Iren slowly raised his dagger.
Flames danced quietly around his body like a living aura.
He looked straight at Lyra.
"So, Lyra…"
His voice was calm.
"Let's begin."
Lyra tightened her grip on her daggers.
"…Yes."
For a brief moment—
The training ground fell silent.
Then suddenly—
SWOOSH!
Iren vanished.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"What—?!"
She quickly looked around.
Left.
Right.
Behind.
Above.
But he was nowhere in sight.
Then—
A shadow appeared above her.
Lyra looked up.
Iren was descending from the sky with terrifying speed.
His dagger aimed straight toward her.
"HYAA!"
Lyra reacted instantly.
Her foresight activated.
FLASH
She flipped backward several steps.
THUD!
Iren's dagger struck the ground.
The impact created a deep hole in the earth.
Dust exploded outward like a small blast.
BOOM!
Lyra landed several meters away.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the crater.
So this is Level 3…
His strength and speed have increased tremendously.
Through the rising dust—
A silhouette moved.
Then suddenly—
WHOOSH!
Iren burst through the smoke and dashed toward her.
Lyra barely reacted in time.
"Time Skip!"
SWISH!
She vanished and reappeared a few steps away.
Iren stopped instantly.
Then turned around.
And rushed at her again.
This time—
Lyra didn't dodge.
She stepped forward.
Their daggers collided.
CLANG!
Then again.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Their blades flashed rapidly.
The speed of their exchange was almost impossible to follow.
But something was different.
Lyra felt it clearly.
Iren was faster.
Much faster.
Each strike forced her backward.
She barely managed to block.
His speed is overwhelming…
Finally—
She jumped back several steps.
Creating distance.
But Iren chased her immediately.
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"Domain of Time."
A faint distortion spread across the space.
Everything froze.
Iren's body stopped mid-movement.
Completely still.
Lyra walked toward him calmly.
But then—
SNAP
A strange sound echoed.
Then—
CRACK… CRACK…
The frozen space began to fracture.
Lyra's eyes widened.
What…?
Before she could react—
Iren shattered the frozen time.
SHATTER!
The domain broke apart like glass.
And suddenly—
He was standing several steps behind her.
Lyra froze.
Impossible…
He broke through my advanced Domain of Time…
Then—
DASH!
Iren rushed toward her again.
Lyra spun around instantly.
"Domain of Time!"
Once again—
Everything froze.
Iren stopped mid-attack.
Lyra dashed toward him at full speed.
But—
CRACK!
The frozen space shattered again.
Iren broke through it instantly.
Before Lyra could react—
CLANG!
Their daggers collided.
A powerful shockwave burst outward.
BOOM!
Both of them were pushed backward.
Lyra skidded across the ground.
She stabbed her daggers into the earth.
SCRRRAAPE
Using them to slow down.
Finally she stopped.
But before she could stand—
A shadow appeared beside her.
Iren.
His dagger was already raised.
He was about to strike—
Then suddenly—
SNAP
Iren's body trembled.
The flames around him flickered violently.
His knees buckled.
He dropped onto his hands and knees.
Smoke began rising from his body.
"Ghh…!"
His body shook uncontrollably.
The fiery aura around him slowly faded.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"Iren?!"
Iren tried to stand.
But his arms collapsed.
Then—
THUD
He fell face-first onto the ground.
Unconscious.
The last flames around his body vanished.
Thin smoke continued rising from him.
Lyra ran toward him immediately.
She knelt beside him and shook his shoulder.
"Iren!"
"Hey!"
"Are you okay?!"
But there was no response.
His body remained completely still.
Lyra quickly lifted him onto her shoulder.
"Iren… please don't scare me like this."
She carried him to the shaded area near the field.
Then gently laid him down.
But he still didn't wake up.
Worried, Lyra immediately ran toward the others.
"Kael! Sylven! Riven!"
They all turned toward her.
"What happened?"
Lyra explained everything quickly.
"How he used a new power… and suddenly collapsed."
The three of them immediately rushed over.
Iren was still lying unconscious.
Riven knelt beside him.
"Hey… wake up, man."
No response.
Kael frowned slightly.
Sylven stepped forward.
"Let me check."
He placed his hand on Iren's chest.
A soft green light appeared.
"Vital Synchronizer."
Sylven began transferring energy into Iren.
Then his expression changed.
"…I see."
Lyra looked worried.
"What happened?"
Sylven sighed.
"It looks like his new power drained all his energy."
"That's why he collapsed."
Lyra asked anxiously,
"Then what do we do?"
Sylven smiled reassuringly.
"Nothing serious."
"He just needs rest."
"He'll wake up soon."
Then Sylven carefully lifted Iren onto his back.
"Let's take him to his room."
Everyone nodded.
Together they returned to the dormitory.
Sylven gently placed Iren on his bed.
The room became quiet.
Hours passed.
Outside the window, the sunlight slowly shifted.
Then finally—
Iren's fingers twitched.
His eyelids moved slightly.
And slowly…
He opened his eyes.
A faint light filtered through the window.
Iren's fingers twitched slightly.
His eyelids slowly opened.
"…Ugh."
His vision was blurry.
Shadows moved around him.
Several voices echoed faintly in his ears.
Then one voice came closer.
"Hey, bro."
Riven waved his hand in front of Iren's face.
"Can you see me?"
"Are you okay?"
Iren blinked a few times.
His vision slowly cleared.
And he realized something.
Everyone was standing around his bed.
Kael.
Sylven.
Riven.
Lyra.
Iren slowly pushed himself up and sat on the bed.
"…What happened to me?"
Kael answered calmly.
"You used your new power during training."
"Then it completely drained your energy."
"And you collapsed."
Iren stayed silent for a moment.
Then he nodded slowly.
"…I see."
Kael crossed his arms.
"I warned everyone before training not to use their full power."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But you didn't listen."
Iren lowered his head a little.
"…I'm sorry."
For a moment the room was quiet.
Then Kael sighed.
"…Fine."
"But now focus on recovering."
"You're not training until you fully recover."
Iren immediately shook his head.
"No, it's okay."
"I'm fine now."
But before he could continue—
Kael interrupted firmly.
"I said you should rest."
"Until you recover."
Iren stared at him for a second.
Then he sighed.
"…Okay."
"Fine."
Sylven stepped forward.
"You shouldn't push yourself too much."
"You're still weak right now."
Iren nodded lightly.
"Yeah."
Riven placed his hands behind his head.
"Take care of yourself, bro."
"Next time try not to scare us like that."
Lyra stood quietly near the door.
Then she spoke softly.
"…Get well soon."
Iren looked at her and gave a small smile.
"Thanks."
Kael turned toward the others.
"Let's go."
One by one, they walked out of the room.
CLICK
The door closed.
The room became quiet again.
---
For the next two days—
Iren was not allowed to train.
Kael made sure of that.
His body still hadn't completely recovered from the strain of Level Three.
Because of that—
The team's training also came to a temporary halt.
And for the first time in a while—
The training ground remained unusually quiet.
---