(XXXI) Entrance Exam (Part Four)

The Gigagator lunged forward once more, its massive jaws snapping dangerously close to Leon's face. He deftly parried the attack with his swords, his heart pounding in his chest as he sidestepped the beast. But in a swift, unexpected move, it spun its body and swung its gigantic tail at him, swatting him away with a force that sent him sprawling, his swords barely managing to block the blow.

Leon flew through the air, his body contorted in pain, crashing into a tree and snapping it in half before smashing into another tree trunk. He fell to his hands and knees, his breath ragged and his body aching. The massive beast, undeterred, lurched forward again, breaking through trees and the underbrush as it charged toward the young man.

Bella leaped into action. Her claws extended, glowing with a deep purple light. She slashed at the face of the Gigagator, leaving a deep scar across its eye. Her attack, though small in comparison to the beast's size, was enough to redirect its trajectory slightly, saving Leon from a potentially fatal blow.

The Gigagator roared in anger as Bella's attack connected. It turned its massive head toward her, its jaws gaping wide, ready to snap at her. But Leon quickly regained his footing and charged at the beast, his swords at the ready.

The sound of steel clashing against scales echoed through the air as Leon launched a fierce attack on the Gigagator's leg. The sharp blade of The Sword of Beast King left a deep gash on the beast's skin, causing it to stumble and lose its balance. Bella seized the opportunity and charged at the creature's other eye with a ferocious snarl. She slashed at the eye with a swift motion, blinding it completely.

The Gigagator let out a deafening roar of agony and rage. Its massive head thrashed wildly as it tried to shake off the two attackers but to no avail. Suddenly, a bright green light enveloped the beast's massive teeth, causing them to grow even larger and more menacing. Leon's eyes widened with excitement as he realized that the Gigagator was about to use its Bestial Arte, [Megalith Bite].

The beast launched a frenzied attack, biting at everything around it frantically and with great force. Leon and Bella had to move quickly and with great agility to avoid the Gigagator's snapping jaws. They darted around the creature, waiting for the right moment to strike.

With each passing moment, the beast's attacks became increasingly erratic until a ring chimed in Leon's ears, and a window appeared in the corner of his vision, learning the [Megalith Bite] Beast Spell.

For what seemed like hours, the two had been locked in a fierce battle against the Gigagator, a massive and formidable beast with impenetrable scales and razor-sharp claws. He launched his spirit weapons at the beast, aiming at the open wounds as they repeatedly pierced through its body.

The young man didn't relent, summoning more weapons with his ability as he dodged the Gigagator's erratic attacks and countered with his spirit weapons to deal devastating blows to the beast.

Sweat poured down Leon's as they relentlessly hacked and slashed at the creature, his muscles beginning to ache from the effort of every blow. He slashed against the beast's snout, jumping as he kicked off its face and flipped through the air, landing on its head.

Finally, with a final, mighty plunge, he jabbed his swords through the beast's head. The Gigagator let out a deafening roar before collapsing to the ground with a resounding thud, sending tremors throughout the earth.

He stood over the lifeless body of the Gigagator, panting heavily and covered in sweat and dirt. As Leon and Bella caught their breath, the young man turned around and fell against the lifeless corpse, leaning against it as he breathed heavily.

"Master!" Bella exclaimed, running into his lap, leaning up as she rested her front paws against his chest, mewing softly, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." He sighed, stabbing his sword into the ground behind him, stroking the top of her head softly, and smiling down at her as a series of windows appeared behind her, "Next time... Give me more than a second heads up, though, okay?"

[Gigagator defeated!]

[Level up!]

[Second Magical Beast Stable Unlocked!]

"I'm sorry, Master!" She meowed softly, her ears tucking back as she stared up at him, her eyes sparkling brightly, "I'll be more vigilant going forward!"

"No harm, no foul." He replied, scooping her up and returning her to his shoulder as he stood and sheathed both of his swords. He turned to the beast and pulled a small curved knife from the back of his belt, "Now, to reap the rewards from this behemoth!"

He used one of the open wounds to carve open the Gigagator's chest, cutting through its rigid muscles repeatedly to reach its heart. The monsters in The World Online grew as they survived in the wild.

The more giant the monster, the longer it survived, meaning it consumed plenty of mana-rich nutrients and would have generated a Mana Core.

Leon cut the massive heart out and carefully sliced it open as he stuck his hand into the organ, searching blindly inside it before touching a large baseball-sized object and pulling it out. 

[Large Mana Core]

[Rank: A]

[This crystal is densely filled with concentrated mana. Absorb the mana contained to increase a User's Mana Circuit.]

He walked over to the river and rinsed it off, revealing the brilliant sparkling stars within the bright green orb. He then sent it to his inventory, intent on using it later when he had more free time inside the academy.

These sphere-like crystals were highly sought after by players and NPCs alike, as they served as a catalyst for increasing one's Mana Circuit. This was the only means of developing the Mana Circuit and the primary distinction between nobles and commoners.

Nobles had access to mana-rich foods and wealth to purchase Mana Cores, which, in turn, allowed them to increase their Mana Circuit more consistently than commoners, whose only hope to develop it was to become mercenaries or adventurers and risk their lives to obtain the necessary ingredients.

He returned to the corpse and began dismantling the beast, placing everything in his inventory for future use. He was intent on consuming the meat and sending the materials to Mikaru for the creation of equipment and supplies for alchemical potions.

Finally, he picked up the final item within the Gigagator's body, a palm-sized token. He returned to the river and rinsed it off like the Mana Core, revealing a bright gold medallion with ebony etchings on both sides.

[Examination Medallion]

[Rank: A]

[Medal utilized in the second examination of the Exvius Academy. Worth 50 points.]