Knox's heel touched the arena boundary line. The spear point remained steady in front of him, while the Hooktail Lizard crouched low to his side with its hooked tail ready to sweep again. There was no clean path forward, no clean path sideways, and no safe room for Echo Step. Ignis was ready through the bond, but Knox kept him restrained because one wrong burst would end the match. The crowd grew louder as Knox's heel neared the boundary line. "He is boxed in." "There is nowhere left to move." "Tobin is picking him apart." This time, the words did not sound like mockery. They sounded like a verdict. Knox had 41/60 mana remaining. Enough to keep fighting, but not enough to waste. He also knew Tremor Palm could only be used once, and it needed direct palm contact. Tobin stepped forward carefully, using the spear to shrink Knox's space instead of rushing him. His expression remained calm, but there was something colder in his eyes now. "You have done well for a provisional stude

The timer reached zero and the system flashed.[Emergency Keeper Mission Complete][Reward Processing…][Hidden Attribute Requirement Met][Fulfilling System Attribute…]The screen completed.[System Attribute Fulfilled]Attribute: Mana ResonanceState: IncompleteEffect: Temporarily synchronizes the Keeper’s mana rhythm with his bonded beast.Duration: 6 SecondsWarning: Mana drain increases during activation.Knox stared at the screen, and for one stupid second, he wanted to curse the system out loud. He had survived Tobin’s merged assault for sixty seconds, expecting something that could actually save him. Instead, the system gave him an incomplete attribute that did not look like an attack, a defense, or a direct counter. Six seconds. That was all he got.Tobin saw Knox pause and assumed he had finally reached his limit. He moved forward, his hooked mana tail rising behind him. His spear pointed toward Knox’s chest. His merged body carried the confidence of someone who thought th

Knox's eyes moved across the infirmary room.Tobin stood just inside the doorway with three students behind him. Two wore academy badges near Tobin's rank range, but the third badge had a sharper silver band that caught the light.Rank 298.The Rank 298 student stepped forward before Tobin could speak. He was tall, neat, and moved like someone used to being obeyed. His academy robes fit perfectly, his dark hair was combed back, and his expression was calm, almost bored.He stopped near the foot of Knox's bed."Darius," the student said simply.No family name. No title. Just Darius, like Knox should already know who he was.Knox remained lying against the pillow, exhausted and weak. His mana sat at negative four, his body ached everywhere, and Ignis pressed close to his side, tense and alert.Knox gave them a tired look. "Did you come to deliver flowers or excuses?"Tobin's jaw tightened. One of the other students smirked while Darius did not react at all.That lack of reaction made hi

Students whispered before Crane arrived.Some were talking about Tobin’s Resonance Merge. Others were talking about Knox surviving it, winning, and collapsing after the match. A few still insisted Tobin only lost because Knox used some strange trick.Knox sat down with a quiet groan. His body was functional after a night of rest, but not perfect.He checked his condition.Mana: 50/100He silently counted the days since his bet with Crane. Around four days had passed, leaving him with roughly twenty-six days to reach Top 300.He thought about the Tobin fight. He had won, but the risk of that challenge still stung. If Tobin had been sharper or if Mana Resonance had failed, Knox would have lost badly.And now Tobin’s name was on the Hollowvein roster.Two other names had appeared with him.Lyle Brent.Cassa Rook.Knox did not know them. But he could swear they were the same two students who had stood behind Tobin in the infirmary.He did not want to think that way.Because if that was t

Knox and Serena focused on the cracked wall Ignis had found. Warm air slipped through the crack, and faint mana light glowed behind the stone. Knox pulled out his cheap utility knife and scraped at the weak seam, chipping away loose rock while Serena held the light stone close. Small fragments fell away with each scrape, revealing a deeper crack underneath. Serena helped clear the loose rock with her hands, prying pieces free and tossing them aside. Ignis clawed at the lower part of the crack, his movements restless and focused. His claws scraped against stone with sharp, insistent sounds. SCRAPE. SCRAPE. The tunnel went quiet except for their work. But then the noise woke something. A heavy scraping sound came from the side wall near the entrance. Knox stopped and turned his head toward the sound. Three large Oreback Beetles crawled out from cracks in the stone. Knox had expected to be fist size but they were all but that. Each one was shield-sized, with mineral-hard shells