The First Monster Attack

CHAPTER 3

THE FIRST MONSTER ATTACK

The next morning, Aetheria Grand Magic Academy was unusually noisy.

Students were still talking about yesterday’s duel.

Especially one name.

Yuuto Vance.

“He defeated Kaelen Thorne.”

“I heard Kaelen couldn’t even move.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Yuuto’s Core was only three percent!”

“He must have used some kind of forbidden technique.”

Rumors spread through the academy like wildfire.

Yuuto ignored all of them.

He walked through the corridor with his hands inside his pockets.

Leon followed beside him.

“You’re famous.”

Yuuto sighed.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“You know half the academy is talking about you?”

“That’s even more unfortunate.”

Leon laughed.

“You really don’t like attention.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Yuuto stopped walking.

“Because attention usually brings trouble.”

Leon thought about that.

“Fair enough.”

They continued walking.

Neither of them noticed the girl walking behind them.

A girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

She had been watching Yuuto since yesterday.

Her name was Lyria Ashbourne.

Unlike most students, she wasn’t interested in rumors.

She was interested in facts.

And there was one fact she couldn’t understand.

Yuuto Vance’s Inner Core reading was almost nonexistent.

Yet he had defeated Kaelen without using a visible spell.

That shouldn’t be possible.

Lyria narrowed her eyes.

Who are you?

⸻

THE CLASSROOM

Professor Selene entered the classroom.

The students immediately became quiet.

“Today, we’ll be studying Core Control.”

She wrote three words on the board.

OUTPUT.

FLOW.

PRESSURE.

“Most young sorcerers focus too much on output.”

She looked at the class.

“They believe that releasing more mana automatically makes their magic stronger.”

She shook her head.

“That’s wrong.”

Selene pointed toward the first student.

“Show us your Core.”

The student activated his Inner Core.

A blue aura appeared around his body.

“Now increase the output.”

The aura became larger.

“More.”

The aura became unstable.

“Stop.”

The student immediately stopped.

Selene looked at the class.

“What happened?”

A student answered.

“His mana became unstable.”

“Correct.”

She turned toward the board.

“True strength comes from controlling the flow.”

Then she looked toward Yuuto.

“Mr. Vance.”

Yuuto looked up.

“Yes?”

“Can you explain?”

The entire class looked at him.

Yuuto sighed.

“Why me?”

“Because you demonstrated unusual Core Control yesterday.”

Yuuto thought for a moment.

“Fine.”

He stood.

“Mana isn’t water.”

He walked toward the board.

“If you force too much through a small passage, the pressure becomes unstable.”

He drew a simple diagram.

“But if you compress the mana first…”

He drew another.

“You can increase its density without increasing the amount.”

The classroom became silent.

Selene nodded.

“Exactly.”

Yuuto returned to his seat.

Leon whispered.

“You sound like a professor.”

Yuuto whispered back.

“That’s because I’m old.”

Leon laughed.

“You’re seventeen!”

“Old enough.”

⸻

LUNCH BREAK

Yuuto sat alone at a table.

He opened his lunch.

Then someone placed a tray in front of him.

“Can I sit here?”

Yuuto looked up.

Lyria Ashbourne.

“Sure.”

She sat opposite him.

Leon arrived a few seconds later.

He looked at Lyria.

“Who are you?”

“Lyria Ashbourne.”

Leon froze.

“Ashbourne?”

Lyria smiled.

“Yes.”

The Ashbourne Family was one of the influential magical families in the kingdom.

Leon looked at Yuuto.

“Why is someone from the Ashbourne Family sitting with us?”

Yuuto shrugged.

“Maybe she’s hungry.”

Lyria laughed.

“Exactly.”

They began eating.

For a while, everything was normal.

Then Lyria spoke.

“Yuuto.”

“Hm?”

“Yesterday.”

Yuuto continued eating.

“What about it?”

“How did you stop Kaelen’s Inner Core?”

Leon stopped eating.

Yuuto looked at Lyria.

“I didn’t.”

Lyria frowned.

“I saw it.”

“You saw wrong.”

“You touched his chest.”

“Lucky punch.”

“That wasn’t a punch.”

“Lucky touch.”

Lyria stared at him.

Yuuto smiled.

She wasn’t convinced.

But before she could ask again—

BOOOOOOM!

The entire academy shook.

Students screamed.

The windows rattled.

A massive alarm sounded throughout the building.

WARNING.

WARNING.

MAGICAL BREACH DETECTED.

Everyone froze.

Professor Selene’s voice echoed through the academy.

“All students, remain inside your classrooms!”

“Do not leave the designated areas!”

“Teachers will handle the situation!”

Yuuto stood.

His expression changed.

Leon noticed immediately.

“What is it?”

Yuuto looked toward the window.

“That’s not a normal breach.”

Lyria frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Yuuto closed his eyes.

He could feel it.

A strange mana signature.

Something was moving beneath the academy.

Something enormous.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!

