***
The Day of the Graduation Exam.
Under the full support of the Kingdom of Pavan, the Continental Academy’s Swordsmanship Department’s graduation exam commenced grandly.
The graduation exam required groups of ten students to enter the Carmedan Jungle and eliminate over 100 monsters to pass.
On average, each student needed to take down ten monsters, but in reality, they had to defeat more to pass the exam, as monsters did not conveniently gather in groups of exactly 100 according to the exam’s rules.
The atmosphere was eerie, and a chilling sense of hostility filled the air as if monsters might attack at any moment.
“Ahh… m-my arm…”
“Aagh…”
Among the earlier groups that had entered, only one group managed to complete their test. None of them escaped without injury.
The next group, nervously swallowing their anxiety, approached the students who had just finished their test and asked,
“Are you okay? Are there really that many monsters inside?”
“If it weren’t for the Emblem, I might have died.”
“Is it that bad?”
“This isn’t an exam—it’s a real battle. If you don’t stay alert…”
One injured student, trembling and in visible pain, tightly shut their eyes.
Although a handkerchief signifying their success was clenched in their hand, their face was painted with defeat.
“You’ll find yourself standing at death’s door.”
As the students slashed through the swarming monsters, they began to realize the true purpose of the Emblem training.
All it took was a single monster slipping past the line to throw the group into disarray.
“If you don’t want to be rescued in a humiliating state in front of the Emblem, never let your guard down.”
Even though the Emblem served as both the examiner and supervisor, they declared that they would not intervene until the very last moment, testing the students to their limits.
It was only when the earlier groups were truly on the brink of death that the Emblem stepped in to save them.
The tension among the students waiting for their turn was palpable. Kane was no exception.
‘Is that guy from last time not here?’
He recalled his classmate with freckles who had claimed to be taking the early graduation exam. The classmate had shown a friendly interest in Kane but had been absent since their last training session.
‘From what I’ve heard, the Emblem training seems to help a lot with this graduation exam. But since that guy didn’t attend the training…’
Kane kept scanning the surroundings. Among the students lightly warming up while waiting for their turn, he couldn’t spot the familiar face of his classmate.
Those who failed to pass the Emblem training were disqualified from taking the graduation exam.
Had his classmate lost their eligibility because they couldn’t even participate in the training? The thought lingered in Kane’s mind.
“Hm?”
At that moment, Kane noticed a flash of light brown hair passing through the crowd of students.
Someone was sneaking into the entrance area where the next group was preparing. Kane hurriedly moved toward them.
“Wait!”
Recklessly venturing alone into the jungle was sheer foolishness.
During their brief conversation, the boy had mentioned that he tended to go unnoticed. It seemed Kane was the only one who saw him heading into the jungle.
This was the perilous Carmedan Jungle, after all.
Even when groups of ten swordsmanship students entered the Carmedan Jungle under the Emblem’s protection, they could not avoid injuries.
‘What a reckless fool!’
Such solo actions would undoubtedly result in more than mere disciplinary measures if discovered.
Kane quickly followed the boy into the jungle entrance, thinking he could bring him back since he had just seen him enter.
As Kane stepped into the jungle, ready to call out the boy’s name, his face twisted into a frown.
He realized he didn’t even know the boy’s name. Despite attending the same classes for four years, the boy’s presence had been so faint that no information about him remained in Kane’s memory.
‘Is he really my classmate?’
Kane paused momentarily, scanning his surroundings.
The ominous atmosphere inside the jungle was on a completely different level than before.
Even though he hadn’t ventured far enough to lose the sound of the students preparing for the exam, an unsettling feeling washed over him.
As his unease deepened, Kane quickened his pace.
“Ah! Kane!”
A cheerful voice, oddly out of place in this environment, called out. Kane turned to see the boy with freckled cheeks smiling brightly, his face twitching slightly in amusement.
“Are you curious too? About where we’re going to take the exam?”
“How can you recklessly enter alone like this?”
Relieved to see the boy unharmed, Kane pressed his hand against his throbbing forehead.
“Oh, were you worried about me and followed me here? That’s touching…”
“If you understand, go back. Running into monsters here would be troublesome.”
“Right, I should. Thanks. I was just starting to feel scared with the presence of monsters getting closer.”
The boy smiled and obediently stood next to Kane. Watching his expression, which seemed completely devoid of thought, Kane didn’t even feel the need to ask why he had come alone. He sighed.
“You didn’t attend the training.”
“Oh, I wasn’t feeling well back then. But I’m really thankful I’m still allowed to take the exam.”
“I see.”
“By the way, everyone seemed pretty tense earlier, but you don’t seem afraid. You even came in here alone after me.”
“Not really.”
“You’re less fun than I expected, huh.”
The boy clicked his tongue in disappointment, squinting at Kane.
“I didn’t expect you to be this boring after just a little distraction.”
The boy muttered something peculiar in a barely audible voice. Kane frowned and asked,
“What did you say?”
“You know, have you ever wondered why monsters attack humans on sight?”
“Isn’t it just instinct?”
“Far from it.”
The boy flashed a mischievous grin. His face, already faint in Kane’s memory, now seemed blurred, as if obscured by the jungle’s mist.
“Monsters feed on human emotions—fear, despair, and hopelessness. They’re just like demons.”
“So they kill humans to consume those emotions?”
“How else can mindless beasts absorb the delicate emotions of humans if not through slaughter?”
“That’s an unpleasant and twisted theory.”
“Poor monsters. They struggle to survive by feeding on the base emotions humans emit only at the brink of death.”
Hearing this, Kane suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. He halted in his tracks.
“Is the jungle’s entrance always this deep?”
Despite not venturing far from the starting point where the students had gathered, the voices of his peers suddenly vanished. All Kane could hear were his and the boy’s voices as they continued walking.
The boy halted alongside Kane and spoke in a casual tone.
“Demons put more effort into their meals, you know.”
“Demons?”
“Did you know this? Demons appear in the form humans desire most.”
The more the boy talked, the more Kane’s mind felt muddled. It wasn’t that the boy’s words were incomprehensible; rather, it felt like the fog of the jungle was seeping into his thoughts, making everything hazy.
“For example, a friend who could comfort a lonely school life with no one on your side.”
“Stop talking for a moment. My head is acting… strange…”
“Humans fear losing what they’ve gained. That’s why they struggle endlessly, and as they struggle, they grow more flavorful.”
“Stop talking. Just close your—”
Kane instinctively unsheathed his sword from his waist. Without knowing why, he pointed the blade at the boy.
The boy’s lips curled into an unnervingly smooth smile, as though it were drawn with a single stroke.
“And the despair that spills out during that process is just so delicious.”
“You’re not my classmate, are you…?”
“I appeared in the form you most desired, but the tempting scent you gave off has suddenly disappeared. How disappointing.”
The boy—or rather, what could no longer be called a boy—faded into the mist.
Kane, fighting against his blurring vision and heavy mind, planted his feet firmly and tried to steady himself.
“Who made you this dull?”
The voice whispered as if directly into his ear. Kane swung his sword sharply in that direction. However, the blade sliced through empty air, only parting the mist.
“Who could’ve driven away the darkness within you that was so delectable I nearly forgot my dear contractor’s request?”
