The wild monster before him was made entirely of stone, roughly shaped like a human.
Ethan squinted, trying to recall what he had studied over the past few weeks. Judging from its structure and energy, he guessed this creature was a Rock Elemental, a type of monster born from condensed earth energy.
At first glance, he had mistaken it for an ordinary pile of stones. But as he got closer, the so-called stone pile suddenly stood upright with a loud clatter, pieces of rock grinding against each other as a faint glow appeared within its body.
Before the Rock Elemental could even attack, Ethan's battle companion, Da Dao Zai, had already taken action. The great reaper swung his massive scythe in one smooth arc—
Swish!
The blade cut through the creature's body effortlessly. The Rock Elemental was cleaved cleanly into two halves, its body collapsing with a loud crash as hundreds of small stones rolled across the ground.
Ethan frowned as the creature began to move again. The severed parts rejoined themselves, the cracks vanishing as if time had been reversed. Within moments, the Rock Elemental stood tall again, completely unscathed.
It was the first time Da Dao Zai had faced something that could reform after being split in half.
Without hesitation, he swung again—once, twice, thrice.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
This time the creature shattered into dozens of smaller fragments. The scythe struck one of them, and a sharp cracking sound echoed. Ethan's sharp eyes caught sight of a small glowing core breaking in two.
Kacha!
The sound was crisp and final. He instantly knew that the Rock Elemental's core had been destroyed.
Without its heartstone, the creature could not regenerate. The glowing cracks dimmed, and the entire structure crumbled into a heap of motionless rubble.
Among the pile, a half-split black bead lay glimmering faintly. Da Dao Zai tilted his head, seemingly trying to understand its purpose.
Then, as the dust settled, a white treasure chest appeared beside the fallen stones. Ethan opened it with practiced ease.
> "System prompt: You gained a large amount of experience points and obtained a Rock Crystal Nucleus."
He blinked. "A large amount?" he repeated, surprised.
The monster was only around level fifteen—hardly impressive. Yet the experience it granted was massive, even greater than that of the giant python boss they had defeated not long ago.
Ethan checked his stats. Despite half a month of non-stop fighting, he had only managed to reach level 27. His progress had been painfully slow.
Now, though, a single Rock Elemental had pushed his experience bar forward more than any boss fight before.
"This place is a paradise for leveling up," he muttered, eyes gleaming.
He suddenly understood why the academy only allowed each student to enter the secret realm once. If they were permitted to repeat the exam, someone could just farm experience endlessly until they became unstoppable.
"I have to make full use of this chance," Ethan whispered. "Just three more levels, and I'll unlock my next SSS-rank talent."
Motivated by that thought, he moved faster.
From then on, every Rock Elemental he met fell within seconds. Da Dao Zai's scythe swept through them like a storm. Even harmless rock piles on the roadside didn't escape his instinctive strikes.
For Ethan, these enemies were easy prey—but for other students trapped in this same dungeon, the Rock Elementals were a nightmare. Their bodies were hard as steel, and unless one managed to shatter their core, the monsters would endlessly regenerate.
Many students cursed their luck after realizing they had spawned in a zone filled with such monsters.
Meanwhile, Ethan rampaged through the area like a storm. He didn't sneak around or move carefully like others did. Wherever he pointed, Da Dao Zai charged straight ahead, scythe flashing in the dim light.
Soon, he stumbled upon another player in the secret realm—a girl about his age. She was petite, dressed in a white combat outfit, and currently trembling as she fended off two small Rock Elementals.
When she saw Ethan approaching, her eyes widened in recognition. The number-one ranked student of their class—him.
Realizing resistance would be useless, she sighed heavily, opened her inventory, and took out a white treasure chest.
"This is my treasure chest," she said nervously. "Please don't force me out of the secret realm…"
Her voice shook. She knew Ethan's strength—fighting back would be pointless. So, like someone accepting their fate, she closed her eyes and stood still.
Ten seconds passed.
When she finally opened her eyes again, Ethan was already gone.
"Eh?" she blinked, confused. Then she pouted, stomping her foot in frustration. "What's that supposed to mean? You don't even want my treasure chest?!"
Unbeknownst to her, Ethan wasn't interested in stealing from other students. The treasure chests only affected the final entrance-exam score; they didn't grant experience points. The real reward lay in the monsters and the rare materials—especially the Rock Crystal Cores, which were extremely valuable outside the secret realm.
Half an hour later, Ethan encountered another student, this time a tall boy.
The moment the boy recognized Ethan, his face turned pale. Without a word, he turned around and sprinted away like a man chased by death itself.
Unfortunately, his panic attracted several Rock Elementals, who immediately began chasing him down the narrow path.
Ethan just scratched his head. "Are all these students this nervous?"
It wasn't really their fault. Before entering the secret realm, the instructors had given everyone strict warnings—never trust other examinees, even classmates. It was a competition after all, and betrayal was not uncommon.
Still, Ethan's own mentor had skipped that warning for him, probably assuming that no one could threaten Ethan anyway.
Ignoring the chaos behind him, Ethan continued forward, slicing through every Rock Elemental in his path.
As he advanced, he noticed the ground gradually sloping upward. "Is this… a mountain?" he wondered aloud.
The air grew thinner, and the terrain rougher. The higher he climbed, the stronger the monsters became. Soon, the regular Rock Elementals gave way to dark-brown variants with traces of glittering ore embedded in their bodies.
These were Ore-Infused Rock Elementals, far stronger than the earlier ones. Their movements were heavier, and their bodies reflected faint golden light.
Ethan grinned. "Looks like I'm going the right way."
The stronger the monsters became, the closer he was to the heart of the secret realm. And the higher the level, the greater the experience reward.
The next battle proved tougher. Even with Da Dao Zai's devastating attacks, Ethan still had to dodge several times before landing the killing blow. The Ore Elemental shattered into pieces, leaving behind a green-colored treasure chest.
He opened it eagerly.
> "System prompt: You gained a large amount of experience points and discovered a Rock Core Fragment."
Ethan's smile widened. The reward was even higher than before.
"That settles it," he murmured. "The higher I climb, the stronger the monsters—and the more experience I'll get."
Determined, he called out to his companion.
"Come on out, Anti-Bone Boy!"
From a cloud of dark mist emerged a tall skeletal creature with a single curved horn on its head.
"Activate 'Breaking Army' mode," Ethan ordered.
The skeleton's body flared with crimson energy, bones creaking as its strength multiplied. Ethan jumped onto its broad shoulders, holding onto the horn like a handle to keep his balance.
"Alright, partner," he said, grinning. "Charge forward! Let's see how high we can climb!"
At his command, Anti-Bone Boy roared and began sprinting uphill, crushing loose rocks beneath its feet. The wind howled around them as Ethan pointed his blade toward the mountain's peak, excitement burning in his eyes.
Ahead lay stronger enemies, greater rewards, and maybe—just maybe—the final step toward unlocking the powerful SSS talent he had been dreaming of.
And with that, their unstoppable climb began.
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