Ethan had been traveling through the rocky terrain for quite some time. Along the way, he encountered two new types of stone creatures that roamed the mountains. Their bodies were tougher and their movements heavier than the stone monsters he had faced before. But Ethan didn't stop to fight them—he knew this wasn't the right time. Instead, he continued climbing higher.
After half a day of walking, the third new kind of wild monster appeared. The path had become dangerously steep, the ground beneath him glowing faintly from the heat of the lava flowing below. Ethan realized that there couldn't be many routes leading upward from here, so he decided to halt his journey and investigate.
The wild monsters in this area were far more intimidating than before. Their entire bodies were coated in molten rock, streams of magma running between the cracks of their obsidian-like armor. The intense heat distorted the air around them. These weren't ordinary monsters—they were lava stone giants, and Ethan could sense their strength from a single glance.
Seeing one of them nearby, Ethan motioned for Anti-Bone Boy, his loyal summoned creature, to take the lead. With a loud growl, the towering skeletal beast charged forward. Once Anti-Bone Boy entered his "Broken Army" state, his body swelled to nearly three stories high, dwarfing the lava creature before him.
Without hesitation, Anti-Bone Boy clamped his massive jaws around the monster's waist. The impact shook the ground as he slammed the lava creature to the dirt. But as soon as Ethan saw the tremors running through Anti-Bone Boy's body, he realized what was wrong—the creature's body temperature was scorching.
The lava monster's surface oozed magma like blood, and each drop hissed as it landed on Anti-Bone Boy's bones, burning him as if he were being branded with molten iron. Despite the agony, the skeletal warrior refused to retreat.
Creak—crack—crash!
Shards of stone rained down as the two monsters clashed violently. The lava creature swung its huge arms—each blow thundering like a drumbeat against Anti-Bone Boy's frame. The sound wasn't like Ethan's gentle pats on his companion's skull; this was the rhythm of battle, brutal and unrelenting.
The strength of the blows wasn't the issue—Anti-Bone Boy could handle that easily. What troubled him was the magma constantly dripping onto his armor, burning holes through his shell and leaving red-hot scars like molten ironwork. Yet the pain only seemed to make him more determined. His past battles had toughened him, and his pain tolerance had increased greatly.
Snarling, Anti-Bone Boy tightened his grip and bit down with all his strength.
Crack!
With a single violent crunch, he split the lava creature in two.
One half collapsed instantly, its molten energy fading. Ethan watched as the "Destruction" passive skill activated, spreading necrotic energy through the lava monster's broken form. Without its core, the creature couldn't regenerate like the earlier stone beasts.
But then, to Ethan's surprise, the remaining half of the monster gathered nearby stones and rebuilt its body. The new lower torso looked uneven and dimmer in color, clearly weaker, but it could still fight.
Anti-Bone Boy snarled and prepared to finish it off. He lunged forward, jaws open to bite off the creature's head—but just as he moved, a burst of magma exploded from the monster's chest.
The impact was immense. Even the massive Anti-Bone Boy staggered backward, nearly falling over. The burning spray hit his abdomen, melting parts of his lower frame and glowing red-hot. The intense heat only enraged him further. With a furious roar, he lowered his horns and charged straight through the blast.
Ethan's eyes widened as he saw the horns on Anti-Bone Boy's head suddenly lengthen, growing sharper and brighter as if ignited by his fury.
Whoosh!
Like a living battering ram, Anti-Bone Boy slammed into the lava monster. The hit was devastating. The creature's obsidian armor cracked, and its entire body was thrown into the air, breaking apart mid-flight.
As the shattered stones fell, something gleamed among the rubble—a golden core, the heart of the beast. Ethan's blade flashed.
Slash!
With a single stroke, he split the golden core in half, ending the battle. The lava monster collapsed completely, its molten light fading into darkness.
