2026-03-25 03:50:42The forest grew darker as time passed.
The faint light filtering through the trees had turned dim and gray, as if the entire Secret Realm itself was slowly suffocating under an unseen force.
Kira’s group moved cautiously through the undergrowth.
Every sound made them tense.
Every shadow looked like an enemy.
Behind them, the memory of the fog creature still lingered like a nightmare.
One of the boys in Kira’s team—tall, sharp-faced, with a constant scowl—glanced at Alaric with obvious dissatisfaction.
His name was Marcus.
And his eyes were filled with something more than fear.
Jealousy.
He watched the way Kira occasionally looked toward Alaric.
That small shift in her attitude…
It irritated him.
Finally, Marcus scoffed.
“So let me get this straight,” he said mockingly. “We’re supposed to trust this guy now?”
His gaze swept over Alaric with open disdain.
“The same loser who got kicked out of his own family?”
One of the girls hesitated.
“Well… he did save us…”
Marcus snapped back immediately.
“By luck.”
He pointed at Elena.
“That thing just happened to be useful for once.”
His voice turned harsh.
“Don’t act like he’s some kind of hero. He’s still dirt.”
Alaric didn’t respond.
Marcus stepped closer, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“And what was that speech earlier?” he sneered. “Stay calm, survive four hours… you really think this is under control?”
His eyes narrowed.
“You’re just pretending to be confident because you don’t have anything to lose.”
Kira frowned slightly.
“That’s enough, Marcus.”
Marcus clenched his jaw.
“Why are you defending him?”
Kira didn’t answer.
But that silence only made Marcus more irritated.
Before he could continue—
A sudden hiss echoed through the trees.
The air shifted.
Dark fog began forming again.
“Not again!” one of the girls cried.
From all directions, multiple fog creatures surged toward them.
This time—
There were more.
Far more.
“Get ready!” Kira shouted.
Her Chimera roared, unleashing flames into the incoming fog.
But unlike normal beasts—
The fog didn’t react the same way.
Even when struck, it simply reformed.
Alaric’s eyes narrowed.
“These things…”
Elena stepped forward calmly.
“Master.”
“Destroy them.”
Elena swung her hammer.
BOOM!
One cluster of fog exploded.
But—
No system notification appeared.
No points.
Alaric immediately noticed.
“…They don’t give points.”
Marcus cursed loudly.
“What kind of garbage enemies are these?!”
The group fought desperately.
Fog creatures kept emerging, attacking endlessly.
Minutes felt like hours.
Eventually—
The fog retreated again.
Everyone stood there, exhausted.
Breathing heavily.
“What the hell is going on…” someone whispered.
Time passed slowly after that.
The forest only grew darker.
The air heavier.
Then—
Alaric looked up at the sky.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“…Four hours.”
Kira froze.
“What?”
Alaric spoke calmly.
“It’s been four hours.”
Silence fell.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the distant sky where the exit portal should have appeared.
Nothing.
No light.
No gate.
Just darkness.
The realization hit instantly.
“It didn’t open…” one girl whispered.
Panic spread like wildfire.
“No… no, that’s not possible…”
“The exam should be over!”
“Why are we still here?!”
Marcus’s face twisted.
“I knew it!” he shouted. “This is all messed up!”
He turned toward Alaric angrily.
“Where’s your ‘stay calm’ plan now, huh?!”
His voice grew louder.
“You said the portal would open!”
Alaric remained calm.
Before he could respond—
Elena suddenly spoke.
Her voice was quiet, but clear.
“I can feel it.”
Everyone turned toward her.
Marcus frowned.
“Feel what?”
Elena’s eyes looked into the distance.
“A source.”
She spoke slowly.
“Something behind these fog creatures.”
Alaric’s gaze sharpened.
“What kind of source?”
Elena shook her head slightly.
“I don’t know… but it’s controlling them.”
The group exchanged confused looks.
One of them scoffed.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Marcus laughed mockingly.
“Of course it is.”
He pointed at Elena.
“We’re really going to listen to a trash-tier pet now?”
Another teammate nodded.
