The Gloomfen Wilds sat on the fringes of the Celestia Arcane Academy, enclosed by towering iron fences and shimmering defensive barriers. A perpetual, thin mist clung to the swamp, where the scent of damp earth mingled with the metallic stench of monsters—a nauseating cocktail that made the stomach turn.
Several hundred freshmen, still reeling from their recent Awakening, stood in a neat phalanx on the open ground before the Training Yard. The head proctor, clad in deep blue robes, raised a staff tipped with a Level 3 mana crystal. His voice boomed with authority.
"Silence!"
The roar echoed across the clearing, instantly killing the chatter of the crowd.
"Today marks your first combat lesson since Awakening!" The proctor’s gaze was harsh as it swept over the youthful faces. "Your mission is to enter the outskirts of the Gloomfen Wilds and slay at least one Level 1 Shadow Wolf!"
He tapped his staff against the ground, and a massive light screen shimmered into existence in mid-air, displaying the rules and hazard warnings.
[System Notification]
[Combat Lesson: First Showing of Prowess]
Mission Objective: Slay Shadow Wolf (Level 1) x1
Mission Area: Outskirts of the Gloomfen Wilds
Danger Level: Low
Special Warning: Shadow Wolves are pack hunters. The survival rate for solo operatives is less than 20%! A minimum party size of 5 is mandatory!
The warnings on the screen sent a ripple of unease through the students, and whispers broke out immediately.
"Five people minimum? An 80% death rate for solo players?"
"Obviously! We only Awakened yesterday. We have zero real combat experience. We have to gang up on them!"
"Quick! Any DPS classes? Our team needs a Berserker!"
"I'm a B-Rank Flame Mage! I need a Tank to carry me!"
The crowd surged into motion. Noble scions and high-talent students quickly formed elite squads with people they already knew.
On the edge of the crowd, a girl with golden curls and ornate robes strutted toward the forest entrance, surrounded by a group of students acting as bodyguards. It was Vivienne Duskwood, Elena's cousin.
Vivienne paused beside Elena, her eyes flashing with blatant contempt and jealousy.
"Cousin, you might have been lucky enough to awaken an S-Rank, but an Assassin doesn't win fights by staring at a status screen," Vivienne sneered. "Why don't I be generous and give you a spot in my team? You can pick up the loot. It’ll save you from being torn to shreds by a Shadow Wolf on your very first day."
Elena’s expression remained flat. She didn't even bother to look at her. "Don't worry about it," she said calmly.
"You! Hmph, suit yourself!" Vivienne snapped, waving her sleeve as she led her team arrogantly across the perimeter line.
The noble scions trailing Vivienne joined in the mockery.
"S-Rank or not, she’s just a girl who’s never seen a real battlefield. She’s just showing off."
"Exactly. Without a Tank to hold the line, an Assassin is dead meat the moment a Shadow Wolf pounces."
"Let's go. We'll watch her cry for help in a minute!"
Just then, a tall figure stepped in front of Elena.
Adrian approached quickly, his handsome face filled with concern. He wore the specialized light radiant armor of House Lightborne, with a longsword at his hip that emitted a faint, holy glow.
"Elena," Adrian said urgently. "The proctor is right. The Gloomfen Wilds are treacherous. Going solo is too dangerous. My squad has one spot left, and everyone wants you to join."
Elena looked at her childhood friend and gave a slight shake of her head. Her slender hands rested lightly on the hilts of her Novice Daggers, her reddish-brown hair fluttering in the breeze.
"I appreciate the offer, Adrian," Elena replied, a composed smile playing on her lips. "But I have to go in alone."
"But..." Adrian frowned, ready to argue.
"Trust me." Elena cut him off, her voice quiet but possessing an undeniable weight of conviction. "I need to know where my limits are. Playing around in a group won't let me test the true strength of a Shadowdancer."
Seeing her resolve, Adrian could only sigh. "Fine... but be careful. If you run into trouble, fire a flare immediately! I won't be far away."
