The hellhound charged first, just as Nyx had anticipated. Lightly, he pushed mana into his legs and sidestepped, then slashed diagonally toward the beast's shoulder. It wasn't a perfect attack, but it was enough to visibly wound the dog.
The monster growled and attacked again. This time it leaped high, claws aimed at Nyx. He raised his sword, parried the strike, and then struck with his mana-enhanced fist against the side of the beast's jaw, sending it flying two meters backward.
Nyx seized the moment and dashed forward, delivering a clean strike to the monster's neck. The dog collapsed without making another sound.
He took a step back, breathing steadily. The fight had been shorter than he expected, but it gave him a solid idea of his power.
Then…
—Rustle… then another… then a third.
He slowly raised his head.
Three shadows moved between the trees, coming clearly into view.
Three more hellhounds.
"Of course… it couldn't be this easy," he muttered with a hint of dry humor.
They didn't wait. Two attacked together while the third hung back, observing.
Nyx channeled mana into his legs, feeling the subtle pressure in his bones and the surge of energy in his muscles. He jumped backward, then moved forward faster than their attack, striking the first. But the second was quicker than he anticipated, lunging at his arm—its claws scraping his skin, leaving a red mark.
Nyx flinched slightly but didn't stop. He spun quickly, and with the back of his sword, struck the second beast's head hard, slamming it into the ground.
The first returned, lunging again. This time, Nyx used part of his body's enhanced strength—he raised his leg, focused his mana, and kicked the monster with enough force to send it flying into a tree trunk.
He didn't have time. The third dog, who had been waiting, suddenly attacked from behind. Nyx felt the air shift behind him, lowering his head just in time before the beast's claws could hit the spot he had vacated.
He spun swiftly, grabbed his sword with both hands, and delivered a straight strike to its chest. The blow didn't kill the monster but disoriented it enough.
Nyx took a step back, then lunged forward with all his strength. His sword shimmered with a faint blue glow of enhanced mana. He cut cleanly through one of the beasts, which fell motionless.
Two remained.
The second monster, struck by the sword's edge, rose growling furiously. It lunged at Nyx madly, but this time he didn't dodge. He planted his feet, raised his sword, parried from above, and smashed its jaw with a powerful side strike.
The creature collapsed, unconscious.
Only the last one remained—the one that had left a scratch on Nyx's arm just minutes before.
Nyx faced it directly. The monster advanced cautiously, testing the distance.
The moment it lunged, Nyx moved too.
The claws passed just centimeters from his shoulder, but he didn't stop. He struck the beast's jaw with a mana-enhanced fist, then followed through with a decisive sword strike.
The final dog fell at last, scattering leaves around them from the intensity of the movements.
Nyx stood for a few seconds, breathing deeply. He glanced at his arm, which bore a long, bleeding scratch.
"Not bad… could have done it without injuries, but it's fine."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the fallen monsters around him. This trial had been better than he expected—hard enough to measure his ability, easy enough to survive.
He felt a slight tremor in his fingers. Maybe from adrenaline… maybe from excitement.
"So… I can control my power more than I thought."
He raised his gaze toward the depths of the forest.
And though he didn't say it aloud, the thought was clear in his mind:
This is just the beginning.