Noah pushed the giant monster onto its back.

The Minotaur’s massive body crashed heavily against the ground, causing the surrounding earth to tremble slightly.

Its crimson skin was covered in frost, and the deep wound across its abdomen remained frozen solid.

Noah jumped onto the corpse. The mana core was usually located somewhere near the chest of monsters like this.

A dagger appeared in his hand.

"Okay, let’s deal with it—"

Suddenly, something shot toward him.

Noah heard it immediately.

The object tore through the air at incredible speed.

His instincts screamed. Without hesitation, he jumped to the opposite side of the Minotaur’s body.

BOOM!

A massive fireball exploded where he had been standing only a moment ago. The corpse shook from the impact.

"Shit! I missed him!"

An unfamiliar female voice echoed through the forest.

Noah immediately stood up and looked toward the source.

Two students emerged from between the trees. A young man and a young woman.

Noah didn’t recognize either of them. That meant they were probably from another class.

The young man carried a sword in his hand. The woman held a magic wand. Both looked ready for battle.

"Oh? You’re Noah Eldritch, aren’t you?" the young man asked with a grin. "We didn’t see you properly and attacked without warning."

Despite his words, there wasn’t the slightest trace of apology on his face. His sword remained raised.

The girl beside him was already channeling mana through her wand.

"No hard feelings, Noah," she said with a confident smile. "This is an exam. We can’t afford to show mercy."

Noah simply smiled.

Then, to their confusion, he climbed back onto the Minotaur’s body before casually jumping down again.

"Don’t worry," he said gently while walking toward them. "I’m not sad or angry."

The distance between them slowly shortened. His smile remained calm.

"Well then..."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Let’s end this."

The young woman immediately began casting. A large magic circle rapidly formed before her.

At the same time, the young man coated his sword with mana.

However Noah was faster than both of them. Mana surged through his body. Above him, ice rapidly condensed.

One weapon.

Five weapons.

Ten weapons.

Fifteen weapons.

A mixture of swords, spears, and battle axes materialized in the air. The entire process took only seconds.

Both students froze. Shock appeared on their faces.

The young woman’s concentration immediately broke. The half-formed magic circle shattered into countless particles.

Even the young man unconsciously stepped backward. "Haha! You think this can intimidate us?"

Noah only smiled.

He didn’t answer.

Instead all fifteen weapons shot forward simultaneously.

SHHHH!!

The air screamed.

"Fuck!"

The young man’s face changed dramatically. "What are you doing? Form a barrier!" he shouted toward his partner.

The girl hurriedly raised her wand. But she was too late.

SLASH!

Two ice swords pierced through her defenses and sliced across her side. An ice axe buried itself deep into her thigh.

"ARGHHHH!!"

She screamed and collapsed. At the same time, the young man immediately abandoned the fight.

He turned around and ran. Unfortunately an ice spear shot forward.

THRUST!

The weapon pierced through his back.

Noah had intentionally avoided any vital areas.

"ARRRGHHHH!!"

Both students fell onto the ground. Their bodies began shimmering. It was like a broken image. Like a digital glitch.

Then they disappeared completely. Teleported away by their battle gear. They would be at academy base and would be treated immediately.

So Noah didn’t need to worry about injuring them.

Noah watched them vanish.

"They were weak."

He turned around and returned to the Minotaur. The battle hadn’t even lasted half a minute.

Without wasting time, he climbed onto the corpse again. Then he began cutting through its chest. "Man, I fought one battle after another."

He sighed. "Hope no new student or monster attacks me."

Fighting continuously had left him slightly tired. After several minutes of searching, he finally found it.

A mana core of rank E monster. A crimson crystal roughly the size of a fist.

"Found you. This will be useful for me. "

He wiped away the blood before placing it inside his storage ring. Afterward, Noah sat atop the Minotaur’s corpse for a while.

"Hmm... Instructor Morgana didn’t exactly tell us the distance."

He clicked his tongue.

"Dammit. We have no choice but to keep moving until we find the beacon."

His gaze drifted northward.

"How far is it? What dangers are ahead? We have no idea."

Noah stood up.

’Also, I need to avoid Damien.’

A grim expression appeared on his face.

’That guy is crazy strong even if we both are at same core level.’

