"Ren!" Elara stood up and shouted worriedly.

She instantly turned into her beast form and was ready to jump into the arena.

At the same time, Lucas and his lackeys grinned widely.

’Bite him! Tear him apart!’

They had been waiting for this moment from the start, so the sight of the lion leaping toward him filled them with excitement.

"Dangerous!" Cassandra tossed the apple aside and quickly rose to her feet.

But just as she was about to save him, two lightning chains burst out from a magic circle, entangling the lion and stopping it from biting him.

*Silence...

The entire area turned into a dead silence.

The onlookers were not shocked because Ren had just escaped death, but because he had just used magic.

As a shifter, he wasn’t supposed to be able to use magic since it was a mage’s speciality.

"What?! He can use magic, too?"

"No wonder... no wonder he is different from us."

"So, awakening both paths isn’t just a myth?"

Some of the participants widened their eyes in shock while the rest rose to their feet and stood like statues.

It was their first time seeing someone who awakened both paths, so the shock hit them like a thunderclap.

Lucas and his lackeys exchanged glances as the unease and fear within them grew stronger and stronger.

Ren was already powerful as a shifter, and with his ability to use magic, the gap between them became impossible to surpass.

However, they didn’t leave the arena immediately.

They had passed the test, so they believed the Nexus organization would protect them from him later.

"He is...also a mage?" Ravenna was both surprised and happy.

She was previously envious of the Aether Organization.

Now that she had found out he was also a mage, that feeling was instantly replaced by a strong desire to get him.

"Lady Ravenna, we have to make sure he joins us." Lena didn’t want to lose him.

Ren was an awakener with a bright future.

As long as he didn’t die young, it was guaranteed that he would be an extremely powerful person because history recorded that every individual who awakened both paths always stood at the top of the hierarchy.

"You are right. We must not let them take him." Ravenna slowly turned toward the beast transformation path area.

"He...awakened both paths?" Cassandra froze in place.

It had never crossed her mind that he was both a mage and a shifter.

"This is dangerous, Lady Cassandra! With him also being a mage, they will try to snatch him from us." Isolde believed Ravenna and her subordinates wanted him just as much as they did.

Cassandra slowly shifted his gaze to the elemental path arena. The moment she saw their expressions, annoyance rose in her heart.

’I must get him no matter what!’

It was related to the future of their organization, so she would do anything to make him join the Aether Organization, including offering something special.

While the onlookers were still in a state of shock, Ren transformed his arms into those of a tiger and attacked the lion.

Since it was bound by lightning chains, the lion could not avoid or block his relentless strikes.

Blood sprayed into the air as deep cuts appeared on its body. Ren showered it with countless attacks, as this was a golden opportunity to kill it.

"RAAAWR!" The lion unleashed its full strength to shatter the chains.

Once it was free, it flapped its wings and soared into the sky. Blood dripped from its wounds as it hovered in mid-air.

The moment its gaze fell on its blood, the lion bared its fangs in fury.

*RAAAWR...

The lion let out a powerful roar before flying toward Ren at an incredible speed.

Its movements became aggressive, and its attacks turned brutal. The flames of fury had completely consumed its mind, so it wanted to tear him to pieces.

Since Ren had no Flight ability like Elara, he could not do much against the lion.

The lion was taking full advantage of its ability to fly, so he could only stand on the defensive and wait for chances to counterattack.

*Whoosh...

The lion flapped its wings to maintain its advantage.

But it didn’t last long.

The wounds Ren had inflicted on it were starting to affect its body.

Its flying speed started to slow down, and its mind became dizzy more frequently.

Not only that, but its strikes became weaker and easier to predict because the dizziness made it harder for the lion to control its body.

’A chance.’

When the winged lion lost its concentration for a moment, Ren used the Tiger Leaps skill to jump high into the sky and launched a powerful strike.

Boom!

Cloud of dust filled the arena as the lion’s body crashed onto the ground.

Even though he could not see well, Ren could still tell where the lion was because his sense of smell was much sharper once he turned into his beast form.

He rushed toward the lion and attacked it with his sharp claws continuously.

Head, forelegs, hind legs, and chest: no part of its body was safe from his deadly strikes.

He showed no mercy and kept striking the lion as if his life depended on the outcome of the battle.

After being bombarded by countless deadly strikes, the lion let out its last roar. "RRAAAWRR!!"

Once the lion closed its eyes forever, Ren stopped and stood in front of it.

The onlookers still didn’t know what had happened as a cloud of dust blocked their view.

"I can’t see anything!"

"Should I use wind magic to blow the dust away?"

"Hey! We can’t interfere in their fight! Remember, this is a test!"

"Oops! I forgot!"

As they watched the arena closely, the dust slowly cleared, revealing Ren and the dead winged lion.

The onlookers were stunned by what they were seeing.

The winged lions were famous for their strength and strong bodies, so they previously thought the fight was not over yet.

"It’s over?! The fight is over?!"

"What?! Just what happened inside that cloud of dust earlier?"

"Are you telling me he killed the lion in there? What the hell! Do all shifters have such good eyesight?"

"That’s one of the few things I envy about shifters. Their eyesight is not normal."

"Damn right! My eyes would hurt like hell if I opened them in a place like that."

"My guess was right. He won the battle!"

While most of the participants were shocked, Lucas and his lackeys stared at Ren with worried expressions.

Now that he had won the battle, their lives were at stake again.

"Truly worthy of someone who has awakened both paths!" Cassandra grinned happily.

"Impressive! Truly impressive!" Ravenna was fully satisfied with his performance.

"Thank God!" Elara let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you want to try facing seven magical creatures?" Alden’s voice rang out.

Lucas and his lackeys looked at Alden before shifting their gaze to Ren.

’Say yes, say yes, say yes.’

They repeated it many times in their heads, hoping it would make him agree.

Since Ren hadn’t answered it, Alden threw another question, "How is it? Do you want to stop or continue?"