Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Forensic Glance and The Trembling Fur

The cave had gone completely silent, with only the slow dripping of water echoing through the darkness.

Lina stood near the center of the cavern, frozen stiff, staring at her trembling hands. Her fingers still tingled from the violent flood of mana that had exploded through her earlier. Every breath now felt different.

Even the dark cave no longer appeared fully dark to her eyes, and beside her boots lay the corpse of the Gore-Boar, or what remained of it.

The massive Rank C beast now seemed like a dried shell. Its thick, armored flesh had collapsed inward against its bones, as if all life had been drained out of it.

In the farthest corner of the cave, Marcus huddled against the wall, his sweating face pale, shaking so hard that his armor rattled softly.

His mind had completely broken.

One moment he had seen a tiny fluffy rabbit.

The next, he and everyone else watched a red-eyed nightmare rip apart a Rank C monster in less than a minute.

Then Lina had accidentally slapped a full-grown noble student across the cave hard enough to crack stone.

Nothing made sense anymore.

He swallowed hard, staring at Lina as if she were some human-shaped monster.

"T-That thing..." he whispered weakly.

Inside Lina’s carry-bag, Qhuin narrowed his ruby eyes.

The rabbit’s ears twitched, then system alerts flashed rapidly across his vision.

[Warning: Multiple High-Tier Mana Signatures Approaching.]

[Threat Level: Severe.]

Qhuin’s nose wiggled.

Then he shoved his tiny head against Lina’s ankle from inside the bag.

"Squeak." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The sharp sound snapped Lina out of her panic.

Qhuin shoved her leg again harder.

’Act natural, brat, that damn hunter is here.’

A second later—

THUD!

The ground outside the cave shook violently.

Wind blasted through the broken iron grate as a massive winged shadow landed outside the stone archway, and golden light flooded the cave entrance.

Aurelion.

The giant Sun-Winged Griffin folded its enormous glowing wings, while holy mana rolled off its feathers in waves.

Professor Valerius jumped down first, his heavy boots landing against the wet stone with a cold metallic clang. Black cloak sweeping behind him, he walked into the cave without hesitation.

Elizabeth followed right behind him.

Unlike Valerius, she looked completely out of place inside the dark cavern. Her white scholar robes remained perfectly spotless despite the mud and wet stone around her.

The moment she spotted Lina—

"Oh my goodness!" Elizabeth gasped dramatically, rushing forward immediately.

"Lina, sweetie!" She grabbed the stunned girl into a tight hug before Lina could react.

"We felt a terrifying mana eruption all the way from the command tower! I was absolutely terrified that something horrible happened to you!"

Lina nearly stumbled from the sudden affection.

"I-I’m okay..." she managed.

Elizabeth held her shoulders tightly, checking her face with exaggerated panic.

"You’re not hurt anywhere, right? Did the nasty monster touch you? Did you hit your head? Oh, thank the heavens your adorable little bunny is safe too!"

Inside the carry-bag, Qhuin’s eye twitched violently.

’This insane woman again.’

Meanwhile, Valerius ignored everyone completely.

His golden eyes were locked onto the dead Gore-Boar.

The cave suddenly felt colder as he approached the carcass.

The veteran hunter stopped beside the dried corpse and slowly crouched down, one of his gloved hands touched the beast’s throat.

Silence.

Then his golden God’s Eye activated, and bright gold lines flashed across his pupils.

Mana surged sharply through the cave, Valerius traced the puncture wounds carefully.

His expression hardened. For a brief moment, memories flashed through his mind.

The ruined castles along with blood-covered streets. Bodies hanging upside down from cathedral walls, completely drained of blood.

The old execution sites of vampire feeding circles.

Valerius’s fingers pressed harder against the boar’s throat — no blood remained inside the corpse, not even residue.

His jaw tightened slightly.

When he finally spoke, his voice came out low and cold enough to freeze the air.

"This was not a beast attack."

The trembling Marcus stiffened instantly.

Valerius slowly stood back up.

"A high-level vampire entity is active inside this ravine."

The cave became deathly quiet.

Elizabeth’s sweet smile remained on her face, but something changed; her posture shifted slightly, her bright eyes darkening.

A strange excitement crept across her expression as she slowly stroked Aurelion’s glowing feathers.

"Vampires?" she whispered.

The cheerful warmth in her voice disappeared completely.

"The extinct filth?"

Her smile widened just a little too much.

"Oh... how wonderful."

A cold shiver ran through the cave.

"I can’t wait to watch them burn under the sun."

Inside the carry-bag, Qhuin’s rabbit foot thumped once against the fabric automatically.

He froze.

’I am a sovereign of darkness, not a frightened woodland rodent.’

Valerius suddenly turned around, his pressure slammed into the cave like a heavy wall.

Marcus almost collapsed instantly.

"Explain the carcass." he demanded.

His golden eyes fixed intently on Lina.

"A senior-class student was seen fleeing this sector in a state of mental collapse."

The cave felt suffocating.

"What happened here?" he pressed.

Lina’s heart nearly exploded inside her chest, but somehow, she managed to speak.

"I-I don’t know, Professor..." she stammered.

Her voice shook naturally.

"A giant boar attacked us... then the fog got really thick..." she explained, tightening her grip on the bag strap.

"A shadow suddenly jumped down from the ceiling. It killed the boar really fast and disappeared back into the dark."

She swallowed nervously.

"I just hid in the corner with Snowy."

Valerius stared at her silently, then shifted his eyes toward Marcus.

"Is this true?" he asked.

He immediately nodded so hard his neck almost snapped.

"Yes!"

"T-That’s exactly what happened!"

"I didn’t see anything else!"

Qhuin’s lingering Crimson Pressure still sat deep inside their minds, like a blade against their brains.

He dared not say a single extra word.

Valerius remained silent for several long seconds, then—

His gaze slowly lowered toward Lina’s carry-bag, where warning messages exploded across Qhuin’s vision.

[High-Tier Appraisal Detected.]

[Masking Sub-Routine Activated.]

[Deploying False Status Screen.]

Qhuin instantly forced his body limp, his ears drooped sideways.

Pink nose twitching rapidly, he poked his tiny dirt-covered face out from the bag and let out the weakest squeak he could manage.

"Squeeeak..." he squeaked.

Elizabeth immediately melted.

"Oh no..." she exclaimed dramatically, grabbing her chest.

"Look at his tiny little face! He’s traumatized!" she gushed.

Qhuin internally wanted to bite her fingers off.

Valerius’s God’s Eye scanned the rabbit carefully. The results appeared instantly.

Low-grade mana core, minor neurological mutation—no threat detected.

Valerius looked away, dismissing the rabbit entirely.

His instincts told him the hidden vampire had deliberately left Lina before escaping into the ravine.

’But what for?? A message?’ he wondered.

The hunter’s cloak snapped sharply as he turned toward the cave exit.

"The evaluation is canceled," he announced coldly.

"Instruct the faculty to initiate immediate lockdown procedures."

The cave suddenly felt heavier.

"We have an intruder." he added.

Valerius walked toward the exit without another word.

Elizabeth quickly followed, pausing briefly beside Lina.

"Come back safely, sweetie," she said softly, fixing Lina’s messy hair.

Then her eyes drifted toward the carry-bag.

"And keep your cute little bunny close tonight."

Qhuin stared back at her.

The moment the professors disappeared into the fog outside, the rabbit slowly peeked out of the bag again.

His ruby eyes narrowed slightly in the darkness.

A faint, cold smile formed in his mind.

The game had officially begun.