Chapter 134: Waking Up

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Waking Up

The match was already over. Both Ronan and Hati had fallen unconscious, and technically, someone could simply walk toward them and throw them off the ring, but everyone stood frozen in shock.

All around the arena, the place had turned into something entirely different, with giant holes whose depths could not be seen scattered everywhere. The once-wide arena had been almost completely destroyed, and the camp itself had suffered enormous damage.

At least for the next few days, if the camp was going to remain in use, the instructors would have to repair and take care of it.

That was the power of the young monsters gathered in this place.

Outside, in the forest, the damage was even greater. Hundreds of kilometers of forest had been cleared, with the ground completely torn apart and massive slopes carved into the earth. Countless trees had collapsed, and the creatures living within the forest had not been spared either.

The beasts in the surrounding area were mostly Sovereign Realm creatures, beings that were powerful enough to dominate large territories and survive in the dangerous environment of the island.

Yet before the battle between Ronan and Hati, they had seemed like powerful monsters.

After the battle, many of them had simply vanished.

The shockwaves had swept through the forest like an unstoppable disaster, destroying everything caught between the attacks. Trees were torn from the ground, mountains of earth were flattened, and the beasts that had been unlucky enough to be caught within the range were crushed beneath the terrifying force.

The forest had gone silent.

But deep within that forest, tens and even hundreds of miles away from the camp, something else happened.

In a place where the destruction had yet to completely reach, a pair of eyes suddenly opened.

A glowing emerald that seemed to shine within the darkness of the forest.

For several seconds, the creature simply stared into the distance.

Then an aura suddenly spread.

It was an aura that belonged to the Legendary Realm.

The moment that aura appeared, Instructor Kali’s expression changed.

He had been standing within the camp, observing the aftermath of the battle, but without saying a word, his body disappeared.

The next instant, he was already far away from the camp.

His speed was so great that most of the participants wouldn’t even have been able to perceive his movement.

Then...

BOOOOM!

A massive explosion erupted deep within the forest.

The earth trembled.

The camp shook.

Everyone who was still conscious looked toward the direction of the explosion with shock.

But before anyone could understand what had happened, the forest once again became silent.

**********

Some days later

Inside one of the temporary recovery areas of the camp, Ronan slowly opened his eyes.

His vision was blurry at first, and his head felt as though someone had taken a hammer and smashed it against his skull repeatedly.

He tried to move.

The moment he did, pain shot through his entire body.

"Don’t move!"

Hesa immediately reached out and stopped him from sitting up while Yen hurriedly supported his back.

Ronan frowned as he looked at the two women beside him.

"Hesa... Yen?"

Both women looked exhausted, but there was obvious relief in their eyes when they saw that he was awake.

"You’ve finally woken up," Yen said softly.

Ronan looked around before asking, "Where am I?"

"Your home."

Hesa sighed before adding, "You’ve been unconscious for almost a week."

Ronan’s eyes widened.

"A week?"

He tried to sit up again, but both women immediately stopped him.

"You nearly exhausted yourself completely," Yen explained. "Your body healed most of the damage, but your Essence reached zero during the fight. Once that happened, your regeneration stopped working properly."

Ronan’s expression became serious.

That was something he had already understood about his body, but experiencing it firsthand was different.

His regeneration wasn’t truly free.

Every injury required Essence to repair.

The more damage he suffered, the more Essence was consumed, and once his Essence reached zero, his abilities could no longer be used properly. Even his regeneration would eventually stop.

For that short period, Ronan had been little more than a normal human with an extraordinarily powerful body.

"I see..."

He looked down at his body, noticing that most of the injuries had already healed, while the remaining wounds had been carefully bandaged.

Yen smiled slightly.

"You should be grateful. We stayed here and watched over you."

Ronan glanced at her.

"You two didn’t go train?"

"We did," Hesa answered. "But we came back whenever we could. You were injured, so someone had to watch you."

Ronan was silent for a moment before remembering something.

"What happened to the tournament?"

"The tournament ended while you were unconscious."

Ronan’s eyes immediately narrowed.

"And?"

"You won."

Hesa smiled.

"The instructors gave you your reward as well."

Yen reached into a small container beside the bed and brought out a glowing yellowish orb.

Ronan stared at it.

"What is that?"

"Your reward."

The orb floated toward him before entering his body.

The moment it did, Ronan felt a strange warmth spread throughout him.

Then the familiar system notifications began appearing.

[Ding!]

[The host has absorbed the Tournament Reward.]

[All Traits and Abilities will increase by two levels.]

Ronan’s eyes widened.

"Two levels?"

He immediately checked his status.

The increase wasn’t limited to a single trait or ability. Every one of them had risen by two levels.

