The corpse of the Basilisk crashed heavily against the stone floor
Silence filled the sixth floor of Eclipse Tower.
Blood dripped slowly from Will's sword as he stood breathing heavily in front of the dead monster.
Sion and the others stared blankly.
The academy's so-called failure had just defeated a sixth-floor Basilisk alone.
Will wiped blood from the corner of his mouth before sighing.
"…That thing was annoying."
Zwel jumped lightly onto his shoulder.
"You almost died."
"But I didn't."
"You say that every time."
Will grinned slightly.
Then suddenly—
Zwel's silver eyes narrowed instantly.
"…Will."
A strange chill spread through the chamber.
The air became heavier.
Professor Gareth and the others had just arrived at the sixth floor when they froze simultaneously.
Professor Edward's expression darkened.
"…What is this mana?"
Black-purple energy slowly spread from the Basilisk's corpse.
The dead monster twitched unnaturally.
CRACK.
One of its bones bent backward violently.
Sion stepped back immediately.
"…What?"
The Basilisk's yellow eyes suddenly reopened.
But they no longer looked alive.
They looked empty.
Like a corpse being forced to move.
Professor Gareth's eyes widened.
"That's impossible—"
BOOOOOOM.
A horrifying mana surge exploded from the monster's body.
The entire sixth floor trembled violently.
The Basilisk suddenly moved.
Faster than before.
Its ruined body twisted unnaturally as if something invisible was controlling it.
Sion froze completely.
The monster instantly lunged toward him.
Everything happened too quickly.
The professors were too far away.
The noble students panicked.
Sion's eyes widened as the gigantic claw rushed toward him.
Then—
"MOVE!"
Will shoved Sion away violently.
BOOOOM.
The Basilisk's corrupted claw pierced directly through Will's side.
Blood exploded across the stone floor.
Elena's voice echoed from the communication crystal Gareth carried.
"WILL?!"
The Basilisk opened its mouth again.
Dark corrupted mana gathered inside its throat.
Professor Edward moved instantly.
"DARK SPEAR!"
Massive black spears erupted forward.
Professor Gareth followed immediately.
"WIND BREAKER!"
The combined attack tore through the Basilisk's already destroyed body.
The monster finally collapsed completely.
This time…
It did not move again.
Silence filled the chamber.
Will slowly looked down at the corrupted claw piercing through his body.
Black-purple veins spread rapidly beneath his skin.
"…Tch."
Then his body collapsed.
"WILL!"
For the first time—
Sion's face lost all arrogance completely.
The medical wing of Aetherion Arcane Academy was filled with tension.
Several healers surrounded Will's unconscious body.
Yet none of them looked hopeful.
"The corruption is spreading."
"We removed the poison but this mana… it doesn't make sense."
"It's eating through his mana circuits."
Professor Gareth clenched his fists tightly.
"Can't you stop it?"
One elderly healer shook his head grimly.
"This isn't normal monster poison."
Professor Edward stared silently at the black veins spreading across Will's body.
"…Something revived that Basilisk."
No one disagreed.
Outside the room—
Elena sat quietly with her head lowered.
Her hands trembled slightly.
"He'll wake up…"
She repeated the words softly to herself.
"He always does stupid things…"
Nearby, Sion leaned silently against the wall.
For once…
He wasn't speaking.
His eyes remained fixed on the medical room door.
One of the noble students beside him whispered nervously.
"…Sion."
No response.
"…You okay?"
Sion answered quietly.
"…Why did he save me?"
Nobody answered.
Because none of them understood either.
Far away from Aetherion.
Far away from magic.
Far away from fantasy.
A man opened his tired eyes.
Saito Ren stared blankly at the small apartment ceiling above him.
Dark circles rested beneath his eyes.
The alarm beside his bed continued ringing loudly.
He silently turned it off.
Another morning.
Another exhausting day.
The tiny apartment felt cold and empty.
He quietly stood up before passing a small framed photograph resting near the table.
His parents smiled warmly from inside the old picture.
Saito stopped briefly.
"…I'm leaving."
Silence answered him.
As always.
After their deaths, the apartment had never truly felt alive again.
He grabbed his coat before leaving without breakfast.
There wasn't enough time.
Crowded trains.
Cold expressions.
Endless noise.
The city moved endlessly forward while people exhausted themselves surviving another day.
Saito simply walked among them quietly.
A former soldier.
Now nothing more than another corporate employee.
His military service had once given him purpose.
Structure.
Direction.
But now?
Meetings.
Deadlines.
Overtime.
Repeat.
By the time night arrived, the office building had nearly emptied completely.
Saito exited slowly beneath the glowing city lights.
Rain fell lightly across the streets.
He looked up toward the dark sky silently.
"…What a boring life."
As a child…
He used to dream differently.
Heroes.
Fantasy worlds.
Magic.
People protecting others with impossible power.
He used to admire heroes from stories endlessly.
Especially ninja heroes who fought for others no matter how painful life became.
At some point…
Those dreams disappeared.
Reality crushed them quietly.
Saito sighed before beginning to cross the road.
Then suddenly—
SCREEECH.
A truck lost control violently.
People screamed.
A small child froze in the middle of the street.
For a split second—
Nobody moved.
Except Saito.
His body reacted before his mind could think.
Military instincts.
He sprinted forward instantly.
The child's terrified eyes widened as Saito grabbed him and threw him toward safety.
Then—
Everything went black.
Silence.
Endless darkness.
Saito slowly opened his eyes.
"…Am I dead?"
A massive figure sat quietly within the void ahead of him.
Its appearance constantly shifted beyond understanding.
Neither male nor female.
Neither young nor old.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
The being observed him silently.
"…Interesting soul."
Saito stared quietly for several moments.
Then sighed.
"…So this is the afterlife."
The being suddenly spoke again.
"There is a world in need of correction."
Images flashed through the darkness.
A floating city.
Monsters.
Magic.
A boy covered in blood.
Will Grey.
Saito's eyes widened slightly.
"…Fantasy?"
The being ignored the question.
"This boy was not supposed to die today."
More images appeared.
A dark presence sleeping above the world.
Chains.
A ruined future.
Blood.
"The fate of that world has shifted."
Saito stared silently at the dying boy's image.
"…And you want me to replace him?"
"Not replace."
The being's voice echoed endlessly through the void.
"Continue."
Suddenly information flooded Saito's mind.
Will's memories.
His emotions.
His dreams.
His suffering.
The overwhelming pain nearly crushed him instantly.
Saito grabbed his head tightly.
"…Tch!"
Then—
another screen appeared before him.
NAME: SAITO RENCURRENT BODY: WILL GREY
MANA STAR: 1-StarATTRIBUTE: Lightning / Fire
DIVINE ABILITY: One-Tome Eclipse Eye
CULTIVATION ART: Celestial Meridian Art
COMBAT SKILLS: Swordsmanship Lv3 /Chidori Lv1/Flame Wave Lv1
ARTIFACT SKILLS: Magic Engineering Lv1/Artifact Crafting Lv1
FAMILIAR: Zwel
MISSION: Survive ???
Saito stared at the screen silently.
Then slowly…
A smile appeared on his face.
For the first time in years—
He genuinely smiled.
"…Magic."
The ancient being watched him quietly.
Saito laughed softly while staring at the glowing screen.
"…This is insane."
Then the darkness swallowed him completely.