CHAPTER 54: BELLY

Asher watched quietly, waiting for his name to be called. He noticed that Drake seemed to have a way of identifying people’s fighting capabilities without even knowing their Life Rank.

But Asher wasn’t surprised by this revelation; people possessing extreme battle senses existed in almost every novel and anime he had read or watched back on Earth.

Or in Drake’s case, it might be a unique ability. Still, Asher couldn’t help but wonder how many abilities the man possessed. The instructor could also fly, after all. From what Asher had read, no known Life Rank allowed for flight in this world.

Anyone defying gravity either had it as a unique ability or it was an advanced application of their existing powers or bloodline.

Asher shook his head, deciding to stop thinking about what kind of ability the instructor might possess.

’He also seems to match trainees against monsters that can cover their weaknesses,’

Asher thought as he continued watching the unfolding events.

Take Daniel, for example, he was an archer. Archers were usually considered vulnerable once enemies closed the distance, and Drake had precisely used a monster that could do just that against him.

Snakes were slippery, fast, and reactive.

They could easily dodge arrows, close in quickly, and also see through most hiding methods with their natural thermal vision.

"Ella. Echo," Drake announced suddenly.

Ella smiled and responded, "I hope you’re ready for a show, Tenth Sun," she said sweetly as she walked forward with that same smile gracing her lips.

"I hope you don’t get tossed around," Asher couldn’t help but reply, a smirk tugging at his lips.

As one of the strongest within the First Training Ground, Ella was paired against an Echo ranked monster. Echo-ranked beasts generally possessed abilities, but not all Echo ranked monsters were on the same level. Some were simply faster, stronger, and had more dangerous or practical abilities than others.

But the people of Crymora didn’t see the need to classify these monsters any further. Just like how people could be on the same major Life Rank but possess different minor ranks, the same principle applied to monsters and beasts, they might share a classification but vary greatly in actual strength.

Ella stood calmly, her posture relaxed but confident as she waited for her opponent. Soon, her adversary arrived, a black and red bear standing over two meters tall, with blood-red eyes that looked as though they had long since sunk into madness.

But Ella didn’t even blink. Her expression shifted. That soft smile disappeared the moment she stepped forward. In the Monster Subjugation Training, there were no restrictions.

Everyone was allowed to battle using everything they had. There were no starting signals, no countdowns, and certainly no time to prepare, just like on any real battlefield.

"RRRROOOOAAARRR!"

The wild bear roared with full force, its voice rumbling through the area like a shockwave, but Ella wasn’t here to enjoy its concert. Without a word, she vanished from her location.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared near the beast. Her fist shot out toward the bear’s head like a launched cannon.

The beast was caught off guard. Most humans allowed it to roar to its heart’s content before battle truly began, but this female didn’t follow those rules.

Seeing the incoming fist, the bear reacted. Its fur extended outward, morphing into sharp spikes that threatened to tear through Ella’s incoming punch like spears.

Ella’s eyes instantly squinted. She knew she couldn’t stop her attack mid motion, it would create an opening the beast could exploit. With nothing but a thought, the water element bloomed around her.

A swirling circular platform formed just in time, stopping her fist from connecting directly and being shredded.

The bear didn’t waste any time. Its paw lashed out with explosive force, slicing through the air. The wind tore apart in its wake as the bear’s claws came down toward Ella’s entire body.

But her expression didn’t even shift. Her body moved fluidly, her fist shooting out again and meeting the paw head-on. A thunderous boom rang out as their attacks collided. The ground beneath their feet cracked and buckled under the pressure.

Ella’s sharp eyes noticed the bear’s fur beginning to move again. She reacted instantly, her form blurring as she darted backward, narrowly avoiding another barrage of fur spikes.

The bear entered a frenzy, unleashing a furious storm of spikes. Ella went on the defensive, weaving between each projectile with remarkable footwork.

Behind her, anything the spikes touched was obliterated instantly. Trees were torn through like paper, and debris scattered in all directions.

But Ella didn’t panic. She knew the bear didn’t have infinite fur to shoot. All she had to do was remain calm and keep dodging.

She had the speed and the stamina to outlast the beast’s wild assault. And just as she had predicted, the barrage ended within seconds.

Still, she didn’t rush in. She raised a hand slowly, her eyes locked on the beast. Water swirled midair and then surged forward, forming a swirling cocoon that enveloped the bear’s head. It was deprived of oxygen almost instantly.

The bear flailed. Its paws reached up, desperately trying to tear the water away from its face, its body shaking violently as it panicked. But Ella wasn’t done. She wouldn’t leave such an opening unpunished.

Astra burst beneath her feet, launching her forward like a bolt of lightning. In a single breath, she stood before the bear again.

Her fist clenched tightly as she channeled Astra into it. Without hesitation, she struck, punching forward like a rocket launched with all its might.

The air itself recoiled under the force of her punch. A loud bam echoed, followed by a sickening sound of flesh ripping apart. The bear’s belly exploded outward like a ruptured drum.

The force of the punch shot straight through the beast’s body, blowing out its back and tearing open a massive hole as if it had been struck by a missile. Blood, entrails, and gore splashed across Ella’s body, but she didn’t react, not even a blink.

The bear’s lifeless body fell with a heavy thud, its blood pooling beneath it, dyeing the ground red. Ella turned calmly and walked back to her position without a word, as though nothing had happened.