Chapter 8: Inside the Gate

Chapter 8: Inside the Gate

The moment Mike and Jek stepped through the Verdant Gate, the world shifted.

Light twisted unnaturally. The air thickened. The subtle hum of mana intensified into a heavy, pressing force against their skin.

When the distortion finally faded, they found themselves standing in the heart of a vast, lush jungle—the true battlefield of the Inter-Academy Survival and Combat Examination.

Vines as thick as a man's arm coiled around ancient, moss-covered stone pillars. Towering trees loomed above, their leaves glowing faintly with mana. The air shimmered, alive with magic, while distant, guttural roars echoed through the foliage like warnings from unseen beasts.

"It's like we stepped into another world," Jek whispered, his voice trembling as his eyes darted around. "Even the air feels… alive."

"It is good to have this escape token, we can just surrender the exam if dangers occurred, summoning back outside"

Mike narrowed his gaze, scanning the treetops. "Keep your senses sharp. Anything could happen here."

They weren't alone. Other students appeared sporadically around them—some in pairs, others alone. The randomness of the summoning seemed to scatter them across the jungle.

Most vanished quickly into the forest, not willing to engage this early. Everyone knew the rules: survive, fight, and gather as many points as possible.

A sudden rustle in the nearby bushes made both of them tense.

"Shh," Mike warned, raising a finger to his lips.

A small creature bounded out. It resembled a rabbit, but its fur shimmered with light-blue mana, and two curved horns protruded from its head. Its glowing eyes watched them warily before it turned and hopped away.

"Just a Horned Lumi-rabbit," Jek muttered in relief.

– Monster Status –

Name: Lumi-rabbit

Realm: Normal Monster, Level 1

Strength: 10

Physique: 8

Agility: 11

Mana: 14

Skills: Horn Thrust, Illuminous Shot

"Holy crap… that's a rabbit? It's just as strong as I was at Level 1," Jek exclaimed.

"Even small creatures are dangerous here. Just imagine the elites. This gate really is full of wonders," Mike replied, his tone serious.

Suddenly, the Lumi-rabbit lunged at Jek, horn glowing with mana.

"What the—!" Jek dove to the side, barely dodging the attack.

Mike's Crystalline Sword shimmered into existence in his hand. With a swift slash, he cut the rabbit mid-air.

Woosh!

"Be careful. Even weak-looking ones can catch you off-guard," Mike warned.

"Whoa… so that's your Crystalline Sword," Jek said, eyes wide.

A sudden flare of red light lit up the sky in the distance, followed by a sharp explosion.

"They've already started fighting," Jek muttered, gripping his spear tighter.

Mike closed his eyes, activating Mana Sensing. A faint radar-like pulse spread from his mind, registering mana sources nearby. "We're far from the boss zones. That's good—we need to build our strength first."

"How did you do that?" Jek asked in awe.

"My Mana Sensing lets me detect nearby signatures. There's nothing powerful around us right now, which means we're in a safer zone," Mike explained.

They ventured deeper into the forest, past glowing mushrooms and enormous ferns. Strange birds swooped overhead, leaving shimmering trails of mana in their wake.

"Mike, we need a strategy," Jek said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Running around waiting for monsters isn't going to cut it."

"This area's just full of Lumi-rabbits. They're not giving much experience anymore," he added in frustration.

Indeed, after grinding on Lumi-rabbits, their levels had risen—Mike to Level 4 and Jek to Level 3—but now their progress was slowing.

– Data Panel –

Name: Jek

Race: Human

Realm: Tier 1 [Level 3: 50/100]

Mana Heart: Earth Mana [Bends to Nature]

Scripture: Mountain Strength

Strength: 30 | Physique: 28 | Agility: 28 | Mana: 30

Native Skill: Nature Absorption (Passive)

Skills: The Way of Nature, Earth Bind

Earth Bind – Manipulate earth to bind targets. Learned through real combat experience.

– Data Panel –

Name: Mike

Race: Human

Realm: Tier 1 [Level 4: 13/100]

Mana Heart: Crystalline Mana Heart (Hidden Water Branch)

Scripture: Crystalline Current

Strength: 39 | Physique: 38 | Agility: 39 | Mana: 40

Native Skill: Crystallization

Skills: Mana Sensing, Current Surge, Crystalline Sword

"I know," Mike nodded. "First, we find a safe place to rest and set up camp. Then, we take out mid-tier monsters, build points slowly. Only after that do we go after relics or elites."

"Agreed," Jek said, relaxing slightly.

But then, a low growl stopped them in their tracks. A massive leopard crouched silently on a thick branch, its gleaming eyes watching something below.

Mike and Jek remained still.

Ding!

