His fist cut through the air, and the moment it connected—
A shockwave blasted through the hall.
The impact erupted outward, a deep BOOM that rattled the floorboards, sending students stumbling as the dummy shot across the room like a cannonball.
Until it finally crashed, skidding across the floor and stopping just short of Eliches.
The entire room fell into stunned silence.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Even the commander, who had been unreadable the entire time, now leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowed in intrigue.
Bruce's jaw clenched. His fingers twitched as if itching to grab Yulli by the collar and demand an explanation.
Eliches clicked his tongue. "Tch. You just had to send it this close to me." he chuckles
The professor was at a complete loss for words. He stared at his notes, then at the dummy, then back at Yulli—clearly searching for some logical way to explain what had just happened.
And Yulli?
He stood there, his fist still outstretched, his body tense, his breathing ragged.
He should've felt victorious.
He should've felt something.
But deep down, he knew the truth.
There was no mana in that punch.
No enhancement. No mark. Nothing.
It was just him.
Just like last time.
Then—
Hare burst out laughing.
"YULLI, YOU MONSTER!" She clutched her stomach, practically doubling over. "THAT WAS INSANE!"
The tension shattered instantly. Some students still looked sceptical, but Hare's excitement was too infectious. Even some of the bystanders couldn't help but murmur in disbelief.
Bruce, though, looked pissed.
"...Tch." He clicked his tongue, looking away.
Meanwhile, Yulli slowly lowered his hand, his heart pounding.
He didn't understand it.
The professor clapped his hands, gathering the students' attention. "Ahem, well, Yulli, you may return to your position."
Yulli nodded and made his way back, his mind still reeling from what had just happened. His knuckles ached slightly, but more than that, his thoughts raced. He had never hit anything that hard before.
"Well, that concludes the first task. You may take a ten-minute break before we move on. Do I make myself clear?"
"Clear," the students responded in unison before dispersing for their short reprieve.
The commander remained behind, stepping closer to the area where Yulli had struck. His sharp gaze traced over the cracked remnants of the dummy. "That boy... you saw it, didn't you?"
"Yes," the professor replied, crossing his arms. "He didn't use any mana. That was just raw strength."
"And no mark either," the commander murmured. "His body's already under restriction."
"How can you tell?"
The commander smirked, running a hand over the shattered remains. "There's always a trade-off."
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria…
"Oh, that was CRAZY, Yulli!" Hare practically tackled him, flinging her arms around his neck. "I didn't know you had it in you!"
Yulli lost her balance, totally taken by surprise. "Okay—Hare—stop hugging me—I can't breathe!"
She let him go at last, grinning from ear to ear. "Anyway, you should've seen everyone's faces! You pretty much stole the show!"
"Thanks, Hare," Yulli muttered, continuing to glare at his hand. It wasn't trembling, but something. was wrong with it. What did occur back there?
On the other side of the cafeteria, Bruce sat with a scowl, arms crossed tightly.
"Tch, that bastard beat me," he muttered.
"Sure, he almost knocked your ass out," Marko said, fighting to keep a smile from his face.
Bruce spun around and delivered such a death stare that Marko immediately shut up.
The training hall was electric with tension, the air thick with expectation as the professor adjusted his gloves and looked over the students.
"For the second exercise, we're going to conduct a simulation," he said, his voice firm and uncompromising. "Same as before, you will be deployed to a randomized terrain. From there, we will be evaluating your adaptability, critical thinking, and teamwork. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir!" responded the students together, yet with a detectable change in their voices—less firm, less sure.
The professor fell to his knees immediately and pressed his fingers to the earth. A white, ashy mana, alien and unlike any other, flowed from his fingers, spreading like frost. It wound its way around the feet of the students, up their legs, and before anyone could move—
The world swallowed them.
Yulli's eyesight was blurry for a moment prior to his feet finding firm ground once more.
The sky was grey and oppressive. The trees, their limbs bare and twisted, stretched towards the sky like bony fingers. The air was scented with wet earth and something foul, something dead. He shivered as a chill ran down his spine.
This place again.
"God damn it." The voice was familiar, venomous.
Yulli looked to find Bruce walking towards him, frustration was evident in each step.
