"Run! That Bloodthirsty Minotaur is about to catch up!"
"All martial arts come down to speed. I do not need to run faster than the minotaur. I just need to run faster than everyone else!"
"Damn it, how are we this unlucky? The first group already made it to the entrance. Why is there still a Bloodthirsty Minotaur waiting here?"
More than a dozen examinees ran for their lives, their faces drained of color.
Chasing them relentlessly was a crimson skinned minotaur standing upright, wielding a massive two handed battle axe.
The creature stood nearly three meters tall, its body packed with bulging muscle like blood stained granite. The oppressive aura alone made people shudder. Its level was a terrifying fifteen.
At the very back of the group was a young couple, fingers tightly interlocked as they struggled forward with everything they had.
If they were eliminated here, they would lose even the right to enter the college entrance trial. Neither of them was willing to give up.
But as they ran, the girl suddenly slipped and fell hard to the ground.
"Grace!" the boy cried out, his face turning pale.
If he turned back to save his girlfriend, both of them would lose their chance at the college entrance trial. But if he ran alone now, without her slowing him down and with her blocking the Bloodthirsty Minotaur behind him, he would definitely reach the entrance.
On one side was the girl he loved. On the other was a bright future.
The boy hesitated.
"Uriel, go! Do not worry about me!" the girl said through tears. She knew she could not escape anymore.
"Okay!"
That single word was like the final straw.
Uriel ran without looking back.
Watching his retreating figure, Grace felt something inside her shatter completely.
As the Bloodthirsty Minotaur loomed over her like a collapsing mountain, she gave a bitter smile and closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.
At that moment, an angry voice rang out.
"Every damn minotaur deserves to die!"
Slash.
A cold flash cut through the air, starry light exploding outward.
Zayne, who had been searching for monsters to farm, swung his blade and cleaved the minotaur cleanly in half, killing it instantly.
Grace froze, staring blankly at Zayne holding Starfall Skytrace. It was not until he turned and walked away that she snapped out of it.
"Grace, you are okay. That is great. We can still apply to the same university," Uriel said excitedly, returning to her side and pulling her into a hug after seeing the minotaur dead.
This time, Grace coldly pushed him away. What she had just witnessed had shown her exactly what kind of man he was.
"I am sorry. I suddenly do not want to apply to the same academy as you anymore."
"Only someone who cherishes me deserves to have me."
She turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
At the same time, similar scenes were playing out repeatedly outside the city.
Many monsters lost their lives in an instant.
Some sheep like monsters heard whispers in their ears, as if from a demon.
"Add a generous pinch of pepper and salt from mom's kitchen, sizzling butter, a splash of vinegar, the juice of the soul, pour it on."
Pour it on, and the sheep like monster would be beheaded with a single strike.
Some examinees were being chased into panic when a streak of starlight flashed and the monster was split in two. They never even saw who made the move.
Others were stopped by a strange man who asked them how to find monsters, acting like a lunatic. They were already terrified of running into monsters and had no desire to go looking for them.
On the city walls, several principals and the influential figures of Old Shipyard Port were completely stunned.
The college entrance trial happened every year, and they had watched countless trials before. It was normal for strong examinees to farm some levels before entering the gate.
But someone carrying a blade and actively hunting monsters everywhere like this was something they had never seen.
"If only this kid were not a Forbidden Spellcaster," one principal sighed regretfully. "If he were not, Old Shipyard Port would truly have produced a major figure."
An adventurer capable of sweeping through monsters in the wild would inevitably become a powerful force capable of dominating an entire region. Unfortunately, Forbidden Spellcasters did not live long.
"At least this year, more examinees from Old Shipyard Port will make it into the college entrance trial than usual," another principal said with a nod.
Thanks to Zayne, far fewer examinees were eliminated by monster attacks this year.
Wherever Zayne went, not a single monster within sight survived.
He was like a fully automated cleaning machine, sweeping the entire trial area of monsters.
Meanwhile, those examinees who had deliberately waited for others to leave first before exiting the city looked at the empty wilderness and wore smug expressions.
One young man fanning himself with a folding fan grinned.
"See? I told you leaving later has advantages. The monsters were dealt with by those who rushed ahead. Now we get an easy walk."
Many people behind him nodded in agreement.
They had already covered half of the ten kilometer stretch from the city to the trial entrance without encountering a single monster.
Waiting really was the smart move.
Elsewhere, Zayne finally came to a stop.
"It really seems like there are no monsters left."
It was only four in the afternoon, yet the entire trial area appeared to have been completely cleared. His level had reached eighteen.
Name: Zayne
Class: Forbidden Spellcaster
Level: 18 (2.42 percent)
Strength: 180 (+300)
Agility: 275
Spirit: 535 (+648)
Class Talent: Endless Forbidden Spells. Each level gained unlocks one Forbidden Spell.
Skills: Forbidden Spell Worldbane Thunderfall, Swiftstep Waltz, Infernal Overdrive, Hellfire Armageddon, Savage Death Rewind, Everfrost Gaze, Necrotic Dominion, Sacrificial Blade Technique, Eternal Adamant…
"The higher the level, the harder it is to advance. Forget it. Time to enter the trial."
Zayne shook his head. The experience required to go from level one to sixteen was not much less than what it took to go from sixteen to eighteen.
He was still a long way from nineteen. Instead of wasting effort searching for the few remaining monsters, it was better to enter the trial directly.
The portal to the college entrance trial floated in the sky like a massive gate of light, radiating a gentle glow.
As he approached, Zayne felt a mysterious fluctuation in the air. It was the ripple of spatial magic, capable of transporting someone instantly elsewhere.
He stepped through.
The world shattered and reassembled, and when his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a vast plaza of black stone.
Ten towering stone pillars surrounded the plaza, each carved with ancient runes that exuded age and mystery.
At the center stood a massive stone stele engraved with the words Trial Grounds, the script ancient and serpentine.
"So this is the trial grounds?"