Nyx moved quietly through the trees, each step causing the leaves behind him to rustle softly. A cold breeze slipped through the dense forest, and he glanced around, muttering to himself:
"The exam is almost over… I think the points I collected are enough to place me among the top. Probably…"
Even with that confidence, his senses stayed sharp.
The forest had changed over the past hours—most of the beasts had grown far more aggressive as the exam approached its end.
After several minutes of walking, Nyx felt something unusual…
as if the air itself had become heavier.
He stopped immediately, narrowing his eyes at the darkness between the trees.
"…Something's coming."
His heartbeat quickened involuntarily.
Then—the ground trembled.
One step.
Another.
And a moment later, a massive creature crawled out of the shadows on four heavy limbs. It resembled a crocodile from a distance, but the details were far more monstrous:
a body covered in stone-like black scales
a wide mouth stretching nearly to the middle of its neck
sharp yellow eyes filled with hostility
a long tail ending in jagged spikes
and a back lined with plates resembling large embedded nails
It was nearly five meters long, and the sound of its movement alone was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
Nyx froze for a moment.
He recognized it instantly.
"Stone Gorlach."
A C-Rank beast… infamous for its monstrous defense.
Nyx exhaled sharply.
"Really… out of all beasts, I have to fight this one?"
And—for the first time since the exam began—
he felt a hint of actual anxiety.
Not fear… but real tension.
His first instinct was simple:
"I could run… I can—"
But he crushed that thought immediately.
"If I run away from a mere C-Rank beast… how will I ever survive the horrors I wrote into this world?"
He took a deep breath and raised his sword.
"Alright, you walking boulder… let's begin."
The Gorlach lunged forward with surprising speed for its size. Nyx barely dodged before the beast's spiked tail smashed into the ground, cracking the soil.
Nyx raised his hand and fired a strong bolt of lightning toward the monster's head.
The attack hit squarely—yet the beast only paused for an instant.
"Those scales… too thick."
The monster roared and charged again, its mouth gaping wide as if to swallow him whole.
Nyx planted his feet and sent a concentrated burst of lightning directly into the creature's maw—
but it dealt minimal damage.
The tail struck again, sending dirt and dust flying everywhere.
Nyx's breathing grew heavier. He dashed forward using lightning-enhanced speed, unleashing several rapid strikes toward the beast's joints.
Fast, precise, powerful strikes…
but the Gorlach barely budged.
Nyx grit his teeth.
"This is… bad."
The beast lifted its front leg and slammed it into the ground.
The earth quaked violently, throwing Nyx off balance.
In the same moment, the Gorlach charged, ramming its massive head into Nyx's chest.
BOOOOM!
Nyx was launched through the air like a ragdoll.
He crashed into a thick tree trunk, a sharp crack echoing through his bones.
His breath vanished for a moment.
Blood dripped from his lips as he fell to the ground, gasping.
He tried to stand—only to feel pain stab through his ribs.
"Damn…"
The Gorlach approached slowly, dragging its heavy tail behind it.
The grinding of its scales against the ground made the moment even more suffocating.
Nyx forced himself up, his sword trembling in his grip.
He fired one lightning blast.
Then another.
Then another.
The beast merely blinked, slightly annoyed.
"Useless…" Nyx muttered, collapsing to one knee from exhaustion.
He lifted his head to see the Gorlach towering over him, mouth open wide, the stench of damp earth filling the air.
This was one of the worst positions to lose strength.
Nyx inhaled deeply, then whispered:
"No choice… no choice at all…"
His trembling hand rose.
He shut his eyes.
"I'll have to use it… even if it drains me completely…"
Mana pulsed violently around him.
The air thickened.
The entire forest went silent.
Nyx slowly opened his eyes—
a strange glow flickering within them.
"…Void Element."
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