“Yeah, this is getting stupid.”
Marcus crossed his arms.
“What’s next? The bug leads us to safety?”
His voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Why don’t we just follow it straight into a grave?”
Elena didn’t react.
Her expression remained cold and indifferent.
Alaric, however, spoke calmly.
“If there’s a source, then destroying it might end this.”
Marcus let out a harsh laugh.
“‘Might’?”
He shook his head.
“You’re insane.”
Alaric looked at the group.
“If anyone’s afraid,” he said simply, “I’ll go alone.”
Silence followed.
That calm certainty…
It struck something in Kira.
She stepped forward immediately.
“I’ll go with you.”
Marcus’s eyes widened.
“Kira, are you serious?!”
She didn’t even look at him.
“If there’s a chance to fix this,” she said firmly, “we can’t ignore it.”
Marcus clenched his fists.
“You’re trusting him over your own team?”
Another voice spoke up.
“…I’ll go too.”
It was Tristan.
The quietest member of the group.
He stepped forward nervously.
“If we don’t do something… we might all die anyway.”
Marcus stared at them like they were crazy.
Then he let out a cold laugh.
“Fine.”
He took a step back.
“Go ahead.”
His voice was filled with mockery.
“Walk straight into your deaths.”
The remaining girl hesitated, then quickly moved to Marcus’s side.
“I’m not going either.”
She looked at Alaric with disdain.
“I’m not following a loser and his freak pet.”
Marcus smirked.
“Smart choice.”
He glanced at Alaric one last time.
“Don’t bother coming back.”
Alaric didn’t respond.
Without another word, he turned and began walking deeper into the forest.
Elena followed silently.
Kira and Tristan quickly caught up.
The deeper they went—
The heavier the air became.
The trees grew twisted.
The ground darker.
After a while, Kira suddenly slowed down.
Her expression changed.
“…Wait.”
Alaric stopped.
“What is it?”
Kira looked around carefully.
Her voice lowered.
“This area…”
She swallowed slightly.
“…We’re near the Forbidden Zone.”
Tristan’s face turned pale.
“The place they warned us about?”
Kira nodded.
“Before the exam started…”
Her voice tightened.
“The examiners said this region contains much stronger beasts.”
She looked ahead into the darkness.
“Possibly even a Level 10 King-class monster.”
Silence fell.
The weight of her words pressed down on all of them.
Tristan hesitated.
“If we go further…”
“…we might not survive.”
Alaric looked forward calmly.
Then he spoke quietly.
“If we don’t stop the source…”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
He didn’t need to.
Kira understood.
If they failed—
They might never leave this realm.
She took a deep breath.
“…Then we keep going.”
Alaric nodded.
And the three of them stepped deeper into the darkness.
Outside the Secret Realm—
Chaos had completely erupted.
Examiners shouted over each other.
Communication arrays flickered uselessly.
The Imperial examiner slammed his fist against the table.
“This is a disaster!”
The Holy Mountain examiner’s face was grim.
“This is no longer an exam…”
The chief examiner stared at the sealed portal.
“…It’s a crisis.”
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Chapter 110: Legacy of the Fallen King
After hearing Alaric’s response, Jenna’s mouth was opened wide, she for sure hadn’t seen that coming, and his tone was filled with so much conviction. The look in Alaric’s eyes was enough to clear every doubt in her mind that he might be bluffing.“Why do you look so baffled? Do you think I am a saint?” Alaric asked with his brows arched. “I’ve had a rough upbringing, it shouldn’t be weird to you that I am like this even though I try my best to put up a good front in front of everyone.” Jenna bit on her lower lip and looked away from him for a brief moment, fighting a smile. For some reason, everything about this young man seems to fascinate her so much. “So, are you going to give me the answer to my question or will you spend the entirety of the minutes you have to spare lost in your thoughts?” Alaric questioned, snapping her out of her thoughts. Jenna turned to him. "Remind me what your question was, please.” “Tell me everything you know about my father,” Alaric repeated immedia
Chapter 109: The Price of Truth.
