The same snake beast that once bore a hole in its body had regenerated, now surrounded by an eerie green glow as it amassed greater power. Ren rushed forward toward Run, who stood exhausted from battling the red beast while trying to assist Leon. Distracted and drained, Run failed to notice the impending attack. The snake beast lunged forward, diving down and sinking its fangs into Run's arm. He jolted backward, pain searing through his limb as he retreated, but the creature refused to grant him escape. It charged again with full velocity, continuing its ferocious assault upon Run's body until bites littered his feet, arms, and even his chest.
"Soul Step," Solar whispered within Ryan's mind.
"Yeah, but Soul Step only lasts ten seconds. What am I supposed to accomplish in that time?" Ren questioned, desperation edging his voice.
"Well, for one, it gives you a chance to level up the skill—the more you use it, the easier it becomes to advance. Plus, you might save your life while you're at it," Solar interjected with pragmatic urgency.
"I guess you're right," Ren conceded as the snake beast rushed forward. He activated Soul Step just as the beast attempted to bite him, its fangs merely passing through his temporarily ethereal form. For ten precious seconds, he remained untouchable—until disaster struck.
While the snake was halfway through Ren's body, the Soul Step abruptly deactivated. The beast was instantly sliced in half, but Ren's internal organs suffered severe damage. Snake flesh and skin—likely poisonous—lodged inside his body, the true source of his pain in previous fights.
He collapsed backward, his body convulsing with agony as pain shot through his insides, his organs bearing the brunt of the unintentional attack. Blood spilled from his mouth as he lay trembling on the ground.
"Condition critical. Your body will heal," announced a system message.
"Thank God," Ren gasped between bloody coughs. "I feel like I'm dying—like my insides are about to explode." His body gradually began healing itself, mending the damaged organs within.
Sighing from exhaustion and severe fatigue, he struggled to his feet and retreated to a corner of the courtyard. Rest became imperative—without it, death from exhaustion seemed certain, or worse, his slowed reflexes would leave him vulnerable to a fatal attack.
Suddenly, a shadow emerged from the ground, expanding as a figure materialized from it—Rex. He surveyed Ren before turning his gaze to the other beasts, Leon, and everyone else present. A sinister smile crossed his face as he extended his shadow, absorbing all nearby creatures. The shadow strategically avoided people standing near the beasts, instead enveloping every monster—the snake beast that attacked Ren, the red beasts that assaulted Leon, and countless wolf and spider beasts. As the shadow dissipated, the creatures emerged transformed, their eyes sunken into void-like hollows, their attacks now shadowy, their skin pitch black.
Ren smiled grimly as chaos erupted—students versus shadow beasts.
Rex soon vanished into the shadows, reappearing in a cell within the north wing. "This," he smiled darkly, "this is your downfall, Ren. All these students you might care about—even if it's just one—all of them will die. And if you think that's the end, you're mistaken. I was wrongfully accused, wrongfully taken, while you sat there, relieved it wasn't you instead. You make my heart boil, my blood burn with rage toward you. I hate you and everyone connected to you. Those students are learning a valuable lesson—stay away from you, because anyone near you dies. You'll become a curse to this school, a plague. This is your punishment, what you deserve. And when that's done, I'll hunt you down. If you have loved ones, I'll murder them before your eyes—your family, your friends. Finally, I'll subject you to the same cell I endured, with merely two meals of white rice daily. You'll experience the same torture I suffered. Only when your sanity breaks completely will I consider killing you—no, I won't even grant that mercy. No one relieved my suffering, so I won't relieve yours. I'll leave you alive to perish from disease or old age. I'm finished playing games, Ren. I'm done."
Inside the courtyard, panic spread like wildfire. The beasts, already formidable with their magical powers, had transformed into shadow creatures, their skin tainted pitch black with occasional red patches. They moved faster and struck harder than before.
Ren stood paralyzed with shock. He recognized Rex immediately—the boy who had sat beside him during the East Wing killer investigation. Now he needed to watch his back, to formulate a plan, knowing he would be hunted. Little did he realize that Rex harbored more elaborate schemes—he intended to destroy Ren's life completely.