Adrenaline.

  An instinctual drive bent on fear and survival. As much as it could sharpen one's judgements, it could equally cloud it. It could either force the body past its limits, or pull it back from the edge.

  If the moment was right, adrenaline could make a man wrestle and beast, a mother lift a car, or a child pull the impossible.

  As Kyle and Violet watched from a few feet away, they could only conclude the hormone was at work in Levi's body at the moment.

  The sudden blur of movements and the narrow twist of Levi’s body, the steel just barely missing its mark—they could only assumed it was adrenaline-fueled desperation. A last-second miracle sparked by the threat of death.

  But Levi knew it wasn’t that.

  What surged through him wasn’t panic or frantic instinct. It was different. A shift in the way his body moved, responded, even breathed. They changed from being mere results of reflexes to reactions based on an analysis of his situation.

  All his senses were heightened.

  He’d felt this once before.

  Back during the match with Raika, when he called upon the system as usual. He hadn’t had time to analyze or pay attention to the notification that appeared then, but now? Mid-dodge, it clicked.

  “Physical enhancement…” Levi thought, his breath catching in his chest. The words from the system’s earlier notification flashed in his mind.

  Back then, the system had activated the ability without his input. But now he was pulling it off, not a button he pressed, but it was like tightening a fist or catching balance mid-stumble.

  A skill his body had learned to call upon.

  Was this what Lyra meant?

  The system wasn’t just a crutch. It was training him. Every time it granted a skill and he used it, it left behind muscle memory. Hence, the reason why he didn't have issue commands for his active skills after using them the first time.

  And right now? That strength was saving his life.

  Levi bent backward with perfect timing, just enough for the blade to miss his throat and pass inches from his skin.

  He could feel the wind off its edge.

  His feet slid against the floor. His balance shifted naturally. He was already preparing to counter, to strike back—or at least create space enough to retreat.

  But then, the blade changed.

  In an instant, the short dagger in the attacker’s grip extended,forming an extended astral projection of the blade.

  Levi’s eyes widened.

  He’d already started breathing again. Already begun relaxing, thinking he’d escaped the worst.

  But that moment—that breath—was what betrayed him.

  The blade snapped forward toward his exposed neck.

  He didn’t have time to dodge.

  And just like that, the worst hadn’t passed. It had only just arrived.

  In a blink, like a bolt from the heavens, Reinhart dropped from above Levi's position and slammed his fist into the Homunculus mid-strike. The creature’s body hit the ground with a bone-shaking crash, tearing through the tiles and splitting the platform beneath them.

  “Uhh… Mr. Reinhart…” Kyle’s voice cracked slightly.

  Reinhart adjusted his glasses with a slow exhale. His eyes pinned all three of them in place. “If I recall clearly, Garrion gave one instruction—no one leaves the room until I return.”

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  None of them dared speak.

  “We’ll discuss your punishment later. For now—” Reinhart’s sentence was cut off by a sudden pulse beneath their feet.

  A massive magic circle of light emerged beneath them, illuminating their surroundings.

  Reinhart narrowed his eyes and let out a quiet, tired sigh. “Of course. Another interruption.”

  ***

  Two buildings were gone—wiped clean off the map. The middle school and high school wings of Rakuzan were nothing but empty plots of land. The barrier still held, trapping everyone inside the massive compound, blocking all signals, and choking any hope of calling for help.

  Disoriented and scattered, students and staff gathered on the open field where the buildings used to be. Whispers turned to confusion. People started counting heads. That’s when the panic set in.

  The bearers—those with abilities—and several staff members in the same category were missing. Principal included.

  In the absence of answers, the remaining teachers directed the students toward the university wing, the only part of the school still standing, hoping for clarity or at least a working signal.

  ***

  Meanwhile, far from the others, Reinhart, Levi, Violet, Kyle, and a few other students found themselves somewhere else entirely.

  The moment the flash of light died, Reinhart checked his phone. No bars.

  “Don't move,” he said, already walking away. He took a gentle leap, landing on the top branch of a tall tree.

  His gaze ran through their new surroundings, taking in its details. A dense forest stretched in every direction, cliffs dropped into far-off waters, and the air was thick with a wild feeling that felt like the wind itself was walking on his skin.