"I will."
With a brief nod, Elena turned away. Under the gaze of hundreds of skeptical, pitying, and even gloating onlookers, she stepped across the defensive barrier and vanished into the thick, gray fog of the Gloomfen Wilds.
In the shadows near the edge of a high platform, a young man in dark purple robes watched her disappearing back with cold eyes.
Vincent Nocturne gripped the hilt of his sword, a dark, chilling light shimmering in his pupils.
"Entering the forest alone... such arrogant stupidity," he muttered, his lips curling into a cruel arc.
Inside the forest, the sounds of the outside world were instantly muffled.
The ground was soft and damp, squelching underfoot. The air tasted of rot and iron.
Elena slowed her breathing, tensing her muscles into a state of peak readiness. Even though her current body was merely that of a Level 1 novice, her combat instincts and reflexes were those of a top-tier powerhouse.
She didn't wander blindly. Instead, she followed the indentations in the mud and the snapped twigs of the underbrush, tracking her prey with predatory precision.
As she passed through a patch of low ferns, Elena suddenly froze. She dropped low, melting into the shadow of a massive, withered tree.
Thirty meters ahead, three sleek, pitch-black silhouettes were hunched over the carcass of a beast.
They were Shadow Wolves, each as large as a bull. Their fur shimmered with a strange, misty shadow, and their crimson eyes glowed with savage malice through the fog.
These weren't the Level 1 targets required for the quest; these were Tier 1, Level 2 monsters.
A faint red frame popped up in the center of Elena's vision.
[Enemy Detection]
Shadow Wolf – Level 2 (Common)
HP: 450 / 450
MP: 100 / 100
Skills: [Savage Bite], [Rend], [Pack Tactics]
Combat Rating: Extremely Dangerous (Recommended party of 3+)
Outside at the Training Yard, monitoring crystals projected the scene onto a massive screen for all to see.
The crowd of freshmen erupted in gasps.
"God, her luck is terrible! She ran into three Level 2 Shadow Wolves the moment she stepped in!"
"Level 2 wolves have 450 HP! Their attack power is nearly double that of a Level 1!"
"She’s done for. Even for an S-Rank, a Level 1 taking on three Level 2s is a death sentence!"
"Someone get the proctor to rescue her! She’s going to be picked clean in seconds!"
The proctor’s brow was deeply furrowed, his hand already gripping the rescue crystal, ready to abort the trial.
However, on the projection, there was no panic on Elena’s face.
In those clear, reddish-brown eyes, there was only absolute calm and cold calculation.
Three Level 2 Shadow Wolves... 450 HP, high mobility, excels at flanking, Elena analyzed rapidly. Their instinct is to lunge at the first thing that moves. Their weaknesses are the throat and the nape—the thinnest part of their hide.
She didn't hesitate. The ancient ring on her left ring finger emitted an imperceptible glow, and her hand tightened around her Novice Dagger. The shadow mana stored in her body surged through her limbs!
[Shadowstep] activated!
[System Notification]
Skill [Shadowstep] activated!
MP Cost: 50 (350 → 300)
Status Gained: [Stealth] (8 seconds)
Movement Speed: +30%
Elena’s form blurred and twisted, and then she vanished into the shadows of the dead tree like ink dissolving in water.
The three feeding wolves looked up simultaneously, their crimson eyes reflecting confusion. Their snouts twitched, sniffing the air frantically, but they couldn't catch the scent of the presence that had just vanished.
Within the mist, an invisible ghost drifted closer at high speed, silent and lethal.
Elena’s footsteps were so light that she didn't even crunch a dry leaf.
Three seconds passed.
She appeared directly behind the leftmost Shadow Wolf. She was close enough to see the coarse hairs on its neck.
Elena’s eyes narrowed. Shadow mana flooded into her palm as her white Novice Dagger became a streak of black lightning. It lunged upward, piercing the wolf’s throat with surgical precision!
[Stealth Attack]! [Backstab]!
