"Seliah, who is that kid?"

  The woman with pink hair conjured black shadows into the palm of her hand, shaping them into a thin, curved blade that looked like a katana made of pure dark energy.

  "No idea... but stay sharp. That kid isn’t normal."

  "Yeah, I noticed... how did Velkro go flying like that?"

  Everything had happened too fast for anyone to make sense of it. One second, the brute called Velkro was launched away like he’d been hit by an invisible beast. The next, a boy appeared, radiating a thick, suffocating mana.

  For Seliah, the worst part was that she hadn’t felt a thing until it was too late.

  'How did I not sense that energy?'

  She narrowed her eyes at the boy now calmly walking toward the other two.

  ".."

  Kaen stopped in front of them, a slight smile on his face.

  "Well... at least you’re still alive."

  Yenne stared at him in shock.

  "You’re joking at a time like this?!"

  She was being healed by Marco, who was using light magic.

  'Good thing simple healing doesn’t need much concentration... because he’s sweating bullets trying to stay calm.'

  "I thought I’d at least get a thank-you..."

  Sigh...

  Yenne couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Either Kaen truly wasn’t afraid, or he wasn’t grasping the situation at all.

  "You—"

  "Marco."

  Kaen cut her off right away, calling Marco’s name.

  "H-huh? Y-yeah?!"

  He was still facing away from them. But this time, Kaen’s smile vanished. His eyes turned sharp, heavier than any joke.

  "You and Yenne handle the short one. I’ll deal with the other two."

  "What? Are you insane?!"

  Yenne stared at him, stunned. Sure, he was strong—but two at once? And worse... the brute who’d been launched was already walking back from the forest, cracking his neck like nothing had happened.

  The one who looked like a kid was maybe a support Class 3 at best. But the other two... they were clearly above that.

  "Don’t space out now, Yenne... they’re here for you."

  She froze.

  That confirmed everything she had already suspected.

  Why they avoided her during the attack. Why Marco was the only one directly targeted...

  "If you want to help, finish the short guy as fast as you can."

  "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT?!"

  The mage yelled from across the field.

  "Velkro, kill that brat too."

  He pointed at Kaen like it was a simple request.

  "Tsk... you think I’m your lackey?"

  "I saved your life!"

  "~Didn’t ask for your help."

  Velkro glanced at his hands. They were still trembling.

  The force of the impact hadn’t gone away. The truth was... it would’ve been worse if Drevan hadn’t silently put up a barrier at the last second.

  "So now what, Seliah? Three kids... and one of them isn’t normal. What do we do?"

  Seliah didn’t respond right away. The blade in her hand pulsed as dark energy flowed around it like a living aura.

  She pointed it straight at Kaen.

  "Like you said, we just want the girl from the Magic Tower. If you two step aside, I’ll let you walk away unharmed."

  Kaen blinked, processing her words.

  "Really? You’ll let us go? Just like that?"

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  "Yes."

  "Seliah, are you serious? You’re really going to let them—"

  She raised her hand, and Drevan instantly went quiet.

  Kaen’s energy felt normal, but something about it bothered Seliah. It was unstable. Way too dense. And worst of all... it kept growing. How could he be just a regular kid?

  'Maybe he’s her bodyguard...? Let’s find out.'

  She stared at Kaen, waiting for his answer.

  Clap!

  Kaen clapped once.

  "Marco... let’s go before I change my mind."

  "~What???"

  "This arrogant punk... let’s just kill them already, Seliah!"

  Marco had just finished healing Yenne, but couldn’t believe what Kaen said.

  Was that it? They were leaving Yenne there? Did that make any sense?

  He looked at Yenne, who was still recovering from the earlier hit. She didn’t say a word. Just stared at the ground like she had already accepted her fate.

  "Go. I don’t care."

  "But, Yenne—"

  "Shut up! Stop playing the hero. Don’t throw your life away for nothing."

  Marco stepped back, biting his lip.

  Risking everything for nothing? Was that really it? He looked at Kaen, who stood silently in front of him. Kaen’s gaze was on the ground, like the conversation was over.

  But something was off now. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Kaen’s face, and his breathing was starting to grow heavy.

  'He's scared too?'

  It made sense. Who would be willing to throw their life away for one person?

  But Marco... could he really just turn his back?

  What if Yenne died right there?

  'Damn it... damn it...'

  "...."

  ".."

  "Kaen... I don't think I'm going with you."

  "What? You idiot... I told you both to leave me—"

  "Tsk, tsk... you guys take too long to make a simple choice."

  Kaen was sweating more than before. His breathing was getting heavier.

  "What should I call this?"

  He mumbled while staring at the ground, his hands still clenched since he clapped.

  "What are you talking about?!"

  Slowly, Kaen started to open his hand.

  At that moment, a concentrated and absurd pressure began to leak from his palms.

  Yenne’s eyes widened.

  "What is that...?"

  Her voice came out as a near-choked whisper.

  The air around them vibrated, warping invisibly. A faint mist of raw mana started seeping out.

