Vale's heart pounded as he caught his breath, his eyes fixed on the devastation left by his attack.
Though activating the enchantment had drained a third of his mana essence, its power was undeniable. A slight grin crossed his face, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
"That was magnificent, my friend!" Dain said, already standing beside him. "Is that your unique ability?"
"No, it's the weapon's enchantment."
"The enchantment?"
The massive student lingered for a moment, as if deep in thought, before nodding slightly—either in understanding or recollection.
Vale, however, paid him no mind. After glancing at Klein and confirming he was unharmed, he knelt down and sliced open the creature's abdomen with his sword.
He examined the mana crystal for a moment before stepping back.
He chose not to feed it to the spark. If they were to face more of these monsters, his allies needed to be at their best, and that meant their mana reserves took priority over his Unique Ability.
"Take it," Vale said to Klein.
Klein didn't hesitate. Maintaining the debuff for so long had drained his core significantly, so he reached down and consumed the crystal without question.
Dain did the same. With the creature's body already torn apart by his strikes, he plunged his hand into the mess of flesh and bone, dragged out the mana crystal, and consumed it in an instant.
The group spent the next few moments organising and tending to Dain's wounds. Although he hadn't suffered any life-threatening injuries, the bleeding from the smaller cuts he received could still attract unwanted attention—after all, the monsters' sense of smell far exceeded that of humans.
They tore smaller pieces of fur from Dain's cloak and used them to bind his wounds close.
Soon enough, they were ready to continue.
There was no need to question where to go next—the trail of dead bodies stretched ahead, leading them deeper into the ruined city. With each step, more corpses lined the deserted streets of what had once been a thriving metropolis.
There were no signs of life.
Nothing but the sound of the breeze whistling between collapsed buildings. They moved cautiously. Most of the corpses were fresh, and they doubted that whatever monstrosity had done this was too far away.
Suddenly—the group came to a halt.
Dain, who was leading, stopped abruptly, a deep frown settling on his face.
"The trail ends here," he said, staring at the empty path ahead.
There were no more corpses. The large streaks of blood thinned until they disappeared entirely.
Vale eyed the surroundings. They stood in an open space—the nearest building was at least ten meters away, leaving them completely exposed.
"We should—"
Before he could finish, a loud thump shook the ground, sending tremors through their feet.
They scattered.
Without wasting a second, they dove behind nearby piles of rubble, their hearts pounding wildly in their chests.
Why had they run without question? It wasn't like them. Normally, they would stand their ground—wait to see the enemy and assess their chances. But this time was different. Why?
Before Vale could answer his thoughts, the sound of heavy steps took all his attention away.
There, no more than ten meters away, a massive, ominous figure moved, its four arms slicing through the air as it walked. Fresh blood still dripping from its hands and scars covered its entire body. Those scars did not look like signs of weakness. No. Those scars looked more like trophies.
Then—it came to a halt.
The four-armed devil stood right where they had just been, lingering as if searching for something.
The air around them grew thick, heavy beneath the weight of its menacing presence. The group gasped for breath, their hearts hammering against their ribs as they watched the figure before them.
One thing was certain—they did not want to face this monster.
Only now did they realize how much they had overestimated their own strength. A handful of victories against weaker foes had led them astray.
That thing was not their match.
Vale turned to his companions, who were already looking in his direction.
No words needed to be spoken—the look in their eyes said it all.
Run.
Vale gritted his teeth. He wanted to face the monster. No—he had to face it. If he ran now, how could he ever hope to stand against the Tower Keeper in the Dark Tower and complete his quest?
He clenched his fists, fighting against his instincts. But reason won out.
They could face the monster another day.
With a reluctant nod, he signaled to his teammates, accepting defeat.
But before they could act—
A small stone tumbled down the pile of rubble.
Like an avalanche, it dislodged more and more, sending a cascade of rocks crashing to the ground.
Klein, who had been leaning against that very pile, had accidentally knocked the first stone loose.
The heavy thud of falling rocks echoed through the deafening silence.
Before the student could take another breath, the four-armed devil was beside him.
With a single swing of his arm, he sent Klein tumbling through the air before crushing into a building.
Vale's eyes widened.
"Too fast!" He noted, barely able to see the monster move as it appeared near his companion.
With their weapons already summoned, both him and Dain dashed toward the creature, the blade of Hellfire flashing as it moved.
But the monster was unfazed.
With two arms for each attacker, it easily blocked both their strikes.
Its mouth curved upward, as if… smiling.
With no time to question the monster's odd behaviour, the students continued their attacks. Klein, who had already recovered, casted the debuff, but even then, none of their attacks could hit the target.
The monster's movements were fluid, blocking and deflecting each strike with its four arms.
What's worse, however, was its lack of counter-attacking, as if it were simply testing their strengths.
Vale activated his enchantment, his blade covered by flames as he struck once more against the monster.
A slight cut appeared on its body as he finally managed to pass through its arms.
The creature appeared to linger for a split second before upping its speed, sending its arms not just to block but to attack too.
Vale sidestepped one of the strikes, but not accounting for the third arm, he stepped into a backhand swing, his body sent crashing into a nearby pile of rubble.
The world went dark.