1-3) He Became Strongest Hunter After Awakening A Talent That Can’t Level Up / Manhwa Recap

0:00This story starts with the memory of

0:01that day. Countless eerie black

0:04monuments fell from the sky. They

0:06dropped through the clouds one after

0:07another, their shadows covering the city

0:09below. Strange glowing spheres and

0:11lightning-like energy swirled around

0:13them as they descended. Right after

0:15that, barriers were deployed. A massive

0:17purple beam shot upward from the middle

0:19of the city, twisting the sky like a

0:21vortex. People standing on the streets

0:23stopped and stared, watching the glowing

0:25tower rise in front of them. Monsters

0:27called disaster beasts broke through the

0:30barriers and invaded the human world.

0:32Among them appeared a giant dark figure,

0:34the demon of destruction, Ringa,

0:36standing tall with purple energy

0:38swirling behind him. Soon, countless

0:40terrifying beasts flooded the streets.

0:43Armored monsters, winged creatures, and

0:45huge clawed beasts rushed forward while

0:47people screamed and ran. Disaster struck

0:50instantly. A monstrous armored creature

0:52swung its arm, sending a man falling

0:54backward as he shouted for everyone to

0:56run. Nearby, his child cried and reached

0:59out, calling for his dad as his mother

1:01ran while chaos erupted around them.

1:03Across the streets, different beasts

1:05attacked from all directions. A winged

1:07creature swooped down, a burrowing beast

1:09erupted from the ground, and blue-flamed

1:11monsters charged toward the fleeing

1:12civilians. Bodies fell on the road as

1:14the destruction spread, and the entire

1:16area was swallowed by panic. The armored

1:19monster rushed forward with blue flames

1:21bursting around its body. Its jaws

1:23opened wide as it roared, blue light

1:26flashing in its eyes. It shot a swirling

1:28vortex of blue flames toward a woman who

1:30ran away, holding a child tightly

1:32against her chest. The flames spread

1:34across the road as the monsters closed

1:36in. That woman was caught by the blue

1:38flames and threw her child ahead. The

1:41small boy reached out weakly while lying

1:43on the ground. The woman's voice

1:44trembled as she repeated the same word,

1:47telling her child, Itsuki, to run. The

1:49child looked at her with tear-filled

1:51eyes and called out for his mom. Just

1:53then, suddenly, someone shouted Itsuki's

1:56name again. A drop of sweat slid down a

1:58boy's face as the voice echoed. In the

2:01next moment, the scene returned to the

2:03present. A girl with pink hair turned

2:05around toward him. She asked what was

2:07wrong, saying he was spacing out. He

2:10stood among the lined-up students and

2:12answered quietly that it was nothing.

2:14Hearing that, she narrowed her eyes and

2:15leaned in slightly, asking him again if

2:17that was really true. Then, while he was

2:20crying, the boy who was the same Itsuki

2:22from that day stood still with tears

2:24running down from one eye. Before he

2:27could answer, another student suddenly

2:29wrapped an arm around his shoulder and

2:30spoke cheerfully. He said Itsuki must be

2:33sleepy since he was usually asleep at

2:35this time, but today there was suddenly

2:37a school-wide assembly. While they were

2:39talking, Itsuki pointed toward the stage

2:41and told his friends that the teacher

2:43there was dressed strangely. On stage,

2:45the teacher wearing some kind of armored

2:47helmet explained what happened after the

2:49disaster beasts appeared. Some humans

2:51gained the power to fight back, and they

2:53became known as awakened. The armored

2:55man described how, 10 years ago, the

2:57largest disaster beast attack happened

3:00northern shore of the Blue River.

3:02Awakened from all over the world crossed

3:03the river to repel them in what became

3:05known as the River Crossing War. Though

3:08attacks had decreased since then, the

3:09number of descending monuments had

3:11started to rise again. A large-scale

3:13attack similar to that war was likely

3:15coming soon. Itsuki's classmate leaned

3:18in again and pointed at a man on the

3:20stage. He explained that the person was

3:22Izumi Nento, the commander-in-chief of

3:24the Northern Continent. He asked how

3:26Itsuki could be from the north and still

3:28not know him.

3:30Itsuki looked at Izumi Nento quietly. He

3:32said the name sounded familiar and

3:34admitted he once imagined a hunched old

3:36man with a long beard, but the person on

3:38stage looked stranger than he expected.

3:40Itsuki's classmate grinned and told him

3:42he understood, but despite the odd

3:44appearance, Izumi Nento was the first

3:46awakened. It was thanks to him that

3:48humanity knew about the monuments and

3:50the disaster beasts. Itsuki's friend

3:53spoke excitedly, saying that this man

3:55was the strongest awakened. He added

3:57that even Tiwagin, known as the Light of

3:59Humanity, was his student. The scene

4:02shifted back to the armored man as he

4:04explained that recent research showed

4:06even ordinary people who had not

4:07awakened yet had a chance of gaining

4:09power by touching a monument. Izumi

4:11Nento stood on the stage, his long cloak

4:14spreading like black flames. He told the

4:16students he had come to let them try to

4:18awaken. He urged them to devote

4:20themselves to the fight against the

4:21disaster beasts. Just as he said that, a

4:24glowing blue blade slashed across the

4:26stage as the monument burst open. Light

4:29shot outward, scattering fragments,

4:31while a guard in sunglasses stood nearby

4:33watching.

4:34Seeing this, the students reacted with

4:36loud excitement. One of them shouted in

4:38shock as a monument rose from the

4:39ground, wondering if it was magic.

4:41Another yelled that this was not the

4:43time to be surprised. They clenched

4:45their fists, saying it felt like a

4:47dream, praying to become awakened. In

4:49the crowd, Itsuki's friend grabbed his

4:51arm in excitement. He told Itsuki that

4:53they finally had a chance to become

4:55awakened. His eyes shined as he said the

4:57word finally. Saying that, he started

4:59walking toward the stage. Seeing this,

5:02Itsuki's friend grabbed his shoulder,

5:03shouting that he shouldn't be left

5:05behind. The pink-haired girl called out

5:07to them, telling Itsuki to get back in

5:09line properly. But Itsuki walked past

5:11her, and a red glow flashed across his

5:13eyes. The girl looked at him in shock as

5:15the light streaked through the air. A

5:17close-up showed Itsuki's expression

5:19changing. His eyes shined red with

5:21excitement as he said that the day had

5:23finally come. On stage, a student

5:25touched the large black monument, but

5:27nothing happened. A guard immediately

5:29called out that it was no good and told

5:31the next person to step forward. The

5:33students watching reacted nervously. One

5:36boy pointed out that the previous

5:37student had broken the school's athletic

5:39record in his first year. He said that

5:41if even someone like that couldn't

5:42awaken, then there was no way he could.

5:45The girl beside him replied that

5:46athletic ability probably wasn't

5:48related, and that it was too early to

5:49give up. More students reached out to

5:51touch the monument one after another.

5:54The guard repeated the same word, next,

5:56as the line kept moving forward. The

5:58students crowded together anxiously. One

6:01boy with white hair nervously pointed

6:03out that not a single person had

6:04awakened yet. Others muttered in worry.

6:07A girl with short brown hair said she

6:09thought it would be easy. The boy beside

6:11her trembled, wondering if their entire

6:13school would be wiped out. The guard

6:15called out the next name loudly. Oishi

6:17Hikaru. Nearby, a group of students

6:20whispered their concerns. One girl said

6:22she didn't want him to awaken. Another

6:24explained that he was already a habitual

6:26bully, and if he gained powers, they

6:28would be in trouble. A boy suddenly

6:30pointed toward the monument and shouted

6:32that something was happening. Lightning

6:34erupted violently from the monument,

6:36blasting outward. Oishi Hikaru's body

6:39was lifted off the ground as crackling

6:40blue electricity surrounded him. The

6:43sudden burst drew everyone's attention.

6:45A glowing blue screen appeared beside

6:47him, showing his information as he

6:48grinned excitedly. He thought to himself

6:51that both Izumi Nento and the woman

6:53beside him would surely recognize him

6:54now. The screen displayed, Oishi Hikaru,

6:58human, level zero, job elementalist,

7:01lightning gift, grade two, undisclosed,

7:04status attack three, agility four,

7:07defense two, magic three, total 12 stat

7:10points. Watching from beside the

7:11monument, the blue-haired woman spoke

7:13softly. She told her father that they

7:15finally had one. She explained that

7:18level zero stats usually totaled only

7:20five, but this boy had reached 12. Her

7:22father, Izumi Nento, remained calm. The

7:25girl said it was still better than

7:27nothing. The school courtyard grew

7:28silent as Oishi Hikaru raised both arms

7:31triumphantly. Confetti sparkled around

7:33him while he grinned proudly. He

7:35muttered to himself, wondering if the

7:37old man Nento had anything to say to the

7:39first awakened student. But before he

7:42could boast further, someone grabbed his

7:44shoulder from behind. He turned sharply,

7:46surprised to see Itsuki stepping past

7:48him. Oishi spun toward Itsuki angrily,

7:51shouting at him. He demanded to know why

7:54Itsuki was touching him with dirty

7:55hands, yelling if he had a death wish.

7:58The watching students whispered among

7:59themselves. One girl asked who the boy

8:02was, noticing that he had cut the line.

8:04Another replied that it was Tenma Itsuki

8:06from class five. Someone else muttered

8:09that he was finished. Once Oishi

8:11targeted someone, it was over. From

8:13above, the blue-haired woman and

8:14Commander Nento observed quietly. The

8:17woman narrowed her eyes and said she

8:19sensed incredibly intense emotions

8:21coming from that student. Itsuki stood

8:23before the towering monument, placing

8:25his hand on the stone. His eyes glowed

8:27red as dark memories flashed through

8:29him. He muttered that he refused to

8:31forget his hatred for the disaster

8:33beasts. He had burned the events of that

8:35day deep into his mind. Commander Nento

8:37stared forward as if sensing something

8:39unbelievable. Out on the awakening

8:42platform, a massive blue apparition rose

8:44behind Itsuki. The glowing figure

8:46towered over him, holding a sword and

8:48radiating overwhelming power. Itsuki

8:51stood calmly beneath it as blue light

8:53filled the air. The monument erupted

8:55with energy. A sharp glowing structure

8:57formed above Itsuki, surrounded by

8:59swirling streams of light. The light

9:01expanded outward, wrapping around the

9:03entire area like a giant lotus blooming

9:05in the sky. The crowd below watched as

9:08the school grounds were covered in a

9:09glowing dome. Students stared upward,

9:12speechless. One boy pointed out that the

9:14pillar of light reached hundreds of

9:16meters into the sky. Another said it

9:18looked far more spectacular than Oishi's

9:20awakening. Two of Itsuki's classmates

9:23watched with excitement. Both of them

9:25smiled and cheered proudly, shouting

9:27that this was exactly what they expected

9:29from Itsuki. The blue-haired officer

9:31stared at the sky in shock. She said

9:33that this phenomenon only appeared when

9:35the rarest job, Order Breaker, was born.

9:37She placed a hand near her mouth, unable

9:40to hide her surprise. Even Commander

9:42Nento said he looked forward to seeing

9:44how capable the student would be. Seeing

9:46that, Oishi's expression twisted with

9:48frustration as he glared at the

9:50overwhelming light. Itsuki opened his

9:52eyes in confusion. Surrounded by

9:54shimmering blue energy, he wondered

9:56where he was and asked himself if he had

9:58awakened. Looking around, he found

10:01himself sitting cross-legged in the

10:02center of a massive glowing lotus made

10:04of light. Countless petals surrounded

10:07him, floating in a calm otherworldly

10:09space. Suddenly, a blue system screen

10:11appeared before him. Itsuki stared at it

10:14in shock as it displayed Tenma Itsuki's

10:16stats. He was a human at level zero,

10:18which was fixed. His job was order

10:20breaker, Nirvana. His gift was Nirvana,

10:23a special grade. His level was fixed.

10:26His stats increased when acquiring

10:28skills. It removed all debuffs and fully

10:30healed injuries. Just then, another blue

10:33window appeared showing his skill, Over

10:36Mimesis, which was Z rank. It analyzed

10:39enemy attacks and allowed the

10:40acquisition of counter skills. Then

10:42another screen showed Itsuki's stats.

10:44His were attack zero, agility zero,

10:47defense zero, magic zero, total zero.

10:51Itsuki's face went pale as he stared at

10:53the results. His jaw dropped and he

10:55exclaimed silently that everything was

10:57at zero. But then, two blue system

11:00windows appeared in front of Itsuki. The

11:02first announced that the Z rank skill

11:04Over Mimesis had been acquired. The

11:06second stated that the special grade

11:08gift Nirvana had activated, increasing

11:10all of his stats by 200. Another screen

11:13displayed the changes. Attack went from

11:15zero to 200, agility went from zero to

11:18200, defense went from zero to 200.

11:21Seeing this, Itsuki's expression

11:23brightened. He looked at the glowing

11:25screen with excitement and said he

11:27understood.

11:28He realized that whenever he gained new

11:30skills through Over Mimesis, Nirvana

11:32would raise his stats. Even if he

11:34couldn't level up like others, he could

11:35still grow stronger in his own way. He

11:37clenched his fist and smiled

11:39confidently. He admitted he didn't know

11:41what level this power compared to, but

11:43he had no doubt he had become an

11:44awakened. With determination in his

11:46eyes, he declared that he would

11:48annihilate the disaster beasts. A

11:50massive burst of blue light exploded

11:52from the monument. Students around him

11:54shielded their faces and shouted that

11:56the light was too bright. Some grabbed

11:58their eyes in pain. Through the blinding

12:00radiance, Itsuki's silhouette stood tall

12:02within the monument's glow. Lightning

12:04and energy swirled around him in a

12:06powerful display. Oishi stared at the

12:08scene, trembling with disbelief. His

12:11face twisted as he shouted that such a

12:13thing was impossible. The blue-haired

12:15officer gasped as she looked at the

12:16glowing monitor. She covered her mouth

12:18in shock and said that these stats were

12:20unbelievable for a rookie awakened. Even

12:23Commander Nento admitted that it was

12:25hard to believe, but stated that Itsuki

12:27was undoubtedly among the strongest of

12:28all new awakened in history. Outside,

12:31Itsuki stepped out of the light, petals

12:33of blue energy swirling around him.

