The Red Dungeon Gate pulsed slowly like the heart of a giant buried beneath the earth.
The ground was soft.
Red roots, like veins, protruded from the walls.
Not even ten steps in,
A roar echoed.
From behind pillars of bone emerged three massive horned creatures.
Minotaurs.
Nearly three meters tall. Muscles twitching. Bone axes smeared with black blood.
Behind them, a hybrid creature of lion, goat, and serpent slithered out of the shadows.
Chimera.
And at the top of a high stone, a single giant eye opened. Demonic mana covered it's body.
Cyclops.
Kafka was certain this time, he felt as if he knew every one of these monsters. The sense of familiarity was strangely warm.
But something was different.
Red veins moved beneath their skin.
The blood inside their bodies seemed alive.
And when one of the Minotaurs growled.
The blood from an old wound on its body rose like a whip.
They were not merely physical monsters.
They controlled blood.
Not perfectly.
But enough to kill.
Every pair of eyes glanced at Kafka, as if silently asking, "Is he truly a demon… one of them?"
Kafka lowered his head in silence.
Before he could speak,
The first Minotaur charged.
The ground cracked beneath its steps.
"Gilbert!" Mr. Rahmat shouted.
Gilbert stepped forward.
He planted his two-meter shield into the ground.
Impact.
The Minotaur's axe struck the shield.
The vibration forced several Class B students backward.
Gilbert did not move an inch.
"Now!"
Arga dashed from the side.
His light blade split the air.
A diagonal slash severed the Minotaur's arm.
Black blood sprayed.
But did not fall.
It floated.
Transformed into small spears and shot back toward Arga.
Yogi moved.
"Garuda Smash!"
He leapt, striking his wind-core iron sphere like a volleyball spike.
The sphere slammed into the airborne blood spears.
Wind spiraled within it.
The pressure explosion shattered the blood projectiles before they could touch Arga.
Arga did not stop.
He spun and cut through the Minotaur's neck.
Light severed flesh and magic alike.
The giant body collapsed.
On the left flank, the Class B squad led by Antonio and Azuna faced a swarm of winged imps and tall multi-armed demons.
Antonio moved like a shadow.
His twin poisoned daggers danced swiftly.
He stabbed one demon beneath its jaw.
The toxin spread within seconds.
The creature fell, veins turning blue.
Azuna raised her staff.
Ice formed into slender spears that launched with precision.
She did not attack recklessly.
She froze legs, slowed movements, created openings for clean kills.
Nadia stood at the rear.
Her bow raised.
Her arrows were not merely wood and steel.
She activated the element of the forest.
Small roots grew from the ground, restraining demons attempting to flee.
She released.
A head was pierced.
Every shot measured.
Class B no longer looked like students.
They looked like well-trained soldiers.
The Cyclops charged.
Pounding the ground as it roared.
Its massive eye released a powerful shockwave.
Rina entered close range.
"Ignition Step."
A small explosion beneath her foot propelled her body through the kinetic shockwave.
She spun.
"Crimson Roundhouse."
Flames swept across the Cyclops' arm, burning it charred black.
But the deflection created an opening.
The Cyclops countered with its other arm.
Rina prepared to block.
But just before the blow reached her, an iron sphere shot forward and struck the arm.
"Careful, miss," Yogi called from a distance.
Rina smiled faintly and ducked into chest range.
"Blazing Palm."
Kyokushin karate + fire magic.
Flames surged into the creature's ribs.
Not a massive explosion.
But heat cracks spread from within.
Cold air descended from behind.
A staff of ice lifted high.
Crystals formed at every step.
"Glacier Blade!"
Azuna completed her chant. A floating blade of ice sliced through one of the Cyclops' legs with precision.
"Glacius Wall!"
Ice crawled across the monster's body, freezing half its lower form.
"Fire is just a magic for the peasants," Azuna said coldly. Fire magic was commonly used by commoners, while ice magic belonged to noble bloodlines.
Rina only blinked in confusion.
Does she have a problem with me?
The iron sphere shot again.
The impact was like a mountain rock crushing a tree trunk. The big eye exploded.
"I think fire magic is beautiful. It depends on who uses it, doesn't it?" Yogi defended her.
Azuna turned away without responding.
The creature collapsed.
Yogi and Rina finished it quickly.
The Chimera charged.
Its lion head roared.
The serpent tail spat venom.
The goat head chanted a spell.
Ilham ran.
"The hell is this weird-ass monster?"
His twin short blades glowed faintly.
Steam element seeped from the edges.
"Mist Cut!"
He dashed through the poison.
Thick vapor exploded around him, blurring the Chimera's vision.
Within the fog, Ilham climbed the beast from behind.
First stab, knee tendon.
Second stab, back of the lion's neck.
Hot steam burst from the wounds, expanding the damage from within.
The Chimera roared.
But before it could shake him off, the goat head finished its incantation.
Lightning shot from its mouth.
"Shit..."
Ilham blocked partially but was thrown back.
"Satrio, how 'bout help a brother out?" Ilham called.
"Watch out, Ham!"
Satrio came from behind.