Pfft!
The muffled sound of steel through meat followed as blood erupted in a spray.
[Combat Log]
[Shadowstep] Stealth Attack landed!
Target Hit: Shadow Wolf (Level 2) - Weak Point (Throat)!
Triggers: [Backstab]! [Critical Hit]!
Damage Calculation: 73 (Base) × 2 (Crit) × 1.5 (Backstab) × 1.2 (Stealth Bonus) = 263!
Shadow Wolf (Level 2) HP: 450 → 187!
The agony forced a piercing howl from the wolf as the sheer force of the blow slammed its massive body into the ground!
"Awoo!"
The other two wolves reacted instantly, their eyes blazing with ferocity. Their foul-smelling maws opened as they turned into black blurs, lunging at Elena from both sides!
Claws whistled through the air, sealing off all avenues of retreat.
A deathly silence fell over the spectators. Several girls squeezed their eyes shut in fear.
But facing the pincer attack of two Level 2 monsters, Elena merely slid back a half-step, her body tilting at a bizarre, fluid angle.
Shred!
Two [Rend] attacks tore through the air, grazing the hem of her Academy uniform and leaving a sharp gust of wind in their wake.
[System Notification]
Class Passive Evasion triggered!
Successfully evaded Shadow Wolf (Level 2) attack!
The moment the dodge was successful, Elena used the momentum of her spin to flick her wrist. The Novice Dagger swept across the neck of the first, heavily wounded wolf!
[Lethal Blow]!
[Combat Log]
Skill [Lethal Blow] activated!
MP Cost: 80 (300 → 220)
Damage Dealt: 73 × 250% = 182!
Shadow Wolf (Level 2) HP: 187 → 5!
Normal Attack follow-up: 73!
Shadow Wolf (Level 2) HP reduced to 0! Target Deceased!
[Loot Summary]
Successfully slayed Shadow Wolf (Level 2)!
EXP: +28
Gold: +8
Items: [Wolfclaw] x1
The first wolf didn't even manage to stand up before it collapsed into a pool of its own blood, dissolving into a wisp of black mist.
One wolf dead in the blink of an eye.
The entire process, from the first strike to the final kill, had taken less than five seconds.
Before the screen, the freshmen’s jaws collectively hit the floor. Everyone stopped breathing.
"What... what just happened?!"
"She hit for 263 damage?! How can a Level 1 newbie hit those numbers?!"
"My god... the Backstab, the crit, the stealth multiplier... is she some kind of monster? That calculation and execution is insane!"
The proctor’s hand remained frozen in mid-air. His eyes were wide as he whispered, "Perfect... a perfect Assassin’s rhythm. The distance management, the precision on weak points, the timing of the dodge... that isn't the skill level of someone who just Awakened yesterday!"
Back in the Gloomfen Wilds, the battle raged on.
Seeing their packmate killed instantly, the remaining two wolves went into a frenzy. Their fur bristled, and a blood-red light flickered over their bodies as their speed surged. They lunged again, flanking her in unison.
[Pack Tactics] active!
Elena remained cold and unmoved. With a thought, she activated a hidden trait deep within her class panel.
[Phantom Veil]!
Flash!
An instant before the wolves reached her, Elena’s body split into two identical reddish-brown shadows, each leaping in a different direction.
The wolf on the left snapped its jaws shut on one of the shadows, but only tore through a cloud of void-like mist.
An illusion!
The real Elena had used the shadow as cover, appearing behind the wolf on the right like a ghost. Her dagger swept out in a cold, lethal arc.
Pfft!
[Combat Log]
[Backstab] landed! [Critical Hit] triggered!
Damage Dealt: 263!
Shadow Wolf (Level 2) HP: 450 → 187!
She gave the enemy no room to breathe. Leaning into her momentum, she followed up with a seamless horizontal slash.
[Combat Log]
Normal Attack Combo! Damage: 73!
[Lethal Blow] Cooldown finished! Activated!
Damage Dealt: 182!
