Chapter 65: The Tournament: The Monster Beyond the Door

Kael walked to the next room seeing someone standing there already.

It was a Beastkin who he did not know like most characters in the second year. The boy stood before the doorway as though he was afraid to move forward.

"Yello," Kael greeted with a grin.

The student turned, his eyes sharpening at the sight of Kael.

"You." The student said like he knew Kael

"What’s keeping you here, or are you perhaps scared of the person on the other side?" Kael asked with a grin.

The Beastkin frowned.

"Don’t get cocky just because of one Ogre in the beginning of the semester, and it’s not like you can handle the person on the other side."

Kael casually shrugged with both hands in his pockets.

"So when are you going to come at me? Talking back and forth like this is a bit boring, don’t you think?"

The Beastkin’s eye twitched.

Kael continued.

"Why don’t you just come at me? We’ll skip a lot of boring details."

"You!!"

The Beastkin charged.

Kael stepped aside.

The strike missed completely.

Using the Beastkin’s momentum against him, Kael hooked his leg and tripped him.

Before the Beastkin could recover, a kick slammed into his side and sent him rolling across the room.

The Beastkin crashed against the wall and immediately jumped back to his feet.

His expression darkened.

Meanwhile, outside the tournament realm, the Principal and his secretary stood before several observers.

Three students stood nearby.

All of them were third-years.

The first was a tall young man with messy black hair and a carefree grin. His academy jacket hung loosely over one shoulder.

His name was Adrian.

Beside him stood a girl with long silver hair tied into a ponytail. Unlike Adrian, she looked calm and disciplined.

Her name was Sylvia Cross.

The third student remained silent.

A lean young man with dark blue hair and sharp eyes.

His name was Darius Nightfall.

"What are third years still doing in the academy? Why aren’t you out there clearing the continent?" the Principal asked.

"Come on old man. After raiding a bunch of dungeons and risking my life every day, I’d rather relax and watch people fight," Adrian replied.

"That sounded more like a psychopath and less like the previous student council president," Seraphina replied.

Adrian laughed.

The current student council president stood nearby together with another student.

An Elf.

And a Tiger Beastkin.

The Tiger Beastkin woman stretched lazily.

Her golden eyes never left one of the floating screens.

The student that talked earlier smirked.

"If it isn’t the current student council president. You here to watch fights like me?"

"No. Nothing like you do."

The current student council president crossed her arms.

"I’m just interested in the first years."

"One in particular."

The Tiger Beastkin grinned.

"Well, I was interested in one of them the current rank one, but another one picked my interest."

The silent third-year finally glanced at the screen.

His gaze landed on Kael.

The Principal’s secretary noticed.

Even Darius was paying attention.

That alone was rare.

Back inside the tournament realm, the Beastkin stared at Kael.

His instincts were screaming at him.

The boy before him looked relaxed.

Too relaxed.

As though he wasn’t taking the tournament seriously.

As though he wasn’t taking him seriously.

"Why are you smiling?" the Beastkin asked.

Kael blinked.

"Hm?"

"You’re smiling."

"Oh."

Kael grinned wider.

"I like fighting."

The Beastkin suddenly regretted asking.

Back outside.

The third years continued watching.

"Did that guy actually try to kill someone in your domain?" Adrian asked.

"I never really thought of that."

He turned toward the Principal.

"Well, I’m not sure he knows he’s in a domain," the Principal said.

"Seems like he does and is actually trying to test the limits of the domain," Kia said with a grin.

"And That’s the other student that catches my fancy." She continued.

"From what I recall, he instantly copied a technique he hadn’t seen before."

The third-years looked interested.

"Now I didn’t know that one," Adrian said.

"Don’t go having stupid ideas," Seraphina stated.

"Well, I haven’t been paying much attention to the school so I wouldn’t know," the Principal replied.

"That just makes you sound irresponsible," His secretary said.

The Principal pretended not to hear her.

"No matter how talented he is, Aurella Voss is actually the one who’ll win this battle," the current student council president said.

"Well you sound awfully confident, current student council president," Adrian replied.

"Well, I did have a spar with her and she managed to land a cut on me while being a rank lower than me."

