As the ray of light died out, everyone could finally see the aftermath.
A portion of the forest was gone.
Orange rock and sand had been fused into smooth, glassy scars where trees once stood, the desert-forest carved open by sheer force. The yellow-golden light slowly dissipated from Joey's hand, drifting away like fading embers. Without hesitation, the boy turned back to the others, already moving.
"Come on—we need a head start from everyone else, don't we?" Joey waved as he ran into the gap he had torn through the forest.
"I'm starting to realize why he held back," Luka commented, stepping forward as the rest followed.
"Yeah," Harkel sighed. Out of all of them, Joey was probably the strangest case. The golden boy himself wasn't really strong—at least not in a direct combat sense—but his evolved ability more than made up for it.
"Joey's ability, in and of itself, is a strange one," Leo said.
Luka gave him a confused look, but Jordan, Harkel, and Riven knew exactly what he meant.
"You're talking about his body," Jordan spoke up.
Leo nodded.
"Mind putting a little more emphasis on that?" Luka asked.
"Evolved abilities—just like the name—have evolved over time," Riven said, his eyes fixed on Joey's back as they moved. "Some people can evolve more than one ability, but there are differences between them. If you have a lightning-based evolved ability, you gain natural resistance to lightning. Same goes for fire, ice, and most other elements."
He paused before continuing.
"But there's one thing those abilities don't do—improve your body's physicality."
Riven exhaled quietly. "Joey's always been a strange case, even back in the walls. I could tell something was off about him. Even though he was skinny, it felt like he could probably kick my ass at any time—not just with abilities, but with his fists too."
His gaze hardened.
"Now I know why. Every time Joey uses his ability, he gets a plus twenty to all his stats. It's not like my electrical body skill. Imagine it like this—when I activate lightning, I get plus twenty across the board while it's active. That's essentially what's happening to Joey every time he uses his power. So if he ever develops a skill like an electrical body enhancement…"
He didn't finish the thought.
The weight of it settled over them.
Even though Leo was a werewolf.
Even though Jordan and Riven were half-breeds of an entirely different race.
They all came to the same conclusion.
The real monster here was Joey.
"Luckily," Harkel said as they caught up to the golden-haired boy, "he probably just got us a free spot."
He glanced around as he continued. "Most of the other students probably saw that light beam. Chances are they'll avoid this area, thinking it was a powerful beast."
Luka gulped as they looked ahead.
The forest beyond remained intact—dry trees rooted in orange stone and sand, shadows stretching between jagged rock and twisted trunks. The light hadn't reached this side.
Red eyes flickered within the trees.
"So let's not waste it," Harkel said, pulling the sword at his side free.
Back in the crusty orange desert lands, all the other students participating in the games saw the beam of light.
They all stopped in their tracks.
"What the hell was that?" one student asked, unwilling to move forward.
"Was that a beast?" another questioned.
"That should be impossible," someone else gulped. "The beasts here should be Levels One to Three. That level of attack was at least Level Five."
"Level Four," Matthew said calmly.
His gaze settled on a particular student wearing a third-year uniform.
The boy's hair was completely white—unnaturally so—with a single black dot at the center of his head, like an ink stain burned into snow.
"He's right," Axel said as he walked up. "That level of attack would match a Level Four beast—or a high-end Level Three at most. But there's no beast that can produce an attack like that."
He paused.
"So either a new type of beast has just been discovered… or that was a student."
"A student?" a blue-haired first-year girl asked, disbelief clear in her voice. "What kind of student can do something like that?"
The conversation died instantly as a group of six approached.
It was a team of first-year girls, with Maddie at the front.
A light beam, huh… Maddie thought to herself.
She had already seen Harkel and the others move ahead. Since no one had spotted them since, that meant they had to be in the forest.
Nico had a good imagination, she admitted inwardly. I had an idea of what Joey's ability might look like—but not on that scale.
Her expression remained calm, composed, unreadable.
