Ten hours remained before the end of the first round of trials.
Across the Monster Forest, every academy team was moving at top speed, trying to hunt as many monsters as possible in the limited time they had left.
Some teams were already too far down in the rankings to realistically move up. For them, the focus wasn't on points anymore—it was about harvesting monster cores. After all, every monster core earned during the trial was theirs to keep.
For those at the top of the leaderboard, it was a different story. They were hunting to protect their rank… and maybe even climb a few spots higher before time ran out.
Smith and his group wandered through the Monster Forest for what felt like hours without finding a single monster.
It was becoming clear—the low-level monsters near the edges of the forest had already been hunted down over the past several days.
If they wanted more points, they had only one option: go deeper into the forest.
But the deeper you went, the more dangerous it got.
Third-level monsters were common in the heart of the forest, and there were even rumors of fourth-level creatures lurking in the shadows. Going that far in wasn't just risky—it was borderline suicidal.
Still, Smith and his team were determined. If they wanted to climb the rankings and maybe even take first place, they had to keep pushing forward.
---
The environment changed the deeper they went.
The trees grew taller and denser, their canopies so thick that sunlight barely reached the ground. Giant moss-covered rocks were scattered among the roots, and the air felt heavy, ancient—like no one had set foot here in centuries.
Most people would have turned back.
But not Smith's team.
"Hold up!" Smith suddenly crouched low, raising a hand to signal everyone behind him to stop.
They froze.
Roughly 500 meters ahead was a group of beasts resting in the underbrush. It was hard to make out their exact features from that distance, but the aura they emitted was unmistakable.
They were third-level monsters.
There weren't many—just five or six—but even one Tier-3 beast was a challenge. These were all at the primary level of Tier-3, but still worth ten points each.
If they could eliminate the whole group, they'd instantly gain 50 to 60 points.
That was a huge jump. Enough to push them several places up the leaderboard.
But…
They were still Tier-3 monsters. Powerful and dangerous. Even in a two-on-one fight, a second-tier intermediate student might not hold up against one.
"Should we engage?" Xi Congqing whispered, noticing the hesitation in Smith's eyes.
"I'm thinking," Smith replied quietly, scanning the terrain.
There were advantages and disadvantages to taking the fight. The points were tempting, but the risk of injury—or worse—was high.
"I took a good look," Xi Congqing added. "They appear to be Black Flame Tigers, all primary Tier-3, with strength and fire elements. Not easy to deal with."
Smith frowned. That wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"But," she continued, "they can't fly. If we engage with guerrilla tactics, it's doable. I can stay airborne and draw them out."
"You're the only one who can fly. A guerrilla fight would just slow us down," Smith muttered, still thinking hard.
But he already knew the answer.
He hadn't come to this competition to play it safe.
He came to win.
And this was his chance to close the gap.
"I've got a plan. Let me handle it this time."
Smith clasped his hands together, activating Sage Mode. His Sharingan opened in his eyes, glowing with sharp intensity.
"I'll be the decoy. You all stay behind and bombard them with ranged attacks. Got it?"
He turned to the others, his tone brooking no argument.
"Brother Smith, you're going up alone?" Wei Lin asked, visibly worried. "That's a group of third-level monsters, not a bunch of kittens!"
"I'm the team leader," Smith replied calmly. "If I'm scared, what does that say about the rest of you?"
Then he turned to Xi Congqing. "Senior Sister, I'll count on you to coordinate the team's support fire."
"Understood," she said without hesitation. She trusted Smith completely.
---
Smith stepped out of the cover of the trees, breathing slowly as eight Flying Thunder God kunai materialized in his hands.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
He threw all the kunai in different directions, embedding them into the trees and ground around the area.
As soon as the weapons landed, the black tigers ahead stirred, their naps disturbed by the foreign energy.
Their golden eyes snapped open, filled with aggression and dominance.
Roar!!
The entire pack surged forward, charging straight at Smith like black shadows of death.
Just as the lead tiger leapt into the air, claws extended toward his throat—
Flash!
Smith vanished from the spot and reappeared on a tree far away, standing calmly next to one of the embedded kunai.
The black tigers skidded to a halt, confused.
"Now!" Xi Congqing shouted.
The team released a barrage of ranged attacks—fireballs, lightning bolts, water spears, and wind blades—all screaming through the air like missiles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions shook the ground, kicking up clouds of smoke and ash.
"Roar!!"
The black tigers emerged from the smoke, scorched but furious. Though not fatally wounded, they were enraged and more aggressive than ever.
They turned, abandoning Smith, and sprinted toward Xi Congqing's position.
"Not so fast," Smith whispered.
Flash!
He appeared again, this time right in front of the lead tiger, and delivered a savage roundhouse kick to its skull.
Bang!
The tiger's head snapped sideways, and its massive body tumbled through the air like a ragdoll.
Even the rest of the pack paused for a second.
Sage Mode had given Smith the strength to match these beasts head-on.
"Roar!"
The other tigers lunged at him in unison.
But again, Smith vanished.
What they got in return was another devastating round of magical bombardment from the team hiding behind the trees.
The fight turned into a game of cat and lightning-fast teleporting mouse.
The black tigers kept switching targets—from Smith to the support team and back—but they couldn't land a single hit on him.
Every time they lunged—
Flash!
He was gone.
And every time they turned their backs—
Boom!
They were hit with elemental barrages.
After several rounds of this exhausting cycle, the tigers began to falter.
Smith struck again, this time wielding a short blade.
Moving like a ghost between the exhausted beasts, he slashed through their thick hides, cutting deep and clean.
Their skin, once thought impenetrable, couldn't stop the Sage-enhanced blade.
Blood splattered across the grass as one by one, the black tigers fell.
Bang!
The last tiger collapsed with a thunderous crash.
The battle was over.
---
Smith stood over the bodies, breathing hard. His chest rose and fell with each breath, sweat glistening on his brow.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was powerful, but it demanded a massive amount of spiritual energy. Even with Sage Mode helping him recover quickly, the constant flashing and high-speed movement had pushed him to his limits.
"Not bad. You actually got rid of them all," Xi Congqing said, walking over and patting him on the shoulder.
"You think I'd act that confident without reason?" Smith smirked and turned to the others. "Come on, dig out those monster cores!"
The team got to work immediately.
---
Just as they were finishing up, a mocking voice echoed through the trees.
"Well, well… aren't these the Huaihai College students? You guys actually took down a group of Black Flame Tigers?"
Smith looked up sharply.
A group dressed in blue and white uniforms was approaching them.
Jinghai College.
Leading them was none other than Lin Yun, the arrogant son of Jinghai's dean—the same Lin Yun who had tried to woo Xi Congqing during the last encounter, only to be humiliated by Smith's illusion technique.
Lin Yun's eyes locked on Smith, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Well," he said smoothly, "looks like you're not as weak as I thought. But let's see how long you can keep this up."
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