BOOOOOOOOM!!
A shockwave exploded across the forest.
The ground cracked apart.
Trees in the surrounding area collapsed instantly.
Wild winds swept through everything in their path.
Reyn instinctively raised both arms to shield his face.
Dust.
Leaves.
Fragments of stone.
Everything was blown into the air.
His eyes widened.
Because within the explosion—
two figures were still moving.
No.
Not moving.
Colliding.
DUUUUM!!
CLAAAANG!!
DUUUUM!!
CLAAANG!!
Every impact shook the earth.
Every clash unleashed violent gusts powerful enough to tear apart the surroundings.
Reyn couldn't even follow their movements anymore.
Too fast.
His eyes only caught flashes.
Blue flames.
A massive black figure.
An explosion.
Then blue fire again.
"…What the hell is this..."
Cold sweat rolled down his temple.
This wasn't a fight between academy students.
It wasn't even something that should happen during a first-year exam.
This was a battle between monsters.
And the worst part—
Kael was fighting it alone.
BOOOOOOM!!
Kael shot out from the cloud of dust.
But he wasn't sent flying.
He had jumped back intentionally.
His feet landed against the trunk of a giant tree.
BRAKK!!
The tree cracked instantly.
Kael stared ahead.
His eyes narrowed.
Thin smoke rose from his left arm.
"…Tough."
In the distance—
the monster stood there.
Silent.
Its body was covered in burns.
Large portions of black flesh had been torn apart.
But the wounds—
moved.
Slowly.
The dark flesh crawled.
Reconnecting.
Restoring itself.
As if the damage had never existed.
Kael fell silent.
Then—
"…Regeneration, huh."
The monster stared at him.
Its crimson eyes trembled.
Then—
CRACK.
CRACKKK.
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
Not its body.
Not its horns.
The black chain around its neck.
It was cracking.
Strange symbols etched across it began writhing violently.
Black mana started leaking out.
More.
And more.
Darker.
Thicker.
The ground beneath its feet dried up.
Grass turned black.
Nearby trees slowly began to rot.
Reyn froze.
"…Kael…"
His voice trembled.
"…Have monsters like this ever existed?"
Kael didn't answer.
His eyes remained locked on the chain.
Then—
a small smile appeared.
But this time—
it wasn't his usual relaxed smile.
It was the smile of someone who had finally found the answer.
"…Found it."
DUUUUUUM!!
The ground exploded.
The monster vanished.
Yet—
Kael didn't move.
He didn't step back.
He didn't dodge.
Instead—
he closed his eyes.
Silence.
One second.
Two.
Three—
Kael opened his eyes.
And for the first time—
the blue flames surrounding his sword changed.
FWOOOOOOOSH!!
The blue fire suddenly expanded.
No longer coating only the blade—
it spread across his arm.
Gathering.
Spinning.
Like a blue dragon coiling itself around his sword.
The air trembled violently.
Reyn's eyes widened.
"…What now?!"
Kael slowly took a breath.
Then—
he twisted his body.
SHIIIIING!!
One slash.
Just one.
Yet the blue flames exploded outward.
Forming a gigantic crescent.
Splitting the air.
Splitting the earth.
And—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire forest shook.
Blue flames engulfed the landscape.
The ground split apart.
Trees along its path vanished instantly.
A wave of heat swept through everything.
The thin mist hanging throughout the forest disappeared without a trace.
Completely erased.
Reyn raised his arms again.
Violent winds slammed into his body.
Dust and debris flew everywhere.
His eyes widened.
Because directly before him—
Kael's slash remained etched into the earth.
A scar stretching forward endlessly.
Dozens of meters.
No.
Maybe farther.
Thin smoke rose from the blackened ground.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Reyn swallowed hard.
"…Is it over?"
No answer came.
Dust still filled the air.
Kael stood motionless.
His sword remained extended.
Blue flames danced quietly along the blade.
Calm.
Yet that calmness itself felt terrifying.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"…Not yet."
DUK.
A footstep.
Soft.
DUK.
DUK.
DUK.
A shadow slowly emerged from within the dust.
Large body.
Horns.
Red eyes.
The monster.
But—
Reyn froze.
"…Huh?"
Its body...
looked different.
Its left arm was gone.
Part of its chest had been destroyed.
Half its face had disappeared.
Its body was covered in horrifying wounds.
Yet—
it still walked.
Still lived.
And what made Reyn's spine freeze—
the monster was still smiling.
No.
Now—
it looked more like laughter.
Its mouth moved slowly.
Cracking.
Black blood dripped from the corners of its lips.
Then—
"…Kill…"
Silence.
Reyn froze.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
The monster slowly raised its head.
"…Kill…"
"…Kael…"
Silence.
For a moment—
even the wind stopped.
Reyn felt every hair on his body stand up.
"…It…"
His voice trembled.
"…It talked?"
Kael said nothing.
His expression slowly changed.
Cold.
Extremely cold.
Because monsters—
weren't supposed to speak.
