Chapter 27: A Test of Strength, A Fight for Survival


    <hr>


    The academy wasn’t stupid.


    They saw me growing too fast.


    Too strong. Too unpredictable.


    So instead of keeping me locked down—


    They sent me on a solo mission.


    To "evaluate my capabilities."


    Right. Because sending a problem away from the academy to fight alone always goes so well.


    <hr>


    The Assignment


    I met Instructor Vance in the mission hall.


    He tossed me a sealed scroll without preamble.


    "Your assignment," he said. "Eliminate a beast that’s been disrupting trade routes near the southern ridge."


    I raised a brow. "That’s it?"


    He gave me a flat look. "Don’t act cocky. We’re still evaluating you."


    I smirked. "Sure, sure. Totally normal mission. No hidden danger at all."


    Vance sighed. "Just get it done, Hoshigaki."


    <hr>


    The Hunt Begins


    The southern ridge was quiet. Too quiet.


    No birds. No wind. Just the unnatural stillness of a place that had been abandoned.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The reports said this was a beast culling mission.


    One rogue monster.


    Easy.


    Except—


    There were no tracks. No signs of a normal predator.


    Just scorched earth.


    Like something had burned reality itself.


    Noctis stirred on my shoulder. "Oh, I really don’t like this, Master."


    Nyx hummed. "Stay sharp. This reeks of deception."


    Then, the ground shifted.


    And I realized—


    The mission was a trap.


    <hr>


    The Truth Revealed


    The earth split open beneath me.


    Dark tendrils shot up, trying to pull me downward.


    I barely leaped back before a figure rose from the abyss.


    It was not a beast.


    It was not a monster.


    It was something worse.


    <blockquote>


    [ENTITY IDENTIFIED: VOID REVENANT.]


    [RANK: S-CLASS THREAT.]


    </blockquote>


    I froze.


    They sent me here to fight a basic rogue creature.


    But instead—


    I was staring at an eldritch horror wrapped in black flame, its body twisted and shifting between forms.


    And it was watching me.


    Hunting me.


    <hr>


    The Battle That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen


    The Revenant moved first.


    A pulse of void energy shot toward me, warping the air around it.


    I barely dodged, the blast melting through the trees like acid.


    "Okay," I muttered. "Not a normal mission. Got it."


    <blockquote>


    [Abyssal Helm Activated: Reinforcement Mode.]


    </blockquote>


    My body hardened, my footing stabilized, and I lunged forward.


    Nyx clashed with the Revenant’s claws, sparks of void and steel lighting up the battlefield.


    Umbra snarled, leaping onto its back, his fangs sinking into its shifting flesh.


    The creature screamed.


    And for a second—


    I thought we had the upper hand.


    Then—


    It shifted.


    And something massive rose behind it.


    Not a second Revenant.


    Not even a creature.


    A gate.


    <blockquote>


    [WARNING: VOID GATE FORMING.]


    </blockquote>


    I felt my stomach drop.


    This wasn’t just a test.


    It was an invasion point.


    And I was alone.