"Roar!"
Just a few kilometers from Edwyn, a grotesque Arcane Beast was chasing a group of Mage apprentices.
"What the hell is that thing?!" one apprentice screamed in panic. He had been resting peacefully in the forest, only to suddenly see a group of people running toward him, with a monster right behind them.
"Are you an idiot?! That's the academy's trial beast!" another apprentice shouted back angrily.
"Arcane Beast", a term that had been nothing more than legend before they became apprentices.
According to those legends, Arcane Beasts came in all shapes and forms, wreaked havoc, killed indiscriminately, but were ultimately slain by brave knights and reduced to mere trophies.
But now that one of these creatures had stepped out of legend and into reality, the legend suddenly seemed like a joke.
This monster stood over two meters tall at the shoulder and stretched more than four meters long. With seven heads and eight limbs, it could crush an entire squad of knights through sheer weight and momentum alone.
And more terrifyingly, of its seven heads, only the central goat's head was real, the other six were crudely stitched on.
It was an artificial abomination.
Those stitched heads roared in disarray, spewing acid and fire, occasionally lowering to swallow a screaming apprentice whole.
Some students tried casting spells, but many missed due to panic, and even the ones that landed left only fleeting wounds on the beast.
Severed limbs, blood, screams, and howls.
The entire forest had turned into a scene straight from hell.
Inside the Black Tower Magus Academy's central tower, two Mages were staring into a crystal ball.
The orb was showing a live feed of the rampaging Seven-Headed Demon Goat.
"Vice Dean, the beast we released is performing well, isn't it? I crafted this one myself, guaranteed quality," one Mage said smugly.
At the other end of the crystal ball, exam overseer Elric raised his head and adjusted the glasses on his nose.
"Joron, you made that thing yourself? Since when do you ever lift a finger to make these little toys?"
The Mage named Joron froze.
"What, nothing to say?" Elric smiled. "If you can prove this wasn't made by one of your students, I'll be your pawn in the next planar war."
"A rank three Mage serving as your pawn, you'd make a fortune next time."
"Cough, cough, let's focus on the beast, Vice-Dean," Joron said, quickly changing the subject.
"Still, why did the Chancellor suddenly decide to overhaul the exam this year? We may have suffered losses last time, but we gained more than enough to recover. No need to rush to replenish our apprentices."
Elric shook his head. "I don't know either."
Though he was the Vice Dean, he disagreed with the Chancellor's decision. The Black Tower Academy had always valued quality over quantity. Their elite strategy had allowed this barely-century-old academy to rise so quickly.
"But if the Chancellor made this call, he must have a reason. He's a rank-four Arch-Mage, he gets updates straight from the Council of Truth. We low-ranking Mages need only follow orders."
As the beastly roars grew nearer, Edwyn's plans to meditate were completely ruined.
He climbed a tree, hoping to get a better view under the moonlight, but before he could reach the top, a blinding flash exploded from the forest ahead.
Boom!
The thunderous blast was so loud that even Edwyn, several hundred meters away, felt his ears ring.
"Someone must've used a high-powered Arcane Artifact. That beast should be taken care of."
He dropped back down, ready to resume meditating.
But fate wasn't on his side. Not long after landing, that hellish roar echoed again, closer this time.
"So much for peace and quiet."
Frowning, Edwyn quickly cast Feather Foot and Silence Field on himself.
Silence Field wasn't very useful during the day, but at night, in low light, it was as good as invisibility.
With the spells cast, he hid himself in a bush.
He had no intention of looting. Even if the beast had been injured by an Arcane Artifact, it was still dangerous. Edwyn was confident he could pass the entrance exam as long as he played it safe, no need to risk his life over loot.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The approaching footsteps solidified Edwyn's decision to stay hidden.
The beast was massive, if it wasn't killed in one blow, it could become a serious problem.
"Roar!"
The Seven-Headed Demon Goat burst from the forest. Of its seven heads, only three remained. The other four had been blown to blackened stumps, charred and broken.
"That's the beast? Looks more like a lab experiment."
Noticing the thick stitching beneath the heads, Edwyn had a sudden thought.
Was this thing created by a Mage? Or even a Mage Apprentice? If someone made this, maybe the Infinite Forge could extract the process.
And if it could… maybe he could make one too.
A flicker of greedy ambition flared in Edwyn's heart, but he quickly suppressed it with reason.
"No need to stir up trouble. Pass the exam first."
Edwyn held his breath, waiting for the beast to leave. But then, one of the remaining heads, a wolf's, twitched.
Wolves had a sense of smell tens of thousands of times stronger than humans. Even in this forest full of mixed scents, Edwyn's human odor stood out like the sun in the sky.
"Awooo…"
The wolf head let out a howl and turned toward Edwyn's location.
"Crap, I've been found!"
Heart pounding, Edwyn immediately swapped out the nearly depleted Mana Stone in his ice spike ring for a fresh one.
The last stone had about 20% charge left, nowhere near enough for this kind of threat.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The demon goat charged at him. To it, human flesh was a delicacy, both nourishing and healing.
Its hooves were as large as bowls. Its roars shook the ground. Dirt and stones flew underfoot. Dead leaves swirled in the air.
Like a mythical eight-legged stallion, it seemed unstoppable.
Boom!
Suddenly, the beast tripped and crashed to the ground. Its massive body tore through the forest floor like a plow.
Two ice spikes, each a meter long and as thick as an arm, had pierced its front legs, snapping them cleanly.
Thud thud thud...
Edwyn clutched his chest. His heart pounded like a war drum, and adrenaline surged through his veins like a tidal wave.
A second later, and he'd have died in the beast's jaws.
And this was an injured Arcane Beast. He didn't even want to imagine what it could do at full strength.
Calming his nerves, Edwyn fired one more ice spike, blasting open the only unstitched head on the beast.
The body twitched, then fell still.
"Finally dead."
Edwyn cautiously approached. After confirming the beast's death, he placed his hand on it.
But the result was disappointing.
The Infinite Forge showed no reaction.
"Did I guess wrong?"
Frowning, Edwyn took out his magic dagger and cut the beast open.
With magical enhancement, the dagger sliced through like butter. Edwyn felt no resistance.
As he split the belly, a wave of foul-smelling blood spilled out.
The beast's organs and glands were rotting before his eyes.
Holding his breath, Edwyn dug into the corpse until his hand touched something still pulsing. At that moment, the Infinite Forge finally reacted.
[Material: Low-Grade Synthetic Beast Core]
[Extractable Technique: Low-Grade Synthetic Beast Core Creation]
[Extraction Cost: 15 Mental Energy]
[Extract?]