Instructor Sylvia arrived first, moving with incredible speed that left afterimages. Her eyes took in the scene instantly - the dying assistant convulsing on the ground, my blade drawn and bloody, the obvious signs of recent combat.

"Adrian! What happened?!"

"He attacked me, freed the Hidebehind we'd captured and tried to kill me. When I subdued him, he bit a suicide pill."

More arrived, three additional Transcendent-rank assistants all looking shocked at finding one of their colleagues dying on the ground.

Sylvia immediately knelt beside the corrupted assistant, checking his vitals. Her expression grew grim as she confirmed what I already knew.

"He's dead. The poison is high-grade, designed for this exact purpose - fast-acting, no antidote, ensures no possibility of interrogation."

She looked up at me with an expression mixing shock, concern, and calculation.

"How were you able to subdue a Transcendent-rank opponent?" The question was direct and demanding. The implications were obvious, a first year elite student shouldn't have been capable of defeating and subduing someone an entire rank above them.

"He was trying to kill me," I said flatly. "I fought to survive."

Before she could press further, Elen and Loko arrived with several more in tow, all looking horrified at the scene.

"Adrian's telling the truth!" Elen said immediately, her voice carrying conviction despite obvious shock. "That assistant freed the Hidebehind we captured and attacked Adrian from behind without warning! We saw it happen!"

"He told us to run for help while he held him off," Loko added, still pale from witnessing the violence.

Sylvia stood slowly, her expression hardening as the full situation crystallized. "This examination is over. All students return to the academy immediately. This area is now under full security lockdown until we determine how deeply this corruption has penetrated."

She looked at the dead assistant's body with cold fury. "Someone has infiltrated our instructor staff. Someone is breeding illegal magical creatures near the capital. And someone just tried to murder a student to cover it up."

Her gaze fixed on me again. "Adrian, you'll need to provide complete testimony about everything that happened. And we'll need to discuss exactly how you managed to defeat a Transcendent-rank opponent."

I met her eyes evenly, knowing this incident had just complicated my life significantly.

But I was alive, my teammates were safe, and a traitor had been exposed even if he'd escaped interrogation through suicide.

The examination had become something far more dangerous than anyone had anticipated.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Shortly after arriving at the academy, I was summoned for immediate testimony. The gravity of the situation was evident from the location - not a standard office, but the Headmaster's private council chamber, a room reserved for the most serious academy matters.

All the senior instructors were present, their expressions ranging from concerned to deeply troubled. Instructor Sylvia stood near the entrance. Victor Castellane, the combat instructor of the second elite class, positioned himself with arms crossed. And at the centre, seated behind an ornate desk, was the headmaster himself - a royal-rank awakener whose mere presence carried weight that made the air feel heavier.

Their eyes fixed on me as I entered, the collective attention of so much power creating palpable pressure.

"Adrian Blackwood," the Headmaster began with measured tone. "Please explain exactly what happened during today's examination, from the moment you encountered the Hidebehind until the assistant's death."

I took a breath and provided the account.

Finding the Hidebehind near the creek. Recognizing it as evidence of illegal breeding operations. Subduing it alive to preserve evidence. Signaling the assistant for help. His suspicious behavior upon seeing the creature. The moment I turned my back and he attacked with lethal intent. His freeing of the Hidebehind. The desperate combat that followed. His attempt to flee and his suicide by poison pill.

The room remained silent as I finished, multiple instructors processing the implications.

Victor Castellane leaned forward, his sharp eyes narrowing with dissatisfaction.

"There is more to your story," he stated bluntly. "How did you fight the assistant? What happened during the period where you were alone fighting him? How were you able to overpower a Transcendent-rank opponent when you're only high-Elite?"

The question cut to the heart of what everyone was really wondering. My capabilities had exceeded what should be possible, and that demanded explanation in their minds.

I waited for a moment, considering my response carefully.

"I don't think that matters," I said evenly.

Victor's expression hardened. "It absolutely matters. A student defeating someone an entire rank above them suggests either you've been concealing your true strength, you possess abilities that—"

Instructor Sylvia interrupted sharply. "Or Adrian fought desperately to survive an assassination attempt and we should be grateful he's alive rather than interrogating his combat techniques,"

All eyes turned to her.

"The relevant facts are clear," she continued with authority. "An instructor assistant attempted to murder a student to cover up evidence of illegal operations. The student defended himself successfully. Whether he used family techniques, emergency items, or simple determination is his private business unless he voluntarily shares those details."

