Chapter 61: Level 9 (80%)!
Tron glanced at the fallen mutated beast. It didn't seem very large, no bigger than a normal tiger, but its movements were swift and agile. Such explosive power and speed were hard to achieve for the mutated animals back at the academy.
"I wonder just how powerful true magical beast would be," Tron murmured.
Without attending lectures, Tron couldn't tell how powerful magical beast truly were but they should certainly possess the strength of a true rank one magus or even more deadly.
"Dimensional realms are special areas where different worlds come into contact with this world. Many magical beasts and foreign civilization want to invade this world and conquer our world the same way we conquer other dimensions," Tron thought. "But we are also constantly counterattacking, even capturing many beasts in the process."
The numerous mutated beast killed in the annual 'impromptu assignments' organized by martial arts universities weren't all naturally proliferated. Most were captured by magus powerhouses to train young mages.
"Let's continue."
"The current impromptu assignment is just a bit more glaring sunlight in the greenhouse." Tron gripped his megaton blade behind him and continued deeper into the mountains and forests.
Occasionally, Tron climbed a tall tree to scout the surroundings, but the rolling hills and tall trees offered no traditional high ground.
.....
Three hours later.
About 20 kilometers from where Tron landed, light rain fell from the sky.
On a gentle slope covered with dense forest and rugged rocks, several large, lynx-like beasts with leopard-like skin, slick and agile, roared as they surrounded Tron, who held a huge blade.
Their roars echoed through the forest.
Nearby, several large trees had been knocked down, and some huge rocks had shattered.
In a nearby crevice lay the bodies of two large beasts and five smaller ones.
"So fierce, and they live in groups." Tron felt a headache. "Each one moves so fast. These mutated beasts are really tough."
Earlier, Tron had inadvertently entered the nest of these beasts and faced an attack from two mother beasts. He quickly killed them all after farming limit points and enough stay points from their attacks.
However, before Tron could retreat, he encountered another four beasts.
The weakest of them had the strength of a level 9 Acolyte mage.
The largest, obviously the leader possess strength half that of a True-magus.
The difference of just half level in strength was very noticeable.
"Roar!"
"Roar!" The four beasts alternated in attacking, trying to pounce on Tron.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Compared to the beasts' explosive movements, Tron's steps seemed slow but were incredibly agile, repeatedly tanking their attacks and parrying with Megaton.
Tron relied on his complete control over his body through the unity of mind and body.
He moved like the wind, blending into the surroundings, shockwaves blasting outward and shattering everything nearby.
"Whoosh!!" Constantly dodging, Tron swung his blade repeatedly.
Although his body moved slowly, his weapon didn't.
Tron's blade bursts with incredible force with each thrust.
Each strike wounded a beast, making blood splash.
This was why the four beasts were quite wary.
"They are highly intelligent, with strong combat instincts. My blade has a hard time hitting their vital points," Tron thought.
He could easily see the beasts' flaws during their attacks and dodges, but their rapid movements made it difficult to seize the opportunity.
Time passed.
After multiple attacks, two of the beasts were severely injured, bleeding heavily and greatly reduced in strength.
"Boom~"
Another lightning-fast thrust.
This time, instead of dodging, Tron stepped forward and struck with his blade, piercing through the beast's neck.
Whoosh~ The blade retracted, blood spraying.
As he withdrew the blade, Tron twisted his waist, bent back sharply, and thrust the blade in a 180-degree turn!
A returning thrust!
"Whoosh!" The blade pierced through the throat of the strongest beast, penetrating its vital organs.
"Roar~"
The beast struggled violently, trembling in pain as it felt its life slipping away. It tried to swipe at Tron with its claws.
But Tron's blade was two meters long, giving him an absolute advantage in distance.
Whoosh~ The blade retracted, dragging out a lot of blood. The beast's body finally stopped moving.
Although Tron confirmed the kill, he swiftly moved out of attack range to avoid danger.
"Roar~"
"Whoosh!" Seeing their leader killed in a single move, the remaining two beasts fled rapidly.
Tron didn't pursue. Despite his formidable skills, the special terrain of the forest posed little restriction. However, these beasts had far superior physical attributes and speed. If they were determined to flee, it would be hard for Tron to catch them.
[Level Nine (80%)
"Hmm? Just one more battle?" Tron smiled.
In just a few hours, he had engaged in three battles. But in this last battle alone,
Indeed, even battling the weaker young beasts contributed stat points. Tron had no qualms about killing.
Mercy for the enemy is cruelty to oneself.
"Total score." Tron glanced at the rankings on his positioning bracelet:
Points: 56
Rank: 174
Year Rank: 1
Note: Impromptu assignment requirement of 10 points completed.
...
"Just now, my year rank was 16," Tron smiled. "And now, I'm first?"
Tron understood that the points for creatures of the same strength differed in various impromptu assignment bases.
"rank 174?" Tron didn't care much about this ranking, as it referred to his standing among over a thousand students. This rank was quite good, given that Tron's magic power was among the lowest.
After orienting himself, Tron proceeded in the direction the two beasts had fled. If lucky, he might encounter them again.
"Just one more kill, and I will enter the Rank of a true Magus." Tron looked forward to it.
.....
Above the dimensional realm, a massive war fortress stood.
On the third floor, in a conference room.
"They're performing well, becoming more mature."
"They should be mature by now."
"Although this is their first impromptu assignment. If they can't remain calm in life-and-death fights, their mentality is too weak to be in this academy." The instructors, dozens of them, clicked on their screens, constantly changing their observation targets.
Each impromptu assignment was a growth opportunity for the students.
"What about him?"
"This kid is fully adapting to the dimension." Magus Daphne smiled, pointing at Tron on the screen