"Jennie," Kazeem said softly, gripping her trembling shoulder with both hands now, "he risked everything to save you. Standing here and panicking won't bring him back." His voice carried a steadiness he didn't quite feel. "We need to be smart. Get your uniform. We'll find a teacher."

"You don't understand," she whispered, her voice cracking like thin ice. Her fingers clutched at her sleeves until her knuckles turned white. "He could be dying… right now. Alone down there."

"I do understand," he replied, firm but gentle, meeting her desperate gaze. "That's exactly why we need to move. Now."

She relented, though her eyes still flicked back to the cliff every few steps, as if some part of her refused to accept what had happened.

They slipped into the dorm corridor, intending to grab their uniforms before alerting anyone. Jennifer's hands shook as she reached for her door handle. But the moment Kazeem opened his own door, a tall guard stood waiting with a neutral expression—as if he had been expecting them all along.

"You two," the guard said, turning his measured gaze between them. "Come with me. The head teacher wants to see you."

Jennifer barely had time to inhale before her own door opened to reveal another guard, equally impassive. Within minutes they were ushered into the first-year staff room, their footsteps echoing in the silent corridor. Mr. Norway, the academy's stern weapon instructor, stood beside the Head Teacher. Both men wore expressions that made Jennifer's stomach twist into knots.

The Head Teacher's voice was low and edged like steel. "Explain yourselves. Out after curfew. No uniforms. What exactly were you thinking?"

Kazeem bowed his head, shame coloring his features. "Sir—we went out to hunt low-level beasts. For experience… and to make some money. We thought we could handle it." The words sounded hollow even to his own ears.

"You thought," the Head Teacher repeated sharply, each syllable a hammer blow.

Jennifer stepped forward, tears threatening to spill again. Her voice emerged raw and pleading. "Sir, please. Omega fell from the cliff. He pushed himself beyond his limits to save me. If we wait, he might—he might not survive. We need help. I'm begging you."

Mr. Norway folded his arms, but his voice remained calm, almost contemplative. "If there's even a small chance he's alive, we shouldn't delay. Even an F-class deserves our support. It's what separates us from beasts."

The Head Teacher frowned deeply, conflict playing across his weathered features. "An F-class? You want me to risk staff and students over an unranked beast attack and a missing F-class? This is irresponsible. Reckless, even."

"Sir," Norway replied steadily, holding the older man's gaze, "the longer we wait, the less chance he has. Allow me to take a small team. I'll take full responsibility for whatever we find."

A long silence followed—tense enough that Jennifer felt her heartbeat pounding in her throat. She watched the Head Teacher's face, searching for any sign of mercy. Finally, he let out a slow, weary sigh that seemed to carry the weight of countless difficult decisions.

"Fine. Take two staff members, a scout, and one senior student. If you return empty-handed, you'll be explaining every detail to the board. Go."

"Thank you, sir," Kazeem said, bowing again, deeper this time.

Jennifer lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper. "Please… find him. Please."

Norway nodded and left the room with fierce purpose, his footsteps already quickening toward action.

---

Far below the cliff, beneath fractured moonlight that painted everything in shades of silver and shadow, Omega's eyes finally fluttered open. He lay half-buried beneath the massive corpse of a wolf—the very beast that had slammed into him before the fall. Its broken body had shielded him from the worst of the impact, though every inch of him screamed in protest.

"…I'm alive?" he murmured, astonishment coloring his hoarse voice. "That fall should've killed me. Should've shattered every bone."

His whole body throbbed with a deep, bone-deep ache, but when he pushed himself upright, his limbs responded. Pain shot through torn muscles like lightning, yet he was standing—somehow, impossibly standing.

A familiar voice chimed inside his head, clinical and precise.

"Quest complete. Reward: one thousand experience points. Ability points: ten. Stat points: two. Level up achieved. Current level: twelve. Optional reward available: consume the beast corpse for bonus stats."

Omega winced at the idea, his stomach turning. "Eat the corpse? Raw meat and fur? I'll grind the normal way, thanks."

He moved through the forest, forcing himself through the pain, each step a small victory. Minutes later, another F-rank beast lunged at him from the undergrowth, all teeth and fury. Instinct took over. A short struggle, a desperate strike fueled by survival, and the creature collapsed in a heap.

