The forest was quiet again.
Ash floated slowly through the air.
The body of the Ashfang Wolf King lay in the center of the clearing, its massive head separated cleanly from its body.
Around it were the corpses of several wolves.
Clean cuts.
Precise.
Too precise.
Lysander stood a few meters away, breathing slowly.
His entire body ached.
His shoulder burned from the earlier wound.
Blood still ran down his side.
But there was no time to rest.
Footsteps approached.
Several of them.
Fast.
Lysander clicked his tongue softly.
"…Already?"
He looked around quickly.
The clearing had little cover.
But the surrounding trees were dense.
Without hesitation he stepped back into the shadows of the forest.
Moving carefully.
Silently.
His dark clothes blended with the shade beneath the trees.
He crouched behind a large trunk just as voices echoed through the clearing.
"Over here!"
Branches snapped as several candidates burst into the open.
At the front was a tall young man with bright golden hair and sharp blue eyes.
His armor was scratched from battle.
A sword hung loosely in his hand.
Leon Valerian.
The future hero of the world.
He stopped the moment he saw the corpse.
"…What the hell?"
Behind him, two other candidates froze as well.
The clearing looked like a battlefield.
Burn marks.
Claw scars.
Blood everywhere.
And at the center—
The Wolf King.
Dead.
Leon slowly walked closer.
His eyes narrowed.
The cut across the monster's neck was perfectly clean.
Too clean.
No struggle.
No repeated strikes.
Just one decisive blow.
"…Someone killed it."
One of the other candidates swallowed nervously.
"Who could do that?"
Leon crouched beside the corpse.
His fingers hovered over the wound.
Then he frowned.
"This cut…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…It was done in a single strike."
The other candidates stared.
"That's impossible."
Leon slowly stood.
His instincts told him something important.
Something strange.
The fight had ended quickly.
Too quickly.
And whoever did it…
Was still nearby.
He turned suddenly.
His eyes scanned the surrounding trees.
"Show yourself."
Silence answered him.
Lysander remained perfectly still behind the trunk.
Even his breathing slowed.
Leon waited.
Listening.
But after a moment he shook his head.
"…Guess not."
Still—
He felt it.
A faint presence.
Like someone watching from the shadows.
Hidden behind the tree, Lysander studied Leon quietly.
So that's the hero.
Leon looked exactly like the novel described.
Confident.
Sharp.
Natural leader.
Strong.
Much stronger than Lysander right now.
Even from a distance Lysander could feel the difference in presence.
E rank at least.
Maybe higher.
Which meant fighting him directly would be suicide.
Leon suddenly spoke again.
Whoever killed the Wolf King…
"…I'd like to meet them."
His voice carried a strange excitement.
"Someone strong enough to kill a D-rank boss alone?"
He smiled slightly.
"That sounds interesting."
Lysander sighed quietly.
Yeah, let's avoid that.
More footsteps approached.
This time several candidates arrived.
Among them—
Silver hair.
Elara Moonveil.
Her blue eyes immediately locked onto the corpse.
"…The Wolf King."
Then her gaze slowly scanned the clearing.
The burn marks.
The destroyed ground.
The clean sword cut.
Her expression changed.
Then her eyes drifted toward the forest.
Toward the shadows.
Toward where Lysander hid.
For a brief moment—
Their gazes almost met.
But the darkness beneath the trees hid him completely.
Still…
Elara's brows narrowed slightly.
That feeling again…
That same strange energy she sensed earlier.
Then the academy instructors arrived.
Powerful hunters wearing black uniforms landed in the clearing.
Their expressions turned serious the moment they saw the corpse.
"…Who killed this?"
No one answered.
Leon crossed his arms.
"Not us."
One instructor examined the wound carefully.
Then he frowned.
"…A single strike."
Another instructor looked toward the forest.
"Which means whoever did this…"
"…is still somewhere in the exam."
Lysander quietly slipped deeper into the shadows.
He had no intention of being found.
Behind him, the instructors began gathering the candidates.
The exam would end soon.
But the story had already changed.
The Wolf King was supposed to kill many students.
Including several important characters.
But now…
None of them had died.
Lysander exhaled slowly.
"Good."
Then he turned and walked silently through the forest.
The academy entrance exam was nearly over.
But the real story—
Was just beginning.