Her thoughts were anything but.
This is bad. Really bad.
A first-year who can output that much power already… and this is only the beginning. There's too much room for growth.
Harkel just acquired a gold mine of a student.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
I want to get that Joey guy on my side.
But that'll be difficult.
He's a boy—different dorm. And if what Nico said is true, then he's basically been adopted by the group. If I want him, I'll have to convince them too.
After Maddie and her group passed through, the other teams slowly resumed moving.
"Sir, we can't keep going at this pace," Michael said to Axel. "We'll burn through our energy before we even reach a beast. Glenn's already getting tired—and he's the one carrying the supplies."
Every team had one member hauling a large bag filled with water, food, and survival necessities.
There were twelve participants per level.
They were only halfway to the forest.
Thirteen teams had already turned back toward the dome—most of them first-years, with a few second-years mixed in. Every third-year team was still moving.
"Damn it… you're right," Axel admitted.
"Gather up," he ordered.
The team formed a huddle.
Nearby, Sinclair watched, his expression darkening.
"Huddle up," he said sharply, copying his brother.
Park dropped the bag as they gathered. He was breathing heavily, sweat running down his face.
"What's the plan, boss?" Matthew asked calmly.
"This is it," Sinclair said. "Park and Ken will turn back and head toward the dome. The rest of us push straight into the forest and start hunting."
His eyes narrowed.
"I didn't want to split like this, but we've already wasted too much time. And the fact that we haven't seen Harkel anywhere tells me he's already in the forest—probably collecting beast gemstones as we speak."
"So we need to move. Now."
They lined up without question.
Ken and Park stayed at the back.
This was Ken's forced evolved ability.
He could accelerate others—himself included—granting them explosive speed, similar to a super-speed skill.
Ken clapped his hands together, rubbing them rapidly as green lightning sparked between his palms.
He tapped Sinclair and Matthew on the back.
Both felt the charge flood through their bodies as they launched forward.
Ken didn't enhance the others.
One of them was carrying the supply bag—Park.
That alone disqualified him. Carrying the load was already punishment enough after his loss to Riven.
Ken turned and tapped the remaining two teammates, careful to avoid the bag.
They took off as well.
The moment they were gone, Ken collapsed to his knees.
Before he hit the ground, Park caught him and hoisted him onto his back, continuing toward the dome.
That was the drawback of Ken's ability.
Four uses at most.
After that, he'd be unconscious for the rest of the day.
It was like running a full marathon—four times over—without rest.
"Screw all of them," Park thought as he trudged forward.
He glanced toward where Axel's group had been.
They were gone.
They were gone.
"Sir," Matthew said quietly as they passed another group of students.
"Yeah, I know," Sinclair replied, turning his eyes back toward a team of six trailing behind them. They weren't running at the same pace—slower, more cautious—but not slow enough to be dismissed.
By the time Sinclair's group reached the forest, those students wouldn't be far behind.
Axel, Sinclair thought.
"Michael," Matthew said inwardly, then spoke aloud as he turned back to his leader. "Most likely one of them has an evolved ability similar to Ken's."
Tommy and Oliver caught up, falling into step beside them.
"No," Sinclair said after a moment. "If they did, they'd be right on top of us—or ahead by now. This feels like a different kind of boost. Not speed-focused. Either way, by the time we reach the forest, they won't be too far behind."
His voice sharpened.
"So be ready. Just in case they try something."
The remaining members nodded in agreement.
Ahead of them, orange stone stretched endlessly beneath the blazing sky, broken only by scattered rock formations and the distant outline of the desert forest.
"Well," Kyle said casually, eyes fixed forward, "isn't this a situation?"
"This is bad, isn't it?" Emmett asked as they continued speed-walking. "I mean, we've got a twenty-four-hour limit. Once that's up, the portal closes, and the academy comes to retrieve us. That means elimination."
He hesitated.
"Shouldn't we just run and grab as many beast gemstones as possible?"
