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(Lucas, Aria, and Sylphie)
Lucas crouched low, fingers brushing against the moss-covered ground. A faint set of claw marks dragged along the damp soil, spaced far apart.
"Fresh," he murmured. "It's close."
Aria moved ahead lightly, her gaze sharp, scanning the undergrowth for more signs. Beside her, Sylphie knelt near a patch of disturbed leaves and touched the damp spot beneath.
"Blood," she said quietly, lifting her fingers. A thin smear of crimson glistened in the fading light.
They followed the trail in silence, weaving through tangled roots and hanging vines. Every so often, Lucas marked their position on the mana paper, writing down distance and direction while Aria took note of the terrain. The forest was still here, too still—only the faint chirring of insects filled the air.
After nearly fifteen minutes of tracking, they heard it.
A deep, guttural breath.
Pushing aside a curtain of ferns, they found it—a D+ rank beast.
It was tall, hunched, with a frame like a warped wolf and twisted antlers sprouting from its skull. Its matted fur was streaked with dirt and dried blood. Aria quickly scribbled: Species: Unknown hybrid – wolf/deer mutation. Rank: D+.
The three stayed low, watching.
At first, it behaved like a normal predator—sniffing the air, pacing in a small circle. But something about its movements caught Sylphie's attention.
"It's… off," she whispered.
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Look," Sylphie pointed. "The way it turns—too sharp, like it's following orders, not instinct."
They all watched more closely. Every movement seemed stiff, almost unnatural, as if invisible strings tugged at its limbs. Then it stopped suddenly, head snapping toward a small pool where a few drops of fresh blood floated.
Its eyes changed.
From dull amber, they darkened to an inky, almost oily black. The shift was so sudden that even Aria tensed. The beast's breathing deepened, muscles twitching, and it began to move faster, more erratic—like it had been provoked by something only it could feel.
Lucas wrote down in quick strokes: Eyes darken upon scent of blood. Behavior becomes aggressive. Possible external control.
They stayed hidden, observing longer than they should have, the strange pattern repeating again and again.
Blood meant the darkness in its eyes.
The darkness meant violence.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sylphie couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just an odd mutation. It was a sign.
The three exchanged glances.
"Don't engage," Aria said quietly, her hand lightly resting on her weapon. "We track it. If it's being controlled… there's a source."
Lucas nodded, and Sylphie adjusted her mana paper so it wouldn't rustle. Step by careful step, they shadowed the beast as it moved deeper into the woods. The terrain changed—thicker undergrowth, the air heavier with the metallic tang of blood.
The beast didn't act like it was hunting. It moved with a strange purpose, almost ignoring smaller prey it passed. Occasionally it would freeze, as though waiting for some unseen signal, then continue.
After nearly half an hour, they heard it—low, guttural roars layered over each other.
Sylphie stopped dead. "Multiple," she breathed.
They moved closer, crouching behind a slope of rock and peering over.
Below them lay a wide, trampled clearing. The ground was churned to mud, splattered with gore. Dozens of the same D+ rank beasts fought in a frenzied mass, clawing and tearing at one another like rabid animals. Flesh ripped, bones cracked, and the air reeked of iron.
Some had already collapsed, their carcasses torn open, innards spilling out as others bit into them without hesitation. It wasn't competition for food—it was chaos, pure and senseless.
Lucas' grip on his sword tightened. "They're killing their own…"
Aria shook her head. "No… look at their eyes."
Every single beast's eyes were that same unnatural black, glowing faintly in the dim light. Even those on the verge of death still thrashed, trying to bite at anything within reach.
Sylphie scribbled furiously: Behavior—mutual aggression. Possible forced frenzy. Potential link to mind-control phenomenon. Risk level: extremely high.
But as they watched, the frenzy only grew. One beast, jaw dripping with flesh, suddenly let out a howl—long, distorted, almost metallic in tone. At that sound, half the horde whipped their heads in unison and turned toward the forest beyond the clearing.
Aria's heart sank. "They're moving somewhere."
And deep inside, all three felt it—wherever these things were heading, it wasn't random.
___________________________________
While Lucas, Aria, and Sylphie were still watching the frenzied horde from the ridge, elsewhere Ryan and Eren were crouched low in the undergrowth, quietly jotting notes about claw marks on a tree trunk.
