[Exp +3]
[Exp +3]
[Exp +3]…
The system echoed repeatedly in Davi's mind, almost drowned out the ragged rhythm of his own breathing.
Davi panted heavily as he sprinted through the forest, his body screaming in protest.
Sweat soaked through his clothes, and his grip on his staff tightened as he forced himself forward.
Behind him, the chaos of battle raged on the buffalos pounced on them not giving the alliance a breathing space.
Boom!
He had just killed his fifth buffalo, then everything spiraled out of control.
Two more Class 2, Level 3 Black-horned Buffalo charged at him in perfect unison.
Their coordination was terrifying.
Bang!
One of the massive beasts lowered its head and slammed its horn directly into Gravilis.
The impact was brutal.
The creature, Davi's contracted companion was thrown backward several meters before crashing violently into the trunk of a tree.
The bark splintered on impact.
Davi's heart clenched.
Through the system link, he could feel Gravilis' condition it was struggling and injured.
The pressure on Davi multiplied instantly, however before he could react…
Boom!
Two separate attacks struck the charging buffalo.
"Iron Claw!" Toffel's voice rang out sharply.
Metallic magical energy shaped like a massive claw tore through the air, slashing into one of the beasts and forcing it off its trajectory.
Toffel staggered slightly after casting, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
His magical stamina was already nearing its limit; He retreated a step, clearly straining.
Davi felt the opening.
Without hesitation, he surged forward, gripping his staff tightly as he channeled Asura Qi into it with reckless intensity.
The staff hummed with violent energy.
He attacked.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each strike was heavier than the last raw and unrefined, but filled with intense force.
The buffalo staggered under the barrage, but Davi knew this wasn't sustainable.
I can't keep going like this…
His thoughts raced even as he fought.
"I need a breakthrough… If I can temper my blood, my stamina will increase drastically…" Davi thought
But the reality of the battlefield crushed that hope almost instantly.
There was no space. No time.
The air was filled with violent currents of Nen energy, but he could barely absorb it properly… let alone refine it into Asura Qi.
Bang!
ROAR!
With a final, heavy strike, Davi brought down another buffalo.
It collapsed with a deafening crash.
That made six.
But before he could even process it…
WHAM!
A body slammed into him from the side.
The force was overwhelming.
Davi's vision blurred as he was sent tumbling across the ground. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs.
It was Gerald.
Both of them rolled several meters before coming to a stop, disoriented. The battlefield had completely fallen apart.
Nimue, observing the situation from a distance, made the call immediately.
"We're losing this! Retreat!"
Her voice was sharp, decisive.
One by one, the members of the alliance began to disengage, breaking formation and retreating deeper into the Ashwood Forest.
None of them realized it.
But they were moving closer to the Bonecradle Range.
Davi, however, froze for just a fraction of a second.
Indignation burned in his chest.
"Four more… I just need four more kills!" Davi thought as his fists clenched.
The system penalty loomed in his mind.
[A 20% increase across all catalogue items]
It wasn't something he could afford.With a roar, he broke formation.
Instead of retreating, Davi charged toward another buffalo, one that had momentarily drifted away from the main herd.
Russell saw it.
And immediately cursed under his breath.
"This idiot…"
But he didn't abandon him.
"If he's not retreating, then I fight with him." Russell thought.
"Brother!" Russell shouted.
A series of water blades formed mid-air, slicing forward in rapid succession.
They struck the buffalo from multiple angles, forcing it to stagger.
Davi felt a surge of energy.
Absorbing the surrounding Nen energy more aggressively, he tried to force a breakthrough mid-battle.
Davi wasn't only fighting anymore, he was using the battlefield as a whetstone.
A crucible.
Something to sharpen himself against, Russell, of course, had no idea.
To him, Davi just looked fearless and stubborn.
Inside Davi's body, something else was happening.
As gathered a small amount of Asura Qi, he condensed it and then forced it inward towards his bloodstream.
The moment it made contact… It collapsed completely.
The energy scattered violently, destabilizing his internal flow.
"Damn it!" Davi cursed aloud.
Failure.
The realization hit him hard.
"My foundation… it's not stable enough. There was no point continuing like this" Davi thought.
He grit his teeth.
"Russell… let's retreat!" he said abruptly.
He simply nodded.
Together, they turned and sprinted back toward the others.
Gravilis, despite its injuries, was already ahead… moving instinctively toward safety.
Behind them, a deep, furious roar echoed through the forest.
The leader of the Black-hornedBuffalo herd. It had lost too many of its kind.
Its rage was absolute!
With another roar, it ordered the herd forward.
The chase began. The alliance didn't look back as the ran madly.
After what felt like an eternity, Gerald slowed slightly.
Something felt… off.
"Wait," he said, breathing heavily. "I don't think they're chasing us anymore."
That caught everyone's attention.
They hesitated, then slowly turned back.
~Silence~
It was unnatural.
Nimue frowned but didn't overthink it.
"That works in our favor," she said. "Let's rest and recover."
No one disagreed.
They climbed into the trees, spreading out across sturdy branches to remain hidden.
One by one, they began recovering… But Davi… he wasn't convinced.
"Something's wrong…" he thought.
His gaze lingered in the direction they had come from.
Eventually, he shifted his focus inward.
"The reason I failed…" Davi thought as hismind replayed the moment.
"I haven't fully tempered my bones… If I force a breakthrough now, my foundation will be weak" He came to a clear conclusion.
"Then I fix it first," he muttered under his breath.
"I'll consolidate my bones to saturation… then break through properly" Davi said after determining the direction his cultivation would proceed in.
Unbeknownst to him,
Not long after they fled, a Magic Master had appeared; The entire herd was suppressed effortlessly.
Though unwilling, the beasts had no choice but to retreat. However the Magic Master didn't return to the mage Observation Platform.
Instead, he followed… Silently observing the group of examinees from the shadows.
***
Back in the trees, as Davi cultivated and the others rested…
The system chimed again.
[Ding!]
[Mission Analysis]
[Host killed 6 Class 2 beasts: 5 Level 1, 1 Level 2]
[Total EXP gained: +18]
[Status: Failed]
[Penalty: 20% increase on all catalogue items]
Davi's expression darkened.
"I need more strength," he said quietly.
"System," he called inwardly, "how much time is left?"
[Ding!]
[35 hours, 12 minutes remaining]
Davi exhaled slowly.
"Then I can't delay any longer…" A plan began forming in his mind.
"I'll escape tonight."
With that decision made, he closed his eyes and returned to cultivation. Time passed quickly. And before long… Night fell.
Anticipation spread among the examinees. It was almost time.
The Lunar Purity Bloom was about to appear.
BOOM!
A pillar of light erupted in the distance as the full moon reached its peak.
The moment it did, a dense, intoxicating aura spread throughout the forest.
Magical and pure.
More pillars of light appeared.
One.
Two.
Several hundreds of them.
Without hesitation…
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
The alliance launched forward toward the nearest bloom.
While only one bloom was required for the team to pass, each of them wanted their own.
And in that exact moment, Davi made his move. Via the system link, he issued a silent command to gravilis.
Davi spurned around immediately and sprinted in the opposite direction towards the Bonecradle Range.
By the time Russell noticed… It was too late.
"Damn it!" he cursed, stopping briefly, his eyes scanned the distance but Davi had already disappeared.
"What is he chasing…?" Russell muttered.
It didn't make sense, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it.
Right now, the priority was to secure a Lunar Purity Bloom.
Everything else could wait.
Meanwhile, Davi ran deeper into the bonecradle alongside Graviliis.