Awakened Talent: 10,000 Exp Converter!

All eyes in the arena were glued to the floating screens before them. The central display, larger than the rest, focused on a young man with wild red hair and a muscular build, his stern face a mask of concentration.

 This was Elric Baelius, an A-rank awakened talent who the instructors and VIPs fully expected to dominate the ceremony. He and his team were making short work of the Tier 1 primals, dispatching them with practiced ease.

Nine smaller screens surrounded the main display, each tracking other promising groups who showed potential to advance to the next round.

In the center podium, the influential figures had already begun their own subtle battle. 

A man with long green hair, dressed immaculately in a fine suit and thin-framed spectacles, spoke up from his seat near Dean Thorne. 

His voice carried no emotion, carefully neutral as he asked, "Mr. Thorne, have you delivered my requested favor to student Elric?"

Augustus Thorne, who had been watching his students' performance with an approving smile, briefly frowned before smoothing his expression. 

He was well aware of the speaker's background. This was Verno Alius, an A-rank Origin Warrior and elite member of the prestigious Emerald Python Guild. Led by a formidable S-rank Origin Warrior, the guild was notorious for recruiting only those with A-rank talent or higher.

Before Augustus could respond, another voice cut in.

"Pulling strings already, Snake Verno? That's low, even for you." 

The words dripped with undisguised contempt.

The speaker was Arnold Mazels, another A-rank Origin Warrior and elite member of the White Tiger Guild. His tanned skin stretched over thick muscles, barely contained by his white martial garment. Short hair and heavy eyebrows completed his intimidating appearance.

At the mention of his nickname, Verno's reptilian jade eyes flickered briefly as he turned to face Arnold. 

"Don't act so righteous. We both know you had the same idea. I just moved faster, old dog." 

With that, he closed his eyes and turned away, clearly dismissing any further discussion.

"Who are you calling an old dog? You looking for a fight?!" Arnold's voice rose dangerously.

"Are you sure you're in a position to challenge me right now?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, old dog. Your... owner's days are numbered."

The mention of his 'owner' triggered an explosive reaction. A vibrant, bloody aura erupted from Arnold as killing intent filled the air. His clenched teeth revealed sharp fangs, and the armrest of his seat cracked under his grip.

In response to Arnold's pressure attack, Verno released his own baleful emerald aura, the two forces clashing violently. 

With a thunderous 'bang,' a shockwave rippled through the arena, startling the audience and terrifying the school instructors seated behind the VIPs.

"What's happening?!"

"Mad Dog Arnold and Snake Verno are at it again!"

"Someone stop them!"

While chaos erupted in the stands, Vincent was threading through the wilderness with deadly precision. He obliterated a Tier 1 - 1 star primal with a single punch.

[You've killed Tier 1 - 1 ★ Vile Snake]

+0.0005 experience points!

Talent activated!

You have received 5 experience points!

His kill counter ticked up by one, but after fifteen minutes of hunting, he'd only managed to earn 20 primal points. 

A frown creased his brow as he considered his options.

"This isn't going to cut it. Only an idiot would waste time on low-level primals. Real-world primals don't even drop loot or leave corpses."

Decision made, Vincent set his sights on the large red dot closer to his position. He needed to gauge whether he could take it on with his current strength. 

As he made his way there, he casually eliminated any primals in his path.

He quickly learned that Tier 1 - 2 star primals were worth 2 points each. It made him wonder if higher-tier primals would award points proportional to their cultivation level.

Meanwhile, in another part of the wilderness, Greg's party of two D-rank and two E-rank Origin Warriors crouched behind bushes and tree trunks. They watched intently as another group battled a Tier 1 - 2 star Vicious Wolf.

One of Greg's teammates whispered nervously, "Are we really doing this?"

Greg's expression soured slightly as he replied, "Just follow my lead. My brother tipped me off. The rules only prohibit killing other participants, not injuring them. And get this - if we snatch their communication devices, we get their primal points."

"But aren't we being monitored?" another teammate asked anxiously.

"Enough questions! You want to make it to the next round or not? Then do as I say!"

Thud!

The group they were watching finally took down the Vicious Wolf, its form dissolving into digital particles.

Greg's voice rang out with determination, "Now!"

Back with Vincent, he perched on a tree branch, carefully observing his surroundings. His attention was drawn to a massive black bear sleeping near a cave entrance, its fur blending seamlessly with the forest shadows.

Activating his Heaven Eyes, he quickly assessed its cultivation level. 

"A Forest Fury... peak Tier 1."

