On the day of the exam, tension filled the waiting room as the examiner, a familiar face to Sam and his group, outlined the rules for the upcoming challenge.
"Hello, guys. My name is Walker X, and I am the examiner for this round," he began. "First of all, each team will be given a flag to secure. Your flag is your lifeline. No flag means you are out."
"It's not fair to go through all this just to be eliminated in the final exam," grumbled some of the examinees. "Do you think the world is fair?"
"No, it's not," Walker X responded bluntly. "This society is built on unfairness. Just be grateful that you have the opportunity to participate in this exam. So, shut up and listen. Even if you lose your flag, you still have a chance to get four more flags. Lethal force is allowed, but try not to kill each other. You will be transported to an island known as Dead Paradise, which is filled with volcanoes, ice ranges, rivers, and jungle. Each team will be placed in a different location."
Suddenly, portals opened beneath each team, and the room fell silent. "I hope at least 50% of them pass this exam," muttered Walker X to himself. "I forgot to mention... it's a beast-filled island."
On the island, Sam abruptly opened his eyes to find himself in an open field. He was the first to awaken, and he roused his teammates. "Guys, get up! Beasts surround us!" he screamed, but no one stirred. "Guess I have to do it myself," Sam muttered. "Bone cage!" he exclaimed, summoning a cage made of bones to protect his teammates.
A pack of fire hyenas had surrounded Sam. "I know just the thing to do now," he muttered. He conjured a bone whip and uttered, "Hydro infusion!" The bone whip transformed into a water bone whip, and Sam began attacking. However, the hyenas proved too fast for him to handle. With no other option in sight, Sam summoned bone wings and took to the air, launching hydro bone bullets at his assailants. "Five down, fourteen more to go," he counted grimly.
Utilizing his sharp wings and whips, Sam managed to bring down twelve more hyenas while deftly evading their fiery assaults. Suddenly, he heard a voice: "Blood bullet!" The remaining hyenas fell, their lives snuffed out.
"Lucas, when did you wake up?" Sam asked.
"I woke up 2 to 3 minutes ago and saw you defeating the hyenas, so I helped you," Lucas replied. "You did a very good job. Now let's take their beast core."
"Beast core? What is that?" Sam inquired.
"I guess you don't know," Lucas chuckled. "Just like we have power cores, beasts also have a power core, known as a beast core. They have different levels depending on their energy level. The one you killed was D-ranked."
"So what can we do with it?" John chimed in.
"So you guys finally decided to wake up," Sam remarked wryly. "Yes, we just woke up when Lucas was explaining about the beast cores," Max confirmed. "I think I can make something from it," Max suggested.
"Equipment can be made from them, which sometimes can retain the skills of the beast killed, or we can sell them," Lucas added.
"Okay, first let's collect the beast cores," Sam decided. Using bone hands, Sam extracted the beast cores and handed them to Max. Then, the team began examining the surroundings to set up a stronghold.
"Sam, it looks like we are in the jungle part of the island, and there is a river nearby. Let's go there," Lucas proposed.
"Okay, let's go to the river to get fish and water," Sam agreed. After reaching the river, they spotted numerous fish, and Max fashioned fishing rods for everyone. However, Sam opted to practice his aim using his bone powers. Crafting a bone spear, he utilized bone bullets to catch fish. Inspired, Lucas joined in using blood bullets. Suddenly, metallic-looking crocodiles emerged from the water, attacking the team.
Zara employed her power, Verdant Veil, to create a thorn barrier for protection. Sam and Lucas unleashed bone and blood bullets, but they proved ineffective against the metallic beasts. John attempted fireballs to no avail.
Quick to strategize, Sam employed flight and bind, but the crocodile shattered the binds with its spiked tail. Sam then launched bone spikes, but they failed to pierce the creature's skin. Lucas tried a blood chain, but it too was futile. In a stroke of insight, John repeatedly targeted a specific spot with fire arrows, prompting Sam to join in, enchanting his bone spear with fire.
As the metal began to melt and repair itself, Sam grew apprehensive. However, he discerned a weakness: despite its seemingly impenetrable exterior, the creature had internal vulnerabilities. Sam directed Zara to reinforce the shields while instructing John and Lucas to focus on fortifying their defense. "Don't come out in 5 minutes," he commanded.
"Sam, you don't have to do it alone. You have us," Lucas reassured him.
Sam nodded and uttered, "[Obey]." Together, they fortified their defenses. Sam then instructed, "Use the heal command if I am critically injured. After 5 minutes, use [mental charity]." With determination blazing in his eyes, Sam's transformation surged forth once more. The bone demon, known as his beast mode, had returned.