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“Let’s move a little faster.”

I led the children swiftly down the narrow stone corridor.

Tap, tap!

At the same time, only one thought consumed my mind.

[Shadow]

A high-ranking member of the Bloodstone Cult who primarily uses shadows.

‘Even at Fantasy X Academy, their true identity was never fully revealed.’

Only a few traces and hints had been pieced together.

Even those were fragmented clues related to their abilities.

Of course, I know the profiles of the executives to some extent, but not enough to make a definitive match.

We need to proceed with maximum caution.

“… Over here!”

Elena, who was leading the way, pointed to a spot.

Following her gaze, I saw an iron door.

This must be the entrance to the vast empty space beneath the academy.

“Everyone, get ready.”

This place is practically no different from a dungeon’s boss room.

No—this might even be worse, closer to hell itself.

That’s the kind of beings the Bloodstone Cult’s executives are.

— BOOM!

I forcibly swung the iron door open, and an eerie gust of wind rushed out.

The interior felt less like a man-made structure and more like a cavern.

We moved quickly while staying alert to our surroundings.

“Ah!”

Elena, who was leading, suddenly stopped.

A massive pile of rocks blocked our path.

The rocky heap stood as tall as a four-story building.

It was unmistakably an artificial structure created to obstruct the way.

“We might need to find another route. It’s too steep and high to climb over.”

Silvia said as she examined the wall.

I followed her lead, tilting my head back to look up.

Beyond the rocky wall, a faint red light was seeping through.

It was the signature hue of the Bloodstone Cult’s magic circle.

“We have to get over it. The ritual has already started.”

“But it looks so slippery…”

The height was roughly 9 meters.

It was within reach of a [Leap].

Good thing I practiced for moments like this.

“I’ll go first and pull you up.”

I magnetized both the floor and the wall.

If I fine-tune the force just right…

— Whoosh!

The ceiling rushed closer in an instant.

‘Damn it.’

I barely adjusted my posture, avoiding a collision with the ceiling by a hair’s breadth.

I need to get more used to this.

“Whoa—!”

Cheers rose from below.

Everyone was staring up at me in awe, but now wasn’t the time to linger.

— Whoosh!

The light from the magic circle was becoming a deeper crimson, like blood.

Twisting Ether like a rope, I tossed it down and shouted.

“Grab on and climb up!”

Then I lowered myself back down.

As I stepped onto a few rocks and landed, the scene ahead became fully visible.

A vast cavern, with an enormous magic circle drawn at its center.

It was painted in a blood-red color, as if crafted from life itself.

And within it, countless cats had gathered.

“… Ian Blackangers?”

A single glance was enough to tell the figure addressing me was immensely powerful.

Despite the faint muttering, their words reached my ears with eerie clarity.

A man dressed entirely in black, with deep blue hair.

Even from a distance, his thin, sharp eyes and the heavy dark circles beneath them were striking.

Clad in pitch-black attire and carrying an air of exhaustion and gloom, I darted straight toward him.

“You’re more impatient than you look.”

He was clearly no ordinary individual.

Even with me rushing at him, he didn’t blink an eye.

Meanwhile, the red energy of the magic circle continued spreading outward, completing about half of the massive circular pattern.

‘… Damn it.’

The distance was still too far for me to close with a leap.

I stopped in my tracks, exhaling hard.

Suppressing my breath, I shaped my Ether into a sharp, bullet-like form and fired it.

— Shwick!

The nearly invisible Ether whistled through the air.

Its target: the man’s forehead and shoulder.

“Oh?”

With a short exclamation, the man unfolded his coat.

 

Thwip! Thwip!

The Ether was effortlessly blocked.

What is that—some kind of steel coat?

‘… Wait a second.’

Could that possibly be the “Bloodstained Balmacaan”?

As the realization struck me, the man smirked.

“You recognize the true worth of this coat?”

Of course.

I knew its value better than anyone.

Number 53: Bloodstained Balmacaan.

It was an item I had sought to obtain myself.

But acquiring that coat required jumping through significant hoops.

You either win the maker’s favor—or kill him and take it.

There were no other options.

“Don’t tell me… you killed Dior?”

“Oh? A little runt like you knows about Dior? No wonder the higher-ups are interested in you. I’m starting to see why.”

“What did you do to him?”

“What do you think I did?”

