In the academy—
"Ugh, why is my house so far away?!" Yin Fang grumbled in his heart, dragging his feet after hours of walking just to reach the school gates.
"Please enter your ID," a robotic voice instructed as he stepped forward.
Yin Fang sighed, pulled out his token, and placed it into the scanning slot.
"ID confirmed. Please wait."
The machine beeped once more before continuing.
"Name: Yin Fang. Class: Special. Please head to the Special Class with your schedule."
A slip of paper slid out. Yin Fang stared at it blankly. Around him, students gasped and whispered. His own eyes widened in disbelief.
A Special Class.
Everyone in the academy knew what that meant. The strongest of the batch. The elites among elites. Even being near one was like touching the sky.
"A-Alright…" Yin Fang mumbled, snatched the paper, and bolted toward the classrooms, desperate to avoid the stares burning into his back.
Inside the classroom—
"Finally! I made it!" Yin Fang threw the door open.
"Huh. You're late," a voice came from the shadows of the doorway.
"DUDE! Don't stand there like that! I nearly punched you thinking you were some kind of stalker!" Yin Fang yelped, clutching his chest.
"Y-You!" The guy's face twisted with rage.
"Hahaha, not bad! And honestly, he does look like one!" a burly man from the front row laughed.
"Shut it, Yan Feng!" the shadowy guy snapped.
"Liu Yan, maybe change your gloomy appearance? Or don't. Actually, keep it. You'll keep scaring newbies!" Yan Feng roared with laughter.
"Both of you, be quiet already!" a girl's voice snapped from the corner.
Yin Fang blinked. "Why is everyone obsessed with standing by doors? Is it, like, the cool thing here?"
"Hah! No. That's the exit door," the girl replied with a smirk. "But we can't blame you. You're a newbie."
"Wait, did you fail the last class?" Yin Fang asked, completely serious.
The room erupted with laughter.
"This guy's hilarious! I like him!" Yan Feng slapped his thigh.
"Finally, someone who dares joke around here!" even gloomy Liu Yan cracked a grin.
"Y-You, fight me!" the door-girl shouted, red with anger.
"You two, shut up!" Another girl's cold voice cut through the noise.
Silence fell instantly.
She stood tall, her eyes sharp. "I am Yi Ling. Beast: One-Horned Winged Horse."
"…Huh? Can't you just say unicorn?" Yin Fang tilted his head.
Yan Feng nearly choked laughing. "See? Even he agrees! She's just embarrassed her beast has a lame name!"
Yi Ling's lips twitched. "What about you, then?"
"Caterpillar," Yin Fang replied with a calm smile.
The class froze.
"…Seriously?!" the angry door-girl was stunned.
Yan Feng slammed the desk. "Damn, how trash are those people who lost to a caterpillar?!" He burst out laughing again.
"You wanna fight?" Yi Ling narrowed her eyes.
"Why?" Yin Fang blinked.
"I want to see how strong your caterpillar is. I heard you fought the Ruo family's son—the one with the Golden Striped Leopard."
Gasps echoed around the room.
"You mean that musclehead? Yeah, I fought him. Couldn't even give orders properly. Slipped in his own web trap," Yin Fang shrugged.
"No wonder," Yi Ling muttered, disappointed. Then her smirk returned. "Let's test your skills. This room has an isolated battle zone." She pressed a red button.
"Beep. Teleport initiated."
In a flash, the classroom blurred.
"Unicorn, Dash!" Yi Ling ordered.
The unicorn roared, wings flaring as it charged.
"Dodge and spit webs!" Yin Fang commanded calmly.
The caterpillar slid aside, silk shooting out like ropes. The unicorn tripped and tumbled.
"Get up!" Yi Ling barked.
But before it could rise, silk bound its legs.
"What the—how strong is that?!" Liu Yan's jaw dropped.
"Normal silk's as strong as steel. This is like tempered steel! No wonder a five-star beast can't break it!" Yan Feng exclaimed.
"Ree!" The unicorn screeched, spreading its wings. With brute force, it tore free and lunged again.
"Oh no, it's out of control!" Yi Ling's face paled.
"Silent Web Series! Web Spitting, Web Assault—bind its legs!" Yin Fang's voice sharpened.
"Chi!" The caterpillar squeaked and vanished.
"IT DISAPPEARED?!" Liu Yan's eyes bulged.
"A movement skill? A caterpillar with that? That's terrifying!" Even Yan Feng shuddered.
The unicorn crashed headlong into a boulder, stunned. By the time it staggered up, its legs were bound again.
"Now!" Yin Fang called.
The caterpillar struck with a sharp jab. The unicorn screamed, then collapsed unconscious, a deep wound in its leg.
Yi Ling rushed over—then sighed in relief. The wound wasn't life-threatening.
"Sorry for hurting your unicorn." Yin Fang scratched his head awkwardly.
"It's fine. It was out of control anyway," Yi Ling said, calmer now.
"…Wait. Your caterpillar has both movement and attack skills?"
"Yeah," Yin Fang nodded simply.
The class erupted again.
"No wonder! A once-in-a-millennium genius!" Yan Feng laughed.
"Guess even Liu Ling will shut up after this," Yi Ling smirked at the angry girl.
"Umm… sorry about earlier," Liu Ling mumbled shyly.
"…Who are you again?" Yin Fang tilted his head.
"Y-YOU! I'M LIU LING!" she blurted, face red.
The class roared with laughter.
Yan Feng leaned closer. "Hey, you don't look so good. Dark circles, man."
"Yeah… too much training with my pet. Energy drains fast, and sleep doesn't help much," Yin Fang admitted.
"Go to Liu Laboratory. My family runs it. I'll give you fifty percent off energy materials. But—help my family when we need you. Deal?" Liu Yan offered his hand.
"Deal!" Yin Fang grinned, shaking it.