The aura on the battlefield suddenly began to rise.
Layla felt a faint tension creeping into her voice. She was worried about Ji-Hoon—after all, she was a part of his body itself. In his current condition, Ji-Hoon couldn't even stand properly. His body was barely holding together.
"Ji-Hoon, get up quickly," Layla said urgently. "Look around. The aura is becoming deeper… heavier."
A streak of fresh blood suddenly spilled out from Ji-Hoon's mouth.
Coughing weakly, he replied with a faint smile, "So… the aura increased again, huh?"
He understood clearly what that meant.
Layla snapped back in irritation, "How hungry are you exactly? Are you seriously dying of hunger? Is this really so difficult for you? Can't you be serious for once?"
Ji-Hoon's face twisted in annoyance. His expression hardened with anger as he lay sprawled on the ground. Slowly, he lifted his head.
Above him, faint traces of light still remained in the sky. The clouds were torn apart as thin rays of light pushed through, gently raining down across the battlefield. The light was weak, but it still existed.
From deep cracks in the sky, soft streams of starlight descended. As the light touched Ji-Hoon's face, a strange tingling sensation spread across his skin. The starlight didn't linger—it slipped straight into his body, sinking deep within as if it had found its rightful place.
Ji-Hoon raised his head fully now, his anger still visible on his face.
Layla spoke again, her tone cautious. "This probably means one of two things. Either a new beast has entered the battlefield… or a beast that should have been dead has revived. And if that's the case, it's something on a completely different level."
On the battlefield, the Golden Wolf suddenly vanished at full speed.
In just a few seconds, it crossed half the distance and appeared before its enemy. Standing in front of it was the fox-type beast—its body already riddled with injuries, yet its eyes burned with fierce determination.
The fox lunged forward and struck first, its claw slashing straight toward the Golden Wolf. But at the same time, the Golden Wolf counterattacked. Both beasts passed through each other in a flash, each landing a powerful blow.
And just like that, their brutal clash began again.
On the other side of the battlefield, a dense mist began spreading, darkening the entire area. This place was slightly away from the main battlefield, but not too far—just along the edge.
Wave-like streams of starlight flowed through the air, condensing as they sank into the mist. It was absorbing the light of the entire battlefield, making it seem as if the mist itself was swallowing the world.
Beneath the mist sat a fox.
Tiny fragments of starlight rested on its face like shattered stars. The ground beneath it had completely frozen, layers of ice forming a solid surface. Most terrifying of all—this fox had two tails.
Its body emitted an extremely cold, dangerous aura.
Starlight poured violently into its body, as if being dragged into a black hole. Everything was absorbed into its core, where countless streams of aura gathered silently.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, an even fiercer battle was unfolding.
The Asura Wolf had reduced its body weight, shrinking slightly in size. By compressing its form, it had unleashed its full power—its speed skyrocketed beyond belief.
The clash between the Asura Wolf and the Dark Illusionary Fox reached a terrifying level.
With its reduced size, the Asura Wolf gained overwhelming flexibility and speed. In just a few attacks, the Dark Illusionary Fox's body was covered in injuries.
The Asura Wolf vanished repeatedly, as if it no longer existed at its original position. The Dark Illusionary Fox could only defend in place, barely keeping up.
This wasn't normal speed.
It felt as if the Asura Wolf had unlocked a completely new skill.
At Level Two, it had two skills. At Level Three, it had gained two more. But this—this Intent Teleportation—was something entirely different. A terrifyingly powerful new ability.
Normally, beasts from Star Heaven Valley were already considered extremely high-tier compared to those from outer regions. But the beasts here possessed intelligence rivaling humans. Their battle tactics were refined, calculated, and deadly.
With this new skill, the Asura Wolf's greatest weakness was eliminated.
It had become one of the strongest existences on the battlefield.
Its abilities were terrifying:
Rage Mode, which amplified its power
Intent Teleportation, granting unmatched speed
Light Healing, allowing it to recover mid-battle
Together, these skills made it nearly invincible.
Yet the beast standing against it was no ordinary creature either.
The Dark Illusionary Fox was an extremely rare existence—one in hundreds.
Its abilities, Dark Clone and Illusionary Strength, were powers on a completely different level.
With such monstrous abilities on both sides, the battlefield descended into chaos.
On one side, the mist swallowed everything. On another, golden auras exploded endlessly. Blood once again flowed freely across the land.
Amidst this violent environment, Ji-Hoon slowly adjusted himself.
His hunger and thirst hadn't faded—not even slightly. His core remained unfulfilled, unable to properly absorb aura. Without stabilizing his core, his body couldn't recover.
Truthfully, Ji-Hoon should have died here long ago.
If he hadn't survived somehow, he might have already become a Ranker somewhere—or perhaps died of hunger and thirst before ever reaching that point.
Ji-Hoon crossed his legs and sat down.
He began thinking about the future… about what awaited him next.
Suddenly, an angry voice echoed in his mind.
"Trash! You have this much time to think nonsense?! The starlight is already fading, and pure aura is leaking everywhere! Focus and absorb it—now!"
Layla continued furiously, "If I were in physical form right now, I would've smashed your head for wasting time like this."
Ji-Hoon's face twitched as he entered meditation.
Then he shouted back loudly, "HAHA! Mother, let me meditate in peace for once!"