Back in the present, Mike slowly opened his eyes. Pain shot through his body. He was lying in a hospital bed. Around him stood Kad, Giel, Lasa, and Glus.
Glus stepped closer and said in a serious voice, "Mike. You have been hiding your abilities. Why?"
Mike looked at him. "Commander Glus, I… I did not even know I could do that."
Glus nodded slowly. "If you are truly that strong, you might even be able to defeat me someday. That is a good thing. This base needs talented kids like you. And summoning magic, well, not many people have that. It is one of the rarest kinds."
Then he added, "As soon as you can walk again, we will have to re rank you. And by the way, your prize for winning the tournament… you are allowed to go on an A rank mission."
Mike sighed inwardly. The prize felt more like duty than reward. That was life at a military school. It was not a game.
Before he could rest, Glus flung the door open and rushed back in with a serious expression. "The base is under attack."
Boss Battle Activated
Reward: 1x Dragon Scale Rare
Glus shouted, his voice cutting through wind and dust in the ruined hall, "Mike… you should not have come back!"
Lion laughed coldly. "Hahahahaha! Now witness my true power!"
He pulled out a small glowing orange vial and drank it. His eyes flared with a blazing orange light and magic surged around him.
Glus barked, "He is transforming into a dragon. Fall back!"
A massive shockwave blasted Glus through the air. Mike was swept away too, but he landed on his feet, breathing hard. Before him stood a massive red dragon, flames licking from its jaws, scales glowing like molten metal.
Why is it always dragons, Mike thought. Probably came through some portal again. But there was no time to wonder.
Mike knew his limits. Only three Wolf Strikes left. HP low. No mistakes allowed.
He dashed forward as the dragon spewed fire. Mike leapt toward the dragon eye. "WOLF STRIKE!" A direct hit. Blood sprayed. The dragon roared, snagging Mike with a claw and pulling him high across its back.
Mike held on for dear life. He climbed and struck again. "WOLF STRIKE!" He hit between the shoulders. The dragon staggered, then began to glow.
Lion's voice echoed from within the beast, "Not bad, but now you die."
The dragon swelled into its final form. Another shockwave threw Mike off its back. The creature trapped him inside a wing and smashed him into the base. Slam after slam drove him into the stone and steel. The dragon opened its wings and dropped him. Mike lay there broken, blood streaming from his face.
"Pathetic," the dragon snarled.
System Message flashed. HP 1 Status Critical
Mike coughed blood. His vision blurred. Then he forced himself up, slowly, defiantly. He wiped his mouth and spat, "…Not done yet."
The dragon swung its wing. Mike dodged and roared with everything left in him. "WOLF STRIKE!" A final, desperate blow to the throat. The monster staggered, growled, but did not fall.
Then Lion's voice echoed again. "Do you know who gave me the dragon potion? It was Glus. Hahahaha!"
Mike's heart dropped. "Glus? No way…"
Punches hit from behind. Fists smashed into the dragon's head and neck. Soldiers in black combat gear entered the fight. S Rank warriors. "Get back from the dragon!" one yelled.
Mike dropped to his knees. The world went black. There was no time to explain. They ran.
"What is Mike planning?" Kad asked as they sprinted.
"We do not know," Giel and Lasa answered in unison. "Has he gone insane?"
Flames roared through the base. The Suls had found them. The academy was in chaos.
They raced toward the cafeteria, the rendezvous point Mike had set. There, to their shock, Has stood waiting. Lasa cried out, "Haaas!"
He did not respond. He simply joined them.
"Hey Has," Lasa said, stepping closer. "Show me your arms. Maybe I can heal them." She placed her hands over his shattered limbs. A crack echoed. He screamed in pain. "Aahhh!"
After a breath he murmured, "Thanks. Am I weak just because I lost once?"
Giel and Lasa exchanged looks. Lasa smiled. "No. We all lost in the tournament too. Does that make us weak? You are stronger than I am."
Their moment was interrupted by an axe flying toward Kad. Has stepped in. He raised a hand and the axe sliced through his forearm. He screamed, blood spraying. Kad froze.
"Why did you save me? You could have let a weakling like me die." Kad stammered.
Has clenched his teeth. "Because the strong protect the weak."
Lasa focused her energy. "I can heal it, but I will have no magic left for the next few days." The bleeding stopped. Has gripped his wound.
They turned toward the attacker. A Sul stood there, tall, cloaked in shadow. Black hands shot at Has. He dodged and shouted, "LIGHT BLIND!"
A blinding white light detonated across the cafeteria. Everyone shielded their eyes. The Sul collapsed, pierced by a beam of light. Silence followed.
A roar shook the ground. They peered out a broken window and saw the dragon still fighting on the rooftop. "What is that?" Giel shouted. "A dragon?"
They scrambled, pushing tables and chairs against the doors. The room was chaos. Bodies lay everywhere. Fires licked in corners. The ceiling gaped open to the sky. Someone thumped on the doors from the other side. The barricade toppled. The door burst inward.
A tall figure stepped through. "Calm down," he said. "I am a S Rank Sal. My name is Da. I am here to get you out." He scanned the room. "There are still four shadow mages left. My team is dealing with the dragon. Come with me now."
They ran down burning corridors and found Ilius lying in a pool of blood. Lasa whispered, "No… not Ilius." The healer they had relied on was gone.
They reached the landing zone where helicopters waited. On a stretcher they saw Mike. Lasa screamed, "MIKE!" but Giel gripped her arm. "No not yet. We cannot just run in." Tears welled in her eyes. A soldier pulled her into a helicopter and the doors shut. The rotors thudded to life.
They watched as the aircraft lifted away. Flames still roared below. The base was a ruin. Chefs, commanders, and soldiers were gone.
This was the catastrophe they had feared. The academy had been broken open, and everything had changed.
Mike opened his eyes.
He looked around, blinking slowly.
A hospital room.
No windows.
Everything felt… quiet. Too quiet.
His body ached, but he was alive.
Then he noticed it —
A letter, placed neatly on a small table next to his bed.
His hands trembled slightly as he picked it up.
The words were hard to read — blurred, shaky…
but familiar handwriting.
⸻
"Hello Mike,
You were brought to a hospital specifically for SALs.
If you're reading this, this is a classified message from Commander Glus.
Don't share it under any circumstances.
MIKE — I hope you're doing well.
Everyone else is alive — Has, Kad, Giel, Lasa, and me.
I've got a hole in my stomach, but… not fatal. Just painful.
It was a disaster, as I'm sure you've already guessed.
You probably have a lot of questions about Lion.
He was once my student.
On an A-Rank mission, he found a potion in a portal —
a potion that actually turned him into a dragon.
But in that same mission… all of his teammates died.
He blamed me.
He crossed over to the enemy side.
Whether he's still alive… I'm supposed to find out today.
And now, brace yourself:
Out of 81 students… only 19 survived.
Kad was the only SAL-Rank 1 who made it.
Unbelievable."
Mike looked at the letter.
He was speechless.
System message 3
Message 1
You have received: 1 Dragon Scale
Message 2
Hello player "Wolf", that was a close one, wasn't it?
Unlocked:
Adrenaline Mode
Will activate next time when under 10 HP
Message 3
+50 stat points added
After a few days, he was discharged, thanks to the system he had healed quickly.
Then he was picked up.
He could already hear from afar:
– THERE'S MIKEEEE!
Mikeeee!