In the town of Skull Howler.
It was only a few minutes before sunrise, so it was no longer completely dark outside. The early townspeople were already out and about. Some were coming and going, though only a few.
Elder Morem had woken up early as well, went straight to his hall, and sat in his own seat. He rubbed his eyes before continuing to read his book using his glasses.
Then he suddenly felt a change in the wind as the curtain door of his hall was blown aside.
Elder Morem stopped what he was doing, and when he lifted his gaze, a man was standing there.
He wore a white hooded cloak of the same color. His face was covered by a black mask, and his red eyes were visible. Both hands were hidden behind him, and based on his posture, he seemed to be about Elder Morem's age.
The elder stared at him briefly before speaking in a calm voice.
"What do you need here?"
"He's awake, Morem… he's awake."
Those were the first and last words the mysterious man said before disappearing right in front of Elder Morem in the blink of an eye.
The elder swallowed hard at what he heard. He was drowned in deep thought, and the only name that entered his mind was none other than Emrys Valestron.
He let out a long sigh. Eyes closed, he bowed his head as if losing strength, his heart pounding heavily.
He stood up immediately and told one of his followers that he would be leaving town for a day.
__
Inside the White Temple Institute.
The sun had fully risen. Everyone knew there was only one hour left before the first competition ended, yet not a single person dared to fight Valestron anymore.
Magnus fell on his backside and exhaled deeply. Just a few more steps and they would have won the competition, with the Black Dragons Guild emerging victorious. But when Emrys awakened, this was the result.
After seeing how impossible it was to stop the boy, their hopes of winning vanished completely.
From the clock tower, the teacher accompanying Desmond also let out a deep sigh.
"I can't believe this is how the first competition ended."
They watched the destruction all around them.
Only a handful of students could still stand on their feet, and even they were surely out of strength—no different from the unconscious ones scattered everywhere.
The ground was cracked, and pieces of broken buildings lay everywhere. It looked as if a war had swept through the place.
Everyone had fought as if it were the last thing they would ever do in their lives.
Each one pushed themselves just to defeat their chosen opponents so their own faction could win.
Except for Magnus, the other Guild Leaders were still unconscious. The competition in the past could not compare at all to what happened now. The difference was enormous.
Before, it was rare for anything in the institution to be damaged—except within the main stadium reserved for combat.
But as they watched the white-haired boy with blazing eyes, they immediately realized their mistake.
They had been too quick to judge the abilities of someone they thought they already understood.
And that filled them with overwhelming fear and dread.
When Hanzuo raised the clock, he shouted in a loud, echoing voice that captured everyone's attention:
"Your time is up! The first competition for today is now over! And none of you won except for the target, Emrys Valestron. Therefore, the five hundred points will naturally be awarded to him!"
Heji lowered his head. Everyone was disheartened by what they heard. Even Magnus lost his voice and stared blankly. This was the first time he had ever been defeated. He had been certain of victory. From the start, he knew his team would win—yet despite all his determination, this was the outcome: defeat.
Hanzuo noticed this. Even he felt as though he had lost in this result. He didn't want to admit it, but the entire institution had been defeated by a boy whose level was listed as a 2nd Grade Cat. Even if they suspected Emrys was hiding his true strength, they still had no evidence to prove it.
Because in the world of cultivation, hiding one's grade level was almost impossible. No one did it—not because they didn't want to, but because they simply couldn't.
And so this mystery would remain unanswered, unless they questioned Emrys himself.
"Capture him and bring him to the institution's tribunal," Hanzuo whispered to Desmond.
It didn't take long. Desmond and Clover appeared behind Emrys, along with the entire force of teachers prepared behind them.
Desmond and Clover exchanged glances before Desmond decided to step forward first, with Clover following.
"Emrys Valestron. May we speak with you?" Desmond asked. The boy turned to them and smiled sweetly.
"Sir Desmond. I won! I know you can't believe it, but I did it! It looked impossible, but I still succeeded—can you imagine that?" he said excitedly, his chest full of joy.