Born In Ashes: The Enigma

The opponent that materialized at the fifth level was actually an Iron Bear, the first elite monster that Azrael had faced during his trial in Eonrift.

Unlike the level 7 Iron Bear he had previously encountered in Eonrift, this one was a level 13 class-rank monster, one level higher than him.

The Iron Bear stood almost five meters tall on its hind legs, and its deep yellow eyes radiated sheer brutality.

"As expected from the Slayers Academy. Just to enter their normal class, you have to defeat an elite monster that's also a level above you."

Those who wished to join the Slayers Academy had to pass five levels inside the Tower of Trials.

Considering that the opponent at the fifth level was not only an elite monster but also a level stronger than the challenger, it was no surprise that most people failed at this stage.

However, Azrael believed that truly powerful individuals wouldn't find much difficulty in clearing the fifth level.

Although the elite Monster at the fifth level was undeniably powerful, at the end of the day, it was still just a monster with barely any developed consciousness.

It fought purely based on instinct, and that was its fatal weakness. By simply using one's brain effectively, individuals with decent strength could still manage to defeat an elite monster.

"Last time, I had to put a lot of strain on my body to defeat that level 7 Iron Bear..." Azrael muttered as wind began to swirl around him.

"But now that I've awakened my wind powers and my stats have increased significantly..."

He suddenly vanished from his spot and appeared right in front of the bear's face, nearly five meters above the ground.

"There's no need for me to overextend my body just to kill something like this."

Just like before, he launched a punch at the bear's giant face.

However, unlike Azrael's previous opponents, this elite Iron Bear was far stronger and reacted immediately.

The gray-colored fur on its body shimmered with a metallic luster, and as Azrael's fist connected with its face, it felt as though he had punched a reinforced iron plate.

The Iron Bear barely took a single step back from the impact before retaliating by swiping its massive claw at Azrael.

Azrael wasn't the least bit flustered by the ineffectiveness of his attack. Seeing the sharp claw coming toward him—so sharp it made his face sting just from the air it displaced—he calmly used the power of wind to retreat.

The bear's claw missed him by inches, but the monster didn't wait for Azrael to return. The iron bear advanced on its own, the ground trembling with each thunderous step.

"Seems like I'll have to put in some effort if I want to bring it down," Azrael muttered under his breath, watching the Iron Bear charge at him like a runaway truck.

Suddenly, Azrael's entire right hand was cloaked in a violent gale, and his eyes sharpened.

The Iron Bear was much slower in agility compared to Azrael, and before it could reach him, Azrael once again vanished from sight.

In the next instant, he reappeared behind the monster and, with a swift leap, jumped above its head.

The Iron Bear immediately sensed his presence and quickly looked up.

As it raised its head, it saw a green-glowing fist descending upon it with terrifying momentum.

ROAR!

The Iron Bear let out a thunderous roar as its fur again shimmered with metallic brilliance.

Azrael's eyes turned cold as he used Force Utilization, drawing out 150% of his strength.

Even with his current body, he felt some strain when pushing his strength to that limit.

The air trembled as the punch descended, its force amplified even more by Azrael's downward momentum from above.

In a flash, the fist collided with the top of the Iron Bear's head.

For a moment, everything turned deathly silent. But the silence didn't last long as the next second—

BOOOOOOM!

A deafening boom echoed as the Iron Bear's body caved in from the impact, cracking the ground beneath its feet.

The force of Azrael's punch tore through the bear's metallic fur and smashed into its skull.

Crack!

Woosh!

The sound of bone cracking rang out, and the swirling wind around Azrael's fist burst forth, gouging a deep wound into the top of the bear's head.

Blood oozed from the injury, staining its fur a deep crimson.

ROAR!

The Iron Bear roared in agony, but before it could react—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three more punches slammed into its already fractured skull in quick succession. This time, the sheer force turned the bear's brain into pulp.

It didn't even get the chance to let out a final cry before the light in its eyes dimmed, and it collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Azrael landed beside the fallen beast and nodded in satisfaction.

'I killed an elite monster one level higher than me without even breaking a sweat... Not bad.'

As he looked at the creature, its body began to dissolve and soon vanished.

(Fifth Level has been cleared.)

Azrael waited about thirty seconds and quickly recovered the small amount of cosmic energy he had consumed.

"Start the sixth level," He said calmly, initiating the sixth level—reserved for those who wished to enter the elite class of the Slayers Academy.

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

As the countdown ended, the opponents of the sixth level materialized before him, this time, surprisingly, there were two.

"Two elite monsters of level 14," Azrael muttered softly, eyeing the two Iron Bears, each stronger than the last one.

"Well... If I fight them normally, I'll have to use quite a bit of energy to deal with both."

His expression relaxed, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"It's time to get slightly serious."

He took a step forward—and one second later, he was standing several meters behind the two Iron Bears.

But now, he held a black greatsword in his hand as the sharp wind circled the blade, and fresh drops of blood trickled from it.

Azrael calmly turned around, and as his eyes locked onto the monsters, their bodies split cleanly in half at the waist and collapsed to the ground.

(Level 6 has been cleared.)

'With this, my entry into the elite class is confirmed. Now I just need to secure first place among all the participants to complete the task.'