Born In Ashes: The Enigma

Once Azrael successfully entered the tower, the token in his hand vanished on its own.

At the same time, he found himself standing in a vast space, devoid of any light, completely pitch black.

(Please, state your name, Challenger.)

Azrael raised an eyebrow at the sudden mechanical voice but still gave his name.

"Azrael Thorne."

(Name has been registered. The first challenge will begin in ten seconds.)

(Please get ready.)

(10... 9... 8... 7...)

Azrael watched as the black space around him slowly began to change, transforming into a massive coliseum.

He took a deep breath and chose not to summon Fallen Star right away.

Soon, the ten-second countdown ended, and a human male, around twenty years old materialized approximately fifteen meters away from him.

Azrael instantly sensed the level of the opponent and after confirming that it was a level 12 class warrior, he tapped his foot against the ground.

Wind circled around him, and in the next second—

Boom!

The ground beneath his feet cracked as he instantly appeared right in front of the man.

He used the force utilization technique to draw out about 70% of his strength and punched the man's head.

Gales of wind spiraled around his fist, and combined with his over 51 points of strength and the momentum from covering 15 meters in an instant, the man's head exploded into a mist of blood before he could even react.

Drops of blood splashed in all directions, but a faint veil of wind protected Azrael, not allowing even a single drop to touch him.

Azrael pulled back his outstretched hand and shook his head.

"A normal level 12 class warrior can't force me to use all of my power..." He muttered in a low voice as the man's body vanished before him.

(Level 1 has been cleared.)

(You have three minutes to rest before the next challenge begins.)

(You may also begin the next challenge immediately if you wish.)

"Start the next challenge."

Since Azrael hadn't used much energy in the first challenge, he immediately proceeded to the next one.

(The second challenge will begin in five seconds. Please get ready.)

(5... 4... 3...)

Azrael watched as the five-second countdown ended and another entity materialized before him.

This time, it wasn't a human—but a monster.

A level 13 Red Cow—a beast known for its brute strength and agility. The Red Cow stood about 3 meters tall, its body completely red with two flame-like horns protruding from its forehead.

The moment it appeared, it let out an enraged roar and charged at Azrael with bloodshot eyes.

The distance between them was just twenty meters, and the beast reached him in the blink of an eye.

However, Azrael's expressions didn't change even when the monster appeared right in front him.

Just when the Red Cow's horns were about to strike him, a sharp wind blade shot forward at a terrifying speed.

Rip!

The sound of flesh being sliced echoed as the cow's body was cleanly split into two from the middle, one half falling to Azrael's right, the other to his left.

(Level 2 has been cleared.)

'The mid-level breathing method is finally showing its power...' Azrael smiled when he saw that he had instantly killed a level 13 Red Cow, even though he had used only 40 points of cosmic energy to create that wind blade.

The mid-level breathing method had four effects:

---) Cosmic Energy Breathing Method (Mid Level):

1. Increases the amount of cosmic energy within the user's body by 40%

2. Increases the recovery rate of cosmic energy by 60%

3. Increases the power of the user's cosmic energy by 15%

4. Reduces the consumption of cosmic energy by 10%

====

Because of the third effect, Azrael's cosmic energy was 15% stronger than that of other class-level warriors. Combined with the fourth effect, which reduced consumption by 10%, even his basic moves were deadly for his opponents.

Not only that, but the speed at which he could use the cosmic energy to create wind blades was far greater than that of any class warrior, thanks to the breathing method

Azrael watched as the cow's body vanished and immediately started the third challenge.

This time, the opponent was another monster—a level 14 Mist Fox, known for its powerful illusions and mind-affecting abilities.

However, due to Azrael's high spiritual power and his Cold Blooded Trait, which kept his mind in a constant state of calm, the fox's illusions and tricks were completely ineffective against him.

Without much effort, he killed the Mist Fox within seconds and proceeded to the fourth challenge.

When the opponent of the fourth challenge materialized, Azrael couldn't help but reveal a surprised expression.

"A vampire..." He murmured, gazing at the pale-skinned level 15 male figure standing before him.

The vampire was around 1.9 meters tall, with deep red eyes, skin so pale it looked like he suffered from anemia, and two sharp canine fangs protruding from his mouth.

The moment the vampire appeared, its body burst into black smoke and transformed into hundreds of small bats that took flight, circling above Azrael's head.

Azrael calmly looked up and noticed dozens of sharp icicles forming in the air, all aiming at him.

"Such slow speed of utilizing the cosmic energy..." He muttered, shaking his head.

He understood it was because the level 14 vampire hadn't even learned the entry-level breathing method, making his manipulation of cosmic energy sluggish. Still, it felt like he was facing a snail rather than a vampire.

Without saying another word, he raised his palm toward the sky, his eyes glowing with a green light.

The next second—

Woosh!

A tornado erupted from his hand, instantly growing to a height of five meters and engulfing all the bats flying above his head.

Once the bats were trapped inside, the wind within the tornado turned into razor-sharp blades, slicing them all to pieces and killing the vampire in the process.

The icicles that had just formed in the air shattered and turned into sparkling ice crystals, falling like rain.

(Level 4 has been cleared.)

Azrael looked at the notification and, after resting for about 30 seconds to fully recover the cosmic energy he had just expended, he initiated the fifth challenge—the final challenge required to qualify for the normal class of the Slayers Academy.

As the opponent for the fifth level materialized in front of him, Azrael's eyes widened in surprise.

But soon, he showed a friendly smile and took a step forward.

"I didn't expect to encounter an old friend here."