Chapter 10: Demonic Beast

The valley fell into complete silence. Even the wind seemed to have stopped.

Kael never took his eyes off the collapsed cave. The vibrations beneath his feet continued, each tremor stronger than the last. Small pebbles rolled down the pile of rubble, bouncing against one another before disappearing into the cracks between the stones.

Dust drifted slowly through the air.

Nobody spoke.

Elias swallowed hard.

"...Kael."

His voice was unusually quiet.

"Tell me that’s normal."

Kael stared at the collapsed entrance for another moment before answering honestly.

"It isn’t."

His response immediately made everyone tense.

Darius stepped in front of the group, gripping his greatsword with both hands. His eyes remained fixed on the rubble, his stance ready for anything that might emerge from the darkness.

"If it’s not part of the exercise..."

His expression hardened.

"Then we retreat."

Kael nodded.

Normally, that would have been the correct decision.

They were students participating in a simulation of wilderness survival examination. They were not supposed to investigate unknown phenomena or fight creatures that were beyond the scope of their training.

However...

Something bothered Kael.

Professor Magnus had not appeared.

If the instructors had noticed something abnormal, they should have already teleported everyone out of the training ground. Astral Dominion Academy possessed emergency teleportation formations specifically for situations like this. The instructors had repeatedly warned the students that, regardless of how dangerous an examination became, they could be extracted within seconds.

Yet nothing had happened.

Kael slowly looked toward the sky. The enormous magical barrier surrounding the training grounds shimmered faintly above them.

"It hasn’t been activated..."

Darius followed his gaze.

"What does that mean?"

"It means something is wrong."

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"Either the instructors haven’t realized what’s happening..."

He paused.

"Or something is interfering with the barrier."

Neither possibility was reassuring.

Crack.

A deep fracture suddenly spread through the mountain of rubble.

Everyone flinched.

Another crack followed.

The sound echoed throughout the valley like the groaning of a wounded beast. A faint light began leaking from between the stones. It wasn’t the crimson aura typically associated with monsters.

Nor was it the silver glow of Hero Core magic.

This light was different.

Dark and oppressive. It seemed to carry a strange pressure that made the air itself feel heavier.

Kael instinctively held his breath. He wracked his brain. But no matter how he tried to remember, no such event happened in the game.

A wave of invisible energy washed across the valley. For a brief moment, his entire body became tense.

A nearby tree suddenly withered. Its leaves turned brown before falling to the ground. The fresh green grass surrounding its roots rapidly lost its color. Even the scattered bones outside the cave began to tremble before quietly dissolving into tiny particles of light.

Elias stared at the scene in disbelief.

"This isn’t right."

Kael had no answer.

His eyes remained fixed on the cave.

Something was inside. And whatever it was, surely not ordinary.

High above the valley, inside the observation chamber, warning alarms blared continuously. Red magical symbols floated throughout the enormous room. Several professors frantically operated crystal devices while others attempted to stabilize the observation formations.

"Demonic energy readings continue rising!"

"The containment barrier isn’t responding!"

"Why can’t we teleport the students?"

"I’m trying!"

Another instructor slammed both hands against a control panel.

"It’s useless! The spatial field is unstable!"

A nearby crystal suddenly cracked.

The professor operating it immediately stepped backward.

"Spatial distortion is spreading across the entire sector!"

The room descended into chaos. Normally, the instructors would have been able to end the examination instantly. One command would activate the emergency formations. A second later, every student would be safely transported outside the training ground.

But this time, the formations weren’t responding.

Professor Magnus stood silently before the main observation crystal. The image displayed Team Thirty-Seven standing before the collapsed cave.

All four students were dangerously close to whatever it was in the cave.

Magnus’s expression became grim.

"...They’re too close."

One elderly professor hurried toward him.

"Commander."

Magnus didn’t look away from the crystal.

"Report."

"We’ve confirmed that something inside the cave is producing a massive concentration of demonic energy. However, the readings don’t match any known monster recorded in our database."

"Estimated rank?"

The elderly professor hesitated.

"We can’t determine it."

Magnus finally turned toward him.

"You can’t determine it?"

"The energy readings are fluctuating too rapidly. One moment, the output resembles a low-rank creature. The next..."

