As the battle dragged on, reality became impossible to ignore. I had been right from the very beginning. This fight was completely one sided. Every clash, every desperate exchange, only reminded me of one undeniable truth. I was still too weak. No matter how much stronger I thought I'd become, this battle showed me just how vast the gap between us truly was."Honestly, it's almost impressive that you've survived this long without mastering your unique skill," the incomplete Calamity said with a mocking smile before a distorted, mechanical laugh escaped its lips, as though it were merely imitating human amusement, and then it lunged at me once again.I managed to block the strike, but it didn't give me a second to breathe. It pressed forward relentlessly, summoning dozens of dark spikes in the air around us. With a flick of its hand, they shot toward me from every direction.I tried to evade them, but in that single moment of hesitation, my footing slipped.The instant my footing gave

Far beyond the walls of Eilram Academy, deep within a forgotten forest where moonlight barely reached the ground, a hooded figure stood before the hidden entrance of an abandoned dungeon. An unnatural silence settled over the clearing, so complete that even the shadows seemed to be listening.Zinnia Elrod stepped out of the darkness with her usual calm expression, but the restrained fury in her purple eyes and the icy coldness of her voice as she said, "You lied to me," made the entire night feel heavier.The hooded figure remained silent."You told me Earlric Griffin was corrupted," Zinnia continued, taking another step forward. "But this was no longer simple corruption. That thing had already reached the level of a calamity."A low laugh escaped from beneath the hood, not one of surprise or amusement, but the quiet laugh of someone who had expected her anger from the very beginning.Then the figure fell silent, and when it spoke again, its voice carried a cold authority that made th

The secluded area behind the Academy was unusually quiet, with late morning sunlight filtering through the tall trees and casting shadows across the dirt path. Far from the main buildings, few students ever came here without a reason.Balthazar Adelram stood with his arms crossed and his brows tightly furrowed as he asked, "What exactly do you want me to do?" The disbelief in his voice was impossible to hide.The briefing had been short and almost absurdly simple, but the contract binding him left him with no choice but to obey."Just follow my lord's orders, you fool," Zinnia said flatly, her expression unreadable except for the faint trace of distaste in her eyes.Balthazar clicked his tongue. He was the heir of the Adelram Ducal Family, or at least, that was what everyone called him now.Before the noble title, expensive clothes, and servants, he had been a commoner's son from a small village under Adelram rule, raised alone by his mother.When he was young, he never knew his fathe

The peaceful weekend passed quickly, and before long, the academy returned to its usual atmosphere.The midterm exams had officially begun.Inside the classroom, the air felt noticeably more tense than usual. Some of my classmates were reviewing their notes one last time, while others simply waited for the exam to start.The instructor had already told us that this midterm would be a completely normal written exam with no practical test involved.Thankfully, Zinnia Elrod and Elira Frostborne had ground everything into my head, drilling me on what to learn so I could answer the questions more easily. Now, it was finally time to take the exam, and everyone was fully focused.A few moments later, the instructor arrived, and the classroom immediately fell silent.With a casual flick of his wrist, dozens of exam papers floated through the air, drifting across the room before landing neatly on each student’s desk.When mine settled in front of me, I looked at the questions and quietly let ou

A cold pressure crushed my chest, and for a moment I felt as if I were drowning.My body was suspended in endless darkness while distant whispers echoed around me, the last thing I remembered being the Calamity's twisted smile and the darkness swallowing both Shayna and me.Then I opened my eyes, and a cold wind struck my face the moment the darkness disappeared.I blinked several times, expecting to see the academy ceiling above me, but instead I found myself standing in an unfamiliar place.The air smelled of smoke and burning wood, and a distant roar trembled through the ground beneath my feet. I slowly looked around, and the moment I realized this was neither the classroom nor the academy, my breath caught as my gaze fell on my own body.Black armor covered my entire body, heavy yet strangely familiar, while silver engravings glimmered across the chest plate, a red cloak fluttered behind me in the cold wind, and a worn sword rested at my waist