The strength of this monster was probably greater than several Kamans put together. Who knew where that woman, Susie, had found it?
Luca initially considered sneaking up on her and giving her a surprise.
But after some thought, he decided to leave it until after they both completed the assessment.
With that powerful monster by her side, she wouldn’t be in any real danger. There was no need to waste time here. His priority was to clear all 20 floors as quickly as possible.
He turned around and left, unaware that the silver-white eagle mouse on Susie’s shoulder had secretly glanced in his direction. The tiny creature let out a human-like sigh of relief and even patted its small chest as if calming its nerves.
After Susie finally defeated the wild boar, the eagle mouse chirped a few times and gestured at her.
Susie, surprised, asked, “Someone was here just now? And they were really strong?”
The white eagle mouse reached out, pulled its mouth into a fierce snarl.
Then gave itself a smack, collapsing on the ground and pretending to be dead.
Susie’s eyes widened further. “You’re saying you couldn’t even beat them?”
She had obtained this eagle mouse by chance through a hidden quest. According to the creature’s own accounts, it had once been at least Diamond-level. It was only due to severe injuries that its strength had dropped to Silver-grade. Even so, it was not something an ordinary professional could deal with.
The white eagle mouse nodded, a flicker of fear visible in its eyes.
Not only that, but it had sensed a powerful aura from that person. It was an overwhelming pressure from both spirit and bloodline, so intense that it had felt genuine fear—as if it had encountered a natural predator. The thought of resistance hadn’t even crossed its mind.
“Who would have thought there’d be someone so strong participating in this assessment?” Susie marveled inwardly but didn’t dwell on it.
Since that person hadn’t made a move against her, it meant they held no hostility. Naturally, she wasn’t foolish enough to go looking for trouble. After all, she was here to join Red Maple Academy, not to create problems for herself.
“When I successfully join Red Maple Academy, I’ll definitely show off to Luca!” A smug smile appeared on her pretty face, her lips curving upwards as if she could already see Luca’s utterly shocked expression.
Just then, a voice Susie found utterly irritating interrupted her thoughts.
Nomadey hurried over, his face brimming with excitement. “Susie, there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you… I mean, what a coincidence! It’s fate!”
The smile on Susie’s face vanished, and she felt a surge of frustration.
How is this guy here again?!
…
Meanwhile, Luca had also found the guardian monster for the second floor.
The guardian monster for this floor was an enormous black bear, its body covered in black fur as sharp as steel needles. When it stood upright, it reached a height of nearly four to five meters.
At that moment, the massive beast was sprawled in its cave, snoring loudly. The deafening sound reverberated through the cavern. As Luca approached, he was hit by a wave of putrid, rancid odor.
Sensing Luca’s presence, the black bear’s nose twitched twice before its blood-red eyes snapped open. It opened its massive maw and let out an earth-shaking roar directly at Luca.
“ROAR!!!”
The terrifying roar created visible ripples in the air, echoing throughout the entire assessment forest, sending flocks of birds scattering into the sky.
The bear then dropped onto all fours, its massive body charging toward Luca like an unstoppable tank. The sheer ferocity of its momentum could make any ordinary person’s legs turn to jelly, and it seemed as if the ground itself trembled under its weight.
This monster was far stronger than the previous tree demon. It was likely an Elite monster, but to Luca, it made no difference.
As the bear barreled forward, Luca narrowed his eyes, and the Mithril Mage Spear in his hand began to glow with intricate black patterns.
Suddenly, the shadow beneath the bear’s feet turned into a pitch-black mire. Skeletal hands emerged from the murky depths, grabbing hold of its four limbs.
Caught off guard by an attack from below, the black bear stumbled and immediately sank into the dark quagmire.
Shadow Magic Runes!
Upon activating the skill, a shadowy swamp materialized, restricting the enemy’s movements.
Seizing the opportunity, the black runes on Luca’s body began spreading at a visible speed, his aura surging rapidly!
Runic Possession!
Luca kicked off the ground, shattering the earth beneath his feet and sending chunks of dirt flying. His figure shot forward like a streak of black lightning. Simultaneously, the Mithril Mage Spear in his hand glimmered with a silvery light, piercing straight toward the bear’s head with the force of a thunderbolt.
Despite its bloodthirsty and violent nature, the monster wasn’t a brainless beast.
Sensing danger from Luca’s strike, it roared in fury and, in a feat of brute strength, managed to break free from the grasp of the shadowy swamp just in time to narrowly dodge the lethal blow.
Luca’s expression didn’t waver. Ghostly blue flames flickered to life in his eyes.
Suddenly, the bear’s massive body stiffened, and it clutched its head, letting out agonized howls.
Lich’s Fire!
This type of mental attack was incredibly effective against simple-minded beasts like this one.
In the next instant, Luca twisted his wrist, and the runic-enhanced strength within his body erupted violently. The shaft of the Mithril Mage Spear smashed down onto the bear’s side with a terrifying force, sending its enormous body flying through the air. The beast crashed through several large trees before finally coming to a stop.
