When Nova entered the forest, the first thing he heard was the enraged roars of beasts that traveled for hundreds of meters.

"Last time I was here, it took me a little more than a dozen minutes to reach the middle, and now about twice that time has passed since those so-called geniuses entered." He walked calmly, each step covering dozens of meters, and said, "But considering they can't even be compared to a first stage knight, they'll probably reach it in a dozen more minutes. These beasts' roars are proof that they are still far from it."

ROAR

From the side, a leopard lunged at Nova, but before it could land, it was shredded to pieces by seemingly nothing, its remains were immediately swept away.

Nova didn't bat an eye. Instead, he looked around as if nothing had happened and thought, 'I should be close to them. Perhaps if I dashed, I could reach them immediately, but it's best to wait and let them experience the dangerous situation. If it goes too smoothly, their elders might not even believe me and my patience is wearing thin.'

As minutes ticked by, the several roars gradually ceased, and the forest fell into stillness, like the sea before a tempest.

Knowing what was going on, Nova twirled Dreadscape in his hand as if warming up and muttered, "They've stepped into the same zone where I killed that bear… anytime now…"

The silence was deafening. Far away, leaves rustled as the group of geniuses advanced forward as one, having come to a common agreement, the competition would only start when they met the tiger.

"This is too easy. Not a single beast even dares to approach us. Why would the elders even bother to come here for this?" a young man with thick eyebrows said.

"I agree with Sceptil. All this fuss about the forest and how this is a competition only meant for us geniuses… but I bet even my family's servant guards could clear this," said a young woman with long red hair.

When Valera, the young woman, spoke, a couple of others immediately nodded, echoing their support and praising her strength and intelligence.

The majority of the group, although unwilling to express it, felt deep down that this competition had no point without danger. They thought they were being mocked by their elders. If anyone could accomplish it, then why were they, the best of their generation, asked to compete in this farce?

From the back of the group, Andretas, a man with hair as wild as a lion's mane, mocked, "Valera, even if your dog guards could complete this mission, you still wouldn't. The only reason you're even here with the rest of us is because your lackeys did all the work for you and got you this spot."

A low murmur rippled through the group, who had witnessed this same scene many times over the past couple of years. It was so common that some didn't even bother listening it but chose to observe their surroundings.

"How dare you talk like that to Miss Valera!"

"We've been tolerant enough to let you be for so long, but you keep pushing it!"

"Enough," Valera said. She turned her head toward the back, locked eyes with Andretas, and arrogantly declared, "It doesn't matter how I got here. What matters is that I'm here. I'll stay here, and I'll become the head of my family whether you like it or not. Shouldn't you be happy? My brother, your so called rival, whom you couldn't beat, won't become the next head. Isn't that worth celebrating?"

"You!" Andretas shouted, his anger clear. "You know nothing about the spirit of rivalry, or else you would've never said anything like that. I just cannot fathom how your family can be so blind as to allow someone like you to become the head instead of your brother!"

"Someone like me?" Valera said. "Wh—"

ROAR!

A deafening roar rang out. It was so loud that it made their heads spin causing them to momentarily stumble on their feet and fall to the ground. Alarm and fear of the unknown spread through them. Their heads swivelled around, trying to find the cause but, even with so many people, nobody knew what had caused it. The roar came too suddenly and there didn't seem to be any beast in front of them, at least they couldn't see any.

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Outside the forest, at its perimeter, the knights and mages exchanged surprised glances.

"Is that the kitten?"

"Mhm. It can only be it. There shouldn't be another beast capable of that."

"Should we intervene? That roar was powerful enough to reach here…"

Filibur, who was silently standing to the side, said, "The tiger having a powerful roar does indeed come as a surprise, but that's all. Its strength has been deemed to be around a first or second stage knight from the royal family thus we'll proceed as planned."

The elders couldn't help but nod, choosing to believe Filibur's words. At this moment, the promise they had made to Nova, that if he could bring back their geniuses safe and sound, seemed to calm them slightly.

Those who didn't agree, however, did not feel entirely at peace. Yet there was nothing they could do, as Filibur had the final say, causing the tension to increase with each passing second.

To the side, the elder from the Areza family muttered, "Maelor, you have to make it out alive, for both my sake and the family's."

