Art couldn't believe what was in front of him. He stared at the figure, barely daring to blink. Beside him, Asura stood frozen in disbelief. She had long awaited this moment, but now that it had arrived, uncertainty gnawed at her resolve.The entity before them was unlike anything they’d encountered. Humanoid in shape but far from human, it stood tall at 6’5, with ash-gray skin adorned with glowing, intricate runes that pulsed faintly. Its features—ears, nose, a mouth, and piercing blue eyes—hinted at humanity, but its presence radiated something far more sinister.Both Art and Asura recognized its overwhelming strength—it exuded the raw power of a B-rank beast. The mere thought of facing it dredged up bitter memories for Asura. Her last similar situation didn't end well.The ash figure remained motionless, staring them down. Its gaze bore a weight that pressed on them like a physical force, suffocating and unrelenting. Neither of them dared to move. They knew that any sudden action c

The glowing inscriptions pulsed rhythmically, as though taunting the two warriors. Slowly but surely, the ash humanoid reassembled itself, each fragment of its crumbled form snapping into place with eerie precision. It stood tall once more, its hollow gaze fixed on them.Art exhaled sharply, gripping the orb in his hand as it morphed into a longsword. Beside him, Asura clenched her frost-covered fists, icy mist swirling around her. The brief moment of rest had done little to restore their strength, but neither was willing to retreat.“Round three huh?” Art muttered, stepping forward.The creature didn’t wait. It lunged at them with blistering speed, its blade-like arm arcing toward Asura. She met it head-on, summoning a glacial shield just in time to block the strike. The force of the impact sent cracks spiraling through the ice, but she held her ground.“Go!” she shouted, her voice tight.Art didn’t hesitate. He darted around the creature’s flank, the orb reshaping into a battle axe

“We made it in time.”The group looked around to notice that another group of three adults had joined them. They were part of the team in charge of this raid.Not long ago, they received a distress call from the main base at camp and came as quickly as they could.Thankfully, from what they could observe, no one was killed yet. It would’ve been the other way round if they arrived even a second late.“SIGH! It would’ve been bad on our part if someone from the Royal Academy was killed like this in a raid,” one of them, a young man with short black hair and blue eyes, voiced out.Another with long brown hair and brown eyes nodded.They didn’t seem too bothered by the beats in front of them. “Shadowapes huh? You can rest now. We’ll take it from here.”These words brought relieve to the students as tears fell from Ramond eyes.The forest erupted into chaos as the two Shadowapes charged forward, their hulkin

Everyone stared at the bald man because of the words he just uttered.“Unfortunately, this fight has come to an end. I’ve figured out your secret.”‘It has one?’ Rhea wondered; she couldn’t even think straight, much less discover something like this.“I’m sure you all know that it isn’t a beast. That thing is the creation of a mage using rune magic. It must’ve taken a very powerful mage to create one with this level of strength. But it has a weakness.”“As expected,” the brown-haired man chuckled.With an aura of confidence, the bald-haired man took a stance while inhaling slowly. Vwooooommmmmm!!!They both charged at each otherThe ash figure lunged again, its claws slicing through the air with deadly precision. The bald man deflected the blow with his staff, his breaths coming slightly heavier now, though his sharp eyes stayed focused. He noticed it again—a faint flicker along the glowing blue runes that covered its body. Most of the inscriptions dimmed momentarily when the figure

The crumbling walls of the abandoned city wrapped around them like a grave, the air heavy with silence. Art and Asura sat across from each other in the hollow of a shattered building, their exhaustion palpable. The faint glow from the top filtered through cracks in the ceiling, casting soft light over their battered forms.It seemed that night was upon them since it was slowly getting darker.Art leaned back against the cold stone wall, his breathing finally steadying. He glanced at Asura, who sat with her knees drawn up, frost still clinging faintly to her fingertips. The way the light touched her pale skin and the shadows danced in her lilac-white hair made her look ethereal, even now. Even though she was pretty messy. “You weren’t bad out there. We’re just outmatched,” Art said, breaking the quiet.Asura blinked, caught off guard. Her gaze shifted to him, studying his face. “Outmatched huh?” she repeated, tilting her head slightly.He nodded. “Most people would’ve folded under tha