12:35Watching his silhouette shine with

12:37power, just one word left Commander

12:39Nento's mouth, the strongest. A system

12:42window displayed his public information.

12:44Tenma Itsuki, human, level zero fixed,

12:48job order breaker, gift special grade

12:50undisclosed, skill undisclosed, status

12:53attack 200, agility 200, defense 200,

12:57magic 200, total 800. In the crowd,

13:00students and teachers erupted in cheers.

13:03They shouted that Tenma's stats had shot

13:05up all at once. Someone cried out in

13:07disbelief, saying they never imagined

13:09their school would have someone this

13:11amazing. An older teacher yelled that

13:13this feat would go down in school

13:14history. But among the cheering crowd,

13:17Oishi trembled with rage. Lightning

13:19crackled around him as his eyes glowed

13:21red. He clenched his teeth and glared at

13:24Itsuki, furious that the cheers cheers

13:26he believed should have been his were

13:28now stolen away. Oishi's rage exploded

13:30as lightning surged across his body. He

13:33shouted that a loser like Itsuki should

13:35stay a loser. Students around him backed

13:37away as sparks crackled through the air,

13:39their faces tense with shock.

13:41Electricity flooded the entire hall and

13:44Oishi stepped forward with a crazed

13:46expression. He declared that he would

13:47eliminate Itsuki using his newly

13:49acquired skill. Above the crowd, Itsuki

13:52stood calmly, staring down from the top

13:54of the monument as lightning scattered

13:56below him. Itsuki clenched his fist as a

13:59blue system window appeared. The screen

14:01displayed, C rank skill silver serpent

14:05detected, Over Mimesis activated.

14:07Itsuki's eyes sharpened as multiple blue

14:09panels began processing. The analysis

14:12started at 27% then climbed quickly,

14:1557%, 69% and rising while lightning

14:19flickered around him. Itsuki made his

14:21move and jumped with lightning speed.

14:24The floor cracked under the impact as

14:26the lightning slammed down. Students

14:28gasped when they looked up and realized

14:30something was wrong. One girl asked

14:32where Itsuki had gone. Another student

14:34said they saw a flash of electricity and

14:36then Itsuki suddenly vanished. Oishi

14:38looked around in confusion, wondering

14:40where Itsuki was. A glowing blue window

14:43reached 88% as Itsuki appeared behind

14:45Oishi like a shadow wrapped in

14:47lightning. His eyes shone with a

14:48blinding horizontal beam. Oishi froze in

14:51terror. Sweat poured down his face as he

14:53realized Itsuki was behind him. He

14:55panicked, unable to move. Itsuki placed

14:58a hand on Oishi's shoulder. His voice

15:00was cold as he told Oishi to consider

15:02himself lucky for being born human.

15:04He added that if Oishi were a disaster

15:06beast, he would have killed him about a

15:08hundred times already. Oishi trembled

15:10uncontrollably, fear tightening his

15:12entire body. Moments later, Itsuki

15:15casually stepped forward while Oishi

15:16collapsed onto the ground. Another

15:18student shouted in shock, asking when

15:20Itsuki had moved behind him. Someone

15:23else laughed nervously, saying Oishi

15:25must have been so scared his legs gave

15:27out. Another warned them to be quiet

15:29before Oishi heard them. A new panel

15:31floated above Itsuki, showing 94% then

15:35rising quickly. Blue energy swirled

15:37around him as the progress reached 99%.

15:40Itsuki glanced at the glowing screen and

15:42commented that maybe the analysis was

15:44fast because it was only a C rank skill.

15:46The display turned pitch black and

15:48flashed, analysis progress 100%.

15:51Lightning exploded around him as a new

15:53message appeared saying C rank skill

15:55thunder breaker acquired. Itsuki stood

15:58in the center of the crackling blue

15:59electricity, his body glowing as the

16:01newly gained power wrapped around him

16:03like living lightning. The students

16:05watched nervously as the light began to

16:07glow again. One of the boys stared in

16:09shock, saying it was happening once

16:11more. Another student, wearing

16:13sunglasses, adjusted them with a grin,

16:15saying it was a good thing he had

16:17brought them. Inside the glowing space,

16:19Itsuki appeared sitting calmly with a

16:21thoughtful expression. He realized that

16:24every time an analysis finished, he was

16:26forcibly brought into this strange

16:27place. In front of him, the system

16:29windows appeared stating that the

16:31analysis of silver serpent was complete

16:33and the skill thunder breaker had been

16:35acquired. Another window opened showing

16:38the description of thunder breaker level

16:39one. The skill allowed him to absorb C

16:42rank and lower lightning attacks into

16:44his body. When releasing the absorbed

16:46lightning energy, his agility would

16:47increase by 50%. It also had a passive

16:50effect. Each time he absorbed a C rank

16:53lightning attack, his agility

16:55permanently increased by 5%. Another

16:57message added that all his stats had

16:59increased by 10. All debuffs were

17:01removed and his injuries were fully

17:03healed. Outside, the students shielded

17:05their eyes as a massive burst of blue

17:07light exploded from Itsuki's body. The

17:09lightning wrapped around him in swirling

17:11arcs as he stood in the center of the

17:13arena steps. The electric pressure

17:15pushed outward and the crowd

17:16instinctively stepped back or covered

17:18their faces. Someone shouted that Itsuki

17:21was now cloaked in lightning from head

17:22to toe. Another student panicked, saying

17:25Itsuki's lightning was even brighter

17:27than Oishi's. Oishi, who had attacked

17:29him earlier, stared with trembling eyes,

17:31unable to believe how Itsuki had learned

17:33a skill like that. Itsuki's body glowed

17:36intensely as the system displayed his

17:38rising stats. It showed each attribute

17:40increasing, attack, agility, defense and

17:43magic, all rising from 200 to 210,

17:46bringing his total from 800 to 840. Just

17:50then, the students looked up at the sky

17:52in confusion. One of them said it had

17:54been sunny just a moment ago. Another

17:56asked if it was rain. A third student

17:58lifted his hand, trying to feel the

18:00drops, when someone suddenly shouted

18:02that something was falling. A dark

18:04coffin-shaped object wrapped in

18:05lightning descended from the stormy

18:07clouds. The rain poured harder as it

18:10crashed down toward the school grounds.

18:12The woman with blue hair and glasses saw

18:14it and shouted in shock, calling it a

18:16monument. She questioned why it had

18:18appeared here of all places. Commander

18:20Nento quickly announced that the

18:21school-wide assembly was canceled and

18:24ordered everyone to evacuate outside the

18:26school grounds, just like in their

18:27drills.

18:28He realized that there was no doubt the

18:30target was him. The woman turned to

18:32Commander Nento and told him that they

18:34should escape, too, since combat wasn't

18:36their specialty. But Commander Nento

18:38beside her shook his head. He warned

18:40that if they ran, everyone else would

18:42panic. He pointed ahead, telling her to

18:44look because the boy standing there was

18:46calmer than both of them. Ahead of them,

18:48lightning exploded around the descending

18:50object. Students ran in all directions,

18:53fleeing in fear. Only one boy, Itsuki,

18:56remained still in the middle of the

18:57field, bathed in a faint blue glow. From

19:00behind, the blue-haired woman shouted at

19:02him, demanding to know why he wasn't

19:04running. A massive dark pillar crashed

19:06down from the sky, shaking the ground as

19:08debris exploded outward. Rain poured

19:10heavily around it. Nearby, a group of

19:13students panicked. One boy shouted that

19:15disaster beasts were coming and urged

19:17Itsuki to escape, but Itsuki, with

19:19glowing red eyes, stood still. His voice

19:22was cold as he declared that he would

19:24exterminate every single one of them.

19:26His friends stared at him in shock. One

19:28of them yelled that he would die if he

19:30didn't run. Another insisted that since

19:32he had only just awakened, he couldn't

19:34possibly fight disaster beasts. They

19:36told him to leave everything to the

19:38other awakened, but Itsuki shook his

19:40head. He calmly told them to trust him.

19:43The pink-haired girl hesitated, worry

19:45written all over her face. Finally, she

19:47shouted that if he died, he shouldn't

19:49blame them. She grabbed the other guy's

19:51clothes and dragged him with her. The

19:53glasses-wearing boy asked her if it was

19:54really okay to let him go, reminding her

19:56that the enemy was a disaster beast, a

19:58walking weapon of mass murder. As the

20:00two ran off, Itsuki looked ahead with a

20:02crazed smile. His eye glowed bright red

20:05through the rain. He muttered that his

20:07first enemy after becoming an awakened

20:09was the one who killed his parents and

20:11that it was lucky. Lightning curled

20:13around him as he stepped forward. A

20:15glowing panel appeared beside him,

20:17displaying the status of the creature

20:19before him. It was skeleton soldier

20:2110369, level eight, gift grade two,

20:25defense increases by 100%. If the

20:28enemy's attack exceeds its own defense,

20:30the gift becomes invalid. Skill, bone

20:33fire, B rank. Its stats were attack 15,

20:37agility 10, defense 120 + 120, magic 30,

20:41total 295. The skeleton soldier stood

20:44covered in blue flames as Itsuki faced

20:47it head-on. A surge of lightning wrapped

20:49around Itsuki's arms as he tightened his

20:51stance. His red eyes glowed sharply as

20:54he wondered if he should test the skill

20:55he had just acquired. In the next

20:57moment, he charged forward, electricity

21:00exploding around his body. Blue

21:02lightning trailed behind him as he

21:03rushed toward the flaming skeleton beast

21:05on the field. The two forces collided,

21:08sparks scattering through the rain. The

21:10skeletal beast swung its arms to punch,

21:12but Itsuki dodged. Then Itsuki swung his

21:15electrified fist with full force,

21:17shouting that he would not let anyone

21:19else die. His punch struck the

21:21creature's chest and a violent burst of

21:23energy erupted. The impact sent the

21:25disaster beast flying across the field,

21:27smashing through the school building.

21:29The ground trembled as debris scattered

21:31in all directions. Students watching

21:33from afar stared in shock. One student

21:36said Itsuki's strength was too

21:37overwhelming, that maybe they didn't

21:39need to run anymore. A female student

21:41was stunned, seeing how the impact had

21:43blasted the monster away in a single

21:45hit. The blue-haired inspector stared at

21:47the ruined wall, stunned at a rookie who

21:49had just become awakened could send a

21:51level eight disaster beast flying with

21:53only one blow. Heavy rain poured down as

21:55Commander Nento watched from a distance,

21:58thinking to himself that Itsuki's speed

22:00and power were on a completely different

22:01level from other level zeros. But even

22:03then, he believed that defeating a

22:05skeleton soldier was impossible. He

22:08explained that skeleton soldiers had two

22:10troublesome abilities. The first was a

22:12gift that increased their defense. The

22:14second was a terrifying skill called

22:16bone fire, a flame that burned anything

22:18it touched into ash. Blue flames erupted

22:21violently across the field, spreading

22:23like a wave toward Itsuki. The students

22:25gasped as the fire surged forward.

22:27Itsuki's friends cried out in fear,

22:29shouting Itsuki's name. Oishi stepped

22:31forward with a crazed smile, yelling

22:33that the fool who didn't know his place

22:35would just burn to ash. Meanwhile,

22:37glowing screens appeared in front of

22:39Itsuki. A system message informed him

22:41that the enemy was using bone fire. The

22:44analysis began, first at 1%, then

22:47rapidly accelerating. As the blue flames

22:49engulfed him, more screens appeared.

22:5225%. Itsuki stood firmly inside the

22:55blazing bone fire, surrounded by data

22:58streams. He calmly observed that the

23:00analysis speed increased whenever the

23:02enemy's skill struck him. The

23:03blue-haired instructor watched with

23:05widening eyes. She said that even a

23:07level 10 awakened wouldn't stand a

23:09chance if they took a direct hit. Blue

23:11flames continued to swallow the arena as

23:13Itsuki stood in the center, half of his

23:15body burned away and glowing like a

23:17skeleton. The blue-haired instructor's

23:19voice echoed through the flames, saying

23:21it would be tragic for a genius who had

23:23just appeared to be killed by a disaster

23:24beast before he could grow. System

23:26windows floated around Itsuki, showing

23:2977% and 81%.

23:32Itsuki looked at his burning body and

23:34muttered that this was what it felt like

23:36when the body burned. He added softly

23:38that it must have hurt. A memory

23:40flickered through the flames. He saw his

23:42mother's face, half burned away. He

23:45realized that it hurt so much, but even

23:47in her last minutes, she smiled so as

23:49not to scare Itsuki. Commander Nento

23:51peered out with a sharp gaze, wondering

23:53if Itsuki hadn't used his full power

23:55yet. The blue fire swirled violently as

23:58the progress bar climbed. Itsuki's

24:00skeletal hand tightened and he said that

24:02once the analysis was complete, the

24:04enemy was finished. The system window

24:07flashed. Analysis progress, 100%.

24:10Outside the flames, the students

24:12whispered nervously. One asked if it had

24:14been too soon to hope for a rookie who

24:16had just become awakened. Another

24:18admitted he had been stupid to expect

24:20anything. But suddenly, someone pointed

24:22forward in shock. He shouted that the

24:24blue lotus flower had appeared again. He

24:26said Itsuki might show them another

24:28miracle. Blue light swirled around

24:30Itsuki as he stood inside the burning

24:32aura, wondering what kind of skill he

24:34would gain this time. The flames around

24:36him continued to fade, revealing his

24:38burned and cracked body beneath the blue

24:40energy. Then a system window appeared,

24:43showing that the analysis of bone fire

24:45was complete. It stated that a new

24:47skill, black wall, had been acquired.

