Zayne lowered his voice as adamant energy gathered rapidly in his palm. Golden light surged out from within his body, flowing endlessly and condensing into a brilliant glow in his hand. Facing a Level 33 Goblin Champion, Zayne showed no hesitation and no restraint.
"Forbidden Spell. Eternal Adamant."
A golden spear manifested in his grasp, its surface shimmering with an ancient and unfathomable aura, as if it had existed since the dawn of this world.
Zayne tightened his grip and swung his arm forward with explosive force. The golden spear tore through the air, releasing a piercing roar as it shot straight toward the Goblin Champion.
The spear pierced cleanly through the monster's skull.
The already heavily injured Goblin Champion did not even have time to struggle before its massive body collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.
Group kill confirmed. Level 33 Goblin Champion defeated. Reward: 230 experience points. Item obtained: Symbiosis Sigil.
"Hm? It dropped something?" Zayne paused for a fraction of a second, genuinely surprised.
Monster drops were rare to begin with, and drops from elite monsters during trials were even rarer. He had not expected any reward beyond experience, let alone a special item.
However, this was not the time to examine it.
Zayne turned and retreated immediately, his movements swift and decisive.
"Damn it! You bastard, who are you? Which department are you from? Who the hell steals a kill like that?" shouted the examiner wielding a massive battle axe, his face twisting with rage.
The two examiners had been fighting the Goblin Champion for a long time. Just as victory was within reach, someone appeared out of nowhere and finished it in a single strike.
It was infuriating.
"Just call me a good person," Zayne replied calmly, his voice drifting back as he ran.
"A good person my ass!"
The axe wielding examiner was about to charge after him when the other examiner quickly grabbed his arm.
"Forget it. Maintaining order in the exam zone comes first. I got a good look at him. We will settle this later."
"Fine. This is outrageous. We are all examiners. We see each other all the time, and he still dares to steal a kill like that."
Zayne, meanwhile, looped back discreetly. He returned the examiner's uniform and badge to the unconscious examiner, placing everything neatly back where it belonged.
After that, he quietly slipped away.
He came, he acted, and he left without leaving a trace.
The Phantom Visage mask was far more useful than he had imagined. Once the mask came off, even if those two examiners searched the entire area, they would never be able to identify him.
Only after putting some distance between himself and the scene did Zayne finally take the time to inspect the item he had obtained.
Symbiosis Sigil. Bound together, living together. When two job class users whose level difference does not exceed ten hold hands and activate the sigil, all experience gained from killing monsters will be fully shared between them for the next six hours.
Note. Only one partner can be linked at any given time.
Zayne's eyes brightened.
This was an extremely valuable item.
Originally, his plan had been simple. Help Francis reach Level 10, then leave him behind and continue alone. But with the Symbiosis Sigil, even monsters killed by Francis would grant Zayne full experience.
The only questionable part was the activation condition.
Holding hands.
When Zayne found Francis again, Francis was currently being chased by a Level 13 Anubis Soldier.
Black smoke coiled around the monster's body, and beneath its dust covered armor was nothing but writhing darkness.
The moment Francis spotted Zayne, his face lit up with unrestrained relief.
"You are alive. Thank god. What happened to the Goblin Champion?"
"Relax. Other examiners dealt with it," Zayne replied calmly.
Then he stepped forward without another word, reached out, and clasped Francis's hand, interlocking their fingers tightly.
Francis froze.
His entire body stiffened as his pupils shrank dramatically.
He had held hands with girls plenty of times in his life, but this was the first time he had ever held hands with another guy like this.
Even the Anubis Soldier seemed to pause, its movements slowing as if it were trying to comprehend the bizarre scene unfolding before it.
Francis swallowed hard.
No wonder Zayne had shown zero interest in the maids back at home. No wonder he seemed immune to temptation.
So this was what he liked.
Francis's mind spiraled as memories flooded in. Zayne had risked his life to save Blake. He had never treated Francis as a burden. He had personally helped him level up and, when danger struck, told him to run while he stayed behind to draw the monster away.
Each memory hit harder than the last.
Emotion surged in Francis's chest.
"Zayne," Francis said solemnly, "it is a shame I am a guy. Otherwise, I would honestly offer myself to you."
Zayne went completely silent.
He activated the Symbiosis Sigil at lightning speed and immediately shoved Francis away.
"Get lost. Stay far away from me."
Before Francis could say another word, Zayne turned and slashed.
Starfall Skytrace flashed with cold starlight. The Anubis Soldier did not even have time to react before collapsing into a pile of broken armor.
Under the effect of the Symbiosis Sigil, both Zayne and Francis gained 130 experience points.
"That was a Symbiosis Sigil," Francis exclaimed in shock. "Where did you even get something like that? This is priceless. You cannot buy this even with money."
"Do not ask," Zayne replied. "Just split up and act separately. That is how we maximize the effect."
With that, Zayne turned and left without hesitation.
Holding Starfall Skytrace, he plunged back into the battlefield.
With examiners stationed along the perimeter, monsters above Level 25 could not enter the exam zone. Zayne did not need to use any additional Forbidden Spells. Sacrificial Blade Technique alone, combined with the massive strength bonus from Starfall Skytrace, was more than enough.
He moved efficiently and methodically.
Lower level monsters were dispatched with a single slash. Higher level ones were given a brief performance before being cut down just the same.
He sustained injuries along the way, but under the cover of the Life and Death Bind Bracelets' healing effects, he simply relied on his immortality to recover and continued slaughtering without pause.
On the other side of the exam zone, Francis stood completely stunned.
From the moment the sigil activated, his level had been skyrocketing nonstop.
He did not need to ask to understand what was happening. Zayne was killing monsters at an absurd pace somewhere else.
With shared experience flowing in endlessly, Francis finally understood the feeling described in countless power fantasy novels.
The protagonist massacres enemies in the beginner zone with maxed out gear.
He handled the awe.
Zayne handled the massacre.