Chapter 12: The Forest of Nightmares
The third test was a classic. The Pocket Dimension Survival Exam.
After a brief break (where I washed off the black sludge in a fountain, terrifying some nearby swans), the surviving students—about five thousand of us—were gathered before a massive portal shimmering with blue light.
"The rules are simple," a new Proctor announced. He was a burly man with a scar across his eye, from the Combat Department. "Inside this portal is the Forest of Nightmares. It is stocked with Spirit Beasts ranging from Rank 1 to Rank 2. You will stay there for 24 hours."
He held up a glowing blue crystal.
"Every student gets a Score Crystal. Killing a beast fills the crystal with points.
Rank 1 Beast: 10 Points.
Rank 2 Beast: 100 Points.
Stealing crystals from other students is… permitted."
A ripple of excitement went through the crowd. This was what they trained for. Combat. Plunder.
"Go!"
The students rushed into the portal, screaming battle cries.
Prince Valerian, who had recovered his dignity (and changed his robes), gave me a throat-slitting gesture before dashing in with his squad.
"Let's go, Anya. Ria."
We stepped through the portal.
The world twisted. The blue sky of the Academy was replaced by a purple, bruised sky. The trees were massive, with black bark and leaves that dripped glowing sap. The air smelled of rot and danger.
"Scanning," Ria said immediately. "High density of Spirit Beasts in the Northeast quadrant. I detect a pack of Iron-Hide Bears three kilometers away."
"Excellent," I said, rubbing my hands together. "Bears have good paws. Very tender."
"Big Brother," Anya whispered, looking at the dark forest. "Are we going to get points?"
"Points?" I scoffed. "Anya, points are for students who want to impress teachers. We are here for groceries."
I pointed North. "We hunt. We eat. We sleep."
We moved through the forest. While other students were setting traps or engaging in frantic duels, we walked like we were on a Sunday stroll.
A Wind Wolf (Rank 1) jumped out of a bush, snarling.
Before it could howl, Ria flicked a pebble.
Thwack.
The pebble pierced the wolf's skull. Instant death.
"Bag it," I commanded.
Ria picked up the wolf and put it in the spatial ring.
"We need more," I said. "Wolves are stringy."
We reached the territory of the Iron-Hide Bears. These were massive, tank-like creatures with fur as hard as steel. A group of five students was currently fighting one, their swords bouncing off its hide.
"It's too hard!" one student screamed. "Run!"
They fled.
I walked into the clearing. The Bear, a 10-foot tall monster, roared at me.
I didn't draw a sword. I activated Seal 1: The War God.
My eyes turned cold. My muscles tightened.
The Bear charged.
I stepped forward and met its charge with a shoulder check.
CRUNCH.
The massive bear stopped dead in its tracks. The sound of its ribs shattering echoed through the clearing. It looked confused. It was a tank, but it felt like it had hit a mountain.
I grabbed its head with one hand and twisted.
Snap.
"Dinner is served," I announced.
Thirty minutes later.
In the Proctor Command Room, outside the portal.
Dozens of screens hovered in the air, showing the progress of the top students.
"Prince Valerian is doing well," one Elder noted. "He has 500 points already."
"Look at that girl from the Sword Sect. Clean kills."
"Wait," the Combat Proctor frowned, pointing at a screen in the corner. "What is Student #999 doing?"
The screen zoomed in on Rudra.
He wasn't fighting. He had built a campfire in the middle of a danger zone.
He had skinned the Rank 2 Iron-Hide Bear. He was currently marinating the massive bear paws with a collection of spices he had brought with him.
"Is… is that Star Anise?" an Elder squinted. "And Cumin?"
"He's cooking the exam target!" the Proctor shouted. "Where is his Score Crystal?"
On the screen, Rudra picked up the Bear's Beast Core—the item needed for points.
He looked at it.
Then, he popped it into his mouth like a grape and swallowed it.
The Elders gasped. "He ate the Core! That's suicide! The raw energy will explode his dantian!"
On the screen, Rudra burped. He looked perfectly fine. Then he went back to basting the meat.
"Score: 0," the automated system announced.
"He's failing the exam," Vice-Principal Vex muttered, watching the screen with a mix of hatred and confusion. "But… why isn't he dead?"
Back in the forest.
The smell of roasted meat wafted through the trees. It was divine. The Heaven-Devouring Sutra allowed me to refine the meat perfectly, locking in the spiritual essence.
Anya was sitting on a log, holding a fork in each hand, drooling.
Suddenly, the air grew cold. The trees shivered.
A Ghost Mist Specter (Rank 2) drifted out of the darkness. It was a terrifying monster that fed on fear. It targeted the youngest soul—Anya.
It loomed over her, screeching a sound that caused insanity.
Anya, who was focused entirely on the roasting meat, got annoyed by the noise.
"Quiet!" she yelled.
She sneezed.
CHOO!
A puff of golden-red flame shot out of her nose.
It hit the Ghost Mist Specter.
Ghosts are immune to physical attacks, but they are terrified of Yang energy. Anya's fire was Primordial Phoenix Fire.
SCREEEE—
The ghost didn't just vanish; it was erased from the cycle of reincarnation. The fire burned so hot that the trees behind the ghost instantly turned to ash.
I looked up from the BBQ. "Anya! You burned the ghost! I was going to use its essence to make a cold drink!"
"It was loud!" Anya defended herself, wiping her nose.
Ria walked over, holding a plate. "Master, the bear paw is ready. Shall I serve the Young Miss?"
"Yes." I sighed, looking at the pile of ash that used to be a ghost. "Wasteful."
I carved the meat. We sat there in the most dangerous forest in the exam, eating a meal fit for an Emperor. Around us, the red eyes of other beasts watched from the darkness, terrified. They sensed the Predator eating their king.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard Valerian screaming as he fought a pack of monkeys.
I took a bite of the bear paw.
"Needs more salt," I critiqued.
The scoreboard still showed Rudra Ye: 0 Points.
But my cultivation base had silently crept from Foundation Establishment Peak to the edge of Core Formation.
Let them have the points. I'll take the power.