The chamber remained vast.
Silent.
Weapons embedded in stone.
Lior stepped slightly ahead, scanning the upper arches and layered pillars.
"I'll check the perimeter."
Luna moved closer to the students without saying a word.
Her presence alone steadied them.
A few students began walking cautiously along the outer ring of the chamber.
"Sir… what's going on?" Clara whispered.
Shura closed his eyes briefly.
"Try to resonate."
They blinked.
"With what?"
"It's not the Presence," Shura said quietly. "This feels different."
Before anyone could focus—
A shadow dropped from above.
A monster.
Lean. Long-limbed. Twisted like broken armor fused with flesh.
It fell directly toward the middle group.
Luna moved instantly.
One step.
Her kick connected with its torso midair—
The impact echoed like metal striking stone.
The creature was thrown across the chamber floor.
Before it could rise—
Adrian was already there.
Knife drawn.
One clean strike to the heart.
The monster collapsed.
Dead.
Students froze.
Their eyes widened more at Luna's kick than Adrian's blade.
"That… that was fast…"
Shura frowned slightly.
"I still can't resonate it."
He looked upward, scanning the ceiling shadows.
"It's masking itself."
Lior returned calmly.
"It's nothing dangerous."
Another monster dropped from a pillar.
Then another.
"Just monsters."
His tone shifted.
"Alright. Now you fight."
Students stiffened.
"W-We?"
"Yes."
Lior stepped back.
"Formation."
He spoke quickly.
"Shura and Adrian — safety unit. Protect anyone in trouble."
"Luna and I will control overflow."
"The middle stays compact."
The students swallowed their fear.
Weapons drawn.
Shura glanced at Yura.
"Finally. I'll see your fighting technique."
She smirked slightly.
"Don't blink."
Shura didn't carry a weapon.
He stood empty-handed.
Waiting.
The air became heavier.
More monsters began dropping from upper ledges.
aggressive.
Students charged.
The first clash was messy.
Metal struck bone.
Viora flared unevenly.
One student screamed loudly while swinging wildly.
Lior's voice cut through the noise.
"In battle, screaming doesn't matter."
"Calmness does."
Shura and Adrian barely heard him.
They were already moving.
One student stumbled—
Adrian intercepted the incoming claw.
Another froze in panic—
Shura pulled him backward before a strike landed.
"Jump!" Shura snapped instinctively.
The fight grew chaotic.
Monsters fell.
But not without cost.
Some students were scratched.
Some bleeding lightly.
Some breathing heavily from overusing Viora.
One final monster remained.
Standing across from Yura.
It was slightly larger than the others.
Breathing slow.
Watching her.
It lunged.
A student nearby prepared to interfere—
Shura raised his hand sharply.
Stop.
Yura didn't move.
She didn't dodge early.
Didn't panic.
The monster's claw came down—
At the last possible second—
She shifted.
Not backward.
Not sideways.
Forward.
Her movement was smooth.
Controlled.
Almost like a guardian stepping through wind.
She redirected its arm with minimal force.
Stepped inside its reach.
And struck directly at its core.
One clean finish.
The monster collapsed at her feet.
Silence filled the chamber.
Shura blinked.
"…Wow."
Yura exhaled lightly.
"It's not that good."
Adrian crossed his arms.
"It's good. Not better than me though."
Yura smiled faintly.
Luna nodded approvingly.
"Well done. Everyone."
Students stood breathing heavily.
Sweaty.
Injured slightly.
But alive.
Lior scanned them.
"No panic deaths."
"Good."
Clara wiped her blade.
"…Can we eat now?"
Luna almost laughed.
"Yes."
Students immediately protested.
"No! Weapon room first!"
Lior raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So you want to become food instead?"
"They can't eat us!"
Lior smirked faintly.
"As you wish. We eat there."
"YAY!"
They walked deeper into the chamber.
Past the outer combat ring.
Toward the central raised platform.
As they crossed the invisible resonance layer—
Some students stiffened.
Those who couldn't resonate properly felt pressure.
Heavy.
Like invisible weight pressing against their shoulders.
Clara slowed.
"…It's harder to breathe."
Shura looked around.
"It's filtering again."
The central platform came into full view.
Weapons lined the circular walls.
Embedded in stone like they had grown there.
Every type imaginable.
Long swords.
Curved blades.
Spears.
Halberds.
Twin daggers.
Heavy greatswords.
Even unfamiliar designs no kingdom currently used.
Students stared in awe.
"It's… every style…"
Shura couldn't hold back.
He stepped forward.
Eyes shining.
Without hesitation—
He reached for a sword embedded slightly lower than the others.
The blade slid free.
For half a heartbeat—
Silence.
Then—
The air ruptured.
Not sound.
Not wind.
Presence.
It descended.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Violent.
Students dropped instantly to their knees.
Adrian staggered back.
"…What is this—?"
Shura couldn't move.
It wasn't pressure around him.
It was focused.
On him.
The chamber darkened slightly.
The weapons embedded in the walls began to tremble.
Lior's expression changed.
For the first time—
Alarm.
"Drop it."
Shura tried.
His fingers wouldn't open.
The Presence pressed harder.
Intent sharpened.
Not warning.
Attack.
And something inside the blade—