"Skeletons?"
Lucas narrowed his eyes in surprise as the eerie, rattling figures approached.
He immediately activated a Detection Scroll, tossing it into the air. A shimmer of magic burst outward, scanning the enemies in front of him.
In seconds, their data was revealed in glowing panels:
> Name: Skeleton Archer
Level: 34
HP: 9,254
Attack: 1,430
Physical Defense: 820
Magic Defense: 740
> Name: Skeleton Warrior
Level: 35
HP: 12,514
Attack: 1,325
Physical Defense: 960
Magic Defense: 850
Lucas's expression hardened.
These things were on a completely different level than the forest beasts he'd been slaying.
Their stats were high—brutally high—especially for a mid-zone region. A regular team of five would've taken at least several minutes to bring down even a couple of them, possibly at a cost.
But Lucas wasn't a team.
And he sure as hell wasn't "regular."
"Let's see what you're really made of," he whispered.
His dagger flashed.
One clean arc across the air, enhanced with dark energy.
Boom!
The skeleton warrior exploded into fragments, bone shards scattered across the floor.
Another slice, and an archer turned into ash.
In mere seconds, the undead threat was eliminated.
---
Lucas stood in silence, flicking his blade clean.
But rather than pride, his face held something else:
Curiosity.
"Why are skeleton monsters here... in the middle of this forest?"
Until now, everything he'd faced was beast-like: wolves, bears, elemental lizards.
But these undead monsters were different—completely out of place.
He stepped closer to the ruined building. The cracks in the stone, the eerie aura—it wasn't natural. It felt like a remnant of something... forgotten.
"Could this be... part of the final trial?"
He didn't say it aloud, but the suspicion burned in his chest.
He pressed further inside.
---
More skeletons appeared, rushing him with rusted weapons and soulless eyes.
Lucas handled them all with mechanical precision, slicing, dodging, finishing.
But none of them gave him the answers he was seeking.
No clue. No hints.
Just bones and silence.
"This isn't enough."
Lucas glanced toward the distance—toward the true center of the Secret Realm.
"I'll find out what's really waiting there."
---
While Lucas carved his path deeper, the outside world burned with frustration.
"Damn it! He gained even more points?!"
A group of top-ranked students stared at the leaderboards in shock.
Lucas's name was no longer rising.
It was already at the top.
The number beside it had surpassed them all—by thousands.
"Who the hell is this guy?! He's solo!"
"He's not even in a group—how is this possible?!"
Contestants gritted their teeth, watching helplessly as Lucas's score continued to grow.
Every few minutes, he gained another 100, another 300.
Even the second-place team was being left in the dust.
The reward for first place—Legendary Tier loot—was slipping from their fingers.
---
"No! That's mine!" someone cried in anguish.
More than a dozen contestants across the map screamed in their hearts as their dreams shattered, one by one.
"Lucas, slow down! Just slow down!!"
Some began actively hunting for him, hoping to eliminate him before he could grow more powerful.
"If we don't stop him now, it's over!"
"Forget the monsters. We're heading for the center. That's where he's going."
A new alliance was born—a temporary truce among rivals with a single goal:
> Take down Lucas.
They didn't even stop to farm anymore. They just ran, charging toward the heart of the Secret Realm like a stampede.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Amelia Su and her team stood still—watching the leaderboard change.
"Lucas is unstoppable..." she whispered.
She stared at his name glowing on top, her eyes wide.
Behind her, Emily Frost, the team's tank, crossed her arms and sighed.
"We were doing great until he showed up. Now we look like amateurs."
She wasn't wrong.
Their team had been leading the rankings.
Emily was a fortress, holding aggro from monsters like a wall of steel. Alexis Lane dished out unbelievable DPS with her explosive spells. Their two teammates supported well, and their priest kept everyone alive without fail.
They started strong. Lucky spawns, great synergy—they dominated early.
Even when they were overtaken briefly, they always bounced back.
They truly believed they could win this event.
Until Lucas arrived like a thunderbolt—a dark horse racing up the ranks, crushing all expectations.
Now, even if they fought ten times harder, they couldn't close the widening gap.
---
"Lucas..." Alexis muttered, her voice tight.
Her fingers clenched around her staff.
She had worked so hard. Trained so much.
And still, it wasn't enough?
Everyone here had S-Level Talents.
Everyone here had a hidden class.
So why was he so far ahead?
The thought clawed at her mind.
Is the gap between us really that huge?
---
Outside the Realm, in the packed spectator stands, shockwaves of emotion passed through the crowd.
People watched the scoreboard in disbelief.
"Who is this Lucas kid?!"
"Is he really a Shadow Assassin?"
"Why is he one-shotting everything without stealth?"
They searched for answers in old databases and forums.
Shadow Assassin: teleportation, stealth, burst-damage opener.
But Lucas didn't match the pattern.
Where was the stealth?
Where was the surprise?
He just walked up and killed things.
Over and over.
Like a machine.
Even the professors were baffled.
---
High in the control tower, the headmaster himself chuckled, stroking his white beard.
"What a wonderful surprise..." he whispered.
"He's not a Shadow Assassin. He's a killer whale."
His eyes sparkled.
"Others are catfish—agile and quick. But him? He's a predator. A force that tears through schools of fish like a storm."
---
Back in the crowd, two girls stood by the edge of a viewing crystal.
"Emily," said Jade Walker, gripping her companion's arm. "I want him."
Emily Frost, her silver hair swaying in the wind, raised an eyebrow.
"You mean for the guild."
"Obviously for the guild," Jade grinned. "What else would I mean?"
Emily smirked. "You're acting like he's already ours."
"Because he will be."
Emily sighed. "You can't just run into the Secret Realm and snatch him mid-battle, you know."
"I know, I know," Jade huffed. "But I'm just so damn curious."
How does he fight like this? What skills is he using? How did he get this strong—this fast?
These weren't just questions anymore.
They were obsessions.
---
And far away, at the edge of the ruined building, Lucas stepped through another broken archway.
Ahead of him, the forest darkened—and the trees gave way to something stranger.
A clearing of stone statues, some crumbling, others glowing faintly with runes.
He narrowed his eyes.
> "Looks like I'm getting closer."
He reached for his dagger once again.
The final hunt was about to begin.
---------------------------
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