The forest trembled.
A roar tore through the trees like thunder.
Candidates across the training gate froze.
Birds scattered into the sky.
Even the monsters went silent.
Something far stronger had entered the battlefield.
Elara Moonveil felt it immediately.
Her mage instincts screamed danger.
"That mana…"
The ground shook again.
Another roar.
Closer this time.
Lysander's expression changed slightly.
He remembered this moment.
In the original novel, the Ashfang Wolf King appeared near the end of the exam.
Dozens of candidates died before the academy instructors finally intervened.
But now…
It had appeared far too early.
The timeline is already changing.
Elara stepped closer to him.
"That roar… that isn't a normal wolf."
Lysander nodded.
"Yeah."
Another distant scream echoed through the forest.
Someone had already encountered it.
Elara's eyes hardened.
"We should regroup with the others."
Lysander looked toward the deeper forest.
The direction the roar came from.
If that monster reached the main group…
Many candidates would die.
Including several important characters from the original story.
He exhaled slowly.
"Go."
Elara blinked.
"What?"
"Head toward the clearing," he said calmly. "Other candidates are gathering there."
Her brows furrowed.
"And you?"
Lysander looked away slightly.
"I'll check something."
Elara studied him carefully.
That strange feeling returned.
That same strange presence she sensed earlier.
"…You're planning something."
Lysander shrugged.
"Not really."
Another roar echoed.
This one much closer.
Heat rolled through the forest like a wave.
Elara turned toward the sound.
Then she looked back.
Lysander was already walking deeper into the trees.
"Hey—!"
But he didn't stop.
Within seconds his figure disappeared between the trunks.
Elara clenched her fist slightly.
"…What are you doing, Lysander Vale?"
Deeper in the forest.
The air smelled like burning ash.
Claw marks scarred the ground.
Trees had been torn apart like paper.
Then Lysander saw it.
The Ashfang Wolf King.
It was enormous.
Twice the size of a normal wolf.
Muscles rippled beneath black fur that shimmered like coal.
Flames crawled along its claws.
Its red eyes glowed like embers.
The monster lowered its head slightly.
It had already noticed him.
Ashfang Wolf King
Rank: D
Type: Mutated Boss
Lysander's hand slowly rested on the sheath of Kagekiri.
His breathing slowed.
D rank…
A monster two entire ranks above him.
One mistake and he would die instantly.
The wolf growled.
Heat spread through the clearing.
Its claws ignited.
Then it moved.
The speed was terrifying.
Lysander barely reacted in time.
He stepped sideways—
The wolf's flaming claws slammed into the ground where he had stood.
The impact shattered the earth.
Lysander jumped back.
Fast.
Too fast.
He had fought Nythera inside the trial.
But this was different.
This monster wanted to tear him apart.
The wolf lunged again.
Lysander lowered his stance.
His hand tightened on the sword.
Focus.
Breath.
Timing.
The moment the wolf entered his range—
He drew.
A flash of black steel.
The blade cut across the monster's shoulder.
Then—
Click.
The sword returned to the sheath.
The wolf slid past him.
Blood splattered across the ground.
But the monster didn't fall.
Instead it turned again.
The wound closed slowly as flames spread across its fur.
Regeneration.
Lysander's eyes narrowed.
Of course it does.
The wolf king roared.
This time its flames exploded outward.
Fire raced along the ground.
Lysander jumped back again.
His heart pounded.
I can't win with one strike.
The monster was too durable.
Too strong.
And far faster than him.
The wolf lunged again.
Claws tore through the air.
Lysander ducked under the attack and rolled across the dirt.
Pain shot through his shoulder as the heat scorched his skin.
He stood quickly.
Breathing harder now.
This was the first real fight since arriving in this world.
And the difference between trial and reality was brutal.
One mistake.
Death.
The wolf charged again.
This time Lysander didn't retreat.
His eyes focused completely on the monster.
Perception sharpened.
Time slowed slightly.
There.
The moment before the strike.
He stepped forward.
The draw was faster this time.
Black steel flashed again.
The blade cut across the wolf's leg.
Click.
The monster stumbled.
Not dead.
But injured.
Lysander exhaled slowly.
Good.
He couldn't overpower it.
But he could wear it down.
One precise strike at a time.
However—
The wolf suddenly howled.
The sound echoed through the entire forest.
Lysander's stomach dropped.
Because he knew exactly what that howl meant.
More wolves answered.
Dozens of red eyes appeared between the trees.
The Wolf King had called its pack.
Lysander stared at the approaching monsters.
Then he sighed quietly.
"…Great."