24:49More windows followed, explaining the

24:51skill. The active effect would create

24:54ice on the body by consuming magic power

24:56and could block B rank or lower fire

24:58skills. The passive effect increased

25:00defense when blocking those skills.

25:02Another notification appeared, saying

25:04that black wall LV2 had been acquired

25:07and that all of his stats had increased

25:08by 20. It stated that all debuffs were

25:11removed and his injuries were fully

25:13healed. A new window showed his updated

25:15status. Attack, agility, defense, and

25:18magic had all risen from 210 to 230,

25:22bringing his total from 820. Itsuki

25:24looked at the glowing screen calmly. He

25:27remembered how even his strongest attack

25:29earlier couldn't break the skeleton

25:30soldier's defense. Now, with this new

25:33increase, he believed he should be able

25:35to do it. Suddenly, blue lotus petals

25:37unfolded around him, blooming like a

25:39massive light flower. Itsuki stood at

25:41the center, his body surrounded by

25:43shining energy. The students watching

25:45gasped in shock. One of them cried out

25:47in relief, saying Itsuki was alive.

25:50Others cheered loudly, convinced that he

25:52would succeed. Someone pointed out that

25:54a full recovery like this was

25:56practically a miracle. The blue-haired

25:58instructor stared in shock as she

25:59watched the scene unfold. She wondered

26:01aloud if Itsuki had a self-healing

26:03skill. She had seen him use a lightning

26:06element skill earlier, so she couldn't

26:07understand how he was recovering.

26:09Commander Nento was also shocked. He

26:12remembered that order breakers were

26:13considered the most mysterious job, but

26:15even among them, Itsuki seemed uniquely

26:17strange. Meanwhile, Itsuki stared in the

26:20center of the glowing lotus petals. His

26:22body had recovered completely, not a

26:24single injury left. Blue fragments

26:27drifted around him as he looked down at

26:28his restored form. Itsuki whispered in

26:31disbelief, saying it was a perfect

26:33recovery. He wondered whether he would

26:35heal even if his limbs were cut off or

26:37if his brain was destroyed. He admitted

26:39he was curious about the limits of his

26:41self-healing. Suddenly, the skeleton

26:43soldier roared, its armor burning with

26:46blue bone fire. The flames surged

26:48violently as the monster charged

26:49forward. Itsuki turned calmly, raising

26:52his arm as black spikes spread across

26:54his skin. The blue flames rushed toward

26:57him. His entire body became engulfed in

26:59the fire, but he stood unmoving within

27:01it. Moments later, his silhouette

27:03appeared again through the blaze. Thick

27:06layers of black spikes covered him

27:07completely and his red eyes glowed

27:09coldly behind the cracked ice armor.

27:12Itsuki cracked through the air as he

27:13shot upward. The explosion of blue

27:15flames shook the area when he crashed

27:17down. Itsuki's armored body glowed with

27:20electricity as he readied another

27:21strike. The skeletal beast struck, but

27:24Itsuki moved again, instantly appearing

27:26behind the beast faster than anyone

27:28could follow. Itsuki then raised his arm

27:31and it turned into a massive black spike

27:33sword, lightning running through it.

27:35Itsuki moved with lightning speed and

27:37with a single slash, cut the skeletal

27:39beast in two with that sword. The

27:41students watching from afar were

27:42stunned. One of them said that Itsuki

27:44moved behind the disaster beast in an

27:46instant, as if he had teleported.

27:48Another said that only awakened people

27:50could track movements like that. Oishi

27:52was also stunned, saying she couldn't

27:55see Itsuki's movements at all. She

27:56compared it to what she had seen before.

27:59The blue-haired instructor questioned if

28:00someone like Itsuki could really be a

28:02rookie. On the other hand, as the dust

28:04settled, Itsuki stood alone. As the

28:07black spikes on his body disappeared, he

28:09kicked and destroyed the skeleton

28:11beast's head. He was stunned to realize

28:13that it not only generated solid armor

28:15to protect his body, but could also

28:17shape that armor into any kind of weapon

28:19he wanted. A divine skill that combined

28:21both offense and defense. Suddenly,

28:23someone shouted his name. Itsuki turned

28:26his head in surprise as his friend

28:28rushed toward him and wrapped him

28:29tightly in a relieved hug, saying he was

28:31glad Itsuki had won because he had been

28:33worried the entire time. Itsuki stayed

28:35still for a moment before asking about

28:37Saya. His friend pulled back and

28:39admitted that Saya had been watching

28:41earlier with a face that looked like she

28:42might cry, but now she was nowhere to be

28:45seen. Itsuki looked toward the crowd,

28:47wondering why she didn't come. He

28:49scanned the students in the distance,

28:51confusion growing. He quietly wondered

28:53if she might be angry. Not far away, the

28:56blue-haired instructor watched the

28:57aftermath of the fight. She spoke

28:59seriously, noting that for a boy to

29:01defeat a skeleton soldier, something

29:03even a level 10 awakened would struggle

29:05against was unbelievable. Commander

29:07Nento called the blue-haired instructor

29:09Choa and told her to stay and assist

29:11with the cleanup. He also told her to

29:13deliver his message to the principal

29:15that he would be taking Itsuki with him.

29:16On the other hand, Itsuki's friend

29:18patted Itsuki's hand, saying there was

29:20no way Saya would be angry after he won.

29:23He guessed that Saya was probably scared

29:25of falling behind Itsuki, so she might

29:27have gone to touch the monument instead.

29:29Itsuki lowered his gaze slightly and

29:31murmured that he hoped that was the

29:33case. Just then, a voice called out to

29:35him, asking if he was Tenmatsu Itsuki.

29:38Itsuki turned and noticed someone

29:40approaching. Commander Nento, wearing a

29:42long cape, stood before him. Itsuki

29:45looked up at him in silence. People

29:47watching from a distance began

29:48whispering among themselves. They saw

29:50that Izumi Nento, a famous figure, was

29:52talking directly to Itsuki. Some

29:54wondered if he intended to take Itsuki

29:56as a student. Others doubted it, saying

29:58the only person Commander Nento had ever

30:00accepted as a student was Tiwajin,

30:02humanity's strongest. They insisted that

30:04no matter how strong Itsuki seemed,

30:06something like that wouldn't happen.

30:08Itsuki's friend stepped away nervously

30:11and said he would go look for Saya.

30:12Commander Nento then looked down at

30:14Itsuki and spoke calmly. He told Itsuki

30:17that he was quite special. Itsuki looked

30:19at Commander Nento and repeated the word

30:21softly, asking what he meant by calling

30:23him special. Commander Nento observed

30:26Itsuki closely and saw dark energy

30:28gathering around Itsuki. He told Itsuki

30:31that his heart seemed filled with anger

30:33and hatred. Itsuki stood in the

30:34darkness, a glowing light shining across

30:37his eyes. Commander Nento then stepped

30:39forward and said that he wanted to know

30:41the reason behind that hatred. Itsuki

30:43finally spoke, explaining that 10 years

30:45ago, his parents were killed by disaster

30:47beasts while trying to protect him. A

30:50scene from his childhood flashed before

30:52his eyes. His younger self crying

30:54helplessly as danger closed in. He

30:56remembered how he had nearly been killed

30:58as well, but an Awakened appeared at the

31:00last moment and saved him. The powerful

31:02figure struck the beast right in front

31:04of the frightened Itsuki. Itsuki told

31:06Commander Nento that right before his

31:08eyes, he had watched his mother die. A

31:10glowing blue flame slowly consumed his

31:12mother's body. Even as half her face

31:14vanished into bone and ash, she smiled

31:16gently at Itsuki and told him that he

31:18must walk the rest of the path on his

31:20own. Young Itsuki stared at her with

31:22trembling eyes, unable to understand.

31:24His voice cracked as he cried out for

31:26his mother. Anger raged inside him as he

31:29looked at the beast. Words echoed in his

31:31mind, reminding him that both his mother

31:33and father had died because of beings

31:35like this. Tears streamed down his face

31:38as he shouted in denial. Before him, a

31:40towering monstrous figure rose from the

31:42darkness, an enormous being surrounded

31:44by raging purple flames. Its shadow

31:47loomed over Itsuki as he realized the

31:49horrifying truth. The creature before

31:51him was the root of all evil. Shaking

31:53with rage, Itsuki glared upward. His

31:56eyes burned red as hatred filled his

31:58heart. On that day, he swore a vow. He

32:01would kill that demon and every last

32:03creature of its kind. In the present,

32:06Itsuki clenched his jaw, a tear slipping

32:08down his cheek as he shouted that he

32:10would kill all of its kind. Commander

32:12Nento looked at him and commented that

32:14even with a heart consumed by hatred,

32:16Itsuki still shed tears. Itsuki raised a

32:19hand to his face and explained calmly.

32:22Ever since he witnessed the tragedy of

32:23his mother's death, his left eye had

32:26stopped producing tears, but his right

32:28eye had begun crying on its own. "Thanks

32:30to that," he said, "he never forgot his

32:32hatred for the disaster beasts."

32:34Commander Nento then asked if Itsuki

32:36would become his student. He promised to

32:38get him into the Salvation League and

32:40help him gain the immense power needed

32:42to take revenge on the disaster beasts.

32:44Itsuki repeated the words quietly,

32:46asking what the Salvation League was.

32:48Commander Nento then explained. He told

32:51Itsuki that to counter disaster beasts

32:53more efficiently and scientifically, the

32:55governments of the five continents had

32:57gathered strong Awakened from around the

32:59world and created an official

33:00organization. The members of this

33:02organization were called Saviors, he

33:05continued, saying that Saviors were

33:06provided with resources such as

33:08dedicated training grounds and powerful

33:10weapons. They were also guaranteed high

33:12compensation. Even trainee Saviors

33:15receive 10,000 gold per month. Itsuki

33:18listened in surprise, realizing that

33:2010,000 gold was enough to buy a car.

33:22Commander Nento then warned that such

33:24generous treatment was not given for

33:26free. Saviors were expected to

33:28constantly fight disaster beasts on the

33:29front lines and protect people's safety.

33:32Itsuki stood shirtless, his expression

33:34calm as he spoke. He said that he did

33:36not care about high pay or special

33:38resources. What mattered most to him was

33:41something else. Determination filled his

33:43eyes. His gaze sharpened as he clenched

33:45his fist. He declared that what mattered

33:48most was fighting disaster beasts on the

33:49front lines. With unwavering resolve, he

33:52announced that he wanted to become a

33:53Savior as well. Commander Nento then

33:56explained the process. He said that the

33:58Salvation League held an exam every

34:00February, known as the National

34:02Salvation League Tournament, with more

34:04than 10,000 participants. Each

34:06contestant earned points based on

34:07performance, but only those who ranked

34:09within the top 100 were allowed to

34:11become Saviors. Hearing this, Itsuki

34:14asked what the highest record in history

34:16was. Commander Nento told Itsuki that it

34:18would not be very useful as a reference.

34:21He explained calmly that the record was

34:22115,000 points, set by Tiwajin 11 years

34:26ago. He added that passing required only

34:2830% of that score, while securing first

34:31place required at least 50%. Itsuki

34:34silently recalled the name Tiwajin, the

34:36strongest Awakened, known as the light

34:38of humanity, the one Rekuru had

34:40mentioned. Commander Nento told Itsuki

34:42that Jin was special and that comparing

34:44himself to Jin would only bring despair.

34:46But even so, Itsuki should still have

34:48confidence because he believed Itsuki

34:50could one day stand shoulder to shoulder

34:52with Jin. Itsuki stood shirtless on the

34:54training ground, his expression steady.

34:57With unwavering determination, he

34:59declared that he would surpass Tiwajin.

35:01Hearing those words, Commander Nento's

35:04eyes widened inside the helmet, reacting

35:06with surprise. He remembered something

35:08from the past, a time when he had stood

35:10with Tiwajin and told him that he had

35:12become incredibly popular. The younger

35:14generation was trying to follow in his

35:16footsteps, but Tiwajin warned that

35:18following alone would never win the war

35:20against the disaster beasts. Someday,

35:22someone would surpass him, just as a new

35:24sunrise replaces the setting sun.

35:26Tiwajin said that he looked forward to

35:28that day. Seeing Itsuki's resolve,

35:31Commander Nento thought that the sunrise

35:32Tiwajin had been waiting for had finally

35:35appeared. A few hours later, Commander

35:37Nento took Itsuki to another place.

35:40There, when Itsuki saw the massive

35:42dome-shaped structure rising in the

35:44distance, glowing under the sky, he

35:46asked quietly what it was. Commander

35:48Nento explained that these monuments

35:50acted as passages connecting the human

35:52world to the world of disaster beasts.

35:55He said that if the beasts were killed

35:56but the monuments were left untouched,

35:58new beasts would simply appear again. He

36:00pointed at the massive dome-shaped

36:02building and explained that this

36:03facility was created to isolate

36:05monuments that couldn't be destroyed.

36:07Awakened individuals periodically

36:09entered it to sweep out the disaster

36:11beasts that emerged. This kept the

36:13danger under control and also served as

36:15training. Itsuki looked at the building

36:17and asked if it was a training facility.

36:19Commander Nento, standing beside him,

36:21confirmed it, saying they called these

36:23places stages. He explained that the

36:26number and strength of the beasts inside

36:27couldn't be controlled, making it

36:29extremely dangerous. Commander Nento

36:31told Itsuki that the beasts in this

36:33specific stage were especially strong.

36:35Among all rookie level stages, this one

36:38had the highest mortality rate. Because

36:40of that, people called it the rookie's

36:42graveyard. He told Itsuki that when Jin

36:45was still a rookie, he had cleared this

36:46deadly stage in 3 minutes and 14

36:48seconds. Commander Nento turned to

36:50Itsuki and said that if Itsuki truly

36:52intended to surpass Jin, then 3 minutes

36:55would be his limit. As Itsuki walked

36:57toward the giant facility, Commander

36:59Nento told him that if he could clear

37:01the stage within 3 minutes, he would

37:03accept him as his student. Hearing that,

37:05Itsuki's eyes sharpened with

37:06determination. He wanted to surpass Jin

37:09and become Commander Nento's student.

