---
The air buzzed with pride and future.
The Graduation Ceremony of Von Advocate al Mi was a grand event—rows of well-dressed students seated in formation, banners of each academic division fluttering across the stone courtyards.
Ryu stood tall in the crowd, Mina seated in a special guest section with other family members. Reina stood nearby, her ceremonial uniform neat and regal, golden badge pinned over her chest.
Instructors watched from the elevated platform, and the Headmaster, Eldros Murthane, a renowned 7th Stage Mob, gave his final speech.
"You are no longer students," his voice echoed through the wide field.
"You are warriors of the world. Go with strength—not for glory, but survival."
Applause.
Smiles. Tears. Students shouting each other's names in celebration.
That moment lasted less than a minute before the sky shattered.
---
CRACK.
A deep rupture split through the air—like a god tearing the world open.
Everyone turned. Some flinched. Some screamed.
From a jagged rift in the northern sky, a monstrous figure emerged—covered in blood-colored scales, each larger than a man's torso.
Ten legs. Four eyes. A massive abyssal mouth opening along its chest.
A World-Class Monster.
Known only in written records.
"Regional Devourer."
---
Panic Ensued.
The outer defensive formations shattered in seconds.
The monster landed in the northern training field. In a blink, its void scream collapsed two dormitory buildings.
More than 2,000 students were dead before anyone could react.
Ryu's blood ran cold.
"MINA!" he screamed, already darting toward her section, pushing past hundreds of running bodies.
His body moved on instinct, faster than ever. Flash Step activated automatically. In a heartbeat, he reached her—she was protecting a wounded classmate with a weak barrier.
"Big brother!" she cried out.
He grabbed her, pulled her out, just as the monster launched another wave of corrupting energy.
---
Instructors mobilized.
Instructor Zacov led a counter-formation of 5th and 6th Stage Mobs, striking its underbelly with advanced energy spears. The monster roared in fury and responded by sweeping its tendrils like whips—three instructors died on the spot.
All around the campus, buildings collapsed.
Students were being turned to dust by aura pressure alone.
The Headmaster appeared high above in the sky, shouting an order.
"Evacuate survivors. I will hold it back!"
His energy surged like a black star. He cast a Forbidden Seal Technique, halting the monster's movement for 14 seconds. That alone saved hundreds of lives.
Ryu, along with Reina and five other surviving elites, formed a temporary defense group. They guarded the main evacuation tunnel with all they had—Ryu's sword now glowing with raw force, as he cut down corrupted creatures that crawled from the beast's body.
---
It lasted over 40 minutes.
By the time dozens of 6th Stage Mob Soldiers from the Eastern Military Guilds arrived, nearly everything was in ruins.
They attacked with full might. Combined tactics, spatial locks, bombardment arrays, and sacrificial burst runes.
Finally, the monster—bleeding, broken, but still snarling—was struck down.
Its remains vanished into a pool of black mist, dissolving into the air.
---
Aftermath
The once-proud school was now a scorched graveyard.
Out of over 10,000 students, only 2,000 survived.
Out of 29 instructors, 14 were dead, including Zacov—Ryu's instructor.
The Headmaster, after giving his final commands, fell unconscious—his body covered in irreversible energy burn. He had used a life-shortening technique to land the finishing blow.
---
Ryu stood still for a long time.
His robes were stained with blood. His right arm trembled, not from fear—but from how close it was to losing everything.
Mina sat next to him, face buried in his shoulder, crying silently.
She had survived—but barely.
Reina limped over, her right leg bandaged hastily. She nodded at Ryu. "We're alive. That's… enough for today."
Ryu didn't reply. He just looked over the ruined field.
He never wanted anything big in life.
He only wanted peace.
But this world…
It never let people like him stay peaceful.
---
To be continued..