"No," Kyle replied, an uneasy smile tugging at his lips. "We shouldn't."
He glanced back briefly, eyes narrowing as he calculated distances.
"My competition will be here in about thirty minutes. That means we'll need to leave roughly four hours early before the portal closes. By then, we'll be exhausted, and we'll likely have to spend a full day inside the forest."
The boys looked back.
The dome was barely visible now—a faint curve against the horizon.
"The walk back alone will take one to two hours, depending on our energy," Kyle continued. "So we need to conserve stamina. We keep speed-walking. The forest will still be there."
He smiled again—this time, far more sly.
Since Harkel's group exited the dome first…
The assassin I hired should already be tailing them.
They'll gather gemstones for me.
And once the assassin finishes his work…
Every last gemstone will be mine.
Kyle's grin widened.
I bet they haven't even noticed him.
High above, partially concealed among the twisted branches of a desert-grown tree, a lone man crouched in silence.
He blended into the surroundings so well he might have been part of the bark itself.
[System: You have fed a Level One Rataclawin Beast. 300 XP gained.]
The system notice lingered for a moment before fading.
The three boys couldn't help it—excitement flickered across their faces.
"Don't get too excited," Harkel shut it down immediately as he handed Riven his sword. "Now comes the hard part."
He gestured toward the corpse.
"You need to extract the beast gemstone from its heart."
"What?" Riven said, staring at him.
"You heard me," Harkel replied flatly, dropping the sword into Riven's hand. "You have to rip open its chest."
He looked at the rest of them.
"And this goes for all of you. Every beast we kill, one of you will be the one to do it. The more beasts you harvest gemstones from, the more immunity your body builds to this kind of thing."
His voice hardened.
"So get the throwing up out of your system now. We can't hesitate later. If we do, someone else will swoop in and steal the gemstone."
Harkel gave Riven a slight shove toward the dead beast.
The Rataclawin lay sprawled across the orange stone, its massive body still twitching faintly. It was easily the size of a large dog, with thick, mangy fur the color of rusted sand. Its claws—long, hooked, and blackened—had been made for tearing through bark and flesh alike. Its mouth hung open, revealing jagged yellow teeth stained dark with old blood.
The smell hit Riven immediately.
Rot, iron, and something sharp—almost acidic.
When he raised the sword and brought it down, the blade slid in far too easily.
Like a hot knife through butter.
At the same time, a wet, gushing sound filled the air as organs were sliced open.
Riven froze.
The sound alone made his stomach twist violently.
He dropped the sword and stumbled back, turning just in time to vomit onto the sand. His body shook as he gagged, breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts.
Jordan instinctively stepped forward—
—but stopped when Harkel grabbed his shoulder.
"He needs to do this," Harkel said firmly. "All of you do."
Jordan clenched his fists, then backed off.
When Riven realized no one was taking his place, he wiped his mouth and forced himself to straighten.
I have to do this.
He picked the sword back up.
Closing his eyes, he finished cutting the Rataclawin's chest open, widening the opening until ribs cracked and split apart. He then shoved his hand inside, the gauntlet slick almost instantly.
It was… wrong.
The mushy resistance of organs.
The hardness of bone brushing against his knuckles.
Every accidental scrape made bile rise in his throat.
He almost threw up again—but swallowed it down and kept digging.
Then his fingers touched something different.
Not hard.
Not soft.
When he pulled his hand free, he froze.
Resting in his palm was a gemstone—roughly the size of a fist, shaped like a jagged rune stone. The number 1 was carved into its surface, glowing faintly.
But this one was different from the gemstone Kaiser had given him.
This one felt alive.
Tiny sparks flickered within it, like miniature stars being born and dying in rapid succession. It pulsed softly, warm against his palm, as if responding to his presence.
Riven couldn't look away.
Harkel's hand landed on his shoulder.
"Come on," he said with a grin. "There are plenty more to do."
Riven looked up—and, despite everything, smiled back.