outside the academy, far beyond the Elaris.

Deep within the desolate canyons of the Abyssal Domain, a faint ripple of energy spread through the air.

In a vast cavern where dark rivers flowed like ink, a towering figure rose slowly from his throne of bones.

The Abyss Warden, known as the Second Demon Lord, opened his eyes.

He raised his head slightly, sensing the disturbance. "Hmm...?"

He could feel it — the faint traces of demonic energy breaking across the region.

"Somewhere within the Elaris state, multiple demon cores had just popped."

He frowned. "Which means..."

He stood slowly.

"...there is a strong hero in the mortal domain killing the demons."

The Warden’s clawed hand rose, summoning a dark orb that hovered before him.

Inside it, images flickered — distorted visions of faint red lights disappearing one by one.

"The flow of cores has been disrupted," he said to himself.

"Seventeen cores... all destroyed."

His eyes narrowed. "This cannot be a coincidence."

He stepped down from his throne.

The demonic mist around him curled and twisted.

"If someone is absorbing or destroying demon cores within my territory..." he said, "...then that someone must be found and erased."

He extended his hand, summoning two shadowy figures from the darkness — his wraith scouts.

"Go," he commanded.

"Find the source of the interference. Bring me the one who dares to touch our cores."

The wraiths bowed, their bodies dissolving into smoke before vanishing into the air.

The Abyss Warden turned toward the dark sky beyond the cavern.

"Whoever you are, we will find you and."

"Report to the Shadow disciple. That idiot is not working well" he said.

Meanwhile, back in Kael’s dorm.

He sat quietly, staring at the broken remains of the demon cores scattered across his table.

And then — from the corner of his shelf — a faint red glow began to pulse.

Kael blinked, turning his head. "Huh?"

It was the red crystal shard he’d found weeks ago in the rescue mission.

Now, it was glowing.

Kael stood slowly. "Why is it glwing...?"

The light from the shard illuminated the room in a blood-red hue.

As Kael reached out toward it, the glow intensified — and for a brief second, he thought he heard a faint whisper.

"...Who is this? Who dares to touch my blood crystal?..."

He froze. "What was that?"

The light flickered once — then dimmed completely.

Kael stood still, breathing hard.

"...Something’s wrong," he whispered.

"Who was that speaking to me?" He talked to himself.

"Anyway, I’ll skip my training today to learn magic."

Kael muttered those words quietly the previous evening.

The Morning Before the Mission

The next day, the academy was unusually lively.

Whispers and murmurs spread like wildfire through the corridors as news traveled fast — Cecelia, the top-ranked student of the first-year, had returned unexpectedly after being gone for three days.

Students stopped mid-conversation, craning their necks as she walked past in her academy uniform.

"Isn’t that Cecelia?"

"She skipped the mana classes for three days straight!"

"Something must’ve happened..."

Ignoring the curious gazes, Cecelia made her way to Ground Zero.

She looked tired.

She paused for a moment near the notice board, glancing at the list of disciplinary summons pinned to it.

Jin HaldenElysia Von Actria,, Edwin Leonhart, Ethan, Lena, and Lucas.

"What happened to them?" she talked to herself.

The Infirmary

At the same hour, sunlight filtered through the curtains of the academy infirmary.

Edwin slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the brightness.

His head pounded slightly, his body feeling heavy.

"Where... am I?" he groaned, trying to sit up.

A soft female voice answered from the side. "Oh, you’re awake so fast?"

He turned his head. A nurse stood there, arranging a tray of potions. She smiled kindly.

"You were brought here after collapsing during your fight," she explained.

"You’ve been asleep for nearly a day."

Edwin rubbed his forehead. Memories of the battle with Lena flooded back — her fierce determination, her unpredictable mana surges, and the final blow that sent him crashing to the ground.

The nurse noticed his expression but said nothing.

Instead, she held out a folded piece of paper. "You’re asked to go to the Discipline Hall this morning. The professor will be waiting for you."

Edwin blinked in surprise. "Discipline Hall?"

"Yes. They said it concerns the incident at Ground Two."

He sighed, swinging his legs off the bed. "Of course it does."

After a few minutes, he adjusted his uniform and left the infirmary.

His steps echoed down the quiet hallway as he made his way toward the Discipline Hall.

The Discipline Hall

When Edwin pushed the heavy door open, he immediately noticed his friends and the third year students.

Elysia. Jin. Ethan. Lena. Lucas.

All stood in a line, waiting silently.

Edwin froze at the doorway, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword. His glare landed on Elysia first.

"You..." he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing.

Elysia, who was standing with her arms crossed, noticed his movement and raised her hand calmly.

"Don’t," she said firmly.

Edwin lowered his hand slowly, exhaling through his nose. "What are you two doing here?" he asked, glancing at Jin and Ethan.

"We’re going to be punished," Elysia replied flatly.

"Punished?" Edwin repeated, taken aback. "For what?"

Lucas sighed from the side, scratching his head. "For being reckless," he muttered. "And maybe for trying to save someone we weren’t supposed to."

Ethan scoffed. "It’s not like we regret it."

"Speak for yourself," Lena muttered, looking away.

Before Edwin could say anything more, the large double doors at the back opened with a heavy creak.

Professor Kalden entered, holding a clipboard and a sealed envelope.

Kalden stopped before the group and unfolded the document.

"As you all know," he began, "the academy upholds rules not for control, but for responsibility. And yet, you seem to have forgotten that."

He let his words hang for a moment.

"I don’t have the authority to punish you physically," he continued, glancing toward the paper in his hand, "but I have received approval from the Head of the Department."

"You are to repair and clear Ground Two. You will be restrained with Sea Stone Cuffs that suppress mana completely. Until the work is complete, none of you will have access to your dorms or mana facilities."

Lucas blinked. "You mean... manual labor?"

Kalden gave a smile. "Yes. The kind that reminds you what it means to rely on your body, not just your mana."

Ethan grumbled, "That’s ridiculous. We’re cultivators, not—"

"Silence," Kalden cut him off sharply.

"Your arrogance is what brought you here."