Mars—the red planet—remained red, even after terraformation was deed a success. For reasons both magical and scientific, most trees and vegetation across the surface bore crimson leaves with only hints of green.
Fifteen zones were territorially divided across the planet in concentric circles, each separated by magical walls reinforced with scientific tech.
Zones One through Five ford the Outer Region, considered the safest area. Only One-Star Corrupted Beasts typically inhabited this region.
From Zone Six to Zone Twelve was the Middle Region, a progressively dangerous expanse where Corrupted Beasts ranged from One-Star to Three-Star. Hidden reports even spoke of Four-Star beasts lurking in the dense foliage of Zone Twelve.
The final three—Zones Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen—were collectively known as the Inner Depths. Heavily infested, they contained everything from One-Star to even Five-Star beasts and beyond. It was said that a legendary Seven-Star beast undergoing mutation once erged in the Fifteenth Zone.
According to myth, Aaron Chaosbringer, the founding father of the Academy and elder twin brother of the current Director, Aaron Evileye, once ventured alone into the Fifteenth Zone to eliminate that mutated threat.
No human civilizations existed within these fifteen zones. The only established settlent was Marco City, an industrial ga-city located in the western equatorial region. Plans were underway to build fifty-five more cities in that area—areas free of corrupted beasts.
Ten absolutely forbidden core regions existed elsewhere on Mars. These were sacred zones where the Divine Tree’s Ten Seeds were planted—areas strictly protected by Earth’s elite assassin organizations. One such faction was the Temple of Assassins, one of the top five.
In short, most of Mars remained restricted to ordinary people.
Today marked the beginning of the First Phase of the Fresher Ranking Tournant. After weeks of preparation, the Academy had finally activated its deploynt protocols. Through six teleportation gates, 29,599 freshn were dispersed across the Outer Region of Mars.
Monts later, a swarm of bee-sized surveillance drones took flight, each assigned to a single student. Soon, every student’s face appeared across massive Virtual Projection Screens floating in the sky above the Fresher et Village.
Among them was Zane.
He looked around, finding himself in a dense forest filled with towering crimson-leafed trees. When he looked up, the sky was an ethereal blend of purple, green, and white, streaked with drifting clouds.
Climbing the nearest tree, Zane scanned his surroundings. No other students were in sight.
"Where is everyone?" he muttered. Then realization dawned on him.
"Even though we entered through the sa gate... it must’ve had the ability to scatter us across different regions. The Academy must’ve planned this separation in advance."
Just as he prepared to move forward, the System chid in.
Ding!
[Forcefully Opening a Chasm!]
A black rift the size of a football suddenly appeared in midair, emitting a violent suction force.
Before Zane could react, he was pulled in—vanishing without a trace.
Back at the Fresher et Village, hardly anyone noticed Zane’s sudden disappearance.
No one... except five individuals: Director Aaron Evileye, Pudge, Kora, Shelby, and Erlin.
Each of them wore a different expression — confusion, concern, intrigue... and sothing else unspoken.
anwhile, on the large sky screen, live feeds from across Mars continued to update. Across every region, students had already begun collecting Beast Cores, launching into action almost imdiately after deploynt.
The crowd roared as scenes of chaos, strategy, and carnage played out in real-ti.
Fifteen minutes later, the first provisional ranking list appeared on the massive virtual projection. The nas scrolled dynamically, but the Top 10 were enlarged and prominently displayed:
TOP 10 – LIVE RANKINGS
(Stone Collection – 1-Star / 2-Star)
Rank#1 Selvara Dreadthorn — 97 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#2 Viraine Dreadthorn — 96 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#3 Riven Dreadthorn — 85 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#4 Coren Dreadthorn — 81 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#5 Kaelin Dreadthorn — 73 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#6 Caelus Veyloris — 65 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#7 Selene Astraelan — 62 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#8 Aurielle Luminar — 61 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#9 Talon Stormwrath — 58 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
Rank#10 Varek Ironvale — 55 (One-Star), 0 (Two-stars)
The top five scorers were all mbers of the Dreadthorn Superfamily, prompting reactions across the audience.
In one of the luxury parks inside the Fresher et Village — a refined space where nobles and Superfamilies relaxed — a group of well-dressed individuals dined and drank wine, watching the rankings with indulgent interest.
A nobleman laughed, raising his glass.
"Senior Roy, I’ve bet my full seventy chips on the Dreadthorn Family this year!"
Others nodded in agreent, murmuring among themselves. The top five were undeniably from the Dreadthorn, and the top two were won — sisters, no less. This area was no ordinary park... it was a betting arena for the elite.
anwhile, far away on Mars, Zane reappeared in an unfamiliar forest. Unlike the wildwood he had landed in earlier, this forest was serene and cultivated — and every tree bore fruit.
He blinked. "Black apples? Aren’t these the infamous ones?"
He narrowed his eyes and muttered, "System, what’s going on? One mont I was in a forest, and the next, I’m sowhere else?"
The System answered with a chi.
Ding!
[A hidden program has been activated.]
[The mont Host touched Martian soil, a concealed subroutine triggered a mini-teleportation sigil, pre-installed by an unknown entity.]
Another notification followed:
[New Quest Unlocked!]
Objective: Collect as many Black Apples as possible.
Reward: A Pill Recipe Compatible with Your Physique!]
Zane frowned, unsettled by the implications — but the reward was tempting. He quickly got to work, scaling trees and using his silk pouch to gather the apples efficiently.
Tree by tree, he moved, picking the strange fruits at lightning speed. Within fifteen minutes, he had stripped over fifty trees clean.
Just as he reached for the fifty-first tree, his instincts scread at him.
Danger.
Without hesitation, he activated Luminous Step, kicking off the trunk and landing smoothly on the ground just as sothing sliced through the branch where he’d stood.
The thick branch dropped with a thud.
Zane turned and froze — a towering figure lood behind him.
"A Corrupted Green Mantis..." he muttered grimly.
It was massive, nearly the size of a MAN. Its erald exoskeleton shimred darkly, and its saber-like forelimbs glinted with a tallic sheen, poised for another strike.
The System chid again.
Ding!
[Corrupted Green Mantis detected!]
Classification: One-Star Corrupted Beast
Stats:
Strength: 9967 / 9967
Agility: 9995 / 9995
Intelligence: 9989 / 9989
Guard: 10 Armor; High-Level Anti-Magic Resistance
Zane’s eyes narrowed.
"Magic won’t work... this one’s built to counter it."
He steadied himself. He’d have to rely on raw strength and speed.
The mantis vanished in a blur. Zane reacted instantly.
Clang! A bladed limb sliced through the air — but Zane was already gone, a silver streak under the moonlight of the purple sky.
He reappeared behind the creature and kicked it hard in the abdon. A crunch echoed, and the beast flew back, slamming into a tree.
But it wasn’t over yet.
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