The duration of his Runic Possession was limited, so Luca wasn’t going to give this beast any time to catch its breath. Silver magic runes lit up beneath his feet as he activated Air Step, his figure disappearing from where he stood and charging straight at the creature.
A monster’s resilience to damage far exceeded that of humans. For most professionals, a blow like the one Luca had just delivered would have been fatal ten times over, but the massive black bear seemed barely fazed. It only sported a long gash across its abdomen.
The pain fueled its beastly rage. Seeing Luca now right in front of it, the black bear’s eyes glinted with madness. It swung a massive claw adorned with razor-sharp talons, generating a fierce gust of wind as it aimed directly for Luca’s chest.
Luca didn’t meet the strike head-on. Silver light flared under his feet once more as he effortlessly dodged the blow. He thrust his spear forward again, and this time, the bear was too close to evade.
Pfft! Blood sprayed!
The sharp spearhead pierced through the bear’s skull in an instant. At the same time, Luca’s body began to radiate a golden glow.
[Ding! You have slain “Lv25 Rampaging Black Bear (Leader),” gaining 105,000 experience points!]
[You have leveled up to Lv23 and gained 20 free attribute points!]
[You have cleared the third floor of the Trial Tower. Would you like to proceed to the next floor?]
Luca allocated all his newly gained attribute points to his Spirit stat, then selected “Yes” once again. Holding the Mithril Mage Spear tightly in hand, he advanced to the next floor of the Trial Tower.
The commotion from killing the black bear had been rather significant, and it didn’t take long for others to notice and come investigate.
When they saw the enormous bear—its body as massive as a mountain—lying dead on the ground, having been slain by Luca with ease, the gathered crowd erupted into chaos.
“Holy crap! Is that damage for real?!”
“He’s insanely strong! He took down an Elite monster at level 30!”
“Are NPCs this powerful now? What are us players supposed to do if that’s the case?!”
…
The onlookers murmured among themselves, assuming Luca was an NPC.
After all, in their minds, no player could possibly possess this kind of power.
Susie, too, had noticed the commotion.
But because she was too far away, she hadn’t seen Luca’s face, and she didn’t pay much attention to it.
Right now, her focus was on figuring out how to shake off the annoying Nomadey.
She glanced at him, annoyance etched into her features as she frowned.
This guy was absolutely infuriating!
She’d made it clear that she didn’t want him following her, but he’d still spouted nonsense about needing to protect her.
The worst part was that Nomadey was only level 15—not even as high as she was!
Meanwhile, outside the tower, the spectators were equally stunned by Luca’s performance against the giant bear, collectively drawing sharp breaths.
“How the hell is this kid so strong?” one spectator muttered in disbelief.
Compared to Luca, the other candidates looked like they belonged to a completely different species.
If not for the fact that they could tell Luca was only at Silver-grade, they’d have suspected he was hiding his true strength.
The disparity was simply too overwhelming.
Even the most outstanding prodigies among the candidates appeared dim and lackluster under Luca’s brilliance.
“This kid’s strength is actually this terrifying!” Fred exclaimed in surprise.
He had seen Luca on the battlefield before but hadn’t paid much attention to his abilities, assuming Luca was only marginally stronger than an average professional.
But now it seemed he had been completely mistaken.
This guy’s actual power was at least several times greater than that of a typical professional of the same level!
“If he wasn’t that strong, he wouldn’t have dared to say he wanted to be an instructor,” Orf remarked with a smile, though he was equally astonished inside.
He could tell that Luca’s mastery over magic runes was incredibly refined, not at all like a novice Demonic Rune Mage.
The talent of this kid was terrifying!
However, with just this level of power, it might still not be enough for him to become an instructor.
In the stadium, Instructor Melissa also stared at the mirrored image of the young man, her beautiful eyes filled with surprise.
It was her first time encountering someone of this age who dared to apply for an instructor position.
This made her quite curious—just how far could Luca, at Silver-grade, advance in the Trial Tower?
Meanwhile, in the Noble District of Southwind City…
In a luxurious mansion belonging to the Franco family, a stunning woman was sitting on an elegant sofa, reading a book.
Just then, a servant hurried over to her side and bowed respectfully, reporting, “Madam, the people below have sent word that the young man named Luca has arrived in Southwind City.”
The woman’s hand, which was holding the book, trembled upon hearing the servant’s words.
She abruptly lifted her head to look at the servant, her face contorted with rage. “He actually dared to come to Southwind City?!”
Without waiting for a response, she threw the book violently. A vase shattered against the floor, exploding into countless fragments, startling the surrounding servants.
The woman stood up, her once beautiful face now twisted and feral, as she burst into hysterical laughter. “He killed my son and husband, and he still dares to set foot in Southwind City?! Back in Emerald State, Ryan’s protection made it hard for me to do anything to you!”
“But here in Southwind City, I want to see if Ryan still has the power to save you!”