The sun filtered through the thick canopy as Dave and his team moved deeper into the forest. Their boots crunched against fallen leaves and damp earth, the quiet sounds of the wilderness surrounding them. Everyone remained alert—after the last encounter, none of them wanted to be caught off guard.
After nearly an hour of trekking, they emerged into a wide clearing—and stopped.
Another group of students was already there, surrounding the corpse of a freshly killed beast. Their uniforms were slightly torn, dirt and blood staining their sleeves. One of the students turned, noticing Dave's group approach.
"Well, look what we have here," he said with a smirk. "Didn't expect to see anyone else this deep already."
Mike nodded. "Same to you. Looks like you've been busy."
A girl with green hair stepped forward, hands on her hips. "We just cleared out a Rank E beast. Tough fight, but nothing we couldn't handle."
Tobin raised an eyebrow. "Rank E already?"
"Unlike some people, we don't waste time hiding behind trees," another boy sneered, clearly looking in Dave's direction.
Stive chuckled coldly. "You sure you want to finish that sentence?"
Emily narrowed her eyes. "We didn't come here to pick fights with other students."
The tension in the air grew thick, and for a moment, it looked like things might escalate. Dave stayed quiet, eyes scanning the rival team. He could feel their pride, their arrogance—but also their fear buried just beneath.
Mike exhaled and stepped forward. "Let's just take a break here. No need to start anything."
Reluctantly, both teams settled at opposite ends of the clearing. The air remained tense, conversations minimal.
After a short rest, Dave stood. "We should move. No point staying near them longer than we have to."
The others silently agreed. As they packed up and prepared to leave, Tobin muttered, "One more minute here and someone's gonna throw a punch."
Stive smirked. "Wouldn't mind that."
"Let's go," Dave said firmly.
Without another word, the group slipped back into the forest, leaving the other students—and the tension—behind.
The deeper they went into the forest, the heavier the air felt. The trees thickened, and even the sunlight struggled to pierce through the canopy above.
Suddenly, the sound of low growls echoed between the trees.
"Wait…" Stive said sharply, raising a hand. "Something's watching us."
Emerging from the shadows were five large, menacing creatures. Their fur was as black as midnight, and their eyes burned with a glowing yellow fury. Muscles rippled beneath their sleek hides as they prowled forward in a loose circle.
[Beast Identified: Nightfang – Rank E]
Tension rose immediately.
"Rank E?" Tobin stepped back. "That's a whole level above what we've fought before!"
Mike tried to steady his breathing. "We're only five… one for each of us."
The beasts growled louder, as if they understood.
Everyone turned to Dave.
"Dave?" Emily asked, voice a mix of hope and nerves. "You got this, right?"
Dave glanced at the beasts, then back at the group. "I won't be bailing anyone out this time."
They blinked at him in surprise.
"I want to test myself… without using it," he added, stepping away. "You've all trained. Time to see what we're really made of."
"Fair enough," Stive said, summoning a pair of ice spears. "Let's do this."
The beasts attacked without warning, each lunging at a different member of the team.
Mike raised a wall of water just in time to block the first pounce, but the Nightfang burst through, crashing into him. He flew back and slammed into a tree, groaning.
The beast lunged again, but Mike rolled and blasted it with a spinning water whip. The impact slowed it down, giving him time to regain his footing.
He sent a concentrated blast of water toward its eyes, forcing it to recoil. But it circled back fast, and Mike wasn't quick enough—its claws slashed his arm, drawing blood.
"Dammit!" he hissed, clutching his wound.
He gritted his teeth and surged forward, creating a spear of hardened water and impaling the beast's flank. The Nightfang thrashed and howled before collapsing.
Emily used her wind to jump into the air, avoiding the beast's first strike, but the Nightfang was fast. It leapt after her midair and clipped her leg.
She crashed into a bush, groaning.
Her hands lit with whirling air blades. As the beast pounced again, she twisted and sliced its shoulder, landing a clean hit—but the beast struck back, grazing her side with its claws.
Bleeding but determined, she created a sharp vacuum sphere and hurled it. The beast howled as its skin was shredded by the compressed wind.
With one last desperate push, she launched herself with wind propulsion and drove her dagger into the beast's neck.
"Stay down," she whispered through clenched teeth.
Tobin clashed directly with his beast, fists wreathed in flame. His first punch caught the creature off-guard, lighting its fur ablaze—but it retaliated fast.
The beast ducked his second swing and bit down hard on Tobin's shoulder.
"AAARGH!" Tobin roared in pain, flames exploding from his body and blasting the beast away.
Panting heavily and bleeding, Tobin ignited his entire right arm in a spiral of flame and charged.
"Burn, damn you!"
He delivered a fiery uppercut, sending the beast flying. Before it hit the ground, he unleashed a fireball that struck it midair, burning it to a crisp.
Stive moved with deadly precision. As his beast charged, he sidestepped effortlessly and summoned a spiked ice wall. The creature crashed into it with a painful thud.
Before it could recover, he crafted an ice blade in his palm and hurled it, piercing its leg.
The Nightfang roared, only to find its limbs frozen to the ground.
Stive walked calmly forward and formed a spear of ice, driving it through the beast's chest.
It twitched once. Then silence.
Stive remained completely unharmed, brushing snowflakes from his sleeve.
Dave's Fight
Dave watched the last beast approach. His stance was relaxed, no weapons drawn yet.
He wanted to test his limits—without Qi.
The Nightfang snarled and rushed him, claws extended. Dave sidestepped gracefully, drawing his twin blades at the last second and slashing across its flank.
The beast retaliated fast, its jaws snapping. Dave ducked low and rolled, using momentum to slash at its leg tendons.
The beast limped and lunged. Dave dashed forward, flipped over it using raw agility, and stabbed down into its spine with both blades.
The Nightfang roared, shaking violently before collapsing.
[Rank E Beast Defeated +300 EXP. Resistance Gained: Nightfang Lunge Boost (Major)]
Exp 755/1600
The others regrouped, battered and bloodied.
Tobin clutched his shoulder, still burning slightly. "That was rough."
Emily wiped blood from her leg. "We weren't ready…"
Mike leaned against a tree. "These beasts aren't like the F-ranks."
They all turned to Dave—untouched, composed.
"You didn't even get scratched," Emily said. "And you didn't use an ability…"
Dave looked at them, debating whether to explain. But his master's words echoed in his mind:
"Never teach what cannot be understood. Some powers must remain hidden until the world is ready."
He gave a small smile instead. "Guess my training's paying off.''