Dust still swirled in the air.
The orc king stood silently, its gaze sweeping over them one by one—like a predator judging its prey.
Kael took a slow breath.
"…Lancer."
"What?" Lancer wiped the blood from his lips.
"This time, don't rush in alone."
Lancer let out a low scoff. "Heh… so you're finally serious."
The air around him began to change.
Slowly… but noticeably.
A faint tremor ran through the space around his body.
Leon, standing nearby, immediately noticed.
"Wait… that's—"
Lancer tightened his grip on his sword.
"Been a while since I used this…"
A faint energy wrapped around him, flowing from his arm into his blade.
A thin glow—sharp and steady.
Kael glanced at him.
…So that's his family's power.
Meanwhile, the orc king let out a low growl, as if displeased.
DUUM!!
The ground cracked as it stepped forward.
"It's coming!" Leon shouted.
"Leon," Kael said quickly, "you've fought something like this before, right?"
Leon stared straight at the orc king.
"…Yeah."
"Its weakness?"
Leon hesitated for a split second.
Then—
"Left eye. And… the lower neck. But—"
Before he could finish—
WHOOSH!!
The orc king moved.
Faster than before.
More violent.
"Split up!" Kael shouted.
They scattered instantly.
The massive axe slammed into the ground—
BOOOOM!!
The explosion forced them back.
But this time—
Lancer didn't get blown away.
He held his ground.
His feet dug into the earth.
"I'll hold it!" Lancer shouted.
The aura around him surged.
His sword trembled—like it was alive.
The orc king swung its axe at him—
CLAAANG!!
A heavy clash echoed.
For the first time—
The attack was stopped.
"…Heh," Lancer grinned. "Now that's better."
Kael moved immediately.
"Leon! Help me open a gap!"
Leon nodded without hesitation.
"Left side! I'll draw its attention!"
Leon dashed in from the side.
His movements were sharp and efficient—clearly experienced.
No wasted motion.
Every step… calculated.
The orc king turned toward him.
That was the opening.
"Now!" Leon shouted.
Kael shot forward.
Magic gathered—not just in his hands, but throughout his body.
Deeper.
Denser.
"…Time to get serious."
A cold energy flowed through his veins.
Like something long asleep… finally waking up.
His eyes changed.
Sharper.
Calmer.
More… dangerous.
He vanished.
CRACK!!
The ground shattered beneath him.
In an instant—
He appeared above the orc king.
His blade aimed at its neck—
But—
The orc king raised its axe to block.
"Tch."
Kael didn't force it.
Instead—
He smirked slightly.
"Lancer!"
"Been waiting!"
Lancer appeared from the front.
The aura around his blade surged.
"Don't blink!"
SLASH!!
The strike landed hard, forcing the orc king back half a step.
That was enough.
"Leon!" Kael called.
Leon was already moving from its blind spot.
Without hesitation—
He threw a dagger straight at—
ITS LEFT EYE.
STAB!!
"GRAAAAAA!!"
The orc king roared in pain.
Its movements broke apart.
This was it.
Kael landed lightly.
His gaze sharpened.
"…It's over."
Magic gathered into his blade.
Dense.
Controlled.
He dashed forward—
Faster than before.
CRACK!!
The ground shattered beneath his step.
The orc king tried to swing its axe—
Too late.
Kael was already beneath it.
His blade moved—
SLASH!!
A clean cut.
Right below the neck.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
The massive body froze.
Then—
THUD!!
The orc king collapsed.
The ground shook as its body hit the earth.
Silence.
Only the sound of their breathing remained.
Lancer rested his sword on his shoulder.
"…Damn. That was close."
Leon let out a long breath. "If we were any slower… we'd be dead."
Kael stood still, looking at the fallen orc king.
The aura around him slowly faded.
"…Good teamwork."
Lancer scoffed. "Don't act all calm. You went serious too."
Kael just smiled faintly.
Deep down—
He knew.
Without Leon…
and Lancer's power…
this wouldn't have ended like this.
The orc king's body still lay on the ground.
Blood slowly seeped into the soil, its scent spreading through the air.
Lancer dropped down nearby, still catching his breath.
"…We really just killed that thing, huh?"
Leon stayed alert, scanning the surroundings. "Don't relax yet. Blood like this will attract other monsters."
Kael remained silent, his gaze fixed on the corpse.
"…We should move fast."
Lancer glanced at him. "You taking something?"
"The core," Kael replied shortly.
Leon nodded. "Makes sense."
Without wasting time, Kael stepped forward. With a clean cut, he opened the orc king's chest.
A few seconds later—
A small, dark crystal came into view.
Faintly glowing.
Kael picked it up.
Warm.
Dense with energy.
"…Not bad."