And definitely not—
say his name.
CRACK.
CRACKKK.
Kael immediately looked over.
Not at the monster.
The chains.
The black chains around its neck were breaking apart.
One.
Two.
Dozens.
The strange symbols twisted violently.
Black mana exploded outward.
DUUUUUUUM!!!
The earth collapsed.
Trees fell.
A terrifying pressure engulfed the entire area.
Reyn dropped to one knee.
"…GHHH?!"
His body trembled.
Breathing became difficult.
As if something invisible was crushing his entire body.
Kael stared forward.
Silent.
Then—
for the first time—
every trace of expression vanished from his face.
Only cold eyes remained.
Because his bad feeling—
had finally given him an answer.
"…So that's it."
FWOOOOOOOSH!!
The blue flames on his sword grew larger.
His gaze locked onto the monster.
"…You were never the target."
Kael slowly raised his sword.
Blue flames began spiraling violently around him.
"…You're just bait."
Silence.
And high above the trees—
for the first time—
the hooded figure's eyes widened.
"…What?"
Because Kael—
was staring directly at him.
Silence.
No wind.
No birds.
Even the leaves had stopped moving.
The entire forest felt frozen.
Kael stood still.
Blue flames slowly swirled around the sword in his hand.
His gaze was no longer fixed on the monster ahead of him.
Instead—
he looked upward.
Far above the trees.
Toward the place where the hooded figure had been hiding.
And for the first time—
the smile on the figure's face disappeared.
"…Interesting."
A quiet voice echoed from beneath the black hood.
But Kael didn't respond.
His eyes remained cold.
Sharp.
Reyn, still kneeling on the ground, slowly raised his head.
His breathing was uneven.
His body was still trembling from the pressure earlier.
"…K-Kael…"
His eyes shifted.
To the monster.
Then followed Kael's line of sight.
"…Wait."
Silence.
"…Why are you looking up?"
A few seconds passed.
Then—
Reyn's eyes widened.
"…THERE'S SOMEONE UP THERE?!"
His voice echoed across the forest.
And moments later—
applause rang out.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Slow.
Relaxed.
A shadow leapt down from the trees.
Its landing made no sound.
No impact.
No dust.
As if gravity itself meant nothing.
A long black robe covered the figure from head to toe.
Its face remained hidden beneath the hood.
But—
the smile was visible.
"…Impressive."
A faint smile appeared.
"I didn't expect an academy student to notice my presence this quickly."
Silence.
Then—
the smile widened slightly.
"…As expected from the one who keeps interfering with his plans."
Reyn froze.
"…Student?"
"…Academy?"
"…Huh?"
His brain stopped functioning.
Kael stared straight ahead.
"…You planned this?"
The hooded figure fell silent for a few seconds.
Then chuckled.
"…Me?"
Slowly, he raised a hand.
Then pointed behind Kael.
Toward the monster.
"…No."
"…Him."
Silence.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
The hooded figure laughed again.
"You know…"
"I spent quite a long time creating him."
His gaze shifted toward the monster.
"…Ordinary monsters are boring."
"…So I thought…"
The smile slowly widened.
"…What if I mixed things together?"
Silence.
Reyn blinked.
"…Mixed?"
One second.
Two.
Then—
his eyes slowly widened.
"…WAIT A SECOND."
His trembling hand pointed toward the monster.
"DON'T TELL ME—"
"Human."
Silence.
The hooded figure smiled.
"Monster."
"And human."
His smile grew wider.
"With a little experimentation added in."
Silence.
No one spoke.
Because Reyn's brain—
completely refused to process those words.
Then—
"…Huh?"
His face turned pale.
"…HUH?!"
Meanwhile—
Kael remained silent.
Completely silent.
No expression.
But the blue flames on his sword—
began growing larger.
FWOOOOOOOSH.
The ground beneath his feet slowly blackened.
The air grew hotter.
Much hotter.
And for the first time—
Reyn felt something.
Not pressure.
Not aura.
But—
rage.
Kael stared forward.
"…You."
Silence.
The hooded figure smiled.
"…Hm?"
Kael slowly raised his sword.
Blue flames began spiraling wildly around him.
"…I changed my mind."
Silence.
"…That monster can live."
The forest went quiet.
Then—
Kael's eyes turned colder.
Cold enough to send chills down Reyn's spine.
"…But you…"
DUUUUUUM!!!
The ground beneath Kael shattered.
"…Die."
And in an instant—
Kael vanished.
The hooded figure's eyes widened slightly.
Fast.
Too fast.
But—
his smile hadn't disappeared.
"…Interesting—"
His words stopped.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The sky exploded.
Blue flames erupted directly before him.
Kael.
His sword had already descended.
SHIIIIIIING!!
A blue slash tore through the air.
The hooded figure's eyes widened.
"…?!"
BRAAAKKK!!!
A violent collision shook the sky itself.
A wave of heat exploded through the forest.
And for the first time—
the smile on the hooded figure's face...
completely disappeared.