Leo moved to the heart of the Portal Domain, a place dominated by a colossal, ancient oak tree. It was so vast that its thickest branch, hundreds of feet above the ground, offered a perfect, concealed sanctuary. He climbed effortlessly, his body moving like a shadow through the leaves, and settled down. The System hummed a low, comforting song, no longer restricted by the Forbidden Zone's strange energy.
He didn't sleep in the traditional sense. His mind was in a state of high awareness, a rest learned from years of survival. He could hear the muffled sounds of combat echoing through the domain. Every hour, the teleportation bracelet signaled another student's failure and forced retreat.
The first three days saw the student count drop rapidly from five hundred. The desperate, low-level hunters either exhausted themselves or were eliminated by unexpected, high-level monsters.
By the start of the fourth day, the fighting sounds were centralized and purposeful. The remaining strong contenders had finished clearing the easy monsters and were now focusing on the single biggest prize: the Domain Boss.
Deep in the forest, the remaining elite students, about twenty in total, led by the strongest, moved with caution. Prince Julian, his expensive armor gleaming, was at the head. Beside him were Princess Serena and Lady Lyra, their eyes narrowed in fierce competition.
"The Headmaster marked the central point as the highest density of power," Julian whispered, drawing a blade that crackled with light magic. "If we defeat whatever lives there, the point bounty will guarantee us the top spots."
They moved toward the giant oak tree, unaware that Leo was resting high in its canopy.
Julian suddenly raised his hand, freezing the group. "Stop! I sense tremendous killing intent. The Boss is awake."
The air grew heavy and cold. From the dark, dripping undergrowth near the tree's roots, a creature emerged that made even the battle-hardened Lyra suck in a sharp breath.
It was a Black Serpent, easily fifty feet long and thicker than a horse. Its scales were midnight black, absorbing all light, and its eyes glowed with malevolent red malice.
Julian, his voice tight, whispered, "Level 50. A Greater Fiend. This is far stronger than the Headmaster suggested."
Serena, despite her trembling hands, forced herself to be rational. "No time to panic! We attack as a group! Focus fire! If we overwhelm it, we can win!"
Julian slammed his glowing shield down, creating a dome of brilliant magical energy just as the serpent began to move. "Attack, now!"
The elite students unleashed their full strength. Flashes of fire, bolts of lightning, and charging strikes of pure physical force hammered against the serpent's thick scales. But the Level 50 beast barely noticed. It coiled, and its sheer, overwhelming power began to crack the Prince's magical shield.
CRACK!
The serpent struck with its head, shattering the weakened shield and sending Prince Julian flying. He hit the massive trunk of the oak tree with a bone-jarring impact, slumping to the ground, his armor dented and his breathing shallow.
The serpent turned its attention to the helpless Prince. The other students cried out, charging forward too late as the massive head darted toward the injured Julian.
Suddenly, a small, dark object shot down from the tree canopy with the speed of a bullet. It attacked the serpent's snout with a sharp, thwack!
The Level 50 Fiend halted its attack, its head snapping sideways in confused pain.
Every head in the clearing snapped up to the huge oak tree. A voice, calm and annoyed, drifted down.
"Ugh. What's all the noise? Did I sleep longer than I thought? Fine. Let's get back to business."
With that, a grimy, casually dressed figure dropped from the highest branch. It was Prince Theron Valerius. The useless, cowardly prince.
The serpent, furious at the interruption, recognized the small threat. Its giant, thick tail whipped out in a devastating arc faster than anyone expected. Leo, caught mid-descent, tried to dodge, but the attack was a raw burst of Level 50 force. The tail caught his shoulder and smashed him backward into the same tree trunk where Julian lay.
The other students collectively flinched. He's dead. No one survives that hit, they thought.
But Leo didn't stay down.
He stood up, his body rattling, the lingering pain a familiar companion. He grinned, a cold, focused expression that promised violence.
"Okay. Time to get serious."
His body was gone before the phrase was finished.
The power of his awakened body was unleashed. He moved faster than light. He didn't vanish; he simply moved at a speed that made him appear to have teleported. He appeared directly above the serpent's massive head and delivered a crushing, two-fisted slam to the top of its skull.
KRAK!
The serpent shrieked, its head slamming into the dirt, temporarily stunned. It lashed out, spitting a cloud of black, corrosive venom that instantly melted the moss and dirt around it. The students gasped; a single drop of that could melt their bodies.
Leo dodged the venom, his focus now absolute. The serpent, still enraged, attack with its tail again. This time, Leo didn't avoid it. He ran towards the tail, planted his feet, and grabbed it with both hands.
The sheer mass of the serpent's body resisted, but Leo's power honed by ten years of fighting giants was greater. With a massive grunt, he began to spin, his feet tearing trenches in the ground, and swung the Level 50 Fiend like a wrecking ball. The gigantic black body smashed repeatedly against the trunks of the surrounding trees and the hard-packed ground.
Finally, with a wet thud, Leo released the lifeless, broken creature.
He approached the enormous head, pulled out his ancient greatsword, and plunged it deep, easily retrieving a pulsating, dark-purple Boss Core.
Ping!
LEVEL UP! Current Level: 42 CON: 8 -> 9 AGI: 8 -> 9
SYSTEM MESSAGE: Restrictions on the Knight King's Equipment have been partially lifted.
Leo turned, a casual smile on his bruised face, the Boss Core glowing in his hand. He looked at the twenty terrified elite students—the Crown Prince battered, the Princess trembling, and the fierce Lady Lyra looking utterly stunned.
"How many points do you have?" he asked, his voice calm, but with an underlying steel that brooked no argument. "Whatever you have, give me half, and get lost."
"W-who are you to talk like that to us?" Princess Serena stammered, her voice thin with fear.
Prince Julian, however, slowly rose, favoring his injured arm. He recognized raw, undeniable power. He pulled off his bracelet, which displayed a hefty score.
"Here," Julian said, offering it to Leo. "Thank you for saving our lives, Theron."
One by one, the other students including the reluctant Princess Serena passed over half their hard-won points. They were defeated, not by the monster, but by the quiet warrior who appeared from nowhere.
Leo checked his bracelet. The score was astronomical. He had guaranteed his place in the top five.
He turned toward the forest, a flicker of concern crossing his face. Lysander. I almost forgot about him. He had a friend to find.