The Siren Serpent Alpha didn't swim; it launched itself.

  Propelled by powerful muscles, the massive beast cut through the water like a torpedo, closing the eighty-meter gap in seconds. Its target was the small, fragile human standing by the metal stick.

  Julian watched the wake of the monster approaching. He calculated the speed. 20 meters per second. Impact in 4... 3...

  "Too fast to dodge," Julian assessed. "So I won't."

  He kept his hand firmly on the iron rod planted in the mud. This was his connection to the water. If he let go, he was just a defenseless F-Grade student. As long as he held it, he was the god of this lake.

  "Activate Thermal Dump," Julian commanded.

  He channeled mana into the **Ember-Heart Ring**. Usually, a fire mage would use this energy to throw a fireball. Julian pushed the raw heat directly into the iron rod.

  The submerged part of the rod instantly turned red hot. The water touching it flashed into steam.

  *HISSS.*

  A jacket of steam bubbles formed around the rod underwater.

  "Medium preparation complete," Julian whispered. "Gas phase expanded. Now... collapse."

  The Serpent was ten meters away. It reared up, its mouth opening wide enough to swallow Julian whole. He could smell the rot on its breath.

  Julian raised the **Sonic Lancet** high.

  He didn't strike the rod with a steady rhythm this time. He poured every remaining ounce of his mana—all 45 points—into a single, catastrophic strike.

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  [Skill: Supercavitation Strike]

  [Frequency: Ultra-High]

  [Amplitude: Maximum]

  He slammed the fork down onto the iron rod.

  *CRACK.*

  It didn't sound like a bell. It sounded like a gunshot.

  The energy traveled down the rod and hit the water. But the vibration was too intense for the liquid to handle.

  The water molecules were literally torn apart.

  Millions of microscopic low-pressure bubbles formed instantly—**Cavitation Bubbles**.

  But the surrounding water pressure was immense. It slammed these vacuum bubbles shut nanoseconds after they formed.

  When a cavitation bubble collapses, it releases a shockwave. When millions of them collapse at once, focused in a specific direction... it's a depth charge.

  *BOOM.*

  A shockwave of pure kinetic energy shot out from the rod, traveling through the incompressible water at Mach 4.

  The Siren Serpent was mid-lunge. The shockwave hit the water inside its open mouth.

  Water is incompressible. Living tissue is not.

  The physics was brutal. The shockwave didn't push the monster back; it passed *through* the water in its throat and detonated inside its soft internal organs.

  The massive beast froze in mid-air, suspended by its own momentum.

  For a second, nothing happened.

  Then, the beast’s eyes bulged outward.

  A fountain of blood and pulverized organ tissue erupted from its mouth, gills, and ears, turning the black water crimson.

  [Critical Hit!]

  [Internal Hemorrhage Detected]

  [Heart Ruptured]

  [Swim Bladder Ruptured]

  The serpent crashed down into the shallow water, its massive body creating a wave that finally knocked Julian off his feet.

  He landed in the mud, soaked, gasping for air. His vision swam. Mana exhaustion hit him like a truck.

  [Mana: 0/50]

  [Warning: System Strain]

  Julian lay there for a moment, listening.

  Silence. The thrumming infrasound was gone. The fog seemed to lift slightly.

  He pushed himself up on shaking elbows.

  The giant serpent lay motionless in the shallows, twitching once before going still. Its scales were unmarked. No cuts. No burns. But inside, it was soup.

  "Cavitation," Julian wheezed, wiping mud from his glasses. "The mantis shrimp uses it to break crab shells. Submarines avoid it because it melts steel propellers. You... you just ate it for breakfast."

  A golden light floated up from the corpse. It was brighter than anything he had seen before.

  [System Notification: You have defeated a Level 12 Area Boss (Solo).]

  **[XP Gained: 8000]

  [Level Up!]

  [Level Up!]

  [Level Up!]

  [Loot Acquired: Siren's Vocal Cord (Rare Material)]

  [Loot Acquired: Skill Book - Hydro-Sense]

  Julian staggered to his feet. He looked at the iron rod. It was twisted and cracked from the force of the vibration.

  He looked back at the treeline. The group of students who had been screaming in pain were now staring at him. Their mouths were open. They didn't understand. They hadn't seen a spell. They hadn't seen a sword.

  They just saw an F-Grade student hit a stick, and a sea monster dropped dead.

  Julian straightened his robe, trying to look less like a drowned rat and more like a victor.

  "Class dismissed," he muttered.

  He checked the time. The Freshman Trial was ending in 30 minutes.

  He was now Level 8. His points lead was insurmountable.

  It was time to go back to the Academy and claim his prize. And deal with the fallout.

  Author's Note: