The courtyard of Astra Dominion Academy was slowly returning to normal.
Instructors and academy staff had already removed the body of the massive monster. Repair teams worked quickly to fix the cracked ground and damaged structures. Powerful magic barriers were placed around the courtyard to stabilize the area.
But even as the academy tried to restore calm, the atmosphere among the students had changed.
Everyone was still talking about what had happened.
And almost every conversation ended with the same name.
Leo.
Students whispered as they passed through the hallways.
"That's the guy who stopped the monster."
"I heard he defeated it with one strike."
"Some people say it was luck…"
"But that kind of luck doesn't exist."
Inside Dormitory D, the atmosphere was no different.
Kai was pacing back and forth across the room like a detective solving a mystery.
"No, no, no," he muttered. "This doesn't make sense."
Ryu leaned back against his bed with his arms crossed.
"What doesn't make sense?"
Kai stopped and pointed directly at Leo.
"You!"
Leo looked up from the window where he had been quietly watching the evening sky.
"What about me?"
Kai walked closer.
"You dodged an A-rank monster."
"You predicted every attack."
"And then you knocked it out with one touch!"
He leaned forward.
"Explain."
Leo remained calm.
"I told you already."
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"You said you got lucky."
"Yes."
Kai stared at him for several seconds.
Then he turned toward Ryu.
"Do you believe that?"
Ryu shook his head immediately.
"No."
Milan adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly.
"That strike was too precise."
He looked at Leo carefully.
"You targeted a vital nerve cluster."
"That requires advanced anatomical knowledge."
Kai crossed his arms.
"So basically…"
"You're hiding something."
Leo did not respond.
Instead he looked back out the window.
The sky was slowly darkening as evening approached.
Inside his chest, the divine blood rested quietly once more.
The sleeping god had returned to silence.
But Leo could feel something else now.
A gaze.
Someone was watching him.
Not with suspicion.
But with curiosity.
---
Later that night, Leo left the dormitory building alone.
The academy grounds were quiet under the soft light of the moon. Tall towers cast long shadows across the empty training fields.
Most students were already asleep.
Leo walked slowly through the courtyard where the battle had taken place earlier that day.
The cracked ground had been repaired.
But the memory of the fight still lingered in the air.
He stopped near the center of the courtyard.
"You can come out," he said calmly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a soft voice answered from behind him.
"I wondered how long it would take you to notice."
Leo turned around.
Standing near the academy tower was Luna.
Her silver hair shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
Her violet eyes glowed softly as she walked toward him.
"You knew I was there," she said.
Leo nodded slightly.
"You weren't trying to hide."
Luna stopped a few steps away from him.
For a moment she simply studied his face.
"You're interesting," she said quietly.
Leo raised an eyebrow.
"How so?"
Luna folded her arms.
"During the entrance tests, your mana reading was almost zero."
"During training, you disabled a combat drone with perfect precision."
"Today you defeated an A-rank monster."
Her eyes glowed slightly brighter.
"And yet you still pretend to be ordinary."
Leo smiled faintly.
"Maybe I'm just lucky."
Luna shook her head.
"No."
She stepped closer.
"I can see things other people cannot."
Leo remained silent.
Luna's gaze locked onto his eyes.
"Every living being has an aura."
"Some are weak."
"Some are powerful."
"But yours…"
She paused.
"It's different."
Leo watched her calmly.
"How?"
Luna looked up at the night sky.
"It's like looking into deep space."
"Quiet."
"Endless."
"But hiding something enormous."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The wind moved softly through the courtyard.
Finally Leo asked quietly,
"So what do you plan to do with that information?"
Luna smiled slightly.
"Nothing."
Leo looked at her.
"Nothing?"
She nodded.
"I'm not interested in exposing secrets."
She looked directly into his eyes again.
"But I am interested in power."
Leo did not respond.
Luna's expression became serious.
"The monster today didn't attack randomly."
"I felt its intention."
"It came here searching for something."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And when it saw you…"
"It stopped searching."
Leo remained silent.
Inside his chest, the divine blood pulsed faintly.
Luna watched him carefully.
Then she smiled again.
"Don't worry."
"I won't tell anyone."
She turned and began walking away.
But after a few steps, she stopped.
Without turning back, she spoke softly.
"Just remember one thing, Leo."
"The world is changing."
"Monsters are getting stronger."
"Dungeons are becoming unstable."
"And if something truly powerful is awakening inside you…"
She glanced back over her shoulder.
"Then the world will eventually notice."
After that, Luna disappeared into the darkness.
Leo remained standing in the courtyard.
The moonlight reflected softly across the academy buildings.
Inside his chest, the ancient presence stirred once again.
The quiet voice spoke in his mind.
"She sees more than the others."
Leo exhaled slowly.
"Yes."
But for now, the secret remained safe.
Far beyond the academy walls, deep within a dark forest filled with monstrous creatures, something ancient began to move.
A powerful entity slowly opened its glowing eyes.
The ripple of divine energy from the earlier battle had reached far across the world.
And now…
Something powerful had begun searching for its source.