Shadow Wolf (Level 2) HP reduced to 0! Target Deceased!
[Loot Summary]
Successfully slayed Shadow Wolf (Level 2)!
EXP: +28
Gold: +8
Items: [Wolfclaw] x1
The second wolf whimpered as it slammed into the swamp mud, stone dead.
In less than half a minute, two powerful Level 2 Shadow Wolves were down. Only one remained.
At this point, the last wolf’s savagery was replaced by absolute terror. It tucked its tail between its legs, backing away through the mud and whimpering, its mind filled with nothing but flight.
"Going somewhere? Too late."
Elena’s eyes were icy. Her footwork accelerated. With the 10% permanent movement speed buff from being a Shadowdancer, she crossed a dozen meters like a gust of wind.
A flash of steel.
Two lightning-fast stabs.
Thwip! Thwip!
[Combat Log]
Normal Attack hit! Damage: 73!
[Backstab] hit! Damage: 219!
Shadow Wolf (Level 2) HP: 450 → 158!
Normal Attack hit! Damage: 73!
[Lethal Blow] activated! Damage: 182!
Shadow Wolf (Level 2) HP reduced to 0! Target Deceased!
The final Shadow Wolf twitched in despair before falling silent.
The battlefield returned to a deathly hush, save for the dripping of mud and Elena’s slightly elevated breathing.
[Combat Settlement]
Enemies Defeated: Shadow Wolf (Level 2) x3
Total EXP: +85 (Previous EXP: 10/150 → 95/150)
Total Gold: +24
Loot: [Wolfclaw] x3
It wasn't over.
As the experience from the high-level monsters poured into her, a brilliant pillar of gold light erupted around Elena.
The light of Leveling Up.
[System Notification]
Level Up!
Elena Nocturne: Level 1 → Level 2!
HP Cap: 220 → 240 (+20)
MP Cap: 350 → 380 (+30)
All Base Attributes: +5
Free Attribute Points: +5
Skill Points: +2
Combat Power Re-evaluation: 850 → 1050 (+200)!
As the gold light faded, Elena felt a surge of warmth through her limbs. Her depleted mana and stamina were instantly restored to full, and her strength and reaction speeds were noticeably sharper.
Outside at the Training Yard, a silence so heavy it could be felt fell over the crowd.
Students looked at the screen as if someone had their hands around their throats, forgetting even to breathe. The noble scions who had been mocking her now had faces the color of raw liver, filled with disbelief and shame.
"Three... three minutes? She soloed three Level 2 Shadow Wolves?"
"Not just killed them... look at the damage logs. She took zero damage! She finished the fight with a full HP bar!"
"How is that possible?! Even a Berserker party couldn't do it without a scratch!"
"I... I said she’d be crying for help... I'm a clown..."
Adrian stood at the front of the group, stunned for a long moment before his face broke into an expression of pure pride. He punched the air and cheered.
"Incredible! Elena is incredible! That's an S-Rank Shadowdancer for you!"
On the other side of the crowd, Vivienne bit her lip so hard it nearly bled. Her face was pale, her fists clenched until her knuckles turned white, her eyes burning with fury.
"Dammit... how! Her mana core only just Awakened! How can she move like that! Luck... it had to be luck. She just happened to hit their weak points!"
In the shadows of a distant tree, Vincent’s face was dark enough to drip ink. He stared at the screen, at the spirited girl with reddish-brown hair, his grip on his sword so tight that the veins in his hand bulged.
"Improving that fast..." Vincent hissed through his teeth, "I can't let you keep growing. Never!"
Before the crowd could recover from the shock, a grand, melodic tolling of bells rang out from the sky. A shimmering, gold-and-purple announcement box burst open over the entire Celestia Arcane Academy.
[Academy-Wide Announcement]
Congratulations to freshman [Elena Nocturne] for passing her first combat trial with a Perfect Grade (Evaluation Rank: SSS)!
Clear Time: 3 minutes 27 seconds!
