The distant wail of sirens finally cut through the thunder.
Relief flashed across the hunters' faces as armored vehicles tore into the street, insignias of the Gene Security Association gleaming beneath flashing lights. Suppression fields deployed instantly, locking down the area as elite squads moved with frightening efficiency like it is normal for them.
"Third Squad, engage remaining monsters!"
Energy blasts tore through the battlefield as coordinated strikes slammed into the remaining Stormfang Lykors. Already wounded and pressured, the beasts were overwhelmed quickly, their speed neutralized by layered formations and containment skills.
Li Yuan didn't look back.
He couldn't when he is in front of thunderlord varkhaz.
Thunderlord Varkhaz reared up, lightning surging violently across its frame as its core flared unstable.
The Epic monster howled, thunder condensing around its body until the air screamed.
[ Cataclysm Overdrive ]
Its speed doubled.
Varkhaz vanished—then reappeared above Li Yuan, claws crashing down with enough force to collapse the street beneath them. Li Yuan barely raised his guard in time.
[ Lion Bastion ]
The impact drove him to one knee.
Pain exploded through his arms as cracks spread across the golden barrier. Blood spilled from his mouth, but his eyes burned brighter.
"Not… yet," he growled.
He surged upward, twisting his body and driving a devastating punch straight into the same spot he'd been targeting all fight.
[ Kingbreaker Fist — Full Force ]
The blow landed.
The sound was deafening.
Varkhaz was hurled backward, its massive body crashing through two ruined buildings before slamming into the ground. Lightning flickered wildly, then dimmed.
The Epic monster lay still.
Silence fell—uneasy, cautious.
Li Yuan straightened slowly, breathing hard.
Nearby, Jin moved through the wreckage, keeping his head down. To the Gene Security members, it looked like he was checking for survivors or confirming monster deaths. Each time, he knelt briefly, placed his hand on a fallen corpse, and moved on.
System messages flickered and vanished quickly, unnoticed.
The battlefield shifted from combat to containment.
A tall man in black-and-silver armor approached Li Yuan, insignia marking him as Zhao Ren, Third Squad Leader of the Gene Security Association.
"Veteran Li," Zhao Ren said, nodding. "You held them well. If you hadn't stalled—"
A surge of pressure cut him off.
Li Yuan's instincts screamed.
"Uncle,Move!" Jin shouted.
Li Yuan turned just as Varkhaz's eyes snapped open.
The monster's body convulsed violently, lightning erupting in a chaotic storm as it launched itself forward in a berserk charge, ignoring its shattered state.
Too close and Too fast.in a blink it is infront of li yuan.
Li Yuan hadn't fully recovered and in exausted state.
Zhao Ren stepped forward instantly.
[ Absolute Guard ]
A translucent barrier slammed into place just as Varkhaz's claws struck, lightning exploding outward in a blinding flash. The shield held—but cracks spread rapidly across its surface.
Jin's vision burned.
The world narrowed.
Thunderlord Varkhaz.
The same kind of monster.
The same feeling.
Sirens. Screams. Blood.
His Father and mother's hand slipping from his grasp.
His sister's voice cutting off mid-cry.
His uncle dying in his arms.
"No," Jin whispered.
The faint spots of light appeared again.
This time—clearer.
One pulsed violently at the center of Varkhaz's chest, overlapping with the fractured point where Li Yuan's final blow had landed.
Jin didn't think.
He moved.
Lightning surged along his arm, unstable and violent, tearing through his body as pain screamed through his skull.
[ Lightning Claw — Rare+ ]
He drove the strike forward with everything he had, plunging it into the glowing point.
The effect was instant.
Varkhaz convulsed violently, lightning collapsing inward as its core shattered from within. The Epic monster let out a final, broken roar before its massive body went limp and crashed to the ground.
Dead.
The battlefield fell silent.
The backlash hit immediately.
Energy flooded him far beyond what his body or mind could handle. His vision blurred, ears ringing as darkness swallowed the edges of his consciousness.
A system prompt blazed before Jin's eyes.
[ Thunderlord Varkhaz — Epic Tier ]
Kill Confirmed
Do you wish to devour?
▶ Yes / No
"Yes," Jin whispered.
He collapsed forward—
And was caught.
Li Yuan held him firmly, one arm supporting his back as Jin's body trembled.
"You did great," Li Yuan said quietly, voice hoarse. "You saved my life."
Jin tried to respond, but the world slipped away.
As Gene Security moved in to secure the Epic corpse and seal the rift, Li Yuan looked down at his unconscious nephew, eyes filled with something dangerously close to pride.
The night was over.
White light pressed against Wei Jin's eyelids.
The steady beep… beep… of a medical monitor slowly pulled him back to consciousness. His head throbbed dully, like it had been hollowed out and filled with fog.
"…Uncle?"
His voice came out hoarse.
A familiar figure leaned into his field of vision, eyes red-rimmed but sharp.
"You're awake," Wei Ling said, exhaling in relief. "Finally."
Jin blinked, staring at the sterile ceiling before his memories rushed back in fragments—
lightning, pain, a monstrous roar, his uncle's arms catching him as the world went dark.
"What… happened?" he asked quietly.
Wei Ling pulled a chair closer and sat beside him. "Gene Security took care of everything. The rift was sealed. The monsters were eliminated. The area's under control."
Jin's fingers tightened slightly against the bedsheet.
"And… the Association?" he asked carefully. "Did they ask anything?"
"They did," Wei Ling nodded. "They wanted to question you when you collapsed."
Jin's heart skipped.
"But Uncle Li handled it," she continued calmly. "He explained the situation."
Jin turned his head sharply. "He didn't tell them—"
Wei Ling cut him off instantly.
"What, that you knew a rift would open?" she said, staring at him like he'd asked something ridiculous. "Do you really think Uncle would tell them that?"
Her voice dropped.
"If that got out, you wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed. You'd be locked in a research facility. How do you think it would look if a low-grade student could predict rifts?"
Jin swallowed.
"You'd become a target," she continued. "To the Association. To underground groups. To people who would do anything to learn how you know things you shouldn't."
She shook her head. "Uncle just said he came to visit family. The rift opened nearby. He responded instinctively. Since everyone knows him, they didn't push."
Jin let out a slow breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Good…
He handled it exactly the right way.
"Oh," Wei Ling added, her tone lightening slightly. "Your teacher came too. Teacher Han Qiu. And Brother Zhao chen came with him."
Jin blinked. "They did?"
She nodded. "Teacher Han Qiu heard from Brother Zhao Chen that you wanted to register for the NCEE. He registered you himself."
"…He did?" Jin was genuinely surprised.
"He told you to rest," Wei Ling said with a small smile. "And to show up directly on exam day."
Jin stared at the ceiling, emotions churning quietly in his chest.
"And… Mom and Dad?" he asked after a moment.
"They're in the waiting hall," Wei Ling replied. "They stayed up all night watching over you. I made them rest when you stabilized."
Jin turned his head toward her. "You should rest too."
Wei Ling hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
She stood, pausing at the door. "And Jin?"
"Yeah?"
"Uncle said the next time he sees you," she said, smirking faintly, "you owe him a very good explanation."
Jin coughed awkwardly. "I… figured."
After she left, the room fell quiet again.
Jin lay still, staring at the ceiling.
The last thing he clearly remembered was Li Yuan catching him—
and the system prompt glowing before his eyes.
His gaze sharpened.
"System," he whispered.
The familiar blue interface unfolded silently before him.