37:11People in the lobby turned their heads

37:13when they saw a familiar figure. Someone

37:15pointed and said that Mr. Izumi had

37:17arrived. Another person noticed Itsuki

37:19walking beside him and asked if that was

37:22the rumored rookie. The crowd stared in

37:24surprise, whispering that there was no

37:26way a rookie could walk next to Mr.

37:28Izumi unless he was an Awakened on

37:30Tiwajin's level. Itsuki looked around

37:32quietly and wondered to himself if this

37:34person was really that famous. Thinking

37:37that, he walked toward the stage

37:38entrance and saw the display showing the

37:40disaster beast level inside, level 10.

37:43He noted that it was only two levels

37:45higher than the skeleton soldier he had

37:46faced earlier and wondered how strong

37:48that really was. But what surprised him

37:51more was that even though several people

37:52were gathered nearby, none of them

37:54seemed prepared to enter the stage. He

37:56wondered why that was. Someone nearby

37:59muttered that the rookie looked way too

38:00confident and assumed that a high-level

38:02Awakened must be accompanying him.

38:04Another wished they could be taken

38:05along, too, while someone else joked

38:07that the rookie probably came just to

38:09flirt with the receptionist, saying that

38:11with a decent face, he was getting

38:13cocky. At the counter, the receptionist

38:15approached him with a polite smile. She

38:17asked if he wanted to enter the stage

38:19and how many challengers there would be.

38:21He calmly replied that it would be just

38:23him. Hearing that, the area fell silent

38:26as the receptionist stared at him across

38:27the counter. Suddenly, she leaned

38:29forward and yelled angrily. She told him

38:31not to make unfunny jokes and asked if

38:33he was messing around. She warned him

38:35that if he was just there to hit on her,

38:37it was pointless. She explained that

38:39even if the place was an artificial

38:41stage, it was still dangerous. People

38:43could get hurt or even die. Itsuki

38:45stared at her in confusion, wondering

38:47what she was even talking about. Behind

38:49them, several people watching from afar

38:51started laughing. They joked that he

38:53really was there to hit on her. Some

38:55said that there were always people who

38:57treated the stages like dating spots,

38:59and those people usually got scolded and

39:00went home. Itsuki looked at the

39:02receptionist calmly and explained the

39:04misunderstanding. He told her he had

39:06absolutely no interest in her. He said

39:08he only came to challenge the stage,

39:10nothing more. But the receptionist

39:12sighed and rubbed her forehead. She told

39:14him he didn't have to act tough just

39:16because he was embarrassed. She even

39:18said she would give him her contact

39:19information, so he should just go home.

39:21But Itsuki's expression darkened. A

39:24shadow fell over his face. He told her

39:26not to make him repeat himself. He

39:28didn't care about her contact

39:29information at all. He only wanted her

39:31to let him enter the stage. Hearing

39:33that, the receptionist reluctantly

39:35agreed and told him not to blame her if

39:37he died. She held out a metal bracelet

39:40with a nervous expression, clearly

39:41shaken. Seeing that, Itsuki muttered

39:44that she should have just given

39:45permission from the beginning instead of

39:47making him repeat himself. The people

39:49watching from behind whispered among

39:50themselves. One man called Itsuki an

39:53idiot, saying he could have gotten her

39:55contact information but chose to act

39:56tough instead. Another pointed out that

39:59a level zero rookie challenging a level

40:0110 stage was basically suicide. They

40:03guessed he would run out in less than a

40:04minute. Someone else noticed how

40:06confident he looked and wondered if he

40:08might succeed since he also had a

40:10special grade gift. But another person

40:12reminded everyone that for awakened

40:13people, gifts were just bonuses. The

40:15most important thing was level. No

40:17matter how special the gift was, it

40:19meant nothing if the level was low. On

40:21the other hand, standing in front of the

40:23gate, Itsuki checked his bracelet. He

40:26said that his personal information was

40:27registered on it, so scanning it would

40:29let him enter. A glowing screen appeared

40:32above his hand, confirming entry by

40:34awakened Tenma Itsuki has been approved.

40:36Itsuki stretched his hands forward and

40:38took a breath. He reminded himself that

40:40the promise was within 3 minutes. Then

40:43he said it was time to begin. A bright

40:45digital timer appeared showing 001 in

40:48green numbers. And just as the gate

40:50opened, Itsuki moved with explosive

40:52speed. Red energy surrounded his body as

40:55he dashed forward, his eyes glowing

40:57sharply. He looked around and noticed

40:59the vast area. He thought that the

41:00interior space was much bigger than he

41:02expected. As he ran across the grassy

41:05field toward a tall black tower, he told

41:07himself that it was his first time

41:08entering a stage, even if it was an

41:10artificial one. Suddenly, Itsuki noticed

41:13a creature rush in and said that it was

41:15coming. That creature jumped toward him.

41:17It was a wooden monster from the Kodama

41:19tribe. A blue window appeared beside it

41:22showing its information. Kodama Num 1307

41:25from Kodama tribe, level four, gift

41:28none, attack 49, agility 48, defense 53,

41:32magic 24, total 174. Seeing it coming,

41:36black spikes formed on Itsuki's hand. In

41:39the next moment, he slashed downward

41:41with overwhelming force. A sharp strike

41:44of energy cut through the target as he

41:46launched his attack. Itsuki stood calmly

41:48with the massive black spike axe hand.

41:51He smiled and remarked that an axe was

41:53always the best tool for trees. He then

41:55asked the remaining monsters how it felt

41:57to see their comrade cut in half. Dozens

42:00of Kodama creatures rushed at him. He

42:02stood tall and called them rotten trees.

42:04Outside, Choa spoke to her father,

42:06Commander Nento. She asked why, out of

42:09so many rookie stages, he had made the

42:11newcomer enter this one specifically.

42:13Commander Nento answered that Itsuki

42:15claimed he would surpass Jin, so he

42:17simply brought him to the same stage Jin

42:19first challenged. Hearing that, Choa

42:21frowned and said that surpassing Jin was

42:23impossible unless someone stepped

42:25outside the bounds of humanity. Hearing

42:27that, Commander Nento asked Choa if she

42:29believed Jin had already transcended

42:31humanity. Choa recalled the time she met

42:34Jin for the first time. She had once

42:36thought Jin was kind and approachable.

42:38Then she saw Jin instantly kill a level

42:4097 disaster beast. She recalled that

42:43Jin's eyes during that fight were

42:44different. She remembered those eyes

42:46clearly, cold, solitary, and

42:49transcendent. She felt that they didn't

42:51seem human at all. She described Jin's

42:53gaze, saying his eyes were like the eyes

42:55of a god. Hearing that, Commander Nento

42:57told Choa that Itsuki also had potential

43:00comparable to Jin, but at the moment, he

43:02was nothing more than an unpolished

43:04gemstone. He added that if Jin could be

43:06compared to a god-like existence who

43:08saved people, then Itsuki was the

43:10opposite, a demon consumed by hatred.

43:13Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Itsuki

43:15stood among the fallen wooden beasts. He

43:17stated that Overmimesis wouldn't even

43:19activate against disaster beasts of this

43:21level. Just then, a dark silhouette

43:23appeared behind him, its eyes glowing

43:25red. His own eye glowed the same way as

43:27the shadow towered over him. In the next

43:29moment, his body moved at extreme speed,

43:32cutting through the enemies with a sharp

43:33motion. Itsuki stood before the fallen

43:35creature and looked down calmly. He

43:38asked if that was the end. He examined

43:40the broken body and wondered if level 10

43:42disaster beasts were only this strong.

43:44But then he thought that if that were

43:46true, this place wouldn't be called the

43:48rookie's graveyard. There had to be

43:50something else. Just then, a blue system

43:52window appeared before him. It displayed

43:55B rank skill, self-regeneration

43:58detected, Overmimesis activated. Another

44:01window followed, analysis started. Then

44:03a second one, analysis progress 5%.

44:06Itsuki turned as a sudden sound caught

44:09his attention. His expression shifted

44:11slightly. That level 10 disaster beast

44:14rose again behind him, its entire form

44:16twisting upward with glowing green eyes.

44:19Its long vine-like limbs burst outward

44:21and lunged at him. Itsuki braced

44:23himself, thinking in surprise that he

44:25had cut off half its head, yet it had

44:27regenerated. The moment the towering

44:29monster regenerated, Itsuki narrowed his

44:31eyes and muttered that he knew things

44:33wouldn't be straightforward. A glowing

44:35blue system window appeared in front of

44:36him, revealing the creature's details.

44:39It identified the monster as regenerated

44:41Kodama Sum 520 of the Kodama tribe, a

44:44level 10 beast with a grade two gift.

44:46Its defense had dropped by 50%, but its

44:49self-healing ability had greatly

44:50increased. Another blue window listed

44:53its stats clearly, attack 110, agility

44:57100, defense 60, magic 180, total 450.

45:02As the creature's roots and branches

45:03whipped wildly, Itsuki tightened his

45:06fist. A system alert flashed. Black wall

45:09activated. The next second, his hand was

45:11covered by black spikes cutting through

45:13the roots. Itsuki jumped at the monster.

45:16While dodging the monster's attacks, he

45:18quickly analyzed the situation. He

45:20realized the beast couldn't regenerate

45:22if he damaged it fast enough. He told

45:24himself that he had to deal massive

45:25damage in a short amount of time. The

45:27analysis window appeared beside him.

45:29Itsuki smashed forward with his armored

45:31arm, splitting through the Kodama's

45:33defenses as sparks and debris burst

45:35around them. His eyes glowed red as he

45:38moved like a shadow, slicing through the

45:40forest of wooden limbs. Each step sent

45:42shockwaves across the ground, and each

45:44strike pushed the progress window

45:46higher. Itsuki surged forward again, his

45:49blade-like arm shining with a cold blue

45:51light. Then he shot upward before

45:53crashing down like a falling spear,

45:55splitting the monster's giant body in

45:57half. Light from his attack cut straight

46:00through the Kodama, illuminating the

46:01entire battlefield. The towering

46:03creature's body split down the middle, a

46:06glowing crack running from its head to

46:07its torso. Its golden eyes shown through

46:10the gaps as its massive frame began to

46:12fracture. Itsuki watched with sharp red

46:14eyes, a grin forming on his face. He

46:17said he wasn't done yet. He said he

46:19would mince the creature completely so

46:20it wouldn't regenerate. In the next

46:22moment, he raised both arms. A blinding

46:25vertical slash of light tore downward,

46:27cutting the giant monster clean in half.

46:29Cuts spread across the creature's body,

46:31and the wooden shell shattered into

46:33countless pieces. The fragments

46:35scattered through the air, glowing

46:36faintly before breaking apart

46:38completely. As the dust settled, Itsuki

46:40lowered his arm and exhaled. He said

46:43this should be enough. He added that

46:45using black wall for so long was

46:46draining his magic, but before he could

46:48rest, vines and roots twisted together

46:51again in front of him. That wooden

46:53creature's form surged upward with

46:54glowing yellow eyes, rising from the

46:56remains and preparing to attack. The

46:59glowing display in front of Itsuki

47:00showed 60%, but the fight still raged

47:03on. Wooden tendrils whipped toward

47:05Itsuki as he moved between them with

47:06sharp fluid steps. He glanced back with

47:09an annoyed expression, thinking that

47:11even after all of this, the monster

47:12still refused to die. He quietly

47:15muttered that it was becoming a real

47:16pain. The attacks continued to strike

47:18from every angle. As he dodged, he

47:21noticed something important. Every time

47:23the monster regenerated, Overmimesis'

47:26analysis speed increased. His eyes

47:28narrowed. That meant the longer this

47:30continued, the faster the analysis would

47:32complete. He realized he needed a new

47:35approach. He decided to cancel black

47:37wall to conserve his remaining magic and

47:39instead rely on Thunderbreaker to avoid

47:41the attacks while keeping his distance.

47:43Continuing this pattern until the

47:45analysis finished would be the winning

47:47strategy, but there was a problem. He

47:49didn't have much time left before the

47:503-minute limit ran out. Lightning

47:52crackled across his arm as the display

47:54climbed to 75%.

47:57Determination hardened his expression.

47:59He activated Thunderbreaker and black

48:01wall at the same time, pushing his

48:03offense to the extreme while forcing the

48:05monster to repeatedly regenerate. Doing

48:07so, he thought, would increase the

48:09analysis speed even further. Power

48:11surged around him, arcs of lightning

48:13dancing across his arm as he charged

48:15forward with a cold, focused expression.

48:18The creature's wooden body split down

48:20the middle, its golden eyes glowing

48:22through the cracks. Electric sparks

48:24flashed violently as he fought. If

48:26Overmimesis failed when his magic hit

48:28zero, he knew he would die right there.

48:30The percentage rose to 80%, then 85% as

48:34he forced his body forward through the

48:36storm of wooden strikes. He told himself

48:38that if he died now, then everything

48:40he'd done would amount to nothing.

48:42Lightning gathered in his arm as he

48:44unleashed another powerful strike. But

48:46right before hitting the monster's head,

48:48his magic power hit zero. Finally, his

48:50body staggered. Blood dripped from his

48:53mouth. He lowered his head and quietly

48:55muttered, "Damn it." Itsuki stood

48:58pierced by sharp wooden spikes, his body

49:00battered and barely holding on. He

49:02lowered his head as white steam drifted

49:04off his wounds. He quietly admitted that

49:06his magic seemed to have finally run

49:08out. Then a glowing window appeared

49:10beside him, showing 99%.

