The Flame Demon Wolf was consumed by rage. Pillars of fire erupted from its body, the intense heat scorching the surrounding greenery until the leaves shriveled and the air itself shimmered and distorted.

  BOOM!

  The earth fractured as the wolf lunged, leaving four deep claw marks in its wake. It streaked through the night like a falling star, a line of blazing crimson cutting through the darkness.

  "Is this the true power of a Class-rank beast?" Fei Xue muttered, her face pale as she stared at the encroaching wall of heat. "The flames can reach this far?"

  Lan Ye bit her lower lip, her voice laced with frustration. "Is it really still too difficult for us to defeat a Class-rank monster with our current strength?"

  "No, look! He’s in danger!" You Jiu cried out, her voice full of concern. Having taken the Healing Pill, she felt she owed Kael a debt. If he died here, she would never be able to forgive herself.

  However, Kael’s next move defied every expectation.

  "Too slow."

  Kael tapped the butt of the Sky-Piercer Halberd against the ground, vaulting into the air like a piece of drifting thistledown. He soared directly over the wolf’s head. At the exact moment the beast passed beneath him, Kael’s wrist snapped.

  The halberd whipped around at an impossible angle, slamming with brutal force into the existing wound on the wolf’s flank.

  THUD!

  A muffled shockwave echoed through the woods. The Flame Demon Wolf was sent hurtling sideways once again.

  Kael casually shouldered the halberd and began a leisurely stroll toward the fallen beast. In terms of raw, linear speed, Kael couldn't hold a candle to the wolf. But in a fight, positioning and reaction time were everything.

  With his heightened reflexes, the [Weapon Mastery] skill, and the adaptive nature of the Omni-Sphere, a Class-rank beast was no longer a threat. Unless an enemy possessed attributes that completely dwarfed his own in every single category, Kael could confidently say—without targeting anyone in particular—that everyone else was just trash.

  "Is... is this how he’s been fighting it the whole time?" You Jiu asked, staring at the others in disbelief.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  "Yes," Lan Ye nodded numbly. "Exactly like that."

  "He’s... he’s terrifyingly strong."

  The Lan Ye Squad was catatonic. They couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that someone could play with a Flame Demon Wolf as if it were a common pet. Usually, even a veteran Class-rank warrior couldn't achieve this level of dominance.

  And if a new Class-rank powerhouse had arrived in Cloud Mist City, there was no reason they wouldn't have heard of him.

  "Wait, something's wrong," Na Lan Qinqi whispered. She cast [Eye of Insight], a specialized detection spell. As she analyzed the mana fluctuations around Kael, her eyes widened. "He's only... Level 30. He's still just a Brave-rank!"

  "Brave-rank? Impossible!" Xiao Ya gasped.

  "Are you sure, Qinqi?" Fei Xue swallowed hard.

  "Level 30 and he’s soloing a Flame Demon Wolf? Heavens... and I actually tried to arrest him earlier..." You Jiu’s face burned with embarrassment at the memory.

  A Brave-rank taking down a Class-rank beast wasn't entirely unheard of in history, but those who achieved it were legendary masters of martial arts—names that were etched into the annals of history.

  The jump to Class-rank was a massive "Heavenly Chasm." To gain a Class Mark, one had to temper their inner power and make a definitive choice for their life’s path—Warrior, Knight, Assassin, or Elementalist. This choice brought a massive boost from the world’s natural energy, but it also imposed strict specializations.

  A Brave-rank mage can use any spell within their level. A Class-rank Fire Mage, however, gets a massive power surge to fire spells but loses the ability to cast other elements. Only a Class-rank specialist specifically built for dueling should be able to stand against a beast of this level.

  Yet, here was a Level 30 kid, treating a Class-rank predator like a training dummy.

  Back in the clearing, the wolf’s flames had sputtered out. Its once-mighty roars had faded into pathetic, dying whimpers.

  "Materials secured. Let's see what the synthesizer can make out of this," Kael muttered. He spun the halberd and drove the point through the wolf’s throat, ending its life with surgical efficiency.

  The girls watched the final blow in stunned silence.

  "It’s... over?"

  "What were we even struggling for all that time?"

  "He killed it so easily... is he really human?"

  The girls felt like they had experienced more shocks in the last ten minutes than they had in the past year.

  Usually, a Class-rank beast’s hide is a nightmare to pierce. Unless a warrior coats their blade in thick Battle Qi, it’s nearly impossible to draw blood. Yet, Kael’s weapon had slid through that throat like a hot knife through butter—and Lan Ye was certain there wasn't a single drop of Battle Qi on that blade.

  There was only one answer: that weapon was a high-tier artifact.

  "Who is he?" The question echoed in all their minds.

  Miraculous pills, an artifact-level weapon, and god-tier combat skills. Any one of those things could spark a war in the city. To see them all combined in one person was overwhelming.

  "Core, fangs, claws, pelt... and let's take a couple of bones this time," Kael muttered, shifting the sphere into a skinning knife with practiced ease.

  Once he finished harvesting, Kael walked back toward the huddle of girls.

  "I assume you used the pill?" Kael asked, glancing at the small ceramic bottle in Na Lan Qinqi’s hand.

  "Yes! Thank you so much for the medicine," You Jiu said, finally finding her voice. She stepped forward and bowed. "My name is You Jiu. May I ask who you are?"

  "Don't mention it," Kael said with a casual wave of his hand. "My name is Kael. I’m a shopkeeper."