Soon, Noah resumed running north. Completely unaware that the person he wanted to avoid the most was actively searching for him.

---

Several kilometers away. A golden line suddenly appeared in the air.

A compressed projectile of radiant energy shot forward.

THRUST!

The attack pierced directly through a monster’s chest. The beast collapsed instantly.

THUD!

Behind it, three more monsters charged forward.

They resembled giant tigers covered in white fur.

Each stood over one and half meters tall. Their saber-like fangs protruded from their mouths while glowing blue eyes burned with hostility.

Damien stood calmly before them. A golden sword rested in his hand. The next moment he disappeared.

His speed resembled a flash of lightning. One moment he stood still.

The next, he had already passed all three beasts.

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

Three clean cuts appeared across their bodies. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then blood erupted into the air.

The monsters slowed. Their legs gave out beneath them.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

All three collapsed lifelessly. Damien flicked his sword.

Droplets of blood scattered through the air before falling onto the ground.

His expression remained disappointed. "I haven’t met any strong students yet."

He sighed. "The few I encountered were too weak."

What Damien didn’t know was that most students fled the moment they saw him from a distance.

Nobody wanted to fight the current Rank One student.

"Dammit."

He looked toward the endless forest. "Hope I meet some worthy opponents soon."

After muttering those words, Damien crouched beside the corpses and began extracting their mana cores.

Rustle.

A sound came from nearby bushes.

Damien instantly turned. His body moved before his mind even finished processing.

BOOM!

He dashed into the forest. His sword flashed.

A diagonal slash cut through the air.

CLANG!!

Steel collided against steel.

Sparks exploded.

"Man! How did you notice me?!"

A surprised voice rang out. Standing before Damien was a young man with green hair.

A thin rapier rested in his hand.

Damien narrowed his eyes.

"You..."

The two separated after the clash. "You are Michael, aren’t you? From Class B-1?"

Michael blinked. Then he smiled. "Oh? It seems the famous Rank One student knows me."

"Yes."

Damien pointed his sword at him.

"I’ve seen you with Travis."

Michael laughed awkwardly.

"Well, it’s an honor to be recognized by someone like you."

Then his expression turned somewhat pitiful.

"But it seems I’m really unlucky today."

He raised both hands slightly.

"How about we make a deal?"

Damien raised an eyebrow.

"What deal?"

Michael immediately straightened his posture. A merchant-like smile appeared on his face. "Simple."

He pointed at himself. "You spare me."

Then he pointed at Damien. "And after the exam ends, I’ll give you money."

Damien remained silent. Seeing no reaction, Michael hurriedly continued.

"Or mana cores! Lots of mana cores! You can absorb them during meditation."

His smile widened. "See? It’s win for both of us. You can become more stronger. don’t need to worry about money."

Damien stared at him. His expression remained completely blank. he couldn’t believe a young man from a noble family was actually trying to bribe him to not eliminate him.

The silence became awkward.

"Hey." Michael twitched. "Say something."

Damien sighed deeply. The disappointment in his eyes became obvious. "For real?"

He slowly raised his sword. Golden mana once again gathered around the blade.

"You really think I’ll be moved by offers like that?" But Damien had no plan to listen to this young master.

Michael’s smile instantly disappeared.

"I don’t need money." Golden light intensified around Damien. The surrounding air trembled. His eyes sharpened. "All I need..."

BOOM!

The ground exploded beneath his feet. Damien shot forward. "...is a good fight!"

"FUCK!"

Michael cursed loudly and raised his rapier.

CLANG!!

Their weapons collided once again. A shockwave blasted outward. Leaves scattered across the forest as the battle officially began.

"Fuck!" Michael cursed as from the ground green vines dashed toward Damien’s legs.

Even on the rapier’s blade dark green colored vines with sharp thorns on it.

They also moved and grabbed Damien’s sword.

"Argh!" While the vines that caught his both legs also had thorns which send a sharp pain to him.

Watching him in pain made Michael smile. "Don’t think I am weak.." But his smile was not for much long.

Because suddenly a huge smile appeared on Damien’s face. "Nice. I guess you are actually strong. You can give me a good fight!"

Seeing that expression made Michael pale.

All he could do was curse. "Fuck!"