49:13Seeing that, Itsuki's expression

49:15sharpened. Blood streamed down his chin

49:17as his eyes glowed coldly. He declared

49:20that, just as he thought, Overmimesis

49:23did not need magic to activate. With a

49:25strained smile, he announced that this

49:27match was his win. The window in front

49:29of him then showed, analysis progress

49:32100%. A bright lotus-shaped energy began

49:35expanding around him, glowing blue and

49:37cracking the wooden spikes. A system

49:40window appeared saying self-regeneration

49:42analysis complete, lotus burst acquired.

49:45The lotus continued to bloom outward,

49:47pushing everything away as more spikes

49:49shattered. Another window displayed the

49:51details. Lotus burst LV2. Active effect

49:55consumes magic to deal explosive damage

49:57to enemies within a 5 m diameter. Power

50:00scales with magic consumption. Passive

50:02effect. Each time lotus burst defeat a

50:05living creature of level one or higher,

50:07all skill ranges increase by plus 1%.

50:09The lotus opened fully. A pink glow

50:12surrounded Itsuki as his wounds rapidly

50:14healed. Another window appeared. Lotus

50:17burst LV2 acquired. All stats plus 20.

50:21Remove all debuffs and fully heal

50:22injuries. The monster watching him

50:25narrowed its glowing yellow eyes. A

50:27final window appeared. Lotus burst

50:29activated. Itsuki brought his hands

50:31together and clapped. A burst of force

50:34erupted instantly followed by a roaring

50:36explosion of flames that engulfed

50:38everything in front of him. A blazing

50:40wave swept outward and the monster's

50:42shadow shot through the smoke and

50:43sparks. When the flames settled, he

50:46stood there with blood running down his

50:47cheek. His hands still extended from the

50:49technique he had just used. With a calm

50:52breath, he looked ahead and said that

50:53lotus burst wasn't bad. Smoke rose

50:56around the scorched crater at Itsuki's

50:58feet as he examined the destruction. He

51:00noted that using only a third of his

51:02magic produced this much power and sweep

51:05away weak disaster beasts would now be

51:07far easier. But he admitted he never

51:09expected over mimesis to restore magic

51:11that had already reached zero. As he

51:13stepped forward, something on the ground

51:15caught his attention. He stopped staring

51:18at a glowing green crystal beside him

51:20and quietly asked what it was.

51:22Meanwhile, outside, the receptionist

51:24stared anxiously at the bright red

51:26screen. She said that almost 3 minutes

51:28had passed since the rookie Itsuki went

51:30inside, yet there was still no sign of

51:32him coming out. She pointed at the

51:34display where the status window showed

51:36challenge in progress. Stage level 10.

51:39Challenger Tenma Itsuki. Time used 2

51:42minutes 09 seconds. Seeing this, she

51:44nervously added that they should call

51:46the rescue team quickly. Choa adjusted

51:48her glasses and spoke calmly. She said

51:51she didn't think Itsuki would lose to

51:52level 10 disaster beasts, but clearing

51:55the stage within 3 minutes seemed

51:56impossible. Her sentence trailed off as

51:59silence fell between them, but suddenly,

52:01a new message appeared on the large

52:02screen saying new record achieved.

52:05Seeing that, everyone in the hall froze.

52:08Shocked whispers spread through the

52:10crowd. One woman stepped forward staring

52:13at the green screen in disbelief

52:14whispering, "No way." Choa widened her

52:17eyes. She asked aloud how Itsuki managed

52:20to clear it, unable to believe what she

52:22was seeing. And the most shocking thing

52:24was that even 3 minutes hadn't passed. A

52:26final notification flashed brightly on

52:28the monitor. Challenge success. Stage

52:31level 10. Challenger Tenma Itsuki. Time

52:34used 2 minutes 14 seconds. Stage clear

52:37record updated. The room fell silent as

52:40everyone stared at the unbelievable

52:41result. The leaderboard screen displayed

52:43the results. It showed first place

52:46belonging to Tenma Itsuki with a clear

52:48time of 2 minutes 14 seconds. Second

52:51place belonged to Tiwajin who cleared it

52:53in 3 minutes 14 seconds. Third place was

52:56Heaton Show with a time of 7 minutes 17

52:59seconds. Just then, Itsuki came out of

53:01the date. His clothes torn and stained

53:04with green liquid. Around him, people

53:06reacted in shock. One person exclaimed

53:08that Itsuki had really survived asking

53:11whether the green liquid on him was

53:12disaster beast blood. Another shouted

53:14that Itsuki was a full minute faster

53:16than Tiwajin. Someone else pointed out

53:18that the beasts inside were level 10

53:20disaster beasts and couldn't understand

53:22how a level zero rookie managed it.

53:24Another voice added that there was no

53:26way a level zero rookie should have

53:27survived. As Itsuki stepped forward,

53:30someone began to speak saying Mr. Izumi

53:33was coming. Izumi Nento turned toward

53:35Itsuki who asked him if he could now

53:37officially receive Commander Nento's

53:38guidance. Itsuki looked at him with a

53:41faint smile and addressed him as

53:43teacher. Commander Nento responded with

53:45pride saying that Itsuki had done well

53:47just as he expected from his student.

53:50Standing nearby, Choa watched quietly.

53:52She wondered if her father was happy

53:54saying she hadn't seen this expression

53:56from him in a long time. In the crowd,

53:58people continued whispering. One person

54:00shouted in disbelief that Itsuki was

54:02actually Izumi Nento's student. Another

54:05said it was no wonder he could break

54:07Tiwajin's record. But someone else added

54:09that even if he truly was Izumi's

54:11student, as long as his level didn't

54:13increase, there would be no room for

54:15growth. Just then, the receptionist came

54:17forward nervously with a decorated box

54:20in her hands. She explained that it was

54:22a gift for breaking the record and asked

54:24Itsuki to accept it. Her expression

54:26softened as she apologized for the rude

54:28things she had said earlier. Itsuki

54:30looked surprised as he received the box

54:33asking if he truly got something for his

54:34achievement. He said that it was fine

54:37because a level zero rookie challenging

54:38a stage like that really did seem

54:40reckless. He added that he was a

54:42complete stranger to them and it

54:44wouldn't have mattered to anyone if he

54:45had died. But since she tried to stop

54:47him, it proved she was worried. Hearing

54:50that, the receptionist blushed deeply.

54:52She stuttered as she insisted it wasn't

54:54like that. Itsuki simply thanked her

54:56which only made her blush even harder.

54:58Not far away, Choa called out telling

55:01Itsuki that she was leaving and not to

55:03lag behind. She tightened her glasses

55:05annoyed and warned him not to get cocky

55:07just because he had become her father's

55:09student. Itsuki straightened up and

55:11replied quickly agreeing. Then Commander

55:13Nento beside Choa studied Itsuki and

55:16commented that a stage of this level now

55:18seemed too easy for him. He suggested

55:21raising the difficulty. He continued

55:23saying that Itsuki should be able to

55:25challenge advanced stages now. Itsuki

55:27looked at him surprised and repeated the

55:29words advanced stages. As the three of

55:32them walked together across the rooftop

55:33at sunset, Commander Nento continued

55:36explaining. He said that a disaster

55:38beast strength was not determined by

55:40level alone. The most important factor,

55:42he stated, was something else entirely.

55:45He explained that the true deciding

55:47factor was species. Choa explained that

55:49species without intelligence which moved

55:52only by instinct were usually easy to

55:54deal with. But some species possessed

55:56intelligence equal to or greater than

55:58humans. She explained that such species

56:01were far more troublesome than ordinary

56:03disaster beasts. Choa continued. She

56:05said that awakened beings and disaster

56:07beasts were essentially the same type of

56:09creature, but with one difference. Only

56:12humans were said to possess jobs.

56:14Because of that, stats differed

56:16depending on species. She went on to

56:18explain that advanced stages contained

56:20these powerful species or intelligent

56:22disaster beasts. Their difficulty was

56:24several times higher than normal stages.

56:26Most of the northern continent's

56:28advanced stages were located in North

56:30District 4 and she told Itsuki that this

56:32would be his next destination. She asked

56:35whether Itsuki had any other questions.

56:37Hearing her explanation, Itsuki suddenly

56:39remembered the two beasts he had

56:41defeated earlier. He thought about them

56:43in silence. They hadn't shown any signs

56:45of intelligence and they hadn't screamed

56:47even when attacked. He wondered if that

56:49meant they didn't even have pain

56:51receptors. Itsuki's eyes glowed with

56:53sharp intensity as he looked up. He

56:55asked Choa whether intelligent disaster

56:58beasts had pain receptors or not.

57:00Hearing that, Choa suddenly felt a

57:02chilling pressure behind her. As she

57:03turned, her expression stiffened. She

57:06wondered what this terrifying aura was

57:08and what Itsuki was thinking. Behind

57:10them, a group of people gathered and

57:11whispered among themselves. One of them

57:14asked if anyone had heard that Mr. Izumi

57:16planned to make Itsuki challenge an

57:17advanced stage. Another replied that

57:20Itsuki who broke Tiwajin's record should

57:22be fine. But one man explained that

57:24advanced stages were completely

57:26different from normal ones. More

57:28importantly, almost all the stages in

57:30North District 4 were under a single

57:32man's control. He said that every

57:34awakened person who had entered an

57:35advanced stage there had gone missing

57:38and rumors claimed that the man had

57:39killed them. Someone immediately asked

57:42if he meant Kinoshita Reiji. Another man

57:44began to speak disrespectfully asking

57:46who Kinoshita Reiji even was and

57:49suggesting he acted like a king. His

57:51friend quickly covered his mouth hushing

57:53him in panic. He warned him that he

57:55would be killed too if that man heard

57:56him. After all, he said, that man was

57:59the son of the North District 4

58:00governor, Kinoshita Reiji. The scene

58:02shifted to a luxurious room. A young man

58:05lounged confidently while servants stood

58:07around him. He was the infamous

58:09Kinoshita Reiji. A subordinate asked him

58:12when he would be departing. Reiji

58:13smirked as he answered. He said that all

58:16the stages in North District 4 were

58:17under his control so he would go

58:19whenever he wanted. To him, waiting in

58:21line was something only commoners did.

58:23He lifted his glass with a satisfied

58:25smile. After leaving from there, Itsuki

58:28opened the small ornate box revealing a

58:30shining stone resting on a red cushion.

58:32As the three of them sat together

58:34beneath the shade of the trees, Itsuki

58:36looked at the stone and muttered that it

58:37was from that time. Hearing that,

58:39Commander Nento beside him asked if he

58:41had seen a karma stone before. Itsuki

58:44nodded and explained calmly. After

58:46defeating the disaster beasts inside the

58:48stage, something identical to this had

58:50dropped. But then he paused and added

58:52that there was a slight difference. He

58:54took out a green crystal. He stared at

58:56the one in his hand and said the color

58:57was green, but something about it wasn't

58:59the same. Hearing that, Choa's eyes

59:02widened in shock. She exclaimed that it

59:04was an intermediate karma stone

59:06appearing inside a beginner stage. She

59:08stepped closer adjusting her glasses to

59:10take a look. Itsuki asked what exactly a

59:13karma stone was. Choa turned to him and

59:15began explaining. She reminded him that

59:17he had been a rookie. She said karma

59:19stones were also called experience

59:21stones. She explained that when a

59:23disaster beast or an awakened being

59:25died, karma or an invisible energy

59:27similar to experience points came from

59:29their corpse. Absorbing this energy

59:32increased a person's level. In other

59:34words, a a karma stone was an object

59:36that contained karma. A figure glowing

59:38with energy appeared in her explanation,

59:41demonstrating how someone could use a

59:42karma stone to absorb the karma inside.

59:45She continued saying that karma stones

59:47didn't occur naturally, which made the

59:49situation strange. Cho Ha wondered aloud

59:51why such a stone had appeared in that

59:53stage. Beside her, Commander Nento

59:55quietly said it was probably because of

59:57Itsuki's gift. Hearing this, both Itsuki

1:00:00and Cho Ha looked confused and asked

1:00:02again about the so-called gift.

1:00:04Commander Nento explained that normally,

1:00:07the karma of a defeated enemy would be

1:00:08absorbed by the one who killed them. Yet

1:00:11even though Tenma had defeated two

1:00:12disaster beasts, he never leveled up.

1:00:15That meant the karma had not been

1:00:16absorbed. He added that manifested karma

1:00:19never disappeared without a reason. He

1:00:21continued saying that if his speculation

1:00:23was correct, the karma of the disaster

1:00:25beast that attacked the school had been

1:00:27absorbed by the awakened individuals

1:00:29present, meaning the people standing

1:00:31there. He explained further that a stage

1:00:33was an enclosed space. Because Tenma was

1:00:35unable to absorb the generated karma and

1:00:38there was no other recipient inside, the

1:00:40leftover karma clumped together and

1:00:41formed a karma stone. Hearing this, Cho

1:00:44Ha looked startled. She asked how

1:00:46Itsuki's stats increased if he truly

1:00:48could not level up. Hearing that,

1:00:50Commander Nento suddenly stood up and

1:00:52reminded Cho Ha that an awakened

1:00:53person's gift was top secret and could

1:00:55not be disclosed. Startled, she

1:00:57apologized immediately. Commander Nento

1:01:00then turned back to Itsuki. He told him

1:01:02that he could choose whether to keep the

1:01:03karma stone or sell it. He added that he

1:01:06would be leaving soon for a commander in

1:01:07chief meeting of the five continents and

1:01:09that during his absence, Cho Ha would

1:01:11look after him. Before departing, he

1:01:13said there were several things he wanted

1:01:14him to remember. Commander Nento spoke

1:01:16calmly as he listed out the rules. He

1:01:19told Itsuki to keep their relationship

1:01:21confidential, then added the second

1:01:23rule, never disclose his gift to others.

