Zakar stood in the dim corridor with the three unconscious bodies slumped gently against their beds. Myia rested over his bed on the top bunk, Sera on his right, and Justin still cold from Nero Void's possession was tied securely behind him with a strap he had fashioned from torn bedding.

He drew a slow breath. One mission after another. No time to breathe. No time to understand anything.

"They really intend to break me before the real war begins. I wish I could annihilate the Negative Entity once and for all."

[All Players, report to the Rift Hall. Your next mission begins immediately.]

Zakar lowered his head.

"Of course. No rest. No chance to even heal properly."

He pushed forward nonetheless, boots sliding across the polished tiles as he made his way down the main hall.

Players filled the passage, buzzing with chatter and confusion. A few glanced his way, some with pity, some with awe whispering openly at the sight of him walking alone.

"Is he insane?"

"He's covering for all of them?"

"After two days of nonstop fighting?"

"That's the guy who fought the S-rank assassin, right?"

"Yah. He tried to kill him."

"And he survived?"

Their voices swirled around him like annoying flies. He ignored them and continued walking.

Inside the Rift Hall, the massive hall opened before them like the interior of a cathedral. Hundreds or probably thousands of Players stood in scattered clusters waiting for the next transport.

The ceiling pulsed with red patterns, the glow spreading like veins. At the center, a rift the size of a house churned sluggishly glimmering with distorted lightning, dark mist, and fragments of unknown landscapes that flickered in and out.

By now each team had paired up leaving only him.Several instructors approached, but he raised a hand sharply.

"My teammates are not stable abd can't participate, so I'll take for them."

One instructor frowned. "You're taking responsibility for three unconscious teammates? You do know how demanding that is right?"

Zakar's tone was flat. "Yes."

"It will triple your required points."

"I said yes."

The instructor opened his mouth as if to protest but then simply nodded and moved on. No one argued with someone who had survived an S-rank twice. He was already beginning to create suspicions on his rank.

[Mission 02: All participating Players will enter Rift Dimension Delta-13. Objective: Slay ONE Ratgoon.]

Confusion rippled through the hall.

"One Ratgoon?"

"A single Ratgoon? That's too easy. What's the catch?"

"Are they playing with us?"

"Is that thing even dangerous?"

Zakar narrowed his eyes.

One Ratgoon. Only one. That alone makes it suspicious.

A new line flashed across the system's holographic banner on the wall:

[Warning: Ratgoons possess high perceptual intelligence. They can detect killing intent.]

The entire room stilled.

Someone exhaled sharply. "You kidding me?"

Another voice whispered, "So we can't attack it with intent…?"

A third added in fear, "How do we kill something that knows we plan to kill it before we move?"

The room spiraled into noise and argument. Through it all, Zakar remained quiet and silent.

The giant rift flared red, signaling its activation. A shockwave burst outward like a gust of unholy wind.

[All Players, enter now.]

As he stepped into the swirling mass, the world folded in on itself. His ears rang violently. His vision blurred. His feet felt like they were floating.

Then—

WHOOM!!!

He landed on hard soil.

Grass crunched beneath his boots. Trees towered in every direction, their long roots twisting like deformed fingers. Strange fog hung low over the ground.

"This place is… too quiet."

Other Players materialized in clusters across the field—C ranks, D ranks, a few B ranks, and at least seven A ranks scattered among him. Everyone already looked tense.

A tall man with red-streaked hair stepped forward, his hand wrapped in flickering flame.

"C-rank Pyrokinetic. Name's Farel," he announced to the group behind him. "If that Ratgoon appears, I'm roasting it."

A girl dressed in a long teal coat stepped forward next, her eyes glowing faintly green.

"D-rank Wind System. Mira."

And a third broad-shouldered, sharp-eyed summoned crackling frost around his arms.

"B-rank Ice Player. Regarn."

These three were clearly the most eager to prove something.

Zakar remained back, arms crossed.

Three volunteers. Perfect bait for the Ratgoon. He would use them to judge the best tactics to defeat the Ratgoon.

The system chimed.

[Ratgoon approaching.]

