The next mo torning, Josh and Kaen prepared for school. This time, they used the Magic Carters—luxurious enchanted vehicles reserved for the elite. Kaen looked extra excited, already chatting away as they sped through the bustling streets toward the academy.
Upon arriving, they made their way to class—but halfway there, they saw a familiar scene.
A Tier 2 student—tall, light-skinned, and cocky—was bullying a helpless Tier 4, shoving him against the wall with brutal force.
Josh clenched his fists.
"Hey! Stop that!" he shouted, storming over.
Kaen froze. "No, Josh—don't... please don't—"
But Josh ignored him.
As he marched forward, he whispered to the system,
"Activate Fogbeast Scale Armor."
> System Response:
Fogbeast Armor initiated.
Directive: Neutralize Threat
Threat Level: Tier 3 Detected.
The Tier 2 bully scowled, irritated by the interruption. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"
In a flash, the bully dashed forward and struck Josh square in the chest—but Josh didn't budge. Instead, the force bounced back, sending the bully skidding across the hallway floor.
Gasps echoed from the growing crowd.
Enraged, the bully leapt up and pulled out his wand.
"Gravity Bind!"
A heavy pressure slammed down on Josh like an invisible hammer, pinning him to the floor.
> System Alert:
Damage Registered: 2%
Do you wish to summon Blightfall?
"Yes." Josh growled through his teeth.
The Blightfall sword erupted from a swirling void, releasing a surge of purple energy that blasted away the gravitational field—and hurled the bully into the stone wall.
Kaen watched from the side, stunned.
Josh lowered the sword and said, "Send it back."
> Blightfall returned to inventory.
But Josh wasn't done.
"Activate... Soul-Fist."
(The same skill he used to defeat the fog beast.)
> System Activated:
Soul-Fist Deployed.
Josh's fist, glowing with the lingering energy of the Fogbeast, collided with the bully's chest, sending him crashing into a wall with a loud, echoing thud. Gasps exploded around the courtyard as students rushed to see what had happened.
The system popped another message.
> System Alert:
Victory Registered.
Threat Neutralized.
Tier 3 defeated.
Josh let out a breath, sweat dripping from his brow. He turned, expecting to see Kaen's proud smile—but instead, Kaen's face was twisted in shock… and fury.
"What the hell was that!?" Kaen snapped, grabbing Josh by the arm and dragging him away from the crowd. "Are you trying to get expelled? Or worse—killed?"
Josh blinked, stunned. "He was hurting someone. What was I supposed to do—just watch?"
"You don't get it!" Kaen hissed, eyes darting around. "That guy's part of the Dominion Circle. Their parents fund half this school. You don't just fight people like him!"
Josh clenched his fists. "So we just let them walk all over us?"
Kaen shook his head, frustration bubbling. "This isn't a fair world, Josh. Power means everything here. And if you're not careful, it won't matter how strong you are—because you'll have no place left to stand.".
Kaen clenched Josh's arm. "You don't get it, do you?! That guy was Tier 2! His family's part of the Dominion Circle—people disappear for less than what you just did!"
Josh pulled his arm away, eyes burning. "So what? So I should just bow down because of some power structure? Let people suffer because it's safer to do nothing?"
"That's reality, Josh! You don't fight unless you're sure you can win. Unless you have backup. That's how you survive here!"
Josh stepped forward, voice rising. "Then what's the point of power if it can't protect the weak? You run from every fight like a coward!"
Kaen's expression froze.
"Oh really?" he said, voice trembling with rising heat. "If you're so strong, why couldn't you protect your own village?"
The words struck like a knife. Josh's fist clenched before he could stop himself—and crack—he swung.
Kaen stumbled back, holding his cheek. His eyes widened—not from the pain, but from the shock.
They both stood silent for a moment.
Josh looked away, breathing hard. "Forget it."
Kaen didn't respond.
Neither said another word as they turned and walked in opposite directions—each swallowed by the crowd, the tension between them left unresolved.
Days passed.
Josh and Kaen attended classes, sat in the same room, but never spoke a word to each other. The air between them was heavy—thick with unspoken pain and pride.
Josh is in the library when a deafening alarm rang through the school halls. Reports flooded in—monsters had breached the outer barrier.
An invasion.
The Rank S students were deployed immediately. Explosions, battle cries, and spellfire echoed through the sky above the academy. But despite their efforts, some monsters made it through.
Josh was in the library when the chaos started.
He stepped out, hearing distant screams and shouts. Before he could react, a monster leapt from behind a shattered pillar—its eyes wild, claws raised.
Josh's instincts kicked in.
Time slowed. His body moved before thought could catch up.
Fogbeast Armor: Activated.
Soul Fist: Engaged.
A glowing, purple light surged through his fist as he punched the monster in midair, sending it crashing through the marble wall.
> System Notification:
Level Up Achieved.
Multiple Threats Detected.
Tier 3 and Tier 4 enemy presence confirmed.
Battle Mode: Enabled.
Do you wish to summon Blightfall?
Josh hesitated.
"No," he muttered. "Not yet."
