Chapter Ten: The Tiger... Is Dead

“No, I can’t just die like this!”

Long Yu, who had all but abandoned hope of survival before the tiger, felt his resolve reignite. Even though both he and the tiger possessed a physical strength of thirty, the beast’s sheer size and fighting prowess were far beyond his own.

After all, humanity’s greatest strength lay in intellect, not brute force. Humans fought with weapons they crafted, not with their fists.

But at that moment, Long Yu thought of his family—his loving parents, his little sister who always clung to his hand and called him “big brother,” and everything that had come his way since awakening his powers.

How could he die now, when he was so close to a bright future in this new world? He was on the verge of providing a better life for his parents and sister, and for himself. To die now—how could he accept it?

“I have to resist. I have to defeat this tiger. Yes, I cannot lose, I must not lose.” The thought consumed him: he could not afford to lose.

In the past, he had no choice but to watch his parents and sister suffer. Now, fate had granted him a chance to change everything, and he had no reason to give up.

He steeled himself for a do-or-die struggle.

Long Yu’s mind raced. Quickly, he formed a plan: when the tiger attacked again, he would meet it head-on in midair, knock it over, then pin it down and attack the exposed belly—perhaps he could seize victory before the tiger could even react.

The tiger lunged once more. This time, Long Yu didn’t dodge; he charged straight at it, colliding with the beast in midair.

Pain exploded in his head, and before he could recover, the tiger had him pinned beneath its massive body.

The tiger’s strength was far beyond what Long Yu had expected. Though he had met the attack with all his might, the collision shattered his illusions. The beast not only possessed greater power, but it could even adjust its movements in midair.

Long Yu’s full-force counterattack missed as the tiger twisted aside, then caught him with its claws as he fell.

His attempt to confront the tiger head-on only left him injured and at its mercy.

The tiger opened its bloody maw, aiming to tear out Long Yu’s throat. He could only use both hands to desperately hold its jaws at bay.

But this was not a solution. Long Yu’s mind whirled, searching for any means of escape.

What else did he have? Spatial abilities? He had no idea how to use them.

Mental power? But how?

His arms, holding back the tiger’s jaw, were growing weaker by the second—he couldn’t hold out much longer.

“To hell with it! Who cares if it works or not? Whatever I can use, I’ll use!” Trusting his instincts, Long Yu unleashed his powers wildly.

Disappointment quickly followed; nothing happened.

Unbeknownst to him, however, space nearby began to ripple strangely, only returning to normal several seconds later.

With spatial powers yielding nothing, Long Yu decisively turned to his mental strength. He didn’t know how to wield it, but he poured all his mental energy into attacking the tiger’s mind, certain it would have some effect.

All at once, his mental force surged into the tiger’s brain. The foreign presence made the beast’s head throb with pain. The invasive energy rampaged through its mind, heedless of any damage.

The tiger could only muster all its willpower to resist the mental onslaught.

Seizing the chance, Long Yu broke free. The massive expenditure of mental power made his head feel as if it might explode. Overwhelmed by agony, he collapsed to the ground, curling up and clutching his head.

His mental force, now out of control, continued to wreak havoc in the tiger’s mind, though without guidance, it simply rampaged blindly. The tiger, not weak in its own right, quickly began to destroy the foreign presence within its brain.

At this rate, the tiger would recover in less than five minutes. Meanwhile, Long Yu was curled on the ground, caught in a torment between life and death, unable even to faint because he had exhausted all his mental strength.

Elsewhere, the guardian of Secret Realm 252—a little girl—had grown serious for the first time. During Long Yu’s battle, she had sensed two distinct powers at play, which piqued her interest despite her normally playful nature.

To possess two kinds of powers simultaneously was rare, but that alone would not have drawn her attention. What truly surprised her was that the two powers Long Yu wielded—spiritual force and space manipulation—were among the most formidable abilities. If he could grow, he would surely become a force to be reckoned with.

Yet both these extraordinary abilities belonged to this one man before her, and she could not help but feel a twinge of envy.

What incredible luck! How could someone so rude be so favored by the gods of the universe? Were they blind? The girl fumed inwardly.

Despite her grumbling, she did not hesitate to report the news.

Deep in the earth’s core, the consciousness of Earth itself was observing the planet’s changes.

“A human with both spatial abilities and mental power has appeared. What do you intend to do?” a voice asked in its mind.

“Another human of such extraordinary talent! I wonder how he compares to that one in Northern Europe? Nurture him with all our resources! Give him another trial—teach him well how to wield his powers and how to fight. He must not die too soon,” the voice of Earth’s consciousness replied.

It was long accustomed to the owner of that shadowy voice, who called itself Ililok and claimed to be its kin. Unless Ililok reached out to it first, Earth’s consciousness could not sense its presence at all.

Ililok had been around since the trials began, and it was Ililok who brought the guardians of the secret realms as well.

Since it was helping, Earth’s consciousness didn’t dwell on it.

On the other side, the guardian of Secret Realm 252 stomped her foot in frustration at the special treatment being arranged—smuggling in extra resources, giving this guy a shortcut. Talented people really did get all the breaks, even having resources funneled from other secret realms.

Grumbling to herself, she began to adjust the arena below.

The tiger had already purged the foreign mental force from its mind and stood up again.

Long Yu was still writhing in pain, clutching his head, as the tiger pounced once more.

But just as it raised a paw, a flash of white light appeared, and the tiger vanished.

The guardian of Secret Realm 252 sat back down quietly.

No one had said she needed to heal him first. If he’d exhausted all his mental power, he could enjoy the consequences for a while.