Victor looked at her calmly. "We need to understand—"

"We need to understand how our security was compromised," Sylvia countered. "How a traitor infiltrated our instructor staff. How illegal breeding operations established themselves near the capital without detection. Those are the urgent questions, not dissecting Adrian's survival tactics."

The Headmaster raised his hand, and both instructors fell silent immediately.

"Instructor Sylvia makes valid points," he said thoughtfully. "However, Instructor Castellane's concerns are not without merit either."

His royal-rank gaze fixed on me directly, and I felt the weight of his assessment.

"Adrian Blackwood, I will not compel you to reveal family techniques or personal abilities. Your privacy in such matters is protected by academy regulations. However, I must ask: do you possess any knowledge about the breeding operations, the assistant's affiliations, or related threats that would aid our investigation?"

"No, Headmaster," I answered honestly. "I'd never heard of Hidebehind breeding operations before today. The assistant didn't explain his motives before attacking, and he killed himself before interrogation was possible."

The Headmaster nodded slowly. "Then we have learned what we can from this testimony. You are dismissed, Adrian. However, you will remain available for additional questions should the investigation require clarification."

"Understood, Headmaster."

As I turned to leave, Victor Castellane spoke again, his tone still probing.

"Your father taught you well, it seems."

I met his eyes without confirming or denying. "Indeed, my father has been generous with his instruction."

A slight smile crossed his face - acknowledgment that he'd received as much answer as he was going to get.

I left the council chamber, aware that while the immediate interrogation was over, questions about my capabilities would linger in the minds of the instructors who'd witnessed the aftermath.

After everything was settled and I was dismissed from the council chamber, I returned directly to my academy dormitory room rather than the mansion. Eyes would be on me following today's incident, and I didn't want anyone tracking my movements to discover my private residence and the secrets it contained.

Inside the dorm room, I sat on the bed and allowed myself to truly process everything that had happened.

The implications were deeply concerning.

In the original novel that this world was based on, there had been no mention of Hidebehinds appearing during academy training. No traitors among the instructor staff. No assassination attempts on students during routine examinations. These events represented significant deviations from the storyline I remembered.

Either my presence and actions had created butterfly effects that were altering the timeline, or there were threats operating in this world that the original novel had never revealed. Neither possibility was comforting.

The most immediate problem was exposure. After today's incident, my enemies - whoever they were - now knew about my combat capabilities. There was no possible way to hide what had happened. Too many instructors had seen the aftermath, too many students would hear about a first-year defeating a Transcendent-rank opponent. The information would spread rapidly through academy gossip networks.

If there were small fry enemies like that corrupted assistant operating within the academy, logic dictated there must be larger fish as well - more dangerous operatives, perhaps even among the senior faculty or administration. Someone had to be coordinating these illegal operations, and that someone likely had significant resources and influence.

Although I still had no idea who specifically was behind it all.

Everything was happening faster than I'd anticipated. The threats were escalating, the timeline was accelerating, and I needed to get stronger immediately for whatever was coming next.

I stepped out of my dorm room with renewed determination and made my way toward the combat training facilities. Physical exertion would help process stress while simultaneously advancing my development.

Several hours of intensive training passed. I pushed my body to absolute limits - blood manipulation exercises until my reserves nearly depleted, enhancement techniques at maximum output until muscles screamed, supernatural physique conditioning through extreme stress applications.

The familiar notifications appeared in my consciousness:

[Your trait Supernatural Physique has reached Level 4!]

[Your trait Blood Enhancement has reached Level 4!]

A genuine smile formed on my face as power flooded through my body. The advancement was immediately tangible - muscles felt denser and more efficient, blood circulation carried enhancement more effectively, overall physical capabilities increased measurably.

Level 4 represented significant progress. Each trait level provided exponential rather than linear improvements, meaning the gap between Level 3 and Level 4 was substantial.

I tested the new capabilities with experimental movements - my speed had increased noticeably, strength output was higher, and the efficiency of blood enhancement meant I could maintain powered states longer without exhausting reserves.

This was progress. Real, measurable advancement that would help me survive the accelerating threats.

But even as satisfaction at the level-ups settled in, I knew this wasn't enough. I needed to reach Transcendent rank to unlock Carmilla's second secret art stance. I needed to continue advancing rapidly to stay ahead of whatever conspiracies were unfolding around me.

The training would continue. The advancement would continue.

Because standing still in this increasingly dangerous world meant dying.

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