“…”

“I killed him.”

Dior.

The most renowned artisan on the continent.

He had crafted over ten Numbers purely through his own skill.

And the Bloodstained Balmacaan was one of his masterpieces, ranking in the 50s.

If he were still alive, at least three more Numbers would have been added to his legacy.

And you killed such a master craftsman?

‘… A side quest.’

There’s a side quest around this time.

A mission to go to the imperial capital and guard the artisan Dior.

Though labeled as a side quest, it was infamous among players for its difficulty.

Even with support from the imperial family and merchant guilds, you could only hope to drive the villain away.

But if Dior is already dead…

‘That means this person is the villain of that quest.’

“Evan Kessler?”

“Oh? You even know my name.”

… Damn it.

What is this bastard doing here?

Evan Kessler, Fifth Disciple of the Bloodstone Cult.

One of the top five members of the cult.

What’s someone like him doing beneath the Academy?

It might not make sense at first glance, but if the stakes are high enough, the picture changes.

“I can hear the wheels turning in your head.”

Evan said, extending a hand.

I reflexively rolled to the side.

— Crash!

A shadow shot up from the ground, slamming into the cavern ceiling.

Thud-thud-thud.

Fine rock dust fell heavily around us.

As expected—this guy really was a Shadow Caster.

“Quick reflexes, I’ll give you that.”

Evan said, leisurely tucking his extended hand back into his coat.

Seeing that, fragments of information about him floated to the surface of my memory, piecing themselves together.

If this mysterious Shadow Caster turned out to be Evan Kessler, the Fifth Disciple of the Bloodstone Cult…

That fact alone filled my mind with countless realizations.

For instance, Evan Kessler was monstrously strong—so powerful that he was beyond my league.

And, of course, he was someone who loved to show off.

— Whoosh!

Without hesitation, I activated [Leap] at full power.

The space before me compressed, folding as if reality itself was bending.

The disorienting sensation had become second nature to me—a speed so fast, it was nearly indistinguishable from teleportation.

Evan’s back came into view.

[Extract]

[Transform]

[Accelerate]

Using my skills in tandem with the velocity from [Leap], I swung the Berserker’s Shield with all my might.

This was my most powerful, all-or-nothing attack.

‘When the gap is this big, you have to end it in one hit.’

Swinging a shield as a weapon meant leaving no room for retreat.

This was a raw, destructive strike that combined enhanced physical strength with sheer momentum.

If it landed, it wouldn’t matter who the opponent was—they’d be pulverized.

Not even the Bloodstained Balmacaan, with all its resistances, could withstand this kind of brute force.

— KABOOM!

A heavy impact rippled through my body, convincing me I had succeeded.

Even if Evan managed to block, the sheer shockwave should’ve been enough to cripple him.

But Evan’s response surpassed all expectations.

— Whoosh!

His body melted into a black, liquid-like substance, disappearing into the shadows of the ground.

— BANG! BANG! BANG!

 

Without a target, my attack slammed into the ground, unleashing all its energy into the earth below.

“Ugh!”

The recoil forced a groan from my lips as pain shot through my body.

Evan emerged from the shadows nearby, a mocking smile plastered across his face.

“Hehehe. That was a decent attempt, kid.”

“…”

“I’ll admit, when it first connected, I was surprised. That was an absurdly destructive attack. But you know what? Dodging it was just too easy.”

His grin widened, his tone dripping with amusement as he watched me, shield buried in the ground like a failed jester’s prop.

But just as Evan raised his hand to mock me further—

— Crack-crack-crack!

The sound of rocks splitting filled the cavern.

The ground trembled lightly beneath us.

“…?”

Evan’s smirk vanished.

His face twisted into urgency as he spun around.

The reason was clear.

The tremor originated from his magic circle.

As the shaking subsided, the massive circle he had painstakingly crafted had become fractured, as though the ground beneath it had been disrupted by an earthquake.

The magic circle wasn’t erased, but the surface it was drawn on had been completely warped, rendering it useless.

Evan’s brows furrowed deeply as he took in the scene.

“You damned little brat.”

“When working on the ground, you should always lay a solid foundation first,” I said with a smirk, standing up and brushing off the dust.

“Was this your plan all along?”

“Who knows?”

With a sly grin, I locked eyes with him.

“I just happen to enjoy a bit of chaos myself.”

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