Since the storm clouds were still swirling above, the buildup required was halved; she only needed to channel 1/4 of mana for the thick lance of black lightning to fire again.

Kaboom!

The bolt dropped like judgment. The Ox didn't even twitch—its eyes rolled upward, body collapsing in a heavy, final thud.

Lily exhaled sharply, then spun toward Lunaria. Her grin stretched uncontrollably, borderline feral, a bubbling giggle escaping her throat.

"Thank you, Leo!" she chirped. Even without witnessing it, she knew only Leo could create absurdly broken methods to juice up a beast's firepower or push it to level up mid-fight.

Still grinning, she hopped down from the branch and jogged toward the Ox's corpse, ready to tap the metal plate.

But her foot struck something hard.

"Huh?" She glanced down.

A broken horn—an arc nearly three meters long—lay half-buried in the dirt. It was rock-solid, smooth, and thrummed faintly with earthen energy. When she tapped it, the vibration crawled up her wrist. Trying to lift it made her gasp; it was unbelievably heavy, densely packed with something she couldn't name. If she had more knowledge, she'd realise it was a high-grade natural treasure.

Still, she muscled it up with one arm, hugging the massive arc awkwardly as she reached out with the metal plate toward the Ox's corpse.

Just as the plate was about to touch—

"Wha—?"

Her hand passed through empty air.

The soft forest soil beneath her feet vanished, replaced by cold, reinforced brick tiles.

Lily blinked hard.

She was in the city square.

Crowds everywhere. The Treant stood behind her like a wooden tower, and Lunaria loomed next to it. Miho clung to Lunaria's fur with trembling fingers, still staring blankly ahead in shock from the earlier divine-level fireworks and something more.

Lily slowly lifted the massive horn in her hands, confirming it was still there.

"No… no… NOOOOO—!" Her scream echoed through the square. They had been summoned back right before she could collect the 50000 points—forget the Low 3-star core she wanted to show off to Leo like a trophy. She had already pictured him patting her head for doing a good job.

But her cry wasn't the only one.

Other candidates turned toward the sound—only to freeze at the sight of a ten-meter Treant and an eight-meter ghostly wolf with a crackling horn towering over the crowd.

"Wha—AHHHHH!"

"Save me!"

"Beasts! Beasts in the square!"

"RUUUUN!"

Chaos exploded instantly. People scattered left and right, tripping over themselves in panic, creating a wide ring of empty space around Lily.

Perfect space for her to mourn her lost points in peace.

---

—A random dude—

"Singham—Fusion!!" the man roared.

His dull golden eyes sharpened with fierce focus. Standing at 6'4", he had a toned build—not hulking, not lean, just solid and honed like that of person in late twenties. But what truly stood out were the scars. Dozens of them. Some faint and faded, others raw and angry, and many more etched deep as if carved by time itself. A few trailed up his neck, disappearing beneath light armour and cloth wraps. His fists were tightly bound with worn bandages.

As he shouted, faint golden-red motes burst from his chest like embers, swirling around him in a rapid orbit. The motes thickened, brightened, then seeped into his skin one after another until every last spark was absorbed.

When he opened his eyes again, they glowed with a solid, predatory gold, slit eyes contracting sharply.

His body began to expand—slow at first, then in a sudden surge. The armour split neatly along pre-slitted seams, releasing with a metallic crack as if it were known that his body would expand. His clothes stretched in response, fabric rippling as his frame rose to a towering 8'7". His nails lengthened into pearl-white claws. His feet reshaped, pads forming, claws jutting out. Calves and quads bulged, muscles twisting as if years of training compressed into seconds. Then came the final touch—two long fangs pushing past his lips.

He no longer resembled a man—he resembled a lion. A regal, terrifying one.

Across from him, a massive boar loomed. Even on all fours, it dwarfed him. Its huge spiralling tusks curled as lethal augers, and iron spikes bristled along its spine. Its eyes were bloodshot—feral, drugged, or simply enraged.

Both combatants charged.

But the boar didn't even take two full steps before the Lion Man blurred forward—suddenly there—his claws aimed straight for its face.

Squelch!

A wet, ugly pop echoed as the boar's eye burst. It shrieked, staggering, but the Lion Man seized one tusk and yanked its head downward.

Bam!

The ground cracked under the impact.

He planted a foot against the boar's tusk, then gripping it near the spiral.

Crack!

The tusk snapped apart with a crisp, bone-deep sound.

Still not satisfied, he grabbed the second tusk.

"ROOOAARRR!"

The sound that erupted from him was not human. It was the roar of a lion. A primal tremor that sent nearby weaker beasts fleeing in instinctive terror.

Slowly and steadily, step by dragging step, he wrenched the boar sideways in a circular path, until slowly upward, swinging it in a growing arc until—

Swoooosh!

He let go.

The giant boar flew tens of meters before crashing violently. But the Lion Man had already leapt after it, his fist blazing with a faint golden aura.

BAAAM!

His punch smashed into its skull, sending blood streaming from every orifice. Yet the beast clung to life.

Flic. Flic.

A tug went off in his brain.

"Tsk. Still pathetic as ever," he muttered, annoyed. His enlarged body shrank rapidly, claws retracting, fangs sliding back, muscles compressing until he was once more the scarred 6'4" man.

"Griwak, finish it—"

He didn't get to finish.

In a blink, the forest vanished. He found himself back in the familiar city square—now overflowing with other candidates, beasts, and chaos.

"What?" he blurted, utterly confused.

---

Just like that, 5 days passed.

---

Lily's updated stats after Lunaria's ranked up.

Vitality: 40.1 [115.1 -> 140.1]

Strength: 27.3 [102.3 -> 127.2]

Agility: 28.4 [103.4 -> 128.4]

Stamina: 28.9 [103.9 -> 128.9]

Intelligence: 100 !189.7! -> 100 !239.7!

[175 !264.7! -> 200 !339.7!]

- Base stat Limit for Pseudo 3-star reached!

Mana: 4000 !7588! -> 4000 !9588!

[7000 !10588! -> 8000 !13588!]

Windbreath Hound [Lunaria] (Peak 2-star → Pseudo 3-star)

- Super Bloodline -> Noble Bloodline

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