The courtyard shook.
A deep, metal-twisting roar tore through the Academy grounds, and the gate—thick reinforced iron—warped outward as if something inside had slammed it with molten fists.
Students jumped back in panic. Instructors rushed to form defensive lines, though none dared step too close.
Aren froze.
The gate bent again—this time snapping off its hinges and crashing across the courtyard.
Heat rushed out like a furnace opening.
A creature stepped through the smoke.
Black fur cracked with molten red lines.
Eyes burning like volcanic embers.
Breath hissing from between glowing teeth.
A demonhound.
A real demon.
Inside the Academy.
Aren's pulse stopped for a moment.
[Demon Detected: Demonhound — C Rank — Level 15]
Around him, chaos erupted.
"Evacuate the students!"
"Move! Keep distance!"
"How did a demon break through?!"
Nobody had an answer.
Nobody had time to think.
Aren didn't move.
The demonhound's eyes snapped toward him.
But it wasn't targeting him specifically.
It was simply the closest living thing standing still.
Bad luck.
Terrible, deadly, perfect bad luck.
The demonhound crouched.
Aren's muscles tightened.
It lunged.
A blur of molten claws swiped across the courtyard. Aren dove aside, rolling as heat scorched the air behind him.
The ground where he had stood exploded.
Stone shattered outward, glowing red from the demon's temperature.
Aren came up in a crouch, bow already raised.
He fired.
The arrow curved midair, bending toward the demon's ribs—
The demon twisted, dodging with unnatural precision. The arrow grazed molten fur and vanished into smoke.
Aren narrowed his eyes.
It's too fast.
The demonhound sprinted forward and swiped again. Aren jumped back, but the claws clipped his shoulder, burning instantly through fabric and skin.
He hissed but didn't falter.
The demon inhaled sharply, jaw glowing, and lunged again—
Aren rolled under it, firing upward.
The arrow struck the demon's jaw, snapping its head sideways.
It roared, slamming into a stone pillar and cracking it in half.
Aren pushed off the ground, breathing hard. His burns throbbed. His arm felt heavy.
If I slow down, I die.
The demonhound lunged again.
Aren sprinted toward broken training structures, forcing distance and forcing the demon to angle its chase. He vaulted over a fallen stone slab. The demon smashed through it a heartbeat later.
Aren spun midair and fired.
This arrow dropped low, then bent sharply upward.
It pierced the demon's foreleg.
Molten blood splattered the stone.
The demon stumbled.
Aren landed hard, rolling once before pushing back to his feet.
His breathing grew rough. Heat scorched his lungs. Pain bit into every movement.
But he didn't stop.
The demonhound circled him, fury burning in its molten cracks. Its breathing grew harsher, more unstable. It pawed at the ground, leaving glowing crater marks.
Aren steadied his hand.
He only had to survive.
Not overpower it—just survive long enough.
The demon leapt—
Its speed doubled suddenly.
Aren ducked, but too late.
A claw slashed across his ribs, burning a deep line into his side.
His vision blurred.
He stumbled.
The demon pounced for the kill.
Aren didn't think.
He reacted.
He dropped flat, rolled under its belly, and fired directly upward. The arrow tore into the demon's abdomen, snapping its momentum for a heartbeat.
Aren pushed off the ground, panting, pain flashing across his torso.
The demon staggered—then roared, molten blood dripping heavily.
Its movements slowed.
Aren lifted his bow for the final shot.
The demonhound lunged again, slower but still deadly.
Aren stepped back—
fired—
and the arrow twisted the air.
It vanished.
Reappeared inside the demon's chest.
A burst of molten blood erupted as the arrow tore through its heart.
The demonhound stumbled two steps.
Collapsed.
And didn't rise.
Silence fell across the courtyard.
Aren stood trembling, bow lowered, chest heaving. His burns stung, blood dripped from his cheek, and his ribs ached with every breath.
Then—
[Demon Defeated — C Rank]
[Level Up!]
[Level 5 → Level 6]
[Free Stat Points +5]
Warmth spread through his limbs—strength returning, pain dulling.
He didn't even get to process it before slow footsteps echoed across the courtyard.
Kane walked through the dust and smoke, calm as if the chaos hadn't touched him.
He approached the demon's corpse, crouched slightly, and examined the melted wounds.
He didn't speak for a long moment.
Then he straightened and looked at Aren.
"You shouldn't be fighting C-rank demons at your age," Kane said quietly.
Aren wiped blood from his chin. "I… didn't have a choice."
Kane scanned the courtyard, the collapsed gate, the terrified students, the melted stone.
"This wasn't planned," Kane said. "Something forced a breach."
He looked Aren in the eyes.
"Today was nothing but bad luck."
Aren nodded weakly.
But Kane wasn't finished.
He stared at the demon's corpse again.
"And yet…" Kane murmured, "you still killed it."
Aren didn't know what that meant.
But Kane did.
He turned away, his voice low:
"This world is changing, Aren. And you're standing at the edge of it."