Return Of The SSS-Class Hunter

Soon, they reached the training chambers. Outside, on a raised square platform, stood another orb — slightly larger than the standard ones used for checking cultivation realms.

Yami looked at Derek. "You can test your realm with this one. There shouldn't be any issues this time."

Derek nodded and stepped forward. His heartbeat quickened as he slowly raised his hand and placed his palm on the orb.

'Please work properly… and please... don't tell me my realm really dropped.'

Yami and Meridith watched with tense anticipation as well.

The moment Derek's palm touched the surface, the air inside the orb stirred violently. A swirl formed, colors shifting rapidly until the translucent orb turned a deep, dark orange.

Derek waited, hoping — begging — for it to climb higher.

But the color didn't change.

Not even after several long seconds.

"What the hell!" Derek blurted. "So my cultivation realm really decreased?! How? Why?!" His expression twisted in a mix of disbelief, frustration, and shock.

Yami and Meridith were stunned as well.

"That's impossible," Meridith whispered. "How can someone's realm drop?"

Yami remained silent for a moment. Then he said, "Wait. Let me check if this orb is malfunctioning too."

He placed his palm on the orb.

Instantly, a strong fluctuation surged within it, the colors spiraling upward.

Dark orange… then medium orange… then light orange…

Next came dark yellow, medium yellow, light yellow…

Then dark silver — and finally, it stopped.

"The orb is working fine," Yami said heavily. "So… your cultivation realm really has dropped?"

Derek clenched his fists but said nothing.

'That bastard… this is all because of him.'

He felt pure rage toward Peter. 'If not for that cursed demon core, my realm wouldn't have fallen.'

"But this is truly strange," Yami continued, pulling Derek out of his thoughts. "Your internal energy has definitely increased. So how can your realm be lower? That doesn't make any sense. How do you feel? Does your strength feel weaker?"

Derek paused. The realization hit him.

"Now that you mention it… It's weird. Because I actually do feel stronger. My body feels more powerful. So why would my cultivation drop instead of increasing?"

He frowned deeply, falling into thought.

'What's going on? I've never heard of something like this in my life…'

A heavy silence settled. No one spoke for a while.

Then Yami finally broke it. "Let's test it practically instead of relying on an orb."

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Derek asked.

"Simple," Yami replied. "We spar. Just like the first time, I tested whether you could truly wield a sword."

Derek thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Alright. Let's do it, Master. I won't be able to calm down unless I understand what really happened."

"Good. Let's go."

With that, Yami turned and walked into one of the training chambers.

Derek followed closely behind. Meridith entered as well — she wanted to witness firsthand what was going on with Derek's cultivation realm.

Though the chamber wasn't vast, it was more than enough for two opponents to spar.

Yami and Derek stood facing each other. Yami unsheathed his katana at his waist, the metal gleaming faintly under the chamber lights.

Derek pulled out his own sword from his storage ring.

Both took their stances and then...

Derek moved first, unable to suppress the tension boiling inside him.

But then...

Whoosh!

All three of them froze.

Derek had already bypassed Yami and was standing several meters behind him.

'What the…? How did I become this fast?' Derek muttered. He hadn't even been able to control his momentum — he had simply blitzed past Yami in an instant.

Yami's eyes widened too. He had no problem following Derek's movement, but even then, the speed was shocking.

"What tremendous speed…" he whispered, astonished.

Seeing Derek's speed, Meridith's mouth fell open. 'Is he really a first year? How old is he? Eleven? Twelve at most? But that speed… that was on par with a C-class hunter!'

Snapping out of his shock, Derek quickly turned around. Steeling himself, he lunged forward again.

Yami didn't budge. With calm precision, he swung his katana, deflecting Derek's strike with ease.

But Derek didn't stop. He launched attack after attack, each swing sharper than the last. Little by little, he was getting used to his new speed — adjusting, controlling, adapting.

Soon, his blows grew fiercer, heavier.

A spark of excitement flashed in Yami's eyes.

'Let's push your limits a little, shall we?'

With that thought, Yami finally moved, disappearing from his spot.

His internal energy surged. And unlike last time, he began using the strength of his cultivation — suppressed, yes, but still overwhelmingly powerful.

Every time their blades clashed, Derek now felt his hands tremble, a numbing vibration running through his arms.

But instead of retreating, his eyes shone with exhilaration.

Clang! Clang!

The clashes intensified. At first, Derek had only been adapting to his new speed and strength. But now… his tactics were beginning to merge with it. The instincts honed through countless life-and-death battles resurfaced, sharp and deadly.

Yami wasn't using his full power — not even half. Barely a fraction. Normally, even that much would be enough to overwhelm a C-class mage or an auran without difficulty.

But Derek's relentless improvement was forcing him to exert more and more strength with every passing moment. And the more Yami unleashed, the faster Derek seemed to catch up — pushing himself harder, attacking fiercer, moving with a wild, almost frenzied joy.

He looked like someone savoring every second of this newfound power.

'This is fucking awesome… I wish I had more of those demon cores,' Derek thought, entirely immersed in the thrill.

Derek's breathing grew heavier with each passing second as he pushed himself to the limit. He wasn't holding anything back — and he didn't need to. His opponent was an S-class auran; there was no risk of accidentally injuring him.

Yami, on the other hand, hadn't even lost a breath. But he could feel a faint pressure building from Derek's fighting style. It wasn't only Derek's raw strength that impressed him — it was also the way he moved, the way he handled each incoming attack with instinctual precision. With Derek's increased strength and speed, Yami felt as though he was fighting a different person entirely.