Maelor, who was making his way through the forest alone, heard the roar in the distance and froze for a moment. When he managed to move again, he looked toward the source of the sound, muttered, "That way," and walked toward it.

"Feisty as always. I wonder if it remembers me," Nova said as he shook his head lightly to clear away the dizziness and made his way toward the tiger's lair.

Elsewhere, the group of geniuses had just gotten back on their feet, all of them still shaken by the roar.

From the back, one of them quietly said, "Should we turn around and call for backup?"

Conflicted expressions surfaced on the young geniuses' faces, but nobody mocked him. The situation was clearly out of the ordinary. Was there truly a beast in this forest so strong that a single roar could send them crashing to the ground?

"It came from the same direction we're heading."

"Don't tell me it's the tiger we're supposed to steal from? Just one roar was enough to make me shiver in fear."

"It can't be, right? It must be another beast."

That was when the murmurs spread to the front of the group and reached Sceptil's ears. He turned toward the young man who had spoken and snorted.

"To think I'm being grouped with trash like you."

His gaze swept over the whole group as he shouted, "Whoever feels the same way as him, leave. There's no space in this mission for cowards. Go back to the elders and don't ever let me see your faces again."

Feeling as though Sceptil's words had stepped on their tails, many in the group immediately fell silent. They shrank into themselves, making themselves look as small as possible, not daring to stand out.

"Sceptil!" the young man shouted, humiliated by being called a coward so publicly. His hands clenched tightly at his sides.

But Sceptil didn't spare him a glance. "Piss off. Now. As for those who are true geniuses, let's kill this tiger and compete for the legendary bone tempering liquid."

With that, he stepped forward, Valera and her lackeys following close behind. A few in the group cast the young man pitying glances, but none spoke up. One by one, they made their way toward the tiger.

Trembling with anger and shame, the young man watched their backs slowly disappear into the forest and muttered, "One day, Sceptil… one day you'll pay for this." With heavy steps, he turned around and left.

On the way back, however, he spotted another young man walking with a spear in hand and wondered whether this person was a late newcomer from their group or not.

Nova spotted him and walked up casually. "What's your name?"

"L-Lucas… why are you asking?"

Nova didn't answer and walked past him, as though Lucas didn't exist.

Lucas murmured, "What a strange guy," and continued on his way back, completely unaware of the danger he had just avoided.

The young geniuses slowly made their way to the clearing, where they immediately spotted a large rock in the middle. Right next to it lay the largest tiger they had ever seen in their lives, stretched out as if sunbathing.

Sceptil saw this and snickered. "Although this tiger looks huge, that roar must have come from a different beast. There's nothing to worry about."

"That means we can start the competition now, right?" Valera said nonchalantly.

"Yes. From now on, it's free-for-all," Sceptil replied, immediately dashing toward the tiger and leaving his peers in the dust but, when they noticed this, they quickly rushed in pursuit.

Valera turned to the two lackeys at her side and ordered, "Let Sceptil deal with the tiger. Go behind that rock, that's where the bone tempering liquid must be."

"Yes, Miss Valera!"

The noise caused by the group was so loud that, even before they got within fifty meters, the bloodstripe's eyes snapped wide open. Seeing so many people dashing toward it, it felt its pride been challenged and a murderous aura surged from the beast, making the group's breathing come to a standstill.

It stood up and, without any warning, the tiger pounced at the nearest target, Sceptil, whose eyes had already clouded over with fear.

As the tiger's jaws were about to clamp down on him, a heavy thud rang out, and the beast was sent flying a dozen meters before skidding to a halt. The imprint of a spear's shaft was clearly visible on its snout.

"So satisfying," Nova muttered. He turned toward Sceptil, who had pissed himself in the process, and frowned. "What's your name?"

Sceptil took several seconds to come back to his senses. When he did, he dropped to his knees and said, "Thank you, sir, for saving my life. My name is Sceptil, I—"

Nova grabbed him by the neck and hurled him toward the tiger, muttering, "Unlucky."

Sceptil couldn't make heads or tails of what was happening. One moment he had been saved, and the next he was being tossed back toward the very tiger he had just escaped death from. Shouting at the top of his lungs, he cried, "WHY?!"

The tiger, already back on its feet, saw its former prey flying toward it. Without a shred of hesitation, its jaws snapped shut, catching Sceptil midair.

With a sickening crunch, its teeth sank into him, crushing his bones.

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