Morning light slips through the narrow windows of the frontier dormitory.
The room is chaos.
Half-packed bags lie across the floor. Clothes are draped over chairs. Someone has knocked over a pile of supplies near the door.
Mira is kneeling beside her pack, trying to force a blanket inside.
"It fit yesterday."
Elira sits nearby carefully folding bandages.
Valen is reorganizing his bag for the third time, clearly dissatisfied with the weight distribution.
Shin is tightening the straps on his pack while watching the others with quiet amusement.
Cassian stands in the middle of the room wearing sleep trousers and a half-buttoned shirt, staring into his bag like it personally offended him.
Rei pauses in the doorway and studies the scene.
He tilts his head slightly.
"…Impressive."
Five heads turn.
Shin frowns.
"What is?"
Rei gestures at the bags.
"You're finally preparing for the worst."
Cassian scoffs.
"Don't start."
Rei walks into the room, glancing through the scattered supplies.
"Food. Water. Spare clothing."
He nods once.
"Not terrible."
Valen folds his arms.
"You're the one who insisted preparation mattered."
Rei reaches into Mira's bag and pulls out a ceramic mug.
"…Why are you bringing this?"
Mira blinks.
"It's a mug."
Rei looks at her for a long moment.
"You plan to drink tea in monster territory?"
Shin laughs under his breath.
Cassian mutters something about idiots.
Rei sets the mug back down.
"Preparation is good," he says calmly.
"But remember something."
He taps Shin's pack.
"You'll be carrying that weight the entire patrol."
The room goes quiet.
Shin slowly looks down at his bag.
Cassian curses softly.
Valen immediately removes two items.
Mira groans.
"You could have said that earlier."
Rei shrugs.
"Common Sense.."
The door opens.
Professor Hale steps inside.
His gaze moves slowly across the room.
The scattered equipment.
Half-packed bags.
Cassian still in sleepwear.
The mug sitting on top of Mira's supplies.
He exhales through his nose.
His eyes finally stop on the only one fully prepared.
Rei.
Hale nods once.
"Good."
The others glance up.
"At least someone learned something from the journey."
Cassian opens his mouth to respond—
Before he can, the door swings open again.
Commander Kael Draven steps inside.
The massive Stage-5 mage stops in the doorway and looks around the room.
His eyes take in everything.
The mess.
The bags.
Cassian in pajamas.
A mug sticking out of Mira's pack.
Kael slowly raises an eyebrow.
"…I see the next generation of frontier defenders is ready."
Shin rubs the back of his neck.
Cassian quietly closes his bag.
Rei stands beside Hale, already wearing his pack.
Kael gestures toward the hallway.
"Patrol leaves in five minutes."
He pauses.
His eyes drift to Cassian.
"…You might want to put on pants first."
Cassian looks down at himself.
There is a brief moment of silence.
Then Mira bursts out laughing.
Shin leans against the wall, barely containing it.
Valen presses a hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking.
Cassian's expression darkens.
"I am wearing pants."
Kael glances down again.
"…Debatable."
That does it. The room dissolves into laughter.
Cassian grabs the nearest shirt from the chair and pulls it on with unnecessary aggression.
Kael steps further inside, motioning toward Hale.
"Professor. A word."
Hale nods once and moves toward the door.
As Kael turns to leave, his gaze drifts across the scattered supplies.
Then his eyes stop.
The ceramic mug sitting neatly on top of Mira's pack.
Kael stares at it for a second.
Slowly, he looks at Mira.
"…Do you plan on drinking tea in monster territory?"
The room explodes again.
Mira groans and grabs the mug.
"Oh come on!"
Shin points at Rei.
"That's exactly what he said!"
Kael glances briefly at Rei, then at Hale.
A faint smirk touches his face.
Hale simply exhales.
"Finish preparing," Hale says to the group.
Kael opens the door.
"Patrol leaves in five minutes," he repeats calmly.
He steps into the hallway.
Hale follows him out.
Before the door closes, Hale adds without turning back,
"Try to be ready before then."
The door shuts.
Inside the room, chaos resumes instantly.
