A cold wind drifted through the forest.
A thin layer of mist still hung between the towering trees.
The sound of Kael and Reyn's footsteps echoed softly in the unnaturally quiet woods.
Or more precisely—
too quiet.
Reyn glanced at Kael from the side.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
"…Kael."
"Hm?"
"…How accurate is your bad intuition, exactly?"
Kael kept walking casually.
"Depends."
"Depends on what?"
"If it's just a weird feeling, usually nothing happens."
"Huh?"
"But if I feel like something bad is coming…"
Kael slipped both hands into his pockets.
"…then trouble usually shows up."
Silence.
Reyn blinked.
"…That doesn't help at all."
Kael didn't answer.
Reyn stared at him for a few more seconds.
Then sighed.
Honestly—
this guy was weird.
Way too relaxed.
But somehow…
the longer he stayed beside him, the safer he felt.
However—
Kael suddenly stopped.
Instantly.
Reyn almost crashed into him.
"Oi?! Why'd you stop—"
Kael raised his hand.
Silence.
Stillness.
The wind stopped.
The birds stopped chirping.
Kael's gaze slowly shifted forward.
Then narrowed.
"…Too late."
Reyn froze.
"…Huh?"
DUUUUM.
The ground suddenly trembled.
One shake.
Then another.
Then another.
Closer.
Louder.
CRAAAASH!!
Massive trees collapsed in the distance.
One.
Two.
Three.
Something was forcing its way through the forest.
And its size—
was huge.
Very huge.
...
Then it appeared.
A creature nearly five meters tall.
A black body covered in scars.
Bulging muscles stretched across its frame.
Two sharp horns.
Glowing crimson eyes.
And an overwhelming aura that felt utterly unnatural.
But the most disturbing thing—
wasn't its body.
It was the black chains wrapped around its neck.
Covered in strange symbols.
And the creature's eyes...
were empty.
Unfocused.
As if it had lost its mind.
Kael stared at it.
Silently.
Several seconds passed.
Then—
his expression changed.
For the first time since the exam began—
his smile disappeared.
"…Strange."
Reyn swallowed hard.
"Strange?! THAT THING IS HUGE!"
Kael ignored him.
His eyes remained fixed on the black chains.
"…A seal?"
ROOOOOAAAAARRR!!
The monster roared.
The ground violently shook.
Then—
it vanished.
DUUUUM!!
"…FAST?!"
BOOOOOM!!
The ground exploded.
Kael instantly pulled Reyn backward.
BRAKK!!
The monster's giant fist smashed into the earth.
A powerful shockwave swept through the surroundings.
Reyn fell onto the ground.
His eyes widened.
If Kael had been even one second late—
he would've died.
Actually died.
Kael stood still.
His gaze turned cold.
"…Reyn."
"H-Huh?!"
"Get back."
SHIIING.
Kael drew his sword.
And for the first time—
the atmosphere around him changed.
No laziness.
No joking.
No relaxed attitude.
Only cold focus.
"…Because this…"
Mana slowly flowed around his blade.
"…isn't an ordinary monster."
The wind stopped.
The forest fell silent.
But not a peaceful silence.
The kind of silence before disaster.
ROOOOOAAAAARRR!!
The monster roared again.
A strange pressure spread through the air.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
His gaze locked onto the symbols on the black chains.
Those symbols…
were moving.
Slowly.
Like living creatures.
Then Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…No."
"Huh?"
"…This isn't a seal."
DUUUUM!!
The ground shattered.
The monster disappeared again.
Fast.
Too fast.
Left?
Right?
Behind?
Above?!
BRAKK!!
Kael tilted his body.
A giant fist brushed past his face by mere centimeters.
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
The trees behind him shattered instantly.
But Kael didn't panic.
His eyes followed.
Because—
it wasn't over.
The monster twisted its body.
Its foot slammed against the ground.
DUUUUM!!
A second punch came.
WHOOOOSH!!
Kael lowered his body.
The giant arm swept above his head.
His hair fluttered wildly.
And then—
mana gathered in his palm.
Slowly.
Flames began to emerge.
But not red.
Not orange.
Blue.
Bright blue flames.
Burning quietly.
Too quietly.
And somehow—
that made them even more terrifying.
The air around them suddenly grew heavy.
Reyn froze.
"…What is that…"
Kael raised his hand.
FWOOOOOSH!!
Blue flames exploded outward.
A wave of heat swept through the forest.
Trees turned into ash.
The ground blackened.
The air trembled.
Yet—
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"…It missed?"
DUUM.
One step.
DUUM.
Another.
From within the flames—
the monster emerged.
Its body burned.
Its flesh charred.
But—
it kept walking.
And then—
the corner of its mouth slowly rose.
A smile.
Silence.
Reyn felt chills run down his spine.
Because for the first time—
that monster looked...
aware.
Meanwhile—
Kael slowly raised his sword.
The blue flames in his hand moved.
Flowing.
Crawling upward.
Wrapping around the entire blade.
FWOOOOSH!!
His sword became engulfed in blue flames.
Calm.
Yet overwhelmingly hot.
Kael slowly spun his sword.
Blue trails lingered in the air.
Then—
a small smile appeared.
"…Try not to die too quickly."
DUUUUUM!!
The ground exploded.
Kael disappeared.
The monster disappeared too.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
A massive shockwave exploded across the forest.
And the real battle—
had finally begun. 🔥