The sudden appearance of the Mutated Yu Beast completely disrupted Shao Han's carefully prepared strategy.
Originally, according to his calculations, the combined strength of more than a dozen elite cadets, together with his own combat ability, would have been more than enough to eliminate two Combat Level 15 Head Beasts.
It should have been an easy victory.
But a Mutated Entity was entirely different.
No one could accurately predict the strength of a mutated Remnant Beast. Its mutation could alter not only its body, but also its abilities, combat instincts, and even its spiritual attributes.
In other words—
The situation had already spiraled beyond anyone's control.
"Don't panic!"
Shao Han took a deep breath and forcefully steadied himself.
"Even if it's mutated, it's still only a Remnant Beast! Stick to the original plan!"
He raised the massive frost blade in his hand and shouted loudly:
"Main Attackers, move in! Archers, prepare to fire!"
Under his command, the panicking cadets quickly regained some composure.
Weapons were drawn one after another.
Spiritual Power surged through the battlefield.
"Move!"
Shao Han charged forward first, dragging the enormous frost blade across the ground, sparks flying beneath it.
Several Main Attackers followed closely behind him while the rear-line Archers rapidly drew their bows.
Arrows infused with Spiritual Power shot through the air like streams of light, flying over Shao Han and heading directly toward the enormous Mutated Yu Beast.
At that moment, the entirely crimson-colored beast slowly lifted its head.
Its giant nostrils flared as it sniffed the air heavily.
It smelled Spiritual Power.
To Remnant Beasts, Spiritual Power was the most delicious scent imaginable.
And human flesh infused with Spiritual Power…
Was its favorite food.
Facing the incoming volley of arrows, the Mutated Yu Beast merely swung its massive arm casually.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The arrows shattered instantly, as though swatted aside by a giant hammer.
Seeing this, Shao Han gritted his teeth.
"Attack its ankles first!"
He shouted toward the Heavy Weapon users.
"Knock it down before anything else!"
The Mutated Yu Beast's enormous body looked bulky and cumbersome. According to textbook combat tactics, once a large-type beast lost its balance, its weak points would become easy targets.
Everything Shao Han was doing followed the exact procedures taught at the academy.
However—
The Mutated Yu Beast simply lowered its head slightly and glanced at them.
And for a brief moment, Shao Han felt something terrifying.
Disdain.
He could actually sense mockery in the beast's eyes.
Before the cadets could even close the distance, the Flesh Hammer attached to the beast's right arm suddenly rose high into the air.
At the same time—
A horrifying amount of Spiritual Power rapidly condensed around it.
The pressure alone caused everyone's expressions to change instantly.
"This pressure…!"
Shao Han's pupils contracted violently.
The Combat Level of this Mutated Yu Beast wasn't fifteen.
Nor twenty.
It had reached Combat Level 30!
This wasn't merely a mutated beast anymore.
It was a Beast King.
A true ruler among the Remnant Beast horde.
"Damn it!"
"The situation's changed!"
"Retreat immediately!"
Shao Han abandoned the original plan without the slightest hesitation.
For a group of cadets whose Combat Levels were mostly still in the single digits, challenging a Combat Level 30 Beast King was pure suicide.
Unfortunately—
It was already too late.
BOOM!!!
The Flesh Hammer suddenly burst into blazing flames before smashing violently against the ground.
The earth exploded instantly.
A massive shockwave of fire-attributed Spiritual Power spread outward like a tidal wave, racing directly toward Shao Han and the others.
Everything happened far too quickly.
The terrifying shockwave swallowed the front-line Main Attackers almost instantly.
Four cadets were directly engulfed by the flames.
The thin layers of Spiritual Power protecting their bodies shattered immediately under the overwhelming force.
And the next thing to break—
Were their internal organs.
"Pfft—!"
The four cadets were blasted backward like broken dolls, blood spraying uncontrollably from their mouths.
Although their bodies looked mostly intact externally, their insides had already been destroyed completely.
Only Shao Han barely survived.
And even then, it wasn't because he was stronger than the others.
At the critical moment, a black circular shield suddenly appeared in his hand.
It was an Ember Relic personally prepared by his father.
Shao Han possessed two Ember Relics in total—
One for offense.
One for defense.
Without that defensive relic, the attack from such close range would have killed him instantly.