  It was mana. And it's concentration in their new environment was dense.

  He exhaled heavily. “Tch. Perfect.”

  He dropped back down, brushing dirt off his white jacket.

  "I can't find the others, there's something disrupting my energy detection,” he muttered. "Could it be—"

  Before he could say more, a loud scream tore through his eardrums.

  A girl in a Rakuzan senior uniform—a blue skirt barely above the knee, with a white long sleeved top complemented by a blue sweater vest with white stripes—burst out of the bushes.

  She was bleeding from three long and jagged scratches on her thighs. Her clothes were ripped, and eyes wide with raw panic.

  “RUN! IT’S COMING!” she screamed, stumbling toward them.

  Reinhart turned, already lowering his stance.

  Kyle squinted toward the trees. “Violet…?”

  “I see it.” Her voice dropped. “This is bad.”

  “What is it?” Levi asked.

  “A Gorgonix.”

  Levi blinked. “Wait—the B-class threat? Why the hell is that here?”

  “Everyone, back up!” Kyle barked.

  From the brush, a massive beast emerged with muscles pulsing beneath an armored exoskeleton, glowing red eyes cutting through the trees. It looked like a tiger sculpted out of bone and steel.

  Worst of all its eyes locked onto Reinhart.

  "That's a freaking Gorgonix!" One of the students yelled, triggering a spread of panic among the students.

  The beast charged, its head low, claws raised to take his skull clean off.

  The students didn’t move. Not because they weren’t fast enough but because Reinhart hadn’t moved either.

  He didn’t flinch.

  And then, in one movement too fast for any of them to follow, the creature was suddenly on the ground, limp.

  Reinhart stood above it, holding a glowing crystal between his fingers. The beast's core.

  Without a word, he crushed it and turned to the group.

  “We’re setting ground rules now.” His voice remained calm and low, hiding the lingering frustration underneath.

  “Rule number one... Unless I tell you to run, no one runs.”

  He glanced at the frightened faces.

  “Rule number two, No one leaves the group without my permission.”

  He paused gauging the reactions and waiting to see if he'd get any protests, but none came. "Understood?”

  “Y-Yes sir!” Levi and the others answered in unison, still trying to process what they’d just witnessed.

  Reinhart approached the girl lying on the ground, her breaths shallow and uneven.

  Without a word, he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small glass. The liquid inside, soft green, glowing faintly under the island’s sunlight.

  “Drink this,” he said, unscrewing the cap and crouching beside her. “It’ll stop the bleeding and dull the pain.”

  The girl blinked, eyes glazed but still conscious enough to recognize what it was. With trembling fingers, she took the vial and swallowed it in one go.

  Within seconds, her breathing steadied. The wounds on her leg knit themselves shut as if time had skipped forward. A soft sigh escaped her lips, and her body relaxed. She slipped into unconsciousness, but this time from relief, not pain.

  Levi leaned in slightly, watching the process with wide eyes. “Huh. So that’s what one looks like in action... Never seen a healing potion used before.”

  “Same,” Violet nodded. “Honestly didn’t even think they were real. Like—one of those old things you only read about in textbooks.”

  Kyle tilted his head and smirked. “Not gonna lie, Levi, if we’d had that back when you tried sparring with Raika, maybe you wouldn't have had to worry about looking like roadkill.”

  Levi shot him a flat look. “Ha. Hilarious. Keep talking, and next time I’ll accidentally block with your face.”

  Violet chuckled. “You two are unbelievable.”

  Reinhart rose to his feet, lifting the now-healed girl into his arms with the ease of someone used to moving unconscious bodies—which, frankly, was concerning in itself.

  He glanced back at the three of them as he addressed the rest of the group.

  “We’re moving out. First priority is finding a secure location to set up shelter,” he said, eyes scanning the treeline ahead. “Stay close. And I mean all of you.”

  His gaze landed squarely on Levi, Kyle, and Violet.

  “No detours. No wandering off. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

  Kyle gave an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his neck. “Y’know, I’m starting to think he’s talking directly to us.”

  “Oh no,” Levi said. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

  Violet just sighed. “Let’s try not to get scolded again, okay? Just once?”