1:01:25The third rule followed. Itsuki had to

1:01:28clear at least six advanced stages

1:01:29before the teacher returned. A fourth

1:01:31instruction echoed after that. He told

1:01:34Itsuki to do what he believed was right

1:01:35without hesitation, promising that no

1:01:37matter what happened, he would be behind

1:01:39him. Hearing this, Itsuki smiled with

1:01:41determination and answered, "Yes,

1:01:43teacher." At the same time, at North

1:01:45District 4, Flaming Rock Execution

1:01:48Ground, groups of students argued with

1:01:50suited guards blocking an entrance. One

1:01:52of them shouted that they had arrived

1:01:54first and demanded to be let in. The

1:01:56guards refused. They said the stage had

1:01:58been reserved by the Kinoshita family's

1:02:00son, telling everyone to go home. The

1:02:03students grew angry. One yelled that

1:02:05having money didn't give someone the

1:02:06right to do whatever he wanted. Another

1:02:09pointed out that the privileged boy

1:02:10wasn't even there yet and insisted they

1:02:12should be allowed in first. Their

1:02:14frustration rose. One threatened to

1:02:16report the situation to the awakened

1:02:18guild, saying he didn't care who the

1:02:19rich kid was. But before he could

1:02:21finish, a dark figure with glowing red

1:02:24eyes appeared behind them, cutting off

1:02:26their complaints. In the next moment, a

1:02:28powerful attack blasted forward. The

1:02:30students were thrown aside as a muscular

1:02:32fighter struck with overwhelming force,

1:02:34scattering them in an instant. Another

1:02:36student rushed forward, attacking the

1:02:38muscular man. A sharp white arc cut

1:02:41through the air as it struck with full

1:02:42power. But the attack landed directly on

1:02:44the muscular man's body and bounced

1:02:46back, sending shock waves bursting

1:02:48outward. The impact echoed loudly across

1:02:50the ground. The blond student watching

1:02:52from behind stared in horror. He

1:02:54muttered in disbelief that his B-rank

1:02:56skill, Earth Spine, had not worked at

1:02:58all. The muscular man turned, his face

1:03:01shifting into a terrifying form with

1:03:03glowing red eyes and metallic markings.

1:03:06He shouted that the attack didn't hurt

1:03:08or even itch. The blond student

1:03:10trembled. He thought to himself that

1:03:12Earth Spine was a technique meant to

1:03:13pierce anything. He wondered if the man

1:03:15in front of him was actually a monster.

1:03:17Before the student could react, the

1:03:19monstrous man lunged forward and grabbed

1:03:21him, his red aura flaring violently as

1:03:23he towered over the frightened student.

1:03:25The muscular man smacked the blond

1:03:27student's head. The blond student

1:03:29slammed down violently. Blood burst from

1:03:31his mouth as his eyes rolled back, his

1:03:34body twisting from the impact. Around

1:03:36him, the spectators reacted in shock.

1:03:38They whispered that a level seven and a

1:03:40level eight student had been killed

1:03:42instantly without being able to defend

1:03:44themselves. They said the big guy was

1:03:46far too strong. Someone identified him

1:03:48as Oga Takuru, one of Kinoshita Reiji's

1:03:51four pillars and a level 12 gold

1:03:53elementalist. Hearing that, the crowd

1:03:55understood why things had turned out

1:03:56this way. Oga held one of the defeated

1:03:58students by the neck and warned

1:04:00everyone. He said he would not forgive

1:04:02anyone who tried to enter the stage

1:04:03without Reiji's permission. If anyone

1:04:05resisted, he would treat them the same

1:04:07way he treated the two lying on the

1:04:08ground. The other students watched

1:04:10nervously as Takuru lifted the

1:04:12struggling blond student off the floor.

1:04:14The blue-haired student remained

1:04:16unconscious beside him. Oga shouted that

1:04:18nobody should think about helping them.

1:04:20The group of bodyguards in suits stood

1:04:22nearby, laughing. One of them told Oga

1:04:25not to go too far because the trash was

1:04:27watching. Another warned that if he kept

1:04:29beating weak students, the teacher would

1:04:31hear about it. Their laughter echoed

1:04:33through the area. Oga only scoffed. He

1:04:36tossed the blond student aside with a

1:04:37flick of his arm, showing no concern at

1:04:40all. The injured blond student collapsed

1:04:42forward, but before he could hit the

1:04:44ground, Itsuki caught him. Blood dripped

1:04:46from the student's nose as his body went

1:04:48limp in Itsuki's hands. Around them, the

1:04:51other students whispered in shock. One

1:04:53of them asked who the newcomer was and

1:04:55wondered why he didn't listen when they

1:04:57told him not to interfere. Another

1:04:59panicked voice said that a level zero

1:05:01person was definitely going to die.

1:05:03Someone else stared at Cho Ha and

1:05:04muttered that the beauty beside him

1:05:06looked familiar. Not far away, Oga

1:05:08glared at Itsuki. He shouted that nobody

1:05:11was allowed to pass without Reiji's

1:05:12permission. He warned that if Itsuki

1:05:14didn't want to end up like the

1:05:16unconscious student, he should just go

1:05:17home quietly. Hearing that, Itsuki

1:05:20lowered his head slightly. He calmly

1:05:22said that he understood he wouldn't be

1:05:24able to enter the stage unless he

1:05:25defeated this man. Beside him, Cho Ha

1:05:28raised her hand, saying she would

1:05:30contact the North District 4

1:05:31administrator because this kind of

1:05:33behavior couldn't be allowed. But Itsuki

1:05:35stopped her. His eyes glowed bright blue

1:05:37as he said it wasn't necessary. He

1:05:39repeated what his teacher had told him,

1:05:41that he should do what he believed was

1:05:42right without hesitation. He then turned

1:05:44to Cho Ha again and spoke plainly. He

1:05:47said he would leave the treatment of the

1:05:48injured students to her. Then he turned

1:05:51to Oga. As Itsuki stepped forward, a

1:05:53thought appeared in Oga's mind as he

1:05:55stared at him. He wondered who this man

1:05:57was. A status window floated beside

1:05:59Itsuki, showing his information. Tenma

1:06:02Itsuki, human, level zero, fixed. Job,

1:06:06Order Breaker. Gift, Special Grade.

1:06:08Skill, Undisclosed. Status, Undisclosed.

1:06:11Seeing this, even though Itsuki was

1:06:13level zero, he stood firmly without any

1:06:16fear. Oga wondered if Itsuki had a rare

1:06:18job that allowed him to stay calm like

1:06:20this. Oga suddenly felt something

1:06:22strange. Even with his higher level, he

1:06:25felt pressured. He told himself that

1:06:27rare job or not, he was 12 levels ahead.

1:06:29The stat difference shouldn't be

1:06:31something Itsuki could bridge. Another

1:06:33window appeared beside Oga, showing his

1:06:35status. Oga Takuru, human level 12. Job,

1:06:39Elemental Gift Grade 2. After

1:06:41metallization, defense plus 50% in

1:06:43stationary state. Skill, metallization.

1:06:46Status, attack 110, agility 100, defense

1:06:50250, magic 145, total 605. As Oga

1:06:55stared, his expression changed. His eyes

1:06:58widened and in the reflection of his

1:07:00pupil, he suddenly saw Itsuki rushing

1:07:02toward him at incredible speed. In the

1:07:05next moment, Itsuki's fist collided with

1:07:07Oga's body with overwhelming force,

1:07:09sending a shock through the frame as the

1:07:11impact landed cleanly. The crowd watched

1:07:14in shock as two students stared ahead,

1:07:16sweat running down their faces.

1:07:18One of them exclaimed that the speed was

1:07:20unreal and wondered if Itsuki was really

1:07:22level zero. The other admitted that even

1:07:24though he was level eight, he wasn't

1:07:26sure he could keep up with that kind of

1:07:28movement. But as the dust settled, it

1:07:30was revealed that Itsuki's fist had

1:07:32struck Oga's metal head, sending steam

1:07:35rising from the impact. Oga had blocked

1:07:37the blow with his metallization skill,

1:07:39his face hidden behind the shining metal

1:07:41layer. Seeing this, Itsuki pulled back

1:07:43slightly, his eyes narrowing as he

1:07:45realized the strike had been stopped.

1:07:47Oga then raised both hands, his arms

1:07:50transforming completely into polished

1:07:51metal. He looked down at Itsuki and

1:07:53commented calmly that the speed was

1:07:55good. Then he moved and lunged forward

1:07:57with overwhelming force, shouting that

1:07:59Itsuki's attack still lacked power. The

1:08:02floor shattered beneath him as debris

1:08:04exploded outward. Itsuki braced himself,

1:08:06analyzing the situation in silence. He

1:08:09thought about what it would take to

1:08:10successfully land a surprise attack on

1:08:12an enemy above level 10. As his body

1:08:15blurred into motion again, he concluded

1:08:17that he needed to further increase his

1:08:19agility using Thunder Breaker. Just

1:08:21then, a system window appeared. The

1:08:23display showed Tenma Itsuki's status. It

1:08:26listed him as a human at level zero with

1:08:28a fixed job called Order Breaker,

1:08:30Nirvana Gift, a special grade ability.

1:08:33His Nirvana skills were shown. Over

1:08:35Mimesis, Zoo Rank. Thunder Breaker level

1:08:38library you run. Black Wall level

1:08:40library two. On Lotus Burst level

1:08:42library two. All of his stats, attack,

1:08:44agility, defense, and magic, were listed

1:08:47as 250, totaling 1,000. Then another

1:08:50screen appeared. It detected a C-rank

1:08:52skill, metallization. At the same

1:08:55moment, Over Mimesis activated and began

1:08:57analysis. The progress bar rose to 1%.

1:09:01Itsuki crouched on the ground, watching

1:09:03his opponent. He wondered if the threat

1:09:05level was high enough for Over Mimesis

1:09:06to activate. He decided he needed to get

1:09:09serious. A new screen showed the

1:09:11analysis increasing to 5%. Itsuki

1:09:14observed Oga's metal-covered body in

1:09:16front of him and thought that normal

1:09:17attacks couldn't break through the

1:09:18metallized areas. He concluded he would

1:09:21have to aim for the parts that were

1:09:22still flesh. His foot slid across the

1:09:24ground as as accelerated. But Oga looked

1:09:27at him and laughed, calling him a

1:09:28weakling with no power or speed as he

1:09:30raised his shining hardened arms to

1:09:32counter. Itsuki tightened his gaze as he

1:09:34thought to himself that his opponent had

1:09:36let his guard down, believing that the

1:09:38speed Itsuki had shown earlier was his

1:09:40maximum. His expression remained calm

1:09:42and focused, a faint glow of blue

1:09:44lightning beginning to trace along his

1:09:46body. Lightning wrapped around him as he

1:09:48prepared to accelerate. He readied his

1:09:50fist, and in that moment, he decided to

1:09:53increase his speed using thunder

1:09:54breaker. Across from him, Oga widened

1:09:57his eyes in shock when he saw the

1:09:59lightning erupt. He shouted in

1:10:01disbelief, wondering how Itsuki

1:10:03possessed the lightning element. Before

1:10:05he could react, Itsuki surged forward,

1:10:08lightning crackling violently around

1:10:10him. Itsuki declared that he wouldn't

1:10:12give him time to metalize. Itsuki

1:10:14continuously attacked Oga. Dozens of

1:10:17blue screens appeared around them,

1:10:18showing percentages climbing. 25%, 59%,

1:10:2366% tracking the rapid progress of the

1:10:26attack. Spectators from the side watched

1:10:28in shock. One man asked why Itsuki could

1:10:30use skills from another job. Another

1:10:32said the speed was too fast for his eyes

1:10:34to follow. Someone else muttered that

1:10:36the level zero boy might actually defeat

1:10:38Oga. Oga himself struggled to react.

1:10:41Sweat ran down his face as he realized

1:10:43he had no time to metalize. He gritted

1:10:46his teeth, questioning how a level zero

1:10:48could move so fast. Desperation grew

1:10:50inside him as he admitted that at this

1:10:53rate, he would lose. Electricity wrapped

1:10:55around his entire body, trapping him. He

1:10:58couldn't even scream. Panic overtook him

1:11:00as he shouted in his thoughts for the

1:11:01others to stop watching and help him. As

1:11:03the lightning surged around him, Oga

1:11:05clenched his teeth. His expression

1:11:07twisted in desperation, and he thought

1:11:09to himself that he had no choice left.

1:11:11He would have to try that technique.

1:11:13With a loud shout, he suddenly tore off

1:11:15his shirt and released a burst of power.

1:11:17Waves of force exploded from his body as

1:11:19he activated his ultimate skill. Before

1:11:22Itsuki, Oga's entire body turned

1:11:24metallic from head to toe. Itsuki stared

1:11:27in shock, realizing that his opponent

1:11:29had managed to metalize his entire body

1:11:31at once. A system window flickered

1:11:33beside him, showing C-rank skill,

1:11:35metalization. Analysis progress 88%. Oga

1:11:39glared down at Itsuki with glowing eyes.

1:11:41He said he was grateful he had never

1:11:43managed to metalize his entire body

1:11:45before, but Itsuki had pushed him enough

1:11:47to finally achieve it. He explained that

1:11:49metalized areas increased his defense by

1:11:5150%, and his personal gift added another

1:11:5450% whenever he remained still. With

1:11:56both effects combined, his current

1:11:58defense exceeded 500. His face twisted

1:12:01into a cruel grin as he looked at

1:12:02Itsuki. He said that he had originally

1:12:04planned to cut Itsuki in half, but as

1:12:06thanks for helping him complete his new

1:12:08skill, he would at least allow Itsuki to

1:12:10die easily. Watching from the sidelines,

1:12:13the other trainees were stunned. One of

1:12:15them exclaimed that a defense over 500

1:12:17at level 12 was impossible to break.

1:12:19Another admitted that they had thought

1:12:21the level zero newcomer would win, but

1:12:23the opponent was too much of a monster.

1:12:25Suddenly, a glowing blue aura wrapped

1:12:27around Itsuki. He looked ahead with calm

1:12:30eyes and said that if his guess was

1:12:32right, a full-body metal transformation

1:12:34required a large amount of magic. The

1:12:36screen beside him showed the analysis

1:12:38reaching 98%.

