In a familiar classroom, Professor Martis addressed his students. "Now, I believe some of you have checked the features of your phones. Think of your them like a baby; you must always protect them because important messages and announcements will be sent through them and failure to do so would attract punishment. Do you have any questions?"

A hand shot up.

"Yes?" the professor gestured to the student who had raised it.

"Is it possible to know where Vahn is?" Han asked, his concern evident.

"Hmm…" Professor Martis scrutinized Han for a moment before searching through his tablet. However, his expression darkened.

[Student data does not exist.]

"Hmm?" He frowned, checking again, but the result was the same.

"Is there a problem?" Han inquired, a frown forming on his face.

"Yes, I can't seem to find any information regarding that student. Strange…" He shook his head, dismissing the issue and continuing with his lecture.

But Han's mind was elsewhere. Like or not, Vahn had become a friend to him, and he was troubled by his absence.

He briefly glanced at Carla, who seemed indifferent to the unfolding situation. As he was about to speak to her,

Suddenly, a cacophony of footsteps echoed through the corridor, drawing their attention.

A military officer entered the classroom and announced, "Emergency protocol 2."

"How?" Professor Martis appeared to be the only one who grasped the gravity of the situation. To his surprise, someone else seemed to understand as well.

Bang…

"Carla?" Han tilted his head in confusion as Carla shot up from her seat, her expression suddenly serious,

Then she muttered the cause of this protocol,

"Demons,"

And the weight of her words sunk in, causing panic to ripple through the classroom.

"What…?"

"You're joking, right? the D-Demons are long gone!"

"H-How?"

"Why?"

The students erupted into chaos.

"SETTLE DOWN!" Professor Martis shouted, regaining their attention. He sighed deeply before continuing,

"Yes, Emergency Protocol 2 means demons are attacking. You are to return to your dorms in an orderly manner. Move out"

With that, the students rose and exited the classroom, following the military personnel outside.

"What's going on?"

"Is it another invasion?"

"I-I don't want to die…"

As they stepped outside, they merged with other students being escorted by the military back to their dormitory.

"Hey, do you have a relation in the military?" Han asked Carla as they moved through the chaos.

"I—"

Before she could respond, she froze.

"What's wrong?" Han asked as concern etched on his face.

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She just remained silent and looked up. Following her gaze, Han also looked up and gasped in shock.

WHHOOOOOSSSHHHH!

"What's that?"

"Such a breeze?"

"What…?"

A massive wind swept over them, forcing everyone, including the military personnel, to shield their faces. The military shouted at the students to get behind them and they frantically watched their surroundings for any change.

Then, a colossal shadow loomed overhead, darkening the area as if it were nighttime. If they hadn't known better, they might have thought it was an illusion or it was actually night.

Then they looked up to see the source of the darkness: a gigantic creature, so huge that its wings easily eclipsed the entire camp. Its stark black body seemed to absorb light, and its glowing golden eyes inspired instinctual fear in anyone who laid eyes on it.

If Vahn had been present, he would have recognized this creature immediately, it was a dragon.

Under the astonished and terrified expressions of everyone present, the dragon glowed golden like the sun and vanished. It was as if the darkness had been a mere figment of their imagination, yet they couldn't deny it as a figure was standing in the sky in the dragon's place.

With fearful faces, they watched as the creature descended slowly, landing gracefully on the ground.

"Purple hair and golden eyes…" Carla murmured as if struggling to believe her own eyes.

"Vahn?" Han asked, tilting his head in confusion. The moment he spoke, the creature snapped her gaze toward him, making his heart skip.

The military personnel were finally regaining their composure, ready to shout commands, but before they could, she vanished and reappeared right in front of Han.

"Gahh…"

"Hup…"

Han and Carla instinctively took a step back at her sudden approach.

"Where is he?" she demanded, her eyes scanning the crowd before locking back onto them again.

"I—I don't know! He was taken this morning!" Han spoke out of unwillingness as he felt an overwhelming urge to tell the truth.

"Taken? Where?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"I don't know," Han replied, his voice trembling.

Sniff… Sniff…

Then she sniffed the air and gazed at a particular direction.

"HOLD IT!"

The military had finally regained their bearings, retreated the students, and surrounded the trio. Despite their numbers, even the lieutenant in charge was visibly shaken, his voice quivering. "W-WHO ARE YOU?" he shouted.

Boom…

Without answering, she launched herself into the air with a resounding boom, sending everyone nearby stumbling backward as she disappeared into the sky.

***

In an unknown underground location, a deafening roar erupted from a beast that had emerged from Vahn during the explosion. It surpassed the cacophony of the battlefield, drawing attention to the area, but the explosions and smoke still obscured visibility.

"ARGHHHH…" The pain and ecstasy coursing through Vahn's body were indescribable. He didn't need anyone to tell him he had overexerted himself this time, and he regretted it deeply.

'My body feels like it's breaking, fixing, and pumping me with stronger power.' He rationalized it as a good thing, but the process repeated itself with the number of demons he was trying to absorb.

…

As Vahn had predicted, the man in the lab coat was watching closely, observing the process with keen interest.

He had been watching intently for any sign of something unusual. And from the very beginning, all that had changed was a strange loud roar accompanied by a solitary human scream.

Unable to determine its source, he soared closer. "Where is it happening?" he wondered as his gaze fixed on the ground as he glided above the slowly fading smoke.

"That individual will be an exceptional specimen. I wonder if he can handle 'that'," the demon mused to itself.

Eager to disperse the lingering smoke, it flapped its wings vigorously, sending a gust of wind that swept the debris away.

Whoosh… As the smoke cleared, every eye in the area turned toward the lone boy, who stood at the center of the chaos, breathing heavily.

Something strange had definitely occurred.

All the bodies of the fallen demons and few humans had inexplicably vanished, leaving only the boy amid the ruin. How did they vanish? What did he do?

"Haaa… I finally found you. Now tell me, how did you do it?" The two-paired winged demon swooped down with a smile on his face, forcing the surrounding ability users to retreat.

However, despite their wariness, they couldn't tear their eyes away from Vahn. They too wanted to know? What was he?

However, what did the Vahn before them focus on,

A golden message that flashed before him:

[YOU HAVE ABSORBED ESSENCE OF ??? -> 3%]

"Just 3?" Vahn murmured, astonished not at the modest percentage, but at the potential and what he could do with it.

Clenching and unclenching his fist, he glanced upward, silently questioning whether he should act, however it didn't take long to decide.

In that instant, the two-paired winged demon abruptly halted. The boy it had been pursuing and questioning suddenly vanished from his sight.

Reacting swiftly, the demon turned just as a punch was hurled its way. However, Vahn was already at the next position with his fist against the demon's face.

Bang… Boom…

The demon crashed into the cave wall, debris scattering in a cloud of dust and smoke.

Vahn exhaled, his fist clenching and unclenching in amazement. Just 3% was enough to deal with this issue. Without lingering on the feat, he teleported toward the gathering of ability users. In a fluid motion, he scooped up a sword from the ground, swung it a few times to gauge its weight, and advanced forward.

"Arghhhhh…" A two-paired winged demon reappeared, its body now shrouded in red energy with streaks of blood marring its face. "I'LL KILL YOU!" it bellowed.

"Yeah, sure," Vahn replied casually as he charged to meet the demon's outstretched fist.

In a brutal clash, his sword met the demon's blow with a sickening explosion.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM.