After stepping out of the forest, Derek went straight to his room to take a shower. His injuries had healed, but his body was still covered in the foul stench of dried blood.

He took his time washing himself properly, even though he was already late for class. Once he was done, he headed directly toward the classroom without stopping for breakfast.

He slid the door open hurriedly.

"May I come in, sir?"

Inside, Paul, Billy, Harold, and Mia were practicing the first stage of Lightning Pace. The instructor stood nearby, watching their progress closely.

Hearing Derek's voice, the instructor turned toward him.

"Come i...."

He stopped mid-sentence.

More precisely, he froze.

'What in heaven's name…? His realm… increased?!'

He stared at Derek, speechless.

"D-Derek… by any chance, did your cultivation realm increase?" he finally asked, even though he could already sense the change.

Derek nodded. "Yes, sir."

The instructor stiffened.

So did the other four students.

"What?! You broke through again? How... how is that even possible?!" Billy shouted in disbelief.

Mia and Paul didn't even know what to say. Their jaws simply dropped.

"I think I was just lucky," Derek replied, scratching the back of his head. He understood how unbelievable this was.

After all, no one in the academy's entire history had ever reached D-class before graduation. Even the E-class was considered extremely rare — almost a miracle.

But Derek?

Not even half a year had passed since he joined the academy, and he had already reached D-class.

The room fell silent, the weight of the impossible achievement pressing down on everyone present.

"How did you do it? How did you achieve another breakthrough so fast?" the instructor asked, still trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"That…" Derek hesitated. He didn't know what to say. If he told the truth — that he consumed a beast core — wouldn't they think he was reckless?

Seeing his unwillingness to speak, the instructor sighed, then turned to the other four students.

"Everyone, keep practicing. I'll be back soon. I have some urgent business to discuss with Derek."

Then he faced Derek again.

"Come with me."

Without waiting, he walked out of the room.

Derek glanced at the other students, who still looked stunned, and quickly followed the instructor.

The instructor led him through several corridors, then toward the staircase. They climbed up to the fourth floor of the academy building. Finally, he stopped in front of a room marked: 'House Master — Raging Bulls'.

He knocked twice and waited.

After a moment, a voice answered from inside. Wilson opened the door and stepped in, with Derek entering right behind him.

Just like the dorm houses, the House Masters also had personal rooms inside the academy building.

Inside, Yami was seated comfortably, leisurely smoking as always.

"What brings you here, Wilson?" he asked casually.

But then his eyes shifted and landed on Derek.

The moment he saw him, Yami's expression changed. His eyes narrowed sharply.

"Derek… what have you been doing? How did you advance another level in cultivation?" Yami leaned forward, disbelief evident in his eyes. "Didn't you just reach E-class recently?"

His shock was no different from Wilson's or the other students'.

"I went to the forest," Derek said.

"And?" Yami pressed.

"I faced a beast that was stronger than the usual C-class magical beasts. And when it died… it left behind a beast core."

Derek decided to speak honestly. Since Wilson had brought him here, it meant Yami had instructed him to keep an eye on Derek. If Yami trusted Wilson, then Derek could trust him as well. Besides, a beast stronger than a C-class roaming inside the academy forest was no small matter. If he didn't report it, other students might end up facing the same danger, and many might end up dying.

But the moment Yami heard his words, he shot up from his seat.

"Don't tell me you ate that core. Is that how your realm advanced?"

"...Yes, Master. I did."

"Seriously?!" Yami exploded. "We were already worried sick about your condition last time, and we still don't know if swallowing that demon core will have long-term side effects. And you swallowed another one? Do you have any idea how close that is to suicide?!"

His voice was harsh, but underneath it was genuine fear — he didn't want someone as talented as Derek to throw his life away.

"I had no other choice, Master," Derek explained calmly. "I had gone too deep into the forest, and C-class beasts were everywhere. I was injured after fighting the serpent from which I obtained the core. If I didn't regain my strength, I would've died there."

"A powerful beast stronger than C-class?! How is that possible?" Wilson asked, narrowing his eyes. Yami's expression tightened as well. Derek had mentioned it earlier, but Yami was too shocked by Derek's breakthrough to process it.

"It's true," Derek said firmly. "The beast I fought was a serpent — stronger than any C-class beasts in the forest."

"You fought other C-class beasts as well?!" Wilson's face went pale.

"Yes, sir."

"B-but how? You were an E-class then. Even now, you're just D-class. Defeating a C-class beast at your current cultivation level is impossible!"

Wilson's disbelief echoed through the room.

If he knew how far Derek's raw strength had surpassed his cultivation realm, he never would have said such a thing. Unlike Yami and Meridith, he didn't know what Derek was capable of.

Meanwhile, while Derek was speaking with Yami and Wilson, somewhere else in the academy — inside the elite mage class for fourth-year students…

Emma sat at her desk. The previous lecture had just ended, and a short break was underway.

A boy who looked around seventeen, with blonde hair and sharp blue eyes, walked toward her. His presence alone was intimidating — the kind of aura that made weaker students straighten their backs without thinking.

"Emma," he said, voice low and displeased, "I heard you're not participating in the Half-Yearly Ranker's Test with us this time. Is that supposed to be a joke? Do you even understand what you're doing?"

Emma didn't even bother looking fully at him.

"What's there to joke about?" she replied calmly. "I can join any party I want. Who are you to lecture me about what I should or shouldn't do?"

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