The camper-van-sized vehicle sat at the mouth of a mountain valley, looking ordinary from the outside—just another expedition van. But inside, it was anything but.
The walls thrummed with quiet activity, lined with glowing crystal monitors and enchanted instruments. A half-dozen Academy teachers and staff moved between them, eyes flicking over data streams and overhead drone feeds.
The valley stretched wide on the screens: uneven ridges, some little more than hills, others jagged peaks lost to haze. Drones circled high, relaying every detail back to the van.
Most of the time, the work was dull. Routine. Expected. Nothing unusual.
Until one observer leaned forward, frown creasing his face.
On his screen, two figures had entered the valley—a boy and a girl, moving side by side. At first glance, he dismissed them as nothing special. Adventurers, maybe. Some noble's children sneaking in, or a pair of eager adventurers testing their luck. He watched out of idle curiosity, expecting to see them running for their lives within the hour.
Then he froze.
An A-rank Hill Giant lurched into view. The battle was over almost before it began. The boy's crimson blade flashed, and the towering monster collapsed, slain cleanly in a few exchanges.
The observer blinked, stunned. His hands flew over the controls, zooming in on the figures. His gaze snagged on the faint gleam at their wrists. Watches: the Academy-issued watches.
A chill swept down his spine.
"No way…"
He yanked open the Academy database, heart hammering as lines of names scrolled past until two matches appeared. His throat went dry.
First-years. Both of them. Not that it mattered.
The girl—somewhat noteworthy. But the boy? Just an Advanced-class, Knight faculty student.
And he had just butchered an A-rank monster like it was nothing.
The observer sat frozen, staring at the screen, mind racing but paralyzed.
That's when a shadow fell across him. A tall figure loomed behind his chair, arms folded, presence so heavy it made the air feel sharper, thinner.
He stiffened at once.
"U-uhh… Vice Principal…" he stammered, voice cracking as he half-turned.
Irene's cold gaze bore down on him—the steel-gray eyes of a swordswoman who tolerated neither excuses nor incompetence. "What is it? If you have nothing to say, then stop dawdling and do your work."
Her tone was clipped, precise—cutting deeper than any shout.
The observer shrank under it, fumbling for words. "I—no, ma'am, it's not—I mean—"
Irene arched a brow, already turning to leave, unimpressed. "Then stop wasting my time."
He swallowed hard, panic forcing the words out before his chance slipped away. "Vice Principal! Please—just look at this!"
That made her pause. Slowly, she leaned closer, her shadow once more swallowing the screen.
The footage replayed: a young man cutting down the giant A-rank monster, each strike clean, decisive—far beyond what should have been possible.
At first, Irene's expression didn't shift. She gave only a flat, noncommittal, "Hmm."
But as he rewound the scene and pointed out the Academy-issued watch, the identification match, and the fact that the boy was only a first-year Knight faculty student from the Advanced class, her eyes narrowed slightly. A flicker of surprise touched her features, though her composure held.
"…No first-year is capable of this, even with an S-rank artifact. And this face… it looks familiar." she murmured at last, more to herself than to him.
The observer shifted nervously in his chair. "Vice Principal… you know him?"
Irene's gaze lingered on the monitor, sharp and unreadable. Finally, she spoke, her voice low.
"Is his name Alex?"
He blinked, startled. "Y-yes. That's what the database says. Alex Blanc."
Confusion twisted his face. Was this boy someone important? A hidden prodigy? Some noble's illegitimate child? If so, why had he never heard of him?
Irene didn't answer the question he dared not voice. She only folded her arms again, eyes fixed on the boy's image as though searching for something no one else could see.
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Meanwhile, a little earlier that morning…
Alex spoke, his tone steady. "With that being said—even if our ranking's high right now, there are still almost two weeks left in the Wilderness Training Course. That's plenty of time for us to push it even further."
Sherry looked up, her pink eyes thoughtful. "I know. But… now that we've just cleared a monster nest, where are we supposed to find another opportunity like that?"
Alex frowned in thought. "True. But think about it—we've already proven we can handle B-rank boss monsters. That means it's time to start aiming higher."
Her brows lifted slightly. "Higher?"
