The day dawned sharp and cold, the skies above the Royal Academy tinged with crimson as if forewarning bloodshed. A flurry of announcements had rippled through the student body the night before: a monster-hunting competition, to be held in the cursed woodlands just beyond the academy's barrier wards.
It was meant to test tactical ability, survival instinct, and real-world combat prowess.
Perfect.
Jimmy stood at the edge of the forest, dressed in reinforced black leather combat gear customized for mobility. His silver eyes shimmered with amusement as other students adjusted swords, staves, and bows.
> \[Event Quest Received: Monster Cull - Royal Academy Sponsored Competition]
> \[Objective: Eliminate and retrieve cores from at least 3 Class-C monsters within 24 hours. Bonus rewards for speed, style, and innovation.]
Lana was nowhere in sight.
She had been forbidden to participate—by Jimmy himself.
That morning, as she had prepared her daggers in silent devotion, Jimmy had cupped her cheek.
"You've given me everything, Lana. Your loyalty. Your body. Your mind. Now give me your strength."
She looked puzzled, kneeling at his feet. "Master?"
> \[Skill Activated: Dream Eater - Memory Copying Mode]
Jimmy leaned down, kissing her deeply, as the skill sunk into her subconscious. He wasn't here to just level up through brute force. He was here to evolve.
Memories flowed—combat drills, stealth patterns, assassination angles, nerve point strikes. Everything she knew.
> \[Memory Extracted: Assassin Combat Style - Lana Rose]
> \[Combat Technique Unlocked: Phantom Dagger Form I-IV]
> \[Skill Gained: Ghost Step - A footwork pattern that renders movement nearly soundless for 6 seconds.]
> \[Skill Gained: Arterial Precision - First strike in combat has a 50% increased chance of targeting a critical weakness.]
Then he kissed her forehead and returned her memories gently.
> \[Memory Restoration Complete - Loyalty Retained]
"Stay here," he had whispered. "Watch the academy. Guard my bed. This is my hunt."
Now, standing at the treeline, Jimmy smirked.
Let the game begin.
---
The cursed woods were thick with mist and silence. Every breath Jimmy took felt sharp. The trees twisted like old sentinels, and somewhere in the distance, a beast howled.
But Jimmy moved like a shadow.
> \[Ghost Step Activated]
Footfalls vanished. Even dry leaves betrayed nothing.
He watched a group of upper-year students fumble through the brush ahead of him. Too loud. Too confident. Easy prey for monsters.
And for him.
Soon, the first monster appeared—a Sabersnout Wolf, Class C, jaws dripping with venom, eyes glowing red. It lunged.
Jimmy didn't flinch.
> \[Phantom Dagger Form I - Deflection Slice]
He sidestepped, blade flashing in a perfect arc. The wolf's neck opened, blood spraying into the mist.
> \[Arterial Precision Triggered - Critical Hit]
> \[Monster Core Acquired - 1/3]
Not a drop of blood on him.
---
Hours passed. He hunted like a predator blessed by shadow.
A Spriggan bled beneath his feet.
A Cave Lurker thrashed in his final breath, its skull caved in.
A twin-headed serpent writhed, impaled on ethereal blades crafted from condensed dreamstuff.
> \[Dreamwalker Skill: Dream Weapon - Temporary weapon forged from malice and desire. Duration: 20 seconds]
By dusk, he sat upon a moss-covered log, three monster cores laid out before him like trophies.
> \[Objective Complete: 3 Class-C Monster Cores Retrieved]
> \[Bonus Objective Available: Additional Elimination or Spectacle Kill for Ranking Advancement]
Jimmy tilted his head. Spectacle?
He stood and walked into a glade.
At the center, a massive creature lumbered into view—a Corrupted Ursalon, a Class-B aberration accidentally spawned from the mana imbalance of the region.
Students scattered around it screamed and ran.
Jimmy stepped forward.
> \[System Notice: Warning! Class-B Threat Detected.]
> \[Estimated Victory Chance: 41%]
He smiled. "Time to rewrite the odds."
> \[Skill Chain Initiated: Ghost Step → Dreamstep → Lucid Delirium → Phantom Dagger Form IV]
He appeared beneath the beast's belly. Illusions flooded its vision—copies of Jimmy swirling around, whispering nonsense and false pain.
The beast roared, confused.
Jimmy leapt, daggers flashing. He targeted the sinews behind the knees, the glands near the jaw, the exposed eye.
The crowd of remaining students watched from a distance—dumbfounded.
When the beast fell, Jimmy stood atop its corpse, drenched in blood, silver eyes glowing.
> \[Class-B Monster Eliminated!]
> \[Bonus Objective Complete - Spectacle Kill]
> \[Dream Parasite Proliferation Increased – Fear Aura Spread in Observer Targets]
---
Back at the academy, as the competition wrapped and students limped back to the walls, Jimmy returned alone.
Carrying four cores.
Silent.
Unwounded.
He handed the tokens to the proctor, who blinked in disbelief.
"All... four?" she stammered.
Jimmy just smiled.
> \[Competition Result: 1st Place - Overwhelming Execution]
> \[Reward: 1 Gold + Rare Skill Scroll - Shadow Veil]
> \[Skill Learned: Shadow Veil - Envelop self in dream-forged shadows. Increases stealth and reduces detection by magical means. Duration: 15 seconds]
That night, back in his tower room, Lana waited.
"Master, you fought without me," she whispered.
He kissed her cheek. "I fought with you, Lana. You just didn't see it."
Then he activated Phantom Dagger Form and traced a line of air in front of her. She gasped.
"Your style… it's mine. But improved."
"Because you are mine," Jimmy said. "And I never waste what I own."
> \[Dream Throne Evolution: Progress - 26%]
The academy celebrated its young champion.
But Jimmy? He sharpened his blades.
Because next time, the prey wouldn't be monsters.
It would be the people who trained them.