A sudden gust of wind struck them as the light faded.
Dave blinked against the brightness. The sharp scent of pine and damp earth filled his lungs. Around them stood a dense forest, its towering trees casting long shadows under the rising sun. There were no roads. No structures. Just wilderness.
"Damn," Tobin muttered. "We really are in the wild."
Mike adjusted his gear. "No signs of civilization at all…"
The five of them stood in a small clearing surrounded by thick underbrush. Birds chirped overhead, and somewhere in the distance, the low growl of a beast echoed.
"This is it," Stive said, eyes scanning the treeline. "Outer Wild Zone. We're officially on our own."
"We'll need to camp here," Mike added. "This place is home for the next seven days."
Without wasting time, they began setting up.
Stive and Tobin pitched the tents using their combat knives and some support rods from their packs. Mike used water from his canteen to soften the ground for better tent stakes. Dave quietly moved around the clearing, clearing rocks and branches from their site.
Emily stood near a large tree, arms folded.
"Dave," she called out sharply. "You carry our bags and supplies. And take the first aid kit. If anything happens, at least you won't be dying in the frontlines."
Tobin frowned. "Hey—"
But Dave raised a hand calmly. "It's fine."
He slung two of the larger bags onto his back and clipped the first aid pouch to his belt. "If I'm not fighting, I'll be useful in other ways."
Emily didn't say anything, but she turned and walked off to scout the perimeter, her silver hair flickering in the light breeze.
Mike shot Dave a look. "You sure you're okay with that?"
"Yeah," Dave nodded. "Let her think what she wants."
Stive chuckled. "Bet she'll regret it later."
Once their basic camp was up, the five regrouped around the clearing.
"We'll move in pairs," Mike suggested. "Scout out the area, look for low-ranked beasts first. Nothing higher than Rank F until we get a sense of the terrain."
"Agreed," Tobin said, igniting a small flame in his palm. "We should conserve energy."
"I'll go with Mike," Emily said immediately, brushing past the others.
Tobin raised an eyebrow. "Of course you will."
Stive laughed. "Guess that leaves me, you, and Dave."
Dave checked his blade straps. "Let's sweep to the east. Stay close, we don't know what's waiting."
As the teams split and vanished into the forest, Dave's group moved in silence. The trees thickened as they walked, blocking out the sun in places.
Eventually, Stive held up a hand.
"Stop."
They crouched behind a large fallen log. Up ahead in the clearing, a beast was sniffing the air.
It had dark brown fur, the size of a lion, with armored spikes running down its spine. Its red eyes glowed faintly.
[Beast Identified: Thornfang – Rank F]
Dave's system interface flashed the info for his eyes only.
Tobin exhaled slowly. "That thing's fast. I'll draw it toward me with fire, Stive you freeze its legs."
"And what about him?" Stive asked, nodding at Dave.
Dave simply said, "I'll support from the side."
They moved into position.
Tobin shot a burst of flame from behind a tree. The Thornfang roared and charged at him.
Stive slammed his palm down, sending a slick sheet of ice under the beast's paws. It skidded, lost balance—and Dave was already there.
He slashed once, quick and clean, at the back of its neck.
The beast collapsed, twitching once before going still.
Ding! Beast defeated. Crystal generated. +100 EXP Resistance gained: Thornfang Reflex Boost (Minor)
Stive stared at the corpse. "Okay… that was clean."
Tobin blinked. "He actually—damn, Dave."
But Dave's face remained calm. "Let's keep moving."
They hunted for another two hours, taking down two more Rank F beasts. Dave only stepped in when needed, always landing the final blow with speed and precision that surprised even them.
When they returned to camp by midday, Mike and Emily were already there. Emily held a pair of low-tier beast crystals in her hand, tossing them casually.
"We got two," she said, smirking.
"So did we," Stive replied, sitting down.
Tobin smirked at Dave. "Our secret weapon here did better than expected."
Emily scoffed. "Right. Let me guess—he fetched sticks while you two did the work."
Dave dropped three glowing beast crystals onto the mat.
Emily stared.
Mike raised an eyebrow. "Wait… three?"
Dave didn't answer. He just sat down, wiped his blade, and began sorting supplies from his bag.
Emily said nothing.
For now.
The fire crackled softly in the heart of the clearing. The five cadets sat around it in silence, the day's fatigue finally catching up with them. Emily cleaned her blade without saying a word. Stive was already snoring lightly. Tobin and Mike took turns watching the treeline.
Dave sat quietly near his tent, sharpening the edge of one of his Twin Void Blades. He barely heard the others speak. His mind replayed the day's battles, the way his blades moved, the flash of beast eyes just before he struck.
Eventually, one by one, they drifted off to sleep. Even Emily, after a brief watch, yawned and curled into her tent.
But Dave was up before any of them.
The darkness hadn't fully lifted. Only a faint bluish hue crept over the horizon. The sounds of the wild were still heavy—birds shifting, creatures stirring, the occasional distant howl.
[Daily Quest Available: Complete 50 slashes in under 30 seconds – Reward: +15 EXP]
He stood in the clearing barefoot, his body cold but focused.
He moved.
Each slash was fast, precise. The blades whistled through the air with minimal resistance, his form honed by hundreds of repetitions. The system beeped as he finished.
Quest Complete. +15 EXP.
