The Academy sirens began screaming before sunrise.
Aren jolted awake.
Red emergency lights flashed across the dorm hall, and a voice boomed through the speakers:
"All Elite Students report to the central courtyard.
Demon breach detected at the southern barricade."
Aren grabbed his bow and moved.
Outside, the air was thick with mana and fear. Elite students gathered in tight formation, some half-dressed, some pale from shock. Even Kale stood silent, brows furrowed.
Kane arrived moments later, armor strapped on, expression ice cold.
"This is no drill," he said. "A scouting wave of demons broke through a collapse in the outer barrier. Infantry units are engaged, but they need support."
Students tensed.
"But why call us?" someone asked. "Aren't demons too strong for students?"
Kane's eyes narrowed.
"These are only scouts. Low ranks. But they've never appeared this close to the city before."
He looked at the class.
"You will move in squads of five. Your mission is evacuation and support. Do not engage high-threat targets."
Aren noticed something off.
Kane kept glancing at the southern horizon—as if expecting something worse.
Then he spoke louder:
"Elite Squad One—Kale leads."
Kale stepped forward with a proud smirk.
"Elite Squad Two—Aren leads."
The courtyard froze.
Kale's head snapped toward Kane.
"What?! He's a Unique! A risk! He shouldn't lead anything!"
Kane didn't blink.
"His efficiency and dungeon results speak otherwise. Deal with it."
Kale clenched his jaw, fury smoldering behind his eyes.
Aren stepped into position without saying a word.
Kane finished giving assignments, then pulled Aren aside.
"Stay close to your squad. Do not reveal your true abilities unless absolutely necessary. The Council will be watching today."
Aren nodded.
Kane hesitated before adding,
"…And Aren? Be careful. Something about this breach feels wrong."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The southern district was chaos.
Smoke billowed from broken houses. Citizens ran through the streets as soldiers shouted orders. Dim, corrupted creatures crawled between alleys—small writhing demons with ember-red eyes.
Aren stepped forward.
"Squad Two, formation," he commanded.
To his surprise, the elite students followed without question. His calm voice carried weight now.
A shriek cut through the air.
A demon lunged from a rooftop—thin, winged, with jagged black claws.
Aren drew.
Void energy gathered instantly.
FWIPP—BOOM.
The demon exploded mid-air before it even landed.
His squad stared, stunned.
"He didn't even aim…"
"He predicted it…"
"What kind of perception is that…?"
Aren moved street to street, dropping demons with effortless precision. His arrows flickered, teleporting between shadows.
Every shot was lethal.
Every kill was clean.
He led the evacuation routes flawlessly, even predicting where demons would appear seconds before they emerged—Spatial Awareness sharpening into something sharper, almost instinctive.
But then—
The ground trembled.
A wave of corrupted mana swept through the streets.
Aren turned sharply.
A hole tore open in the side of a collapsed building, and a hulking demon crawled out—its torso covered in pulsating violet veins.
A rare mutant.
A Knight-class demon.
Too strong for Elite students.
A squad member panicked.
"That—That's not supposed to be here!"
Kale's squad was fighting two streets away.
His voice echoed:
"Fall back! Avoid the Knight! Let the soldiers handle it!"
But the demon wasn't chasing Kale.
It was looking at Aren.
Its skull-like face twisted.
Its eyes burned violet—just like the dungeon creatures.
Aren raised his bow.
Kane's voice shouted through the communicator:
"Aren—don't engage! Your squad won't survive the shockwave if you go all out!"
But the demon charged.
Aren didn't have time to think.
Void energy roared through his veins.
He drew the string all the way back.
The arrow formed instantly—dense, swirling, unstable.
Void Flicker Arrow (E+) → (D-)
Evolution Triggered.
"Move!" Aren ordered.
His squad dove behind debris.
He fired.
FWIPPPPP—
This arrow didn't teleport.
It ripped through space.
A vertical slash of void carved across the street.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The Knight demon's entire body split apart, collapsing in a wave of violet flame.
The shockwave shattered every window within fifty meters.
Aren exhaled.
His squad stared at the destruction in awe and fear.
Kale arrived seconds later, panting, golden aura blazing.
He saw the demon corpse.
He saw the crater.
He saw Aren standing alone in the smoke.
His face twisted.
"You—killed that? Alone?"
Aren didn't respond.
Kane and soldiers sprinted over.
Kane stared at the ruined street, then at Aren.
"…You weren't supposed to use that level of power."
Aren lowered his bow.
"It was targeting me."
Kane's face darkened.
Before he could speak—
BOOOOOOM—
A massive violet shockwave rippled from beneath the city, shaking the ground.
Everyone froze.
Aren's heart slammed in his chest.
He recognized that presence.
And far beneath the rubble, unseen by all—
a chained dragon laughed.
"Good…
Your void is awakening."