The sight prompted Vincent to check his own status:

Name: Vincent Magnus

Rank: Tier 1 - 5★ (500,250/1,000,000 Exp)

Origin Power: 5300/5300

Force: 7.5

Speed: 7.5

Mental: 8.5

Chaos Energy: 60/100

Skills:

● Basic Offensive and Defensive Martial Technique (Proficiency: Adept)

● Basic Meditation Method (Proficiency: Adept)

● Basic Origin Meditation (Proficiency: Novice)

● Basic Origin Movement Speed (Proficiency: Adept)

● Stinger (Proficiency: Beginner)

Talents:

● C-Rank: Origin Power Enhancement

● SSS-Rank: 10,000x Exp Converter

"Good call on farming experience points before coming back. I've hit peak Tier 1, but I still need to work on my skills, upgrade my gear, and start cultivating that manual from Azhara..."

His thoughts drifted to the chaos energy coursing through his body. "But this energy..."

Frowning slightly, he connected the dots. This had to be from absorbing that chaotic marble earlier.

"What else can this do besides foresight?" he wondered.

Experimentally, he channeled the chaos energy into his right arm. Power surged through his muscles, making his veins bulge visibly.

He watched in fascination as his force stats jumped from 7.5 to 8.5 - a full point increase! The chaos energy meter dropped from 60 to 59.

To test his enhanced strength, he gave the tree trunk a light jab. The result was explosive - the entire trunk shattered, forcing him to leap to another branch.

"Holy shit! Wasn't expecting that!"

As the tree crashed down with a thunderous impact, Vincent's eyes snapped to the supposedly sleeping Forest Fury. The bear's head was now raised, its gaze locked directly on him.

Vincent could only manage a weak, "Good morning?"

The bear's answering roar shook the forest.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cave," Vincent muttered.

The beast charged his position, massive jaws clamping down on his tree branch.

CRUNCH!

As the tree began to splinter, Vincent leaped down, using his momentum to deliver a powerful kick to the Forest Fury's head. Despite landing with a resounding 'bang,' it felt like striking solid metal.

He flipped gracefully, landing several meters from the thirteen-foot-tall black bear. 

"Damn, that's one hard head!"

The Forest Fury merely shook itself, seemingly unaffected by the blow.

"Tough customer, huh?"

Enraged, the bear charged again, its bloodshot eyes promising death. Despite its enormous size, it moved with shocking speed, closing the distance in an instant.

It swiped with massive paws tipped with razor-sharp claws, but Vincent had anticipated the attack. He dodged smoothly and countered with a devastating punch to its stomach.

BANG!

His fist connected solidly, but numbness immediately shot through his left arm.

The Forest Fury's jaws gaped wide, revealing gleaming fangs as it attempted to crush Vincent in its maw. But before it could, Vincent summoned his [Darksteel Sword], blocking the savage bite.

CLANG!

Metal met fangs in a shower of sparks. Vincent quickly disengaged as the bear's claws began to glow with crimson energy. With a thunderous roar, it unleashed a cross-shaped energy attack.

Vincent responded instantly, unleashing Darksteel Slash. A white energy wave erupted from his blade, completely nullifying the bear's attack.

BANG!

The collision generated a shockwave that devastated the surrounding trees.

"Alright, that's enough testing the waters. I can definitely handle peak Tier 1 primals now."

Without hesitation, Vincent activated his awakened talent: Origin Enhancement! His force increased by 30% as he channeled chaos energy into his [Darksteel Sword], making the blade hum and vibrate ominously.

"Darksteel Slash!"

A mixture of light and dark energy exploded from his blade, streaking toward the furious Forest Fury!

BOOM!

The deafening roar was followed by a cloud of dust that completely obscured the beast. When no confirmation of the kill came, Vincent unleashed three more slashes in rapid succession.

Finally, the notification he'd been waiting for appeared:

You have successfully killed a Tier 1 - 5 stars Forest Fury!

+10 experience points!

Talent activated!

You have received 100,000 experience points!

As the dust settled, the Forest Fury's massive form dissolved into digital particles.

Vincent let out a slow breath, checking his communication device. His primal points had increased by 50 - equivalent to killing fifty Tier 1 - 1 star primals.

The difference was staggering. Though this method was faster, Vincent suspected the number of peak Tier 1 primals in the area had to be limited. Otherwise, nobody would have trouble passing to the next round.

As he studied his map, Vincent realized something odd - despite killing the Forest Fury, the red dot near his position remained.

"What the hell?"

Confused, he scanned his surroundings before his eyes settled on the cave entrance he'd noticed earlier.

"That dot must be coming from in there..."

Gripping his [Darksteel Sword] tightly, Vincent cautiously entered the cave. Though dark, his enhanced senses allowed him to see clearly. The entrance, deceptively small, opened into a vast, cavernous space.

Water dripped somewhere in the darkness as he followed the winding path deeper inside. Morning sunlight barely penetrated this far, casting everything in dim shadows.

Unknown to Vincent, mere moments after he disappeared into the darkness, another group of four silently entered the cave behind him.