The ravine was a jagged scar in the earth, filled with shadows that seemed to crawl up the stone walls. One from All led the way, his golden aura providing the only light in the suffocating darkness. They were at 140 points, just a few successful hunts away from the goal.
"Stay sharp," One from All commanded. "The beasts in this sector are faster than the ones in the valley."
He was right. Without warning, a Void-Stalker—a 50-point beast with a body like a hairless panther and claws made of hardened shadow—dropped from a ledge directly above them. It didn't aim for the King. It aimed for the girl with the glasses.
"Sora!" Yuki shouted, reaching for her.
The beast was too fast. It slammed into Sora, its shadow-claws raking across her shoulder before she could even scream. She fell back against the cold stone, her glasses flying off her face. For a moment, she looked terrified, her eyes wide as the beast lunged again to finish her.
Then, the air in the ravine changed. It didn't just get cold; it felt like the oxygen was being sucked out of the world.
Sora didn't scream. Her head snapped up. Her shy, nervous expression was gone again, replaced by a face that was empty and terrifying. Her eyes didn't just glow; they turned into pits of swirling, dark purple void.
She didn't use a staff. She didn't chant a spell. She simply pointed a finger at the 50-point beast.
A bolt of jagged, black lightning erupted from her hand. It didn't just kill the Void-Stalker; it erased it. The beast didn't even have time to whimper before its entire body was turned into a cloud of dark mist.
But the "Dark Sora" wasn't done. She turned her head slowly, her void-like eyes locking onto One from All. To her, in this state, there were no allies—only targets.
She swiped her hand through the air, sending a wave of that same black energy toward him.
One from All reacted instantly. He summoned his Blade of the Chosen One to block, his King's Magic flaring up in a massive golden shield. Usually, nothing could touch him. But this energy was different. It didn't hit the shield; it ate through it.
The dark wave sliced through his golden defense and grazed his shoulder. It was a clean, deep cut that bypassed his armor as if it were made of paper.
Sora's body suddenly went limp. The purple glow vanished, and she collapsed onto the ground.
Silence returned to the ravine.
One from All stood there, his breath hitched. He looked down at his shoulder. Blood—bright, red, royal blood—was soaking into his uniform. He looked at the unconscious girl on the ground.
"What... what kind of monster was that?" he whispered to himself. He wasn't just confused; for the first time in his life, he felt a flicker of genuine caution. That power wasn't magic. It was something primal.
Sora stirred, groaning as she sat up. She blinked and fumbled for her glasses. "Oh... my head hurts. Did I trip again? Wait... One from All? You're bleeding!"
She scrambled to her feet, her face filled with horror. "There was a big beast, and then everything went black! Did the beast do that to you? I'm so sorry!"
Yuki stepped forward, her mouth open. "Sora, you didn't—"
"Quiet, Yuki," One from All snapped. His voice was sharp, a warning. He looked at Yuki with a gaze so cold she immediately shut her mouth. He wasn't going to let Sora know what she was. If she was a weapon this dangerous, he needed to be the only one who understood it.
"A beast caught me off guard while I was protecting you," he lied, his voice regaining its calm, somewhat arrogant tone. "It knocked you out, and I finished it. It was a pathetic creature."
Sora's lower eyes filled with tears. "I'm such a burden... I'm so sorry. I should have been watching."
One from All turned his back to her, clutching his bloody fist. He looked at the dark stones, his mind racing. He had to keep her close, but he had to be careful. She was a ticking time bomb.
"Stop crying," he said. "We have a schedule to keep. Walk ahead of me. I need to check the perimeter."
Yuki and Sora started walking, Sora still whispering apologies to the air. Once they were a few paces ahead, One from All looked at his wound again. He felt the lingering cold of her attack. She didn't even know she did it, he thought. She injured a King without even trying.
After a moment, he caught up to them. He stopped in front of Sora and pointed to his shoulder.
"Heal this," he said.
Sora jumped. "Oh! Right! I... I'm so sorry, I completely forgot I could do that! I was just so panicked!"
She held her hands over his wound. This time, there was no dark energy. A soft, warm, golden light—standard Saint Magic—flowed from her palms. The deep cut closed instantly, leaving only the torn fabric and the dried blood as proof that it ever happened.
"Better," he muttered. "lets move. The sun is coming up."
Yuki then looks at him and say's "you seem like a very decent fighter" a small pause "but you shouldn't think of fighting Levi he is very dangerous"
One from all paused, looked at her and said "I want to get stronger is the whole reason I came here in the first place, but how can I do that if am afraid of getting into fight's because an opponent is stronger than me. It make's no sense to me if it dose to you" and then continues walking Yuki who had been a little stunned decided to let it go and let him experience the power gap himself.
The sky above the forest was beginning to change from the deep black of night to a pale, misty grey. The morning air was freezing, and the dew hung heavy on the trees. The first test was entering its final hour.
Deep in another part of the woods, Kael's group was in a state of high stress.
"Kael, we only have 80 points!" Valen shouted, pacing back and forth. "The forest is practically empty! Most of the high-point beasts have been cleared out by those monsters in the other groups. We're going to fail!"
Tora was sweating, his hands shaking as he gripped his fist. "The sun is up, Kael! We have maybe forty minutes left! Do something!"
Kael was sitting on a fallen log, his hood pulled low over his eyes. He was leaning against the air as if it has a physical form, looking as if he were about to take a nap. He didn't look at his teammates. He didn't even look at the clock.
"Relax," Kael said. His voice was smooth and utterly bored. "A hunter doesn't run. He waits for the world to move toward him."
"We don't have time for your riddles!" Valen screamed.
Kael finally looked up. A small, toxic smirk played on his lips. "The other groups cleared the forest, yes. Which means all the remaining beasts are fleeing toward the exit to avoid the noise. We don't need to hunt. We just need to stand in their way."
He stood up and stretched. "Follow me. I know exactly where the bottleneck is."
Back at the main Academy Arena, the atmosphere was completely different.
The massive stadium was filled with spectators. In the upper tiers of the stands, the Year 2 and Year 3 students sat in their designated sections. They weren't participants they had already passed these grueling exams in previous years. They were here to judge the new crop of "monsters."
The Year 2 students were talking loudly, pointing at the magical screens. "Look, Nara and Levi are already in the hall. Those two are going to be a problem in the finals."
The Year 3 Seniors were quieter, their eyes sharp as they analyzed the few groups still in the forest.
A flash of blue light hit the center of the arena floor.
One from All, Yuki, and Sora appeared as the teleportation spell finished. One from All stepped off the platform first. His uniform was torn and stained with blood, but his posture was as straight and galant as ever. He didn't look at the cheering crowd. He didn't look at the teachers.
His eyes immediately found the other groups who had made it back before him.
Nara was standing with his arms crossed, looking perfectly clean and bored. Levi was standing near a pillar, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his expression cold.
One from All felt a sting of pride. He was third. He had been delayed because of a girl he couldn't even control.
"We made it!" Sora whispered, looking around at the massive stadium in awe. "Look at all the people!"
One from All didn't answer. He looked at Nara and Levi, then he cast a side-eye toward Sora. She was currently struggling to clean her glasses with the hem of her skirt, looking completely harmless.
You don't even know what you are, he thought, his fist tightening.
Just as the timer on the giant magical clock reached the final ten minutes, another flash of light hit the arena.
End of Chapter 18