When the trio arrived in the scattered ruins, they found themselves in a wide and open space with several students who had arrived before them. Some teachers were guarding this area against crystal beasts.

In the sky above them was the same sun that they were used to seeing.

In the distance, there were large trees that rose hundreds of meters. At their feet were remains of broken ruins everywhere, as if the trees had grown through these ruins.

"It's a secret realm?!" exclaimed Ryan excitedly.

"Yeah," replied Kieran.

"I wonder how big is the scattered ruins?" asked Thomas.

"According to the map, the secret realm of scattered ruins has a diameter of 200 kilometers," replied Kieran.

"That's huge!" exclaimed Thomas.

"And the ancient formation is in the middle of the scattered ruins," added Ryan.

"Yes. I don't know how many students will try to reach it, but we need to start moving now, or we will not have any entrance for us," replied Kieran.

"Okay, let's move."

The group started walking towards the scattered ruins forest.

As they walked deeper into it, they noticed that the trees grew larger and more numerous, reaching up to the height of two hundred meters.

As Kieran used his crystal sense to scan the surroundings, Ryan was fascinated by the remains of the ruins they found on their way.

He looked like a researcher who had made a discovery, examining the ruins minutely as if the slightest touch could cause them to crumble.

"Did you find anything interesting?" Kieran asked.

"These ruins belong to an ancient country that existed before the Dark Age. You can still see some of their writings in this ruin. There are even ancient inscriptions symbols broken on some walls. It looks like some kind of protective formation array," Ryan replied.

"How do you know it looks like protection formation array?"

"I have studied the Master Inscriptionist books I found at the academy. Some of the inscriptions inside the books look like these."

Kieran was surprised by Ryan's words. He didn't know his brother had studied the inscriptions.

"Since when do you study inscriptions? Do you want to become a Master Inscriptionist?"

"Since the awakening day. With the grade of my crystal tree, there are not many paths that can open to me. But if I learn the inscriptions with their varying use, I could find a job in different fields. Besides, the Master Inscriptionist profession is related to the Formation Array Master profession. If I can earn enough nova credits, I could learn how to create formations array!" replied Ryan, thrilled, seeming lost in his world as he spewed out several information about the inscriptions.

"If you want to learn the inscriptions profession, I can pay for you. When we leave the scattered ruins, I will give you permission to access my account. You can use it as you want to learn the inscriptions, even if you have to use a little more nova credits to buy materials."

"I..."

Ryan was embarrassed, he had started talking about the inscriptions without paying attention to what he was saying, and now his brother wanted to pay all the fees so he can learn properly.

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"Don't worry, it's only nova credits. I can always earn more. If you become a great Formation Array Master, all the credit will go to me," said Kieran with a smile.

"I will fully reimburse you for everything I use!" Ryan said seriously.

"Come on, I told you it was nothing, don't be so serious. Let's go before all the places for the ancient formation are already taken."

As the three continued to advance through the forest, something came within the range of Kieran's crystal sense. He glanced at the two next to him, keeping a calm appearance as if he hadn't felt anything.

Suddenly a rustling sound came from the bushes near them, startling both Ryan and Thomas.

A black silhouette suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Kieran smiled slightly at the sight, taking several steps back without the other two noticing, the distance between them growing.

His action was quick, taking only a moment. The black silhouette fell a few meters in front of Ryan and Thomas, shaking the ground slightly, almost knocking them off balance.

Each of them could see at that moment what this silhouette was.

*croak*

Rising to a height of three meters tall was a golden-colored toad. Its eyes were huge, and its back was covered with warts as big as a basketball. Its back legs were almost as tall as the rest of its body. A great explosive force seemed to be contained in this pair of legs.

The toad opened its big mouth, uncurling its tongue at high speed in the direction of Thomas's head, the air hissing as Thomas felt the shadow of death hanging over him.

A wall of earth suddenly appeared between him and the toad's tongue, easily stopping the attack.

"What are you doing? Defend yourself. It's just a middle stage Iron rank crystal beast. It's not even more powerful than you."

Kieran's voice suddenly awoke the two from their confused state.

Thomas recovered quickly and readjusted his position, scales forming on his arms as he charged toward the toad.

The toad opened its mouth again, spitting its tongue out at Thomas. Ryan finally reacted. His hand moved in front of him, and a transparent blue barrier formed in front of Thomas, stopping the toad's tongue.

Ryan canceled his barrier the next moment, allowing Thomas to move forward unimpeded, his scaly hand catching the toad's tongue, not allowing him to pull it back.

A vicious glint shone in the toad's eyes, and the muscles in its back legs twitched. With a powerful blow, its body leaped over 20 meters into the air, taking with it Thomas, who was clinging to its tongue.

"Shit!" yelled Thomas.

Having no other choice, Thomas released his grip on the toad's tongue, his body falling through the air. A blue barrier suddenly appeared beneath his body, stopping his fall.

The toad landed heavily on the ground at the same time, sending a cloud of dust around it, its gaze fixed on Ryan.

*croak*

It roared loudly, opening its huge mouth. The warts on its back began to swell before exploding, expelling yellow gas from its body.

Ryan created a barrier around himself, protecting him from the gas. Gritting his teeth, he concentrated on his ability, the outlines of a blue square formed under the golden toad's body.

"Thomas!!"

Following Ryan's shout, the blue square expanded from the ground, becoming an expanding blue barrier, pushing the toad's body into the air above the yellow gas.

Understanding Ryan's intention, Thomas jumped from the barrier he was using to keep him in the air, his crystal essence circulating in his body, gathering it in his fist, which took on a slight blue tint.

"Die!"

*croak*

Seeing him fall in its direction, the golden toad opened its mouth again, letting its tongue out to poke a hole through Thomas's body.

A blue barrier formed again to stop the toad's attack before disappearing. Thomas appeared above the toad's head at this moment.

His right fist, covered in scales, tightened as he smashed with all his strength the head of the toad, which exploded under his force, projecting viscous yellow blood everywhere.

With a loud bang, the toad's giant body fell to the ground, followed closely by Thomas, who used its corpse to land safely.

The cloud of yellow gas that had previously surrounded Ryan disappeared without a trace, allowing him to remove his barrier.

He and Thomas were facing each other, the fight had been short, but it had left a big impression on both of them. It was their first time facing a crystal beast outside of a virtual reality simulation.

"It wasn't too bad," said Kieran.

The two reacted to his voice, staring at him, who had come closer to them with a smile on his face.

"You could have helped us," Thomas said as he sat down on the toad's corpse, pulling a towel out of his aurora collar to wipe the toad's blood off his body.

"Are you sure you should sit down now?" Kieran was still talking with a smile, but the two could have sworn they saw a demon approaching them at that moment.

*croak*

Ryan and Thomas turned their heads in unison to the sound. Their expressions turned grim the next moment as they saw three golden toads rapidly approaching them.

"Fuck you, Kieran!!" both screamed at the same time.

"Ahah, use that as a practice!" Kieran's laughter was heard behind them as he ran away.

"I'll leave you alone for a while. I'll go mind my own business. See ya."

Then he disappeared in a flash, leaving behind only a light breeze and the two of them with a blank expression on their faces.