The Forbidden Thicket was a place of suffocating green and ancient, predatory silence. Five hundred students—the survivors and elites of the West Wing Academy—stood at the jagged edge of the treeline. The air was thick with competitive mana, a chaotic mix of Bronze and Silver auras clashing like invisible waves.
Professor Valerius stood at the front, flanked by four junior professors, each a stoic pillar of Early Gold Stage power.
"Listen up, brats!" Valerius roared, his voice amplified by mana. "The rules are simple: hunt the beasts, scan their cores with your bracelets, and survive. Each core's signature is unique; no double-scanning. Snatching is permitted—this is a world of strength, after all—but killing a fellow student is an immediate death sentence from me. You have twelve hours. Go!"
As the command echoed, the crowd shattered into a blur of motion. Small teams formed instantly, but a wide, respectful circle remained around one group of four.
Ryan stood at the center, his long, obsidian hair caught in the humid breeze. Beside him, David stood like a silent blade, and Lucas was casually checking his mana-rings. Then there was Jasmine.
Ryan's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than usual. Over the last year, her medicinal cultivation had refined her beauty into something ethereal. Her skin had the porcelain luster of a high-grade pill, and her eyes, bright with intelligence, held a faint, mesmerizing emerald glow from her herbal affinities. She wore a streamlined white and green battle-robe that accentuated her lithe, graceful figure.
I knew she was an asset, Ryan thought, a rare flicker of appreciation crossing his mind, but she's become a masterpiece.
He tapped his bracelet, a cold light in his eyes. [Ding! Team 'King's Resolve' has been registered.] Members: Ryan (Leader), David, Lucas, Jasmine.
With a coordinated burst of speed, the four of them vanished into the emerald shadows of the Thicket.
Two hours into the hunt, the deeper reaches of the East Forest erupted in violence. A 3rd-Grade Iron-Tusked Ravager—a beast equivalent to a Silver Middle-Phase cultivator—was roaring in fury, its massive tusks dripping with corrosive bile.
Ryan didn't move. He sat cross-legged beneath an ancient spirit-tree, his eyes closed as he circulated the Frost-Bound Sovereign art, using the dense mana of the forest to stabilize his core.
The fight belonged to his subordinates.
"Lucas, bind it!" David commanded.
Lucas slammed his palms onto the ground. "2nd-Grade Spell: Verdant Chains!" Thick, mana-infused vines erupted from the loam, coiling around the Ravager's massive legs.
The beast thrashed, shattering the vines with raw physical power, but Jasmine was already in position. She moved with fluid elegance, tossing a handful of Paralytic Pollen she had refined herself. The Ravager inhaled the shimmering dust, its movements instantly becoming sluggish.
"Now!" David shouted.
He blurred forward, his saber drawn in a silver arc. With a single, precision strike fueled by his Ragnor-refined techniques, he bypassed the beast's thick hide and pierced its throat. The Ravager collapsed with a final, wet gurgle.
David wiped his blade and tapped the beast's core with his bracelet. He then turned and bowed toward the tree. "Sir, we have cleared the area. The 3rd-Grade core has been scanned."
Ryan opened his eyes, the icy blue pupils reflecting the dim forest light. He flicked his wrist, and the holographic leaderboard projected from his bracelet.
Forbidden Thicket: Live LeaderboardRankTeam NameScoreComposition1stKing's Resolve3864 Members2ndKellen's Pride3505 Members3rdMage Circle2906 Members4thShadow Stalkers2103 MembersThe Scoring System (Academy Standard)
Ryan scrolled through the point breakdown. The Academy had set a brutal scale to ensure that only those who hunted high-tier prey could climb the ranks:
1st-Grade Beast (Bronze Equivalent): 1 Point
2nd-Grade Beast (Silver Early Equivalent): 10 Points
3rd-Grade Beast (Silver Middle/Peak Equivalent): 100 Points
4th-Grade Beast (Gold Stage Equivalent): 1,000 Points (Extremely rare in this zone)
"We have a lead," Lucas remarked, leaning against a tree. "But Alex is right on our heels. He's likely slaughtering 2nd-Grade packs with that spear of his."
"Points for 3rd-Grade beasts are the key," Ryan said, standing up. The frost around his feet caused the nearby grass to shatter. "But scanning isn't the only way to get points. It's time we tested the 'snatching' rule. David, find the Mage Circle team. They've been busy collecting 2nd-Grade cores. Let's see if they're willing to 'donate' to the King's Resolve."