Lucien and Umbra moved swiftly through the dense forest, their footsteps barely making a sound as they neared the teleportation site. The final day of the combat test was almost over.
"Alright, Umbra," Lucien said as they walked. "You need to hide. The instructors won't allow a beast companion, so we have to be careful."
Umbra's golden eyes blinked with curiosity. "Hide how?"
Lucien pulled out his summoning book and flipped through the pages. "There's a technique here called Shadow Veil. It lets contracted beasts turn into shadows and merge with their master's."
Umbra wagged his tail. "Sounds fun!"
Lucien placed his hand on Umbra's head. "Alright, try it."
A dark mist surrounded Umbra's body, and within seconds, he disappeared into Lucien's shadow.
Lucien smirked. "Perfect. Now, let's get back before—"
[Hold up. You're just going to turn in ONE A-rank monster?]
Lucien sighed. "What now?"
[Think about it. You have an entire battlefield of S-rank and A-rank monster corpses. Just drag them all back and dominate the rankings!]
"…And attract way too much attention?"
[Yes. And?]
Lucien rolled his eyes. "I'm not trying to be famous for the wrong reasons. Just submitting one is enough."
[Such a wasted opportunity… You could have been the legend of this exam.]
"I'd rather not be the legend who gets dissected because I'm too powerful."
[Fair point.]
Lucien hoisted the A-rank monster onto his back and began heading toward the teleportation site. But just as he stepped forward—
A suffocating pressure filled the air.
Lucien froze in place.
His entire body refused to move.
Umbra, hidden in his shadow, shivered uncontrollably.
From the depths of the forest, a dark presence emerged.
A deep, rumbling voice echoed through the trees.
"Give me the beast child."
Lucien clenched his fists. He knew exactly what this was—a demon.
He forced himself to move, slowly tilting his head up. A tall figure covered in dark armor stood before him, crimson eyes glowing beneath his helmet.
The aura around him was so intense that even breathing felt impossible.
[Oh. Oh no. We're actually screwed.]
The demon took a step forward. The ground beneath him cracked.
"Hand over the beast," the demon repeated.
Lucien gritted his teeth. He knew what the demon was after.
Umbra.
"…Not happening."
The demon let out a low growl. "Foolish human."
Lucien summoned Ignis.
With a burst of flames, the fire spirit materialized beside him, his blazing body flickering like a living inferno.
The fight had begun.
To be continued…