"F-rank beast defeated. Reward: one thousand experience points. Emergency healing protocol activated."

Omega blinked as warmth washed through his body like summer sunlight. His wounds faded, closing in seconds, torn flesh knitting itself back together.

"…It healed me," he breathed, wonder mixing with relief. "This system is absolutely insane."

But hunger stabbed through him immediately after, sharp and demanding.

"Great. Heal me then starve me. Perfect balance," he muttered. "One more beast and I'm out of here. Back to civilization."

He turned—only to stiffen as a cold pulse vibrated in the back of his skull, primal and warning.

Wolf Detect.

Something strong. Too strong for comfort.

"Warning," the system announced with unusual urgency. "E-rank presence detected. New quest issued: Defeat the Crab-Spider. Reward: unknown."

Something massive shifted behind him, disturbing the forest floor.

Omega spun and felt his breath hitch in his chest.

A monstrosity crawled forward on eight armored legs—its upper body encased in a thick crab shell that gleamed dully in the moonlight, its lower limbs spiderlike and unnervingly quick. Its eyes glowed like dying embers, fixing on him with predatory intelligence.

"No wonder I didn't see you before," Omega whispered, his mouth suddenly dry. "You attacked from behind… waited in ambush."

The creature tore a tree from the ground as easily as plucking a flower and hurled it with terrifying force. Omega dove, rolling as the tree exploded behind him in a shower of splinters and earth.

No time. No room to hesitate. No backup coming.

He exhaled once, steadying himself, pushing fear down into a tight knot.

"Shadow—activate."

The world darkened around him as his ability flared to life, shadows responding to his will.

"Ability activated: Shadow Reap."

Blades of darkness rippled into existence and slashed the monster with surgical precision. A deep wound opened across its shell—only to stitch itself back together seconds later, the flesh writhing as it healed.

"It heals?" Omega's jaw clenched, frustration warring with determination. "Fine. I'll outpace the healing. Let's see which of us runs dry first."

He pushed his battered body beyond its limits, drawing on reserves he didn't know he possessed. Shadows tore through the air again and again, each strike more desperate than the last. Each slash drained more of his Nova, but each one cracked more of the creature's shell, revealing vulnerable flesh beneath. His breathing grew ragged, sweat mixing with blood as the last of his strength waned like a guttering candle.

"Energy low," the system warned, its tone almost apologetic. "Four casts used. Remaining Nova: ten percent."

Omega gritted his teeth, tasting copper. "One more. Just one more…"

He unleashed everything he had left. Shadows erupted like a storm, carving through armor and flesh with savage finality. The crab-spider let out a final shudder, a sound between a screech and a death rattle, before collapsing with earth-shaking weight that sent tremors through the ground.

The forest fell silent, holding its breath.

"High-rank beast defeated," the system declared with what might have been satisfaction. "Experience awarded: three thousand points. Skill points: twenty. Level up achieved ×3. Current level: fifteen."

More notifications followed like rolling thunder, each one chiming in his exhausted mind.

"Bloodline skill unlocked: Energy Tank. Bloodline skill unlocked: Stun Howl. New ability unlocked: Hollow Skin."

Omega slumped against a fallen log, chest rising and falling quickly, his entire body trembling with exertion. A tired smile crept across his face despite everything.

"Level fifteen… I'll take it. Brutal fight, but worth every second."

Then his stomach growled violently, reminding him of more immediate concerns.

"…I'm starving. Dad always said letting out a little gas tricks the stomach into thinking it's full. Maybe if I just—"

A voice drifted from the darkness, dry and amused, carrying an edge of ancient humor.

"If you try that, boy, I'll bite your backside clean off."

Omega froze, every muscle locking.

The forest grew unnaturally still, as if every creature had fled.

A presence watched him—calm, patient… and something else entirely. Something old.

His voice dropped to a whisper, barely disturbing the air. "Who's there? Show yourself."

Only the gentle rustling of leaves answered—but the shadows between the trees seemed to deepen, thickening as if something inside them was breathing, expanding with each moment.

Something not human.

And watching him very, very closely.