Ethan glanced toward Anti-Bone Boy, who stared down at the remains proudly. His other summoned creature, the Big Blade Boy, stood nearby, weapon gleaming. It wasn't a kill-steal—it looked more like he had been signaling to Anti-Bone Boy, pointing out the weak point in the enemy's chest.
Ethan chuckled as Anti-Bone Boy trotted back toward him, lowering his head affectionately and rubbing against Ethan's legs. Then, playfully, he nudged Big Blade Boy with the edge of his horn, as if to say, "See? I could have handled it."
Ethan laughed softly. "I keep telling you, the core is the weak point, not the head."
But then, he realized Anti-Bone Boy was trying to show him something. The skeletal beast gestured toward two nearby rock piles—remnants of two more lava monsters that he had already defeated earlier during the fight. Ethan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So you handled those on your own too, huh?"
Anti-Bone Boy then rolled onto his back, revealing his injured abdomen, still glowing faintly red and oozing a burnt smell. The shell there was warped and cracked, the result of the magma burns.
Ethan frowned and scratched his head. "Ah, I see. You want to get stronger too, right?"
Anti-Bone Boy immediately nodded—well, as much as a skeleton could nod.
Among Ethan's summoned beasts—the Queen Ant, Queen Bee, Big Blade Boy, and others—most had grown far stronger than Anti-Bone Boy. But Anti-Bone Boy was his first ever summon, the one who had fought beside him from the beginning. Seeing himself fall behind made him restless. Even a summoned beast had pride.
Ethan smiled and patted his stomach lightly. "Don't worry. It'll be your turn to evolve soon."
Hearing this, Anti-Bone Boy's eye sockets glowed brighter. He let out a joyful snarl and immediately went off to hunt another lava monster. Ethan could only shake his head in amusement.
With Big Blade Boy's power, Ethan could have easily wiped out all these creatures himself. But seeing Anti-Bone Boy's determination, he decided to let him continue. It was good training. Soon enough, they opened three new golden treasure chests dropped by the defeated monsters.
"Hint: Obtained massive experience points ×3, Lava Crystal Core ×3, Exclusive Skill Book ×1."
Ethan's eyes lit up. "An exclusive skill book? Here?"
He didn't waste a second and opened it.
"Hint: Gained passive skill – Combat Intuition (Blue)."
"Combat Intuition (Blue): During battle, summoned beasts will have sharper combat instincts and react faster to enemy movements."
Ethan smiled. "Nice. It doesn't increase any visible stats, but its effect could be huge."
If Anti-Bone Boy had this skill earlier, he might have avoided those burns. With this ability, all his summons would be far more efficient in battle.
He clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's learn it."
Snap!
A faint blue aura pulsed from his palms as the skill was absorbed into his system. Ethan immediately felt the connection between himself and his summons become sharper, smoother. They could now sense danger and opportunity more clearly.
This single skill, Ethan realized, was priceless. It enhanced every one of his creatures simultaneously—a benefit that few beast masters could ever achieve. Most tamers could only control two or three summons at his level, but Ethan commanded many more.
"Not bad," he said, smiling to himself. "We're getting stronger."
The lava stone monsters also provided twice the experience points compared to the previous giant python boss he had fought earlier. That meant this area was practically a goldmine for leveling up. Ethan's eyes gleamed with excitement.
He set himself a goal: before leaving the secret realm, he would clear out every single lava stone monster in the area.
Time passed quickly. As the sky above the realm dimmed and brightened again, a full day went by. By the time noon arrived on the second day of the entrance examination, Ethan had already leveled up twice, reaching Level 29. At this pace, he would reach Level 30 by tomorrow morning, unlocking new talents and potentially a new evolution path for his summons.
While Ethan continued hunting monsters happily inside the realm, something unexpected began happening outside. The examiners monitoring the secret realm were suddenly stirred—screens flickered, showing abnormal readings. Something about Ethan's progress had caught their attention.
But Ethan, unaware of the commotion, focused only on his goal: becoming stronger, for himself and his team.
The boss wasn't going to lose face—not this time.
-------------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
----------------------------------------------------- .