The massive extraction aircraft descended into the clearing like a mechanical dragon, its engines creating whirlwinds that scattered debris across the ruined settlement. The bay doors opened with a hydraulic hiss, revealing rows of seats and several academy medical personnel waiting with stretchers and supplies.

"All students, board for immediate transport back to Crimson Sun Academy!" an instructor's voice boomed through a speaker system. "Priority seating for injured personnel!"

The freed civilians were loaded first, medical staff rushing to provide immediate care for the most severely wounded. Several students helped carry the unconscious victims aboard, their expressions grim as they witnessed firsthand the cruelty of the dark cultivators.

Levi stood near the edge of the clearing, watching the boarding process with Luna perched on his shoulder. The little beast was exhausted, her usual energetic squeaking replaced by occasional tired chirps.

Aldric approached him, ice crystals still clinging to parts of his silver hair from his earlier battles.

"You're boarding, right?" the number-one student asked, though something in his tone suggested he already suspected the answer.

Levi shook his head slowly. "No. I'll make my own way back."

Aldric's eyebrows rose slightly. "The academy plane will get you there in two hours. Walking will take you at least three days, maybe more depending on the route. Why would you—"

"Personal reasons," Levi interrupted politely but firmly.

For a moment, Aldric studied him with those penetrating ice-blue eyes. Then he nodded slowly.

"I see. You're not the only one. Several students choose to travel independently after assignments—it's good training, and the academy doesn't prohibit it." He paused, then added, "But be careful. This dimensional zone connects to several others, and not all the threats here are dark cultivators. There are natural predators, territorial beasts, and occasionally… other problems."

"I'll be careful," Levi assured him.

Aldric turned to leave, then stopped and glanced back. "That thing with the demon, and the civilians, and… everything else. You did well, Levi. Really well. I look forward to seeing how far you can go."

With that unexpected compliment, the number-one student walked toward the aircraft and boarded without looking back.

Levi watched as the last of the students filed onto the plane. He recognized several faces—Lucifer Fraust, the seventh-ranked green-haired girl, the fourth-ranked golden armor user. Some nodded at him respectfully as they passed. Others pointedly ignored him.

The three who had tried to take his Blood Refining Fruit—Seria and her two companions—boarded quickly with their heads down, clearly not wanting to make eye contact.

Within fifteen minutes, the aircraft was loaded and ready for departure.

The engines roared to life, creating another massive windstorm. Then the craft lifted into the air, rising steadily until it became a distant speck against the sky before vanishing completely.

Silence settled over the ruined settlement.

Levi was alone.

Well, not entirely alone. Luna squeaked softly and nuzzled against his neck, reminding him of her presence.

"Alright, girl," Levi said quietly, reaching up to scratch behind her ears. "Let's go home."

He pulled up his holo-watch interface and activated the map function. The device took a moment to synchronize with local satellites, then displayed a three-dimensional representation of the surrounding area.

The Crimson Sun Academy was approximately 800 kilometers to the northeast. A direct route would take him through three different dimensional zones and across several mountain ranges.

But what caught his attention was something else entirely.

About 400 kilometers to the east, just slightly off the direct path to the academy, was a small marker indicating a human settlement.

Redwood Village.

His home.

Levi's finger hovered over the marker. He'd sent that message to his parents along with the 150,000 credits three days ago, but he hadn't received any response. That was unusual—his mother was typically very prompt about replying to messages.

Maybe the communication network in the village was down. Or maybe they were just too shocked by the sudden influx of money to know how to respond.

Either way, Levi realized this was probably his best chance to visit them for a while. Once he returned to the academy, he'd be dealing with the consequences of killing that student during the mission. There would be investigations, possibly punishments, definitely restrictions on his movements.

This might be his only opportunity for months.

Decision made.

Levi adjusted the map, plotting a route that would take him toward Redwood Village first, then continue to the academy. Total distance: roughly 1,200 kilometers if he took the scenic route.

At his current speed, using Thunder Step intermittently to conserve energy, he could cover about 200 kilometers per day. That meant roughly six days of travel, assuming no major complications.

"Alright," Levi muttered to himself. "Let's see some of the world before going back to face the music."