1:12:40Itsuki continued, saying that if Oga had

1:12:43used most of his stat points on defense,

1:12:45then his magic shouldn't be very high.

1:12:47The percentage rose again, reaching 99%.

1:12:50Across from him, Oga growled and denied

1:12:53it, calling Itsuki's reasoning nonsense.

1:12:55Even while refusing to believe it, he

1:12:57wondered if Itsuki was truly level zero,

1:12:59surprised by his sharp intuition. Itsuki

1:13:02kept his relaxed smile. He said he

1:13:04wouldn't bother using a boring tactic

1:13:06like draining Oga's magic down to zero.

1:13:08Instead, he declared he would finish the

1:13:10fight quickly. At that moment, the blue

1:13:13screen flashed. Analysis progress

1:13:15reached 100%. High above, a blue

1:13:18lotus-shaped aura began to bloom. Choa,

1:13:21watching, whispered that Itsuki was

1:13:23about to become even stronger. Others

1:13:25stared at the giant lotus forming around

1:13:27him. One man questioned if this lotus

1:13:29was really a level zero skill. Another

1:13:31wondered how Itsuki planned to defeat

1:13:33Oga since it didn't look like an

1:13:34offensive technique. A notification

1:13:36window appeared. The analysis of the

1:13:38metalization skill was complete, and a

1:13:40new skill called clear orb had been

1:13:42acquired. Another window described the

1:13:44skill, clear orb level one. Active

1:13:47effect, it shoots a perfect sphere along

1:13:49a fixed path. The sphere travels at 1

1:13:52m/s and pierces through every enemy in

1:13:54its path while ignoring all defense.

1:13:57Passive effect, every time an enemy with

1:13:59higher defense than the user is defeated

1:14:01with clear orb, seeing that this new

1:14:03skill had defense ignored, Itsuki

1:14:05thought that if he hit with this, he

1:14:07could definitely deal damage. But, the

1:14:09problem was flight speed. At 1 m/s, even

1:14:12ordinary people could dodge it, so

1:14:14timing was crucial. But, then Itsuki

1:14:16thought that against that sandbag Oga,

1:14:18who wouldn't even move, he didn't even

1:14:20need to think about timing. Itsuki's

1:14:22eyes glowed blue as he looked at Oga and

1:14:24declared that Oga's prized absolute

1:14:26defense would be thoroughly smashed to

1:14:27pieces. Just then, a system window

1:14:30appeared displaying clear orb level one

1:14:33acquired. All stats plus 10, remove all

1:14:36debuffs and fully heal injuries. Status,

1:14:39attack went from 250 to 260, agility

1:14:42from 250 to 260, defense from 250 to

1:14:45260, magic from 250 to 260, total stats

1:14:48from 1,000 to 1040. The blue lotus

1:14:51petals opened as Itsuki stood in the

1:14:53middle, pointing his finger at Oga.

1:14:55Right above his finger, a small lotus

1:14:57flower appeared. As the lotus spun and

1:14:59bloomed, Itsuki told Oga to now try to

1:15:02dodge this. A system window displayed

1:15:04that clear orb has been activated. The

1:15:06students stared at the glowing sphere

1:15:08and whispered among themselves. One of

1:15:10them said he had never seen that skill

1:15:12before. Another explained that this must

1:15:14be the order breaker, the job known as

1:15:16the most mysterious among the four.

1:15:18Someone questioned whether a skill

1:15:20released by a level zero could break

1:15:21through the defense of a level 12

1:15:23specialist. Another pointed out the

1:15:25confident look on Itsuki's face, saying

1:15:27that the technique must be incredible. A

1:15:29glowing lotus-like shape opened,

1:15:31revealing a small black orb. The orb

1:15:34floated forward, shining as colors

1:15:36scattered around it. The onlookers

1:15:38watched silently as the orb drifted

1:15:40through the air. Some students stared in

1:15:43confusion.

1:15:46One boy complained, saying it was just a

1:15:49tiny ball. Another asked if they were

1:15:51being serious and called it

1:15:52disappointing. Oga glared at the orb. He

1:15:55mocked the attack, saying that such a

1:15:57small sphere couldn't make him move or

1:15:59cancel his gift, calling it naive. He

1:16:02stepped forward confidently. He asked if

1:16:04this was Itsuki's trump card. Then, the

1:16:07orb continued floating toward him. With

1:16:09a mocking glare, Oga shouted that Itsuki

1:16:11was going to die pathetically. For a

1:16:13moment, he remained certain of his

1:16:15victory until his expression suddenly

1:16:17shifted. His eyes widened as the orb

1:16:19began to sink into the side of his

1:16:21metal-coated body. A faint crack

1:16:23appeared where it touched him. A

1:16:24heartbeat later, a violent burst of

1:16:26blood exploded from the wound. Oga

1:16:28screamed in agony as the clear orb tore

1:16:31through his arm, ripping it apart in a

1:16:32single clean line. He collapsed to the

1:16:35ground, clutching the bleeding stump,

1:16:37shouting desperately about his arm.

1:16:39Itsuki walked toward him calmly. He told

1:16:41Oga that he had warned him to dodge.

1:16:43Itsuki said that because Oga was human,

1:16:46he had only aimed for the arm. If he had

1:16:47been a disaster beast, the attack would

1:16:49have been aimed at the neck. Itsuai then

1:16:51looked at Oga's men standing frozen

1:16:53nearby. He ordered them to stop staring

1:16:56and take Oga to a hospital, asking if

1:16:58they couldn't hear him. When no one

1:17:00moved, he turned back with cold eyes and

1:17:02repeated sharply that he was telling

1:17:04them to get lost. Immediately, Oga was

1:17:06carried away by the guards, blood

1:17:08covering his back and dripping onto

1:17:09their suits. One guard looked shaken

1:17:12while another wiped sweat from his face.

1:17:14In the distance, the crowd began

1:17:15cheering. Choa smiled proudly as the

1:17:18students around her celebrated. Someone

1:17:20shouted that Itsuki won. Another yelled,

1:17:23"Well done." And others said that it

1:17:25served Oga right. Immediately, two

1:17:27students rushed up to Itsuki. One asked

1:17:29if he wanted to team up with them,

1:17:31saying three people could clear the

1:17:32mission quickly. The other quickly

1:17:34insisted he should join their team

1:17:35instead, explaining that with only two

1:17:37members, he would get more experience

1:17:39points. They argued again, asking if he

1:17:41planned to challenge the flaming rock

1:17:43execution ground with three people. They

1:17:45warned that all the disaster beasts

1:17:46inside had defense equal to Oga's. One

1:17:49of them added that their team had a

1:17:50healer who could restore his magic and

1:17:52let him fire the orbs endlessly. Itsuki

1:17:55looked ahead calmly. He thought that

1:17:57beasts with defense equal to Oga's were

1:17:59perfect. He reminded himself that clear

1:18:01orb's flight speed increased each time

1:18:03he defeated an enemy with higher

1:18:04defense. He decided he would increase

1:18:06the orb's speed inside that stage. The

1:18:09two boys leaned forward eagerly, asking

1:18:11Itsuki to let them know which team he

1:18:13would choose. Itsuki lowered his gaze

1:18:15and spoke quietly. He said he was going

1:18:18alone. Around him, the others reacted in

1:18:20shock. One person shouted in disbelief

1:18:23that he was challenging a level 15

1:18:25advanced stage by himself. Another

1:18:27complained that he had become

1:18:29overconfident just because he defeated

1:18:31Oga. Those two students walked away. One

1:18:33of them admitted that Itsukoi's was

1:18:35strong, but insisted there was a limit

1:18:37to arrogance. The other added that they

1:18:39must not meet his standards and

1:18:40suggested they look for someone else

1:18:42instead. Choa stepped forward and spoke

1:18:44calmly. She explained that all the

1:18:46disaster beasts in this place had

1:18:48defenses similar to Oga's. She said she

1:18:51understood he had a way to defeat them,

1:18:53but questioned whether his magic would

1:18:54last long enough. Itsuki turned toward

1:18:57her with a small confident smile and

1:18:59told her not to worry. He would be fine.

1:19:01Hearing that, Choa's face immediately

1:19:03reddened. She replied sharply that she

1:19:06wasn't worried. She said she only asked

1:19:08because her father would blame her if he

1:19:10died. Then, she turned away, saying she

1:19:12would go treat the injured and that he

1:19:14could do as he pleased. Before she left,

1:19:16she adjusted her glasses and added one

1:19:18more warning. She explained that the

1:19:20stone tribe had no intelligence, but

1:19:23they moved in groups. She told him to be

1:19:25careful about his magic consumption.

1:19:27Itsuki stepped toward the glowing

1:19:29entrance device and raised his hand. A

1:19:31soft beep echoed through the air as the

1:19:33system confirmed him. A notification

1:19:35projected beside the door stating that

1:19:37entry for the awakened Tenma Itsuki had

1:19:39been approved. Once inside, Itsuki

1:19:42looked ahead with sharp eyes. He

1:19:43muttered that there were more enemies

1:19:45than he had expected. Right in front of

1:19:47him, countless stone beasts filled the

1:19:49rocky canyon. Their bodies made of thick

1:19:51boulders and glowing yellow eyes. The

1:19:53ground cracked under their weight as

1:19:55they charged. Itsquant watched them and

1:19:57noted that the disaster beasts in this

1:19:59advanced stage had levels and stats far

1:20:01higher than before. A blue system window

1:20:04appeared in front of him showing the

1:20:05information of a stone statue from the

1:20:07stone tribe level nine with its gift

1:20:10converting all magic power into defense.

1:20:12As one of the stone beasts rushed toward

1:20:14him, Itsuki held out his glowing purple

1:20:16orb. He spoke calmly saying he would

1:20:19test whether these enemies met the clear

1:20:21orb's passive conditions. The purple

1:20:23aura around the orb burst outward as he

1:20:25activated it. The clear orb shown

1:20:27brightly. Its power swirling in layers

1:20:30of violet and blue light. The stone

1:20:32beast charged forward. Its massive body

1:20:35bursting through the dust as Itsuki

1:20:36raised his hand. The purple orb floated

1:20:39above his palm swirling with bright

1:20:41light as he aimed it at the incoming

1:20:42monster. The orb shot out instantly

1:20:44tearing straight through the beast's

1:20:46rocky body. A large hole opened behind

1:20:48it and Itsuki stepped through the fading

1:20:50purple glow as the system window

1:20:52appeared. The screen displayed the

1:20:53message stone statue level nine

1:20:56defeated. Another line followed. Clear

1:20:58orb flight speed increased by 100%.

1:21:01Itsuki watched the notification and

1:21:03nodded. He thought to himself that it

1:21:05was exactly as he expected. More stone

1:21:07beasts roared as they appeared in front

1:21:09of him. Their yellow eyes shining from

1:21:11within the broken cliffside. Itsuki

1:21:13stood calmly among them. The purple

1:21:15light reflecting across his silhouette.

1:21:17Lightning began crackling around

1:21:19Itsuki's body and his eyes glowed red.

1:21:22He looked ahead and said that these slow

1:21:23beasts with poor evasion were perfect

1:21:25prey for the clear orb. System windows

1:21:27continued to appear one after another.

1:21:29Stone statue level nine defeated. Clear

1:21:32orb flight speed increased by 100%.

1:21:35Pieces of broken stone scattered across

1:21:37the ground as the notifications filled

1:21:39the air. The glowing status window

1:21:41floated above Itsuki showing magic 110

1:21:44cell 160 remaining. He stood on top of a

1:21:47mountain of shattered stone beasts.

1:21:49Looking down at the battlefield, he

1:21:51calmly calculated the situation. Using

1:21:54the clear orb once consumed 50 magic

1:21:56points. Which meant he only had two uses

1:21:58left. Ahead of him, the ground trembled

1:22:01as two massive stone beasts charged

1:22:03straight toward him. He noted that the

1:22:05remaining enemies were three including a

1:22:07boss that still hadn't revealed itself.

1:22:09Seeing the two stone monsters rushing in

1:22:11at full force, he understood what he had

1:22:14to do. He thought that he needed to

1:22:15defeat two enemies at once with a single

1:22:17orb. Itsuki lowered his stance and

1:22:20gathered the purple energy swirling from

1:22:22the clear orb. With a powerful jump,

1:22:24Itsuki left the ground and shot upward.

1:22:27Then the beasts crashed with explosive

1:22:28force shattering the rocky ground. As

1:22:31dust and stone fragments blasted

1:22:33outward, Itsuki leapt forward. "Now," he

1:22:36said moving straight through the debris.

1:22:39His eye glowed blood red as he pushed

1:22:40through the shockwave. A fierce grin

1:22:43formed on his face. "Take this," he

1:22:45shouted preparing the next strike. The

1:22:47purple orb shot downward with blinding

1:22:49speed. Its light stretching across the

1:22:51sky as Itsuki hung in the air above it.

1:22:54Immediately, glowing system windows

1:22:56appeared one after another displaying

1:22:58stone statue lever nine defeated. Clear

1:23:01orb flight speed increased by 100%.

1:23:04After the impact, Itsuki collapsed on

1:23:07the ground panting heavily. Sweat

1:23:09dripped down his face as he lay flat on

1:23:11the rocky floor. He muttered that the

1:23:13exhaustion he felt right before his

1:23:15magic ran out was rough. He hoped he

1:23:17would someday get a magic recovery

1:23:19skill. He slowly sat up and looked at

1:23:21the glowing screen in front of him. He

1:23:23said that with the orb now flying at 5

1:23:26m/s, he could catch up to running

1:23:28enemies. The system window displayed the

1:23:30details of the skill. Clear orb level

1:23:33one. Active effect. Fires a perfect

1:23:36sphere with a fixed trajectory. The

1:23:37sphere flies at 5 m/s and penetrates all

1:23:40enemies in its path ignoring defense.

1:23:43Passive effect. Each time an enemy with

1:23:45higher defense than yourself is defeated

1:23:47with clear orb. Flight speed plus 100%.

