The five boys stumbled into the cave, exhausted but alive. They had cut through several Rataclaw beasts along the way, leaving blood and broken limbs in their wake.
Riven didn't care about the wasted time. Every second had given him enough experience to level up. A faint blue screen flickered in front of him.
Riven Harlow – Level 5
EXP: 0 / 2400
Strength: 11
Speed: 11
Defense: 11
Health: 21 / 21
Energy: 21 / 21
Mana: 14 / 14
Available Stat Points: 1
He stared at the point for a moment, then closed the display.
Not yet.
Riven didn't need to rush. Survival came first.
Joey lay in the center of the cave, unconscious, a smear of blood on his temple. Harkel knelt beside him, summoning his Shadow Worm from the shadows beneath his feet. The small, writhing creature opened its mouth and spat out a clean white bandage, then melted back into darkness.
Harkel carefully wrapped it around Joey's head, pressing to slow the bleeding.
"Whew…" Harkel sank against the cave wall, exhaling shakily.
This is great, he thought bitterly. I've already burned too many shadow beasts, and now with a high-level one out there… I might have to summon my second-to-last beast…
Number 4… maximum.
He glanced at Riven and Luka. The two were still huddled together, a tight hug that made Harkel's chest tighten slightly—not with envy, but with relief. They had each other, and right now, that meant they weren't completely alone.
"They seem close," Leo said softly, walking over and resting his greatsword against the wall. He watched Riven and Luka, a small smile on his lips.
"Yeah…" Harkel muttered. "Good for them, I guess."
Leo tilted his head toward Luka. "Question though—how's that guy holding up?"
Harkel followed his gaze. "He's alright. Screws loose, sure, but… capable."
"And the other one?"
Leo grinned. "Pretty much the same. But the fact they're friends makes this easier. Makes us easier to work together."
Harkel's jaw tightened, but he nodded. There was strength in unity, even if it was messy, even if it was fragile.
Then came the screech.
A sound so sharp it cut through the cave walls.
Every boy froze.
Harkel's stomach clenched. "Crap… I forgot to—" He stopped, feeling the telltale pull in his chest. His Ironshade. Gone.
When a shadow beast died, it could not be summoned again for twenty-four hours. Usually it wasn't an issue—these beasts were nearly impossible to kill—but the timing of this loss felt… wrong.
Something terrible had already begun.
⸻
Outside, the forest quaked under the wings of the Aurex. Every shadow-marked beast was different, but they shared one terrifying trait: their bodies were entirely composed of mana. Organs, muscles, bones, even their blood—they were pure, concentrated power. To feed on such creatures was to risk uncontrolled reactions.
And the Aurex had tasted mana.
Its red eyes shifted to silver-white. Its body trembled violently, then it shot skyward with impossible speed, bending the trees in its wake. Any camera footage scattered in the forest was immediately rendered useless. It was as if the beast had teleported.
The Aurex soared, drunk on power. It sniffed the air. One breath, and it knew—thousands of students. Blood. Fear. The scent of life, rich and unguarded.
The boys in the cave could feel it. Not just the heat, the scent, or the pressure—it was the malice, the pure, instinctive hunger rushing toward the living. Riven's hand twitched. His instincts screamed: it was coming for them.
The Aurex dove. A student sprinted blindly through the forest, chasing the earlier sounds. The beast landed before him, and in a heartbeat, the boy collided with its soft fur. Red eyes locked onto his own. Before he could comprehend his fear, the jaws snapped shut.
Another body disappeared.
And still, the Aurex was not sated.
⸻
Inside the observation room, tension was thick enough to taste.
"What the hell…" one observer whispered, leaning back, pale and shaking. "We shouldn't have done this!"
"We did it to test the Aurex at full capacity!" a female scientist snapped. "And congratulations—that's exactly what we got! Can we at least pull the kids out before…"
Her words were cut off as Darius's hand clamped over her mouth. Gentle but unyielding. The force behind it could have snapped her neck.
"No," Darius said softly. "We wait."
He leaned back, eyes fixed on the monitors. "This test is about survival, correct? Then this is perfect."
A man's voice trembled. "Then… you'll step in?"
"No."
The woman lowered her eyes, already knowing.
"He won't."
"Why not?" the man asked.
She yawned, rubbing her eyes. "What happened the first time the Aurex consumed blood?"
"…It went into a frenzy," he admitted. "We lost thirty soldiers."
"And may they rest in peace," she said, voice steady. "But after that? The beast weakened. Never again did it reach that level of frenzy. It's… like a child on a sugar rush. Every new taste drives it wild, but eventually… it crashes."
Darius's slow clap cut through the tension. "Finally, someone understands. Thank you, Ms. Fallow. Truly intelligent, beautiful, and insightful. Perhaps that's why your daughter dropped out so early?"
Without a word, Ms. Fallow raised her middle finger and flipped him off.
