The Day After.
The battlefield was still scarred.
Chunks of broken stone, blackened burn marks, and faint red glimmers from the clone's remains lingered across the ground. Even though hours had passed since the fight, the air still hummed with unstable energy.
Chris stood at the center, his eyes fixed on the spot where the clone had overloaded.
He said nothing.
Did nothing.
Just… stood there.
Behind him, footsteps approached slowly.
Kira, wrapped in a torn gray cloak, paused beside him. "You've been standing here since morning."
Chris didn't respond at first.
Then, quietly: "I wasn't fast enough."
Kira looked down at the same patch of scorched earth. "None of us were. That wasn't a fight. That was a warning."
Further back, the rest of the Crimson Class arrived—still bruised, still quiet.
They didn't talk much anymore.
Not after facing a monster that used only 5% of Leo's power and still nearly erased them all.
An Unexpected Summon
BONG!
A deep, hollow bell rang across the campus—different from the normal school chime. It echoed unnaturally, vibrating in their bones.
"All students—report to Arena Zero. System restructuring will begin immediately."
Chris raised a brow. "Restructuring?"
Raya looked uneasy. "Again?"
"They don't waste time," Ard muttered, drawing a fresh distortion glyph midair. "Let's go."
Arena Zero — First Exposure to the School System
The arena was a marvel of moving architecture—walls constantly shifting, lights scanning the students, seats floating in midair. It was far larger than they expected, filled with hundreds of students from across the regions.
For the first time, the Crimson Class saw the school's true population.
Demi-humans stood among them—beastfolk, elemental hybrids, shadowkind, even winged folk with folded feathers under their coats. Some had visible traits—ears, horns, eyes that glowed. Others looked indistinguishable from humans.
A large floating screen hovered above.
It displayed the Reality High class system:
⚔️ THE CORE SCHOOL SYSTEM
Sovereign Class – The elite. Privileged, brutal, untouchable.
Titan Class – Frontline fighters and tactical warriors.
Obsidian Class – Monitored students with unstable or dangerous potential.
Crimson Class – Newly formed. Undefined. Unranked.
Gasps filled the air.
"They're letting demi-humans into Sovereign now?"
"Some Crimson students fought Leo's clone, right?"
"Unranked? That's basically bottom-tier."
Dice yawned, unbothered. "Funny how fast people talk until the trials start."
A circle lit up at the center of the arena floor. Everyone turned.
Out of thin air, a man appeared—no sound, no aura. Just was.
He looked human at first glance. Tall. Lean. Hair tied loosely behind his back. His mask was plain silver, and a long black coat covered his body.
But to those who looked closely—his pupils shimmered vertically, like a feline's.
His breathing was slightly off rhythm, as if his lungs didn't follow normal human timing.
And his shadow… moved ever so slightly after his feet did.
Lina whispered, "He's not human…"
Chris narrowed his eyes. "Demi-human?"
"Yes," Ard confirmed. "But not one of the loud ones. He's… almost like a voidwalker. Masked energy. Blended species."
The arena fell into eerie silence as the screens above him changed.
INSTRUCTOR STATUS: ACTIVE
RACE: DEMI-HUMAN — SPECIES: [CLASSIFIED]
TITLE: ADJUNCT COMMANDER OF THE CRIMSON DIVISION
The man finally spoke.
His voice was calm, but not comforting.
"This is not orientation. This is judgment."
A Voice Like a Blade
"I am not your teacher. I am not your protector. I am your scalpel."
The masked demi-human's voice rang unnaturally—like it echoed through metal walls even though they were out in the open.
"You were forged by accident. Thrown together by chaos. You survived Leo's ghost… but survival is not strength."
He slowly turned his gaze to each Crimson Class member.
To Chris:
"You mistake intensity for control. You burn too bright, too fast. That fire will consume your allies before your enemies."
To Ard:
"Your mind is a prison. The moment your perfect control cracks, everything inside you becomes a weapon—even to yourself."
To Lina:
"You pretend to lead. But hesitation under pressure is betrayal in combat."
To Kira:
"You rely on instincts over discipline. You calculate, but never commit."
He continued, dissecting each of them with terrifying precision.
Not mocking.
Just… truthful.
"Crimson Class is not a title. It is a question. A challenge. You are here to prove your worth not just to the school—but to the entire Alliance."
A hologram appeared beside him showing the flags of united nations: Human Territories, Demi-Human Citadels, Elemental Outposts, and even the rare Forbidden Isles.
"Reality High is the first institution created under the Unity Treaty. You are its experiment. If you fail—we all fail."
Phase One: Personalized Trials
He raised his hand—and the arena shifted into eight sectors.
Each sector warped to the student's mind.
Chris stood inside a blazing storm where every enemy was a twisted version of himself—cold, brutal, relentless.
Kira was thrown into a labyrinth with voices mimicking his allies—some real, some fake.
Raya faced elemental beasts trying to extinguish a lone flame she had to protect, over and over.
Lina was hunted by teams more strategic than her, always two steps ahead.
Ard's glyphs would randomly explode if drawn with even 0.01% deviation.
Sage couldn't phase, and was forced to master water bending through actual combat stress.
Dawson had to punch faster than reflected force or be crushed by his own momentum.
Dice? He played a deadly game of chance—where every roll either saved him or killed a reflection of himself.
Every single trial was brutal.
And the demi-human instructor watched without blinking.
Nightfall: Collapse and Clarity
Chris crawled out of his sector first, dragging one arm.
His sword was melted. His left hand was shaking.
He collapsed beside Ard, who had black burn marks spiraling up his wrist from a distorted rune backlash.
Kira came next—blood dripping from his lip. Then Lina. Then Raya. Then Sage, limping. Dawson, groaning. Dice, laughing but eyes bloodshot.
They didn't speak for minutes.
Just gasped. Stared at the stars.
Chris finally broke the silence.
"We're not strong enough."
"No," Kira replied. "But we're still here."
Raya turned to the others, eyes trembling. "Do we even know what we're fighting for anymore?"
The instructor's voice echoed from the edge of the arena.
"Good. That's the question you should've started with."
He stepped forward, his coat billowing like black smoke.
"Your next phase begins in seven days. Train how you want. Fail, and your class will be dissolved."
Then he vanished—leaving only flickers of crimson light and the rising tension of what was to come.
They stare where he was for a while in silence.
Ard broke the silence in a quiet tone
"Isn't the battle between the classes also in seven days."
"Yeah I think that is the reason why we are to train."
"How are we supposed to train in order to overpower even leo's clone in seven days"
Silence broke again
Kira stared at his fist and clenched it.
"Phantom huh….." He mummered to himself and stood up.
Without saying anything, he walked away.
After a while, the rest of the class dispersed back to their dorm.
On the way. Chris was walking Raya to the girls dorm with the rest of the girls.
"Phantom. What could he mean by that" Raya asked Chris curiously.
"Don't know..." Chris replied in a low tone still bothered by the fight with the shadow king.
"I think I might have an idea." Sennya replied.
They all directed their attention towards her.
"Phantom player…. Dice has been talking about him but I don't mostly listen."
"Phantom player…..why would Kira be thinking about something like that at this time." Chris continued.
"Did he tell you the reason Lina"
Lina who was half-heartedly listening to their conversation then paid attention due to the mention of her name.
"No he didn't tell me.. and besides why are you asking me"
"Well I see the both of you together more often"
She blushes slightly and stops walking. She regains her composure and started walking again feigning ignorance.
'I guess he still doesn't completely trust us to show us that side of huh…. Kira' Lina thinks to herself and smiles.