Sothing wrapped around him.
His muscles tensed violently as thick spider silk coiled around his body, binding his limbs in an instant. He strained with all his strength, veins bulging, but the silk didn't budge.
At that mont, he realized with horror—
He couldn't even reach the ergency exit button.
A chilling xixisuosuo sound echoed through the forest.
Pain exploded through his body.
Then the pain vanished.
Cold seeped into his bones as numbness swallowed him whole.
*
"Prepare ergency treatnt!" a Spirit Tower staff mber barked urgently.
Volt's tal chamber slid out violently. His body was trembling uncontrollably, even as the electrodes were torn away.
White-clad figures sward in. One of them plunged a syringe into Volt's neck, delivering the contents directly into his bloodstream.
"Was it the Man-Faced Demon Spider again?"
"Yes. That one's brutal. Didn't even give him ti to press the button." A sigh followed. "This child's luck is truly terrible."
Alfred and Aaron watched in silence as the dics worked with swift precision.
After more than ten minutes, the leader of the group finally exhaled. "He'll be fine. His willpower is strong. Let him rest, and he'll wake up soon."
The white-clad figures departed, leaving the room eerily calm, as if nothing unusual had occurred.
Barbara stood frozen, his face pale.
"T-Teacher… Director Aaron… Rach's okay, right?" His voice wavered. "Isn't the spirit ascension platform virtual? How did it end up like this…"
A nearby staff mber replied calmly, "The spirit ascension platform is virtual, but not entirely. What you feel inside is identical to reality. Pain, fear, sensation—everything is transmitted directly to the brain.
"If soone is torn apart inside, their brain experiences every detail. Even after the body is restored, the mind may still believe death has occurred. Once that belief forms, the body can truly begin to shut down."
Barbara's breath hitched.
"This effect is strongest on first-ti entrants. As spiritual power increases, resistance improves. But by the ti one can fully ignore it…" The staff mber smiled faintly. "They won't be eligible for the elentary platform anymore. They'll enter the interdiate one instead."
His smile sent a chill down Barbara's spine.
*
Lily wandered through the forest quietly, her steps unhurried, her expression distant.
The towering trees, the fresh air, the overwhelming vitality—it all felt strangely familiar. Like a dream from another lifeti.
So beautiful… I really like this feeling.
The Spirit Tower's creation was nothing short of miraculous.
She ventured deeper, encountering several soul beasts along the way. Each fell easily, and every victory caused a faint glow to ripple through her body.
Her eyes brightened with each sensation.
Among the five, she and Ray knew the least about the spirit ascension platform. Yet instinctively, she felt that sothing important was happening within her.
Then—
The bushes ahead exploded.
A massive figure leapt out.
A giant bear, over three ters tall, its body covered in light brown fur. Thick claws dug into the ground as yellow eyes locked onto Lily.
It roared.
And charged.
*
"A thousand-year soul beast," a staff mber muttered. "Should we intervene?"
Alfred didn't look away from the screen. "Observe."
It was a rare Crystal Bear, a mutated cousin of the Dreadclaw Bear. Though weaker than its infamous relative, it possessed a terrifying ability: every attack caused partial crystallization of its target. Stack enough hits, and the opponent would shatter.
Its weakness was simple—no ranged attacks.
Even with only one soul ring, Lily was the strongest among the five in terms of control. Her mastery of elents, especially space, placed her in a league of her own.
Alfred wanted to see how she would respond.
The Crystal Bear attacked.
*
Lily didn't panic.
A yellow soul ring rose beneath her feet.
"First soul skill… Elental Tide."
Green light washed over her body. Then silver flashed—
She vanished.
The Crystal Bear slamd into empty air, crashing headlong into a massive tree.
Without turning back, Lily ran.
She waved her hand behind her, conjuring a violent gust. Leaves erupted into the air, forming a swirling curtain that blinded the bear.
In that instant, silver light flashed again.
She changed direction.
And disappeared.
*
"Beautiful," Aaron praised softly. "Clean and decisive."
Alfred nodded. Calm judgnt, instant decision-making, flawless execution. Knowing when to retreat was a strength.
His gaze shifted to another screen.
Three dots remained.
Lily was running straight toward Ray.
"Yi?" Alfred murmured, surprised.
