scream echoed across dimens