Chapter 90: The Hunter Emerges
Chapter 90: The Hunter Emerges
Andras moved silently through the forest.
His footsteps were so light that not even the carpet of fallen leaves beneath him stirred.
The surrounding shadows flowed past him as though they welcomed his presence.
Moments later, Echo Resonance detected a violent disturbance ahead.
A battle.
Without slowing his pace, he leaped onto a towering tree and settled upon one of its massive branches.
His violet eyes calmly surveyed the battlefield below.
A young commoner was locked in a desperate struggle against a towering beast.
The monster resembled a panther nearly three meters long.
Instead of fur, dark emerald scales covered its muscular body, gleaming like polished crystal beneath the scattered rays of sunlight. Jagged crystalline spikes ran along its spine, while a pair of amber eyes radiated the cold intelligence of a seasoned predator.
Verdant Crystal Panther.
C-Rank Monster.
Opposing it stood a young man clad in battered leather armor.
Blood streamed from a wound above his eyebrow.
Bruises covered both of his arms.
Heavy steel gauntlets protected his fists, though they were already dented from repeated impacts.
His breathing had become ragged.
His mana was nearly exhausted.
Yet despite everything...
Determination still burned fiercely within his eyes.
The panther lowered its body.
Its muscles coiled like tightly wound springs.
Then—
BOOM!
The beast exploded forward.
Its enormous body blurred across the battlefield with terrifying speed, crystal claws aimed directly at the young man’s throat.
The exhausted student instinctively raised both arms.
Too late.
His body had already reached its limit.
His movements were sluggish.
His vision blurred.
A single thought flashed through his mind.
...I’m going to die.
A ripple spread through the air.
Andras stepped forward.
His hand reached into his spatial ring.
A jet-black longsword emerged, its polished blade reflecting the fragmented rays of sunlight filtering through the canopy.
Mana surged into the weapon.
Not ordinary mana.
Echo Resonance infused the blade with countless microscopic vibrations.
A faint humming sound echoed from the edge as the vibrating mana sharpened it to an extraordinary degree.
At the same time—
The Sovereign Predator Physique awakened.
Power flooded every muscle in his body.
His senses sharpened.
His strength multiplied.
Without the slightest hesitation—
"Echo Steps."
A ripple spread beneath his feet.
"Shadow Step."
His figure dissolved into darkness.
For an instant...
He disappeared completely.
The next moment—
He stood directly before the charging panther.
The monster’s amber pupils contracted violently.
Too fast.
It couldn’t react.
Andras calmly raised his sword.
His expression remained completely indifferent.
"Execution Line."
A single arc of violet light swept across the battlefield.
Silence followed.
The Verdant Crystal Panther continued forward for two more steps.
Then—
A thin crimson line appeared across the center of its body.
Its massive form split cleanly into two perfect halves.
Blood scattered across the forest floor before both halves dissolved into countless particles of light.
The C-Rank monster had been slain instantly.
Silence engulfed the battlefield.
The young commoner stood frozen.
His widened eyes remained fixed on the place where the monster had vanished.
One strike.
That was all it had taken.
A monster that had pushed him to the brink of death...
Had been killed as effortlessly as cutting through paper.
Slowly...
He turned toward his savior.
A handsome young noble stood nearby, calmly wiping the blood from his blade before returning the sword to its sheath.
His expression remained as calm as ever.
As though he had merely brushed away an inconvenience.
The commoner swallowed nervously before stepping forward.
"My... my name is Rowan ."
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
"You saved my life."
A hopeful smile appeared on his face.
"If you’re willing..."
"...would you like to form a team with me?"
Andras looked at him quietly.
Then...
A faint smile appeared.
"Oh."
"You don’t need to thank me."
"I didn’t save you out of kindness."
Rowan blinked.
His smile stiffened.
Andras continued in the same calm tone.
"I killed the monster because I wanted its points."
"As for forming a team..."
His smile deepened ever so slightly.
"I intervened before it killed you because..."
"...if it had..."
"...I wouldn’t have been able to claim your points afterward."
Silence.
Rowan’s expression froze.
The gratitude in his eyes vanished.
Disbelief replaced it.
Then...
Fear.
Every instinct screamed the same warning.
Run.
Without another word, he spun around and sprinted through the trees with everything he had left.
Unfortunately...
He was already too late.