For abilities, it meant pushing them closer toward their next evolution. For traits, it was the same, and Ronan knew just how valuable every level became as he approached the higher stages.

A reward like this was far more valuable than simple points.

"Not bad..."

Ronan couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

Then he noticed something else.

His wrist.

The number displayed on it was no longer what it had been before the tournament.

50.

Ronan stared at it for several seconds.

"Top fifty?"

"Yep," Hesa replied.

Ronan’s smile slowly disappeared.

"After everything..."

There were still forty-nine people ranked above him.

He had grown from a Peak Transcendent Realm being into an Eight-Star Sovereign. He had obtained five racial traits, numerous abilities, evolved his traits, killed King Realm beasts, fought Hati to the point where both of them nearly died, and even obtained a reward that upgraded every trait and ability.

Yet there were still forty-nine people stronger than him according to the camp’s ranking.

Ronan couldn’t help but laugh.

"Interesting..."

Instead of feeling discouraged, his blood began to boil.

This was exactly what he wanted.

If he had reached the top already, there would be nothing left to chase.

"How are the others doing?"

"The tournament is over, so everyone is recovering and adapting to their new positions," Yen explained. "The camp has changed quite a lot."

Hesa nodded.

"And because you’re one of the top fifty now, you have access to better resources."

Ronan looked at the two of them.

"What about you?"

Hesa smiled.

"We’re still growing."

Their ranks had improved significantly since entering the camp, but neither of them had reached the top two hundred.

They still didn’t have proper houses, meaning they continued sleeping on the ground like many other participants.

Still, the situation was better than before.

The camp’s economy had stabilized as more people understood how the points worked. More groups had formed, and the stronger participants had begun controlling territories and hunting grounds. Food, water, cultivation resources, and weapons were still expensive, but the participants had become much more efficient at obtaining them.

Hesa and Yen had also stopped casually hunting humans.

It had become much harder.

Most people now traveled in groups, and everyone had become far more cautious. If someone disappeared, their companions would immediately know something was wrong.

Killing one person could easily result in being surrounded by an entire group.

Because of that, the two women had returned to hunting beasts more often, while occasionally joining groups when they needed more points.

They were still growing.

And neither intended to stop.

After talking for a while, Hesa and Yen eventually stood up.

"You’ve recovered enough now," Hesa said. "We’ll leave you to recover the rest of your strength."

Ronan looked at them.

For a moment, he wanted to tell them to stay.

But then he remembered what they had told him before.

They wanted to grow stronger on their own.

Ronan eventually nodded.

"Fine."

The two women left, leaving Ronan alone in his new luxurious cabin.

He leaned against the bed and looked toward the ceiling.

The tournament was over.

The camp had changed.

His ranking had changed.

And there were still forty-nine people stronger than him.

Ronan smiled.

"So... what’s next?"

He couldn’t fight immediately. His body needed time to recover its Essence, and until his strength returned, venturing outside would only be dangerous.

For now, he could only wait.

Meanwhile, outside..

Hesa and Yen continued talking about the events that had occurred after Ronan lost consciousness.

The battle between Ronan and Hati had been so destructive that its aftermath had awakened more than just the Sovereign Realm beasts.

It had awakened the only Legend Realm beast on the island.

That was why Instructor Kali had left.

And judging from the explosion they had heard earlier, he hadn’t gone there alone.

Several instructors had followed him.

The battle between them and the Legend Realm beast had been terrifying.

They didn’t know exactly what happened deep inside the forest, but the heat alone had spread across the island, changing the temperature of the surroundings. The sky had been filled with flames, the earth had trembled, and terrifying energy had swept across the forest.

For a moment, it had felt as though the entire world was ending.

But eventually, everything had calmed down.

The instructors had returned.

And the camp continued.

Far away from all of this, however, Hati was already awake.

The giant man stood in the forest, his body covered in injuries that had mostly healed.

Yet instead of resting, he was training.

Every punch he threw shook the surrounding trees, and every step he took left deep marks in the ground.

Hati’s face carried a huge smile.

He had always known that he wasn’t the strongest person in the camp.

There were people who could defeat him through powerful abilities, strange techniques, weapons, or overwhelming realms.

But physically?

He had always believed that no one could truly stand against him.

Until Ronan.

That fight had changed something inside him.

For the first time, Hati had found someone who could stand toe to toe with him in a physical battle.

Someone whose body could endure his strength.

Someone who could hurt him.

Someone who could make him bleed.

Hati clenched his fist as his smile widened.

"Ronan..."

He looked toward the distant camp.

"I’ll be stronger the next time we fight."

And with that, Hati continued training.

The Monster Camp had only become more dangerous after the tournament.

And for the monsters who had survived it, the battle had only just begun.