CHAPTER 30: FLYING!

’There are many things for you to learn, Leon. But you must figure them out yourself.’

Leon exhaled sharply, sighing in defeat.

As much as he wanted to know more, he understood. The system would never reveal too much. Not now. Not like this.

Right now, he had wiped out all the Level 4 beasts. His mana-infused fists were dripping with blood. His knuckles throbbed from impact after impact, and though the pain was dull, it was constant.

But he was not even close to his limit.

The four Level 5 ravens, however, had suffered heavy damage. Their HP had been halved—and they knew it. That was why they’d stopped attacking.

It would be shameful for them to die in front of their subordinates.

It would lower morale.

Break confidence.

Shatter the hierarchy.

Now, they could only hover in silence... watching.

And then—it was done.

All their underlings had fallen.

Leon had single-handedly wiped them out.

He turned his gaze skyward toward the ones that still remained—the Level 5 ravens that hovered far above, avoiding him like he was the embodiment of death.

They dared not flee. Not because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t.

They were all locked into the death match.

Fleeing now... would mean instant death.

Leon already knew that.

The system had told him—any beast that willingly retreats from a death match, without an actual escape skill or ability, would be annihilated on the spot.

And the ravens... they knew it too.

They gulped.

From above, they watched him with wide, unblinking eyes.

They watched as that grin—that devilish, spine-chilling grin—spread across his face.

At that moment, he no longer looked human.

He looked like a demon.

A smiling god of death welcoming their souls, arms outstretched, eyes alight with chaos.

They couldn’t help but remember the laughter they had shared minutes ago. When they mocked his arrogance. When they called him foolish.

Now, they knew.

He was not the fool.

They were.

Compared to Leon, they had nothing.

No power.

No will.

No courage.

They looked toward the only being that could give them hope.

Their leader.

Their eyes turned toward it instinctively.

It hovered above, wings spread in command, and on its face... was what looked like a grin.

Birds shouldn’t be able to grin.

But this one was.

Its feathers ruffled as it released a low cackle.

Though the sound was soft, they felt the surge of confidence.

The leader had a plan.

They knew it.

They didn’t need to hear words. Their trust in him was absolute.

So they waited... in silence... watching.

Despite everything they’d just witnessed, they held onto one last shred of hope.

Maybe—just maybe—their leader’s trump card would be enough to end Leon’s life.

After all, Leon showed no mercy. None.

And they knew... if they were in his place, neither would they.

Leon stood tall, his body smeared in blood and dust, his fists bruised and pulsing with mana.

He waited.

He knew the leader was preparing something.

Something dangerous.

Something deadly.

And yet, it still hadn’t made a move.

Was it waiting for every subordinate to be dead?

Was it buying time for something else?

Leon frowned, confusion creasing his brow.

His instincts were flaring again—but this time, they weren’t screaming danger. They were screaming curiosity.

’Could this raven leader have the same ability as the chicken boss?’ he thought grimly.

If that was the case...

Then this creature was even more dangerous than he’d imagined.

He glanced at the timer again.

┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓

1:15:23

┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛

An hour and fifteen minutes left.

He was running out of time.

These ravens were wasting precious seconds.

He needed to finish this—fast.

Without hesitation, Leon set his sights on the floating cowards.

They’d been using their wings to their advantage for too long.

Hovering just out of reach.

Dodging his fists with their insane agility.

Buying time with every second they stalled.

But Leon had something for them.

A surprise.

The Level 5 ravens in the air twitched.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

They could feel it.

That eerie premonition again—the same one that warned them about Leon earlier.

But this time... it screamed even louder.

Their leader ignored it—just like before.

Meanwhile—

Down on the ground, Leon grinned once more.

His grin was cold.

His tone sharp.

His voice—cutting through the silence like a blade.

"Time to end this once and for all... COWARDS!"

Without hesitation, Leon kicked his plan into action.

With his title as Mana Sovereign, manipulating mana was beginning to feel almost instinctive—even though he’d only awakened this energy minutes ago. His manipulation could now rival the Qi control of Cultivators who had trained all their lives.

He quickly guided the bulk of the mana flow toward the soles of his feet, channeling the energy out through the pores of his legs. Immediately, the usual blue glow flared to life around his calves and ankles.

The energy began swirling like a vortex, thick and alive. He could feel its power wrapping around him like a storm—and somewhere deep inside, he vaguely enjoyed that feeling.

Without wasting a heartbeat, Leon let loose.

Mana burst outward violently, launching him upward like a living rocket. He soared into the air with brutal momentum, mana trailing behind like the exhaust of a jet engine.

The further he climbed, the more unstable it got.

The energy refused to calm down—it surged with untamed strength, and the light around his legs flared brighter with every second.

From this new height, Leon took in the world beneath him, the horizon wide, the wind slicing past his skin. There was beauty in the view. A part of him wanted to shout from the sky in raw, childish excitement. But he didn’t. He held it in.

He had no time for wonder. No room for celebration.

This was a battlefield.

This dungeon wasn’t some fantasy game with infinite lives or safety nets. No saves. No redos.

If he made one wrong move — He dies. For real.