Amid the fleeing crowd, Lucius walked straight toward it.

He dodged everyone who crossed his path. No one bumped into him, even though he was heading in the opposite direction. And although many wondered who was foolish enough to approach such a powerful beast, they didn’t look back.

If he wanted to die, let him die alone.

Run for your lives!

Facing the Obsidian Gorilla is no easy task. It takes someone who is at least Rank C to kill it.

Everyone here is Rank F, and at most, there are a few in the early stages of Rank E!

They’re no match for that beast!

Fortunately, everyone knew these trials were being broadcast live to the academic leaders. Someone would soon come to kill the beast; until then, they had to flee.

However, Lucius didn’t see it that way.

He fixed his gaze on the group closest the Gorilla, which was actually less than 20 meters away from the other group, so there was practically no distance between them.

’This is my chance,’ he thought.

In this world, climbing the Rankings is the key to gaining power, status, and wealth.

The higher you are in the Rankings, the more doors open for you. Guilds would want to recruit you. Organizations might hire you. The system itself grants you rewards, and you even have access to more and better beasts, depending on your rank.

Climbing the Rankings isn’t just about gaining strength or acquiring new Mana Marks. The most important way to climb—and the one that yields the greatest rewards—is by demonstrating your strength. By performing Feats.

’If I can kill this beast with my current strength, it wouldn’t just be a great feat—it would be mind-blowing. I’m sure I could jump millions of ranks in a single go,’ he thought.

’It’s time to use the symbiosis.’ He smiled slightly.

He had never used it before, but based on previous tests, he knew that combining those two magical abilities resulted in a magical ability of unprecedented power.

If he combined that with his own tactics from when he was Rank S, he could win.

In an instant, he began to run as he saw that the first group was about to make contact with the Gorilla.

His body became serene in that moment, managing to calm down despite the complicated situation he faced. He clenched his fists and immediately recalled all the information about the magic he had absorbed previously.

His body accelerated beyond control and crashed into the first person in his path. The Gorilla raised its powerful fists high, ready to crush its enemy.

The student fell to the ground, paralyzed with fear. His body trembled. His mind told him to run with all his might, but his body refused to move. Before his eyes stood the enormous gorilla, ready to kill him.

This was the end.

However, suddenly he felt a sharp tug on his shirt. He saw a young student who looked strangely familiar pushing him backward.

The dust kicked up by the Gorilla and his heavy footsteps prevented the scene from being too clear, but that student managed to clearly make out who had just sent him flying across the floor.

Lucius Asturias!

’He’s gone crazy—he wants to die!’| the student screamed in his mind, but there was nothing he could do either. Without a second thought, he got back up and started running to escape the area. He’d been given a chance, and he was going to take it.

Someone was going to die here, and he didn’t want to be next.

Lucius, on the other hand, looked at the Gorilla from a seemingly disadvantageous position.

He was about 15 meters away from it, facing it head-on. It seemed like a long way, but with the giant’s speed and strength, those meters were nothing.

However, it was a good position.

He clenched his fists tightly and went over the magical information in his mind once more.

His system activated.

[Two Mana Marks Recognized: Mana Symbiosis is possible.]

[Skill: Heavy Loader Ant’s Mana Overload.] + [Skill: Erratic Flight Dragonfly’s Acceleration Overload.]

[Do you wish to perform the Symbiosis?]

[Note: Performing an Overload Symbiosis on a weakened body may cause an unprecedented explosion that could kill you. Proceed with caution.]

This time, the final message did not bother him. His body was not healthy, and the problem had not been resolved, but now he could perform it.

So, he pressed the [Yes] button.

[Mana Symbiosis active.]

[The Mana within you is violently churning...

Your physical strength suddenly surges...

Enormous tides rise within your heart...

Your body undergoes a transformation.]

[Combining Heavy-Load Ant’s Mana Overload + Erratic-Flight Dragonfly’s Acceleration Overload.]

[Combination successful.]

[Mana Symbiosis has created the magic skill: Meteor Impact.]

[You can use it at any time.]

Lucius felt a sudden surge of mass in his body. His strength increased exponentially, and his body shot forward like a projectile.

The Acceleration Overload was on full display, its effects now amplified by Symbiosis.

His legs looked like missiles, powered by nuclear energy.

But the most surprising thing was ahead of him.

His upper body was under the effects of Mana Overload, enhanced by Symbiosis. His body channeled all its strength into his right arm. He felt a torrent of internal and external strengthening that shook the very depths of his being.

His arms grew several centimeters due to the vast amount of mana gathered within them.

It was a surprise for a moment, but Lucius was no ordinary person. He managed to steady his mind quickly and understood the nature of the astonishing magic he had created.

A smile spread across his lips... but that was just the beginning.

His body was hurtling straight toward the Obsidian Gorilla, who wouldn’t be able to defend himself in time.

He had only two seconds to react... he wasn’t going to make it.

Lucius had those same two seconds to intensify his attack.

He quickly identified the exact pressure point on the Gorilla’s skull using his knowledge of his previous life and brought his right hand like an arrow toward that area, aiming with precision.

The two seconds passed in an instant.

But just before striking, there was a tremendous shift in the energy of Lucius’s entire body.

The polarity of his mana shifted dramatically. Before, his feet were filled with extremely fast mana and his arms with extremely strong mana. Now, however, the two opposing poles converged at a single point within his right arm.

All the momentum of his flight was compressed into the weight of the Heavy Loader Ant’s Mana Overload in his right arm...

Something that should have been impossible in his current state became a powerful reality. His arm was no longer an arrow; it was a meteorite.

BOOOOOM!

The ensuing explosion reverberated like thunder; its power destined to destroy everything in its path. It shattered eardrums among the nearby students. Some fainted.

The world was left in shock.