"Why in the world do I have to be on your team?!
"Hi," Yulli yawned, already tired.
Bruce wasn't having it. He grabbed Yulli up by the collar, yanking him forward hard enough that he stumbled. "How in the world did you punch that far back there a while ago, huh? What trick did you pull?"
"Bruce, not now. We're in the middle of the test—" "I don't care." Bruce's grip intensified as he shook Yulli like a rag doll. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"
Three other students appeared to intervene and separate them.
"Hey, guys, not the time to fight—"
A blur.
A shadow.
A scream.
The student's body convulsed backwards in an unnatural manner before it was torn apart in a burst of nothing. He was gone instantly, ripped from existence like a puppet after its strings were cut. The air was silent for a moment prior to the system teleporting him back to the training hall automatically.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Then—
A growl.
A low, guttural rumble that rattled their ribs and turned their stomachs.
Out of the shadows of the gnarled trees, it moved.
A beast.
Its head was a wolf's, but its body was built like a bear's—thick, muscular, and wrong. Black as devouring fur swallowed all light, rippling abnormally as though it were not flesh but darkness. Its eyes burned with golden hunger. It inhaled deeply, as if it savored their scent.
Then it howled.
The earth trembled. There was something rotten, something foul in the wind.
Bruce's hand on Yulli's collar disappeared.
"W-Why would a beast be here?!"
Before anyone could do anything about it, it attacked again. No blows, no claws—pressure. A convulsion of cold, pure fear crashed into them. Some students fell where they stood, shrieking as if their souls were being ripped from their bodies. Others stumbled backward, struggling for breath.
No blood. No wounds.
It was in their heads.
Bruce, struggling to keep up, gritted his teeth and grabbed his greatsword, swinging with every ounce of strength he had. The creature hardly noticed. With a brush of its huge paw, it caught the blade in mid-swing, its muscles not even tensing as it sent Bruce flying across the meadow. He crashed into a tree and dropped to the earth, stunned.
Yulli was alone.
His breath caught. His hand twitched at his side, resting over his sword.
Move.
Move, damn it!
His body wouldn't respond. His muscles tightened, paralyzed where he stood. His mind yelled at him, run, fight, do something, but his legs wouldn't budge. His hands shook.
The creature tilted its head. It could smell his fear. It launched forward. Yulli saw it coming. Saw the blur of black fur, the glint of fangs, the sheer, unavoidable force bearing down on him. He closed his eyes firmly. And then
— Nothing.
The next thing he knew, he was back.
The training hall. The students. The professor.
His body was still locked in that same terrified stance, his fingers hovering over his unsheathed sword. His lungs burned, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.
Bruce lay sprawled nearby, still winded.
Yulli fell to his knees, his arms shaking violently. "That felt too real..."
And he wasn't the only one who thought so.
Around him, students sat motionless, their faces pale, their hands clutching their heads, some trembling, some crying silently. Others looked completely lost, like they had yet to return from whatever nightmare they had experienced.
Hare spotted Yulli from the side and rushed forward—but before she could reach him, a loud clap echoed through the hall.
"ENOUGH."
The professor's voice sliced through the chaos like a blade.
Silence.
"Everyone, return to your positions immediately."
No one dared to disobey.
The exams are done
The professor and the commander stand side by side
The hall was filled with muffled applause, but it carried none of the warmth of celebration. It was hesitant, forced—like a formality they were obligated to follow, even as the weight of what had just happened still lingered in the air. The last exam had drained them, physically and mentally, yet here they stood, waiting for judgment.
"The commander has evaluated everyone," the professor announced, his tone neutral but carrying an unspoken finality. "We will now announce the results. The names I call, step forward."
The students stiffened, anticipation tightening their chests.
"Hare Sagiri."
No one was surprised. She stepped forward confidently, grinning, yet sparing a glance toward Yulli.
"Elcihes De xin B. Lionheart ."
"Muetaki Hua B Hei."
"Bruce Reinhardt."
The names continued, like an avalanche. One after another, students stepped forward, relief washing over their faces as they joined the selected.
Yulli's hands were clammy. He could feel his heart in his throat, hammering against his ribs. Come on... call my name. Please, just call my name.
