A violent shift in the atmosphere made Ji Hoon's expression freeze.
A crushing wave of aura swept through the clearing. Even at a distance, Ji Hoon felt his entire body tremble as a deafening explosion ripped across the battlefield, churning the air and earth into chaos.
The Asura Wolf moved. In the instant its claws should have met its target, its eyes glinted crimson, fury twisting its features. It swiped a massive paw—not at the foxes directly in front, but at the space beside them. The two foxes had already activated their Illusionary Techniques, their forms blurring as they sidestepped.
But against the wolf's accelerated rage, evasion was almost futile.
A second claw followed, too fast to fully avoid. One fox shrieked as a deep gash opened across its muzzle, blood immediately soaking its fur.
From above, the scene was stark. On one side, the Asura Wolf stood alone, emanating palpable menace. Opposite it, two foxes remained standing, one now bleeding heavily. Behind them, the third fox—the one that had been thrown aside earlier—struggled back to its feet. A wound marked its face, but its stance was defiant, still far from defeated.
Ji Hoon stared, perplexed.
"With that much aura clashing,I expected a catastrophic blast. Why wasn't it more destructive?"
Layla's voice was measured, analytical.
"Illusionary Technique users seldom meet force head-on.They redirect, deceive, and dissipate. The attack never fully connected, so the explosive force was diffused."
Ji Hoon gave a slow nod.
"So those sharp roars and shockwaves…they were the wolf's physical strikes and the foxes' defensive energy canceling each other out."
His brow furrowed with greater urgency.
"If this continues,I'll never complete the meridian awakening. The link between my Mind Core and Core is still unstable."
Layla replied gravely.
"Correct.You must hurry. Awakening your meridians under this specific starlight will align them with the Star Path—a rare opportunity for future advancement."
"Star Path?" Ji Hoon asked quickly. "And how long do I actually have?"
Layla's tone turned pressing.
"Three hours.At most. To fully harness the starlight's power, the process must conclude within that window."
Ji Hoon gritted his teeth.
"Then it's all or nothing.I'll have to risk a full awakening now."
He glanced upward, expression strained.
"What kind of fate is this?Do these beasts have nothing better to do than battle right here, right now?"
Layla's chuckle was dry.
"Risk is inevitable.Without it, there is no progress."
Ji Hoon didn't answer. He settled beside the stone wall, crossing his legs and steadying his breath. For a while, he focused on calming his mind, but fragments of thought kept breaking through. Finally, he muttered in frustration,
"Layla,just tell me the next step. After this, I truly don't know what to do."
Layla remained silent.
---
On the battlefield, the Asura Wolf's anger had reached its peak. It despised the foxes' elusive tricks—their refusal to engage directly. Previously, it had fought without tapping into its full rage. Now, it held nothing back.
Its body shifted, muscles coiling like tightened springs as it fully activated Rage Mode. The transformation was immediate: the fur along its neck, back, and limbs bristled and hardened into natural armor. Muscles expanded, veins throbbing with raw power. Its eyes turned wholly red, glowing like hellfire.
Beneath the cold starlight, it stood as a vision of terrifying dominance.
As beasts ascended in rank, their power grew exponentially. Initially, the conflict was between Level Two beasts. But under the starlight's influence, a regression had occurred, and the Asura Wolf had evolved—now a Rank Three mid-stage High-Level beast.
Its opponents were merely Rank Two initial-stage elites.
The numerical difference seemed insignificant against the gulf in quality.
In their first encounter, a single elite fox had faced the Asura Wolf. Both were Rank Two, but the wolf was mid-stage, the fox only initial-stage. The outcome had been swift and brutal.
Now, it was one against three.
Yet despite the narrow rank gap, the battle was fiercely balanced—a testament to a brutal truth of this world:
Against a higher stage, numbers matter little. Only pure strength decides.
The Asura Wolf lunged again, rage-fueled power radiating from its form. The three foxes braced, their expressions sharp with tension.
Layla's voice cut sharply into Ji Hoon's focus.
"Ji Hoon, prepare yourself. The next aura surge will be far more violent. Do not lose concentration."
Normally, Rankers and powerful beasts concealed their auras to avoid drawing challengers. But here, the Asura Wolf broadcasted its presence openly—a declaration of supremacy over the entire valley.
And it had the right to do so.
Itwas the strongest here.
Ji Hoon didn't verbally reply. He gave a slight nod, closed his eyes, and immersed himself fully in the dangerous process of awakening—staking everything on this gamble.
Outside, the Asura Wolf gathered energy as it charged. In typical beast clashes, weaker creatures would scatter around the fray. But the wolf's aura was so oppressive that any lesser being caught nearby was either crushed by the pressure or shredded by the turbulent energy.
In mere seconds, the wolf closed the distance.
This time, the foxes did not retreat.
They met its charge with their own furious assault.
One stood out—the fox traced with faint black lines across its body. A Dark Illusionary Fox, a rare evolution among its kind. Stronger than ordinary illusion foxes, its rage and combat prowess multiplied under the night sky.
Its eyes were pools of pure black, simmering with ferocity.
Beside it, the fox with the bleeding eye-wound bared its teeth. On the other flank, the severely injured fox steadied itself, refusing to fall.
As the High-Level elite Asura Wolf descended upon them, the three foxes shot forward like bolts of shadow. Their speed created afterimages—dozens of phantom foxes seeming to rush as one, a confusing swarm of targets.
The wolf met them head-on. Though similar in normal size, in Rage Mode it loomed twice as large as any fox.
The collision was seconds away.
And yards apart, Ji Hoon sat in desperate meditation, walking the razor's edge as he fought to awaken his meridians and fuse his Mind Core with his Core.
In this valley, under the same cold starlight, every being was fighting—for survival, for power, for a chance to endure.
Everyone was all in.