SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant Chapter 511: Final Trial [III]

As the hunting grounds solidified around him, Trafalgar surveyed the area immediately. Breezes swept through the trees from every direction, bearing the aroma of wet bark, decayed leaves, and feral mana. He had arrived in the woods. Enormous trunks stood packed tightly, roots coiling over the soil, limbs dense enough to block visibility after just a short walk.

’So I got the forest.’

Inwardly, he clicked his tongue.

’I don’t like this zone. If I’m aiming for first place, the mini desert or the lake would be better. Or I go deeper inside and see if the forest hides something worth the trouble.’

Maledicta appeared in his grasp. Dark-blue mana converged first, followed by the sword forming solidly in his hold, its accustomed heft settling comfortably as if it had always been there. Just that was sufficient to calm the mild annoyance from dropping into the undesired area.

Stirring occurred to his left. Trafalgar pivoted slightly to spot several other students amid the trees. Some were already banding together, one wielding a spear, another holding a mage’s staff, a third chattering rapidly to prove his value before the group abandoned him.

’Looks like people are making teams already. Well, that’s normal.’

He had zero plans to join any.

Trafalgar moved forward at a relaxed stride, navigating over roots and slicing through foliage without pause. He sought no insignificant low-tier beast that would fall to a couple of swift strikes. For top rank, he required a trophy substantial enough to impress the directors upon review.

A piercing screech of metal on wood echoed through the woods.

He halted.

A second rasp came next, deeper and weightier, as a creature exploded from the bushes to his right. It resembled a wolf, yet its front legs were encased in matte black metal that appeared organically formed rather than crafted, terminating in curved talons capable of shredding bark from a tree in a single swipe. Trailing it were two others, slimmer and more grotesque, their maws stretched unnaturally wide with silvery teeth protruding at irregular angles like shattered knives thrust through skin.

Ironclaw wolves.

The lead one leaped directly at his neck.

Trafalgar countered with [Crosswind Edge], flipping Maledicta sideways in a swift, efficient sweep. A condensed arc of wind detached from the edge and sliced between trunks before the wolf fully launched. Foliage flew apart. Slender twigs cracked. The animal split open from shoulder to neck and tumbled into the soil amid sprays of blood and metallic talons.

The remaining pair showed no delay.

One attacked low. The other attempted to vault over his side. Trafalgar adjusted his stance and unleashed [Arc Slash] across the open space. Dark-blue mana erupted from Maledicta in a sideways surge that carved ahead with power strong enough to bow the surrounding brush. One wolf took it in the midsection and collided with a trunk forcefully enough to splinter bark. The other tried leaping over and forfeited half its form in the process.

A fourth descended from overhead.

This specimen was bigger, sporting rusty fur and an iron plate melded to one side of its head. It sprang from a tree trunk, talons extended, targeting his unguarded flank. Trafalgar’s form twisted into [Severance Step], his motion blurring into a curving sprint that arced around the trunk seamlessly. He disappeared from his prior position and materialized behind the creature with Maledicta already arcing down. The follow-up blow severed spine and armored bone equally before the wolf touched down.

The corpse struck the earth in two jagged segments.

Trafalgar breathed out once and resumed his path.

That would suffice in typical areas. Here, the spilled blood only worsened matters.

A deep, vibrating growl reverberated from the trees ahead, potent enough to dislodge leaves from above. Limbs shook. Bushes shattered. What emerged had bear-like origins, though the term scarcely applied now. One shoulder bore coiled roots toughened into plating. Spiked barbs lined its back in uneven spikes. Its talons were broad and whitish, resembling exposed bone over claw material, and from the mangled eye socket, golden sap oozed in thick, sluggish trails.

A Thornhide Ursid.

Better.

The beast reared up on hind legs with a savage bellow, its sheer mass pressing the ground to groan. Trafalgar’s hold on Maledicta firmed just a touch.

Now this deserved to be felled.

The Ursid barreled ahead. Every stride ripped soil and plants. Its front paw led, wide enough to smash a human torso, talons carving glowing trails through the atmosphere.

