As Atticus fell rapidly, he reached for the compass inside the bag and he manipulated the air to slow down his decent, landing coolly.
The others who had flying artifacts in their possession had already brought them out, using them to slow down their descent and dodge the Skythorns. These artifacts were engraved with runes that converted the user's mana, allowing them to fly.
"Let's get this over with," Atticus mumbled, and in an instant, he vanished from sight.
Watching from above, the five widened their eyes in surprise. They remembered the instructor's words about rank and treatment in camp. Determined not to lose, they decided to get serious.
The girl with control over fire ignited her power, propelling herself toward Atticus with a fiery burst. Meanwhile, the others having not awakened their bloodlines, swiftly chased them with their artifact.
"Lucas, faster! We can't lose!" Nate shouted.
"Calm down, Nate! We'll burn through our mana too quickly at this rate!" Lucas shouted back. The artifacts functioned primarily on the mana they were provided, and moving too fast would deplete it rapidly.
Atticus dashed through the dense forest, his movements a blur of speed. Years of intense training had elevated his endurance to an impressive level, allowing him to maintain this pace for hours without breaking a sweat.
As time passed, Atticus gradually outpaced the others, leaving them far behind in his wake.
Deep within the forest, a young magical beast was hiding within a dense bush. His keen eyes fixed upon the river not far from it, it remained vigilant, waiting for prey.
He had recently reached adulthood, and had ventured from its home in pursuit of his first successful hunt. Hours of fruitless efforts had left it ravenous, a gnawing hunger that now drove it to lay in ambush.
Time ticked by slowly as the magical beast patiently waited. Then, as if answering its silent plea, a deer emerged from the shadows, approaching the river's edge for a drink.
Heart pounding with excitement, the beast held its breath, observing every move of its unsuspecting prey. When the deer bent down to drink, the beast seized the moment and lunged forward, swift and deadly. In an instant, the hunt was a success – the deer lay still, its struggle no more.
Its elation was palpable and it prepared to feast upon its hard-earned meal. Then suddenly an unexpected darkness clouded its vision.
A surreal disconnect settled upon its body, and before its disbelieving eyes, he saw a white-haired boy, gracefully sheathing a gleaming katana. The truth struck like a thunderbolt – it had been beheaded.
In its final moments, the magical beast's thoughts echoed with a mix of bewilderment and frustration, 'You should have at least let me eat.' And with that last fleeting thought, its existence faded into the unknown.
"Hmm? Why do I feel bad?" Atticus muttered to himself, his brow furrowing in confusion. He paused for a moment, pondering the unfamiliar sensation that had crept over him. Shaking his head as if to dismiss the unease, he let out a soft sigh and shrugged.
"Well, this is boring. I was expecting more excitement, but this is pretty easy," Atticus mused, his initial anticipation replaced by a hint of disappointment.
He had hoped for a greater challenge to aid in his quest for strength, and if this was all the camp had to offer, he feared he might be wasting his time there.
Atticus shrugged and kept moving, following the direction the compass was pointing to.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Aurora's frustration grew. She had been hailed as a super genius ever since she awakened her transcendent talent at the age of 7. She was confident she would outshine everyone at camp.
'How can he be so fast!' she thought, her determination turning into annoyance. She had relentlessly chased him for hours, expecting him to stop once his mana got depleted.
Hastily absorbing more mana after she ran out, she resumed her pursuit, hoping to catch up. To her astonishment, he had vanished from sight, leaving no trace behind.
"I will not lose, I'm the genius," she affirmed to herself. In an instant, her body erupted into a swirling inferno of flames. The intensity of her magic propelled her forward, a comet of fire streaking through the air toward the unsuspecting magical beast.
The beast, caught off guard, was engulfed in searing heat as Aurora's fiery form collided with it.
With the same fiery determination that had propelled her, Aurora swiftly redirected her powers, launching herself away from the scene of destruction leaving a bewildered duo who had borne witness to her astonishing display.
"Lucas, what are you doing! We're going to lose!" Nate exclaimed, as he hurriedly chased after the departing Aurora.
"I'm coming!" Lucas declared
***
Three men sat, engaged in a game of cards in front of a large gate. "Who do you think will get here first?" one of the men spoke.
"I'm not sure. But I heard that young miss Aurora already became an intermediate- rank. It'll probably be her."
"This generation is filled with talents. During our time, the human domain would have been in a frenzy if there was an intermediate 10-year-old,"
"I heard the Alverians got their own super genius. A new change is coming," the third man added.
Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a white-haired boy emerging from the bushes. The unexpected sight left the three men astounded. "Wait? Are you a new trainee?" one of the men inquired.
Atticus, responded camly, "Yeah."
The second man couldn't help his astonishment, exclaiming, "How is that possible! The test just started a few hours ago! How did you get here?"
"I ran."
Before they could react, Atticus continued, "I passed the test, right? Can I go in?"
The question hung in the air, before one of them finally responded, "Yes, you can. Just go straight ahead and you'd see a hall. You would have to wait for the others so we'll address you together. Open the gates!"
The gate began creak and open. Without wasting any time Atticus entered the gates, leaving the three men staring in a mix of surprise and disbelief.
As Atticus stepped through the open gate, he was met with an awe-inspiring sight. Before him, a huge mountain with towering buildings built around it. Youths, all adorned with striking white hair, bustled about the area, entering and exiting the structures.
"It's practically a small town" he muttered. 'It seems the whole place is engraved with an illusion rune. I didn't see the mountain from outside'
Atticus followed the instruction and approached the colossal building that stood at the forefront.
Entering through its open doors, Atticus was met with a massive auditorium-like space, rows of chairs stretched out in front of him, converging toward a central podium.
He chose a seat toward the back of the auditorium and sat. With nothing to do, he closed his eyes and started absorbing mana. 'The density of mana in this area is high' he thought.
Back aboard the flying ship, an air of astonishment still clung to the five men as they grappled with the extraordinary feat they had just witnessed. Among them, one broke the silence, his voice tinged with disbelief, "He reached there in 3 hours!"
"Yeah. To think we have another 10-year-old intermediate rank. Why was the main family keeping this a secret?" another replied. Achieving intermediate rank at such a young age was indeed an impressive feat, which was why people were praising Aurora. The average strength of the first years was novice rank, with only a few being at novice+.
"It doesn't matter," Elias asserted. "We should just focus on nurturing his growth. And you know what? I think it's a good thing that Aurora has found herself a rival. It'll push her to strive even harder, I've never seen her put in this much effort before," he concluded with a knowing smile.
The others nodded in understanding. They too had been worried about Aurora's growing ego.
Amidst their conversation, the preoccupied countenance of one man went unnoticed. His troubled expression betrayed his inner turmoil as he grappled with conflicted thoughts, silently reasoning, 'I'm sorry, but I have to protect my family.'
