The sparring rings were cleared. The tournament was officially over.
Jin sat against the cold steel wall of the arena. His chest throbbed with a deep, heavy ache. The Half-Step Core Formation boy had hit him with terrifying force. The green medical paste the faculty applied was working slowly on the dark bruising, but breathing still hurt.
He lost the final match. The power gap was an undeniable physical reality. He accepted the outcome and moved on. He had gained exactly what he needed. He knew how hard the predators at the top of the food chain could hit.
Instructor Thorne dismissed the class. The students who could still walk headed to the main canteen for the late lunch shift.
Jin sat at a long wooden table with Luna, Rian, and Elin. They ate their hot stew in complete silence. Every single one of them was covered in grey dirt and dark purple bruises. They chewed their food mechanically. Their bodies were completely drained.
When the wooden bowls were empty, they stood up. It was time for the final class of the day.
They walked to the eastern wing. They pushed the wooden door of Room 104 open.
Instructor Boras sat behind his heavy desk. He rubbed his round stomach. He watched the battered, limping freshmen fill the wooden chairs. The room smelled heavily of sweat, dried blood, and herbal medicine.
Jin took his seat in the middle row. He opened his notebook. He waited for a lecture on jungle canopy navigation or toxic water purification.
Boras did not pick up his white chalk. He leaned forward and rested his thick arms on the desk.
"I have an apology to make," Boras said. His loud, cheerful voice was gone. He sounded very calm and serious. "I deceived all of you three months ago."
The class went quiet. The students stared at the chubby instructor.
"The jungle planet we are taking you to is hostile," Boras explained. "But it does not have any Core Formation beasts. The apex predators on that world are only at the peak of the Foundation Realm."
The room froze.
The words sank in slowly. For ninety days, they had woken up before dawn. They had torn their muscles apart in the dirt. They had swung heavy iron weapons until their hands bled. They did it because they thought they were going to be eaten alive by walking natural disasters.
Absolute outrage exploded in the classroom.
Students started shouting. They slammed their fists against the wooden desks.
A tall boy in the second row jumped up. His face was red with pure fury. He reached to his belt and pulled out his dull iron practice sword.
"Let me go!" the boy screamed. He lunged toward the front desk.
The boy's friend grabbed him from behind. He wrapped his arms tight around the angry boy's chest, holding him back.
"I will kill him!" the boy shouted, struggling wildly against the grip. He pointed his iron sword at Boras. "I haven't slept properly for three entire months! I had nightmares every single night about a Core Formation beast ripping my head off!"
The friend suddenly let go. He dropped his arms and stepped backward.
The angry boy stumbled forward a half-step. He realized nobody was holding him back anymore. He froze completely. He did not charge at the desk.
He slowly lowered his iron sword. He looked back at his friend.
"Why did you let me go?" the boy asked. His voice trembled slightly.
"Because you asked me to, you stupid man," his friend answered flatly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "And I am not a fool. I am not going to hold you back if you really want to fight a Divinity Realm Level 9 instructor. Go ahead. Hit him."
The angry boy looked at Boras. He looked at his dull iron sword. He looked at the chubby man who could wipe out a city block with a single breath.
He quickly shoved the blade back into its sheath.
"Hold me back," the boy whispered to his friend. He stepped backward quickly. "Please hold me back."
His friend sighed, reached out, and grabbed the boy's shoulders again.
Boras watched the display. He did not look angry. He let out a low, deep chuckle.
"You did not sleep because fear is a heavy motivator," Boras said. His voice easily cut through the remaining shouts in the room. "If I told you the beasts were weak, you would have been lazy. You would have complained about Instructor Thorne's dirt track. Instead, you pushed yourselves to the absolute brink of mortal endurance. Look at yourselves. You survived a massive sparring tournament today. Three months ago, you would have died in the first round."
Jin nodded slowly. The psychological manipulation was perfect. Fear forced rapid biological adaptation. The lie served a highly practical purpose. They were much stronger now because they thought death was guaranteed.
"You are ready for the jungle now," Boras announced. He stood up from his desk. "There is exactly one week left before the imperial carrier ships arrive to take you off-world."
He looked at the bruised, tired faces of the freshmen.
"There are no more classes," Boras said. "This final week is your preparation leave. Use the time. Rest your broken bones. Buy your survival gear. Form your hunting groups. When the week is over, the real test begins. Class dismissed."
Boras turned around and walked out the side door.
The room was silent again. The sudden anger was completely gone, replaced by a profound, heavy exhaustion.
Jin stood up. He picked up his canvas bag.
One week of free time. It was exactly what he needed. He had a heavy pouch of Aether cores. He needed to buy Luna's catalyst. He needed to push his own core to Foundation Level 10 before they stepped onto the transport ship.
Sigh~
Jin sighed acting cool all the time was quite taxting for him.
The sparring tournament was just a physical baseline test. The real hunt was finally starting.