ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟙𝟞: 𝔖𝔱𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔪 𝔚𝔦𝔫𝔡 𝔖𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ

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The subtle tremors beneath his feet were the only warning before the ground erupted with jagged spikes of stone, ripping through the earth where Jay had once stood. His heightened perception, caught the minute shifts in the terrain, allowing him to react in time.

With a swift motion, he bolted to the side, the spikes missing him by a hair’s breadth. Dust and debris filled the air as the ground cracked and split, but he remained focused, his gaze locking onto the pair of Tier-2 monsters ahead.

The Bloodthirsty Earth Bear had already begun its assault, a lumbering beast of sheer muscle whose roars reverberated through the forest. The ground itself seemed to quiver in its wake.

Yet, despite its size, Jay moved with calculated precision, weaving between the beast’s skill attacks. Shards of stone and jagged projectiles flew in his direction, each one a potential death sentence for any typical human, but his movements were fluid, each dodge perfectly timed as he closed the distance.

As he drew near, the Bloodthirsty Earth Bear responded by encasing its hulking form in a thick layer of stone armor. The earth bent to the creature’s will, wrapping around its body like a second skin.

Cracks and fissures lined the hardened shell, though they remained stubbornly resistant to any real damage. The armor gleamed under the sunlight, a nearly impenetrable barrier that promised to absorb whatever came its way.

He had initially intended to strike down the Dire Wind Wolf, the more elusive and dangerous of the two. Its speed and cunning made it a greater threat, but the wolf proved frustratingly evasive.

It darted behind the bear, using its ally as a living fortress. Any attempt to reach the wolf was thwarted by the bear’s towering bulk, forcing him to reconsider his approach.

The two monsters worked in unison, an efficient team. The wolf's role was clear—it harried and struck from a distance while the bear absorbed any threat.

Realizing that, he shifted his focus, turning his full attention to the Bloodthirsty Earth Bear. His fists became a blur of motion, striking with all the force he could muster. Each punch resounded with a heavy thud against the bear’s armor, reverberating through the ground beneath them.

At first, the stone seemed impenetrable, but after a barrage of blows, fine cracks began to form. The armor fractured under the onslaught, spiderwebbing across its surface. The bear growled in frustration, retaliating with heavy swipes of its claws, but his reflexes remained sharp, each attack narrowly missing its mark.

Meanwhile, the Dire Wind Wolf remained an ever-present danger. Its eyes gleamed with intelligence as it observed his movements, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Suddenly, with a sharp twitch of its body, it unleashed a deadly spear of wind—nearly invisible to the naked eye, save for the faint shimmer it left in its wake.

Jay sensed it too late. Twisting his body, he narrowly avoided the full brunt of the attack, but not without consequence. A searing pain shot through him as the wind blade sliced across his forehead and cheek, leaving a six-inch gash that burned with the sting of blood and open flesh. Had it struck any deeper, it would have ended him on the spot.

The cut dripped blood down his face, but he didn’t falter. His expression remained unreadable, unclouded by emotion or hesitation. Even as the pain sharpened his senses, he stood his ground, refusing to rush into a reckless charge that could cost him his life.

The monsters, sensing his retreat, did not pursue. Instead, they adopted a defensive posture, the bear standing like a stone wall while the wolf crouched low, eyes flickering with anticipation.

His mind briefly flickered to his║Rusted Short Sword║, the blade he had wielded for so long. It lay somewhere amidst the chaos, discarded when the battle’s frenzy overtook him just before his transformation under║INVERSE║.

But even without laying eyes on it, he knew its condition. His mental link with the weapon told him the truth—it was barely hanging on. Only a single point of durability remained from the once-reliable blade, brittle and on the verge of crumbling. He could still use it, but the moment his Lv.14║Sword Aura║flowed through the blade, it would shatter into useless fragments.

The realization settled over him like a weight, but he made no move to retrieve the weapon. His fists, though bloodied, would have to carry him through. They had brought him that far, and they would see the battle’s end.

The wound across Jay’s face had already begun to close, his high Vitality Attribute knitting flesh together with remarkable speed.

Yet, before the cut could fully heal, he planted his legs firmly, coiling into a takeoff posture. In the next instant, he unleashed the full force of║Hydraulic Leap║, launching himself like a lightning bolt toward his target.

The Dire Wind Wolf sensed the shift in his intent, its instincts sharp enough to realize what was coming. It tried to signal the Bloodthirsty Earth Bear, a desperate attempt to prepare for the strike.

But the wolf’s warning came too late. Jay's fist had already collided with the bear’s hardened Earth Armour, the impact reverberating through the battlefield with a deafening boom. The ground trembled as the immense, four-meter-tall beast was sent hurtling backward, crashing through trees like brittle twigs.

A thunderous series of impacts followed, echoing through the forest, until the bear finally skidded to a stop nearly fifty meters away.

Though the Bloodthirsty Earth Bear remained largely intact, its Earth Armour had almost entirely shattered, hanging by a thread.

The blow hadn’t dealt a fatal wound, but it had served its purpose—separating the two monsters. Jay didn’t pursue the bear; isolating the Dire Wind Wolf had been his true objective. His gaze shifted immediately, locking onto the wolf as he dashed toward it without hesitation.

The Dire Wind Wolf, quick on its feet, lashed out with its claws in a desperate attempt to defend itself. But Jay’s movements were too swift. He evaded the strike effortlessly, slipping past its attack and delivering a flurry of punches to its face.

Each hit landed with brutal efficiency, not giving the wolf a moment to recover or counter. Blood splattered across the ground as fractures formed along the wolf’s skull, its once-proud head became a mess of bone and crimson blood.

As the Dire Wind Wolf lay before him, its gaze flickered with defiance and hate. Blood poured from its wounds, but it wasn’t dead yet—just moments away from the inevitable.

