2026-03-25 03:52:46Deep within the Forbidden Zone, the forest had long since lost its original form.
The ground was cracked and blackened.
The trees were twisted into grotesque shapes.
And the fog—
It was everywhere.
Thick. Endless. Suffocating.
By now, the concept of points had become meaningless.
Alaric glanced briefly at the system panel.
The number continued rising at an absurd rate.
But he closed it immediately.
It didn’t matter anymore.
If they couldn’t leave this place alive…
Even first place meant nothing.
“The scoring system might already be corrupted,” Tristan muttered, breathing heavily. “What’s the point anymore…?”
Kira didn’t respond.
Her focus remained ahead.
“Elena,” Alaric said quietly.
She stood at the front, her warhammer dragging slightly against the ground.
“I can feel it clearly now,” she said.
Her cold eyes fixed on the distance.
“The source is just ahead.”
The air suddenly grew heavier.
Then—
The fog surged.
From all directions, countless fog creatures emerged.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Their forms twisted and shapeless.
“Get ready!” Kira shouted.
Her Chimera roared and charged forward.
Tristan’s beast followed, but both of them were already exhausted.
The battle erupted instantly.
Elena stepped forward and swung her hammer.
BOOOOM!
A massive wave of fog exploded.
But—
More replaced it instantly.
Endless.
“Damn it!” Tristan shouted. “They won’t stop!”
Alaric’s eyes narrowed.
“They’re protecting something.”
Elena pushed forward, smashing through wave after wave.
But even she slowed down.
For the first time—
She was struggling.
“Master,” she said calmly, “there are too many.”
Then—
Through the dense fog—
They saw it.
A dark vortex floated in the air.
It pulsed like a living heart.
Black energy spiraled endlessly around it.
Kira’s eyes widened.
“…That’s it.”
Alaric nodded.
“The core.”
Elena tightened her grip on the hammer.
“Destroying it will end everything.”
But the closer they moved—
The more violent the fog became.
The clones attacked relentlessly.
Kira’s Chimera roared again, trying to hold them back.
But suddenly—
It staggered.
Blood dripped from its body.
“Kira!” Tristan shouted.
“My beast can’t take much more!” she replied, her voice strained.
Tristan’s beast was no better.
It collapsed to one knee, heavily injured.
“We can’t hold them!” Tristan yelled.
The fog creatures closed in.
Closer.
Closer.
Despair crept into their hearts.
Then—
A sudden surge of energy erupted from Kira’s Chimera.
Light exploded outward.
The creature roared, its body expanding, its aura intensifying.
Wings grew larger.
Its presence became overwhelming.
Kira gasped.
“…It’s evolving.”
The transformation completed in seconds.
The Chimera’s aura changed completely.
“Mythical rank…” Tristan whispered.
Kira clenched her fists.
“Let’s go!”
The newly evolved Chimera charged forward with renewed power.
It tore through waves of fog.
But—
Even that wasn’t enough.
The fog simply kept coming.
Endless.
Unstoppable.
Tristan’s voice trembled.
“…This isn’t working.”
Alaric felt it too.
The pressure.
The suffocating weight of death.
They were running out of time.
If this continued—
They would all die here.
Alaric’s eyes hardened.
“Elena.”
She turned slightly.
“Yes, Master.”
“This is our last chance.”
She nodded.
Without hesitation.
Elena stepped forward.
Her small figure moved straight toward the vortex.
The fog creatures swarmed her instantly.
But she didn’t stop.
She raised the warhammer high.
Then—
She swung.
BOOOOM!!
The hammer struck the core directly.
A shockwave exploded outward.
The fog trembled.
For a moment—
Everything froze.
Then—
Nothing happened.
The core remained intact.
Not even a crack.
Tristan’s face turned pale.
“…It didn’t work.”
Kira clenched her teeth.
“Even that… wasn’t enough?”
The fog surged violently.
More aggressive than before.
As if enraged.
The clones rushed forward like a tidal wave.
“We’re finished!” Tristan shouted.
Alaric stood still.
His mind raced.
There was only one option left.
His gaze fell on Elena.
“Elena.”
She looked back calmly.
“Yes.”
“Use your final ability.”
Kira froze.
“What?”
Alaric’s voice was firm.
“Divine Bloodline.”
Tristan’s eyes widened.
“Are you crazy?!”
Kira shouted, “If her balance collapses now, she won’t be able to fight again!”
Alaric didn’t hesitate.
“At this moment…”
His eyes locked on the core.
“Invincibility is useless.”
He spoke clearly.
“We need power.”
Elena nodded.
Without a single word of doubt.
“Understood.”
A dark aura began to rise from her body.
The light within her dimmed.
Darkness took over.
Her eyes turned deep black.
“God of Night Bloodline… activated.”
BOOM!
A terrifying energy exploded outward.
The ground cracked beneath her feet.
Her aura surged violently.
Alaric saw the system panel flash.
All attributes increased by 500%.
Tristan staggered back.
“…What the hell is that?”
Kira stared in shock.
“That power…”
Elena moved.
Faster than before.
Stronger than before.
The fog creatures were instantly torn apart as she advanced.
Nothing could stop her now.
She reached the core again.
And raised her hammer.
“Break.”
Her voice was cold.
She swung.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The impact shook the entire forest.
This time—
A crack appeared.
The core trembled violently.
Alaric’s eyes sharpened.
“It’s working!”
But—
The moment the core was damaged—
The fog creatures went insane.
They surged forward in a frenzy.
Even faster.
Even more violently.
“Watch out!” Tristan shouted.
They were surrounded instantly.
The situation worsened.
Even Elena began to slow.
