By now, even the candidates had noticed the moving landmass in the distance. Many fled back into the city the moment the news spread, their earlier bravado vanishing in the face of something that large. Others, however, had already realised that the Instructors would never allow them to face such a colossal beast on their own—just like the variant low 3-star beasts they had been handling so far. With that understanding, they focused on gathering as many points as possible before the inevitable recall order came.

Among them was Lily.

She didn't even register the approaching disaster. Her entire focus was locked onto the frost bear before her.

The surrounding area had long since frozen over, blanketed in jagged ice from the sheer volume of cold mana the bear continuously released. Frost crept across the ground, climbed tree trunks, and coated broken stones in a pale blue sheen. Miho's mana was nearly depleted; she was forced to use it in small, carefully timed bursts, releasing waves of heat around herself and Lily just to keep their bodies from freezing solid.

"Big sister!" Miho cried out through clenched teeth, her breath coming out in white mist as the cold seeped deeper into her limbs. "My mana is almost over!"

"You back away," Lily replied without hesitation, her voice firm despite the biting wind. "I'll kill this beast first."

As she spoke, Lily swung her arm forward, releasing a massive wind blade. The compressed air screamed as it tore through the frozen air, crashing directly into the frost bear's raised claws as it attempted to block the attack.

Even while defending against Lily's assault, the bear continued exchanging blows with the Treant. Its icy, razor-sharp claws pierced straight through the thick bark of the Treant's arms with ease. Splinters and frozen sap scattered—but the damage healed almost immediately as the Treant regenerated. With Lily's relentless barrage and the Treant's unyielding presence, the battle settled into a tense stalemate.

All the while, Lily failed to notice a figure circling them at a distance. The man moved cautiously, never staying in one spot for too long, clearly wary of being detected.

"Fuck… what is that beast?" Zolton muttered, staring at the towering, nearly ten-meter silhouette of the Treant as it threw heavy punches.

He licked his lips and forced a grin. "Let's look at the good side. It's wood, and my hyena's lava. And I've heard wood-type beasts tend to grow big even at lower stages. That thing has to be a peak 2-star at most. With my lava advantage, one minor rank gap won't matter!"

He chuckled under his breath, clearly convincing himself.

"And who's that girl beside her?" Zolton added, his gaze drifting toward Miho. "Wasn't she Alric's servant? Nice… I'll fuck both of them together."

He waited, eyes sharp, searching for the perfect moment to strike.

Just then, the sky darkened.

The light dimmed unnaturally, and a slow, heavy wind began to flow through the area. Lily stiffened for a brief moment, startled—half-thinking she had accidentally activated one of her own skills.

But the clouds gathering overhead weren't hers.

They were formed by someone else.

A spark of realisation flashed through her eyes. This was perfect. Pre-existing clouds would save at least eighty percent of her mana for each lightning strike.

"Treant, back off!"

The moment the beast heard her command, it halted its assault and stepped back with heavy, earth-shaking footsteps.

Then—

Lily raised one hand toward the sky.

[Black Lightning]!

A thick lance of lightning tore its way down from deep within the clouds—

Crackle--BOOOM!

The strike slammed into the frost bear, paralysing it instantly. Ice shattered outward in every direction, cracking like glass, and a patch of ground beneath the beast turned black and charred amid the ice-blue terrain.

Crackle--BOOOM!

Another bolt followed.

This time, the bear collapsed completely, its massive body crashing into the frozen ground. Its face was locked in a frozen expression of shock, white fur scorched black in several places from the burns. Possessing Low 3-star mana, Lily had inflicted far more devastating damage than Lunaria, who stood at Pseudo 3-star.

"Yes!" Lily exclaimed, joy bursting from her as she hopped toward the fallen beast. She bent down and tapped the metal plate embedded in its corpse.

And just like that, the scoreboard updated.

KEo312 – 65880 → 115880

In an instant, she rose to second place, leaving Dale behind by nearly thirty-five thousand points.

Yet no one reacted to the score.

No one was even paying attention to it.

All eyes were fixed on the sky and on the black lightning that had descended from dark clouds that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Whoa! Was that an attack from a candidate? What the hell?!" a nearby candidate exclaimed, staring at the darkened sky in disbelief.

"Master Dale, look!" Nira said urgently. "You're third now."

Dale glanced at the scoreboard but said nothing. He tilted his head back and chugged a mana potion, the bitter liquid sliding down his throat.

"Well, we're already set," he muttered after a moment, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "No need to worry about losing position. Especially to those two…" His voice dropped further, irritation seeping in. "Why the hell did I even come here?"

Nearby, Miho's face brightened as well. She came running toward Lily, her breath rasping harshly, chest rising and falling rapidly.

"You did it, big sister!" she said excitedly.

But Lily didn't respond.

Her teeth were chattering violently, her body shivering uncontrollably as the lingering cold clung to her skin and soaked into her bones.

"Miho," Lily said through trembling lips, hugging herself tightly, "light up a fire—quickly! I might freeze to death!"

"Y-yes!" Miho stammered.

She hurriedly pulled out a core, her hands shaking as she activated her skill. A small flame flickered to life above her palm, casting a warm orange glow. The heat spread slowly, pushing back the biting cold, and Lily finally let out a shaky breath as her body relaxed.

She turned toward the Treant, which stood quietly nearby, its massive wooden form scarred but unmoving.

"I guess it's finally time to name you now…" Lily murmured.

But then the memory flashed in her mind—how it had once seen her getting brutally spanked by Leo, utterly helpless.

She grimaced. "No. Not now."

Anyway, thank you," she added softly. With a gesture, she dismissed the Treant, its form starting to slowly dissolve into particles of light.

All the while, she failed to notice a figure closing in at terrifying speed.

Suddenly, a sharp pull yanked at her senses.

"Leo!" Lily called out instinctively, spinning toward a specific direction.

But in that moment.

Zolton appeared behind her instead, his presence sudden and elusive. A sword was already in his hands, thrusting forward in a lethal motion, aimed straight at her heart.

"If I can't get you," Zolton snarled, eyes twisted with obsession, "no one's gettin' you!"

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A/N: Mass release tomorrow! (22nd Dec)

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