Aston turned to Yosef. "And you?"

Yosef grinned, and waved his hand around. At that moment, something slithered from his cloak down to his arm. It was a snake clad in orange and red scales like a band.

"My spirit beast is a Scorching Venom Krait. Not strong physically, but it's excellent with terrain denial - heat waves, smoke screens, venom fire. Pair her with my potions, and we're a walking disaster zone."

Aston looked at the serpent.

—

[Spirit Beast: Scorching Venom Krait]

[Type: Bestial]

[Attribute: Fire/Poison]

[Genus: Bungarus]

[Rank: 1-star]

[Potential: 9-star]

[Description: A poisonous serpent with alternating red and orange scales. It is known for its lethal venom and volatile internal heat. It hunts with cunning and when provoked, lashes out with burning venom that eats through flesh and spirit barriers.]

[Skills:]

[Ember Haze: Releases an orange smoke from its mouth that causes burning corrosion. Targets suffer lingering poison that stacks with each use.]

[Next skill will be unlocked at 3-star]

[Passive Skills:]

[Thermal Shedding: When struck, the Scorching Venom Krait instinctively releases bursts of heat from beneath its scales, burning away physical bindings or weak crowd-control effects.]

[Innate Skills:]

[Toxic Wave: Upon receiving significant damage, the krait releases a sudden burst of vaporized venom within a 3-meter radius. Causes low visibility and short-term hallucinations or disorientation in low-resistance targets.]

[Next skill will be unlocked at 5-star]

—

"Wow, pretty useful," Aston muttered. "I'll call for cover or chaos when we need it.

"And you?" Genevieve asked.

Aston hesitated for half a breath. "You've seen Mirage. It's an ice-type scouting beast. High aerial vision, speed, and translucency. I link with it for real-time scans."

Genevieve looked impressed. "That explains a lot."

Just then, letters and words flashed across Aston's vision.

[Alert: Spirit signature variance detected.]

[Original target has undergone metamorphic anomaly.]

[Estimated threat level: 5-star]

Aston stopped running. This was immediately noticed by the other two and stopped as well.

"What's wrong?" Yosef asked.

"Change of plan. The monster mutated."

Genevieve cursed under her breath. "Seriously? How does that even happen?"

"Could be the forest. Corruption. Or maybe it was never stable to begin with."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Yosef looked between them. "Do we abort?"

"No." Aston's voice was firm. "We adapt."

He stared ahead where the trees thinned toward the craggy rise. The air felt thicker now, laced with tension. A low rumble echoed faintly from the distance which was barely audible. Like a mountain rumbling. A faint silhouette can be seen from a distance.

"We came to pass the final trial," Aston said. "That thing is our trial."

The trio finally saw their target. The beast resembled a wild boar carved from mountain rock, its jagged spine pulsing with latent force as it chewed lazily on the stones.

—

[Spirit Beast: Earthrend Ravager Boar]

[Type: Bestial]

[Attribute: Earth]

[Genus: Sus]

[Rank: 5-star]

[Potential: 6-star]

[Description: A hulking tusked monstrosity with a ridge of jagged, stone-like armor running from its snout to tail. It digs its hooves deep into the land with each step. It is territorial and aggressive, only held back by its slowness.]

[Skills:]

[Tremor Pulse: Stomps the ground with immense force, creating localized earthquakes. Slows all enemies in range and may destabilize their footing.]

[Seismic Gore: Charges forward with devastating force. On impact, the ground beneath ruptures in a shockwave, knocking enemies airborne and breaking defenses.]

[Bedrock Mantle: Summons a hardened carapace of stone and crystal to coat its body temporarily.]

[Passive Skills:]

[Earthen Resistance: Gains increased resistance to physical and earth-type damage.]]

[Innate Skills:]

[Territorial Fury: The boar enters into a frenzy. All attacks gain increased damage and speed. All earth-based skills are magnified.]

[Cragburst Counter: Upon taking significant damage, or when cornered, the Earthrend Ravager Boar, once evolved from a Cragfang Ravager, channels its ancestral aggression into a devastating area burst. It slams its tusk into the ground, triggering a chain eruption of jagged stone spires in a radius around it.]

—

"It evolved into an Earthrend Ravager. They may be slow, but it certainly packs a gigaton punch. Let's try not to get hit." Aston said.

Genevieve responded, "So, what's the plan?"

Aston said to Mirage, who was flying overhead. "Mirage, track its movement rhythm and weak points in the armor."

Mirage hooted while it melded in the sky, seemingly vanishing in the air.

Secretly, he asked Nova to scan the surroundings and had already identified some loose ledges, chokepoints, and terrain dips. He had also found a natural cover.

A few minutes later, Mirage flew back and gave a slow hoot. It used its spiritual link with Aston to share the last few moments when it flew.

Aston closed his eyes, feeling the scenes Mirage shared. Then, he sat down to think of a strategy.

A few minutes later, Genevieve wanted to say something when Yosef pulled her back, just shaking his head and whispered, "Don't interrupt him. Unless you have a plan."

When Yosef said this, Aston's eyes flicked open. His clear, resolute eyes shocked both Genevieve and Yosef.

"Finally got something?" Yosef chuckled.

Aston nodded. "Okay, here's the plan…"

They discussed the plan. Aston drew some lines and circles in the ground, explaining where they would position.

There were occasional questions by both Genevieve and Yosef, but Aston didn't mind. They need to tackle this precisely if they want to pass the exam.

Finally, Aston stood from his sitting position and asked the two of them, "Are you ready?"

Genevieve said spunkily as she waved her fists at Aston, "This better work or else."

Yosef laughed lightly, "Just focus on your part, Genevieve."

"Okay Team 18, move out."

Aston announced and the three rushed toward the crag.

The moment they reached the crag, Genevieve's shadow slowly swayed. "Umbra, you're up."

Umbra, the Shadow Strider emerged from the shadow stealthily and melded into the shadows that the cliff was casting.

"Let's go, Sling." Yosef stealthily crouched into one of the boulders, acting as a natural cover, and released the Scorching Venom Krait from his cloak.

He remembered what Aston had said earlier.

"We need to soften the hide first before we strike the heart."

When he thought of this, a barrage of chill wind suddenly struck the boar from the air. It was Mirage's skill: Icy Gale.

The boar's slow movement was further slowed by Icy Gale. While it dealt minimal damage, the boar was enraged and stomped the ground and roared towards the owl.

The signal!

Yosef commanded Sling, the Scorching Venom Krait, "Sling, go now! Use Ember Haze!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.