The wood groaned.

  SNAP.

  The massive pine trees shattered like toothpicks. The Alpha exploded from the trap, shaking off tons of timber. It was no longer just angry; it was in a frenzy.

  "Elara, now!" Amari shouted.

  "Ignite!" Elara screamed.

  A concentrated beam of orange fire shot from her wand, hitting the Alpha directly in the throat. The silver fur sizzled, turning black and brittle. The heat softened the magical hide just enough for a physical strike to penetrate.

  Now, Amari thought.

  He lunged.

  He visualized the cave painting. The warrior. The Spear-Hand. The flow of energy.

  He drove his right hand forward, fingers extended and stiffened with the Breath of Iron, aiming for the blackened spot on the wolf's neck.

  Pierce.

  His fingertips hit the Alpha’s throat.

  CRACK.

  But it wasn't the wolf's throat that cracked.

  It was Amari’s fingers.

  The hide, even softened by fire, was denser than concrete. Amari’s index and middle fingers buckled under the impact, dislocating instantly. The strike bounced off harmlessly.

  "Gah!" Amari grunted, stumbling back, clutching his mangled hand.

  Too hard, his mind raced. I'm not at Stage 2 yet. My bones aren't sharp enough.

  The Alpha didn't give him time to mourn his fingers. It swung a massive paw.

  Amari ducked, but the wind pressure alone sent him tumbling through the mud.

  The Alpha roared and lunged at Amari’s prone form, jaws wide open.

  "Get away from him!"

  Elara stepped in between them. She held her wand with both hands, screaming in desperation.

  [Spell: Pyro-Blast - MAX OUTPUT]

  She didn't hold anything back. She dumped every ounce of mana she had into a single explosion.

  BOOM!

  A wall of fire slammed into the Alpha, knocking the three-ton beast backward into the trees.

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  But the recoil hit Elara just as hard. Her wand shattered. She collapsed to her knees, blood leaking from her nose. Her face was pale white.

  "I... I'm out," she gasped, falling face-forward into the mud. Mana exhaustion. She couldn't move a finger.

  The Alpha shook its head, extinguishing the flames. It was scorched, bleeding, and furious. It looked at the unconscious girl, then at the crippled boy.

  It walked slowly toward Elara. It was going to kill the mage first.

  Amari stood up. His left arm was bitten. His right hand was useless, two fingers bent at sickening angles.

  He looked at the monster. Then he looked at his broken hand.

  The painting was for a Master, Amari realized, the pain sharpening his mind. The Spear-Hand requires Diamond Skin. I only have Iron Skin. I tried to use a needle, but I'm just a blunt object.

  He snapped his dislocated fingers back into place with a wet pop. He didn't flinch.

  If I can't pierce... I have to crush.

  He changed his stance. He didn't extend his fingers this time. He curled them into a claw—the Vice Grip.

  "Hey, ugliness," Amari rasped.

  The Alpha turned its glowing blue eyes back to him.

  Amari banged his chest with his good hand. "Come get what you marked."

  The Alpha roared and charged.

  This time, Amari didn't try to slide under. He didn't try to be fancy.

  He stood his ground.

  When the Alpha opened its jaws to bite his head off, Amari didn't dodge. He shoved his left arm—the one wrapped in thick bandages—straight into the wolf’s mouth.

  Chomp.

  The teeth sank into his forearm again. The pain was blinding. His fingers went numb instantly as nerves were severed. But Amari’s bones held.

  He had sacrificed the arm to get inside the guard.

  With the wolf latching onto his left arm, its throat was exposed.

  Amari didn't strike the hide. He grabbed it.

  His right hand, formed into the Vice Grip, clamped onto the wolf’s windpipe. He dug his thumbs deep into the soft tissue, bypassing the hard outer fur.

  [System Event: Execution Window Active] [Bonus Condition: Kill Confirmed Without Mana Use] [Error: Condition Impossible. Logging Anyway...]

  "Breath of Iron..." Amari hissed, his eyes glowing with adrenaline.

  He didn't push. He squeezed.

  He poured every ounce of oxygen, every calorie from the Boar Liver, every drop of rage into his grip strength.

  CRUNCH.

  The sound was wet and terrible. The Alpha’s windpipe collapsed under the pressure.

  The beast panicked. It thrashed, clawing at Amari’s chest, shredding his uniform, drawing deep lines of blood across his ribs.

  Amari didn't let go. He stared into the Alpha’s blue eyes as the light began to fade.

  "You... are... prey," Amari snarled.

  CRUNCH.

  He squeezed harder, crushing the larynx completely.

  The Alpha convulsed once. Twice.

  Then, the massive silver body went limp.

  Amari held it for another ten seconds, making sure. Finally, he let go. The monster fell to the mud with a heavy thud.

  Amari stood there, swaying. He was bleeding from a dozen wounds. His mana was zero. His stamina was zero.

  But above the corpse, a holographic notification popped up. It was blue, bright, and impossible to ignore.

  [SYSTEM ALERT] [Hidden Boss Defeated: Silver-Back Alpha] [Contribution Points Earned: +450 CP] [Boss Bonus: +300 CP] [Total: +750 CP]

  [Reward Pending: Core Assimilation Attempt Detected.] [Error: Target Has No Mana Core.] [System Response: Marking “Void Vessel” for Manual Review.]

  Amari spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

  "System," he muttered. "Mute notifications."

  He limped over to Elara. He checked her pulse. It was weak, but steady. She was just drained.

  He sat down next to her, leaning his back against the dead Alpha. He closed his eyes.

  He had won. But he knew this was just the tutorial.