Kael walks down the stone corridor beside Hale, the heavy boots of soldiers echoing faintly through the fortress halls.
For a moment neither of them speaks.
Then Kael glances back toward the dormitory door.
"One last time," he says.
"Are those students actually ready?"
Hale walks calmly beside him.
"Yes."
Kael studies his face.
"That confident?"
"They've shown enough."
Kael exhales slowly.
"When you first brought my batch to the border, we had already trained for a month."
His eyes narrow slightly.
"You brought these ones within a week."
Hale doesn't slow his pace.
"This batch is different."
Kael gives a short laugh.
"They're loud, undisciplined, and half of them look like they've never slept outside before."
Hale nods once.
"Correct."
Kael glances at him.
"And you still say they're ready?"
"They have potential," Hale says simply.
"Every one of them."
Kael folds his arms while they walk.
"Some more than others."
Hale doesn't argue.
"That's also correct."
Kael smirks slightly.
"The lightning boy is obvious."
"Shin Raiga."
"Fast reactions. Aggressive control."
Kael continues counting on his fingers.
"The earth noble… Cassian. Good mana density."
He pauses.
"The fire one. Valen. Solid instincts."
"To some extent," Hale agrees.
Kael nods.
"So those three are the standouts."
Hale stops walking.
Kael turns slightly.
Hale's expression remains calm.
"You're mistaken."
Kael raises an eyebrow.
"The one with the most potential in that group…"
He pauses.
"…is Rei Takeda."
Kael stares at him for a moment.
Then he laughs quietly.
"The unmarked boy?"
"Yes."
Kael tilts his head.
"That's an interesting claim."
Hale resumes walking.
"That boy notices things most people ignore."
"Patterns. Movements. Small details."
"He observes before he acts."
Kael listens without interrupting.
"That awareness already puts him ahead of most students."
They turn another corner of the fortress corridor.
Kael glances toward the training grounds outside the wall.
"And his drawback?"
Hale answers immediately.
"The missing mark."
Kael nods.
"Kind of an important one."
"Yes."
Hale's voice stays calm.
"But if that boy possessed a Divine Mark…"
He pauses briefly.
"…he would have surpassed you at that age."
Kael stops walking.
For a second he simply looks at Hale.
Then a slow smile appears.
"Well."
He glances back toward the dormitory.
"Now I'm even more curious about this patrol."
Kael's smile hasn't fully faded when a loud crash echoes down the stairwell behind them.
A heavy thud.
Followed by a string of very un-noble curses.
Both men turn.
Cassian Virel comes tumbling down the fortress stairs, his massive backpack dragging behind him like an anchor. The bag slams against each step as he struggles to keep his footing.
Clearly, he had been absolutely certain he could handle the weight.
Reality disagreed.
He finally lands on the bottom step in a tangled mess of limbs and straps.
Behind him the rest of the group descends the stairs.
Shin is laughing openly.
Mira has one hand over her mouth, trying and failing to contain herself.
Even Valen looks mildly entertained.
Elira quietly follows them, smiling despite herself.
And at the back of the group walks Rei.
His expression is mostly neutral.
But the corner of his mouth lifts just enough to show he's amused.
Cassian tries to stand, the oversized pack shifting awkwardly on his back.
Before he can completely embarrass himself again, Kael reaches down and grabs his arm, pulling him upright with effortless strength.
Cassian clears his throat.
"Thank you."
Hale watches the scene with a small smile.
Kael looks over the group.
"Well," he says.
"Are you all ready?"
The students nod.
Even Cassian, despite the bruised dignity.
Kael turns toward the massive gate leading out of the frontier wall.
"Then let's move."
The patrol leaves the fortress.
The enormous gate slowly opens, revealing the harsh land beyond the border.
Twisted trees stretch across the distance.
The ground is uneven and scarred.
The air itself feels different outside the wall.
Waiting beyond the gate is a large patrol party.
Several seasoned adventurers stand near the front, their armor worn from countless hunts.
A group of frontier guards gathers beside them, equipped with heavy weapons and mana gear, clearly assigned to accompany Kael during the patrol.
