Chapter 2: Ex-rank

Marlon scanned the series of notifications that appeared with a bright expression on his face."An EX-rank talent! Only one out of ten million people are capable of awakening a talent of such a superior rank." He whispered in a thrilled tone.

As he read the details of the skills he had awakened alongside it, the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

Although the skills were low-ranked at this point, their effects were nothing short of extraordinary.

Most B-rank skills do not even grant triple damage, yet his D-rank skill could grant x5. Even at level 1, he would be able to defeat foes above level 3 with ease!

Not just that, he even had another skill that literally overpowered him against demons, one of the vilest calamities threatening the human race.

Even his passive skill defied expectations, the kind of ability others would kill for.

Now that his awakening had been confirmed, all the suffering for the past hundred days became nothing more than a mere sacrifice for an incredible reward.

His eyes brimmed with determination.

Those who had once looked down on him—especially his so-called family in this world, along with the youths and teachers in the preliminary training camp—would be utterly astonished when he revealed his talent during the entrance examination to Farrowen Hunter Academy, which would hold in three days’ time.

As he thought of their dumbfounded expressions when they discovered his superiority, his face brightened even more.

Nevertheless, right now, he had...

"Reveal character panel."

━━〔 BASIC INFORMATION 〕━━━

Name: Marlon Ashleigh

Talent: Absolute Attack (EX)

Power Level: 0 (0%)

Power Rank: FF

Health Points: 50/100 (Severely Injured)

Health Regen: 1 HP/min

Aether Points: 100/100

Aether Regen: 1 AP/min

━━━〔 STATS 〕━━━

Strength: 12 | Agility: 15

Vitality: 10  | Intelligence: 10

Free Points: 0

━━━〔 ATTRIBUTES 〕━━━

Physical Attack: 30 | Magical Attack: 25

Physical Defense: 5% | Magical Defense: 5%

━━━〔 SKILLS 〕━━━

Passive: Drain (D)

Active: Punch of Iron (D), Punch of Judgment (B)

"So neat and detailed."

His face brightened as his character status was revealed.

In the months since he had entered the training camp, apart from the daily beatings, he had also received lessons from senior hunters, who would use their free time to impart knowledge to the younger ones. Through those lessons, he gradually came to understand what each stat and section represented.

He shut the character panel after he was done reading it and relaxed his head properly on the bed, staring at the roof with dreamy eyes.

He slowly drifted into relaxation and gradually fell asleep.


As he dozed off, his body’s recovery became even faster and more evident.

Wounds closed up and color returned to spots that had lost pigment from the beating.

Nonetheless, less than one hour after he fell asleep, shouts erupted from the encampment, shattering his peaceful slumber.

"We are under attack!"

"Wake up everyone, demonic beasts are arriving!"

"So many of them!"

Marlon’s eyes fluttered open with an annoyed glint as he lifted his body from the bed.

The wounds on his body had already cleared up completely, and his health points had returned to 100.

The shouts from outside grew louder.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed across the encampment as panicked trainees rushed out of their tents.

A grin flashed on Marlon’s face.

"I think the universe is giving me a test right after granting me extraordinary skills," he whispered as he got ready to join the chaos outside.

He grabbed a black scarf from a small cloth box on the ground and wrapped it around his face before dashing out of his tent to join the others outside.

"Those who can fight, move to the front! The others stay behind. Dead weight will only slow the combatants!"

A loud shout commanded.

Marlon’s eyes traced the owner of the voice to a tall, burly blonde whom he recognized as Drever, the captain of the trainees.

He was the owner of an A-rank talent and one of the strongest trainees in the camp. Rumors had it that he had already been directly admitted into the academy, yet he still chose to join the training camp.

With Drever’s orders, hundreds of trainees marched toward the east side of the encampment, while hundreds of others ran in the opposite direction to hide from the horde.

Marlon followed alongside them.

After a few minutes of running, they crossed the encampment and arrived at a vast sandy plain.

The training camp was held in a desert near many low-level danger zones.

Its main purpose was to introduce the trainees to the dangers of being a hunter and also equip them to become better fighters and survivors.

There had been sightings of demonic beasts in the past, but they were only in single numbers or small groups—not as big as the hordes now approaching.

Dust rose in thick waves across the plain, stirred by the charging beasts.

The ground shook as their clawed feet struck the earth in unison, each thundering step sending tremors through the desert floor. Their bloodthirsty cries echoed like a nightmare chorus, filling the air with dread.

From the distance, glowing crimson eyes began to pierce the dusty veil.

One after another, hulking shadows emerged, each larger and more terrifying than the last. They came in dozens, then hundreds, until it seemed the desert itself was spewing out demonic beasts.

Drever squinted at the approaching horde before lifting his hand into the air and then pointing it at the demonic beasts.

"Attack!"

With his command, the trainees broke loose from their steady formation and charged toward the horde with superhuman speed.

Marlon’s eyes glinted as he charged as well. Though slower than the others, he surged forward with unshakable confidence.