Immediately after Jenna introduced them to their respective rooms, she stood in the doorway of Alaric’s open door, watching him with a blank expression on her face as he settled in and arranged the stuff that he had carried with him. Only one thought passed her mind, and she couldn’t help voicing it out. "You know, initially, I thought that you might do a couple of things differently compared to the way other people do their own things,” she said, drawing his attention. He sat on the edge of the bed and turned to face her, a slight crease in his brows. “What? You expect me to act like demons just because I have part of their blood running in my veins?” “No,” she pushed off the doorway, and closing the door, she approached him. “I just hoped that I could see some distinct acts, fascinating ones, no matter how little they might be to you.” “I’m not in any way sorry to disappoint you.”“Let’s put that aside and move on to why you want to see me, your time is counting,” Jenna said, se
Chapter 108: Everything Comes At a Cost.
‘I was wrong and she was right.’ Those were the first words that made it to Alaric’s mind the moment he laid his eyes on Jenna as she stood in front of the capital’s gate to escort him to where he will be staying till the council members are ready to see him. The last time he had spoken to Kira and she had mentioned that Jenna can be quite hot if she wants. Jennna’s first impression towards him was her putting on baggy clothes, but right now she was clad in something so different, so feminine. She was putting on a red gown, one that quite hugged her body and brought out her shape. While they made their way towards where she was taking them to, Jenna broke the silence between the three of them. “You know I thought that I would catch you off guard and dazzling at my appearance given that I look totally different to the last time you saw me, but I guess you are a hard man to catch offguard.” “Or maybe I am just better at hiding my emotions compared to others, you might have caught
Chapter 108: Everything Comes At a Cost.
‘I was wrong and she was right.’ Those were the first words that made it to Alaric’s mind the moment he laid his eyes on Jenna as she stood in front of the capital’s gate to escort him to where he will be staying till the council members are ready to see him. The last time he had spoken to Kira and she had mentioned that Jenna can be quite hot if she wants. Jennna’s first impression towards him was her putting on baggy clothes, but right now she was clad in something so different, so feminine. She was putting on a red gown, one that quite hugged her body and brought out her shape. While they made their way towards where she was taking them to, Jenna broke the silence between the three of them. “You know I thought that I would catch you off guard and dazzling at my appearance given that I look totally different to the last time you saw me, but I guess you are a hard man to catch offguard.” “Or maybe I am just better at hiding my emotions compared to others, you might have caught
Chapter 107: A Plan For the Future.
“Is something wrong?” Alaric asked cautiously, placing his hand gently on Kira’s hand, trying to get her to ease the pressure of the dagger on his neck. “Do you even know who Jenna is?” She demanded, raising her brows. “Um… she told me she is the beast master's daughter,” he answered softly, hoping his answer wouldn't rile her up more, but that wasn't the case. Kira clenched her teeth. “If that were just the case, then there wouldn't have been any issue at all, but she thinks she is the best of our generation and is also known as a psychotic genius. I freaking hate her.” “I can tell you do hate her, but can you please ease up? You're on the verge of making me bleed,” Alaric pointed out softly. Her eyes widened, snapping out of her anger, she pulled the dagger away from his neck. “Oh, I am very sorry about that,” she mumbled, rubbing the spot on his neck where her dagger had been. Alaric let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his body, which he had tightened. “It is totally fine,”
Chapter 106: The Capital Calls.
Headmaster Thorne had a long face while going through the letter that had arrived at the academy a few hours ago. That wasn’t his first time going through the letter, he had been doing it over and over again. The contents had left him speechless for quite a while, the only thing he had been able to do was call the particular person that the letter concerned. A knock on his door drew him out of his thoughts, “Come in.” Two figures made their way into his office and then sat opposite him. Headmaster Thorne didn’t take his eyes off the letter all through. His office remained in silence, the two additional figures that had made their way into his office didn’t say a single word either, patiently waiting for Headmaster Thorne to be the one to break that silence. Seconds slowly build into minutes.Headmaster Thorne dropped the letter on his table and let out a deep sigh. He raised his gaze to the two young men sitting in front of him and pointed at the letter he had just dropped. “That
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