The claw did not stop.
It kept rising.
Stone cracked around it as something massive forced its way upward through the broken seal. The courtyard was not large enough to contain whatever was trying to emerge.
Cadet 317 took one step back.
Then another.
"Alright," he said calmly, "I would like to formally withdraw from this situation."
The female lead did not move.
The male lead stepped forward instead.
Of course he did.
The aura around him tightened, pressure building in the air like a storm that had decided it was tired of waiting.
"Everyone back," the male lead said.
This time, people listened.
Instructors pulled students away from the courtyard. Barrier circles ignited again, forming layers of golden light around the fracture.
The claw slammed against the barrier.
The entire courtyard shook.
Cadet 317 stared at it.
The surface of the claw was not normal. It looked like stone fused with flesh, veins of dark energy pulsing beneath it.
"That is definitely not a training monster," he muttered.
The female lead stepped beside the male lead.
"What is it?" she asked.
Cadet 317 answered without hesitation.
"Gate guardian."
The male lead did not look away.
"Explain."
"It guards the first descent level," Cadet 317 said. "It should only appear after the dungeon is opened."
The female lead frowned.
"The dungeon is not open."
"Exactly."
The claw pushed harder.
One of the barrier layers shattered instantly.
The instructors shouted.
"Reinforce!"
More circles lit up across the courtyard.
The male lead moved.
His wooden sword cut through the air, aura flaring along its edge. The strike landed directly on the claw.
A sharp impact echoed.
For a moment, the claw stopped.
Then it twitched.
And pushed forward again.
The male lead slid back half a step.
Not injured.
But forced.
Cadet 317 raised an eyebrow.
"That is not encouraging."
The female lead stepped forward.
Her movements were precise. Fast. Controlled.
She aimed at a joint in the claw and struck.
A crack appeared.
Dark energy leaked out.
The claw recoiled slightly.
"That worked," Cadet 317 said.
"For now," she replied.
The claw slammed down again.
Two barrier layers shattered.
The ground split wider.
More of the creature emerged.
A second claw.
Then part of an arm.
The courtyard floor buckled under its weight.
Cadet 317 stared at it.
"That is not right."
The male lead asked,
"What do you mean?"
"The guardian is smaller," Cadet 317 said.
The female lead's expression tightened.
"So what is this?"
Cadet 317 swallowed.
"Something that was not supposed to wake up yet."
The system flickered.
Entity classification updating
Threat level exceeding expected parameters
"That is a terrible update," he muttered.
The instructors were struggling.
Barrier formations broke faster than they could rebuild them.
The creature continued pushing upward.
The male lead tightened his grip.
"We cannot let it fully emerge."
The female lead nodded.
"Agreed."
Both stepped forward.
Cadet 317 watched them.
Then sighed.
"Yes. Of course. The strong people go first."
He looked at the nearest exit.
Then back at the creature.
Then back at them.
"...This is how I die again."
He stepped forward anyway.
"Listen," he said quickly.
Both of them glanced at him.
"It reacts to force," he continued.
"The more pressure you apply, the more it pushes back."
The male lead frowned.
"So we stop attacking?"
"No."
Cadet 317 shook his head.
"You attack smarter."
The female lead narrowed her eyes.
"Explain."
He pointed at the arm.
"There are nodes. Points where energy flows."
"If you hit those, it destabilizes."
The male lead nodded.
"Show us."
Cadet 317 stared at the massive creature.
"That is a very dangerous request."
The claw slammed down again.
Another barrier shattered.
There was no time.
He pointed.
"There. Inner joint."
The male lead moved instantly.
His strike landed exactly where indicated.
This time, the effect was immediate.
The arm twisted violently.
A deep roar echoed.
The female lead followed.
Her blade struck another point.
Cracks spread across the surface.
For a moment...
It stopped.
Cadet 317 exhaled.
"That worked."
Then the cracks stopped.
Dark energy surged.
The damage began repairing.
Quickly.
Cadet 317's expression dropped.
"Oh no."
The male lead stepped back.
"It is regenerating."
The female lead tightened her grip.
"Faster than before."
The creature's arm fully emerged.
Then its shoulder.
Then part of its torso.
It was enormous.
Too large.
Too powerful.
The system flashed again.
Critical warning
Entity adapting to attack patterns
Cadet 317 stared at it.
"That is new."
The male lead asked,
"What now?"
Cadet 317 answered honestly.
"We run."
Neither moved.
He sighed.
"Yes. Of course you do not run."
The creature's second arm slammed into the courtyard.
The ground collapsed further.
The seal beneath them shattered completely.
A massive hole opened.
Darkness spread outward.
Something deeper moved beneath.
Something larger.
Cadet 317 slowly looked down into the opening.
Then back at the creature.
Then at the two of them.
"...That is not the boss," he said quietly.
They both looked at him.
He pointed into the darkness.
"That is just the door."
From far below the academy...
Something shifted.
Then something else answered.
And for the first time...
The darkness looked back.