The current student council president kept watching the screen.

Adrian’s grin slowly widened.

"This year’s tournament is turning out to be really interesting."

Back inside the room.

Kael turned toward the Beastkin he had kicked away.

"This is a bit sad, don’t you think?"

The Beastkin frowned.

"You seem quite strong."

"Which makes me interested in who exactly you’re scared of that’s on the other side."

The Beastkin immediately stiffened.

A memory flashed through his mind.

The room beyond.

The pressure.

The overwhelming presence.

Someone no that monster waiting there.

Just remembering it made his stomach twist.

He had only looked at him once.

Once.

And his instincts told him to run.

The Beastkin clenched his fists.

"You don’t understand."

Kael tilted his head.

"Then explain it."

The Beastkin stayed silent.

Kael sighed.

"Never mind."

He drew his sword.

The moment the blade left its sheath the atmosphere changed.

The Beastkin immediately took several steps backward.

His heart began pounding.

"Why haven’t you used your blade till now?" the Beastkin asked.

As he felt every hair on his body stand up.

"Well, I wish that I could farm aura and say that my sword didn’t deem you worthy."

"But I wanted to experiment fighting with my hands in my pockets which is also aura farming but you know."

"Don’t take it to heart."

The Beastkin nearly coughed blood.

Was this bastard serious?

Annoyance exploded inside him.

He rushed forward.

Mana surged through his body.

His claws extended.

His muscles swelled.

This time he wasn’t holding back.

Yet the moment he locked eyes with Kael—

He froze.

His body stopped moving.

His instincts screamed.

His breathing became uneven.

His pupils shrank.

"Why does it feel..."

The Beastkin slowly stepped backward.

Sweat dripped down his forehead.

His hands trembled.

The image before him suddenly blurred.

For a moment he wasn’t looking at a first-year student.

He was looking at a predator.

A monster wearing human skin.

The Beastkin swallowed.

"Does it feel as though he wants to..."

His thoughts stopped.

A memory surfaced.

The presence beyond the next room.

The one he feared.

The one he didn’t want to face.

Yet now...

He didn’t seem so frightening anymore.

Because the person standing before him was worse.

Far worse.

"He is scarier than that monster in the other room."

Kael’s red eyes glowed faintly.

The Beastkin felt cold.

Very cold.

Despite sweating.

"You look sick."

"No need to worry."

Kael smiled.

"I just want to check if I could actually kill you in this domain."

The Beastkin’s eyes widened.

Outside the realm, silence fell among the spectators.

Even Adrian stopped smiling.

"What the hell is that?" one staff member whispered.

The pressure couldn’t be felt through the screens.

Yet everyone could see the Beastkin’s reaction.

They could see the fear.

They could see the hesitation.

And they could see Kael calmly standing there.

Almost amused.

Then Kael vanished.

The Beastkin lost sight of him.

A second later Kael appeared beside him.

His blade flashed.

The Beastkin saw it.

A clean strike.

Straight for the neck.

His vision suddenly filled with the image of his own head flying through the air.

Before the attack connected—

The tournament domain reacted.

The Beastkin vanished.

Kael’s blade cut through empty space.

He lowered his weapon.

"It seems like the Principal is onto me."

Kael grinned.

Then continued walking toward the next room.

Outside.

The spectators remained silent.

"Why did you send the Beastkin out?" Adrian asked.

"I didn’t see blood."

"Well, that Beastkin already visualized his head being cut."

The Principal folded his arms.

"Kael’s intent to cut his head already made him think he was dead before the domain even sent him away."

The group became quiet.

Even the current student council president narrowed her eyes.

Adrian slowly smiled.

"So he’s either slowly awakening his sword intent..."

"Or he has that much bloodlust and killing intent."

The Principal didn’t answer.

His silence was answer enough.

Adrian stared at the screen.

His grin widened.

"This tournament is getting more entertaining by the minute."

And somewhere deeper within the tournament realm—

Kael opened the door leading to the next room.

The room the Beastkin had been too afraid to enter.

The room containing the monster he feared.

Kael stepped inside without hesitation.

As though he couldn’t wait to meet him.