Behind him came a calm voice.
"Execution Line."
A streak of violet light flashed through the forest.
Rowan never even felt the blade.
His body dissolved into countless motes of light before it could hit the ground.
He had been eliminated from the examination.
The forest fell silent once more.
Andras watched the fading particles without the slightest change in expression.
"Easy points."
He calmly sheathed his sword.
Throughout the entire battle...
He had revealed only two of his abilities.
Echo Resonance.
Sovereign Predator Physique.
Nothing else.
He quietly reflected on his decision.
A single Talent is enough to justify my physical strength.
If I continue revealing everything I possess...
The professors observing this examination will inevitably become suspicious.
His gaze remained calm.
Abyssal Shadow Dominion must remain hidden.
There was no advantage in exposing every card in his hand.
Some abilities were infinitely more valuable...
...when no one knew they existed.
Just then—
Professor Alaric’s voice echoed across the Simulation Realm once again.
"Attention, students."
"Another fifty participants have been eliminated."
"Only one hundred students remain."
The announcement faded into silence.
Andras slowly lifted his gaze toward the endless forest stretching before him.
"So..."
"...the final stage has begun."
Only one hundred participants remained.
Within a short time...
Half of them would disappear.
His objective had never changed.
The student currently ranked first possessed the greatest number of points in the entire examination.
There was no reason to waste time hunting weaker opponents.
He would simply claim the largest harvest.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"I should hurry."
A ripple spread beneath his feet.
"Echo Steps."
His figure blurred.
Then vanished into the forest like a phantom.
---
Elsewhere...
A deafening roar shook the ancient woodland.
Towering oaks trembled violently as an enormous beast burst through the trees.
The creature stood nearly four meters tall.
Its body resembled a monstrous bear clad in armor forged from black stone. Jagged obsidian plates covered its limbs, while crimson veins pulsed beneath the cracks in its rocky hide like rivers of molten lava.
Each thunderous step shattered the earth beneath its feet.
Its burning golden eyes blazed with feral rage.
Obsidian Earth Bear.
Peak B-Rank Monster.
The strongest monster within the entrance examination.
Standing before it was a lone elf.
Long emerald hair danced gracefully in the forest breeze.
Elegant silver armor rested lightly upon her slender frame without restricting her movements.
A beautifully crafted bow rested firmly in her hands.
Her emerald eyes remained calm.
Focused.
She hadn’t suffered a single wound.
She was—
Elaria Sylvanis.
A daughter of one of the Great Elven Houses.
Her S-Rank Talent—Nature’s Dominion allowed her to command the forest itself.
Within woodland, her senses expanded dramatically.
Every rustling leaf.
Every shifting branch.
Every heartbeat carried through the trees reached her awareness.
Nature replenished her mana continuously.
The surrounding vegetation answered her will without hesitation.
This battlefield...
Was her kingdom.
The Obsidian Earth Bear roared before charging.
The ground quaked beneath its tremendous weight.
Elaria calmly drew her bowstring.
The surrounding forest answered her call.
Leaves shimmered.
Vines swayed.
Countless streams of emerald mana gathered around a single arrow.
"Spirit Arrow."
She released the string.
The arrow became a brilliant beam of green light.
It pierced straight through the bear’s shoulder before erupting into countless enchanted vines that wrapped around its massive body.
The monster roared in fury.
With overwhelming strength, it tore through the restraints.
But...
The brief delay was enough.
Elaria had already moved.
She danced effortlessly through the forest.
Each graceful step seemed guided by nature itself.
Roots shifted beneath her feet.
Branches bent to create perfect pathways.
Leaves concealed her movements.
No matter how fiercely the Obsidian Earth Bear attacked...
It couldn’t lay a single claw upon her.
Every arrow she released struck the gaps between its obsidian armor.
Tiny cracks gradually spread across its rocky hide.
The beast’s furious roars echoed endlessly through the forest.
Yet the battle had never truly been equal.
Within the embrace of nature...
An elf blessed by the forest stood at the peak of her power.
The mighty Obsidian Earth Bear...
Was slowly, methodically...
Being hunted.
---
Far away...
A ripple spread through the shadows.
A lone figure appeared atop a distant branch overlooking the battlefield.
Andras.
His violet eyes quietly settled upon the unfolding battle below.
A faint smile slowly spread across his face.
"...Found you."