Lancer stretched his body as he stood. "That'll sell for a lot."
"Or you could use it yourself," Leon added.
Kael put the core away. "I'll think about it later."
Then he looked deeper into the forest.
Darker.
Deeper.
"…We keep going?"
Lancer grinned. "We've come this far."
Leon thought for a moment, then nodded. "A little deeper. But stay sharp. This area isn't normal."
They moved again.
The deeper they went—
The forest changed.
Bigger trees.
Less light.
And most of all—
Silence.
"…Too quiet," Lancer muttered.
Leon spoke softly. "Not just quiet. It's like everything is avoiding this place."
Kael said nothing.
His instincts hadn't settled since earlier.
After a few minutes—
They found something.
Traces.
Shattered ground.
Fallen trees.
Signs of a battle… far worse than before.
Leon stopped immediately.
"…This isn't from the orc king."
Lancer frowned. "Yeah… this is bigger."
Kael crouched down, touching the ground.
Deep cracks.
And…
Footprints.
Large.
But not from an orc.
Different.
"…We're not alone in this forest," Kael said quietly.
A cold wind passed through.
And for some reason—
Kael felt it.
Something watching them.
From afar.
He turned slightly toward the darkness between the trees.
Nothing.
But…
The feeling didn't disappear.
Leon noticed. "What is it?"
"…Something's there."
Lancer gripped his sword again. "A monster?"
Kael shook his head slowly.
"…No. Feels like a fight."
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
CRACK…
A branch snapped.
From ahead.
Soft.
But clear.
All three of them focused in that direction.
No one spoke.
The forest grew quieter the deeper they went.
Not the natural kind of quiet—
but the kind that made your skin crawl.
Kael slowed his steps.
"…Something's ahead."
Lancer frowned. "You feel it too?"
Leon didn't answer. His hand was already on his sword.
Then—
BOOM!!
A violent shockwave burst from ahead.
The ground trembled.
"That's not normal," Leon said.
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Let's check it out."
They moved carefully.
Step by step—
The sounds became clearer.
Heavy impacts.
Roars.
Steel clashing.
Until—
They saw it.
A massive minotaur stood in a shattered clearing.
And in front of it—
A single man.
Not just any man.
He stood calmly, sword in hand.
Facing the monster alone.
"…He's alone?" Lancer whispered.
"Don't move," Leon said quietly. "Just watch."
The minotaur charged.
Fast.
Too fast for its size.
Its fist came crashing down—
But the man stepped aside.
Effortless.
Like he had already seen it coming.
CRACK!!
The ground shattered.
Then—
He moved.
Too fast to follow.
One slash—
SHING!!
The minotaur froze.
Then—
THUD!!
Its arm fell.
Clean cut.
The fight didn't last long.
Step by step—
Slash by slash—
The man dismantled it.
Until—
SLASH!!
Its head fell.
Silence.
The man lowered his sword.
No sign of struggle.
Kael watched closely.
…That wasn't just strength.
That was experience.
For a moment—
Their eyes met.
Then—
The man turned and walked away.
Disappearing deeper into the forest.
"…That was insane," Lancer muttered.
Leon nodded. "Now you get it."
Kael kept looking ahead.
"…We're still far from the top."
After that—
They didn't follow.
They went another way.
And strangely—
Everything became easier.
Only weaker monsters appeared.
Nothing like before.
Nothing like that man.
"…So that's real strength," Kael muttered.
He tightened his grip.
The path ahead…
was still long.
After some time, they decided to head back.
The forest felt… normal again.
No pressure.
No danger.
Just the sound of their footsteps.
"That's enough," Leon said.
"Yeah," Lancer agreed. "Before we run into something worse."
Kael stayed quiet.
That man…
…It felt familiar.
"…Let's go back," he said.
They left the forest and stopped by a nearby town—just to keep up appearances.
They bought a few basic supplies.
Food. Small items.
Nothing suspicious.
"Just in case anyone asks," Leon said.
Back at the academy, the sky had turned orange.
Everything looked normal.
Like nothing had happened.
They split up.
Kael walked alone.
"…Still far. That fight… shouldn't have been that hard."
"Kael."
He stopped.
Irieth stood there.
"You just got back?" she asked.
"…Yeah."
She looked at him.
"…You're hurt."
"Just a little."
She stepped closer.
A soft light appeared as she touched his arm.
Warm.
The pain faded.
"…Thanks."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
Kael smiled faintly. "I'm not that reckless."
"…Good."
A brief silence.
Kael walked past her.
"We'll talk tomorrow."
He had taken a few steps when—
"…Next time, take me with you."
Kael paused.
Then smiled slightly, without turning back.
"…Next time."
Night slowly fell.