In mere moments, the initiate robes on Evan’s body were reduced to tatters. His neck, arms, and all visible skin were covered in deep, erratic gouges from his own nails, dripping with fresh blood.

  "Medicine... medicine..."

  With slurred, incoherent sounds spilling from his lips, Evan scrambled up from the ground, stumbling forward only to collapse again after a few steps. It was as if the fall had finally broken his resolve; his agonized wails grew louder, carrying a level of raw, visceral pain that made one's scalp tingle.

  Pierce frowned slightly. He turned to leave, intending to notify a master. They were classmates, after all, and he couldn't simply leave the boy to die in the street. He lamented not having learned the Message spell yet; otherwise, a single incantation could have summoned help, saving him the footwork.

  Seeing Pierce move away, Kian assumed he was trying to seize an opportunity to escape the confrontation. He immediately sneered, "Pierce, are you afraid—"

  The words were cut short by a guttural roar, like that of a wild beast tearing itself free from a cage. Not far away, Evan’s body began to writhe violently. He swelled rapidly as if being pumped full of air; his skin split apart in sequence, and blood sprayed outward in a mist. The rapid, staccato sound of bones snapping and re-knitting echoed from within him.

  In just a few heartbeats, a living person had transformed into a monster nearly 3 meters tall. Almost no intact skin remained; knotted muscles and raw sinews were exposed to the air, slick with gore. Two pale, curved horns on its head pointed diagonally toward the sky. The faint, acrid scent of sulfur began to drift through the air.

  "ROAR!"

  The monster roared at the sky, its blood-red eyes turning cold as it scanned the surrounding apprentices. Only then did the crowd snap out of their shock, screaming as they scattered in every direction. The female student standing closest finally reacted, her face pale as she turned to flee. Unfortunately, she hadn't made it three steps before a sudden, sharp pain exploded at the back of her head.

  The sound resembled a watermelon being smashed with a sledgehammer. In the next instant, her consciousness plunged into eternal darkness.

  Pierce and Kian saw it clearly from the side. The horned monster caught up to the girl in a few giant strides and delivered a casual backhanded slap. Her head exploded like an egg, spraying blood and brain matter across the cobblestones. More terrifying still, as the palm followed through, countless bone fragments were fired out in a fan-shaped arc like shotgun pellets, pockmarking the ground.

  Hiss!

  Pierce and Kian both sucked in a cold breath. That power was monstrous!

  Official Knights were categorized by their strength into Junior, Intermediate, Senior, and Peak ranks. A Junior Knight’s physique was typically 8 to 10 times that of an average human. An Intermediate Knight ranged from 11 to 13 times. Judging by the sheer kinetic force of that strike, the monster’s physique had certainly reached the Intermediate level!

  "Run!"

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  Without hesitation, Pierce and Kian both turned to flee. An Intermediate Knight was something only a Rank 2 Apprentice could hope to handle; a Rank 1 would almost certainly be slaughtered in melee. They had no desire to share the girl’s gruesome fate.

  By coincidence, both chose the direction of the Garden District. It made sense—the various gardens there were guarded year-round by Official Arcanists. Once they reached that area, they would be safe even if the monster pursued them.

  However, perhaps because they were moving together and presented too large a target, the monster locked onto them. It charged with terrifying momentum, the ground shaking with each step. Hearing the heavy footsteps thundering behind him, Kian’s face went white. He pushed himself to his absolute limit, but he soon realized with shock that he was significantly slower than Pierce!

  How is this possible? Doubt and panic flared in Kian's eyes. He had already constructed 5 Will-Runes, boosting his physique to 4 times that of an average person. How could Pierce be even stronger?

  Whish!

  Amidst his confusion, the sound of rushing wind erupted from behind. Both students lunged to the side without a second thought.

  BOOM!

  A massive black shadow slammed into the spot where they had been standing like a cannonball, sending stone fragments flying like shrapnel. As the dust swirled, the horned monster loomed before them like a wall of muscle and malice. Despite its bloated size, its speed was extraordinary; it had caught up to them with ease.

  Kian scrambled up from the ground, looking at the powerful, grotesque creature before him. Panic finally took hold of his reason.

  It’s too fast! I can't outrun it! What do I do?!

  His mind raced. His eyes darted toward Pierce. After a few seconds of hesitation, a vicious light entered his eyes. He gritted his teeth and spat out a series of syllables.

  Pierce suddenly felt his body tighten, as if invisible ropes had bound him. In the next second, he was lifted off the ground and hurled toward the horned monster. Kian didn't even look back; he seized the opening to sprint away. He didn't need to be faster than the monster—he only needed to be faster than Pierce!

  But a moment later, an invisible giant palm slammed into Kian’s back, hoisting him into the air and flinging him backward, straight toward the beast.

  Mage Hand!

  Kian’s face contorted in horror. He turned back mid-air and met Pierce’s icy gaze. The youth had already landed safely back on the ground, his expression cold as stone.

  How?! Kian’s expression was one of pure disbelief. The maximum range of Mage Hand was 10 meters, yet he was clearly over ten meters away from Pierce. It should have been impossible for the spell to reach him!

  But Kian had no more time to think. Seeing its prey delivered right to its feet, the monster let out an excited growl and swung its fist with bone-crushing force.

  Feeling the violent wind rushing at him, Kian’s face drained of all color. He shrieked in terror, tore a scroll from his pocket, and ripped it open.

  BOOM!

  A surge of elemental energy erupted, transforming into a cone of intense flame that engulfed the monster’s head and torso!

  Burning Hands! A Level 1 Spell!

  The searing flames swallowed the upper half of the monster's body. Under the scorching heat, the beast let out an earth-shaking howl of agony. Its fist faltered for a fraction of a second, but its momentum carried it through the fire, slamming its fist into Kian.

  CRASH!

  Kian was sent flying like a broken kite. While he was still in the air, a series of wet, snapping sounds echoed from his body. It was impossible to tell how many bones had shattered in that single moment. He hit the ground hard, rolled twice, and didn't move.

  Ten meters away, Pierce’s eye twitched slightly. If he hadn't used Daze at the critical moment to delay the monster, and then used his extended-range Mage Hand to pull himself back while tossing Kian forward, he would be the one lying there.

  But the situation was still dire. With Kian down, the monster shook off the lingering flames and locked its sights on him once more, charging with a furious roar.

  Pierce took a deep breath. He manipulated his Mage Hand to strike at the beast while rapidly retreating.

  The only silver lining was that the monster had taken a direct hit from a Level 1 Spell. It was heavily injured, its flesh charred and peeling. Pierce knew he finally had a fighting chance to bring the horror down.