His great axe raised high.
Earth hardened along its blade.
He severed the goat head.
The lightning ceased.
But the lion head roared and breathed fire toward Satrio.
"Damn… am I going to die here?" Satrio muttered.
A wall-sized shield appeared before him.
"Do not falter, young man!" Gilbert blocked the flames.
"Metal Bull Impact!"
With his great hammer, Gilbert smashed the lion head.
The impact was like a mountain crushing timber.
Before the wounded Chimera could react,
"Eat this shit, Mist Cut!"
Ilham dashed from the fog, stabbing both lion eyes.
The snake head spit out venom, but Ilham evade the poison.
"Heh? Dual daggers?" Antonio smirked and rushed forward. "You guys finish here, I'll assist over there!"
"Yes sir!" the trained troops answered in unison.
Wind split apart as Antonio moving.
"Anton Venom!"
Antonio slashed rapidly, venom spreading and turning the creature's body blue.
"This is how you use daggers," he glanced at Ilham. "And you disgusting demon, don't use poison in front of the Poison King!"
He pointed at the Chimera.
"Annoying, weakling."
The quiet voice was followed by a bolt of lightning that incinerated the Chimera instantly.
BOOM.
"The only one fit to be king is me."
Adam appeared, claiming the finishing blow.
"This bald brat's got some nerve," Antonio muttered, walking toward him.
Fortunately, Gilbert intervened before conflict erupted.
Satrio and Ilham exchanged glances, unwilling to get involved.
Kafka watched his friends fight while rescuing the wounded and bringing them to Elara.
"Elara… I feel strange," Kafka said quietly.
"What? What's wrong? Are you poisoned?" Elara looked deeply worried.
"No. I'm fine."
Kafka swallowed his urge to confess the sadness and unease he felt watching the demons die.
On the other side, the team pushed back the demonic forces.
But the floor was not finished.
Blood from the fallen creatures began to gather.
Gather.
Forming a red vortex at the center of the hall.
Mr. Rahmat narrowed his eyes.
"Don't let the blood merge!"
A new creature emerged.
Its shape resembled a Minotaur, but its body was made of solidified blood.
It controlled surrounding liquid like tentacles.
Gilbert blocked the first strike.
His shield trembled as blood whips struck it.
Satrio stepped forward.
He slammed his axe into the ground.
Earth rose like a stone wall, separating the creature from additional blood pools.
Azuna froze the floor, slowing the flow.
Nadia embedded root-element arrows into the ground, absorbing some of the red liquid.
Rina and Yogi moved in sync.
Rina shattered the outer defense.
Yogi struck the core.
But the creature regenerated.
Ilham and Antonio dashed in, tearing it apart.
"Damn, you are strong for real man." Ilham muttered towards Antonio.
Adam found an opening and struck like a starving Lion.
"Lightning Bites!"
His lightning pierced its chest.
Still, it regenerated.
"What the hell?" Adam clinching his teeth.
Arga stepped forward.
His sword burned brighter than before.
"Clear the path."
Everyone retreated for one second.
Arga raised his sword high.
Light descended like a pillar.
A vertical slash split the blood creature from head to ground.
The light did not just a cut.
It purified.
The divided blood evaporated into black smoke.
"Condense your mana, use it to stop all this creatures from regenerate." He said coldly.
The hall fell silent again.
One remaining Minotaur suddenly emerged from the dark flank, charging directly toward Nadia.
Antonio was too far.
Gilbert was locked in position.
No one was close enough,
Except Mr. Rahmat.
All the students thought he was merely a card mage.
He threw a card into the air.
"Speed Boost."
His body moved faster than it should for a man his age.
The Minotaur swung its axe.
Mr. Rahmat did not retreat.
He stepped in.
Footwork light.
Body turning.
This was not magic.
It was close-quarters combat.
His hand deflected the axe handle, using the enemy's momentum.
Another card slapped onto the Minotaur's chest.
"Kinetic Push Card."
Energy burst outward.
The Minotaur was blasted back.
Before it could rise,
Pak Rahmat was beside it.
Elbow to the jaw.
Knee to the ribs.
Clean movements.
Efficient.
No one realized he possessed such martial skill.
One final card pressed to the creature's forehead.
"Explosive Card."
A controlled explosion severed its head.
Silence.
The students stared.
Gilbert raised a brow.
Rina narrowed her eyes.
Kafka glanced.
For the first time, the entire class saw their teacher not as an overseer,
But a fighter.
Mr. Rahmat had decided he would not only train his magic, he would fight at close range as well. He would not allow the incident in the Goblin Dungeon to repeat itself.
He simply straightened his suit.
"Stop staring. Focus."
Elara moved among the wounded.
Her healing light was gentle.
She closed Ilham's wounds.
Repaired cracks in Satrio's bones.
Eased Rina's exhaustion.
Her light was not for attack.
But without it, none would last long.
Kafka stood at the rear, handing out potions as needed.
He looked at the blood that had moved earlier.
His eyes were calm.
He recognized the pattern.
But he said nothing.
He was only the supply bearer.
And for now,
That was enough.
~To Be Continued~