The corrupted beast had been successfully bound inside a reinforced containment seal, layers of wards overlapping like translucent glass.
The creature snarled once more, its distorted body pressing against the invisible barrier before retreating to the center of the cage.
Dark miasma curled from its fur in slow, restless tendrils.
Up close, it looked worse than I had expected.
Its original shape had probably resembled a large wolf-like magical beast, but the corruption had twisted it.
The limbs were slightly too long, joints bending at angles that didn't quite make sense. Its eyes glowed with a dull crimson light, and faint cracks of dark energy pulsed beneath its skin like veins of poison.
I tightened my focus instinctively.
Even though the wards were strong, the infernal miasma leaked outward in thin waves, pressing against the surrounding mana .
My fingers moved unconsciously.
Threads of Space Magic unfolded around me again, thin and delicate, barely noticeable.
I extended them outward, smoothing the tension in the mana field, where the corrupted energy tried to destabilize the barrier.
I was not trying to overpower it…
I was just… guiding the space around it to hold steady, to stabilise it.
It was strange how natural it had become.
A few months ago, I wouldn't even have known where to start.
Now I could feel every ripple and every disturbance.
I could feel every tiny imbalance between the miasma and the wards.
"Good containment," one of the professors called out from the outer ring. "Maintain positions."
The older students surrounding the cage adjusted their stance slightly, reinforcing the seals with careful bursts of mana.
Sheng Rui lowered his hands, the glow of his light magic dimming gradually as the immediate pressure faded.
Liang Yu's summoned creatures drifted closer to him again, their forms softening as they returned to a passive state.
Dawei Chen rolled his shoulder once, blood magic retracting from the edge of his sword like liquid sliding back into a sheath.
Yung Yu, meanwhile, simply crossed his arms.
Dark mana still coiled around him faintly, like a shadow that refused to fully disappear.
I stayed where I was, continuing to stabilize the surrounding space while the professors finished their inspection.
A few minutes passed like that.
Then Professor Liang stepped forward toward the barrier, his expression sharp as he examined the beast.
"This," he announced, his voice carrying clearly across the training grounds,
"is a mid-stage corrupted beast."
A projection circle flared above the cage, displaying a faint diagram of the beast's internal mana structure.
Dark veins of infernal energy pulsed through the image.
"You will notice," he continued, "that the infernal miasma does not simply coat the creature's body. It infiltrates the mana network directly."
The projection zoomed closer.
"Once the miasma reaches the core circulation channels, the beast's natural instincts begin to distort.
Aggression increasesand reasoning declines. External control becomes possible."
A murmur spread among the watching students.
I leaned forward slightly.
So the demons, or whatever was beyond the rifts, could potentially command corrupted creatures….
That was… not comforting.
The beast snarled again, as if it understood it was being discussed.
Sheng Rui glanced at it quietly.
For a moment, the faint glow of his light magic returned around his fingertips.
Not aggressively.
Almost… sympathetically.
My chest tightened a little.
Of course he would react like that.
Even now, even looking at something twisted and dangerous, he still carried that soft instinct to protect.
Behind him, Dawei Chen noticed the motion.
His gaze shifted immediately to Sheng Rui's hand.
Then, without saying anything, he stepped half a pace closer.
I almost snorted.
Unbelievable.
Mei Lin would have lost her mind if she were here to see it.
Liang Yu noticed too.
His lips twitched slightly.
Yung Yu, on the other hand, pretended not to notice anything at all, though the faint flicker in his dark eyes said otherwise.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
Focus, Lianmei….
Just Focus.
Professor Liang's voice continued, pulling my attention back.
Each of your abilities interacts with infernal miasma differently."
The projection showed several possible reaction patterns between miasma and different mana types.
He pointed briefly toward our Rare Magic class:
"Light magic suppresses corruption."
Sheng Rui.
"Dark magic compresses and destabilizes it."
Yung Yu.
"Blood magic reacts aggressively with it."
Dawei Chen.
"Summoning magic adapts to it."
Liang Yu.
"And spatial manipulation…"
For a moment, I had the uncomfortable feeling he was looking directly at me.
"…affects the environment in which all of those interactions occur."
Ah…
Right….
No pressure..haha…ehm.
I straightened slightly.
Professor Liang continued calmly.
"In future exercises, Rare Magic users will not only assist containment operations. You will also help determine how corrupted zones behave under different magical influences."
That made sense.
If the rifts kept increasing, understanding the environment around them would become critical.
Still…
My gaze drifted back to the beast.
The miasma around it twisted slowly, pressing against the barrier again.
Even contained, it felt wrong.
Like reality itself didn't quite want it here.
Without thinking, I extended one thin thread of Space Magic closer to the cage.
Just enough to feel the distortion more clearly.
The moment the thread touched the edge of the miasma, something reacted…
It was not really violently…but definitely noticeable.
The corrupted energy shuddered.
My breath caught.
This…this was interesting.
Very interesting.
Before I could examine the reaction further, Professor Liang clapped his hands once.
"That concludes the first phase of observation."
The wards around the cage brightened slightly as the containment team prepared to move the beast to a more secure facility.
The four Legendary Students stepped away from the central formation.
Sheng Rui stretched his arms slightly, rolling his shoulders as if loosening tension.
Immediately, Liang Yu said something to him.
I couldn't hear the words from here.
But I did see Dawei Chen lightly tap Sheng Rui's wrist as he spoke.
And I definitely saw Yung Yu's unimpressed stare.
I turned away quickly before I started grinning like an idiot.
Seriously.
This was better than watching a drama.
A moment later, footsteps approached.
I looked up just in time to see Sheng Rui walking toward me.
"You were stabilizing the mana field," he said.
His tone wasn't accusatory.
I nodded.
"A little."
His eyes flicked briefly toward the barrier where the beast was still contained.
"I could feel it."
Of course he could.
Light magic users tended to be extremely sensitive to environmental mana changes.
"It helped," he added after a moment.
A small warmth spread through my chest.
Coming from him, that actually meant something.
Behind him, I could see the other three watching the conversation with varying levels of subtlety.
Liang Yu looked curious.
Dawei Chen looked thoughtful.
And Yung Yu looked like he was evaluating a potential threat.
Great…
I forced myself to remain calm.
"This is probably only the beginning," I said quietly, glancing toward the rift-monitoring towers in the distance.
Sheng Rui followed my gaze.
"Yes."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Looks like we'll all have to train harder."
I exhaled slowly.
Yeah.
That part, at least, I already knew.
Because if the rifts kept growing…
If the miasma kept spreading…
Then today's experience would start to repeat more, and more frequently.