Unaware of the events happening outside, Silver was just about to relax when he heard growls that sounded more like a dog barking. Just as he was questioning which beast the simulation would be throwing at him this time, a giant, 4-meter-tall black bear started running at him from about 200 meters away.

[ Wow! They actually sent out a D-class beast this early? ]

Silver questioned in his mind as he studied the beast's aura. He had been fighting quite a few D-class beasts while training Ghost, so he was no stranger to this particular beast.

It was a low-level D-class beast known as a Bahl and was most famous for its razor-sharp claws, which could even cut through iron. On top of its high offensive capabilities, the creature also had thick fur, which was somewhat difficult to penetrate.

[ This will be tricky without being able to use Ice Barrier. ]

Silver had been closely guarding his secrets while partaking in this trial and hadn't exposed the spell and weapon left to him by his mother. This was because he was being cautious as he wasn't aware if others were spectating him or not.

The beast came charging at a high momentum and unnatural speed. However, Silver stood his ground as though he were glued to the spot. Within a few seconds, the beast had already covered the distance between them and was upon him. At this point, Silver finally acted and withdrew his black blade from its sheath.

If anyone had been watching this battle, they would at first start praying for the poor youth. But then, their eyes would most likely pop out a second later.

This is because they would have seen Silver drawing a beautiful arc with his sword while simultaneously avoiding the beast altogether and appearing on the other side as though he had teleported. Half a second later, they would witness the 5-meter beast, which weighed over a tonne, fall to the floor, dead and unmoving.

Silver's master had always prioritized speed over strength. The sword art he passed on to his disciple involved high-speed techniques designed to finish all opponents in one move.

The move Silver had just used on the Bahl was the first technique of the 'Falling leaf style,' known as 'Progressive strike.' This was because the move became more potent the more an enemy was struck.

However, Silver could only manage three strikes at most due to the high tax it placed on the body. Luckily for him, today's opponent was dealt with quickly.

Meanwhile, in an open area with a marble floor so white and smooth that one could see their reflection, a young man was fighting for his life against a huge bear-like creature.

"Incandescent Flames," Zac roared just as the beast was about to bite his shoulder.

He was unsure exactly how long he had been battling against the beast as he had lost all sense of time in this weird place. All he knew was that he was now out of mana and that the monster in front of him was still alive.

[ Shit, I really underestimated these trials. To think that I'm in this kind of position again. ]

Zac thought as he barely dodged the beast's jaws and retreated several steps back. Taking a moment to assess his situation, he realized that he was in a bad position from the several open wounds on his body.

However, from the Bahl's heavy breathing and charred fur, he knew it was also reaching its limits, so this motivated him to keep going.

[ Just a little bit more, and I can leave this place. ]

Zac went into his pockets and felt the golden medallion Victor had given him, as he knew there was no way he could stay for the next wave. The beast shook off the flames and looked at him with cold eyes. It stared at him for a short while as if to say, 'here I come,' and began charging again.

"All right, you ugly fuck. Let's finish this."

Zac knew the battle would be decided in this final exchange, so he summoned the last bit of strength inside him and charged at the beast with his sword in front.

"Arghh," he coughed blood from the heavy blow the beast had dealt him with its paw. But he continued his momentum, gritting his teeth, and managed to plunge his blade deep into the Bahl's heart. A wide satisfied smile appeared on his face as he witnessed the beast disappear into thin air.

He had done it. It was finally over.

After an unknown period, Zac woke up in a familiar room surrounded by familiar people. It took him a few seconds to recall what had happened, but when his thoughts had cleared, he started to get excited.

This was because he realized that he had finally completed the trials and would soon become a member of the prestigious Academy he had dreamt of his entire life. Everything he had done up until this point was for this reason.

"Congratulations, you are now the second participant from Blue-city to pass this year's trials," came a voice, interrupting Zac's thoughts. As he looked over, he realized it was Victor, the teacher hosting the final trial.

While fighting the Bahl, Zac had cursed at this man's ancestors several times for making the trial that difficult. But now, even seeing his face could not take away the happiness in the youngster's heart.

Zac gave an acknowledging nod and looked around the room to see who had been the first. To his shock, he noticed that all the participants, other than Silver, were present in the room, either unconscious or looking worse for wear.

As he noticed Isabella's complexion was much better than the others, he assumed she had been the other participant who had managed to get into the Academy. Zac guessed the rest were like this due to the mental fatigue caused by the trial and wondered how he looked at this point.

Standing up from where he lay, Zac walked over to Isabella and congratulated her on her achievement. She congratulated him back but didn't say much else and started watching one of the doors in the room.

At first, Zac thought she was just shy and didn't want to talk in this small room where everyone could hear what they were saying. But as he followed her gaze to the door, he started to frown slightly as though contemplating something.

[ What are those four lights on top of the door? Could it be... No, that's impossible! ]

Zac became shocked and was unable to believe what he was seeing. If his assumptions were correct, then that would mean that Silver had been able to defeat the beast on the fourth wave. Not only that but as he was not present in the room, didn't that mean he was still going?

[ Holy shit, he really is a monster. ]

Zac couldn't contain the smile which blossomed on his face as he finally became aware of his friend's true level of strength. The smile became wider and wider until he could no longer contain it and started to laugh, breaking the silence in the room. Others started to look at him as though he were going mad, but he didn't care and only stopped when he felt like it.

[ Go on, Silver! Show them the monster you truly are. ]

Zac was just as happy for Silver as he had been when he found out he passed the trials. If there were doubts before, he was now confident that this was the happiest day of his life.

"This one seems to be taking him quite a while," said Victor, once again interrupting the silence in the room.

"Well, it is a Shumow, after all. I don't think he'll be able to beat it, to be honest. It's impressive enough that he's lasted this long," Lucas replied

"I'm kind of disappointed. I really wanted to see the look on the other's faces when we told them we found a beginner mage who's able to beat a high-level D class beast" Victor had planned to give the Academy heads a shocking reason to make sure they protected this youngster, who had continuously impressed him. For some reason, he was sure that if given a chance, Silver would grow to be a great mage that wouldn't forget those who helped him.

"Both of you seem to have written him off too early. Perhaps he will surprise us once more," Anna said, showing her belief in the scarlet-haired youth, much to the other teachers' surprise.