Ryo was among a foreboding, unpredictable battlefield. The horizon was endless, covered in warping, dark forms and an army of thousands of monsters whose eyes shone with wickedness and whose presence seemed to charge the air with power. Ryo's chest heaved as his heart thudded wildly. The voice of the system had just assigned him the impossible mission of killing 10,000 monsters—from level 50 to 120—without the ability to confirm his status until the mission was over.
"I have no other choice than to survive…" Ryo thought as his hands trembled and his senses became heightened.
The initial wave struck unannounced. Out of the whirling darkness came the Shadow Wolves, their coats as black as night, their eyes alight with an otherworldly famine. Their jaws were smeared with a dark, tar-like saliva, and their claws grated against the earth with a noise that gave Ryo the shudders.
The voice of the system in his mind, "Level 50 Shadow Wolves. Vulnerable to light and fire."
Ryo did not waste any time. In a flash of concentration, he called Fireball, casting it at the leading wolf in his direction. The fireball detonated with a great burst of power, searing the fur of the creature and sending it reeling back. But the pack would not be deterred. More wolves charged towards him, their pace unsettling, trying to hem him in.
Ryo clenched his teeth, taking a step back to establish distance. His Elemental Manipulation coursed through him, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed the earth under his feet into molten lava. The wolves faltered for a fraction of a second, their paws sinking into the scorching surface. He didn't let the chance slip, calling forth another Fireball, but this time, he combined it with a spin of Bloodflame Mastery, creating a whirlpool of fire that engulfed the wolves in a flash.
"Level up," Ryo heard the familiar notification sound, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it. The battle was far from over.
As the final wolf dissolved into ash, the earth under Ryo's feet shuddered, foreshadowing the next surge. These were Stone Golems—gigantic, stone-skinned creatures—whose enormous fists would crush anything that stood in their way. Their rocky coats were hardened, fire-resistant, and their speed slow, but they were phenomenally powerful.
Ryo immediately estimated the situation and saw the vulnerability of their slow pace. Blood Puppetry was his first pick. With a snap of his wrist, he manipulated the blood within one of the golems' huge stone cores. The golem's body spasmed sharply, and it lurched forward, its own momentum turned against it.
Ryo sprang into action, unsheathing his sword and landing a series of swift blows to the golem's joints. Each strike shattered its stone-like exterior, but the beast retaliated, swinging its fists with crushing force. Ryo barely avoided the blow, feeling the shock through his body.
Even with the golem's sheer power, Ryo found his rhythm, taking advantage of its lack of quickness. His attacks grew faster, more concentrated, and eventually, the golem's stone shell started to crack under the barrage. With a final, perfectly aimed strike, Ryo hit its heart, and the creature fell in a heap of shattered rocks.
Another Level up alert rang in his head, but he paid it no mind, too intent on the approaching horde to bother.
The Battle Rages On
The second wave was not so merciful. The Fire Wyverns—smaller dragons but swift and deadly—fell from the air with a deafening shriek. Their scales burned like coals, and their flames could reduce anything to ash.
Ryo's initial reaction was to attempt to meet them head-on, but he quickly realized that their agility and air superiority were too deadly. Instead, he dodged and weaved around their attacks, employing his Elemental Manipulation to generate walls of wind and stone to deflect their fireballs.
One wyvern specifically—a bigger, meaner one—glared at Ryo, and it dove-bombed at him in a blink of an eye, its talons set on piercing.
Ryo's instincts took over. He put all his remaining energy into Abyssal Dragon Wings, calling up great, dark-feathered wings from his back. He launched himself upward, barely avoiding the wyvern's fatal plunge. With a cry, Ryo called up a blast of Lightning, covering his wings in sizzling electricity. The wyvern faltered, but only briefly. It attacked him with nightmarish speed.
He spun and welcomed it head-on, shielding himself with his Bloodscale Armor from the scorching claws. But the heat was too much. Ryo's flesh seared under the force, and his breathing came in shuddering gasps.
He was certain he could not continue in this manner. Ryo took a swipe with his increased strength, his sword heading straight for the throat of the wyvern. The blade sliced deep into its body, and as a yell of pain sounded out, the wyvern thudded onto the ground amidst smoke and flames.
Ryo dropped heavily to the ground, wings disappearing as the other wyverns soared above, looking down for the next attack.
Just when Ryo thought he could not take any more, the ground shook again, and the voice of the system filled his head.
"Level 100 Demon Knights. Get ready."
Ryo's blood turned cold. These were not ordinary monsters. Demon Knights, humanoids clad in dark armor, wielded weapons imbued with cursed energy. Their eyes glowed with a dark fire, and their armor was almost immune to physical damage.
Ryo, tired but not beaten, held up his sword, channeling what strength he had left. The foremost Demon Knight came at him wielding a huge spear, its glowing tip looking worse than evil itself. Ryo sidestepped, avoiding certain death by sheer luck. Earth where the spear had struck and lodged cracked as dark energy spat out.
"Crap," Ryo grumbled, his body weakening. He couldn't evade forever.
But then, a renewed determination ran through him. The Paradox Physique within him, the infinite potential for improvement, ignited. His body, battered though it was, began to mend at an enhanced rate. Ryo's vision grew sharper, his movements quicker, more acute. The Demon Knights were powerful, but he had learned so much in these trials.
Roaring, Ryo charged into the Demon Knights, his blows now dancing with otherworldly grace. Every swing of his blade landed with the power of a thunderclap, and his Blood Rampage activated, making him strong enough to battle on with merciless rage.
They fell one by one. Their armor cracked under Ryo's attacks, and their wicked swords turned against them. Even as he killed them, though, there were always more coming out of the darkness, each stronger than the last.
Everything Ryo had, he used, but with his last breath—his blood at a dire ebb, his body on the verge of collapse—he at last knocked the final Demon Knight to the ground.
Training Completion
The battlefield was silent. The monsters, the waves of foes—everything was gone. Ryo was left alone, his body battered, bruised, and bloodied, but alive.
The voice of the system echoed.
"Congratulations, Ryo Takashi. You have succeeded in training phase 2. The 10,000 monsters have been vanquished."
Ryo fell to his knees, panting, and unable to stand anymore. But as he gazed at the horizon, the feeling of victory washed over him.
"Level up…" Ryo whispered, but he had no idea what level he was now. It didn't matter.
[starting phase 3].