Boom. Boom.
The ground trembled.
Raziel Phoenix's expression sharpened. The noise was close—and approaching fast.
Anyone causing this much chaos in a soul beast forest either had confidence… or madness.
Low on soul power, Raziel Phoenix chose caution. He scaled a tree in seconds, suppressing his aura and holding his breath.
Better to wait than flee blindly.
The thickets ahead exploded.
A colossal figure burst forth, charging wildly—
Straight toward him.
Raziel Phoenix's pupils shrank.
Over four ters tall. tallic scales covered its body. A single horn jutted from its forehead, gleaming with nace.
A Horned Dragon.
And judging by its presence—
An exceptionally ferocious one.
Raziel Phoenix swallowed hard.
The mont he laid eyes on the ferocious soul beast, his throat went dry. Every soul beast he had encountered today existed only in books before this. Unfortunately, his mory was far too good.
A two-legged Horned Dragon.
A land dragon–type soul beast. Brutal strength. Explosive leaping power. Jerky, unpredictable movents that let it weave through dense forests as if terrain ant nothing. No ranged attacks, but once it locked onto prey, it would chase it to the ends of the world.
Among Agility System Soul Masters, this creature was infamous.
Fast. Tough. Tireless.
And worst of all, unstoppable.
A hundred-year Horned Dragon alone was already a nightmare. For soone like Raziel Phoenix, who had just obtained his second soul ring and was far from peak condition, it was practically a death sentence.
Why… why is it charging straight at ?!
Bang!
Before Raziel Phoenix could even finish the thought, the Horned Dragon smashed headfirst into the tree he was hiding in. The thick trunk, which would've taken two people to wrap their arms around, snapped clean in half.
Raziel Phoenix shot at another tree without hesitation.
Its front limbs look weak… it shouldn't be able to climb, right?
Hope was beautiful.
Reality was rciless.
The Horned Dragon pivoted instantly and charged again. This ti, it didn't ram the trunk. It jumped.
Its massive body launched upward, jaws gaping wide as it snapped toward Raziel Phoenix in midair.
A golden blade of light slashed across its scales.
Clang!
The strike left only a shallow, finger-length white scar.
That single exchange told Raziel Phoenix everything he needed to know.
He couldn't hurt it.
He jumped again.
The Horned Dragon pursued him through the canopy, leaping from trunk to trunk with terrifying agility. Its massive body moved with shocking speed, never losing ground.
So this is why they call it the nesis of Agility System Soul Masters…
Raziel Phoenix didn't dare fight head-on. Even Light Dragon Storm would only get him killed. Its scales rivaled armored dragons, yet it moved like a predator born for ambush.
He ran.
Hard.
But the Horned Dragon was still closing in.
Soul power drained. Muscles scread. His breathing turned ragged.
Is… is this really how it ends?
His fingers trembled as they hovered over the ergency exit button.
Unwillingness burned in his chest.
This was his first ti in the spirit ascension platform. He hadn't co this far just to leave like this.
"HOU—!"
The Horned Dragon roared.
A violent shockwave slamd into Raziel Phoenix's back, staggering him mid-leap.
His hand moved.
He closed his eyes.
Then—
Sothing tugged sharply at his waist, yanking him sideways.
The Horned Dragon crashed into another tree, missing him completely.
Raziel Phoenix's heart leapt.
That pull… I know that feeling.
He stopped himself from pressing the button.
A silver streak shot past him.
"Get lost!"
A chilling aura swept across the clearing.
The Horned Dragon's movents suddenly slowed, as if sothing invisible had crushed down on its instincts. In that brief mont of hesitation, the silver streak smashed directly into its skull.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three thunderous impacts echoed.
The massive beast was sent tumbling across the ground, rolling several tis before barely managing to stand.
Ray yanked Raziel Phoenix back with a coil of Silverfalls Vine. "You alright?"
Raziel Phoenix gasped, sweat soaking his back. "I'm fine. But be careful. Once a Horned Dragon locks onto prey, it never gives up."
Ray laughed calmly. "Then it picked the wrong target."
Golden scales spread over his right arm as a tyrannical dragon aura surged outward.
For the first ti since appearing, the Horned Dragon hesitated.
Its claws dug into the earth, instincts screaming warnings.
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