The giant monster's shadow stretched across the broken courtyard of Astra Dominion Academy.
Its enormous body towered over the buildings like a living mountain. Dark armored scales covered its skin, and glowing red veins pulsed beneath them like molten lava. Every breath it released shook the air.
Students watched in terror from the underground shelter entrances.
Kai gripped the railing tightly.
"Leo…" he whispered.
Ryu stood beside him, his confident expression completely gone.
"That thing is going to crush him."
Milan pushed his glasses up slowly, but even he could not hide the worry in his eyes.
"That monster is at least A-rank…"
In the center of the courtyard, Leo stood alone.
He looked small compared to the gigantic creature in front of him.
The monster lowered its head until its burning eyes were staring directly at him.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then the creature roared.
The sound exploded across the academy grounds like thunder.
Its massive claw lifted high into the air, sharp talons shining under the sunlight.
The attack came down with terrifying speed.
Students screamed.
Kai shouted from the distance.
"LEO MOVE!"
The claw slammed into the courtyard.
The impact shattered the ground. Stone cracked apart, and dust clouds exploded into the air.
The entire courtyard shook violently.
For a moment, no one could see anything.
Kai clenched his fists.
"No… no…"
But slowly the dust began to clear.
And when the ground became visible again…
Leo was not there.
A few meters away from the impact point, Leo stood calmly.
Not even a scratch on him.
Several instructors noticed immediately.
Instructor Kael's eyes narrowed.
"That speed…"
Even he had barely seen Leo move.
The monster growled in anger.
It swung its enormous tail across the courtyard.
The tail smashed through a stone pillar, destroying it instantly.
Leo stepped back lightly, avoiding the attack by only a few centimeters.
To everyone else, the fight looked like a desperate attempt to survive.
But Leo's expression remained calm.
His movements were simple.
Minimal.
Perfectly timed.
Inside his chest, the faint pulse of divine blood awakened slightly.
His senses sharpened.
The monster's movements became slower in his perception.
He could see every shift of its muscles.
Every movement of its claws.
Every sign before an attack.
The creature roared again, spreading its wings wide.
A powerful shockwave blasted across the courtyard, forcing nearby instructors to brace themselves.
The monster's glowing veins began shining brighter.
Instructor Mira frowned slightly.
"It's entering a rage state."
Kael stepped forward.
"We need to end this before it destroys the academy."
But before he could move, Leo had already taken a step forward.
The monster attacked again.
Its massive claw swept downward toward him.
Leo moved slightly to the side.
The claw passed only centimeters away from his shoulder.
For a brief moment, the monster hesitated.
That moment was enough.
Leo raised his hand.
The movement looked almost effortless.
He reached forward and touched the monster's leg.
There was no explosion.
No burst of power.
Just a simple touch.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then suddenly the monster froze.
Its body stiffened.
The glowing veins beneath its scales dimmed rapidly.
A strange sound escaped its throat as its strength vanished.
The enormous creature staggered.
Then collapsed heavily onto the courtyard floor.
The ground trembled from the impact.
Silence spread across the academy.
Students stared in disbelief.
Kai slowly blinked.
"Did… did he just defeat that thing?"
Ryu looked just as stunned.
"That was an A-rank monster…"
Milan stared at Leo carefully.
"That wasn't brute force."
"It was precision."
Instructor Kael walked toward the fallen monster.
He examined the creature carefully.
Then he saw the spot Leo had touched.
A tiny nerve cluster near the monster's neck where several vital connections met.
A perfectly placed strike.
A point extremely difficult to find in the middle of combat.
Even experienced hunters rarely targeted it.
Kael slowly turned his head toward Leo.
His voice was calm but serious.
"Who are you?"
Leo simply looked back at him.
"I just got lucky."
From the distance, Kai shouted loudly.
"Luck doesn't work like that!"
A few students laughed nervously, but most were still too shocked to react.
High above the courtyard, Luna stood on top of the academy tower.
Her violet eyes glowed faintly as she replayed the battle in her mind.
Leo's movements.
His calm expression.
The effortless way he predicted the monster's attacks.
That was not the behavior of a normal student.
That was the behavior of someone who had fought countless battles.
Someone with experience far beyond his age.
She whispered softly to herself.
"You're hiding something."
Back in the courtyard, instructors began securing the area.
The monster was confirmed dead.
Students slowly started leaving the shelters.
Many of them looked at Leo with completely different expressions now.
Some looked impressed.
Some looked confused.
Others looked suspicious.
Leo glanced down at the fallen monster.
Something about the situation felt strange.
The creature had not attacked randomly.
It had come directly toward him.
Almost like it had sensed something.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Inside his body, the divine blood pulsed again.
The ancient presence within him spoke quietly.
"This world has begun to notice us."
Leo exhaled slowly.
"Yes."
And if a monster could sense the power sleeping inside him…
Then stronger beings would eventually sense it too.
Far away from the academy, deep inside a massive underground dungeon, a dark figure slowly opened its glowing eyes.
A Demon Lord sat upon a throne of bones.
He had felt something unusual.
A faint ripple of divine energy spreading across the world.
A cruel smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Interesting…"
His voice echoed through the cavern.
"After centuries of silence…"
"Has a new god appeared in this world?"