He never finished the sentence.

Leo appeared in front of him in a blur and seized his neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.

Zolton clawed desperately at Leo's arm, nails scraping uselessly against skin that felt as solid as metal. His eyes bulged and reddened as oxygen was cut off. In the background, he saw the enormous black beast devouring his remaining beasts one by one.

Then his gaze met Leo's.

Pure dread consumed him.

"Do me a favour," Leo said coldly. "Die for me—and bury the dark history with you."

Zolton desperately looked toward Brant for salvation.

But Brant only watched with contemplative eyes, as if piecing together what Leo had done during that brief moment of mist. There wasn't a shred of intent to interfere.

And before a completely silent crowd—faces pale, eyes wide with terror—

Crunch! Puff!

Leo tightened his grip. Zolton's neck snapped.

But he didn't stop there.

He tore the head clean off as his grip hardened and let it roll across the arena floor.

Ding!

<Human (Low 2-star) killed – 1000 xp>

Level 25: 21000 / 54500 → 22000 / 54500

Thud!

Zolton's headless corpse hit the ground limply.

Leo calmly pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood from his hands, the metallic scent lingering faintly in the air. Once he was done, he slowly lifted his head and swept his gaze across the arena.

The moment his eyes met the crowd, people instinctively flinched and stepped back.

"D-damn… how brutal."

"Was it really necessary to kill him… and in such a cruel manner?"

Some whispered in hushed tones, but the moment Leo's gaze fell on them, their voices died in their throats.

Those who had earlier supported Zolton and trash-talked Leo had completely hidden themselves. Even the second-term students remained silent as they absorbed the scene before them. Zolton's strength was no joke—no less than theirs—yet he had been defeated in just a few moves.

Leo shook his head helplessly.

"People with double standards… everywhere it's the same."

Just then, his phone vibrated.

Ting!

Congratulation!

Death Match Won!

Opponent dead. All his assets now belong to you.

Assets:

10800 AC

5 Silver = 125 AC

Total Asset Gained: 10925 AC

Overall Personal Assets:

390600 AC → 401525 AC

7 Gold, 40 Silver

Leo's gold reserve had dwindled recently, largely because his beasts had been on "holiday" and were indulging in high-ranked beast meat. Among them, Nyxa and Shyra were especially heavy eaters—Shyra leaving Nyxa far behind. Still, it wasn't entirely bad; their bonds had grown noticeably stronger because of it.

Shyra (Pseudo 3-star) – Noble Bloodline (26%) – BloodBond 59%

Niri (Pseudo 3-star) – Royal Bloodline – BloodBond 61%

Eclipse Sun Wolf (Pseudo 3-star) – Royal Bloodline – ChainBond 86%

Cragviel Colossus (Low 3-star) – Mortal Bloodline (46%) – ChainBond 99%

Yes—Niri's bond had crossed 60%, fully unlocking the fast regeneration trait. Now, the High Mana Regeneration trait had begun integrating as well.

*High Mana Regeneration: Constantly draws mana from the surrounding environment, sustaining both itself and nearby allies.

Brant waved at Leo, signaling that everything was settled, before turning his attention back to his phone to finalize the report.

With that, Leo walked toward Lily with a soft smile. He dismissed Shyra along the way—she had already finished devouring all the beast corpses without leaving so much as a scrap behind.

"Thank you—!" Lily began, only for her words to be cut off as Leo pulled her into a sudden hug.

She froze for a moment in surprise, then slowly wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back warmly. Her head barely reached his chest, where she rested it, listening to his heartbeat.

"I'm sorry," Leo said quietly.

"Hm? Why are you sorry?" Lily asked, confused. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm sorry I let some stupid trash bother you back in the city," he said with a light chuckle. "And that I couldn't do anything back then."

"It wasn't a problem, Leo," she replied softly. "I'm just thankful that we managed to get through those troubling times safely."

"Mhm. I promise I won't let anyone do the same again," Leo said firmly. "I'll love and protect you wholeheartedly."

Lily giggled. "Then I'll do the same. I love you."

"I love you too."

They parted, both smiling.

Just then, Brant's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

"Now that the inconvenience has been dealt with," he said calmly, "I suppose we should proceed further. Or is there anyone else who wishes to challenge the first position holder?"

He swept his gaze across the crowd. It was met only with downcast eyes and defeated expressions. Brant even noticed one man with a rat-like face trembling so badly that his legs looked ready to give out.

"Good. Let's proceed," Brant said, signalling to the sophomores (second-term students).

Each of them stepped forward, carrying a box in their hands.

"This device," Brant explained, "will teleport you to the academy temple at the verge of death, where a priest will restore you to full health. In other words, it's a life-saving device—commonly known as a life bracelet." He then looked towards the corpse in the distance which was being hauled out by staff.

"Though it gets deactivated during Death Matches."

He paused, letting the words sink in.

"And just so you're clear—I repeat—one lifesaving teleportation costs 100,000 AC, whether it's for you or your beast. You may even fall into debt because of this. Even so, remember this: life is far more important than credits. Credits can always be earned later."

"For yourselves, you'll receive one bracelet for free. However, if you need additional bracelets for your beasts, each costs 10,000 AC. That means you'll have to pay from your own pockets to safeguard your beasts. You can buy extras now, or earn credits later and purchase them from Aurelius Hall."

With that, the bracelets began to be distributed.

Leo raised an eyebrow. These first-time items were absurdly expensive. He still didn't fully understand the exact value of a credit, but after reviewing the asset notification earlier, the conversion became clear.

1 Silver = 25 AC

4 Bronze = 1 AC

400 Copper = 1 AC

1 Gold = 2500 AC

1 Smartphone = 20000 AC or 8 gold

1 Life Bracelet = 10000 AC or 4 gold

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