*gasp* *gasp*
Yuuki panted hard, struggling to keep up with Rene.
"This guy's fast as hell… where did he go? I can't even keep track of him!
MEANWHILE AT HE SOURCE OF THE NOISE...
Rene rushed toward the sound. As he expected, there were people in danger, two of them.
But what attacked them was no ordinary creature.
It was that same dog from the exam hall but only now, it was much larger, with two monstrous heads. The boy who'd once kept it chained was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey! You guys okay over there?!" Rene shouted, hoping one of them would hear.
But both boys were too deep in combat to notice.
One of them wore a red outfit marked with scribbled white writing. He had blonde hair, a scarf covering his mouth, and brass knuckles on both arms. They looked flashy, made more to impress than to kill but the way he fought with them, every strike landed with devastating power.
The other boy had green hair and wore a dull purple robe over a black inner outfit, something like the invigilator's robe. Beads hung from his neck, legs, and wrists. He fought barehanded, though a survival knife was strapped to his arm.
Rene decided he should help — but before he could move closer, the boy in the purple robe shouted,
"Hey! Don't step inside the cursed field!"
Rene halted and glanced around. Then he noticed it, dark writing etched into the ground, circling the entire area.
"Thanks for the warning! But how do I help from out here?" Rene called back.
"Maybe start by finding us a way out!" the green-haired boy yelled, dodging another vicious swing from the dog.
Rene looked around, trying to come up with an idea — when a faint voice echoed in his head.
It wasn't loud, but it felt like a wave:
"Expand."
In the next instant, Rene found himself inside the cursed field.
"What the—? How did I—?"
Thoughts raced through his head. What just happened? How did I get in here? Who said that?
Then the air froze. The beast began to gush blood as its body twisted and split in half. From its remains, a humanoid figure emerged — half man, half dog, its form grotesquely fused.
"Ahh… another participant joins the party. The more, the merrier," the creature said with a grin.
"It's you! You were one of the three who killed the invigilator!" the blonde boy shouted.
"Awww… is that what you think I am? A murderer?" the beast smirked. "I did it for the greater good."
"Greater good?" Rene echoed, confused.
"Yes. For years now, academies have been churning out so-called adventurers — weak, cowardly, unskilled. Just last year alone, over a thousand adventurers died. I'm putting an end to that failure."
"So killing us all before we become adventurers is your idea of 'greater good'? Real smart, dog-man," the green-haired boy shot back sarcastically.
"Close enough — but no cigar," the beast replied.
"Then what are you, exactly?" Rene asked.
"I can't tell you," the creature said, smiling wider. "But I can show you."
The dog-man's body recoiled, and he fired a barrage of thin white spikes toward them. The three dodged with ease.
"Bastard's at it again. Natsu, got a plan?" the green-haired boy shouted.
"Midorima, can you sink it?"
"I told you—it's too big for me to sink!" Midorima replied, panting.
"Try anyway!"
Midorima slammed his palms to the ground. The beads around his wrists cracked under the pressure. The earth beneath the beast began to shift and tremble, swallowing the monster halfway.
"That's the best I can do…" he exhaled.
"Good enough for me," Natsu said.
The beast chuckled.
"You think you can bury a dog? I'll just dig myself out, you dumbasses!"
"Bury you? Nah…" Natsu grinned, slipping into a fighting stance. As he moved forward, heat shimmered from his hands. "We're not burying you — we're about to find out if grilled dog meat tastes as good as they say."
The dog-man's eyes widened.
He unleashed another wave of spikes, but Natsu twisted and weaved through them, closing the distance fast. He dashed around the trapped beast, touching the ground at five different points — and lava began to rise.
The monster panicked, thrashing as its lower body burned. The air filled with the stench of scorched flesh.
"Well… that was easy," Midorima said.
"Too easy," Rene muttered.
The beast roared — and began cutting itself apart. From its waist upward, it tore free from its own burning flesh, then regenerated in seconds.
"What the hell is this thing?" Natsu growled.
"Impressive," the man-dog said. "You actually scared me for a second. But in the end, failure is what you reap."
Then—
"Renee! You bastard! Where the hell did you run off to?!"
Rene turned sharply. That voice… Yuuki.
Yuuki finally appeared, catching sight of the monster.
"The hell… that's one big dog," he muttered.
"Yuuki, get out of here! Don't come any closer — it'll trap you!" Rene shouted.
"Expand!"
The voice echoed again, and the cursed field widened, pulling Yuuki in.
"Wh–what the… why is everything purple now?" Yuuki looked around, dazed.
No one answered. They were too focused.
"Another contestant joins the party," the beast said, grinning. "Let's make this interesting."
It fired another wave of spikes. Everyone dodged — except Yuuki.
"Yuuki! Move!" Rene yelled.
Yuuki exhaled slowly, drawing two tantos. He deflected every spike with flawless precision, his movements fluid, as if he already knew the attack pattern.
"You can't be serious…" Midorima whispered.