CHAPTER 280: EXAM (2)

Liliana raised both hands, summoning a stream of water that coiled around its legs, slowing it. Ethan dashed forward, blade igniting in fire, cutting across its chest, the flames hissed against the wet bark, but the creature didn’t flinch.

Elara struck next, a blur of motion, her spear spinning in a deadly arc that pierced through the construct’s chest. For a moment, light erupted, and then it went still, collapsing into fragments that dissolved into the soil.

Silence returned. Only the hiss of disturbed water remained.

Merlin exhaled. "That thing was a defense mechanism. Means the relic’s close."

Elara withdrew her spear, flicking droplets from the tip. "Then dig faster."

Half an hour later, after clearing the silt and debris, they found it, a crystalline core, small enough to fit in both hands, faintly pulsing with blue light.

Nathan crouched beside it, impressed. "Looks like the real deal."

Liliana smiled faintly. "So we win?"

Ethan leaned on his sword. "You think it’s ever that easy?"

As if on cue, a sharp crack echoed through the valley.

Merlin’s head snapped up. That wasn’t a natural sound. It was something tearing.

The air shimmered, a distortion opening in the treeline opposite them.

And then a voice echoed, faint but sharp through the distortion:

"Warning. External interference detected in Sector West."

"Stabilization teams en route."

The transmission cut off.

The six exchanged glances.

Nathan frowned. "External interference? This is supposed to be sealed."

"It’s not," Merlin said quietly. His eyes glowed faint gold as his space sense expanded, and he felt it. A tear. Like reality had been ripped by claws.

Elara’s voice dropped low. "We need to move. Now."

They packed the relic quickly into a containment case. But before they could leave, a low growl rolled through the forest.

Not mechanical.

Not artificial.

It came from something alive.

Branches snapped in the mist ahead. The growl deepened, vibrating through the ground.

Ethan stepped back, sword raised. "Okay, that’s not part of the exam."

Liliana’s voice trembled. "What is that?"

Merlin’s senses sharpened. The aura approaching wasn’t from the academy. It was wild, corrupted, like mana infected with madness.

And worse, it was familiar.

Something he’d felt before.

Back in the labyrinth.

Back in the simulation.

He took a slow breath. "Form up. Defensive pattern."

Nathan slid beside him, daggers glowing with dark and light energy. "You know what this is?"

Merlin didn’t answer.

The mist parted.

And from it stepped a beast twice the size of a horse, all sinew and crystal, its body streaked with pulsing veins of red mana. Its eyes burned with feral intelligence, and as it opened its maw, a hiss of corrupted energy spilled out, black and red twisting together.

Elara gripped her spear tighter. "That’s not supposed to exist here."

"No," Merlin agreed, voice low. "It’s not."

The creature roared, and the forest erupted.

They scattered as the beast charged, claws tearing through rock. Elara vaulted aside, her spear striking out, the blow glanced off its crystalline hide, sparks flying.

Nathan vanished into shadows, reappearing behind it, daggers plunging deep, but the creature’s tail whipped around, catching him midair and sending him crashing into a tree.

Liliana and Ethan attacked in tandem, fire and water converging in a violent hiss of steam that cloaked the clearing.

Merlin stood in the center, watching, analyzing.

The way it moved, too coordinated.

The energy it leaked, unnatural.

This wasn’t wild mana. It was... constructed.

A memory surfaced, flashes of the labyrinth, the way the gods’ creations had moved.

"Everyone back!" he shouted.

The air bent around him, his lightning sparking alive. Wind gathered at his feet, space crackling faintly around his hands.

Elara didn’t argue. She and the others retreated as the creature lunged again, straight at Merlin.

He exhaled once, focus narrowing to a single point.

The ground split.

A surge of wind sent him forward in a blur, and in that instant, lightning tore through his veins. He struck the beast head-on, hand outstretched, the air exploding with energy.

The impact shattered the clearing. Blue-white arcs danced through the mist, burning through crystal and flesh alike. The beast shrieked, a sound so distorted it hurt to hear, and in the next instant, its body cracked, light pouring through the fractures.

It burst into shards.

Silence followed.

Only the soft crackle of fading electricity filled the air.

Merlin lowered his arm slowly, his breath visible in the cold.

Nathan groaned from behind a tree. "Next time you say ’form up,’ remind me to form behind you."

Ethan laughed weakly. "At least it’s dead."

But Elara wasn’t smiling. She stared at the remnants, the red mana that lingered faintly before dissipating.

"That wasn’t supposed to be here," she said again, softer this time. "This was an exam field."

Merlin’s expression darkened. "No. Something’s bleeding into it."

Dorian glanced at the sky. "Then the exam’s no longer a test. It’s survival."

Merlin looked up toward the treeline, eyes narrowing. The air still shimmered faintly, that same distortion.

And deep down, he knew this wasn’t a mistake.

Something had found its way in.

Something that recognized him.

The silence that followed the creature’s death was unnerving.

Even the wind seemed to hesitate before returning to its whisper through the trees.

The forest had felt alive before, but now, after that distortion, it felt watchful.

Merlin crouched beside the creature’s remains. The shards of crystal were still faintly humming, a rhythmic throb that tugged faintly at his mana. He touched one, and felt a flicker of energy pulse up his arm, sharp and chaotic.

His jaw tightened.

This wasn’t beast mana. It was structured, like runic energy folded into biological form.

Someone had made this.

He withdrew his hand and stood. "We’re moving. Whatever caused this is still active."

Ethan frowned. "Shouldn’t we report this? You know, before more of these things crawl out?"

"Signal blockers are up," Elara said, tapping her earpiece. "No connection to the instructors."

Nathan shook his head, half-grinning despite the situation. "Perfect. A corrupted monster field with no supervision. Just what I wanted."

Liliana sighed. "I’d like to survive my second year, thank you."