"Fresh," Eren murmured, tapping the gouges with the tip of his spear. "Less than an hour old. This territory's active."
They had barely moved ten steps before the underbrush exploded. Six E-rank beasts burst through in a rush of snapping jaws and slavering tongues. Their hides shimmered faintly with mana, and their movements were jerky, unpredictable.
Eren reacted instantly, pivoting his spear in a sweeping arc. Two beasts lunged at him; he parried one and drove the weapon deep into the other's neck. Blood sprayed hot against his cheek, but he didn't flinch—just twisted the spear free and readied again.
The other four came straight for Ryan.
His eyes didn't narrow with focus—they widened slightly, almost vacant for a heartbeat—then his pupils constricted sharply. He let out a low hum, the sound unnervingly precise, almost surgical. It wasn't just noise—it resonated.
The beasts faltered mid-leap, their movements distorting as if an invisible vibration cut through their muscles. Ryan stepped forward, a subtle shift in his stance, and the hum pitched higher. The air itself seemed to shiver.
Then it was over. All four beasts crumpled at once—necks twisted at unnatural angles, ears bleeding, eyes dull. The forest went eerily quiet except for the fading echo of his ability.
Eren blinked, panting lightly. "That… wasn't normal. What's your rank?"
Ryan's expression didn't change much, but his voice was calm. "Three-ninety-eight."
Eren almost laughed in disbelief. "Three-ninety-eight? That's… barely making it in. How the hell do you pull that off?"
Ryan shrugged, wiping blood from his sleeve. "I was top fifty in combat." He paused, eyes lowering briefly. "But I scored zero on the written exam."
Eren raised a brow, still catching his breath. "Zero? You didn't even try?"
"Did try," Ryan said simply, gaze fixed somewhere in the trees. "Just… can't hold the words in my head long enough. They move. Scatter. I know the answer one second, then it's gone the next." He tapped the side of his head lightly. "Cognitive disorder. Been that way since I was a kid."
Eren didn't speak right away. He just looked at the four dead beasts, then at Ryan. "That… doesn't matter out here. Out here, you're dangerous."
Ryan gave the faintest ghost of a smile—tired, but real. "Out here, I'm useful. That's enough."
They continued deeper into the forest, the silence between them now heavier—not awkward, but the kind that came when two people understood each other a little more than before.
---
As the two of them moved on, the adrenaline from the fight slowly bled away. The forest air felt thicker now, the mana hum subtle but constant. They kept scanning the terrain, marking beast tracks on their mana paper.
Eren noticed something. Ryan was… talking more. Not in the nervous, filler way some students did, but with an openness that was almost childlike.
"…And Nex," Ryan said, his voice carrying a faint excitement, "he's my first and bestest friend. Ever since I got here, he's… I dunno. He doesn't look at me like I'm broken. Just treats me like anyone else. And I like Lucas, Kaelith, Marcus, Ruby, Aria, Sylphie, and Rose too—they're cool—but Nex…" His eyes lit up, the sunlight breaking through the canopy catching in them like polished amber. "…Nex is different. He listens."
Eren smirked faintly, a rare softness touching his voice. "Yeah. He's the quiet type. Rank 8, Doesn't brag about it. We've talked a few times. Good guy."
Heck he would even make a rock listen to his music that he did in their previous meet , and smiled faintly.
Ryan beamed at that, like hearing someone else confirm it made the fact more solid. "See? You get it." He kicked at a loose branch as they walked. "People usually just… y'know. Avoid me. Or treat me like a job. Nex isn't like that. And you're not either."
Eren glanced at him from the corner of his eye, considering his words. The kid had just called him a friend without hesitation—after less than an hour together. Something about that struck him harder than expected.
"Well," Eren said, shifting his spear on his shoulder, "if you've already decided we're friends, guess I'll have to watch your back now."
Ryan grinned, almost bouncing on his feet. "You have to. It's the rule."
Eren shook his head with a small laugh. "Rules, huh? Alright. But don't tell Nex. I don't want him thinking I'm stealing his 'first position' or whatever."
Ryan's smile only widened. "Don't worry. No one takes first from Nex."
The two of them walked on, their earlier silence replaced with easy conversation. And though the forest was still dangerous, the space between them felt lighter—like two people carrying the same weight without realizing they were sharing it.