Back at the cave, the boys were getting ready to leave.
Riven adjusted Joey in his arms as he looked toward the cave entrance. The forest outside was quiet, but the silence felt wrong.
"Are you sure we should be leaving?" Riven asked.
"Yeah," Harkel replied without hesitation. "That thing can probably track us anywhere. I'd rather fight somewhere our backs aren't literally against a wall." He pointed deeper into the forest. "Plus I have a plan."
The others looked at him.
Harkel raised his hand.
"Don't follow me. I need to be a distance away from you guys to make this work." His eyes shifted to Riven. "You seem pretty confident you know where you're going. You lead."
Before anyone could question him further, Harkel suddenly sprinted off into the forest.
Luka blinked.
The remaining boys slowly turned toward Riven.
Riven sighed and carefully handed Joey over to Luka before glancing at the faint arrow only he could see.
The system arrow.
Without another word, he began walking in its direction.
"Can we trust that he didn't just abandon us?" Luka asked while adjusting Joey's weight on his shoulder.
Leo shook his head.
"I knew Harkel before all of this," he said firmly. "Running away like that isn't his character. If he split off, it means he has a plan."
Riven glanced back at him but didn't argue.
Luka looked between the two of them, still unsure, but after a moment he sighed.
"Well… I hope you're right."
The three boys exchanged a look.
Then they shrugged.
It wasn't like any of them had a better plan.
So they moved.
The boys pushed through the forest, trying to move quickly without making too much noise. Their goal was simple—reach the end of the forest before the Aurex found them.
But deep down, they all knew the truth.
That wasn't going to happen.
The Aurex had already killed five students in such a short amount of time.
Yet Sir Darius didn't seem to care.
Three of the dead students had been Wallborn.
The other two were simply children whose parents were adventurers or members of small guilds.
None of them were important enough to cause trouble for the academy.
Suddenly—
A loud ringing sound echoed across the observation platform.
But it wasn't an alarm.
It was a congratulatory chime.
Students immediately looked toward one of the forest exits displayed on the giant screen.
Two students had just escaped.
A boy with brown hair and a girl with black hair burst from the forest, sprinting toward safety.
Sir Darius calmly picked up a walkie-talkie.
"Exit four."
Moments later a teleporter appeared beside the two exhausted students, grabbed them instantly, and teleported away, clearly not wanting to stay anywhere near the forest longer than necessary.
Jordan arrived in the waiting area beside the other surviving students.
The girl who had helped him earlier stood nearby.
Jude.
The moment they arrived, Jude stepped away from him.
To her, they weren't friends, so there was no point standing next to him.
"Hey!" Jordan called.
She paused and glanced back.
"Thank you," he said.
Jude crossed her arms slightly.
"Hmph. You owe me."
With that she turned and walked away.
Jordan blinked awkwardly.
"I… guess you're right."
Nearby, a group of students suddenly started shouting.
"Hey! It found another group of students!"
One of them pointed at the massive screen.
The Aurex appeared again.
And this time…
It was facing three students.
"Ha!" someone yelled excitedly.
The voice belonged to a tall dark-skinned girl with thick curly black hair.
A girl with smooth blue silk-like hair looked at her with a smile.
"Judging by that reaction," she said calmly, "you know one of those boys. And you're clearly not too fond of him."
The curly-haired girl grinned.
"Yeah. I do."
She leaned forward slightly while staring at the screen.
"His name is Leo."
Then she looked toward the blue-haired girl.
"But you look like you recognize one of them too."
The blue-haired girl nodded.
"Harkel."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"But it looks like he ran away."
A frustrated student nearby groaned.
"Man, I wish we could hear the audio."
"Why?" Jordan muttered quietly while pushing through the crowd.
He squeezed between students, trying to reach the front so he could see the screen.
As he listened to them talk, a strange feeling settled in his chest.
None of them sounded worried.
None of them sounded sad.
If anything…
They sounded excited.
"They feel no sadness for the people who have to face that beast," Jordan thought. "It almost sounds like they want them to die."
His eyes lowered.
"Do they really have no heart… or is this just how they were raised?"
Finally Jordan reached the front of the crowd.
Then he saw the screen clearly.
His heart jumped.
"Joey…?"
Relief flashed across his face.
"Joey, you're okay!"
Then his eyes widened.
"Riven… Luka…"
Happiness flooded through him.
"I'm so glad… I won't be here alone—"
Suddenly his expression changed.
Fear replaced the happiness instantly.
"Oh no…"
Jordan rushed toward the screen.
"Guys! Get out of there!"
Several students groaned in annoyance at his shouting, but they ignored him.
On the screen, deep within the forest…
The Aurex slowly stepped into view.
Its massive body moved between the trees as its glowing eyes locked onto the boys.
The beast lowered its head slightly.
Watching them.
Ready to feast.