Nearby, a smaller cluster of investigators examines maps and strange equipment laid across a portable table.
As the students step outside the wall for the first time as part of a real patrol, many of the adventurers glance toward them with quiet curiosity.
Six academy students.
On a frontier patrol.
Kael steps forward and gestures toward the six students standing beside Hale.
"These are the academy initiates accompanying us today."
A few of the adventurers glance over.
Their expressions range from curiosity to mild amusement.
One older adventurer with a scar across his jaw chuckles.
"Students?"
Another guard folds his arms.
"Stage One?"
Kael nods once.
"They'll be observing the patrol."
A few of the party members exchange looks.
Observing. Sure.
No one says it out loud, but the message is clear.
Academy students on a patrol this size?
That's unusual.
Kael walks to a rough map spread across a portable field table.
Everyone gathers around.
He places a finger on the frontier wall.
"Our patrol route starts here."
His finger moves outward across the map.
"We've been tracking unusual monster movement patterns over the past several weeks."
He taps a section of twisted forest deeper inside the territory.
"The activity is coming from this region."
One of the investigators nods.
"Monster groups have been shifting position. Too coordinated to be random."
Kael continues.
"So we'll be moving into this area and documenting the source."
He pauses slightly.
Then adds calmly,
"It's a densely populated monster territory."
Behind him, the six students go completely silent.
Mira blinks.
Elira stiffens.
Shin raises an eyebrow.
Cassian stops adjusting his pack.
Valen's expression tightens.
Rei simply studies the map.
The adventurers around the table, however, barely react.
A few shrug.
One of the guards sighs like this is just another Tuesday.
Another adventurer mutters quietly,
"Yep. Sounds like Kael."
Someone else adds,
"Learned that from Hale."
Kael ignores the commentary.
He points along the route.
"We'll move in three groups. Adventurers on the flanks. Guards maintaining formation. Investigators stay center."
Everyone nods.
Then Kael glances toward the six students.
"And the academy group will be moving with me."
That earns a few raised eyebrows.
But no one argues.
Kael straightens.
"Any questions?"
No one speaks.
"Good."
He rolls up the map.
"Move out."
The patrol begins moving into monster territory.
The massive frontier wall slowly disappears behind them as the group advances into the twisted forest beyond human control.
The ground is uneven.
The trees grow dense and crooked.
The air feels heavier.
Cassian struggles slightly under the weight of his oversized backpack, constantly adjusting the straps.
Shin notices.
"Still comfortable?"
Cassian glares at him.
"I'm perfectly fine."
The group continues deeper into the forest.
After nearly an hour of travel, Kael raises a hand.
The patrol stops instantly.
He turns to the students.
"For the next part of the patrol, the academy group will handle the first monster encounters."
Five students freeze.
Cassian blinks.
Mira opens her mouth.
Before anyone can protest, Kael continues calmly.
"Don't worry."
"If anything goes wrong, I will personally ensure none of you are harmed."
A few adventurers chuckle quietly.
Hale steps forward beside Kael.
"You won't need to."
Kael glances at him.
Hale's expression remains calm.
"…Mostly."
That does absolutely nothing to reassure the students.
The forest grows quieter as the patrol moves deeper.
Then one of the guards suddenly raises a hand.
Movement ahead.
Everyone stops.
Kael steps forward slightly, eyes narrowing toward the trees in the distance.
About sixty meters away, something moves between the twisted trunks.
A large shape.
The creature finally steps into a small clearing.
It looks like a wolf.
If wolves were the size of horses.
Dark fur runs across its massive body, streaked with rough patches of hardened bone along its back. Its claws dig deep into the soil with every step.
The monster sniffs the air.
But it hasn't noticed the patrol yet.
Kael tilts his head slightly.
"Oooo."
His voice carries mild amusement.
"The first wave seems a bit rough for the students."
Behind him Mira and Elira instinctively move closer together.
Both of them stare at the creature.
Mira whispers,
"That thing is huge…"
Elira nods stiffly.
Valen, Shin, and Cassian step forward almost at the same time.
All three begin removing their backpacks.
