The monster roared so powerfully that the entire training arena shook.
Its red eyes burned even brighter, and its massive body tensed, ready to pounce at any second.
The instructor frowned slightly.
"It's entered the berserk state…"
Some students took a step back.
As for Adam… he stood alone in the middle of the arena.
The training sword in his hands trembled just a little.
"I'm… not ready for this," he thought to himself.
But he couldn't back down.
If he ran now…
He would become the laughingstock of the entire academy.
The monster suddenly charged.
Its speed was greater than before.
Adam tried to move… but this time he wasn't fast enough.
The claws struck him hard.
He fell to the ground again, the sword slipping from his hand.
The students gasped.
One of them said:
"It's over…"
Even the instructor started to step forward, ready to intervene.
The monster slowly approached Adam where he lay on the ground.
It let out a low roar… as if enjoying the hunt.
Adam tried to stand, but his body was exhausted.
"Am I… going to lose like this?"
In that moment, he remembered something.
The orphanage.
The cold nights.
The promise he made to himself: he would never stay weak.
He clenched his fist against the ground.
"No… I won't end here."
The monster raised its claws, preparing for the final blow.
But suddenly…
Adam felt that same strange warmth in his chest again.
That small spark.
This time it was clearer.
As if something deep inside him was slowly beginning to move.
Adam didn't understand what was happening… but he seized the moment.
He quickly grabbed his sword and rolled to the side just before the claws struck.
The monster's attack smashed the ground where his head had been a second earlier.
The students cried out in shock.
Adam stood up with difficulty, breathing heavily.
He looked at the monster.
Then he remembered something from a book he read yesterday:
"Even the strongest creatures… have weak points."
He began to watch the monster's movements carefully.
He noticed something.
Every time the monster attacked… it left its left side open for a very short moment.
Adam swallowed hard.
"This is my chance."
The monster charged again.
This time, instead of dodging, Adam ran straight toward it.
The students' eyes widened.
"Has he gone mad?!"
At the very last second, Adam ducked under the claws…
Then he delivered a powerful strike to the monster's side.
The sword hit the exact same wound he had opened earlier.
The monster roared in intense pain.
Then…
It collapsed to the ground.
Dust rose across the arena.
Complete silence fell over the place.
When the dust cleared…
Adam was still standing.
Exhausted…
But victorious.
The students stared at him in astonishment.
One of them whispered:
"He… defeated the monster."
The instructor smiled faintly.
As for Kyle…
He watched in silence.
Because one thing bothered him.
That strange feeling he felt again during Adam's fight.
Adam looked down at his hands.
The warmth he had felt in his chest… had disappeared once more.
"What is this…?"
He didn't know the answer.
But one thing was clear.
Maybe… he wasn't as weak as he thought.