In the heart of an ancient forest, the serene stillness was suddenly shattered by cries of help echoing through the trees. A white-robed youth, Leon, was making his way along a narrow path when the sounds reached his ears.


    "Do I have to help them?" Leon grumbled, his voice carrying a hint of irritation as if addressing the very air around him.


    "It''s called collecting good karma," an aged voice retorted, sounding as if it came from an unseen observer. The voice held a tone of gentle admonishment, like an old mentor chiding a stubborn student.


    "Even when I know it''s a trap?" Leon replied, his skepticism clear.


    "Well, it''s for a good conscience. You should at least check it out," the voice argued back, persistent in its persuasion.


    The debate continued a curious intery of internal dialogue that seemed to be happening entirely within Leon''s mind. Eventually, the argument settled with the decision that he would investigate the cries for help.


    Leon''s footsteps were silent as he moved through the underbrush, the forest around him thick with towering trees and dense foliage. The canopy above filtered the sunlight into dappled patches on the forest floor. After a short walk, he arrived at the source of the cries and was met with a grim scene.


    An old man, ragged and disheveled, was pinned beneath arge, menacing wolf. The beast''s eyes glowed with a predatory gleam, and it was salivating, its fangs glistening in the muted light.


    Leon sighed with a mixture of reluctance and resolve. He waved a hand nonchntly, and a small, sharp stone shot out from his direction, striking the wolf''s leg.


    The creature whimpered in pain and scrambled away, its pride wounded, but its retreat swift and erratic.


    The old man scrambled to his feet, brushing dirt from his tattered clothes. He approached Leon with a look of deep gratitude.


    "Thank you for saving me, young hero," he said, his voice shaky but sincere.


    Leon, still maintaining a casual demeanor, asked, "What are you doing alone in the forest?"


    The old man exined, "I was here collecting wood when I was suddenly ambushed by this beast."


    "Why would youe here knowing there would be beasts in the forest?" Leon inquired, his tone hinting at the absurdity of the situation.


    "The forest wasn''t'' like this a month ago," the old man exined. "Recently, the beasts have turned aggressive. Something in the forest must have changed."


    "Did you inform your state lord?" Leon asked, shifting his gaze to the horizon as if expecting answers from the forest itself. The state lord was responsible for the safety of the people in his domain.


    "We did," the old man replied, his voice tinged with frustration. "But there has been no response."


    Leon rubbed his forehead, a gesture of mild exasperation. "I''ll do this once for good conscience. You should head back to your vige."


    "What about you, young hero?" the old man asked, noticing that Leon made no move to leave.


    "Don''t worry about me," Leon waved off the concern with a dismissive gesture. "Return to your vige."


    As the old man hurried away, relief evident in his quickened pace, Leon''s attention returned to the forest. He stood still for a few moments, his senses alert. It wasn''t long before the air grew thick with an uneasy tension.


    The injured wolf, now apanied by arge pack, reemerged from the shadows. The wolves surrounded Leon, their eyes reflecting a chilling emptiness. Something was unsettling about their appearance—an unnatural darkness clouding their gaze, making them appear almost as though they were animated by malevolent forces.


    "This is getting out of control," Leon sighed, his voice heavy with weary resignation.


    With a blur of motion, he vanished from the wolves'' sight. The beasts, now disoriented and confused, began to whimper and snarl. Within moments, the pack dissolved into a bloody mist, their forms evaporating like a nightmare unraveling at dawn.


    Leon reappeared high above the forest canopy, his sharp eyes focused on a small hill surrounded by arge number of beasts.


    "As expected, it''s a minor-ss ruin," he muttered, surveying the scene below.


    Ruins were ssified into four categories based on their miasma and danger levels: minor, intermediate, greater, and ancient. Minor-ss ruins were rtively contained, their miasma affecting only a small area. Intermediate ruins epassed arge state, while greater ruins could extend as far as the empire''s borders.


    Ancient ruins, the most formidable, were rare and catastrophic, their miasma creating an almost apocalyptic zone of corruption.


    Leon''s trained senses easily identified this as a minor-ss ruin by the limited reach of the miasma and the rtively small size of the forest.


    "Killing them one by one is too much hassle," staring at arge number of beasts, Leon said with exasperation. He pointed downward, concentrating. "Let me see how my control is recently."


    In the sky, countless small particles of light formed, resembling twinkling stars amidst daylight. The beasts below looked up, their growls filled with frustration as they were unable to reach Leon in the sky.


    With a decisive gesture, Leon caused the particles of light to disappear as if they had never been there.


    In a blink, the light had pierced all the beasts below. mes erupted from the particles, incinerating the horde in an instant, leaving only ashes scattered on the forest floor.


    "You''ve improved from thest time," the aged voice echoed in Leon''s mind, a tone of praise tinged with critique. "But it''s still not perfect."


    "Couldn''t you praise me without throwing in a backhandedment?" Leon grumbled, his irritation evident.


    "Why would I praise something that is not perfect?" the aged voice replied with a hint of smugness.


    "Here we go again with your perfectionism," Leon sighed, rolling his eyes. "Forget I asked."


    Descending back to the surface, Leon approached the cave-like entrance of the ruin. As he entered, it didn''t take long for him to reemerge, flying out in haste.


    "Oops, almost caught me," Leon said, his voice tinged with a touch of amusement as a dark, shadowy hand reached out to grasp him. He soared higher into the sky, out of the shadowy hand''s reach.


    "I don''t want to waste my time here," Leon called out, his tone resolute. "I need to reach the Jul Empire before the Entrance test begins."


    "I''ll finish this in a single strike," he muttered with resolve. He extended his palm toward the ground, aiming directly at the ruin.


    A swirling vortex of mes materialized in front of his palm, its intense heat radiating outward. Flecks of lightning crackled around the fiery sphere, adding menacing energy to its presence.


    [Inferno]


    The ball of me shot from Leon''s hand, descending toward the ruin below. The shadowy hand, sensing the impending danger, manifested countless smaller hands that reached out to intercept the descending inferno.


    The shadowy hands wrapped around the me, but as soon as they made contact, they melted away in sizzling streams of dark smoke. Despite their relentless attempts, the shadowy hands were powerless against the inferno''s heat.


    The me struck the ground with explosive force. The impact sent a shockwave through the forest, causing the earth to tremble.


    A massive plume of smoke and me erupted, consuming everything in its vicinity. The forest, a one-mile radius around the ruin, evaporated into nothingness, leaving behind a vast, glowing crater. The explosion created a colossal mushroom cloud that soared into the sky, a spectacle visible from distant kingdoms.