Damage Taken: 0 (Zero-Damage Flawless Clear)!
This sets a new record for the best first combat performance at Celestia Arcane Academy in the last 10 years!
The announcement repeated three times, its resonant voice echoing through the valley. Even the veteran instructors deep within the academy were stirred.
Deep in the forest, Elena was oblivious to the furor outside.
She walked to the three carcasses, knelt, and skillfully used her dagger to extract three shimmering, dark-blooded Wolfclaws.
Looking at the loot, Elena opened her personal panel. She had 5 free attribute points to distribute.
For a Shadowdancer, a class that pursued the extremes of speed and burst damage, Agility was the foundation of everything. She dumped all 5 points into Agility without a second thought.
[Attribute Allocation]
Points Allocated: 5 → [Agility]
Agility: 50 → 55 ★★
[System Notification]
[Combat Power Re-evaluation]
Due to Agility increase and hidden bonuses, Combat Power has been updated:
Combat Power: 1050 → 1120 (+70)!
Feeling the renewed burst of speed in her legs and core, Elena nodded with satisfaction.
As she moved to put the Wolfclaws into the rough pouch provided by the academy, the ancient ring on her left hand suddenly grew warm, emitting a soft, golden light. A new notification appeared.
[System Notification]
Due to Host's attribute increase and mana activation, [Mother's Ring] Storage Space has been unlocked!
Capacity: 100 Cubic Meters (Independent stasis space)
Status: Available
[System Notification]
Loot [Wolfclaw] x3 has been automatically stored in [Mother's Ring] Storage Space!
Elena blinked, watching the claws vanish from her hand and appear in the ring’s space. Surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by a deep sense of warmth and nostalgia.
She gently stroked the cool surface of the ring and whispered, "Mother... you left me so much more than just a memento..."
A 100-cubic-meter stasis space meant she could carry vast amounts of supplies and loot during her future explorations without ever needing to rely on expensive, small-capacity storage bags.
"With this strength and these resources... I finally have the capital to protect myself and take control of my fate."
Elena gripped her dagger, her hair swaying in the forest breeze. However, when she recalled the look of jealousy and murderous intent in Vincent’s eyes during the Reckoning, her joy began to sink.
That wasn't an illusion. Her own brother truly harbored a dangerous enmity toward her.
"Whatever comes next..." Elena’s eyes turned cold and resolute once more. "I won't show mercy to anyone standing in my way."
She closed her panel and turned back, walking calmly toward the forest exit.
As Elena made her way back, in a hidden corner of the Gloomfen outskirts.
Vincent, his face clouded with gloom, walked quickly behind a massive ancient tree. A tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man in luxurious deep-black robes stood there with his hands behind his back. The man radiated a suffocating pressure, his hawk-like eyes filled with calculation.
It was Marcus Duskwood, head of House Duskwood and the uncle of Elena and Vincent.
"Uncle!" Vincent lowered his voice, his tone thick with anxiety and hatred. "You saw it! Not only did that bitch awaken an S-Rank, her combat skills are terrifying! If this continues, the Nocturne inheritance and the academy’s resources will all be hers!"
Marcus tilted his head slightly, a sinister smile creeping across his face like a snake’s tongue. His voice was low and raspy.
"Why the panic? She was just lucky enough to kill three beasts. A true genius is only a genius if they stay alive."
Vincent’s eyes lit up as he stepped closer. "Uncle, you mean..."
Marcus raised a hand, cutting him off. His predatory gaze fell on Elena as she emerged from the forest mist in the distance.
"Patience," Marcus chuckled darkly. "The academy has too many rules; moving against her here leaves too many tracks. Relax... it won't be long before an opportunity is handed to us. When that time comes... I'll ensure your dear sister loses the right to compete with us forever."
Watching Marcus’s murderous grin, Vincent’s jealousy finally turned into a flicker of cruel pleasure. He nodded sharply.
In the corners where the light could not reach, the clouds of a conspiracy were already beginning to spread.