Clara and Eliza screamed at the same time as the horned ape and the black-scaled wolf slammed into their cocoons.

The impact didn't crack the cocoons, but the shock ran straight inside.

"AAAGH!!"

Clara's voice came out rough and furious, filled with pain and rage.

Eliza's scream followed, sharper than before, her calm completely gone.

The ape roared again and punched the cocoon once more.

The wolf leapt in, claws scraping across the glowing surface, sending vibrations through it.

The cocoons shook violently.

Inside, Clara cursed loudly.

"DAHLIA! ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

Her voice cracked as another hit landed.

"CAN'T YOU HELP US STOP THEM?!"

Eliza's voice followed, strained but clear.

"…This is getting worse… every time they hit it… it hurts more…"

And she was right.

The more the beasts attacked, the more intense the pain became.

It felt like their bones, muscles, and even their blood were being squeezed and pulled apart at the same time.

Dahlia stood there calmly, hands on her hips, watching everything without moving.

Then she smirked.

"Relax," she said. "This pain is part of the process."

She raised her voice so both cocoons could hear her clearly.

"When I awakened my [Unique Physique], the same thing happened."

She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing slightly as she remembered.

"That third-realm demonic drake didn't give me any peace either. It kept hitting my cocoon nonstop."

Another heavy impact landed.

Clara groaned, then snapped back with a hoarse voice.

"Oh really?! Then why don't you just say it straight!"

Her cocoon trembled again as she shouted,

"You just want to get back at us for not helping you earlier!"

The juniors gasped.

"S-Senior Sister Clara actually said it…"

"She's yelling at Senior Sister Dahlia…"

Clara continued, clearly furious despite the pain.

"Stop covering it up with those sweet words! You're enjoying this, aren't you?!"

Dahlia blinked.

Then she burst out laughing.

"Hah!"

She leaned forward slightly, holding her stomach.

"Okay, okay. You got me."

The ape slammed into the cocoon again.

Clara screamed. "THIS IS NOT FUNNY!"

Dahlia wiped the corner of her eye, still smiling.

"I won't deny it. Watching you suffer a little does feel… satisfying."

Eliza's voice came out weak but sharp. "…You're terrible."

Dahlia grinned. "I know."

She straightened and spoke again, this time more seriously.

"But jokes aside..."

She watched both cocoons carefully, eyes sharp and focused.

"You two are doing great."

Clara's angry shout echoed out.

"DOESN'T FEEL GREAT AT ALL!"

Dahlia chuckled softly. "That's normal."

She placed one hand on her hip and smiled again, this time not teasing, but proud.

"You're being perfect shields. You're taking everything head-on and not breaking."

Another roar echoed through the forest.

Dahlia tilted her head slightly, studying the flow of mana around the cocoons.

"…Honestly," she continued, "I'm curious."

Her smile grew sharper.

"I wonder what kind of [Unique Physique] you'll awaken after screaming like that."

Inside the cocoon, Eliza let out a shaky breath.

"…You really know how to encourage people."

Clara groaned loudly.

"If I survive this, I'm hitting you."

Dahlia laughed. "Deal."

The cocoons pulsed brighter.

Mana surged more violently now, reacting to both the pain and the pressure from outside.

The beasts struck again, but this time the cocoons didn't shake as much.

Dahlia's eyes narrowed slightly.

"…Good."

She raised her voice one more time.

"Don't lose consciousness. Hold on to yourself. You're about to awaken."

---

Deep inside the forest, far away from the noisy battlefield, a huge demonic beast had been watching in silence.

"…Hm?"

Its gaze followed the movements of the humans from afar.

When it fully sensed them, its expression changed slightly.

"…Strange."

Since when were humans like this?

It focused its senses carefully, sweeping across the battlefield.

Usually, when humans came to Demon Gate Island, it was easy to tell what kind they were.

They had weak bodies and strong mana auras and entirely depended on mana techniques and spells.

But these humans…

The beast frowned.

"…Ridiculous."

It narrowed its eyes.

"These are not normal cultivators."

Its gaze shifted slowly from one human to another.

Even though their auras were nothing impressive, their physiques were on another level.

"…They feel like beasts," it muttered. "No… worse."

Beasts in human form.

Its attention finally locked onto one figure standing calmly at the back.

Dahlia.

The beast watched her closely.

"…That woman."

Her mana aura wasn't large.

In fact, compared to other really strong third-realm existences that he knew, it was almost unremarkable.

But her body...

The beast's lips curled slightly.

"…That body is terrifying."

Even without her moving, the beast could feel it clearly.

"If she charges," it thought, "the ground will break before her body does."

It observed her stance, her breathing, and the way her muscles reacted naturally to danger.

"…Interesting."

Then its gaze shifted back to the two glowing cocoons being attacked by the ape and the wolf.

"…And those two…" the huge beast muttered.

It focused its senses on them, listening closely.

The screams echoing from inside the cocoons made its brows rise slightly.

"…That much pain?"

The beast tilted its head.

From what it had overheard earlier, those two humans were awakening something called [Unique Physique].

"…Awakening a physique causes this kind of pain?"

That was new.

In its memories, human cultivation followed a simple path.

Absorb mana.

Form a pool.

Condense a core.

Awaken a mana trait.

Then expand outward into a domain.

It had seen countless humans do it over the centuries.

Their awakenings were noisy and flashy, but not like this.

"…This is different."

The beast narrowed its eyes.

"These humans are not awakening mana traits."

Their mana wasn't changing colors in the usual way. It wasn't spreading outward to influence the environment.

Instead…

"…Their bodies are changing."

It let out a low chuckle.

"I've never seen humans awaken like this."

The ape slammed into the cocoon again, roaring in anger.

The cocoon pulsed, then stabilized.

The beast's interest deepened.

"…And they endure it."

Most humans would collapse under this kind of pain.

Yet these two screamed, but they didn't give up.

"…Impressive."

The beast's lips curled into a grin.

"So that woman wasn't lying."

Its eyes flicked briefly back to Dahlia, then returned to the cocoons.

"…A new path."

It shook its head slowly, amused.

"I never thought," it said quietly, "that after waking from my slumber…"

"…I would get to see something this interesting."

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