Chapter 3: Damage

The distance between the trainees and the horde was covered in just a few seconds, and the first row of each side clashed fiercely against one another.Weapons were swung.

Magic attacks were hurled forward with proper control and utilization of aether.

The demonic beasts counterattacked without hesitation, sweeping claws and baring their sharp fangs.

Dozens from both sides were badly wounded from the very first exchange and a few unfortunate ones even lost their lives.

Marlon, sprinting beside the other trainees, slipped through the cracks and came face-to-face with his first opponent—a mutated rat the size of an adult deer, with a sharp horn jutting from its head.

The mutated rat gnarled with bloodlust, revealing a set of razor-sharp teeth as it lunged at him.

Marlon halted in his sprint and dug his feet into the ground before raising his fist.

With a thought, he activated Punch of Judgment.

An ethereal white glow wrapped around his fist, buzzing with unexplainable power.

Without hesitation, he threw the glowing punch at the mutated rat, and they collided midair.

–250

A number flashed before Marlon’s eyes as the impact landed squarely on the beast’s head, cracking its horn and sending ripples of force through its skull.

The mutated rat squealed, tumbling backward, its claws carving deep trails into the dirt as it struggled to regain balance.

Seeing the damage dealt with a single punch, Marlon didn’t hold back. He quickly launched Punch of Iron at the weakened beast, chirping away its last 50 health points and killing it instantly.

[ You’ve killed x1 Low-Rank Mutated Rat. EXP +37 ]

[ Drain activated! You’ve absorbed 10 Aether Points. ]

Before Marlon could get carried away by his first kill, two demonic beasts lunged at him.

He quickly shifted his body in an attempt to dodge, but his movement was too slow. He managed to completely avoid one, while the other grazed his shoulder with its claws, costing him 10 health points.

He immediately countered the mutated rat that had injured him before it could charge again. Using Punch of Judgment followed swiftly by Punch of Iron, he brought it down in barely three seconds.

[ You’ve killed x1 Low-Rank Mutated Rat. EXP +37 ]

[ Drain activated! You’ve absorbed 30 Health Points. ]

Fortunately, the health points he obtained from the slain rat allowed him to recover quickly as he refocused on his surroundings.

His next opponent, a demonized monkey, lunged at him, but this time he was prepared.

His fist shot out with lethal force, ending the beast’s life in a single blow.

[ You’ve killed x1 Demonized Monkey. EXP +37 ]

[ Level Up ]

[ New Level: Level 1 ]

[ Drain activated! You’ve absorbed 15 Aether Points. ]

At last, he reached his first level up.

A new surge of energy coursed through his body. He felt his strength, agility, and every other physical stat improve in that instant.

The newfound power filled him with confidence and he sprang deeper into the horde.

With just his fists and extraordinary skills, low-level demonic beasts fell one after another.

’This is exciting.’ He grinned, eyes gleaming with fierce delight.

Not too far from his position, Drever, wrapped in blue electricity, zapped fearlessly into the heart of the horde and began attacking the demonic beasts.

The sword in his hand buzzed with violent sparks. Each slash was like a venomous serpent, paralyzing his unfortunate foes before slaughtering them without mercy.

He was unstoppable, cutting down a couple of demonic in quick succession and gaining plenty of experience points.

He even rescued nearby colleagues who had been trapped by the beasts, proving why he was considered the strongest trainee in camp.

But Drever was not the only star of the battlefield.

A beautiful young lady, her long white hair shining under the moonlight, waved her hands as a glowing green aura wrapped around them.

Strong and durable vines burst forth from the ground, sweeping, strangling, and slicing through the surrounding beasts with lethal precision.

"Wow, Selena Whitlock really is unstoppable!"

"The Whitlock family has produced another genius!"

"I heard her elder brother will soon take his Guardian Trial!"

"A Guardian? Only a rare few hunters ever ascend to that level. If he succeeds, the Whitlock family’s fame will skyrocket even further."

Nearby trainees couldn’t stop praising her, impressed by the sheer elegance and lethality of her talent.

But Selena, her stoic expression unchanging, paid no heed to their admiration. Her piercing blue eyes remained locked on the demonic beasts that had dared to disturb her peaceful sleep.

While commanding her deadly vines, her gaze shifted farther into the distance, where her younger sister could be seen struggling.

Her younger sister, like every mainline Whitlock family member, bore the same striking white hair, though her shorter frame and glowing red eyes made her stand out. She was Lyra Whitlock.

Unlike Selena, Lyra barely held her ground against the encroaching beasts.

She swung her dagger with all her strength, gritting her teeth with a mixture of rage and focus as she stabbed at her opponent.

Two demonic beasts lunged at her at once, sending panic coursing through her.

In that critical instant, two vines lashed out from behind, stabbing deep into the monsters and leaving them severely wounded.

Lyra’s teeth ground together as she saw the vines. "I don’t need your help! Showoff!"

Still, she wasn’t foolish enough to waste the opening. She quickly finished off the injured beasts, her dagger slicing cleanly through them.

Around her, whispers spread among the trainees who had noticed her clumsy, desperate attacks.

Though the thunderous clashes of weapons and the shrill cries of demonic beasts made it difficult to hear clearly, she already knew what they were saying.

"I didn’t ask for her help! I could’ve handled them myself!" Lyra hissed under her breath. With stubborn determination, she lunged at another demonic beast, ignoring the whispers as though they did not exist.

...

The clash between the demonic beasts and the trainees grew more intense as time raced by.

Hundreds of beasts had already fallen to the combined efforts of the trainees, their blood staining the desert sand.

Nonetheless, dozens of trainees had also met a cruel end beneath the claws and fangs of the monsters, while many more lay writhing with ghastly wounds.

Still, the battle only boiled hotter with each passing moment.

Some were slowed by grief over fallen comrades, others weakened by their injuries, but Marlon’s grin stretched wider and wider with every kill.

The thrill of his fists tearing through flesh, the rush of leveling up, and the intoxicating surge of points flooding into his body were quickly becoming an addiction.

He craved more.

"Punch of Judgment!"

A familiar ethereal glow wrapped tightly around his fist. With a sharp exhale, he drove it straight into the towering beast before him — a demonized monkey twice his height, its grotesque head dominated by a mouth so wide it could swallow two grown men whole.

— 800

A gaping hole burst open in its stomach. With a low cry, the beast staggered background and slammed into the earth, raising a thick cloud of dust.

Dozens of eyes darted toward the scene. Both trainees and demonic beasts paused for an instant, eager to see who had slain such a massive foe.

"Who is that?" voices murmured among the trainees.

Selena narrowed her eyes toward the mysterious fighter, but even with her sharpened perception she could not tell the identity of the figure whose face was covered in black scarf.

"Who might he be and why is he hiding his face?" She wondered with a frown.