Chapter 21: Clan selection trial (3)

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The forest spanned a wide area, stretching hundreds of meters.

It was difficult to see in the dark, so Julius paid close attention to sound as he ran past the trees.

"I only have this sword and nothing else. This is a survival challenge. Simply surviving will be enough to pass, but if I'm able to get a beast seal while I'm at it, it'll be a huge win," he thought to himself.

Soon, he reached a tall tree that towered over all the others, and he leaped up to hug it. He looked up, took a breath, and continued to climb.

Reaching the top, he held on and surveyed his surroundings. He could hear the distant sounds of creatures and spotted a small river nearby, heading toward it.

...

Julius stood by the flowing river. His left eye began to change form, with two red lines crossing his pupils as he scanned the area.

There didn't seem to be any immediate threat, so he began searching for something like a cave or small shelter to stay in.

The first trial was set to last an entire week. Simple things like hunger and thirst could drive someone to desperation and force them to quit.

"There are more than a dozen elders in the forest, watching us. Before I start looking for a beast, I should find a small residence. With the lightning, rain should fall soon," he thought, moving again.

Soon, two people approached from behind and looked around.

"Cider, you sure he came through here?" Rowan asked, glancing at Cider, who nodded.

"I'm positive," Cider said with a frown as he peered into the water.

"Let's just leave him and focus on the competition. Let's get into the academy," Rowan sighed. Cider's lips twitched as he felt intense rage.

He marked Julius and left with Rowan.

Meanwhile, Julius had found a small cave opposite the river and had already used a tree branch to cover it.

He glanced around once more and spotted a group of students not far from him, taking down a large, lizard-like creature.

He slowly sneaked closer, staying at a distance to watch. The group seemed confident in stopping the creature, and Julius examined the lizard.

"It's currently at tier 2, and the strongest creature here is also tier 2," he thought, then looked to the other side of the students.

He clasped his hands together, and a small ball of light formed between them. He aimed and threw it at the students.

"Don't let it get away!" one of the boys shouted, raising his sword. At that moment, the small ball landed on the ground, releasing a bright flash of light and a thunderous sound that blinded everyone.

The gigantic lizard, still in their midst, bolted toward Julius' direction. Julius hid in the tall grass as the beast passed by him.

Seeing that the students were still disoriented, he took the opportunity to chase after the creature.

"My extra spell, Flash Bang. It's amazing..." he smirked as he closed the distance between himself and the creature.

The lizard stood over two meters tall with a seven-meter-long tail, waving around and trying to strike him.

Julius pointed a finger at its leg, and a beam of light shot out, cutting through the grasses like a laser before hitting the lizard at the back of its leg.

ROARRRR!!!

The creature let out a loud roar, feeling the pain in its leg, and turned to see Julius charging at it with a fierce expression.

It raised its hand and swiped at him with great speed.

Julius leapt up, unsheathing the sword strapped to his waist, and as he landed on its hand, he jumped toward its eye.

He took a deep breath. His steady eyes and calm demeanor made him precise in his aim.

He thrust the sword toward the lizard's eye, but at the last moment, it moved back, dodging Julius, who flew past it.

Julius landed on the ground, quickly pivoted, and sprinted toward the creature again.

"Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. A tier 2 creature at the early stages is comparable to a seeker at scheme 7 or 8," Julius said as a golden aura enveloped his body.

With his left eye, he could see the creature's essence. He needed to finish it quickly since it was already weakened.

He dashed under the creature and leapt up as he reached the other side.

Landing on its back, he stabbed his sword into its head with a fierce expression.

CREAAAAA...!!

The lizard let out a deafening roar that echoed throughout the forest. Julius winced, feeling the brunt of the sound, but didn't lose focus as he drove the sword deeper into its head. The creature began bashing its head against the nearby trees, but Julius clung on tightly.

With one final forceful raise of its head, the lizard flung Julius into the air. He landed with a thud as the creature collapsed.

Letting out a breath, Julius walked toward the head. Spotting the mark on the creature's skin, which was the seal, he deactivated his left eye and began cutting it out with his sword.

"That was a bit tough. If it were as intelligent as a tier 5 creature, it would've figured out I was aiming for its head long ago," he said, finally slicing the seal from its head.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. He frowned, glancing to the side and swinging his sword as he heard a whistling sound coming toward him.

His eyes widened again as he saw a fireball speeding his way. As it collided with his sword, it exploded, sending him flying.

Julius crashed to the ground, flattening the tall grass as he stood up to see a trail left in the wake of the explosion.

"Ah, so you're the one who pulled that crazy light stunt earlier," a male student said as he approached. Julius noticed the seal in the student's hand.

"Thanks for finishing it off for me. I'll be going now," the student said, turning around.

Julius moved swiftly toward him, but two other students blocked his path.

"Argh..." he gritted his teeth, backing off. Soon, he found himself surrounded by more students and gritted his teeth again.

"Fifth Prince Julius. How are you going to deal with this now?" the student asked, a confident smirk creeping onto his face.

Julius remained calm, glancing at the nearby trees before looking back at the student.

"How annoying."

Julius narrowed his eyes, his calm demeanor hiding the storm brewing within him. He glanced at the other students who had surrounded him.

They smirked as they had the upper hand with their numbers.

Julius' grip tightened on the sword, and a faint golden aura flickered around him once more.

"You think numbers will be enough to intimidate me?" Julius said quietly, his voice dripping with confidence.

He wlsent a beam of light which cut down an entire tree and it fell towards them.

As they all looked back to see where the explosion and creaking was coming from he dashed towards the kid and snatched the seal for himself in that brief moment.

"You shouldn't have turned your back on me." Julius said with a cold tone and then he turned around, he was facing all 12 lf them directly now.

"Come at me..."