Leo struggled to breathe. The massive fatigue hit him like a mountain falling on his back. His legs were shaking violently, and his stomach felt empty. He had just enough energy to stumble away from the practice yard crowd before the guards could properly react.
He didn't stop until he reached his room. Once the door was barred, he fell onto the thin mattress, the blue System screen flashing in his eyes.
Host Status: Theron Valerius
STR: 7/10 (Trainee Candidate)
Overall Level: 5
"Level 5," Leo wheezed. "Varrus was Level 5, and he almost broke Theron just by being a bully. Leo refused to be weak. He wouldn't let anyone, especially bullies like Varrus, make him live in fear again. He decided he must enroll in the Heavenly Knight Academy, but the entrance exam was known for being brutally hard. They test for a minimum standard of Level 30. If I stay here and train the noble way, I'll fail instantly."
The System added a new window, updating the core goal:
New Quest: Academy Ascension
Objective: Reach Overall Level 30 before the next quarter (3 months / 12 weeks).
Reward: Academy Entrance Pack (Includes Training Manual and a Rare Skill Scroll).
Three months to jump from Level 5 to 30. Leo knew gentle training wouldn't cut it. He needed risk. He needed the forest and the monsters.
That night, Leo packed a small bag with the basics and a rusty dagger. He slipped out through a forgotten service entrance and headed into the dark woods surrounding the capital, ready to treat the wilderness like his personal battle arena.
The first three weeks were pure, absolute torture. Leo had the physical strength (STR 7), but no technique, no magic, and no armor.
His first target was a common Forest Wolf. It looked like a big, hungry dog, but when Leo focused the System, the status made his blood run cold: Level 7. He fought it alone and barely won, leaving the encounter with a torn tunic and a deep bite in his leg.
His second target was a slightly larger wolf, Level 8. The fight was faster but more painful. He only survived by rolling into a shallow stream, using the water to confuse the beast and giving him a chance to end it.
The real leveling began as Leo hunted relentlessly. He fought and fought, facing wave after wave of wolves that grew stronger and more numerous with each passing day. He learned to use the terrain, slamming beasts into trees, and using the memory of a street brawl he once saw fast, low strikes and keeping them guessing. Whether facing solo hunters or small packs of Level 7, 8, and 9 wolves, the fighting was non-stop, a desperate scramble for survival. He spent days recovering from exhaustion, but he always went back out.
Every time a monster fell, the System gave him a small ping and a level. By the end of the three weeks, his battered, bruised body finally felt like it had adapted to the brutality.
Host Status: Theron Valerius
STR: 7/10
Overall Level: 11
Status: On Track for Academy Goal. (4 Levels Gained)
The Wolf King and the Forbidden Zone
It was late in the afternoon, victory already tasting sweet on his tongue after a successful three weeks of survival, when the deep, earth-shaking howl rolled over the forest. This was no common beast.
Leo quickly focused the System on the huge, black shape moving through the trees.
Monster: Timber Wolf King (Alpha)
Overall Level: ??? (Locked)
Threat Level: **APOCALYPSE.** Flee Immediately.
The warning was too slow. The Wolf King stepped into a clearing. It was a terrifying spectacle: pitch-black fur, glowing red eyes, and a body the size of a carriage, easily as large as a small elephant. It was an apex predator, a creature of pure myth and terror.
It spotted Leo, and its massive roar was a physical wave of sound.
Leo turned and ran. For the first time in three months, his battle lust was replaced by pure, cold panic. The King was impossibly fast, its massive paws eating up the distance, smashing through thickets that Leo had to fight through.
He reached the edge of a deep ravine, a sudden drop hidden by thick vines and roots. Without thought, Leo jumped, hoping to grab a root. He missed.
He fell. He slammed against the cliff face twice before hitting the bottom, landing hard on the cold, damp earth. The last thing he saw before the world went black was the giant head of the Wolf King staring down from the edge, its red eyes burning.
When Leo woke up, the air was different. It was freezing cold, and a thick, unnatural black mist filled the entire area. He tried to check the System.
AREA: FORBIDDEN ZONE - Unknown
SYSTEM ACCESS: OFFLINE. (Cannot process data in this region.)
Fear, cold and sharp, finally cut through Leo's usual battle excitement. He was in a place the System couldn't even map. The silence was absolute, heavier than any noise. He couldn't see anything past his own hands.
He managed to crawl to a dead tree, break off a branch, and light the tip using the steel of his dagger and a bit of dry tinder from his pouch. The small flame barely pushed back the black mist.
Leo stood up, holding the flickering stick out, and took a cautious step forward, then stopped. He stared.
The light of his burning stick revealed a vast, smooth circle of perfectly carved black rock. At the center of the circle was a gigantic, perfectly still Iron Golem, at least thirty feet tall.
But it wasn't the Golem that made his breath catch. Carved into the Golem's chest, where its heart should have been, was a deep, glowing symbol, slowly pumping a pulse of pure, bright blue energy that lit up the mist like silent lightning. The sheer power radiating from the symbol was stunning.