Despite the Academy's massive exam field, a keen ear could pick out the sounds of destruction echoing across the forest—twisted trees, shattered earth, and the guttural roars of mana beasts. Among the chaos, one area stood out: twice as loud, twice as violent.
The dense trees here were splintered and scattered. Thirteen massive Gorbacks—each over fifteen feet tall and weighing more than a thousand pounds—had been reduced to five by just two young mages.
A bleeding Gorback stumbled to its knees, its eyes locked on Dae, who walked toward it with calm precision, leaving another lifeless beast behind. The creature's growl shook the ground, raising its massive hand high before slamming it down. The impact cracked the earth.
But Dae was already ready. Electricity crackled along his body as he assumed a low stance, crossing his twin blades.
"Dual Sword Style. Form 4. Static Shear," he whispered.
In an instant, his body flickered, slicing the Gorback's upper torso into pieces that fell in a spray of blood. Dae landed gracefully behind the beast, flicking his blades clean.
Dom, watching with wide eyes, shouted in excitement, leaping to evade the swing from another Gorback. He snapped a tree in half as he launched himself at the beast. A single punch sent its skull exploding, flesh and blood coating the surrounding forest.
A massive hand swung at Dom midair, only for him to catch it effortlessly, bending its fingers backward until it howled in pain. He bounced off a nearby tree, grabbed the beast by the arm, and slammed it into another Gorback below. The collision rattled the ground.
Dom's next move was pure destruction: leaping off a broken branch, he drove both feet into the remaining Gorbacks, creating an explosion of blood, splintered wood, and shockwaves.
Dae stepped back, momentarily taken aback at the sheer force of Dom's attack, then landed beside him as the debris settled.
Dom smirked, noticing his blood-stained shirt.
"Oh, come on," he muttered, wiping at it in frustration.
Dae simply rolled his eyes and sheathed his swords. Together, they resumed their sprint, Dom leading this time.
For the next ten minutes, Dae kept a sharp eye on Dom's back, silently observing his speed and instinctive power as they moved on with the exam.
"I'm impressed," Dae finally said, leaping over the corpse of a dead boar-like beast.
"What?" Dom asked without slowing.
"Your strength… it still surprises me, even after all these years."
Dom smirked. "Thanks. And you—you're faster than ever. And your sword techniques… man, they're impressive. All I do is punch and kick."
"They're disciplines," Dae replied, irritation creeping into his voice.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Focus, determination, honor… all that jazz." Dom laughed.
They ran in silence for a moment before Dae spoke again. "Why are you doing this? Why the Academy, the Knights… what's your goal?"
Dom slowed, matching Dae's pace. "You're chatty today. Don't tell me you're already missing me before graduation?"
Dae scowled and sped ahead.
"Come on! Don't be like that!" Dom called, catching up. "My goal? To be the greatest knight in history."
Dae expected a joke—but Dom's smile was real.
"No joke," Dom confirmed.
They arrived at a wide stream. Two monstrous fish lunged from the water but were cut down in seconds without breaking a sweat.
"Reason?" Dae asked.
Dom's expression hardened. "At first… it was just a childhood dream. But when I was ten, a lunatic killed some boys I used to play with and tried to kill me too. A knight saved me… after that, it wasn't a dream anymore—"
Dae's gaze softened for the briefest moment. "So… admiration, not ambition."
"Guess so," Dom replied, swinging on a branch before landing behind Dae.
"And you?" Dom asked.
Dae's smile faded, his expression hesitant. "My goal… It's none of your business," he said coldly, sprinting ahead.
Dom frowned. "Oh, come on! I told you mine! You need to let me in, bro!"
Dae ignored him, speeding up. Dom clenched his fists and followed, frustration fueling his pace.
Four hours into the exam, the forest had become a blur of green and motion…
"Seriously," Dom grumbled through the wind, "we've slept in the same room for three years, and I still barely know you."
"Just give up. I'm not here to make friends," Dae replied.
"Neither am I. Doesn't mean we can't be. What if we end up in the same Knight division?"
Dae laughed sharply. "Very unlikely."
"You're a real killjoy," Dom muttered.
Dae sighs in exasperation, but then frowns once he notices something.
The forest fell unnaturally silent.
Too silent.
Dom's instincts screamed déjà vu. Every hair on his body stood on end.
Without hesitation, he vaulted into the trees, landing with cat-like precision on a thick branch to gain a better vantage point.
Dae halted, eyes scanning the area, his gaze locking onto a massive claw mark gouged deep into the bark of a nearby tree. He traced it with his fingers, analyzing its size and depth.
"Dae!" Dom called, swinging forward through the canopy with fluid momentum. Dae followed, his movements sharp and deliberate.
Seconds later, they burst into a clearing.
The scene froze them in place. Bodies littered the ground—beasts and humans alike. The once chaotic battlefield now resembled a silent graveyard.
And there it was: the severed head of David, one of the recruits Dom had trained alongside. Dom's fists clenched, his knuckles whitening. Rage and disbelief surged through him.
Dae's gaze swept the clearing, noting more fallen recruits, their expressions frozen in terror. "Were they working together?" he asked cautiously, his voice low.
Dom counted silently, his jaw tight, eyes narrowing at the carnage. "Probably… with this many monsters, I can't blame them," he muttered, the weight of the devastation pressing down on him.
"Their team was strong… I doubt they'd lose so easily," Dae murmured.
Before Dom could respond, a faint, uneven movement on the forest floor caught his eye. A figure crawled, dragging itself painfully through the debris.
"Sam!" Dom shouted, sprinting forward.
The injured recruit's eyes fluttered open, recognition sparking through the haze of pain. "D-Dom…"
Dom knelt beside him, gently steadying his trembling body. "What happened?"
Sam's lips quivered as he tried to speak. "We… we tried to help… then—" His voice broke. He grabbed Dom's arm, urgency burning in his gaze. "You need to go. Now. It… it might still be here. It'll kill you!"
Dom and Dae pivoted instinctively—and froze. Two glowing red eyes hung in the shadows, mere inches from them, burning with intelligence and malice. The forest seemed to hold its breath. Then came the sound—a low, wet clicking hiss, echoing through the clearing like a predator savoring its prey.
The hairs on their necks stood on end. Time itself seemed to slow, each heartbeat loud in their ears, as the unseen presence watched, patient and deadly.