The moment Leon appeared on the opposite side of the gate, he froze. He didn’t dare take a single step forward recklessly.

About a hundred meters ahead...

A sea of monsters stretched endlessly across the land. Wolf-headed beasts. Hundreds of them. Every single one radiated the pressure of a D-Class monster.

But Leon barely noticed them. Because far behind the horde...

There stood something else. One figure.

It was so far away that Leon couldn’t even make out every detail clearly. Yet the moment his eyes landed on it...

His whole body turned cold. An instinctive dread crawled up his spine.

The creature was nearly four meters tall. It stood upright like a king observing its army.

The creature’s body was covered in dark gray fur that looked tougher than forged steel, layered with natural armor plates around its shoulders, chest, and forearms. Its limbs were thick and powerful, packed with muscles. A long segmented tail extended behind it, slowly dragging across the ground, leaving deep marks with every movement.

And its head... It resembled a gigantic wolf.

But not an ordinary wolf. Two massive curved horns extended backward from both sides of its skull like a twisted crown. Its jaws were unnaturally long, filled with rows of black fangs that looked more suited to crushing armor than flesh. Faint green light leaked from the gaps between its teeth every time it breathed. Its eyes were like a burning sun.

In one hand, it held a massive polearm taller than Leon himself. A monstrous weapon combining a spear and a battle axe. The edges glowed with an eerie green aura.

The creature wasn’t moving. Yet somehow... It felt as if the entire battlefield revolved around it.

’Fuck. I walked into the wrong place.’ Leon instinctively turned and headed back toward the gate.

But the moment his skin touched its surface...

Zap!

Lightning exploded across the barrier. A bolt struck him directly and hurled him backward.

Leon rolled across the ground before stopping.

Instantly, a notification appeared.

[Host is exposed to extreme lightning.]

[Lightning Resistance has increased slightly.]

[Lightning Resistance: 0.23%]

But Leon had no time to check. "Shit... Don’t tell me I’m trapped here."

He stood up and turned around. The horde remained in the distance. Low growls echoed endlessly. Hundreds of wolf-headed beasts slowly started moving. The combined weight of their footsteps made the ground tremble.

Leon exhaled slowly. "Looks like I have no choice but to force my way through."

His eyes sharpened. "And if I do this right... This might actually become a blessing. I’m only one breakthrough away from entering the next class."

He straightened his back. "System. The sword."

Ripples spread through the panel. A black hilt emerged. Leon grabbed it.

Shing!

The Frost Blade was pulled free in one smooth motion. Leon lightly swung the sword. A white trail followed behind.

He looked toward the distant boss. "I just hope that thing doesn’t interfere before I’m ready."

His fingers tightened around the hilt. "First Form." He leaned forward. "Sword Dance."

Whoosh!

His figure charged forward.

At the same time...

The entire horde charged. The earth trembled violently beneath countless footsteps. The distance vanished in seconds.

And then...

Leon pushed his speed to the limit and moved so fast that it felt like he had disappeared.

The first beast suddenly froze. Its eyes widened. A thin red line appeared across its neck. Its head slowly slid off.

Before the body even hit the ground...

Leon appeared behind another. His sword flashed upward. The monster split diagonally from the waist to the shoulder. Blood and frozen flesh scattered into the air.

Second kill. But Leon didn’t stop. Three beasts lunged together. Claws descended.

Leon stepped once and then spun in the air. The Frost Blade danced. Three silver arcs crossed through the air.

Silence.

The beasts landed.

One took another step.

Then...

All three collapsed.

More monsters rushed in. Leon continued. His figure became a blur among the horde. One moment, he was surrounded.

The next...

White flashes erupted.

Suddenly, a palm hit him from the side. He felt like a few of his bones had taken serious damage. But that didn’t stop him. Didn’t stop his massacre. Heads flew. Limbs spun. Bodies collapsed one after another.

Each swing looked effortless. Each movement looked like a dance.

And, amid the chaos, Leon didn’t forget to collect the monster cores whenever he got a chance. The moment he found one, he swallowed it without hesitation.

Slowly but surely, his Qi continued to rise.

[Qi: 4,110,560/327,680,000]

[Qi: 5,130,560/327,680,000]

[Qi: 7,170,560/327,680,000]

Meanwhile, outside the gate...

A black BMW screeched to a halt in front of the restaurant.

The door flew open, and Jessica stepped out immediately. She swept her gaze across the surroundings. A hint of confusion appeared on her face.

The chaos she had expected wasn’t there. Only a few human corpses lay sprawled across the street. Nearby, six wolf-headed monster corpses were scattered across the ground.

The battle had clearly happened. But it had already ended.

Her eyes soon landed on the group gathered in front of the gate. Without wasting a second, she strode toward them.

"What happened here?" Her sharp voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.

People turned around one after another.

"Who are you, miss?" someone asked cautiously.

Jessica took out her identification badge. "I am the President of the Hunter Association."

A wave of surprise spread through the crowd.

"I received a report about a gate outbreak and came here immediately," Jessica continued. "But aside from these few corpses, it doesn’t seem like the situation escalated into the disaster I was expecting. Can anyone explain what actually happened here?"

At those words, Henry stepped forward.

"Miss, my friend dealt with those six monsters." His voice trembled slightly. "But then... he suddenly entered the gate by himself." Henry pointed toward the gate. "Please save him. Please."

Jessica blinked. For a moment, she thought she had misheard.

"Your friend did what?"