The forest trembled.

The first wave had been brutal, but nothing compared to what was coming.

Alden's gaze swept across the battlefield. The corpses of goblins, wolves, and boars lay scattered across the ruins, but the fight was far from over.

A low rumble echoed through the trees, and then, like a breaking dam, the second wave of monsters charged forward.

They were stronger. Bigger.

Massive horned boars, their bodies reinforced with mana, trampled everything in their path.

Shadow Panthers, their fur blending into the darkness, prowled alongside them, their glowing yellow eyes locked onto their next prey.

And above—venomous wyverns circled, their acidic saliva sizzling as it dripped onto the battlefield.

Alicia tightened her grip on her sword. "They just keep coming…"

Leonhardt spun his spear, his emerald-green eyes narrowing. "We need to summon our beasts."

Alden watched as the others nodded in agreement.

One by one, the main cast called upon their contracted beasts.

Seraphina was the first.

She stepped forward, her mana condensing into a silver magic circle. The air chilled instantly as a magnificent Ice Griffin emerged, its wings shimmering with frost.

The beast let out a piercing screech, and with a single flap of its wings, a blast of freezing wind turned a portion of the battlefield into ice.

Next was Alicia.

A golden-red magic circle flared beneath her feet, and from it, a Crimson Lion materialized.

Its mane blazed like a roaring inferno, its molten eyes locking onto the charging monsters with predatory intensity.

With a deep growl, it lunged forward, its claws leaving burning trails in the air.

Sylvara's turn.

She extended her hands, and from the depths of the forest, a giant emerald-feathered hawk descended, its golden eyes gleaming with intelligence.

With a cry, it took to the skies, its wind blades slicing through wyverns mid-air.

Luca let out a wild laugh as he slammed his fists together.

His beast—a massive lion with molten veins—appeared beside him, its fur radiating unbearable heat.

With a powerful leap, it pounced onto a horned boar, sending it crashing into the dirt.

Reynard smirked, his fox-like golden eyes flickering mischievously.

A shadow stretched beneath him, and out of it, a two-tailed shadow fox emerged, its violet eyes glowing.

It disappeared into the darkness, its presence barely detectable—until the monsters started dropping, one by one.

Elena pressed her palms together in silent prayer.

A gentle golden light enveloped the battlefield, and a pure-white celestial deer materialized beside her, its antlers radiating divine energy.

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It lowered its head, sending out waves of healing mana, mending wounds and restoring stamina.

Then there was Leon.

Unlike the others, he struggled.

His beast—a Thunder Fang Wolf—stood before him, but it refused to obey.

It growled, its lightning-coated fur bristling in resistance.

Leon clenched his fist. "Not now, damn it."

The wyverns above descended, their sharp talons aimed at him.

Alicia moved to intercept, but Leon gritted his teeth.

"Obey me!"

Lightning crackled as the Thunder Fang Wolf's eyes glowed bright blue.

Then, it moved.

Faster than lightning, it vanished and reappeared above Leon, intercepting the wyverns with a burst of electric fangs.

Leon exhaled, gripping his spear.

Alden observed from the sidelines, arms crossed. So, that's his moment of growth.

He looked down at Shiranui, the white nine-tailed fox beside him.

"You're up."

Shiranui flicked its tails lazily. "Took them long enough."

Then, multiple afterimages of the fox appeared across the battlefield, confusing the monsters.

---

The battle erupted in full force.

Leon's Thunder Fang Wolf dashed through the battlefield, its lightning-coated fangs tearing through wyverns.

Seraphina's Ice Griffin swooped down, its frost-coated claws ripping into a panther's throat.

Alicia's Crimson Lion clashed head-on with a giant horned boar, burning through its thick hide with sheer heat.

Sylvara's Hawk unleashed a barrage of wind blades, slicing through wyvern wings.

Luca's Molten Lion barreled through enemy lines, its sheer presence turning monsters to ash.

Reynard's Shadow Fox danced between enemies, slitting throats and vanishing before anyone could react.

Elena's Celestial Deer stood firm, sending out pulses of healing magic while creating golden barriers to shield her allies.

And then there was Alden.

Shadow Panthers lunged at him from multiple directions.

Alden flicked his hand. His dagger hovered mid-air, propelled by his telekinesis, before slashing through a panther's throat.

Another leaped at him.

Alden sidestepped, marking Kurenai with his Mark of Connection and drawing mana from a fallen wyvern's core.

His katana glowed red, and with a single precise strike—Lunar Severance—he bisected two panthers at once.

Shiranui moved beside him, flickering between afterimages.