The heavy packs land softly on the forest floor.
Shin rolls his shoulders.
Lightning flickers faintly across his fingers.
Valen cracks his knuckles once.
A small flame briefly dances across his palm before fading.
Cassian stretches his arms, already gathering earth mana beneath his feet.
Kael glances at them.
A slow grin appears.
"Confident."
The adventurers behind them watch with quiet interest.
Then Kael notices one student still standing back.
Rei.
Still wearing his backpack.
Kael raises an eyebrow.
For a moment Rei simply studies the wolf.
Watching the way it moves.
The way its ears twitch.
The direction of the wind.
Then he calmly unstraps his pack.
The bag drops to the ground beside the others.
Rei steps forward.
His expression returns to its usual quiet focus.
Kael watches him for a second longer.
The grin widens slightly.
"Well then."
The massive wolf lifts its head.
Its nose twitches.
And this time…
It smells them.
The wolf lifts its massive head.
Its yellow eyes lock onto the patrol.
For a moment the forest goes completely still.
Then the monster opens its jaws.
A deep, echoing howl tears through the trees.
But it isn't a normal howl.
Mana ripples through the sound like a shockwave.
The air vibrates.
The call spreads through the forest.
Several adventurers immediately tense.
One of the guards mutters under his breath.
"…That's a pack call."
Kael exhales slowly.
"Of course it is."
The forest answers.
Branches shake.
Heavy footsteps crash through the undergrowth.
One.
Two.
Three more shapes emerge from the trees.
Three more wolves step into the clearing.
Each one nearly the same size.
Four massive monsters now stand facing the patrol.
Four horse-sized predators.
Their eyes glow faintly with mana as they circle slowly.
Kael folds his arms, thinking.
"For students…"
He glances at the wolves again.
"…this might be slightly excessive."
He shifts his weight as if preparing to step forward.
But Hale raises a hand.
Kael stops.
Hale watches the students quietly.
"Wait."
Behind them Mira and Elira shrink closer together.
Mira whispers,
"Four…?"
Elira nods nervously.
Meanwhile Shin, Valen, and Cassian remain standing at the front.
None of them step back.
Rei suddenly turns and walks toward Mira and Elira.
They look up at him.
His voice remains calm.
"I'll need your support."
Mira blinks.
"What?"
Rei points toward the wolves.
"Wind and water."
He looks directly at them.
"Just like the coordination drill."
Elira straightens slightly.
Mira nods, still nervous but focused.
Before anyone can say anything else—
Rei suddenly turns and grabs something.
Cassian's weapon.
Cassian barely has time to react before Rei pulls the steel-forged blade from his hand.
"Hey—!"
Cassian stares at him.
Rei already steps forward toward the wolves.
Cassian's weapon now resting in his grip.
Behind them Kael raises an eyebrow.
"…Interesting."
Cassian stares at his empty hand.
Then at the weapon now resting in Rei's grip.
"…Why did you take my weapon?"
Rei doesn't even look back.
He adjusts his grip slightly, testing the balance.
Then he glances over his shoulder.
"A high noble like you needs a weapon to deal with a wolf?"
Cassian freezes.
For exactly half a second.
Shin immediately understands what just happened.
Valen almost smirks.
Cassian's pride detonates.
"I absolutely do not."
The ground beneath his feet cracks as earth mana surges through him.
Without another word Cassian lunges forward.
Straight toward the wolves.
One of the massive beasts snarls and lowers its body, preparing to spring.
Shin grins.
"Well. Guess we're doing this."
Lightning flickers across his arms as he dashes forward.
Valen follows right behind him, flames igniting along his palms.
Behind them Rei finally starts moving.
Cassian's weapon still in his hand.
His pace is calm.
Measured.
Behind the students, several adventurers watch the sudden charge with interest.
Kael folds his arms.
"…Bold."
Hale's eyes follow the students quietly.
Ahead of them the four wolves spread out.
Claws dig into the dirt.
Muscles coil.
The hunt has begun.
And three academy students are charging straight into it.
With the fourth following close behind, carrying a weapon that technically isn't his.