Pale moonlight washed over the forest, dyeing it silver. From time to time, a breeze swept through the treetops, carrying with it the soft rustle of leaves.
While the students below were immersed in their lively camp atmosphere, deep within the dense forest—on a mountain overlooking the accommodation area—
"My whole body hurts… let's go."
A tall figure wrapped in a loose, hooded robe stood on the mountainside, speaking in a low, hoarse whisper.
"It's still early, isn't it?" another voice replied casually.
"And didn't they say not to make things too obvious? Right, Tu Kun?"
Standing nearby were six others. One of them—a young man wearing a middle school uniform and a full-face gas mask—spoke with a helpless tone.
"That's right. Don't rush," another chimed in. "This time, it's just a test run."
At the center of the group stood their leader—Dakun.
He had messy black hair, and his entire body was covered in burn scars. Even his face bore the marks. His flesh appeared stitched together with something resembling steel wire, creating a horrifying contrast with his thin frame. Just looking at him sent a chill down one's spine.
Among the seven, there was only one girl.
She wore a JK school uniform and carried a backpack fitted with syringes. At this moment, her face was flushed with excitement, eyes gleaming unnaturally.
"Masata… when can I see Masata?"
She bounced on her toes, barely containing herself.
"I can't wait anymore! I joined just to see him—come on!"
"I already told you, it's not time yet," Dakun snapped coldly.
"Shut up, you crazy woman."
This JK girl was none other than Himiko Toga—the same high schooler they had encountered at the amusement park before.
"And this time, Igarashi Masata is one of our main objectives," Dakun continued calmly.
"You'll reunite with him when the time comes."
Faced with Dakun's sharp rebuke, Toga fell silent for a moment—though the manic excitement in her eyes never faded.
"Is that Igarashi Masata really that strong?"
The gas-masked middle schooler asked lazily.
"He's just a first-year student at U.A., right? How impressive could he really be?"
Several people glanced at him with looks that bordered on ridicule.
Dakun answered slowly, his tone flat but heavy:
"According to my sources, Hero Killer Stain was defeated by Igarashi Masata alone. Even the Nomu that accompanied Stain gained no advantage against him."
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"If you think his strength is ordinary, I can arrange for you to fight him one-on-one."
"…Tch."
The middle schooler immediately fell silent.
He admired Stain's ideology—but he had never believed he could actually defeat Stain himself.
"That's right!"
Toga suddenly clapped her hands, eyes shining.
"Masata beat Stain! He's my favorite now! And that red form of his is so cute~!"
Her imagination spiraled out of control, drool visibly forming at the corners of her mouth.
"…She's hopeless," one of them muttered.
The others could only sigh helplessly. If it weren't for orders from higher up, none of them would have wanted Toga along. At times, it was impossible to tell which side she was even on.
"As for Igarashi," Dakun continued, unfazed,
"you don't need to worry too much. Shigaraki has prepared a new type of Nomu specifically for him."
He stared toward the distant campsite.
"That Nomu… even I find it terrifying. And I've heard it possesses a special trait. It should be more than enough to handle Igarashi."
"Low-level thugs are useless," he added coldly.
"They only increase mission risk. We wait. When all pieces are in place—we act."
Looking at the faint lights and distant laughter from the campsite below, Dakun's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Decadent heroes… foolish children."
"For a glorious future—fall."
By the afternoon of the third day, training was still in full swing.
The students were completely immersed in pushing their Quirks to the limit. Masata was no exception—alone in his designated training zone, he continued developing new techniques. Each movement he made caused massive disturbances, enough to make nearby students tremble in fear.
"You five—pull yourselves together!"
Aizawa-sensei glared at Kirishima, Sero, Ashido, Sato, and Kaminari, all of whom looked utterly drained.
"…Yes—"
"Sorry… I'm just really sleepy…"
The five had received extra training last night due to poor performance. They hadn't gone to bed until nearly two in the morning, and now their heads felt like they were filled with fog.
Aizawa's expression darkened instantly.
"Your combat ability during the final exams was far too weak!"
"That's why you're more exhausted than everyone else!"
"Burn this into your memory!"
His sharp reprimand made nearby students instinctively stiffen. When Aizawa turned his gaze toward them, they immediately resumed training with renewed seriousness.
"No matter what you do," Aizawa continued, his tone steadying,
"you must always remember your original motivation."
"Why you're sweating. Why you're being scolded."
After a pause, his voice softened slightly.
"In this regard, you should learn from Classmate Igarashi."
He pointed toward the forest, where a magma giant had already appeared an unknown number of times.
"His strength is obvious. Many Pro Heroes don't match his current level."
"And yet, he maintains discipline and demands more of himself than anyone."
"That's his origin. Think about it."
Before anyone realized it, another day of intense training had ended.
Like the night before, everyone began preparing dinner together—each person taking on their role with practiced efficiency.
"Eat quickly, everyone!"
Pixie-Bob announced while cooking.
"After dinner, we're holding a bravery test!"
The announcement instantly lit up the atmosphere.
"A summer-night bravery test!"
"Now it really feels like a camp!"
"The dark-night carnival!"
Excitement spread through the students.
But deep within the shadows they couldn't see—
Another group had already been waiting patiently.