He glanced at the crystal.

"It exceeds the detection limit of the observation formation."

Several professors exchanged uneasy looks.

Magnus’s expression darkened.

"Can we force our way inside?"

"If we shatter the barrier while spatial interference is active..."

"The students may be torn apart during teleportation."

The room became deathly quiet.

Nobody spoke.

For the first time in years, Astral Dominion Academy had lost control of one of its own examinations.

Magnus clenched his fist.

"Keep trying."

"Yes, Commander."

"Find another way to establish a connection with the students."

"We’ll do everything we can."

Magnus returned his attention to the crystal.

His eyes narrowed and teeth clenched.

...

Back in the valley, the dark light intensified. The ground shook violently.

Boom!

The rubble exploded outward.

Massive boulders were launched across the valley, crashing into the ground with enough force to create small craters.

"Move!"

Darius immediately stepped in front to shield Mira. Elias threw himself behind a fallen tree. Kael raised one arm to protect his face from the storm of dust.

The valley disappeared beneath a thick cloud. For several seconds, nobody could see anything. Then the dust slowly began to settle.

Kael lowered his arm.

Everyone froze.

Something was standing inside the ruined cave entrance. Tension immediately rose to an alarming level.

Darius tightened his grip around his greatsword.

Mira’s face became pale.

Elias slowly peeked from behind the fallen tree.

Kael narrowed his eyes. A thin, needle-like leg emerged from the darkness. Then another thin leg, and another.

The creature slowly stepped out of the cave. Kael prepared himself for an attack. But the moment he saw its appearance, his expression completely changed.

"...Quinn?"

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" Darius asked.

Kael didn’t answer. He was too surprised. The creature continued crawling forward. It was a demonic beast.

At first glance, it resembled a big spider. Its body was covered in smooth white fur-like plating, while several bright blue markings decorated its legs and abdomen. Unlike most demonic creatures described in books, however, it didn’t look particularly threatening.

In fact...

It looked strangely cute.

Its eight legs were thin but surprisingly sturdy, and its large eyes reflected the surrounding light with an almost innocent appearance. The ominous aura that had filled the valley only moments ago was completely gone.

The creature looked around. When its eyes landed on Kael, it tilted its head.

"Qiu?"

Kael’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The creature seemed equally confused. Then, suddenly, its expression brightened.

"Qiu!"

It happily dropped the object it had been dragging behind it.

Everyone stared at the object. It was a sack-shaped web. Something seemed to be inside it.

Darius immediately raised his sword.

"Kael..."

"I see it."

"Is that thing hostile?"

Kael didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure. The creature suddenly began approaching them step by step. Its legs tapped against the ground as it moved.

Darius’s muscles tensed. Mira quietly prepared her magic. Elias held his breath. But the creature didn’t attack.

Instead, it walked directly toward Kael. It stopped in front of him. For a few seconds, the creature simply stared.

Then...

"Qiu!"

It suddenly jumped.

Kael barely had time to react before the small demonic beast landed directly on top of his head.

Silence.

Absolute silence descended.

Everyone stared in shock.

Kael stood completely still.

The creature settled comfortably on his head, its legs wrapping loosely around his hair.

"Qiu."

It sounded incredibly pleased with itself as if it finally found its most comfortable place.

Kael suddenly felt nostalgic.

Elias’s mouth slowly opened. Darius lowered his greatsword. Mira blinked several times. Nobody seemed capable of understanding what had just happened.

Finally, Elias pointed at the creature.

"Did..."

He paused.

"Did that monster just climb onto your head?"

Kael slowly looked upward, although he obviously couldn’t see the creature sitting on top of him.

"I think so."

"Why?"

"I don’t know."

The creature happily rubbed its face against Kael’s hair.

"Qiu! Qiu!"

Kael sighed.

"This is getting strange."

Darius approached cautiously.

"Is it really a demonic beast?"

Kael glanced at him.

"It certainly looks like one."

"Then why isn’t it attacking us?"

"That is what I’d like to know."

Mira stared at the creature with curiosity.

"Maybe it knows him?"

Kael frowned but didn’t say anything against it.

How would he explain that he had a pet similar to this in the game?