1:23:50Current flight speed increase 500%.

1:23:52While he was checking the details,

1:23:54suddenly the ground shook and a massive

1:23:56stone arm dropped toward him with a loud

1:23:58crash. Itsuki looked up in surprise as

1:24:01the enormous mass slammed into the earth

1:24:03sending dust and rock exploding in every

1:24:05direction. A massive stone giant charged

1:24:07forward. Its rocky body trembling with

1:24:10each step as dust exploded around it. A

1:24:12system window appeared detecting a B

1:24:14rank skill and revealing the monster's

1:24:16details. Giant stone man 28 level 15.

1:24:20Stone tribe. Grade two. Gift converts

1:24:23all magic power into defense. Attack

1:24:25239. Agility 60. Defense 478. Magic

1:24:30zero. Total 777.

1:24:32Itsuki looked up at the towering

1:24:34creature and gasped that it was huge.

1:24:36Lightning wrapped around his body as

1:24:38another window announced. Thunder

1:24:40breaker activated. Agility plus 50%.

1:24:43Crackling with blue electricity, he

1:24:45sprinted toward the giant. As he dashed

1:24:47below the monster's massive frame, he

1:24:49wondered if he could defeat it with a

1:24:51single clear orb hit. He looked up at

1:24:53the stone giant's head and thought that

1:24:55maybe aiming for the head would work.

1:24:57Lightning trailed behind him as he

1:24:58climbed the monster's rocky body. He

1:25:01spotted a moment of opportunity and shot

1:25:03a clear orb at the monster's head.

1:25:05However, Itsuki soon realized something

1:25:07troubling. He told himself the orb was

1:25:09too small. And even if it penetrated, it

1:25:12wouldn't deal much damage. The massive

1:25:14stone giant swung its enormous arm and

1:25:17the impact sent wind blasting through

1:25:19the air. Itsuki leapt upward. Light and

1:25:22energy swirling around him as he tried

1:25:23to avoid the attack. His eyes widened

1:25:26when he realized he was stuck in the

1:25:27air. He clenched his teeth and thought

1:25:30that this was bad. He couldn't dodge

1:25:32while midair. A system window appeared

1:25:34as dark spikes wrapped around his arm.

1:25:36Black wall activated just as the giant's

1:25:38blow landed. Itsuki smashed into the

1:25:40rocks with a violent explosion kicking

1:25:43up dust and debris across the rocky

1:25:44ground. When the dust settled, Itsuki

1:25:47was wedged into a stone wall breathing

1:25:49heavily. He muttered that this big guy

1:25:51was tougher than he expected. Another

1:25:53system window flickered in front of him.

1:25:55A B rank skill gigantication was

1:25:57detected. Over mymesis activated and

1:26:00began progressing at 1%. Seeing that,

1:26:03Itsuki looked up with a confident grin.

1:26:06Realizing the monster grew huge because

1:26:08of a skill, he said this would be easy.

1:26:10With one hand, he grabbed onto the

1:26:12giant's stone body and prepared for his

1:26:14next move. Meanwhile, outside, one of

1:26:17Kinoshita Reiji's men got the news of

1:26:18what had happened to Oga and froze in

1:26:20shock. Behind him, Kinoshita Reiji

1:26:23dressed in a golden vest sat calmly. He

1:26:26narrowed his eyes and warned his man not

1:26:28to make noise in front of him. The

1:26:30suit-wearing man bowed his head and

1:26:31apologized saying it was just so

1:26:33unexpected. Kinoshita asked him what had

1:26:36happened. The man reported urgently that

1:26:38someone had defeated Oga and forced

1:26:40their way into the stage. Hearing that,

1:26:42Kinoshita clenched his teeth and broke

1:26:44the wine glass in his hand. He

1:26:46questioned what Oga was even doing. He

1:26:48reminded himself that Oga always bragged

1:26:50that no one below level 30 could break

1:26:52through his defense. He wondered if a

1:26:54level 30 or higher awakened had shown

1:26:56up. But his man quickly explained that

1:26:58with the recent surge in descending

1:26:59monuments, all awakened above level 30

1:27:02were busy dealing with them and

1:27:03shouldn't have time to come here. He

1:27:05added that challengers at the flaming

1:27:06rock execution ground were mostly level

1:27:0810 rookies. Hearing that, Kinoshita

1:27:11shouted that there was no way a level 10

1:27:13could beat Oga.

1:27:14His guard behind him looked down with a

1:27:16serious expression and said that if he

1:27:18was given some time, he would gather

1:27:19detailed Kinoshita adjusted his vest and

1:27:22tie and said that gathering information

1:27:24was unnecessary. Even if the opponent

1:27:26was level 30, he himself was already

1:27:29here. He mentioned that the flaming rock

1:27:31execution ground was known for its

1:27:33stubborn disaster beasts that slowed

1:27:35down challengers. He added that if they

1:27:37headed there now, they would make it in

1:27:39time. However, his guard said that since

1:27:41the opponent's identity was unknown,

1:27:43they should still be cautious. Hearing

1:27:45that, Kinoshita's expression grew sharp.

1:27:48His glasses glowed as he told the guard

1:27:50that he had already said they were

1:27:51heading there now and that he shouldn't

1:27:53have to repeat himself. The guard

1:27:54stiffened sweating nervously and replied

1:27:57with a quiet yes. Kinoshita then threw

1:27:59his arm upward confidently and declared

1:28:02that he would make them regret opposing

1:28:03the Kinoshita family. At the same time

1:28:06in the dungeon, blue energy lotus surged

1:28:08around Itsuki. A glowing screen appeared

1:28:11behind him showing 100%. Seeing that,

1:28:14Itsuki smirked and said that he no

1:28:16longer had to run around like a mouse

1:28:18anymore. He was standing on top of the

1:28:20massive stone beast and a bright blue

1:28:22lotus had formed on the beast's

1:28:23forehead. At that moment, a system

1:28:25window opened in the air announcing that

1:28:27the B rank skill gigantication had been

1:28:30fully analyzed. Itsuki looked at the

1:28:32window in surprise. He muttered that

1:28:34instead of gaining a new skill,

1:28:36something else had happened. He realized

1:28:38that clear orb had leveled up to level

1:28:40two. And he checked for new effects.

1:28:42Another set of windows appeared

1:28:44explaining the changes. Clear orb level

1:28:46two. Now fires a perfect sphere at 5 m/s

1:28:50piercing all enemies while ignoring

1:28:51defense. New effect. After activation,

1:28:55the orb size can now be adjusted by

1:28:56consuming additional magic power.

1:28:58Passive effect. Each time an enemy with

1:29:01higher defense than your own is defeated

1:29:03using clear orb, flight speed increases

1:29:05by 200%.

1:29:07Itsuki stared at the window shocked that

1:29:09the passive effect had risen from a 100%

1:29:11to 200%. More importantly, he was

1:29:14excited that he could now control the

1:29:16size of the orb with magic. Power surged

1:29:18around him as the blue energy lotus

1:29:20opened. Itsuki said he wanted to try the

1:29:22new ability immediately and glowing

1:29:25energy surrounded his body. Another

1:29:27window appeared confirming the upgrade.

1:29:29Clear orb level two acquired. All stats

1:29:32plus 20. All debuffs removed. Injuries

1:29:35fully healed. A second window showed his

1:29:37new status. Attack went from 260 to 200

1:29:41agility from 260 to 200 defense from 260

1:29:45to 200. Itsuki then jumped above the

1:29:47massive stone beast and a massive dark

1:29:50glowing flower appeared beside him

1:29:52pulsing with power. He thought to

1:29:54himself that it was consuming all his

1:29:56magic to create the maximum orb it could

1:29:58produce right now. The stone beast

1:30:00glared up at him with bright yellow eyes

1:30:02as cracks of energy spread across its

1:30:03body. Itsuki shouted telling the stone

1:30:06beast to take the biggest clear orb. The

1:30:08giant flower opened like petals and

1:30:11released a powerful clear orb. The

1:30:13massive orb shot downward and struck the

1:30:15stone beast blasting through its body as

1:30:18Itsuki unleashed the attack with full

1:30:20force. After landing the blow, Itsuki

1:30:22lowered his hand and smiled. He joked to

1:30:25himself asking if he had pushed it a bit

1:30:27too far. A small window beside him

1:30:29showed that his magic had dropped to

1:30:31zero out of 280. As the stone man was

1:30:34destroyed, a system window appeared

1:30:36announcing that the giant stone man

1:30:38level 15 had been defeated and the clear

1:30:41orb's flight speed had increased by

1:30:42200%. Amid the collapsing stone debris,

1:30:45Itsuki looked at the destruction around

1:30:47him. He realized that the orb he created

1:30:49by consuming all his magic had grown

1:30:51this huge. He examined its power calmly.

1:30:54The orb's flight speed had reached 7 m

1:30:56per second. He thought to himself that

1:30:58if he cleared this stage two more times,

1:31:00it would become as fast as a car. Just

1:31:02then, a new system panel displayed the

1:31:04skill information. Clear orb level two.

1:31:07Active effect. Fires a perfect sphere on

1:31:10a fixed path. The sphere travels at 7 m

1:31:13and penetrates all enemies ignoring

1:31:15their defense. After activation, the

1:31:17orb's size can be adjusted by spending

1:31:19more magic. Passive effect. Each time he

1:31:22defeats an enemy with higher defense

1:31:23than his own using clear orb, the orb's

1:31:26flight speed increases by plus 200%. The

1:31:29current total increase had reached 700%.

1:31:31Itsuki held a glowing green crystal in

1:31:33his hand while reading the information.

1:31:36He admitted that he had ignored passive

1:31:37effects until now but now saw how useful

1:31:40they actually were. Dust settled around

1:31:42him as he walked forward. He then

1:31:44thought about another passive skill.

1:31:46Lotus burst's passive expanded the range

1:31:48of all skills. That meant clear orb's

1:31:50range should also increase along with

1:31:52it. He then checked lotus burst's

1:31:54passive effect. Each time lotus burst

1:31:56defeats a living creature of level one

1:31:58or higher, the range of all skills

1:32:00increases by plus 1%. Seeing this,

1:32:03Itsuki smiled slightly as he looked at

1:32:05the system panel floating beside him.

1:32:07Itsuki imagined and thought to himself

1:32:09that if he kept increasing lotus burst's

1:32:11passive effect, he could eventually

1:32:13defeat disaster beasts from thousands or

1:32:15even tens of thousands of meters away.

1:32:17Then outside, a bright green display

1:32:20screen lit up. It showed the result of

1:32:22the challenge. The challenge was

1:32:24successful. The stage level was 15. The

1:32:27challenger was Tenma Itsuki. The time

1:32:29used was 3 minutes and 1 second. The

1:32:32stage clear record was updated. Seeing

1:32:34that, the crowded group reacted

1:32:36immediately. One man shouted in

1:32:38disbelief saying that 3 minutes and 1

1:32:40second was impossible. Another said that

1:32:43even a five-person party needed more

1:32:45than 10 minutes. Someone else wondered

1:32:47if Itsuki had defeated all the disaster

1:32:49beasts in a single hit. Another person

1:32:51pointed out that he had even broken

1:32:53Toajin's 3 minute 19 second record and

1:32:55asked what kind of monster he was. They

1:32:57all turned as someone announced that he

1:32:59was coming out. More voices followed.

1:33:02One person questioned why he was still

1:33:04level zero and wondered if the clear

1:33:05notification was a bug. They looked at

1:33:08him and said he wasn't even injured only

1:33:10a little dirty so they didn't believe he

1:33:12had cleared it at all. Choa in armor

1:33:15stepped forward with a smile as a green

1:33:16butterfly flew around her. She was happy

1:33:19that he had cleared the stage unscathed

1:33:21again and he had broken Jin's record

1:33:23again. She admitted that he always

1:33:25managed to surprise her. Choa then

1:33:27adjusted her glasses and with a

1:33:29restrained tone admitted that the

1:33:31challenge had ended unexpectedly

1:33:32quickly. Itsuki answered casually. He

1:33:35said the disaster beasts inside were

1:33:37weak against defense so he had taken

1:33:39them down easily. The glowing butterfly

1:33:41hovered in front of Itsuki. He looked at

1:33:43it with surprise and asked what it was.

1:33:46Choa explained calmly. She said that her

1:33:48job was a Shikigami user and the glowing

1:33:51butterfly was her Shikigami. Itsuki

1:33:53watched the butterfly flutter near his

1:33:55hand. He softly repeated its name,

1:33:57Tamacho, and admitted that this was his

1:34:00first time seeing a Shikigami. To him,

1:34:02it looked beautiful. Curious, he asked

1:34:05Choa what kinds of awakened jobs

1:34:06existed. His question startled her and

1:34:09she asked why he didn't know something

1:34:11so basic. She then began explaining.

1:34:13Jobs, she said, were divided into four

1:34:16major types. According to her, he should

1:34:18have already encountered three of them

1:34:20by now. She raised her hand and

1:34:22continued her explanation. The first

1:34:24type she mentioned was elementalist.

1:34:26Elementalists controlled seven elements:

1:34:29fire, water, wood, metal, earth, wind,

1:34:32and lightning. She said elementalists

1:34:34had the largest population among

1:34:36awakened jobs and also possessed the

1:34:38highest minimum combat capability. She

1:34:40then explained that his classmate who

1:34:42used electricity attacks and also the

1:34:44ogre muscular iron-skinned man from

1:34:46earlier belonged to that same type. She

1:34:48then introduced the second type,

1:34:50Shikigami user. She explained that

1:34:52Shikigami users could summon Shikigami

1:34:54that obeyed only their master. A blue

1:34:56system window appeared beside the

1:34:58butterfly displaying that it was Tamacho

1:35:00leave rank level 15. ITS skill is

1:35:03undisclosed. Status is undisclosed. Choa

1:35:06continued explaining that a Shikigami

1:35:08stayed with its master from birth. Then

1:35:10another system window appeared showing