Chapter 10: The Beast Arena
Chaos erupted in a split second.
Dozens of giant, muscular Pac Rats sprinted across the dirt, closing the distance terrifyingly fast. The students panicked, breaking formation and scattering like frightened sheep into the rocky maze of boulders.
Victor Alfonso, eager to prove that yesterday's gun test was a fluke, stood his ground. He was Level 5, and he wanted everyone to know it.
"Stay back, you filthy rodents!" Victor yelled confidently. He summoned his Acid Worm soul, letting it wrap around his arm.
Victor spat out globs of thick, green acid, bombarding the dirt in a wide circle around him. His plan was actually decent: surround himself with a barrier of highly toxic acid so he could safely attack the rats from a long range.
But a plan is only good if the enemy cares about it.
The wild Pac Rats didn't care at all. A massive rat leaped right through the stinging acid ring. Its thick fur burned and sizzled, but the beast ignored the pain completely. It closed the distance instantly, raising its heavy, boxing-glove-sized fist.
Victor shrieked in terror as the rat punched him squarely in the chest.
The sound of cracking ribs echoed over the screaming students. Victor was thrown backward into the dirt, all the breath knocked out of his lungs. His confidence shattered in an instant. He scrambled to his feet and ran for his life, wildly firing acid blasts behind his back without looking where he was aiming.
"Look out!" someone screamed.
Because Victor was firing completely blind, a thick glob of melting green acid missed the pursuing rat entirely. Instead, it flew straight toward a terrified girl who was frozen in fear near a boulder.
She squeezed her eyes shut, raising her arms, waiting for the burning pain of the acid.
Hiss!
A loud, sizzling noise echoed through the air. But the girl didn't feel any pain. She opened her eyes, blinking in shock.
The glob of acid had harmlessly fizzled out mid-air, less than an inch from her face. It looked exactly as if the acid had violently crashed into an invisible wall and evaporated into steam. There was nobody standing in front of her.
Ran, however, saw exactly what happened.
Relying on his high Level 10 Perception, Ran quickly looked up at the tall stone pillar outside the cage. Master Kael was still standing there, his hands calmly resting inside his flowing orange robes, looking completely peaceful.
The instructor had leaped down from his thirty-foot pillar, deflected the acid to save the girl, and jumped back up to his original spot so incredibly fast that, to normal human eyes, it seemed like he hadn't moved an inch. There was no blur, no afterimage. It was the terrifying reality of Level 100 speed.
Master Kael glanced sideways at his assistant, who was safely standing behind the fence recording the scores on a tablet. "Deduct a point from Victor," the monk said flatly.
Inside the arena, the battle royale was turning into a complete disaster. Ken and Leo, along with most of the poorer students who hadn't reached Level 5, were running around the giant boulders for their lives. Without unlocked skills, they had no way to fight back against the muscular beasts.
"Ahhh! Stop punching me!" Ken yelled, ducking under a heavy right hook from a rat and rolling away in the dirt.
Leo quickly grabbed his friend's collar and yanked him behind a large boulder to hide. But they were trapped. A large, angry Pac Rat had backed them into a dead-end corner against the tall metal fence. The beast raised both fists, ready to pummel them into the ground.
"Leo, cover your head!" Ken shouted, raising his arms to block.
Before the rat could swing, Ran sprinted around the boulder.
He knew he couldn't use his Chaos Armor, and he couldn't punch the rat with his full Level 10 Strength, or he would instantly kill it and blow his cover. Instead, Ran relied purely on human common sense.
He slid across the dirt, scooped up a massive handful of dry sand and gravel, and threw it directly into the rat's glowing red eyes.
The beast squeaked loudly in surprise. It dropped its fists and aggressively began rubbing its face, completely blinded by the dirt.
"Move!" Ran ordered. He grabbed Ken and Leo by their shirts, pulled them away from the blind rat, and guided them behind a safer cluster of rocks.
"Thanks, Ran!" Leo panted, his chest heaving as he wiped sweat from his face. "These things are completely crazy! They fight like professional boxers!"
"Just stay close to me," Ran said calmly, keeping a close watch on the monsters running past their boulder. "Don't try to attack. Just focus on dodging and staying on your feet. The test is only about surviving for ten minutes. Let the rich kids tire themselves out trying to fight."
For the next eight minutes, the arena was filled with panicked screams, running footsteps, and the heavy thuds of the rats punching the dirt.
Ran perfectly played the role of a lucky, agile student. Every time a rat got close to their group, he pushed Ken and Leo out of the way and dodged the punch at the very last second. He threw a few normal, weak punches back at the rats, making sure to rack up exactly fifteen points on the assistant's scoreboard. To avoid suspicion, he purposely breathed heavily and rubbed dirt on his own face so he looked exhausted.
Finally, a loud, blaring buzzer rang from the terminal outside the fence.
"Time is up!" Master Kael's voice echoed across the mountain.
Instantly, the suffocating Level 100 aura crashed down on the arena again. The aggressive Pac Rats froze in absolute terror. They immediately dropped to the ground, covering their heads with their paws and whining pitifully.
The terrified students collapsed into the dirt, groaning in pain. The crisp morning breeze swept across the mountain arena, finally cooling their sweaty faces.
Master Kael jumped down from his tall pillar, floating to the ground as gently as a falling leaf, and walked through the gate toward the center of the field.
"The test is over. My assistant has tallied your points," the monk announced softly. He looked around at the bruised, dusty, and bleeding teenagers. "Some of you let fear blind you. Some of you fought bravely. And some of you made foolish, reckless mistakes."
He glanced briefly at Victor, who was sitting in the dirt clutching his bruised ribs, staring at the ground in pure shame.
"Now, for the top three," Master Kael said, holding up the small wooden box.
"In first place, with twenty-two points, is Sarah."
A wealthy girl with a speed-type innate soul sighed in heavy relief. She walked up, wiping sweat from her forehead, and claimed her pill.
"In second place, with eighteen points, is Marcus."
Another rich student, who had used a giant shield soul to block the rats' punches perfectly, stepped forward to get his prize.
"And in third place, with fifteen points... Ran Aldric."
Ken and Leo grabbed Ran's shoulders and shook him in excitement. "You did it, man!" Ken cheered loudly. "Two days in a row! You're a genius at surviving!"
Ran gave his friends a tired, fake smile and walked up to the instructor.
Master Kael handed him the glowing green Medicinal Pill. However, as Ran reached out to take it, the monk didn't let go immediately. Master Kael's sharp, peaceful eyes stared deeply into Ran's face, looking right past the dirt and the fake sweat.
"You have very good instincts, young man," Master Kael said softly, his voice so quiet that only Ran could hear it. "You dodge with absolutely zero wasted movement. You only moved the exact inches required to avoid the fists. It almost looked... too easy for you."
Ran's heart skipped a massive beat, and a cold sweat broke out on his neck. But he forced his face to remain perfectly innocent and slightly confused.
"I was just terrified, Master Kael," Ran said, forcing a nervous chuckle. "I guess pure fear makes you move faster. I was just trying not to get my ribs broken."
Master Kael studied him for another long second. Then, he smiled slightly and let go of the pill. "Indeed it does. Good work today."
Ran safely tucked the Rare Medicinal Pill into his pocket and walked back to his friends. He had successfully secured his prize, but as he walked away, a dangerous reality settled heavily over his shoulders.
Master Kael was much sharper, much faster, and much wiser than the other instructors. Ran's "average" act wasn't going to work on him anymore. If Ran wasn't incredibly careful, the monk was going to uncover his Mythical secret.