  Marco raised his arm to shield his face from the growing pressure surrounding Kaen.

  'This guy... he was storing that much energy?! How did I not notice?!'

  There had been no shift in the air or magical trace. Marco started to realize Kaen was probably sweating because of this.

  On the other side, Seliah’s eyes narrowed.

  '...What kind of spell is that?'

  No one knew what Kaen was doing, but one thing was clear: he was holding back a force that was begging to be unleashed.

  Velkro charged forward.

  "Tsk... the brat was just stalling."

  "VELKRO!!! DON’T GO NEAR HIM!!"

  Seliah screamed, trying to stop him.

  "He’s an idiot."

  But it was too late. The brute charged straight at Kaen.

  "Come on then..."

  The pressure around Kaen increased again. His hands began to tremble, and cracks started forming in his own skin.

  "Let’s call this the Rejection Core."

  A line of energy tore through the air like a buzzing magical rift.

  Kaen opened his hands completely.

  .........ZUUUUUM........!!!!!

  A wave of magic burst out, flinging Marco and Yenne backward with the unleashed force.

  "Ugh!"

  "Aaagh—!"

  Velkro, who had been charging forward, suddenly felt his feet sink into the ground under the pressure.

  "I’m gonna kill you, kid!"

  Kaen extended his hand, energy leaking from it like steam.

  "You’re really... unbelievably dumb."

  The Rejection Core was launched with devastating force, like the air itself had been kicked away.

  The energy exploded outward silently — but instead of fading, it gained speed, as if the compressed pressure kept expanding without resistance.

  Nothing was pulled in. Everything was pushed, broken, repelled. A space where existing became impossible.

  'Damn! What kind of attack is this?!'

  Velkro was hit head-on, his body dragged by the growing wave of dense force.

  Drevan reacted quickly, conjuring a barrier around himself and Seliah. At the same time, Seliah raised a wall of condensed shadow.

  'Who is this kid?'

  ====

  The students began arriving at the Transmutation Garden, confused by the situation.

  One of them was Iris, who looked around with narrowed eyes, unsure of what was going on.

  Why were the guards fighting against dark mages? And why did those mages seem interested in nothing but chaos?

  While running, Iris spotted a group approaching from the opposite direction.

  Elena, Rayden, and Lyra were moving with focus, heading straight toward the Catalyzation Greenhouse.

  "What is she trying to do??"

  ****

  'Damn... we have to get there in time.'

  Elena ran ahead. Her expression was more confident than ever, but her clenched fists made it clear she wasn’t underestimating what was coming.

  She knew that if something happened to Maelis, her assistant would take over. And that man... he’d do anything for personal gain. If he took the professor’s position, the entire academy would be in danger.

  "Elena... did you know this would happen?"

  Rayden’s question pulled her out of her thoughts. He was running beside her, his eyes fixed on her face, maybe waiting for a reaction.

  'What am I supposed to say...?'

  She opened her mouth, thinking of a response — but there was no time.

  The group had reached the greenhouse.

  The field in front of it was shattered.

  And at the center, like a final act in a twisted play, stood the green-haired man with a mask, raising his hands with a crooked smile.

  Toward Maelis, he launched a dark spiral of energy that began to spin like a hurricane of corruption.

  '~Shit.'

  "LYRA!"

  "On it."

  Elena stepped forward, summoning fire into her palm. The spell took shape fast, spinning like a flaming arrow. Without hesitation, she fired.

  FWOOOOOSH!

  At the same time, the air howled beside her.

  Lyra extended her arm, mana forming with impressive fluidity.

  A high-speed burst of rotating wind joined Elena’s flame, colliding with the dark spell.

  The black energy shuddered. Its edges began to unravel.

  The attack weakened — and exploded before reaching Maelis, fading into sparks and ashes.

  'Impressive...'

  Rayden couldn’t help but admire the natural teamwork between Elena and Lyra.

  He moved next to the professor.

  "Professor Maelis, are you alright?"

  The woman’s breathing was uneven. Her robe was torn, her eyes filled with tension.

  "What are you three doing here?!"

  Seeing all three of them there, she didn’t know whether to feel relieved or desperate.

  "You need to get out of here right now."

  "Professor, what’s going on?"

  "I don’t know either... they just showed up out of nowhere."

  "THAT WAS... RUDE. VERY RUDE."

  The voice came from above.

  The masked mage leaned forward and began approaching, smiling like he was enjoying the chaos. He rolled his shoulders in exaggerated fashion, like an actor mocking his own awkward entrance.

  "I really didn’t appreciate how disrespectful you kids were..."

  The mage descended and raised a finger.

  "Professor... I was being polite with you. But it seems you’d prefer if I got serious."

  In that moment, everyone felt it.

  A heavy presence filled the air.

  The mana clung to their skin with a suffocating pressure.

  It wasn’t just the absurd amount of energy — the killing intent spreading across the field made Elena’s neck hair stand on end.

  It felt like the world had been swallowed by invisible poison.