Master Kael reached into his orange robes and pulled out a small wooden box. He flipped it open for everyone to see. Resting on a soft velvet cushion were three glowing green pills.
"The top three students with the highest points today will receive a Rare grade Medicinal Pill," the monk announced.
Ran narrowed his eyes in thought. Yesterday, Instructor Hara had given out Concentration Pills for mental focus. Today, Master Kael was offering Medicinal Pills for physical healing. It looked like the school instructors were quietly building up a supply of survival items for the top students before they went out on real hunts.
Ran suddenly remembered he still had the five Concentration Pills he won yesterday. He hadn't consumed them yet. It wasn't that they weren't important, but Ran preferred to save valuable items for when his family truly needed them.
I must get into at least the top three, Ran thought to himself. In truth, it would be incredibly easy for him to snatch the number one spot. At Level 10, he was far stronger than any student here. If he used his Chaos Armor, he could butcher every rat in the cage. But Ran wanted to keep a low profile. He didn't want the Academy interrogating him later on how a boy with a 'useless' martial soul became so powerful overnight. He needed a believable excuse first. Until then, third place was good enough.
"Remember, fear is your greatest enemy," Master Kael said, wrapping up his speech. "Conquer your fear, and you will take your first true step as a warrior."
Master Kael turned toward the heavy metal gate and pulled the latch. The gate squeaked open. He stepped inside the caged arena first.
Instantly, the heavy, suffocating pressure of his Level 100 aura exploded outward like a shockwave.
The vicious Pac Rats instantly froze. Sensing the terrifying powerhouse that had just entered their territory, the giant rats completely lost their fighting spirit. They scrambled away, huddling together at the far edges of the arena, desperately scratching at the metal fences as they tried to escape.
"Now, get inside and hunt!" Master Kael commanded.
The students nervously walked through the open gate and stepped into the dirt arena. Behind them, outside the fence, the silver jet silently lifted off and flew a safe distance away to avoid the upcoming battle.
As soon as the last student was inside, Master Kael locked the gate. Then, with an effortless leap, he jumped high into the air, landing softly on top of a tall stone pillar outside the fence to observe.
The moment Master Kael's heavy pressure vanished from the arena, the fear disappeared from the Pac Rats' red eyes. They stopped scratching at the fences and slowly turned around. Seeing a large group of terrified, shivering teenagers trapped inside with them, the giant rats bared their sharp teeth.
Chaos erupted in a split second.
Victor, the arrogant boy from yesterday, was actually one of the strongest in the class at Level 7. Eager to show off, he quickly summoned his Acid Worm innate soul. "Stay back, you filthy rats!" he yelled confidently.
Victor spat out globs of green acid, bombarding the dirt in a circle around him. His plan was to surround himself with a barrier of highly toxic acid saliva so he could freely attack the rats from a long range without getting hit.
But a plan is only good if the enemy cares. The wild Pac Rats didn't care at all.
They did not flinch, and they did not stop. A massive rat leaped right through the stinging acid, its thick muscles ignoring the painful burns, and pounced directly at Victor with its heavy fists raised.
Victor shrieked in terror. His confidence shattered in an instant. He turned around and ran for his life, wildly firing acid blasts behind his back without aiming.
"Look out!" someone screamed.
Because Victor was firing blindly, a thick glob of melting green acid missed the rat completely. Instead, it flew straight toward another student—a frightened girl who was completely frozen in fear near a boulder.
She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the burning pain.
*Hiss!*
A loud, sizzling noise echoed through the air. The glob of acid harmlessly fizzled out mid-air, less than an inch from the girl's face. It looked exactly as if the acid had violently crashed into an invisible wall and evaporated.
The girl opened her eyes, blinking in shock. There was nobody standing in front of her. The air was completely empty.
Ran, however, gasped. Relying on his Level 10 senses, he quickly looked up at the tall stone pillar outside the cage. Master Kael was still standing there, his hands calmly resting inside his flowing orange robes, looking completely peaceful.
The instructor had moved down from his pillar, deflected the acid, and jumped back up to his original spot so incredibly fast that, to normal human eyes, it seemed like he hadn't moved an inch. There was no afterimage, no blur—just the impossible result of Level 100 speed.
Master Kael glanced sideways at his assistant, who was safely standing behind the fence at the terminal recording scores. "Deduct a point from Victor," the monk said flatly.
