The academy returned to normal on the surface.
Students trained.
Classes continued.
Laughter echoed in the halls.
But beneath that normalcy… something had changed.
An invisible tension spread quietly.
Like the calm before a storm.
Leo walked through the academy corridor, his expression as calm as ever. His presence remained ordinary in the eyes of most students.
But not for everyone.
From a distance, Luna watched him.
Her eyes followed every movement.
Not obsessively.
But carefully.
Like someone trying to solve a puzzle that refused to be understood.
"…You're hiding too much," she whispered under her breath.
---
Inside the academy's highest building, a meeting was taking place.
Only senior instructors and elite authorities were present.
The atmosphere was heavy.
A large crystal screen floated in the center of the room, replaying fragments of energy data recorded from the forest incident.
One of the elders spoke.
"This level of energy… cannot belong to an A-rank entity."
Another replied,
"It exceeded S-rank readings for a moment."
Silence followed.
Then the headmaster finally spoke.
"We are not dealing with a simple anomaly."
He raised his hand.
The image froze on a distorted golden wave.
"…This is divine-class energy."
The room fell completely silent.
One instructor hesitated before speaking.
"…Are you suggesting… a god-level entity appeared on Earth?"
The headmaster didn't answer immediately.
But his eyes said enough.
"…Yes."
---
Back at the training grounds.
Kai was lying flat on the grass again.
"I swear… if another 'A-rank mission' turns into that… I'm quitting."
Ryu laughed.
"You won't quit. You'll just scream louder next time."
Milan was quietly practicing control of his mana nearby.
But his focus wasn't stable.
His thoughts kept drifting back to the forest.
"…That power…"
He clenched his fist.
"…It wasn't something we could even understand."
Leo stood a little away from them.
Silent.
Watching.
Not training.
Just observing.
Because he didn't need to train like them.
His power wasn't something that grew through simple effort anymore.
It was something sealed.
Something waiting.
---
Suddenly—
A cold wind passed through the training field.
Not strong.
But unnatural.
Leo's eyes shifted slightly.
He felt it instantly.
That presence.
Faint.
But familiar.
Not human.
Not monster.
Something else.
Luna felt it too.
Her head turned sharply toward the sky.
"…You feel that?"
Ryu stopped joking.
"…Yeah."
Kai sat up.
"Don't tell me—"
Milan whispered,
"…Something is watching us."
Leo didn't look up.
But his voice was calm.
"Stay alert."
---
High above the academy.
Far beyond normal sight.
A distortion appeared in the sky.
Like a crack.
But invisible to ordinary people.
Inside that crack…
Something moved.
A shadow.
A presence observing the world below.
"…So this is the place."
Its voice echoed softly.
"…The energy I felt… came from here."
Its gaze shifted.
Directly toward Leo.
Even from that distance.
It could see him.
"…Found you."
---
Back on the ground.
Leo's body tensed slightly.
Not visibly.
But internally.
The divine blood reacted.
Strongly.
Much stronger than before.
The ancient voice inside him spoke immediately.
"Do not look up."
Leo didn't move.
"…I already know."
"Then suppress your presence."
Leo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Too late."
---
The sky returned to normal.
The crack disappeared.
The presence vanished.
Like it had never been there.
Kai blinked.
"…It's gone?"
Ryu frowned.
"…That wasn't normal."
Luna was still looking upward.
Her expression serious.
"…No… it wasn't."
She slowly turned toward Leo.
"…And I think it wasn't looking at us."
Silence.
Everyone understood.
It was looking at him.
---
Later that evening.
Inside the academy's restricted area.
The headmaster stood alone.
Looking at the sky through a large open window.
His expression was grim.
"…It has begun already."
Behind him, a shadow appeared.
A figure cloaked in darkness.
"You felt it too."
The headmaster didn't turn.
"…Yes."
The figure spoke again.
"That was not a monster… nor a demon."
A pause.
Then—
"…It was a watcher."
The headmaster closed his eyes briefly.
"…Then the situation is worse than we thought."
---
Meanwhile.
Inside his room.
Leo stood silently.
The room was dark.
Only moonlight entered through the window.
His eyes glowed faintly.
Not with full power.
But enough to show that something inside him was no longer completely asleep.
The voice inside him spoke again.
"They have started searching."
Leo asked calmly,
"…How many?"
The answer came slowly.
"…More than you can handle right now."
Leo smirked slightly.
"…Good."
A faint pressure spread from him.
Then disappeared instantly.
"I was getting bored."
---
Far away.
In a space beyond reality.
Multiple figures stood in silence.
Each one radiating unimaginable power.
One of them spoke.
"The signal is confirmed."
Another asked,
"The bearer of divine blood?"
A third voice responded,
"…Yes."
Silence.
Then—
"Send the first hunter."
---
Back on Earth.
Leo sat down slowly.
Closing his eyes.
For the first time since his rebirth…
He wasn't just reacting anymore.
He was preparing.
Because now he understood one thing clearly—
This world…
Was about to become a battlefield again.
And this time…
The enemies wouldn't be human.
They wouldn't be demons.
They would be something far beyond.
Leo opened his eyes.
A faint golden light flickered within them.
"…Let them come."
The night grew deeper.
And somewhere in the darkness…
Something had already begun moving toward him.