He activated Thunder Step at moderate intensity.

"Crackle!"

Crimson lightning flickered beneath his feet, and Levi shot forward, weaving between the ruined buildings as he exited the settlement and entered the surrounding forest.

-----

The dimensional zone surrounding the dark cultivator settlement was classified as a Level 3 zone, meaning it contained beasts ranging from Genetic Soldier tier up to low-level Fiend Warrior tier. Dangerous, but not catastrophically so for someone of Levi's current strength.

Levi jogged through the dense forest at a steady pace, his enhanced physique making the journey far easier than it would have been for a normal human. His Danger Sense remained active, constantly scanning for threats.

Luna, who had been sleeping in his pocket for the first hour, finally woke up and poked her head out. Her nose twitched as she sniffed the air, and suddenly she squeaked urgently.

Levi stopped immediately. "What is it?"

Luna pointed with one tiny paw toward the northeast, squeaking insistently.

Levi focused his senses in that direction and felt it—a powerful aura, roughly two kilometers away. Strong enough to be dangerous, but not overwhelmingly so.

"A beast?" Levi asked.

Luna nodded enthusiastically, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She'd developed a remarkable ability to sense valuable creatures, probably related to her mysterious bloodline.

Levi considered his options. He could bypass the beast entirely and continue toward his destination. Or he could hunt it down, potentially gain more Celestial Slaughter Marks, and maybe harvest some valuable materials.

The second option was more dangerous but also more beneficial.

"Alright," Levi decided. "Let's check it out. But we're being careful—no unnecessary risks."

Luna squeaked in agreement, though her version of "careful" and Levi's version didn't always align.

Levi adjusted his course and began moving toward the aura Luna had detected. As he got closer, his Danger Sense began to tingle—not screaming, but definitely warning him of potential threat.

After fifteen minutes of careful approach, Levi reached a small clearing and finally saw his target.

It was a massive bear-like creature, easily four meters tall when standing on its hind legs. Its fur was deep crimson with streaks of gold running through it like veins. Its eyes glowed with intelligent malevolence, and its claws were each as long as short swords.

Crimson Gold Bear—Level 1 Origin Realm Beast

An Origin Realm beast. One full major realm above Levi's current cultivation.

Under normal circumstances, this would be suicide to fight. The gap between Genetic Soldier and Origin Realm wasn't just about power—it was about qualitative transformation. Origin Realm cultivators had undergone a fundamental change in their existence, their Astra energy becoming vastly more refined and potent.

But Levi wasn't a normal Genetic Soldier.

He had five Celestial Slaughter Marks that enhanced his physical and soul strength. He had multiple trump cards including golden Astra drops and Divine Tiger transformation. He had combat experience fighting opponents stronger than himself.

And most importantly, the bear was alone, injured, and distracted.

Levi could see a massive gash across the creature's side, still bleeding despite obvious attempts to clean and close it. The bear was focused on treating its wound, licking the injury with a tongue that glowed with healing energy.

This was an opportunity.

Levi positioned himself downwind, using the trees for cover. Then he began preparing his attack.

First, he activated Water Manipulation, condensing moisture from the air into liquid form. The water gathered into a sphere about the size of a basketball, floating silently above his open palm.

Then he transformed the liquid into ice, creating a crystalline spear with a wickedly sharp point.

But he didn't stop there.

He infused the ice spear with Astra energy, compressing power into the projectile until it hummed with barely contained force.

Finally, he used his Lightning element, adding crackling energy that ran along the spear's surface like living serpents.

The entire preparation took thirty seconds.

The Crimson Gold Bear remained oblivious, too focused on its injury to notice the threat.

Levi took aim, focusing on the bear's existing wound. If he could strike there, he might be able to deal critical damage before the creature could properly defend itself.

"Launch."

"Whoosh!"

The ice spear shot forward like a missile!

It crossed the fifty-meter distance in less than a second, trailing lightning and frost as it flew!

"Pierce!"

The spear struck the bear's wounded side with devastating accuracy!

"ROOOAAAAAR!"

The bear's agonized roar shook the entire forest! Birds fled from trees for hundreds of meters in every direction! Small animals scattered in panic!

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