CLANG—!
Two staffs collided, sparks bursting between them.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH—!
A figure flew across the arena and slammed into the wall behind it.
A cloud of dust rose.
Marcus stood calmly, swinging his staff once before resting it on his shoulder.
"Not bad… not bad."
A faint pause.
"You can finally last ten minutes against me."
Hearing this—
Ryan pushed himself up, one hand on his hip, a forced smile on his face.
"…Only ten minutes, huh?"
He rolled his shoulder slightly, wincing.
"Feels more like I got beaten for an hour."
Marcus didn't respond immediately.
He simply looked at him.
Measuring.
"Nine minutes. Fifty-four seconds."
A brief pause.
"Exactly."
Ryan's smile stiffened instantly.
"…You really had to say that?"
Marcus said nothing.
Ryan clicked his tongue, tightening his grip slightly.
"I'll defeat you next time."
He spoke through gritted teeth.
Marcus waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes, yes, yes."
A slight sigh.
"You've said that countless times."
A pause.
Then—
"…But this time—"
Ryan frowned slightly.
Marcus's tone shifted.
Calmer.
Sharper.
"—you won't get another chance here."
Silence.
Ryan's expression changed.
"…What do you mean?"
Before Marcus could answer—
A sudden pressure filled the arena.
Ryan's eyes narrowed.
"…What is this?"
The air grew heavy.
Not violent.
Not chaotic.
But—
Ancient.
Marcus's expression changed.
A faint golden light appeared in front of Ryan.
Mid-air.
Pulsing.
Space distorted slightly—
And something began to form.
Ryan's grip tightened.
A shape emerged.
Small.
Oval.
An egg.
Dark.
Smooth.
Covered in faint silver patterns.
Thump.
Ryan felt it.
A heartbeat.
Not his.
"…What is this?" he asked quietly.
Marcus didn't move.
Didn't interfere.
"…Don't touch it carelessly."
Ryan didn't respond.
His eyes locked onto it.
The egg pulsed.
Brighter.
Stronger.
And slowly—
It moved.
Toward him.
Ryan raised his hand.
Without thinking.
The moment he touched it—
THUMP—!
A deep vibration surged through his body.
His pupils shrank.
A voice.
Ancient.
Distant.
"—Chosen."
Ryan froze.
"…What… was that…"
Silence.
Then—
A voice.
Not loud.
Not clear.
But—
Everywhere.
Ancient.
Calm.
Overwhelming.
"So"
A faint pause.
"We meet again, "chosen one".
Ryan's breath slowed.
"…Lucy?"
A brief silence.
"…You remember."
The egg pulsed.
Warmer.
Marcus remained still.
Watching.
Not interrupting.
Ryan's grip tightened slightly.
"…Why me?"
Silence.
"…Because you reached."
A pause.
"…and did not break."
Ryan's eyes narrowed.
"…Weak…"
The voice continued.
"…but not worthless."
Ryan let out a small breath.
"…Tch."
"…Grow."
A pause.
"…or be left behind."
The presence began to fade.
"…Prove…"
A final pause.
"…that you are worthy."
Silence.
The pressure disappeared.
The egg settled fully into Ryan's hands.
Warm.
Alive.
Ryan exhaled slowly.
"…So that's how it is."
Marcus finally spoke.
Low.
Serious.
"…That…"
A pause.
"…is Lucy's descendant."
Ryan glanced at him.
"…Yeah."
A faint smirk.
"I figured."
Marcus turned away.
"It's time."
A pause.
"For you to choose your academy."
Ryan's eyes narrowed.
"…Academy, huh…"
Marcus nodded.
"You've reached the point where growth here will slow."
He glanced back.
"Out there…"
A faint pause.
"…it won't."
Ryan looked down.
The staff.
The egg.
Seven years.
Every strike.
Every loss.
Every improvement.
"…Which academy?" Ryan asked quietly.
Marcus paused for a moment.
Then—
"There are three."
Ryan frowned slightly.
"…Three?"
Marcus nodded.
"Three super-class academies in the country."
A brief pause.
"They don't just train Beast Masters…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…they train monsters."
Silence.
Ryan's curiosity rose.
"…What kind of academies are they?"
Marcus turned slightly.
"The first—"
A pause.
"Primal Dominion Academy."
"A place where strength decides everything."
"No rules."
"No mercy."
"You dominate your beast…"
"…or it devours you."
Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The second—"
"Aether Nexus Academy."
"A place of control."
"Balance."
"Perfect synchronization."
"Beast and master move as one."
"No wasted motion."
"No chaos."
Ryan nodded faintly.
Marcus's tone dropped.
"The third…"
A pause.
"…is different."
"Abyssal Menagerie."
Silence.
Ryan felt it.
Even the name—
Was heavy.
"They don't form contracts there," Marcus said.
"They force them."
"Mutated beasts."
"Unstable evolution."
"Power that shouldn't exist."
A brief pause.
"Most who enter…"
"…don't come back the same."
The wind passed through the arena.
Ryan exhaled slowly.
"…So basically—"
A faint smirk.
"Do or die."
Marcus didn't deny it.
"Choose wrong…"
A pause.
"…and you won't last a year."
Ryan looked down.
At the staff.
At the egg.
Both pulsed.
Steady.
Certain.
Then—
He smiled.
Not hesitation.
Not fear.
But—
Excitement.
"…Good."
Marcus glanced at him.
"…Already decided?"
Ryan lifted his gaze.
Eyes sharp.
Focused.
"…Yeah."
Ryan's grip tightened on Monarch's Reach.
The egg pulsed in his other hand.
"Primal Dominion Academy."
Silence.
For a moment—
Even the wind stopped.
Marcus looked at him.
Long.
Carefully.
"…Of course."
A faint pause.
"Only that place would suit you."
Ryan smirked slightly.
"…Thought so."
Marcus turned away.
Then—
Stopped.
"One last thing."
Ryan frowned.
"…What?"
Marcus didn't look back.
"Don't rely on them too much."
A pause.
"Out there…"
His tone lowered.
"…there are people who can break both."
Ryan's expression hardened.
His grip tightened.
"…Let them try."
A faint silence.
Marcus exhaled softly.
"…Good."
He started walking away.
"Pack your things."
A pause.
"You leave at dawn."
Ryan blinked.
"…That fast?"
Marcus didn't stop.
"If you hesitate…"
A faint pause.
"…you're already behind."
Silence.
Ryan stood alone in the arena.
The cracked ground.
The scattered dust.
Seven years—
Left behind.
Slowly—
He looked at his hands.
The staff.
The egg.
"…Primal Dominion, huh."
Both pulsed.
Brighter.
Warmer.
As if—
Answering.
A faint smile appeared.
Not arrogance.
Not excitement.
But—
Anticipation.
"…Let's see what kind of monsters they have."
The wind passed through the empty arena one last time.
And just like that—
The end of training.
Marked the beginning—
Of something far more dangerous.