A shadow emerged from behind a ridge. At first, it looked like a boulder. Then it moved.

And the moment it stepped into view, even Emma felt her scalp tighten.

It was larger than the D-class monsters. Not just in size....

In presence...

Its body was a grotesque blend of muscle and armor, with jagged spikes protruding from its shoulders like spearheads. Its mouth opened to reveal layered fangs. Dark saliva dripped onto the rock and hissed faintly, as if corrosive.

A faint aura rolled off it, suffocating and heavy.

A C-class monster.

The gallery erupted.

"What the hell?!"

"C-class monster?! In a half-yearly Ranker's Test?! You've got to be kidding me"

"Is this some kind of a mistake?! Afterall, only before graduation, a group of final year students is supposed to face a C-class monster or magical beasts."

"This time, the test is really insane!"

People stood up again, voices colliding into one loud wave of disbelief. Even students who had been cheering earlier now looked pale.

"This isn't just difficult," someone muttered. "This is… cruel."

A group of instructors turned toward the officials' platform, expressions tight.

"Why is a C-class monster appearing this early?"

"What do you mean by this early? Are you suggesting a C-class monster is supposed to even appear?!"

"What if someone dies?"

What no one realized was that this time, the trial's difficulty had been set in a far more cunning way.

The difficulty of the challenge did not depend on the total time taken to complete the trial, but on how quickly each team cleared each wave of monsters.

The faster a team cleared a wave, the higher the difficulty of the next one they would face.

While most teams were still struggling desperately against the D-class monsters, Derek had wiped out the same wave in mere seconds.

And because of that, his team's trial didn't end. Instead, they were forced into a new encounter.

Not another wave, but a single beast.

A C-class monster, one of the strongest creatures normally found within the academy forest.

As for the other teams?

One team had already been removed from the dimension, successfully completing the first trial, but only because they had barely managed to clear the D-class wave.

On the far screens, other teams were still battling D-class monsters desperately though, burning through internal energy, fighting against the monsters using every tactics they could come up with, barely staying alive.

Derek's team had already stepped into territory that shouldn't exist for them.

Emma's throat went dry. She wasn't a pushover but the creature standing before them was something she wasn't prepared to face at the moment.

Henry swallowed hard, forcing himself not to step back. Though he was a battle freak, even his legs trembled slightly.

Eva was in no better shape. She steadied her breath, trying to keep her hands from shaking.

Art was barely holding up.

For the first time since entering the rift, genuine danger pressed against their nerves.

And Derek?

Derek stared at the C-class monster like a child spotting a treasure chest.

'Don't get so excited, Derek. You're not a child… even if you look like one,' Derek reminded himself.

'Let's see whether a C-class monster can withstand my Ghost's Whisper.'

He had even given the technique a name.

After all, it wasn't something he had learned from anyone. It was a technique born purely from his own enlightenment.

His shoulders loosened. His eyes brightened.

"Let's see what you have got big guy," he said softly.

Those words coming out of his mouth made Emma's heart sink even further.

The C-class beast roared. The sound slammed into the rocks like a shockwave.

Emma raised her wand....

But she didn't get the chance.

A silver streak flashed. So fast it looked like a thin line drawn across reality.

The monster's roar cut off mid-sound. Its body stiffened. A narrow hole appeared in the center of its chest.

Clean. Perfect.

Like a needle had pierced through iron.

The C-class monster's eyes widened, confusion flickering across its brutal face....

And then it collapsed. A massive crash.

Dust exploded outward. The rocky plain trembled slightly under its weight. The entire gallery went dead silent.

Not the stunned silence from before. This was different. This was the silence of people realizing something terrifying:

Derek was no longer on the level of an ordinary student. Even a group of top final-year students would struggle against a C-class magical beast.

But Derek?

There wasn't even a hint of resistance. The entire fight was over so effortlessly that it felt as if he had done nothing more than swat a fly.

On the screen, Derek's daggers returned to hover beside him, circling calmly like nothing had happened.

Derek's expression was bright, almost glowing.

He stared at the fallen C-class monster, breathing lightly as if he'd just tested a new toy.

Somewhere in the gallery, a student whispered, voice shaking. "...What is he?"

And for once...

No one had an answer.

Soon, a rift appeared before Derek. His teammates, who had been rooted to their spots, finally snapped out of their daze and walked toward him.

"I think the trial is over," Eva said.

"Yes," Emma confirmed.

"Then let's leave," Derek said calmly. "This trial was truly a blessing for me. I can't wait to see what else this test has in store."

Although the test itself had nothing to do with his sudden enlightenment, he was still grateful for it.

Derek and the other four stepped into the rift together, returning to the combat arena.

Their arrival should have been met with thunderous applause. Instead, the arena was eerily silent.

Not a single clap echoed through the gallery — only the faint whistle of wind drifting through the vast space, as the audience struggled to process what they had just witnessed.

From an upper balcony overlooking the gallery, an elderly woman leaned forward slightly in her cushioned seat.

She was none other than the Headmistress of the Hunter Academy. A slow smile spread across her face.

"Interesting."

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