More names. More students leaving him behind.
The air felt thick. His stomach twisted as the pool of remaining students shrank—five left, four left, three left—why hasn't he called me yet?
"And finally..."
This was it.
"Marko."
The name landed like a blade to the gut.
Marko let out a whoop of joy, punching the air in excitement. The other remaining students deflated, groaning in disappointment, some cursing under their breath.
Yulli? He stood motionless, his body going cold.
"Congratulations to those who passed," the professor continued, barely acknowledging those who had failed. "Give them a round of applause."
The clapping resumed. It felt so distant. A hollow sound echoing through a void.
"For those who did not pass, you will have one final opportunity next year. However, if you fail again, your privilege will be revoked, and you will no longer be permitted to study in the academy."
A few students sighed in relief. Next year. Another chance.
But for Yulli—there was no next year.
This was his second attempt.
He had failed. Again.
The professor's voice faded into the background. The laughter of the passing students, their cheers, their relief—it all blurred into one deafening noise that drowned him completely.
His world went dark.
He looked up at his friends, the ones who had passed. They stood in the light, their faces beaming with joy, congratulating each other. They belonged there.
And him?
He was alone.
A lump formed in his throat. His hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms. His vision blurred, whether, from the lights or something else, he didn't know.
Then he saw Hare.
She was looking right at him—not cheering, not smiling. Her lips were pressed together, her brows furrowed. It was pity.
Yulli felt something snap inside him.
He turned on his heel and bolted.
"Ah, Yulli—" Hare reached out, but he was already gone, pushing past students as he fled the hall.
She watched as his figure disappeared through the doors, swallowed by the corridors beyond.
She whispered his name again, softer this time.
But he wasn't there to hear it.
His legs burned, his lungs screamed, his body begged him to stop—but he didn't. He couldn't. If he stopped now, the weight of everything would come crashing down on him. The failure, the humiliation, the hopelessness.
So he ran.
The academy, the training hall, the students—he left it all behind, sprinting through the empty streets as the city blurred around him. He didn't know where he was going, but his body did.
By the time he stopped, his vision was spinning. He gasped for air, his chest heaving, sweat dripping down his face. His legs wobbled, ready to give out at any second.
And then he realized—he was home.
His breath hitched.
The exhaustion was overwhelming, but right now, he needed something else. Someone else.
He stumbled inside, his heart hammering against his ribs as he made his way to his mother's room.
The moment he stepped in, his stomach dropped.
She looked worse.
The infection had spread further, her skin paler than before. Even the way she sat on the bed—her breathing slow, her frame weak—told him how much her body was losing the fight.
His chest tightened.
She looked at him and smiled, her fatigued eyes soft. "Yulli, dear... you're home. How were the exams?"
The question hit him like a knife to the gut. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His mind screamed at him to say something—anything!
"It was..." He gulped, forcing himself to stand up straight, denying the aching in his chest. "It was great! They'll announce the results later." The lie slipped past his lips before he could stop it. He forced a smile, but it was weak, pathetic.
It barely held together as his lips trembled and his hands clenched into fists. His mother slightly tilted her head.
"Yulli..."
She knows.
She had always known.
"You don't have to lie to me again." Her voice was gentle, a warmth he did not deserve as she reached out, placing a thin-boned warm hand against his cold and sinking cheek.
Yulli stiffened. His throat was tight. "No, really! I—I did great!" He tried again, but this time his voice cracked. The cracks in his facade were too deep.
She smiled sadly. "Yulli… it's okay." Just those two words. Just a simple statement. And yet, it shattered him to pieces. The dam broke.
"I—" He caught his breath, and blurry vision ensued. His whole body shook. "I failed..." And then there were tears. One sob escaped him, then another, then another—until he was no longer holding back. Until he was gasping, shaking, falling to his knees as everything hit him. All these failures, every disappointment, every occasion he told himself to keep going— For this long, he held it all in. But now?
Now he cried.
His mother wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, though the frail strength of her embrace hardly allowed her to bear him. However, her warmth was still there. Still steady. Still safe.
She ran her fingers through his hair and whispered softly, "It's okay, Yulli. You tried your best."
And for the first time in a long, long time, he allowed himself to believe it.