Trafalgar confronted it directly with [Morgain’s Linebreaker]. Mana cloaked Maledicta until the weapon thrummed, propelling him in a linear surge of velocity. The rush cracked the terrain beneath his feet and unleashed a slashing front wave. It struck the Ursid’s torso, driving the monster rearward while shattering root shielding on one flank and wrenching a bellow that echoed across half the woods.

The creature absorbed the blow and pressed on.

Good.

It struck lower on the next pass, quicker than its bulk should permit. Trafalgar dodged the talon, spun on his rear heel, and released [Severing Fang]. A keen slanted force blade ripped from Maledicta with a shrill metallic whine, slicing through wood, pelt, and meat in a precise upward path. The soil under the cut gaped open too, etching a fresh gash amid earth and roots. Dark ichor and amber resin erupted from the gash simultaneously.

The Ursid faltered.

It refused to drop.

Before Trafalgar could advance, activity built around the glade once more. More wolves. Far beyond three or four. An entire group lured by the blood scent. Some slunk through foliage with iron claws grating on roots. Others orbited broader, seeking a vulnerable spot.

Trafalgar exhaled softly through his nostrils.

’Annoying.’

The Ursid rushed anew as the pack converged from flanks.

Fine.

He responded with [Morgain’s Requiem]. Maledicta led, his body trailing. One cut flowed into the next as shadowy mana loops expanded around him in a seamless blade routine, fanning outward through the glade like indigo-black moons etched in the sky. Wolves bounding into the field were mangled mid-air. Others got hurled away, gashed open at torso or throat. The technique’s fringes gnawed the Ursid as well, etching new gashes in its woody armor and gouging crimson paths along its flanks.

When the final loop dissolved, the glade gleamed crimson.

The Ursid barreled through regardless.

Partially hobbling, partially collapsing, yet foolishly persistent.

Its front limbs pounded the dirt in a frantic bid to pulverize all ahead. Trafalgar closed in and slammed Maledicta down via [Earthsplitter]. The initial clash hit the beast’s cranium. The follow-up rippled through the ground, a mana quake exploding under the Ursid’s bulk. Roots broke. Soil and fragmented rock sprayed upward. The monster’s frame seized briefly, dazed by the rift beneath.

That moment sufficed.

Trafalgar channeled mana into [Morgain’s Final Crescent], darkening the blade until its rim bore a shadowy lunar glow. Pressure distorted the air near Maledicta. His swing hurled the crescent across the glade in a savage rush, cleaving the Ursid’s chest and shredding the nucleus deep within. The fiend convulsed wildly, its healing quenched as the cut passed.

Even then, it persisted not.

One final form darted from the woods, swifter and grander than the rest, an alpha wolf bearing iron talons, a riven muzzle, and a collar of barb-like protrusions around its neck lending a near-lion aspect. It targeted not his face but his side, exploiting the gap from the Ursid’s demise.

Trafalgar spun toward it.

He funneled the motion smoothly into [Morgain’s Last Dusk]. Mana surged into Maledicta until the atmosphere quivered with a keen, building drone. The upward slanted cut that ensued bisected the alpha in a ruthless stroke, dividing meat, metal outgrowth, and noise alike. For an instant, the creature stayed intact.

Then it parted.

Its remains thudded onto the glade in two mangled portions, its vitality extinguished alongside.

Silence fell over the woods.

Foliage wafted down from fractured limbs. Blood seeped into torn ground. The reek of resin, sodden hide, and eviscerated forms thickened the breeze. Trafalgar shrugged one shoulder and eyed the carnage nearby. Superior to standard feeble game. Yet insufficient for assured victory if first place was the goal.

A sharp crack sounded from his rear.

Trafalgar whirled, Maledicta gripped firm.

Initially, only shadows and trunks met his gaze. Then a silhouette entered a narrow sunbeam amid the trees, bow drawn taut, stance rigid enough that another shock might trigger an errant shot.

Bartholomew.

His face appeared ashen once more. Paler than prior, perhaps. Fingers clutched the bowstring, the point drifting uncertainly between the slain beasts below and Trafalgar.

"Barth?" Trafalgar said.

Bartholomew gulped harshly.

"T-Trafalgar?"