Max took deep breaths, his chest heaving as his eyes locked onto the 16 remaining monsters before him.
In that instant, he vanished and reappeared before one of the monsters, delivering a powerful punch downward.
BOOM!
The monster was instantly slammed into the ground, its bones shattered.
A werewolf-type monster lunged at him from behind, but with Max's Three Dimensional Body skill, it barely stood a chance.
He spun around, grabbing the werewolf's clawed hand, and punched it in the gut.
Bang!
The monster was sent flying to the other side of the arena, crashing into the wall, its blood and bones splattering on impact.
Max breathed heavily, scanning his surroundings and noticing two more monsters approaching from either side. They were a Shadowfang Panther and a Skywind Drake.
He back stepped just in time, dodging their attacks. However, in that moment, another monster appeared from behind—a lightning rhino with a horn crackling with charged lightning.
Max reacted swiftly, bending his legs in preparation, but at the same moment, the lightning rhino unleashed its charged attack.
Chil-la!
Max focused entirely on the lightning-charged horn, and just as the attack shot toward him, he jumped and performed a somersault, landing behind the lightning rhino.
Bang!
The lightning-charged attack struck the two other monsters that had attacked him earlier, scorching their skin black. Though they were severely injured, they didn't die. They turned toward the lightning rhino and charged at it, baring their fangs.
Seeing the lightning rhino distracted, Max decided to seize the opportunity to eliminate it and the other two monsters. But he noticed the remaining 11 monsters would reach them any second.
'I need to finish this quickly,' Max thought, and his figure blurred as he appeared behind the lightning rhino, targeting its back with a punch.
Bang! Your adventure continues at empire
The lightning rhino didn't stand a chance. It was blasted away, but it didn't go alone. The Shadowfang Panther and Skywind Drake were carried along by the force of the attack. All three were sent hurtling back from Max's blow.
"This isn't over!" Max shouted, disappearing again, appearing above the three monsters and delivering three crushing punches.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each punch sent the monsters crashing into the ground, creating a deep crater.
Max then turned his attention to the remaining 11 monsters, smiling. "Come on." He raised his hand, and red searing flames enveloped his right arm up to his elbow.
"His mana is restored? How is that possible?" One of the young hunters shouted in shock.
"He's using his fire-related skill again... Wasn't his mana almost drained?" others wondered, equally surprised.
Ryan furrowed his brow, pondering. "If I'm not mistaken, this kid intentionally turned off his fire-related skills to conserve mana for the last few monsters. I think he plans to annihilate the rest of them in seconds. He probably has only a short window of time before his mana is completely drained." He explained his thoughts.
At that moment, Max turned to Ryan, pointing at him with a smile. "You'd better record this moment," he said before disappearing again.
What followed was a repeat of the opening of the battle—a one-sided slaughter.
Max's figure blurred as his blazing right arm tore through the monsters like a weapon of pure destruction.
The air shimmered with heat as he dashed at the nearest beast, flames trailing behind him. With one crushing punch, the creature exploded into burning fragments, its roar cut short.
Max turned sharply, his speed leaving faint streaks in the air. Another monster lunged at him, claws outstretched, but its attack was stopped cold. His fiery fist slammed into its chest with a deafening boom, causing it to explode into pieces.
"He's reached 91 kills..." the bald-headed man muttered, turning to Ryan, his voice cracking in shock.
Ryan gritted his teeth but wore a grin on his face. "This kid is an absolute monster. He did exactly what he said he would." He couldn't believe he was supervising a test where someone was setting a new record for the highest number of kills. He felt proud for some reason.
The young hunters watched in awe, their eyes glued to Max. They couldn't look away—they didn't want to. Max was making history within the Phoenix Order guild, and they all wanted to witness the moment when he stood alone in the arena, surrounded by the remains of monsters.
---
The remaining monsters faltered, fear flickering in their glowing eyes as they saw the flames blazing on Max's hand. They recalled the massacre at the start of the battle, and the events that had just unfolded, both of which caused them to cower in fear.
'It's time to finish this,' Max thought as he closed the distance before they could react. A downward strike shattered the defenses of a hulking beast, while a quick backhand set another ablaze. Each attack was swift and precise, leaving no chance for resistance.
Max then turned his attention to the last few monsters, disappearing once again and slaughtering them in an instant.
In moments, it was over. The last monster crumbled to the ground, its charred body parts scattered across the arena. Max stood at the center, his blazing arm dimming as the heat began to fade. His breaths were steady, his face calm, as if the entire ordeal had meant nothing to him.
The arena lay silent, the ground scorched and lifeless, with only Max's heavy breathing echoing through the space.
"He did it. He killed all the monsters."
"Damn, this kid is terrifying. To do all this while still at level 6 is mind-boggling."
"I'm glad I was here to witness this."
"Me too. Even if I failed the overall test, I'd leave with a smile on my face. It's not every day you get to see something like this."
The young hunters erupted in cheers. They were astonished to see someone set a new record. They felt lucky to have shared the test with Max.
"He did it... His strength is what I desire," Lyra muttered in shock, her eyes locked on Max, her thoughts unknown.
On the other side, the adults were even more shocked than the young hunters.
"He did it... He killed all the monsters and set a record for the generations to come," Ryan said, jumping with a grin on his face, his joy palpable. Witnessing this moment, a scene that had never been done before—killing all 100 monsters in a single go—was a moment he would never forget.
"All 100 monsters..." the bald-headed man muttered in disbelief. He couldn't believe that someone had just killed 100 monsters in one go while still in the Novice Rank.
In Novice Rank, this task seemed almost impossible. The source of mana in Novice Rank flowed throughout the body—through the blood, through the cells—and because of this, mana was spread thin, making it difficult to draw a sufficient amount for personal use. One could barely manage to perform a few moves before running out of mana.
Only in the Apprentice Rank, after forming a mana core, could one accumulate enough mana for such a demanding task. Yet, they had witnessed someone accomplish the impossible in the Novice Rank, level 6.