Jay's eyes remained cold and emotionless as he looked down at the dying Dire Wind Wolf, its bloodied eyes filled with hatred and defiance. "When you choose to kill," he said, his tone as sharp as the blows that had brought the creature to its knees, "you must also be prepared to die."

With those final words, he delivered the last, crushing blow. The wolf's head caved in under the force, and the light in its eyes faded. As its body fell limp, a string of notifications appeared in his vision, but he paid them no mind—for the battle was far from over.

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╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Lv.16 Dire Wind Wolf ⧼Tier-2⧽ Killed ﴿

﴾ 800 Life Energy obtained ﴿

﴾ Congratulations! You have reached Lv.10 ﴿

﴾ 5 Undistributed Stats are available ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Congratulations! You have earned the Achievement Title,║Greater Wolf Hunter║, for slaying a Dire Wind Wolf from the Greater Wolf Species ﴿

﴾ Greater Wolf Hunter ﴿ ⧼Uncommon⧽

* Increases all Wind-related abilities by 20%.

* lesser and greater Wolf Races will fear you, while Higher races of Wolf Species will be aggressive towards you.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Congratulations! You have earned an Achievement Title,║Beginners Luck║by reaching Lv.10 within the first day of your Trial Zone. ﴿

﴾ Achievement Title ﴿

║Beginner's Luck║ ⧼Common⧽

Effect: Luck+5.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Congratulations! You have met two of the three requirements for Tier-2 Evolution.﴿

﴾ Tier-2 Evolution Requirements ﴿

{1} Reach Stage-2║Sword Mastery║✓

{2} Accumulate the required Life Energy to reach Level 11. ✘

{3} Acquire one Uncommon Achievement Title and three Common Achievement Titles. ✓

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ By reaching Lv.10, you have unlocked a new function for all the Earth's Alpha Chosen, ║Trial Zone Alpha Leaderboard║ ﴿

﴾ Congratulations! You attained a Super-Cluster Level Achievement for slaying a Monster two phases higher by yourself in a full-frontal battle on Day-1. ﴿

* Due to causing a Super-Cluster Level Achievement, You will receive a random reward that is one grade higher than your Tier.

* With your current looted stats in║INVERSE║mode, you are classified as a Tier-2 Lifeform and will be granted a random Rare Grade Reward.

﴾ Congratulations! You have received║Stream Wind Sword║⧼Rare Grade⧽. ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Even though curiosity gnawed at him, Jay refrained from opening the new Leaderboard function that flickered in his peripheral vision.

His focus shifted to the ash-colored, one-meter-long sword that materialized beside the lifeless Dire Wind Wolf—a reward granted by the System for slaying the Tier-2 creature. Its sleek form gleamed faintly, an aura of power radiating from it, but there was little time to dwell on it.

The rumbling of the earth pulled his attention back to the Bloodthirsty Earth Bear, which was already charging toward him, fury in its eyes. Without hesitation, Jay scooped up the sword. Inspecting it could wait—he needed it now. As his hand wrapped around the hilt, a prompt flashed in his mind.

﴾ Do you wish to form a bond with║Stream Wind Sword║? ﴿

He accepted the bond instantly, feeling the familiar surge of mental connection flow through him. The weapon became an extension of his will, its weight and balance attuning perfectly to his grip.

But before he could fully prepare for the incoming clash, the bear unleashed an unexpected skill. Thick chains of earth erupted from the ground, coiling around his legs and locking him in place. He could feel the dense weight of the chains pulling him down, their strength too great to break free in a hurry.

Rather than waste time struggling, Jay shifted tactics. He channeled Lv.14║Sword Aura║into the║Stream Wind Sword║, and in response, a sharp cyan-colored aura flared to life along the blade's edge. The energy hummed with lethal intent.

Not wanting to take any risks, he immediately activated║Aura Extension║, causing the aura to lengthen, transforming the one-meter sword into a three-meter blade of pure power. Its ethereal glow crackled through the air.

The Bloodthirsty Earth Bear closed in rapidly, its massive form looming closer by the second. Jay, unflinching, knew he had to finish swiftly. Without hesitation, he activated the Inherent Skill of the ║Stream Wind Sword║, preparing to unleash its full might.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾║Stream Wind Edge║ ⧼Rare Grade⧽ ﴿

* forms a razor-sharp, pressurized wind around the weapon’s blade, amplifying its cutting power .

* Cost: 10 Spirit Energy per second.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

A sharp, pressurized wind enveloped the║Aura Extension║, shimmering with an almost invisible force. Jay's grip tightened as he swung the blade in a swift vertical arc, just as the Bloodthirsty Earth Bear closed in.

The combination of the newly formed║Stream Wind Edge║, enhanced by║Aura Extension║,unleashed a devastating strike. The Tier-2 Bear, caught in the path of the swing, didn’t stand a chance. The transparent wind blade, razor-sharp and relentless, sliced through the bear’s armored body with terrifying ease.

In mere moments, the massive creature split cleanly into two portions. Both halves of its body continued to move forward, momentum undeterred, as one piece passed Jay on the left and the other on the right, crashing into the ground behind him with a thunderous impact.

Jay hadn’t anticipated the sheer destructive power of his attack. The precision with which the bear had been cleaved in half was beyond even his own expectations. Yet, as he glanced at the blade still humming with unmatched sharpness, he understood why. The strike had drained a significant portion of his Spirit Energy.

With the bear’s death, a series of notifications appeared in his mind, confirming the kill. A new Spirit Item materialized beside the fallen creature, its aura pulsating with unmistakable potency.

Though Jay felt nothing, thanks to the effects of║Harmony║, he knew that without the emotional suppression, he would have been shocked by the grade of the Spirit Item that had dropped.