[EXP: 655/400] Level up Lvl.5 Exp 255/800
He felt the familiar warm pulse of stat gain—but it was different this time.
+1 Speed. +1 Stamina. +1 Agility.
Then came the system alert.
> [Strength stat limit reached: 41/41] Evolution Required to unlock further Strength growth. Beginner Human Tier Limit Reached.
Dave blinked, staring at the message.
"What the hell?" he muttered under his breath.
His Strength had been rising steadily every day with his quests, just like the other stats. But now… it had stopped. He felt no surge, no power in his muscles. Only silence from that one stat line.
> Race Evolution Needed.
He clenched his fists, the idea slowly sinking in.
So this was it. He had hit the first wall. His human body couldn't go further—not in raw strength. Something inside him had to change.
Before he could dig further into the system's menus, the flap of a tent opened behind him.
Tobin stepped out, yawning and scratching his head. "You're up already?"
Dave nodded, eyes still on the message.
Emily emerged next, dressed and armed already. "Everyone up. Time to move."
One by one, the rest gathered.
Mike strapped on his gear. "We'll hunt together today. No more teams. We push deeper into the Wild Zone, and we move as one."
Emily gave a curt nod. "No one gets left behind."
Dave closed the system screen and sheathed his blades.
"Let's go," he said simply.
They set out together, the morning sun barely rising behind them. Five silhouettes moved in formation through the forest—each stronger than yesterday, but one of them carrying a secret weight none of the others knew.
The forest grew denser with every step they took. The trees towered higher, blotting out most of the sunlight. Strange shadows danced between the trunks, and the sounds of wildlife had faded into a tense, unnatural silence.
Then the growls began.
From the bushes ahead, a group of beasts emerged—snarling, eyes glowing red, fur bristling. Long claws dug into the ground as they surrounded the team from both sides.
[Beast Identified: Wildfang Ravagers – Rank F – Quantity: 15]
Dave's system flashed the alert silently.
The others stepped back instinctively.
"Fifteen…" Mike muttered. "We're outnumbered."
Emily drew her blade. "We've fought worse."
"No, we haven't," Tobin said grimly, sparks flaring at his fingertips. "Not like this."
Stive just smiled. "Don't wet your pants yet."
But as panic crept into their group, two figures stood firm—Stive, calm as ever, and Dave… completely unshaken.
Emily glanced sideways at him. "Why the hell aren't you nervous?"
Tobin narrowed his eyes. "You look like you've seen worse than this."
Dave said nothing. His expression was unreadable, but there was a spark in his eye—almost like… boredom.
The beasts roared—and charged.
Tobin stepped forward first, hurling twin fireballs into the wave of Ravagers. Two beasts screamed as the fire engulfed their sides.
Emily followed immediately, slashing through the air and generating sharp gusts of wind that cut across the enemy line. A few beasts staggered but didn't fall.
Mike summoned a torrent of water from the moisture in the air, sending it crashing forward like a whip—but it barely slowed them down.
The Ravagers kept coming.
"Damn it! They're not going down!" Mike growled.
Before anyone else could move, Dave vanished.
A gust of wind blew past them, and in the blink of an eye, Dave reappeared in the middle of the pack, his blades glowing faintly with a dull red aura—Qi-infused.
SLASH.
One beast dropped.
SLASH-SLASH.
Two more.
Then it became a blur.
He weaved between them with inhuman speed, blades flashing in arcs too fast to track. His movements were fluid, deadly, precise. With each strike, a beast dropped. His expression never changed.
By the time the tenth beast fell, the remaining five froze in hesitation—just long enough for Stive to step forward.
"Let's clean up."
He raised both arms, and shards of ice formed instantly—morphing into a sleek halberd. He lunged, slicing through two in one sweep, spun, and shifted the halberd into twin axes—slamming them into the skulls of two more.
Only one beast remained.
It turned to flee—but Tobin's fireball exploded against its back, Emily's wind blades sliced its legs, and Mike's water constricted its neck.
It dropped, lifeless.
The clearing went dead quiet.
Mike dropped to a knee, panting. "What… just happened?"
Tobin blinked. "Did Dave just—"
"Take out ten Rank F beasts like they were nothing?" Stive finished, breathing steadily. "Yeah. He did."
Emily walked over to Dave, staring at him. "You moved faster than my eyes could track. And your attacks had some kind of… power."
Dave paused. A part of him wanted to explain—to tell them about the energy surging through him, the Qi his master had taught him to harness. But then his master's words echoed in his mind:
"Until you're strong enough to protect what you teach, never reveal what sets you apart."
He exhaled softly and forced a small smile.
"Just training. I've been pushing myself harder than you think."
Emily narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. "That was more than training."
"Whatever it was," Tobin said, "it worked."
They began collecting the beast crystals in silence.
Dave's system pinged quietly in his mind.
+1000 EXP Resistance Gained: Ravager Pack Instinct (Minor Speed Boost when outnumbered) [EXP: 255 + 1000 = 1255/800] [LEVEL UP!] Level 5 → 6 Exp 455/16
00 +3 Stat Points Available Stats Strength 41 Stamina 40 Speed 40 Agility 40
Dave kept his expression calm as he felt the surge of energy flow through his body. He was getting stronger—faster than any of them could imagine.