Inside the arena, the battle royale was turning into a complete mess. Ken, Leo, and most of the poorer students were running around the giant boulders like stray dogs. Because they didn't have the money to hire a party to help them level up safely, they hadn't reached Level 5 yet. This meant they hadn't unlocked any special skills for their innate souls. They were easy targets for the brawling rats.
"Ahhh! Stop punching me!" Ken yelled, ducking under a heavy right hook from a rat and rolling away in the dirt. Leo quickly grabbed his friend's collar and yanked him behind a boulder to hide.
The wealthy students were doing slightly better. Since they had the stats and unlocked skills, they could dodge properly and occasionally launch a counterattack to score points.
Meanwhile, Ran stood calmly in the middle of the rocky maze. A towering Pac Rat charged at him, swinging its thick arm in a vicious punch. Ran simply took half a step back, letting the fist slice through the empty air inches from his face.
*One point,* Ran smiled inwardly.
Across the maze, Ran noticed Ken and Leo were trapped. A large, angry Pac Rat had backed them into a dead end against the tall metal fence.
"Leo, cover your head!" Ken shouted, raising his arms to block.
Before the rat could throw its heavy fists, Ran sprinted over. Relying purely on common sense and his high physical stats, he grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it directly into the rat's red eyes.
The beast squeaked loudly in surprise, aggressively rubbing its face to get the dirt out.
"Move!" Ran ordered, grabbing Ken and Leo by their shirts. He pulled them away from the blind rat and guided them behind a safer cluster of boulders.
"Thanks, Ran!" Leo panted, his chest heaving. "These things are completely crazy!"
"Just stay close to me," Ran said calmly, keeping a close watch on the monsters around them. "Don't try to attack. Just focus on dodging and staying on your feet. The test is only about surviving."
For the next ten minutes, the arena was filled with panicked screams, running footsteps, and the heavy thuds of the rats punching the dirt. Ran perfectly played the role of a lucky, agile student. Every time a rat got close, he dodged at the very last second. He threw a few normal punches here and there to rack up exactly fifteen points. To avoid suspicion, he made sure to look like he was sweating and struggling to breathe.
Finally, a loud buzzer rang from the terminal outside the fence.
"Time is up!" Master Kael's voice echoed.
Instantly, the suffocating Level 100 aura crashed down on the arena again. The aggressive Pac Rats froze in terror, immediately dropping to the ground and covering their heads with their paws.
The terrified students collapsed in exhaustion. The crisp, mid-summer morning breeze of Canterbury swept across the mountain arena, finally cooling their sweaty faces.
Master Kael jumped down from his tall pillar and walked through the gate toward the center of the field.
"The test is over. My assistant has tallied your points," the monk announced softly. He looked around at the bruised and dusty teenagers. "Some of you let fear blind you. Some of you fought bravely. And some of you made foolish mistakes."
He glanced briefly at Victor, who was staring down at the dirt in pure shame.
"Now, for the top three," Master Kael said, holding up the small wooden box.
"In first place, with twenty-two points, is Sarah."
A wealthy girl with a speed-type innate soul sighed in relief. She walked up, wiping sweat from her forehead, and claimed her pill.
"In second place, with eighteen points, is Marcus."
Another rich student, who had used a giant shield soul to block the rats perfectly, stepped forward to get his prize.
"And in third place, with fifteen points... Ran."
Ken and Leo grabbed Ran's shoulders and shook him in excitement. "You did it, man!" Ken cheered loudly.
Ran gave his friends a tired, fake smile and walked up to the instructor.
Master Kael handed him the glowing green pill. However, as Ran reached out to take it, the monk's sharp eyes stared deeply into Ran's face.
"You have very good instincts, young man," Master Kael said softly, his voice so quiet that only Ran could hear it. "You dodge with zero wasted movement. It almost looked... too easy for you."
Ran's heart skipped a beat, but he forced his face to remain perfectly innocent. "I was just terrified, Master. I guess pure fear makes you move faster."
Master Kael smiled slightly, his peaceful expression returning. "Indeed it does. Good work today."
Ran safely tucked the Rare Medicinal Pill into his pocket and walked back to his friends. He had successfully secured his prize, but he realized a dangerous truth. He had to be incredibly careful from now on. Master Kael was much sharper than the other instructors.