They were told they would be moving for their special training, so everyone gathered the necessary items. The plan was simple—pack everything ahead of time so that the next day, they would only need to pick up their bags and leave immediately.
After they were done packing, they all dispersed to their rooms—Rain, Lior, and Jason.
As Lior lay on his bed, something Ignis had said a few days ago echoed in his mind.
"At our current stage, if we are not careful, we might cost you. So we decided—we will move to our cores. There we will grow stronger and be ready to help you."
Lior stared at the ceiling. That meant for now… he was on his own.
He didn't feel like taking any mission. He didn't even think too much about it. The exhaustion caught up to him, and he slowly drifted to sleep.
The following day, they woke up early, fully prepared for the trip.
The number of cadets was high, so they were split into two groups. The first 48 were assigned to Camp 1, and the remaining 48 to Camp 2.
All cadets gathered at the transport center. One after the other, groups were sent off.
Those assigned to Camp 1—including Lior, Rain, Jason, Mike, Orelia, Sylvia, Ryan, and the others—were transported and dropped off at a location five kilometers away from the actual camp base.
They were given a simple instruction:
"Locate the camp base and get there."
But there was a catch.
Ninety percent of that five-kilometer distance was covered by a forest.
The Kalkan Forest.
An ancient… deadly forest.
The moment they stepped in, the atmosphere changed.
The air felt heavier.
The silence felt unnatural.
Even the wind seemed to move with caution.
They had barely gone far when their first encounter appeared.
A Chimera.
Jason looked at it, his face pale.
"We are all going to die… it's just a matter of time."
Rain immediately hit him on the head.
"Get yourself together!"
For a moment, it felt like they had switched roles. Normally, Rain would be the one joking around while Jason corrected him.
But there was no time to think about that.
The Chimera roared.
And the battle began.
The class fought together, combining their abilities. Blades clashed, magic burst into the air, and the Chimera was eventually brought down.
They didn't stop.
They kept moving.
Step by step.
Fight after fight.
The forest wasn't giving them any time to rest.
Hours passed.
The sky slowly darkened.
They were tired.
Hungry.
Drained.
So they decided to take a short break.
A small group was sent out to search for food.
But the moment they began moving through different parts of the forest…
They saw it.
A red light.
Then another.
Then two.
Then dozens.
Then hundreds.
One of them screamed:
"MONSTERS!"
Instantly, Rain slammed his hand into the ground.
"Great Wall!"
A massive wall of earth rose around them, forming a protective barrier.
Everyone quickly gathered, preparing to form a plan.
But then…
They realized something.
The wall was useless.
The beasts… were passing through it.
Like it wasn't even there.
Permeation.
"Move!" Ryan shouted.
No time to think.
No time to plan.
Ryan, Mike, and Lior charged forward immediately.
Sylvia and Ellen followed right behind.
The battle exploded into chaos.
As others prepared to join, Orelia raised her hand.
"Stop."
Her voice was calm—but commanding.
"If we all attack like that, what will we do when another wave comes? Their number is manageable. Let them handle it."
Then she created a ring of fire around the group.
A protective barrier.
Inside the battlefield, the fight was intense.
Blades flashed.
Magic collided.
The creatures were fast, aggressive, and relentless—but they were being pushed back.
One by one…
They were cleared.
Just as they turned to head back—
A sound echoed through the forest.
Something was coming.
Slow.
Heavy.
Different.
Then it appeared.
A humanoid figure.
But not human.
The moment it stepped forward—
It released a blast straight toward Sylvia.
Lior reacted instantly.
He pushed Sylvia out of the way.
The blast missed her by inches.
"Attack!" someone shouted.
Everyone moved at once.
Mike stepped forward.
"Hell Flame!"
He unleashed a maxed-out blast.
The creature didn't dodge.
It didn't block.
It took the attack head-on—
And returned it.
Stronger.
Boom.
The ground shook.
Everyone froze for a second.
Every attack they threw at it—
It returned.
Stronger.
Faster.
Deadlier.
Orelia, Rain, and a few others stepped forward, ready to intervene.
But the front line was still holding.
Barely.
Lior narrowed his eyes.
Watching.
Analyzing.
Thinking.
I've seen this before…
Then it clicked.
The pattern.
The reaction.
The timing.
It's the same…
The ability to reflect… amplify… and return attacks…
A beast he had fought before.
"Stop using full power attacks!" Lior shouted.
But it was already too late for some.
The creature continued to grow stronger with every exchange.
Lior stepped forward.
Calm.
Focused.
Instead of overwhelming power—
He used simple strikes.
Clean.
Precise.
Controlled.
Each attack was deliberate.
Not giving the creature enough energy to reflect.
Not giving it time to react.
He moved in closer.
Faster.
Sharper.
The creature tried to respond—
But Lior didn't give it the chance.
He gathered energy into his sword.
Not explosive.
Not reckless.
Focused.
Just as he was about to strike—
Mike roared behind him.
"HELL FLAME!"
A massive wave of fire surged forward.
Lior didn't dodge.
He didn't retreat.
He absorbed it.
The flames wrapped around his blade.
Feeding into his attack.
His eyes sharpened.
"One strike…"
He moved.
Slash.
The blade cut through everything.
The fire.
The energy.
The creature itself.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then—
The humanoid split apart.
And collapsed.
Gone.
No regeneration.
No reflection.
No return.
It was over.
The forest fell silent again.
But this time…
No one relaxed.
Because deep down—
They all knew.
This was just the beginning.