The Giant Turtle

Yin Chen's chest heaved violently, his breathing growing rapid. He forced himself to break free from that invisible intimidation.

He surveyed his surroundings. The thick scent of blood choked his throat, making it tight.

The solid ice beneath his feet was dyed a deep, dark red.

He crouched down and began collecting the monster cores scattered across the ice. If he killed a bunch of monsters but failed the test because he didn't collect the cores, he would have nowhere to cry about it.

These monster cores varied in size and shape, and on the surface, they looked fine. But the moment his fingertips touched them, a strange sensation spread through him.

They were no longer crystal clear. Their exteriors were covered in a layer of ashen gray, and their interiors were chaotic and impure, completely devoid of life. Monster cores like these were, at best, mere decorations, completely useless.

This was entirely different from the monster cores he knew. If he hadn't seen these fresh drops with his own eyes, he would have thought they were some counterfeit crafts.

Yin Chen furrowed his brows tightly.

He picked up a monster core, a faint breeze swirling around his fingertips as he tried to analyze the anomaly within.

The more he investigated, the deeper the shock in his heart grew.

His previous judgment was absolutely correct. These monster cores had clearly dried up; all their life force had been instantly siphoned away, leaving only empty shells.

What remained was an empty shell, yet entwined with an eerie, ominous lingering aura.

Monster cores like these could never be left behind by ordinary monsters after death. The monsters were real, and he had extracted the cores himself. The source of the problem was self-evident.

Yin Chen's gaze once again fell upon Chen Guan's back.

He recalled the fear of that psychic-type human-faced bat on the verge of death in the Myriad Monster Tower.

He pocketed the monster cores, his mind racing.

Chen Guan's battle was less of a fight and more of a one-sided harvest.

Wherever his scythe passed, the monsters' lives were instantly stripped away.

There was no struggle, no wailing, only cold death.

Coupled with these bizarre monster cores.

Was it some kind of toxin?

No, there were absolutely no signs of poisoning.

A bold and absurd thought uncontrollably sprouted and spread in his mind.

Summoning type.

Yin Chen's breathing became heavy and rapid.

In the eyes of the public, the summoning type mostly involved summoning elemental creatures or contracting monsters.

But Yin Chen knew that this was only the majority. The summoning type could sometimes be incredibly wicked. In terms of potential, if the mythic type was the big brother of all abilities, then the summoning type was the second in command.

And the aura of death permeating the ice field, along with the abnormal monster cores, were undoubtedly the key.

Could this be an extraordinary summoning ability?

Could it be that what he summoned wasn't conventional living creatures, but... the embodiment of death?

He thought of a legendary ability called Grim Reaper's Descent, which was said to have last appeared centuries ago.

It was said that such an Esper could connect to the underworld, absorb the power of death, and even alter the very essence of life of living beings.

Chen Guan's appearance, his scythe, the coffin on his back, and the instant death that befell the monsters.

All clues pointed to a deduction that was the most unbelievable, yet the most capable of explaining everything.

The expression on Yin Chen's face was complex and hard to read.

He realized he might have stumbled upon a secret that could shake common sense itself.

If Chen Guan really was that kind of Esper, his strength and his future would surpass the vast majority of students at Huaqing Academy.

No, he had already surpassed them, and might even stand above the academy's instructors.

He suppressed the surging shock in his heart and chose to remain silent.

The weight of this secret was terrifyingly heavy.

Some people kept their abilities a secret out of fear of being targeted. Putting himself in Chen Guan's shoes, if someone knew his secret, he probably wouldn't let them off easy.

Keeping his mouth shut was what he needed to do right now. This was a true powerhouse, and currently his biggest support. Offend him? Absolutely not.

The gears in Yin Chen's head were turning rapidly.

Hong Yuan finally moved.

She walked up to Chen Guan, her lips moving as she tried to find words of gratitude.

But when the words reached her mouth, she felt they were inadequate and would only make her a laughingstock.

Her usually proud bravery seemed insignificant in the face of that bloody, one-sided harvest.

"Um..." Hong Yuan struggled to choose her words carefully, "Have you... always been this powerful?"

Her expression looked a bit contorted.

There was awkwardness, confusion, and mostly, a sense of awe.

She had always thought of herself as the tip of the spear for the team, an elite of the academy. The only ones who could truly rival her were famous prodigies like Yin Chen and An Changqing.

Thinking about it now, she was nothing more than a child wielding an axe in the presence of a true genius.

Chen Guan ignored Hong Yuan's embarrassment and simply urged them on in a flat tone.

"No. Let's go."

His gaze swept across the depths of the ice field. Instructor Jing couldn't have dropped them here for no reason.

No matter how you looked at it, this was supposed to be a cradle for nurturing geniuses, not a graveyard to smother them.

Even if there was something strange going on, it shouldn't be this blatant.

Yin Chen gathered his thoughts and followed Chen Guan's pace.

He glanced at Hong Yuan and signaled her with his eyes to follow. Knowing Hong Yuan, she probably hadn't arrived at the "truth" like he had, but she always respected the strong, especially strong peers.

Hong Yuan immediately hoisted her giant axe onto her shoulder and took large strides, following closely behind.

All the arrogance had faded from her face, replaced by an honest and obedient demeanor.

The three continued deeper into the ice field.

The further they went, the more piercing and bone-chilling the cold in the air became.

The ice layer beneath their feet was no longer murky, beginning to reveal threads of faint blue.

That was the light refracted by deep ice crystals, so cold it lacked any trace of warmth.

A low hum drifted in the wind; at first faint, almost swallowed by the howling gusts.

But it stubbornly pierced through the wind, its volume steadily rising.

The entire ice field seemed to rise and fall with this sound, engaging in a slow, rhythmic breathing.

"What is that?"

Hong Yuan's fingers tightened around the handle of her axe.

The muscles in her back instantly bulged, assuming a posture ready to exert force at any moment. She had sensed the danger, as if the earth beneath her feet had come alive.

Yin Chen made a hand gesture.

Hong Yuan understood, holding her breath and masking her presence as they stealthily moved toward the source of the humming.

Bypassing a jagged forest of ice, the terrain ahead abruptly changed, and their field of vision suddenly opened up.

An abyss lay before them, tearing the solid ice surface apart.

Inside the abyss was bottomless darkness.

Only faint blue halos seeped out from the depths, flickering erratically.

That heavy humming was coming from here, every pulse causing the ice layer under their feet to resonate.

The humming reached its peak, and the faint light deep within the rift flared brilliantly.

A massive dark shadow rose from the darkness, its outline gradually becoming clear.

Its sheer size filled their entire field of vision.

The curve of its carapace was akin to a mountain range, engraved with ancient and obscure runes.

When its head fully lifted above the ice surface.

Those ancient, emotionless eyes swept over the three of them.

Even though only a portion of it was revealed, it was enough to recognize that it was a giant turtle.