The student, nearly two meters tall, was broad-shouldered and stern-faced. Soren didn’t know which academy he belonged to, but anyone venturing alone in the Endless Desert clearly possessed considerable strength.

The tall student approached, pausing as he noticed the Lesser Treant. “Hey, are you a Wood Summoner?”

“Yes,” Soren nodded.

“Alone?” The student seemed surprised.

“Alone,” Soren confirmed.

The student’s jaw dropped. “How dare you come here alone?”

A Wood Summoner’s strength lay in their summons. At the initial rank, they only had one summoning skill for a single Lesser Treant.  To wander the Endless Desert with just a treant?  Had the world gone mad?

“Aren’t you alone too?” Soren calmly pointed out.

The student swallowed. “I’m a Great Axe Warrior. You’re a Wood Summoner. What can you possibly compare to me?”

Soren brandished his dagger. “This.”

The student was speechless. This summoner was truly bizarre. Did he think holding a dagger made him a swordsman?

Soren, growing impatient, said, “Time’s limited. You should hurry and find some Sand Rats.”

The student snapped out of his stupor. “Take my advice, kid. The Endless Desert is dangerous. Leave while you can.”

“Sure,” Soren replied dismissively.

The student, giving up, turned to leave.  Just then, two large yellow rats burst from the nearby sand dune.  The size of rabbits, their fur bristled like needles, and sharp fangs protruded from their mouths, glinting menacingly.

“Sand Rats!”

The student, instead of fear, showed excitement. He hefted his axe and swung at one of the rats.  A three-meter-long spectral axe blade shot out, cleaving the Sand Rat in two.

This was the Great Axe Warrior’s starting skill, *Descending Axe*.

As he prepared to attack the second rat, he noticed Soren charging towards it.  Killing Sand Rats granted experience and points, and sometimes even dropped loot. Soren wasn’t about to miss this opportunity.

The student was utterly dumbfounded. A Wood Summoner engaging in melee combat? Was he suicidal?

He wanted to stop Soren, but it was too late.  Soren reached the Sand Rat and swung his dagger.  With a sickening tear, the rat was bisected, blood spraying the sand.

“Holy crap!” the student exclaimed, witnessing the scene.  A Wood Summoner killing a Sand Rat with a single strike?  What kind of combat power was this?  Even he, without using a skill, wouldn’t have been able to kill it so effortlessly.  Were all Wood Summoners this ferocious now?

Soren, breathing lightly, checked his Recording Token. The number 1 appeared, confirming one point for killing a Black Iron rank 1 Sand Rat.  He then opened his status screen.

Name: Soren Hawthorne

Class: Wood Summoner

Rank: Black Iron 1

Attack Power: 60

Defense: 10

Agility: 14

Mental Power: 10

Experience: 5/100

Health: 200

Mana: 80

Intelligence: Unknown

Skill: Summon Lesser Treant (1)

After a glance, he closed the screen.  Only his experience and mana had changed.  Mana decreased by 20 due to summoning the treant, while experience increased by 5 from killing the Sand Rat.  He needed to kill 20 more Black Iron rank 1 Sand Rats to reach rank 2.  With a little effort, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Did you just kill that Sand Rat?” the student asked, still in disbelief.  A Black Iron rank 1 Wood Summoner, one-shotting a Sand Rat?  It was unbelievable.  How did he do it?

“Didn’t you see it?” Soren raised an eyebrow.

“I did,” the student chuckled nervously. “Are you really a Wood Summoner?”  He suspected Soren might be a dual-classer.  Otherwise, how could he be so powerful?

“The one and only,” Soren confirmed.

The student was stunned into silence.

“See ya,” Soren said, turning to leave.  He’d rather kill more Sand Rats than chat.

“Wait!” the student called out.  As Soren stopped, he quickly said, “I’m Lu Li from Gleamlight High. What’s your name?”  Soren’s prowess and mysterious aura intrigued him; he wanted to get to know him.

“Soren Hawthorne, Coastal City High.”

With that, Soren and his treant departed.

Watching him go, Lu Li muttered, “A formidable opponent.”  He was aiming for the top prize in this trial.  He’d thought his strength would secure him a spot in the top ten, but after meeting Soren, he realized there were always hidden talents.  If a Wood Summoner possessed such terrifying combat power, what about the others?

Lu Li took a deep breath, a fighting spirit igniting in his eyes. “I won’t lose to anyone!”

…

After another fifteen minutes of searching, Soren’s treant sent another warning signal as they passed a patch of dry grass.  This time, the signal was strong, indicating multiple Sand Rats nearby.

Soren gripped his dagger, his gaze fixed on the grass.  Suddenly, a yellow figure darted out.  It was a Sand Rat, significantly larger than the previous one.  Larger size meant higher rank.  This one was likely Black Iron rank 2.

“Perfect!” Soren grinned, slashing his dagger.  With his current attack power, killing a rank 2 Sand Rat was as easy as killing a rank 1.

The dagger flashed, blood splattering.  The Sand Rat fell, dead.

*Thump*.

As the rat landed, a blinding light erupted from its body.  When the light faded, a meter-wide shield lay in its place.

“Loot drop!” Soren exclaimed, overjoyed.