The ground exploded.

A massive creature burst through the courtyard.

Students screamed.

The creature was covered in black scales.

Its body was larger than a house.

Six glowing eyes stared at the academy.

A horn grew from its forehead.

Professor Selene rushed outside.

“Everyone stay back!”

She raised her hand.

A massive barrier appeared.

BOOM!

The monster slammed into it.

The barrier cracked.

Selene’s expression changed.

“A Tier-4 Magical Beast…”

The students panicked.

“Tier 4?!”

“That’s impossible!”

“Why is there a monster inside the academy?”

Selene shouted:

“EVACUATE!”

Teachers rushed to protect the students.

Yuuto stood in the corridor.

He watched the monster carefully.

His eyes narrowed.

“That isn’t natural.”

Lyria looked at him.

“What?”

Yuuto pointed toward the monster.

“Look at its chest.”

A black symbol was glowing beneath its scales.

Lyria’s eyes widened.

“That’s a magic seal.”

Yuuto nodded.

“Someone summoned it.”

Leon clenched his fists.

“Who would attack Aetheria?”

Yuuto didn’t answer.

Because he already knew.

The same symbol.

The same mana signature.

The same feeling.

He had seen it before.

Twelve years ago.

During the White Night Incident.

Yuuto’s expression became cold.

“The Abyss Order.”

⸻

THE MONSTER BREAKS THROUGH

CRACK!

The barrier shattered.

Professor Selene was thrown backward.

“PROFESSOR!”

The monster roared.

ROAAAAAAR!

A wave of mana exploded through the courtyard.

Windows shattered.

Students fell to the ground.

Yuuto immediately moved.

He grabbed Leon and Lyria.

“Stay behind me.”

Leon looked at him.

“You’re going to fight it?”

“No.”

Yuuto looked toward the monster.

“I’m going to stop it.”

He stepped forward.

Lyria grabbed his arm.

“Yuuto, your Core—”

Yuuto looked at her.

“My Core is fine.”

Then he walked into the courtyard.

The monster noticed him.

Its six eyes turned toward Yuuto.

For a moment—

the creature stopped.

It began trembling.

Yuuto frowned.

“You remember me?”

The monster roared and charged.

BOOM!

Yuuto disappeared.

He reappeared directly above its head.

He raised one finger.

“Core Pressure.”

THOOM!

The monster’s body slammed into the ground.

The entire courtyard shook.

Everyone stared.

Yuuto landed quietly.

The monster struggled to move.

Its Inner Core was being crushed by invisible pressure.

But it wasn’t enough.

The black seal on its chest began glowing.

Yuuto’s eyes narrowed.

“Someone is controlling it remotely.”

A voice suddenly echoed through the monster.

“So the rumors were true.”

Yuuto froze.

“The Abyssal Core really survived.”

Students looked around in confusion.

Yuuto’s expression became cold.

“Show yourself.”

The voice laughed.

“Not yet.”

The monster suddenly began to explode with dark mana.

Yuuto looked toward the students.

There were hundreds of them.

If the monster exploded—

everyone would die.

Yuuto closed his eyes.

For the first time since entering Aetheria—

he stopped pretending.

A tiny portion of his Inner Core opened.

THUM.

The entire academy became silent.

Every sorcerer’s Inner Core trembled.

Kaelen, who was standing among the students, suddenly fell to one knee.

“What… is this?”

Elena felt it from across the academy.

Her eyes widened.

“Yuuto…”

Yuuto opened his eyes.

A dark aura surrounded his body.

Not violent.

Not chaotic.

It was completely silent.

The monster stopped moving.

Yuuto raised his hand.

“Absolute Zero.”

The dark mana vanished.

The monster’s explosion disappeared.

The black seal shattered.

CRACK.

The creature collapsed.

Silence.

Yuuto stood in the middle of the ruined courtyard.

Hundreds of students stared at him.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke.

Then—

Elena arrived.

She looked at Yuuto.

Their eyes met.

Yuuto immediately returned to his normal expression.

Elena smiled.

“You used too much.”

Yuuto sighed.

“How much?”

“About one percent.”

Yuuto looked annoyed.

“That much?”

Elena nodded.

“Yes.”

Kaelen heard them.

His eyes widened.

One percent?

That monster had been strong enough to defeat a professor.

Yet Yuuto had stopped it with one percent of his power.

Kaelen clenched his fists.

For the first time, he understood.

Yesterday’s duel wasn’t a coincidence.

Yuuto had never been fighting him seriously.

Not even close.

High above the academy—

a black-haired woman watched the scene through a magical crystal.

She smiled.

“Interesting.”

Beside her stood a masked man.

“Should we capture him now?”

The woman shook her head.

“No.”

She looked at Yuuto.

“Let him grow.”

The masked man frowned.

“Why?”

The woman smiled.

“Because when the Abyssal Core awakens completely…”

Her eyes glowed red.

“…we will finally have the key to opening the Abyss.”

To be continued…

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***