The horned boars tried to charge, but Shiranui left phantom illusions, leading them straight into death traps.

A wyvern swooped down.

Alden raised his hand.

Using Telekinesis, he grabbed the wyvern's wing mid-air and forced it downward.

The beast crashed into the ruins, dazed.

Alden wasted no time. He marked his dagger, sending it flying straight into the wyvern's skull.

Minutes passed.

The battlefield fell silent.

Corpses littered the ground, the scent of blood thick in the air.

Leon exhaled, resting his spear on his shoulder. "That… was rough."

Alicia sheathed her sword. "But we survived."

Seraphina nodded. "We fought as a team."

Alden remained quiet, gazing at the battlefield.

His Mark of Connection had drawn mana from multiple cores, but it wasn't enough.

The third wave would be worse.

And Alden needed more power.

He would be ready.

The battlefield was chaos.

The third wave had arrived—faster than expected.

Monsters flooded in from all sides, their screeches and roars mixing into an overwhelming cacophony.

Alden exhaled slowly, gripping Kurenai, his crimson katana. His other hand hovered near his belt, where several daggers rested.

I'm improving.

He could feel it—his movements sharper, his reactions quicker.

Fighting in real battles was different from sparring. The pressure, the unpredictability—it forced growth.

His weapon arts were advancing at a rapid pace.

---

A massive Direwolf lunged at him, its fangs bared.

Alden sidestepped, his katana flashing in a swift arc.

First Form: Lunar Severance.

A single precise slash—and the wolf's head fell, its body crumpling to the ground.

Alden spun as another beast charged, a Scaled Boar with armored plating over its hide.

Too thick to cut through easily.

Instead of swinging, he leapt back—and with a flick of his wrist, a dagger shot forward.

Pierce the gaps in the armor.

The dagger found its mark, stabbing deep into the beast's exposed eye.

It shrieked in agony, thrashing violently.

Alden dashed forward, Kurenai gleaming in his grasp.

With a final downward strike, he ended the fight.

---

[System Notification]

Telekinesis (Basic) → Intermediate!

Alden froze for a split second as the message appeared before him.

Finally.

His control over Telekinesis had been improving, but now—he could feel the difference.

Testing it, he lifted a dagger from his belt.

It hovered smoothly, responding instantly to his will.

He flicked his fingers—the dagger spun, twisting and turning midair.

This is… much more precise than before.

Then an idea struck him.

Alden grabbed another dagger—this time, in his hand.

He tested a movement, slashing with his physical dagger, while simultaneously moving the floating one in a mirrored motion.

I can control a dagger while also using a weapon?

A grin spread across his face.

Let's see how far I can take this.

A new foe emerged—a Shadow Stalker, its dark form blending into the battlefield.

It was fast—a creature that struck from the shadows and disappeared.

Alden let it approach.

The moment it pounced, he moved.

Kurenai flashed, parrying the beast's claw midair.

At the same time, his telekinetic dagger struck from the side.

Shadow Fang Dagger Art—Piercing Spiral.

The floating dagger drilled forward, stabbing deep into the monster's side.

The Shadow Stalker howled, staggering back.

Alden followed up, his katana slicing through its throat before it could recover.

The corpse collapsed, fading into wisps of dark energy.

He stood still for a moment, processing what just happened.

I just executed a two-weapon attack—one physical, one telekinetic.

The potential was endless.

---

Nearby, Leon fought with a fluid mix of styles.

His Thunder Fang Wolf lunged at enemies, covering him as he switched between sword and spear.

When fighting multiple opponents, he wielded his spear, using wide sweeps to keep monsters at bay.

But when dueling stronger beasts, he shifted to his sword, focusing on precise, controlled strikes.

Alden watched as Leon adapted on the fly, adjusting his techniques depending on the fight.

He's learning quickly.

Leon slashed through a Bladed Mantisaur, his blade sparking with lightning, before spinning and thrusting his spear into a charging beast.

His Thunder Fang Wolf howled, lightning crackling around it.

Leon wiped sweat from his forehead and grinned.

"We're getting better, huh?"

Alden smirked. "Not bad."

The Battle Continued

The third wave wasn't over yet.

More beasts poured in, but the main cast had gained momentum.

Seraphina, Alicia, Reynard, Sylvara, Luca, and Elena all fought alongside their beasts, each of them pushing past their limits.

Alden twirled his katana in one hand, his telekinetic dagger spinning in the air beside him.

This is just the beginning.

The horde would last for days.

And he would use every moment to grow stronger.

---

End of Chapter.