Just before Lian's blow landed…

"Let us try something interesting…" The corners of his lips curled into a mischievous smile, his eyes gleaming with daring excitement.

Drawing with his body was not easy, especially in high-intensity combat.

Sure, the Swarmers could be considered a mere warm-up, so Lian had no trouble experimenting with his new ability.

But against a powerful, resilient, and fast monster like the Gargantu? He would not have time to draw during the fight.

So…

Lian began running swiftly toward the colossus, ignoring all the Swarmers along the way, their slimy forms hissing as he passed.

Once he got close enough, he stopped.

"I really hope no one is watching…" he sighed with a half-smile, his breath forming a faint mist in the chilly air.

What he was about to do was strange, very strange, especially from the perspective of those unaware of his ability.

And no one there knew about his ability…

After stopping, Lian jumped, high enough to allow him to do several things at once.

His idea was simple.

Do not limit himself to drawing with just one limb but use all four together.

After jumping with both feet together, Lian began forming triangles with his legs.

He spread them outward, then brought them in front of him along a diagonal line, and finally returned them to the starting position, imagining drawing another diagonal line.

But that was not all.

At the same time, his arms rotated in opposite directions, forming a magnificent imaginary circle.

Unlike spells drawn with the mind, those drawn using his body as a brush followed an inverse logic of difficulty.

If the mind found it harder to create round shapes like circles and ovals compared to angular ones like triangles and squares, the exact opposite was true for the body.

It was much easier to draw round shapes than angular ones.

The moment Lian finished drawing the two triangles with his legs and the two circles with his arms, a marvelous sensation of power surged through his entire body.

This was not just a slight enhancement like before; it was an entirely new level!

Without waiting a second longer, Lian rushed forward at a speed many times greater than he had ever achieved before!

In one second, he covered a distance of ten meters, reaching the colossus. Then he made an explosive leap upward and forward.

The enhancements did not only affect the body part subject to the geometric movement but the entire body.

His target was not the monster's foot or leg but its stomach area.

That was where most of the lava veins were concentrated, and judging by what he had seen during the leaders' fight, those were the monster's weak points.

The speed and power of his leap were off the charts, nearly throwing him off balance.

Nearly.

With both hands clenched into fists, Lian harnessed all the kinetic force accumulated during the leap and run to deliver a double punch of astoundingly exaggerated power.

BOOM—

An explosion echoed through the area, and a moment later, the monster was sent flying toward the giant trees of the forest, tumbling and destroying the ground beneath, uprooting ancient roots and scattering debris.

A soft thud accompanied Lian's descent, as he observed the scene with an incredulous look.

"Huh? Is it dead?"

He expected much greater power than normal, but this made absolutely no sense! The battlefield trembled slightly with the colossus's fall, as all the students turned their gazes toward the area of interest.

But the Swarmers cared nothing for what happened to their strongest monster; their eyes and mouths were fixed on the students, wounding many during their distraction, nearly killing them.

Because yes, everyone was shaken by Lian's attack, even the Silver Mages tasked with protecting the students.

Fortunately, two Gold Mages overseeing everything managed to save the few students who were about to die just in time.

However, even they were shocked by Lian's firepower.

"Is he really a seedling who just advanced?" Incredulity painted Cristalda's face, her eyes wide with astonishment.

Her lips twitched slightly. "Are those following the dual path really this strong? Or is he an exception?" Her questions were more rhetorical; she did not expect an answer.

Beside her, Festos did not respond immediately. He was incredulous. After a few seconds, a sigh left his lips. "Truly, the younger generation is destined to surpass us. I just hope nothing serious happens…"

His eyes scanned the horizon, as if expecting something, his brow furrowed with faint concern.

This event was not as simple as it seemed. The Academy knew something was about to happen, but they really needed to train the new generation. For this reason, two Gold Mages were hosting this event, precisely to prevent an attack.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield…

The colossus sent flying did not return.

Lian did not know if it was dead or not, but it was likely, as it no longer moved…

As for Lian…

After the adrenaline rush from his enhanced body, a sensation of slight fatigue enveloped him.

"Hm…" he scratched his chin lightly, thoughtful. "It seems using this ability in this way overloads my body… however, thanks to the amount of mana I have, I can handle it easily. So my near-death was not in vain."

He smiled faintly. Then he looked up, turning his head to observe around him. A ton of people were staring at him as if he were a monster, especially the four faction leaders.

Well, maybe I am the real monster here… he thought ironically.

Meanwhile, the battle against the Swarmers seemed endless.

An hour had passed since the fight began, and finally, the number of Swarmers seemed to have dwindled. Rick continued to fight, killing as many as possible, but at this point, his fatigue was evident.

Not only his body but also his spells lost power. The same was happening across the entire battlefield.

Amidst this, Clara was fighting with all her strength not to fall too far behind her group, but it was futile.

"What monsters did I end up with…" she sighed, slightly helpless, her twin tails drooping slightly.

In the end, the score that mattered for receiving prizes was individual. She would not get anything worthwhile. "I should be content with this sword…" she smiled mischievously, her eyes glinting with playful intent.

Fortunately, ten minutes later, the last monster was killed.

The battlefield fell silent, the number of monster corpses innumerable. Black blood stained everything, from the ground to the clothes of all the students, pooling in dark, viscous puddles.

Then, Festos's voice echoed through the clearing.

"Students of Astalis Academy, well done!" His words carried a specific meaning.

At this point, those who had not pressed the button to be rescued had become worthy of bearing the title of academy student.

Not that they were not before; it was just that, at this moment, the title was truly earned, with sweat and blood. Literally.

The students raised their gazes. Fatigue marked their faces, but so did their happiness for successfully completing the first wave.

"Now," his gaze lifted, looking into the distance. "You have about one hour to rest, after which the second wave will arrive."

With these words, his figure vanished from the sky.