The battle did not end.
Not after minutes.
Not after dozens of fallen bodies.
Not even after exhaustion began clawing at their bones.
It continued.
Endlessly.
Relentlessly.
Mercilessly.
---
Three hours.
Three full hours of nonstop fighting.
Three hours of slashing.
Dodging.
Blocking.
Killing.
Again.
And again.
And again.
---
The plains that were once covered in tall grass had turned into a battlefield of broken earth and scattered corpses.
Hundreds of coreless and soulless beasts littered the ground.
Cracked bodies.
Broken limbs.
Empty shells that once moved like lifeless puppets.
Now—
Still.
Silent.
Dead again.
---
Kael dropped to one knee briefly.
His breathing was ragged.
Heavy.
Painful.
"…I… can't feel my arms…"
His spear trembled slightly in his grip.
Sweat soaked his clothes.
Blood stained his sleeve.
Not deep wounds—
But countless scratches.
Bruises.
Fatigue injuries.
---
Soren leaned against a broken stone nearby.
His daggers still gripped tightly in both hands.
"…My legs are screaming…"
He forced himself upright again.
"…We've been fighting forever…"
---
Elric remained standing.
But barely.
His armor was scratched.
Cracked in places.
Dust and blood coated his blade.
"…Stay alert…"
Even his usually steady voice sounded strained.
"…They aren't stopping…"
---
Rynelle Aeris stood at the center.
His crown floated steadily above his head.
But even he—
Was tired.
Very tired.
His bones screamed.
His muscles trembled.
His mana reserves had dropped dangerously low.
Yet—
The swarm still moved.
Still crawled.
Still attacked.
---
Another coreless beast lunged forward.
Rynelle raised his sword.
SLASH.
The creature split apart instantly.
Its body fell.
Motionless.
Empty.
Worthless.
Still—
No shattered cores.
Not even one.
---
Kael growled bitterly.
"Three hours…"
He crushed another beast.
"…Three damn hours…"
BOOM.
"…AND NOT A SINGLE CORE!"
---
Soren muttered.
"…This is torture…"
He stabbed downward.
CRACK.
Another body collapsed.
"…We're killing shadows…"
---
Elric clenched his jaw.
"…Keep moving."
Even he sounded frustrated now.
"…Just survive."
---
Far away—
Across different parts of the plains—
Other groups struggled.
Some wandering aimlessly.
Searching.
Trying to locate enemies.
Trying to find shattered cores.
---
Some groups—
Were unlucky.
Very unlucky.
---
A distant scream echoed across the plains.
Short.
Sharp.
Cut off suddenly.
Then silence.
Followed by chewing sounds.
Wet.
Heavy.
Brutal.
---
Some students had already died.
Some had already been eaten.
The Dream Realm showed no mercy.
Not to the weak.
Not to the careless.
Not to the unlucky.
---
Meanwhile—
Far across another region—
The VIP group moved calmly through a different zone.
Seraphina walked at the front.
Her expression cold.
Focused.
Sharp.
Yet—
No enemies appeared.
Not a single one.
Not yet.
---
Back to Aeris' team—
The swarm finally began thinning.
Not gone.
But reduced.
Bodies scattered everywhere.
Breathing heavy.
Mana nearly drained.
Fatigue crushing their bodies.
---
Then—
Everything changed.
---
The air turned cold.
Very cold.
Suddenly.
Unnaturally.
---
Rynelle felt it first.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Something's coming."
Elric reacted instantly.
"…Formation!"
Kael forced himself upright again.
"…Please don't be more…"
Soren steadied his breathing.
"…It's different…"
---
Then—
They appeared.
Not hundreds.
Not thousands.
Just—
Ten.
---
Ten tall figures emerged from the darkness forming in the distance.
Black fur.
Long limbs.
Sharp claws.
Glowing blue eyes.
Cold breath escaped their mouths like mist.
---
Night Walker Beasts.
Core Beasts.
Real enemies.
Real threats.
Real rewards.
---
Kael's voice dropped to a whisper.
"…Those… look different…"
Soren nodded slowly.
"…They feel alive…"
Elric gripped his sword tighter.
"…These ones have cores."
---
Rynelle's eyes locked onto them.
And then—
He saw it.
Inside their chest.
A faint glow.
A pulsing light.
Small—
But real.
A core.
---
He spoke calmly.
"…Destroy the core."
Everyone turned toward him.
"…That's how we kill them."
---
The Night Walkers growled.
Low.
Deep.
Dangerous.
Then—
They attacked.
All at once.
---
One leaped forward at incredible speed.
Faster than the coreless beasts.
Much faster.
---
"MOVE!"
Kael barely dodged sideways.
The beast's claw tore through the ground where he stood moments ago.
BOOM.
Earth shattered.
Dust exploded upward.
---
Soren rushed forward instantly.
His daggers flashed.
SLASH.
The strike hit the beast's arm—
But didn't kill it.
Didn't even slow it much.
---
Elric stepped forward.
Blocking another Night Walker's strike.
CLANG.
The impact shook his entire body.
"…STRONG!"
---
Rynelle moved instantly.
"Weaver Step!"
His body vanished—
Reappearing behind one of the beasts.
His sword pierced forward.
STRAIGHT—
Toward its chest.
Toward the glowing core.
---
CRACK.
The blade struck the core.
And—
SHATTERED it.
---
The beast froze.
Its glowing eyes dimmed.
Then—
Collapsed.
Dead.
For real.
---
A glowing shard appeared.
Floating briefly.
Then dropped.
A shattered core fragment.
Real reward.
Real progress.
---
Kael shouted loudly.
"YES—!"
Excitement returned instantly.
Energy surged despite exhaustion.
---
But—
There were still nine more.
Nine deadly Night Walkers.
Nine real threats.
---
Another beast lunged toward Soren.
Too fast.
Too brutal.
He blocked—
Barely.
Claws scratched across his shoulder.
Blood spilled.
---
"Damn it—!"
He jumped backward quickly.
---
Elric roared.
"Focus on the core!"
He charged forward.
His blade aimed directly at the glowing center.
---
Kael spun his spear.
Wind gathered around the tip.
"Wind Pierce!"
He launched forward like a missile.
Straight—
Toward another core.
---
Meanwhile—
Far across the plains—
Other groups still wandered.
Searching blindly.
Not knowing danger was nearby.
---
Some groups fought weaker beasts.
Some avoided combat entirely.
Some—
Were already gone.
Silent.
Forgotten.
Devoured.
---
And somewhere far away—
The VIP group still moved calmly.
Seraphina remained untouched.
Unchallenged.
Unopposed.
For now.
---
But here—
On this battlefield—
Rynelle Aeris and his team faced real danger.
Real battle.
Real death.
---
His body trembled.
His mana nearly drained.
His bones screaming.
His muscles burning.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Focused.
Alive.
---
Because now—
This fight mattered.
Now—
This fight had meaning.
Now—
They were fighting enemies that counted.
Enemies with cores.
Enemies worth killing.
Enemies that could kill them back.