The cost of her power was catching up.
Her balance was collapsing.
“Master…” she said quietly.
Alaric clenched his fists.
“Just a little more!”
The fog closed in.
Closer.
Closer.
Despair filled the air.
Then—
Elena raised the hammer one last time.
Her body trembled slightly.
But her eyes remained cold.
She leapt forward.
And brought the hammer down with everything she had left.
CRAAAAASH!!!
The core shattered.
Fragments of darkness exploded outward.
A piercing scream echoed across the entire realm.
The fog froze.
Then—
It began to collapse.
Piece by piece.
The clones dissolved into nothingness.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Unbelievable silence.
Tristan dropped to his knees.
“…We… did it?”
Kira stared at the fading darkness.
“…It’s over.”
Alaric looked at Elena.
She stood still for a moment.
Then—
Her body swayed.
And she collapsed.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 29: Intent to Kill
"Don't be too surprised, you don’t have time for that in a combat,” Josh said, putting aside his karambit knife as he stretched his hand towards her. “Go again, but with different information this time around. I might believe in balance, but that isn’t what I practice at all. Like I said earlier, sometimes all these decisions depend on the nature of the beast you are in contract with,” he said to all of them, going into another trance. Kira went back to her earlier stance, but this time she didn’t repeat the same mistake of charging in straight on, she was cautious. She closed the gap between herself and Josh so easily. She lunged in for an attack, but Josh easily moved away, dodging the attack with so much ease, but it was a feint, the part that he had moved into was a part of Kira's plan. Seeing that she had successfully manipulated her enemy into moving into the trap she had set for him, she wasted no time in changing her grip on the dagger and then swiping it to slash him. Bu
Chapter 28: Blink and You Miss.
Josh stood outside the classroom where the first years had gone into. He seemed to be staring and speaking to someone who was there but not visible to the naked eyes. He whipped his head to stare at the door for a few seconds before it opened, a little surprised as he saw all three first-years stepping out of the classroom with only one beast with them. Elena. The remaining two had kept their beast compressed. “That was extremely fast. You prodigies just make things look so easy, I wouldn’t blame those that hate you all, because you are the perfect embodiment and reminder of what or who they could have been, who they should be, and who society appreciates and recognizes.” The trio, or rather, the four of them turned to face him. Alaric scoffed at that statement, keeping his reply to himself. “Prodigy, huh?” Tristan asked with a chuckle. “If there are any prodigies, it is these two beside me, although I figured it out that day, but not as fast as these two.” “How did you know a
Chapter 27: Silvery Connection.
“I am pretty sure that all of you can feel it. That subtle mental connection between you and your beast, now, you will gently tug on that connection, and through that connection, you will pass your intent to your beast through that connection.” Professor Finn said, walking away from the podium and heading closer to the students. “Now. That is your own part of the compression, which is like half of it. The remaining half has to do with your beast. They have been engineered, and it is also stated in your contract that their goal is to protect you. Compressing them means that they will have no means of protecting you while they are in that state,” he explained, but he wasn’t done. “You have to find a way of communicating with your beast and making them trust you enough to actually give in to your intent and then let themselves be compressed. You should also know that some of these beasts will take time to be convinced. There is also the part of forcing them to do your will, but that wi
Chapter 26: Compression.
Alaric took one quick glance at the window that didn't lead to the sunlight. Nothing, just dim moss that lights up the room dimly. According to Andressa, there are a lot of rooms meant for them on the upper floors, but this is what they get for being first years.The second years have luminescent moss lighting up their room through the windows, and then the third years have prism-scattered sunlight coming in through the window. For the final years, they are the ones who get to actually get to enjoy direct sunlight, along with the headmaster, professors, and librarians. Those are one way to advance to higher rooms, but that isn't the only way.She said if the students become top performers, arguably on the same level as students in a particular year, then there are chances of them advancing to higher rooms. He adjusted the cloak he was putting on, it stopped at the back of his knee. Stepping out of the room, he moved to join the rest of the first years waiting outside, which were
Chapter 25: The Archives.
Alaric lay on his bed in the dormitory that he had been introduced to as his room. It had a bed that was placed close to the wall, and there was a window built into the mountain. The room didn’t have much in it, just a table and a chair in the corner, obviously for reading. To another corner, there was a wardrobe, the front doors were glass, made to be mirrors. Today was their first day, so nothing much had happened. Andressa had told them to just settle in after showing them a partial tour. That tour included the single training ground that they owned. Thirty years ago, the size of the training ground was beyond standard, given the equipment they had, but right now it is outdated. The tour had also included the archives. Alaric noticed something earlier during the day when they had arrived. He seemed to be the only one with barely sufficient knowledge concerning the academies and generally everything relating to beasts and history like that. With that thought in mind, he pushe
Chapter 24: Prodigies.
The moment Alaric stepped through the gates, he was met by a sight he didn't expect and that nearly drew out a surprised expression from him, but he kept his expression neutral.He had been expecting ruins, a half-damaged academy, but instead, it looked… perfectly fine. “It looks antique,” Kira noted, surprised in her tone. “Yeah,” Tristan muttered under his breath in response. Andrew walked past them, leaving them all to themselves. Josh was a couple of steps ahead of them and it seemed like since he had achieved his goal of being them in, he had no reason to stay among the first-years any more. Looking around, at the huge compound that stretched out, Alaric noticed a couple students busy with one thing or the other. There weren't many; you can probably count them on one hand. “Who the fuck are they? You seemed to know about them,” Andrew demanded the moment he caught up to Josh. The latter spared him a glance. “They are the best students of this year's examination.” Andrew q
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