The message sent shivers through the air.

Branches rustled. Leaves trembled. The fog parted.

And out stepped a creature the size of a dog—fur black, teeth yellow, eyes glowing a chilling violet. Its tail swung lazily, though its gaze was sharp enough to cut steel.

It sniffed once… and grinned.

Mira whispered, "How… creepy."

The Ratgoon's nose twitched. Its head jerked toward her.

Zakar watched silently.

Farel stepped forward, flame circling his hand.

"I'll kill it."

Zakar spoke instantly. "Don't."

But it was too late.

Farel hurled a blazing fireball at the creature.

The Ratgoon blinked once.

Then vanished.

Before anyone could gasp, the Ratgoon reappeared behind Farel, claws ripping through his spine and chest in a single clean motion.

SHHHRAKK!!

Farel's body collapsed, blood splattering the grass.

Screams erupted.

Players scrambled away in panic.

Zakar muttered, "Too fast…"

Mira, trembling, summoned a violent gust of wind to push it back but the Ratgoon simply danced aside. The second Mira thought 'I need to kill it',the Ratgoon lunged.

SPLAT!!

Mira's throat tore open. She fell without a sound.

Regarn, eyes wide with fear, wrapped himself in ice armor.

"I'm stronger than those two! I can—"

The Ratgoon moved like a phantom.

Regarn's head hit the ground before the rest of his body even realized it had died.

Silence smothered the field.

Zakar gritted his teeth.

'This thing isn't just fast. It's predicting actions before they begin. It's sensing killing intent as energy.'

Then it counterattacks with surgical perception.

People began to flee. Some cried. Some prayed. Some vomited. Some stood frozen.

The Ratgoon walked calmly through the bodies, tail swaying, eyes watching everyone like prey. Each time someone formed the slightest intent to attack, it struck.

Three more Players died.

Then five.

Then seven.

In less than two minutes, nearly twenty corpses littered the ground.

Zakar stood motionless, jaw clenched.

If I fight it now… I'll win. But the system hasn't told us to fight yet. Meaning this trial isn't about combat. It's about observation. No timer.

He shifted his stance slightly, making sure the Ratgoon wouldn't feel threatened.

He controlled his breathing.

He lowered his heart rate.

He kept every violent impulse buried deep.

The Ratgoon glanced his way but didn't attack, sensing no aggression.

Zakar whispered, "Smart little monster…"

A calm, almost bored voice echoed across the clearing:

"Is that thing done warming up?"

Every frightened Player turned.

A tall woman in black stepped forward, long hair drifting like smoke around her shoulders. Two silver blades hung loosely at her sides. Her aura hummed with cold pressure sharp, clean, precise.

Zakar recognized her instantly.

[Name: Lasseter Seraine]

[Class: Player]

[Rank: S rank]

[Type: Offense]

[System: Weaponry System]

[Alert!!!]

[Potential Card detected!!! Extreme Tremendous Power]

[Luck: 78%]

She rolled her shoulders. "One Ratgoon. That's it? I thought the Academy wanted us to sweat today."

The Ratgoon locked its eyes on her.

And she smirked.

Before the Ratgoon could sense her killing intent, she vanished completely no light, no sound, no trace.

In the next instant:

SHING!! SHING!! SHING!! SHING!!

Four swift slashes carved the Ratgoon into a dozen neat pieces.

The body parts fell like butchered meat.

No struggle.

No counter.

No chance for the creature to read anything.

Zakar exhaled.

She erased her emotions, thoughts, and killing intent. A clean state. Zero intent equals zero detection.

The other Players burst into relieved cries.

"We're saved!"

"She killed it so fast!"

"An S-rank… unbelievable!"

Seraine flicked blood from her blade and turned.

"Next time," she said lazily, "do try not to die so quickly. These missions get boring when the weak drop like insects."

Zakar said nothing. Her eyes briefly met his. Her gaze sharpened. She said nothing either.

The rift tore back open, sucking Seraine and a few others from behind. Her teammates. Zakar chuckled. Seems like all that wasn't going to help the weak. The weak would die here leaving the strong to crossover.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.