"A-rank monsters. At least the weaker ones." He said it calmly, as though it were the most obvious choice. "Instead of wasting time with more B-ranks, we should be challenging ourselves. I'm pretty sure there's an area nearby with mostly A-rank monsters. Let me check."
Pulling out his phone, he scrolled through the maps app, scanning the monster distribution zones. A moment later, he tapped the screen and turned it toward them. "Here. Giant's Valley. It's within reach."
The name alone made Sherry hesitate. Her lips parted. "Giant's Valley…?"
"Yeah," Alex confirmed without hesitation. "It's dangerous, but the rewards are worth it." He slipped the phone back into his pocket, gaze steady as he looked at both of them. "What do you think? Should we go there?"
Sherry shifted uneasily, unsure what to decide. In the end, she gave a small nod, quiet trust in him unwavering. "If you think it's best, I'll go."
Aurora, however, laughed lightly, the sound almost musical. She floated above them, eyes glinting with amusement as her sharp gaze fell on Alex. "Defeating an A-rank monster? Don't get ahead of yourself. For the current you, that's a pipe dream."
She smirked, twirling lazily in the air like a cat toying with its prey. "Even if you happen to meet a weaker one, the best outcome for you right now would be… running away. Very fast."
Alex wasn't offended by Aurora's jab. He wasn't so arrogant that her words would bruise his pride, nor reckless enough to throw himself into danger just to prove her wrong. Still, a faint sting of disappointment lingered.
The only time he had ever crossed paths with an A-rank monster was back in Solara City, when that colossal giant had clawed its way out of a spatial crack. He'd run for his life then—there had been no other choice. Yet now, after everything he had fought and survived, part of him wanted to believe he was finally strong enough to stand his ground. Strong enough to face that fear instead of fleeing.
But the truth was harsher. Alex had no real grasp of this world's scale, nor the chasm between ranks. What did it actually mean to fight an A-rank monster? How much more impossible was it compared to a B-rank? He had no measure, no true point of reference.
So instead of arguing, he voiced the question aloud—though it was mostly meant for Aurora.
The spirit only smiled mischievously, her tone sing-song with amusement. "Now, now, don't look so down. Did you actually listen to what I said? I said the current you can't handle an A-rank. But…" She tilted her head, eyes gleaming like a cat with a secret. "If we factor in that S-rank sword of yours, then killing a weaker one isn't entirely out of the question. Difficult? Absolutely. But not impossible."
Alex narrowed his eyes at her, exasperated. 'Can't you just say that from the start?'
Sherry, unaware of the silent exchange, watched him curiously. His expression had shifted in a span of seconds—uncertainty, irritation, then quiet resolve.
Finally, he exhaled, shoulders squaring as his decision settled. He turned to her, voice firm. "Let's go there."
And that was how events led them here.
The cliffs of Giant's Valley loomed like jagged walls of stone, their gray faces scarred and weathered, casting long shadows that swallowed the clearing below. The air hung heavy, thin and foreboding, as if the valley itself resented intruders. Beneath their boots, the ground thrummed faintly, each vibration rolling through the stone like distant thunder.
Alex and Sherry stood at the mouth of the clearing. And there—blocking out half the sky—waited the monster that bore the valley's name.
The Hill Giant.
It towered nearly twenty feet tall, its bulk a grotesque blend of muscle and scarred flesh. Stone-like callouses armored its skin, while greasy ropes of tangled hair framed a brutish, heavy-browed face. In its hands, it wielded a weapon that was more tree than club—bark stripped, one end crudely sharpened to a lethal point.
The creature blinked once, slowly. Its small eyes narrowed as it spotted the intruders. Lips peeled back, revealing jagged yellow teeth in something that could have been a sneer… or a grin.
Hill Giants weren't clever by human measure, but neither were they fools. Crude cunning, brute strength, and monstrous endurance made them deadly opponents.
The giant's growl rumbled out like an earthquake, echoing across the valley. Then it stepped forward—once, twice—each impact sending shockwaves through the ground, as if the earth itself recognized the weight of its presence.
Alex's breath steadied, though his heart thundered in his chest.
This was it.
His first real battle against an A-rank monster.