Crunch!

Amon's steps landed on leaves, making a crunching sound as he walked. The first important thing, according to Amon, was to find a place where he could stay.

He didn't have any thought to explore too much further.

It will be amazing if I find a place that no one can find. Then I can hide there for the whole week until the exam ends.

"Hehehe." He giggled at his own thoughts.

He observed his surroundings as he walked. He still hadn't encountered any monsters yet, though it had been only half an hour since the exam started.

"If I meet Seraphina... I can team up with her. But others are not trustworthy. Eliana and Marcus will attack me the moment they see me," he mumbled to himself.

He continued to walk in a random direction. It wasn't as if he knew where to go.

Just then,

Rustle... rustle...

A sudden rustle from the bushes made him alert. He turned toward the source of that sound. His grip on his sword's hilt tightened. He narrowed his eyes, summoned his hatchet, and held it in his left hand.

Something was behind those bushes. He slowly strode toward them, his steps cautious, slow, and measured.

Growl!

A growling sound erupted in the silent surroundings. A shadow lunged from the bushes in Amon's direction. Without wasting a single movement, his left hand reacted faster than thought. Pure instinct.

A silver trajectory cut through the forest air as the hatchet spun forward, slicing toward the source of the attack.

Slash!

Blood splattered in the air.

"Roarrrr!" The monster roared painfully. It landed on the ground. The silver curved blade of the hatchet was buried inside the flesh of its front leg. It couldn't move because of its wounded leg.

It was a Rank One beast named Nightmaw. They looked like wolves, only that their size was a little bigger.

It had grey fur as it growled while staring at Amon, who dashed toward it. Its red eyes were filled with hunger. It really wanted to eat Amon.

Of course, the moment that beast landed on the ground, Amon didn't remain still. Rather, he was already moving forward the moment he threw the hatchet. He shouldn't give the monster any time.

His sword swung with blinding speed. The blue slash beheaded the monster's head. It couldn't move because of its injured leg.

Thud!

The head fell on the ground with a thud sound as it rolled there.

"That was easy." Amon bent and took out his hatchet from the monster's leg.

His wrist bracelet gleamed in blue color the moment Amon killed the monster, indicating he got fifty points from it.

I got my first points. Sweet. He was happy about it. He wished that he could only face Rank One monsters.

Rustle... rustle...

Another rustling sound came.

Amon stiffened, his instincts screaming danger. His head snapped to the right, eyes narrowing. Other monsters had gathered near him. And there were multiple.

From behind the thick bushes and shadowed trees, shapes began to emerge. Low growls rumbling through the air.

One by one, four creatures stepped into the clearing, their eyes glowing with the same eerie light as the fallen beast.

Four Nightmaws. It looked like they were comrades of the fallen beast.

"Cursed it. Why so many?" Amon got ready to fight these beasts. Just when he wished for fighting more Rank One monsters, the goddess heard him immediately.

The monsters began to circle him, their claws digging into the dirt, surrounding him from all directions.

The shadow beneath one of the Nightmaws suddenly rippled, then a dark hand shot out, grabbing the beast's back leg tightly.

Amon's eyes flashed. The shadow covering his hatchet's blade moved, and in one motion, he threw it. A black line formed.

The weapon spun through the air like a comet, striking the trapped Nightmaw squarely in the skull.

Crack!

Slash!

Red blood splattered in the air.

The creature collapsed instantly. The other three roared and lunged at once.

Amon kicked off the ground, leaping onto the fallen beast's back. Midair, his revolver appeared in his left hand. He infused mana into the bullets, the gun's barrel glowing faintly.

Click!

He pulled the hammer down and fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four shots rang out in succession. The recoil kicked through his arm as mana bullets flew, one hit a beast straight in the eye, while the others struck the front legs of the remaining Nightmaws.

"Roaaarrr!"

The monsters howled in agony, thrashing and stumbling, but refused to back off. Their red eyes burned brighter with fury.

Amon landed lightly on the ground, sliding backward. He holstered his revolver into his storage ring in one smooth motion and extended his right hand. A sphere of black smoke materialized. His Gloom Orb.

He hurled it toward the monsters.

The orb struck the lead Nightmaw and exploded in a burst of dark mist. Black smoke flooded the clearing, coating everything in a shroud of shadow.

The beasts growled and staggered, disoriented by the sudden darkness. Their vision faltered, their senses dulled by the oppressive mana that filled the air.

Now.

Amon's shadow spread beneath his feet, merging with the one wrapping his sword. The darkness crawled along the blade's edge, flickering like liquid night.

He took a deep breath, lowering his stance.

The forest wind grew still.

With a single step, he swung his sword horizontally. Smooth, sharp, and precise.

[Umbral Veil Sword Art: First Form – Crescent Dusk]

A crescent-shaped slash of black energy erupted from his blade, cutting through the fog in a sweeping arc.

The dark crescent sliced through all three Nightmaws at once.

For a moment, nothing moved. Then,

Slash!

Their bodies split apart, collapsing onto the forest floor in silence. Their blood streamed across the ground.

Amon exhaled slowly, lowering his sword. The smoke faded, leaving only the scent of blood and mana in the air.

He glanced at the fallen beasts, a faint smirk forming on his lips.

"Not bad for the first day."

He looked at his wrist. The bracelet gleamed.

"Hehehe~"

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