His fists ignited with Level 2 Fire Power as he charged toward the sound of chaos—his heart racing.
Kaen...
He was out there. Alone. Probably scared. Probably surrounded.
Josh dashed down the hallway—only to be met by a swarm of snarling monsters.
"System," he whispered, "release Blightfall."
> Warning: Activating Blightfall will consume a large amount of magic core energy.
Do you still wish to proceed?
Josh gritted his teeth. "Do it. Kaen's in danger."
> Blightfall Activated.
The legendary sword erupted from a glowing rift, cloaked in violent purple flames. Josh gripped the hilt tightly. His eyes narrowed. His body shifted into stance.
The monsters charged.
In one blink, Josh vanished—and reappeared at the end of the hallway.
All the monsters collapsed behind him, sliced clean through.
> System Update:
Level Up Achieved.
New Sword Skill Unlocked: Voidstep – Move so fast the enemy never sees the strike.
Josh didn't waste time. He ran.
---
Meanwhile…
Kaen gasped for air as he darted through the burning corridors. A swarm of beasts chased him. He turned and blasted them with fire—Level 1... then Level 2, but they kept coming.
They cornered him. Dozens of claws ready to strike.
"Not here..." he whispered. "Not like this..."
Just as the monsters leapt—
Josh crashed through the flames.
> System Update:
Level 3 Fire Unlocked.
Josh unleashed a stream of hot flame that scorched through the monsters—but they weren't fully defeated.
He raised Blightfall, its aura humming with power.
"Soul Slash."
One swing.
All the monsters disintegrated.
Ash filled the air.
Silence returned.
Kaen sat against the wall, panting.
Josh stood over him—breathing hard, eyes burning.
Neither spoke.
The fire still flickered in the background, but between them...
only silence.
Josh continued through the ruined halls of the school, saving student after student from scattered monsters. With each battle, his strength and speed grew. His body moved like a blur, and his sword, Blightfall, became an extension of his will.
Then he saw it—
The bully from earlier, the Tier 2 student who once mocked him, was backed into a corner. A monstrous creature lunged to devour him.
Without hesitation, Josh leapt forward, slicing the beast clean in half with a single, precise swing.
The crowd of students watching couldn't believe it—
Josh's speed had increased to the point it nearly resembled light itself.
But just as the last of the monsters were defeated and silence fell…
A dark and overwhelming presence swept across the school like a wave of dread.
From a rupture in the air itself, a monstrous creature appeared—its sheer aura crushing enough to make even the elite Tier 1 students freeze in fear.
The system popped:
> ⚠ Threat Detected
Demon Beast Class
Tier: Rank S
Josh stepped forward—his face calm, determined.
Unexpectedly, Kaen stepped beside him, sword in hand.
"I'm done running," Kaen said softly. "It's time I face my fears."
Josh, recharged from absorbing the beasts' magic cores, nodded.
Together, they launched themselves forward.
Josh activated:
> Fog Beast Armor Initiated
They charged, but before they could land a strike, the Demon Beast let out a deafening roar. Flames erupted from its mouth like a torrent, striking them mid-air and blasting them away like broken twigs.
Josh crashed into the ground, but he stood up immediately—blood dripping from his nose, resolve burning in his eyes.
The Demon Beast moved again—its speed nearly matching light. Josh barely kept up, his own body moving at hyperspeed, countering with Blightfall. The clash between them left sparks of fire and wind spiraling in every direction.
Kaen tried to join in, but the beast flung him aside like a ragdoll.
The system pinged:
> ⚠ Fatigue
The system pinged
Speed Depleting
Vitality Low
Josh hesitated—just for a second.
The Demon Beast took that moment to channel flames through its fists and struck.
The Fog Beast Armor took the brunt, absorbing 3% of the blow. Still, Josh was hurled across the courtyard, smashing into a wall. Blood streamed from his mouth.
He coughed. His vision blurred. But he stood again.
Then the sky shifted.
A green flare danced through the clouds—
And Kaen rose from the ground, his sword now completely engulfed in emerald lightning and green fire.
His eyes burned with awakening. His aura was fierce and wild.
Josh smiled. "Let's finish this."
Josh activated:
> Blightfall
Level 10 Fire Engaged
Speed Boost Initiated
Power Amplification: 200%
The two of them surged forward—Kaen's speed now mirrored lightning, while Josh's matched the pure flow of light itself.
Their blades clashed with the Demon Beast, landing rapid, heavy blows.
Kaen roared and delivered a crushing slash, severing both arms of the beast.
The system popped:
> New Ability Unlocked: Blightfall Winter
Josh raised his sword—
Dark clouds circled above.
And then, it began to fall:
Black snow.
Blightfall's purple glow intensified, radiant and terrifying. Josh took one step forward and gently placed the tip of the sword on the beast's chest.
In an instant—
The Demon Beast disintegrated into nothing.
> "Enemy Erased."
Victory Registered.
Energy Absorption: Complete.
Fire Level +2
New Ability Stored: Blightfall Winter – The cold of death. The snow of silence.