– Herb Status –

Name: Blood Root Flower

Description: Once consumed, enhances perception and may awaken dormant bloodline abilities.

"Blood Root Flower…" Jek's heart pounded. A rare herb!

Mike spoke in a hushed tone. "Quiet. That leopard is its guardian. One wrong move and we're dead."

– Monster Status –

Name: Black Fang Leopard

Realm: Elite Monster, Level 5

Strength: 59 | Physique: 48 | Agility: 60 | Mana: 50

Skills: Detect, Phantom, Dark Slash

Detect – Senses creatures within a 3-meter radius

Phantom – Merge into shadows to conceal presence

Dark Slash – A dark-element slash that causes bleeding

"We're screwed," Jek muttered, his face paling.

"Shut it!" Mike clamped a hand over Jek's mouth. "We're outside its range. Let's back off and plan."

Just as they began retreating, rustling came from the bushes. From the shadows, three figures stepped forward—students.

"Well, what do we have here?" said a tall boy with bronze skin and a massive two-handed axe. Beside him stood a girl with short silver hair and a longbow, and a boy with sharp eyes wielding a curved dagger.

"Great Fire High…" Jek's tone dropped.

"Mike and Jek, huh?" the axe-wielder grinned. "From the same academy as Shan. Don't worry, we're not here to fight... yet. Just want to see if you're truly qualified."

"We don't even know who you are," Mike replied coolly.

"That's disappointing," the bow girl said, frowning. "But don't worry—we'll tell you our names after we eliminate you."

Without warning, the girl raised her bow and loosed an arrow, mana swirling around it like a cyclone. Mike barely reacted in time. Jek shouted and slammed his feet down, activating The Way of Nature. A shockwave blasted out, halting the arrow mid-air.

"They're attacking!" Jek cried.

"Don't fight head-on!" Mike ordered. "One of them is Level 5—we'll burn too much energy!"

The axe-wielder was clearly Level 5. The other two, likely Level 4.

"How are we supposed to beat that?" Jek gritted his teeth. "We've just been fighting Lumi-rabbits!"

"Some people must've found lucky encounters early on," Mike muttered bitterly.

They sprinted into the forest, arrows trailing behind them.

"They're trying to wear us down!" Jek shouted, leaping over a root.

Mike's mind raced. Then, an idea hit him.

"The leopard," he said suddenly. "We'll lure them into its den. Let it deal with them while we escape. Two birds, one stone."

They veered toward the leopard's territory.

"Oh? They're running now?" the bow girl sneered.

The axe-wielder narrowed his eyes. "They're not just running… they're quite clever."

"I'll tail them," the dagger-wielder said. His body shimmered and vanished into the shadows.

Mike and Jek reached the den just four meters from the Black Fang Leopard. One more step, and they'd be detected.

"This is insane," Jek hissed.

"Don't go past three meters or it'll notice us," Mike warned.

They ducked behind a tree opposite the clearing.

Suddenly, the leopard stirred. Its golden eyes snapped open.

Slash!

A dark arc of mana slashed into the shadows. Blood sprayed as a figure stumbled into view, clutching his stomach—wounded.

"What the hell… a Level 5 elite?" the dagger-wielder gasped, before grinning weakly. "Clever bastards."

ROAR!

The leopard went berserk, unleashing Phantom and vanishing into the shadows. Then came Dark Slash, again and again—until nothing remained.

Jek nearly vomited. The scene was brutal.

The remaining two students appeared too late.

"Damn… a high-level monster," the bow girl cursed.

The axe-wielder turned looking where are the two, Mike and Jek. "I see. You set this up. Not bad. But after we kill this thing, we're coming for you."

Mike's face hardened. "He's confident. Must have some kind of trick."

He tapped his watch—now active—and scanned them.

– Data Panel –

Name: Barn

Race: Human

Realm: Tier 1 [Level 5: 65/100]

Mana Heart: Metal Mana Heart [Earth Branch]

Scripture: Forge of Steel

Strength: 48 | Physique: 50 | Agility: 45 | Mana: 47

Native Skill: Metal Skin (Passive)

Skills: Skin Harden, Earth Bind, Metal Manipulation

Skin Harden – Enhances durability by converting skin into hardened metal.

Metal Manipulation – Control over metal depending on mana capacity.

– Data Panel –

Name: Dais

Race: Human

Realm: Tier 1 [Level 4: 25/100]

Mana Heart: Wind Mana Heart

Scripture: Sigh of the Wind

Strength: 44 | Physique: 42 | Agility: 49 | Mana: 43

Skills: Wind Arrow, Penetration

Penetration – Enhances attacks to pierce enemy defenses.

"That guy's skills…" Mike murmured. "He's solid. And he has skills like mine."

Jek gulped. "This exam… it's no joke."