Inside the monitoring room, the expressions of the three instructors changed dramatically.
"A Combat Level 30 Mutated Beast King actually appeared?"
Xu Zhixiong frowned deeply.
"This trial can no longer continue normally."
"Activate the emergency response protocol immediately."
"We need to eliminate it before unnecessary casualties increase."
However, before anyone could act, another voice interrupted.
"Wait."
Zhang Biao crossed his thick arms and stared at the screen with a strange smile.
"The trial isn't over yet."
"I think we should let the cadets decide their own fate."
A playful look appeared in his eyes.
"Isn't that far more interesting?"
Back in the ruins, Shao Han was sent flying backward by the impact.
Although the Ember Relic shield saved his life, the terrifying pressure emitted by the Beast King still caused his expression to become extremely ugly.
Mutations among Remnant Beasts were incredibly rare.
The probability was comparable to an ordinary family suddenly producing an A-Rank genius.
And somehow—
He had encountered exactly that kind of nightmare.
"Retreat!"
Shao Han shouted once more before turning and fleeing immediately.
He didn't even glance back.
The four cadets lying on the ground, their organs ruptured and blood pouring from their mouths, stared at his retreating figure with eyes filled with hatred and despair.
It was Shao Han who had insisted on attacking.
Even after realizing the target was mutated, he still chose to fight.
And now they were dying because of it.
How could they not hate him?
At that same moment, the teams led by Zhao Mu and Mo Guanguan also arrived nearby.
The enormous disturbance naturally attracted their attention immediately.
"That's a huge commotion…"
"What's happening over there?"
Both teams instinctively rushed toward the source.
After all, everyone assumed another group had found valuable prey.
Stealing points during the trial wasn't uncommon.
However, the instant they arrived and saw the gigantic Beast King standing in the center of the ruined sinkhole—
Everyone froze.
Shock filled their eyes instantly.
Meng Qiuqiu's face turned pale.
"How could something like this appear during a cadet training camp?!"
The Beast King ignored the fleeing Shao Han.
Instead, it slowly opened its massive mouth.
Spiritual Power rapidly gathered within its throat, compressing into a swirling crimson vortex of flames.
Then—
ROAR!!!
The vortex exploded outward, transforming into a gigantic Fire Dragon that shot toward the fleeing cadets several hundred meters away.
Seeing the incoming attack, Shao Han turned around instantly.
He pushed his Frost Spiritual Power to its absolute limit.
The black Ember Relic shield in his hands became completely coated in thick ice.
"Block it!!"
BOOOOM!!!
The enormous Fire Dragon slammed directly into the shield.
Although the Ember Relic neutralized most of the attack, the consumption of Spiritual Power was horrifying.
Shao Han's legs carved two deep trenches into the ground as he was forced backward violently.
His face turned pale.
"Run!"
"This thing is impossible for us to defeat!"
At the same time, he shouted frantically into his electronic wristband.
"Instructor!"
"A Combat Level 30 Mutated Beast has appeared in the trial zone!"
"This exceeds our capabilities!"
"Requesting immediate support!"
Inside the monitoring room, Zhang Biao calmly placed both hands on the control panel.
Then his cold voice echoed through every cadet's wrist communicator.
"You may choose to withdraw immediately."
"The Giant Eagle transport team will evacuate you."
"But…"
His voice became colder.
"You are currently in active combat."
"Withdrawing now will be treated as fleeing from battle."
"Seventy percent of your points will be deducted."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed dramatically.
For cadets participating in the entrance boot camp, points were incredibly important.
They represented future resources, status, opportunities, and rankings.
Losing seventy percent of their points was almost equivalent to destroying their future.
But if they stayed—
They might die.
For a moment, silence filled the battlefield.
Everyone's faces became ugly.
Fear spread uncontrollably through the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Beast King slowly stepped forward once more.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Each footstep shook the ground like an earthquake.
Its enormous crimson body radiated terrifying heat while flames continuously burned around the Flesh Hammer attached to its arm.
The pressure alone made breathing difficult.
And then—
The Beast King smiled.
Or at least, it looked like a smile.
A cruel, bloodthirsty expression appeared on its monstrous face as it stared at the terrified cadets before it.
To it—
These humans were no longer enemies.
They were prey.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)