Secret Route: Villain Unlocked

The trail curved gently through the trees, narrow but clear. Some gates were like mazes, but this one was pretty straightforward. Moss lined the edges, low branches hung overhead, but Julien walked at the rear of the formation, just like he said he would, letting the kids lead while keeping his senses open.

The ambient mana here was low and stable. No interference. No enhanced monsters or unstable flows or anything that hinted at danger. Everything about this gate was textbook: safe and predictable. Which made the system's warning even stranger.

Up ahead, Karis spotted movement. "Left side! Something's rustling!"

Julien slowed, watching silently as the group responded. No panic. They drew weapons--some cleaner than others--and spread out in a loose semicircle. Little Julien stepped forward without hesitation.

The bush shook once more, and a pair of branch-boars barreled out. Low, tusked, fast. They weren't very dangerous, but they were quick enough to surprise an untrained group.

Little Julien moved first. A clean slash, angled well, caught one across the flank and sent it skidding. Karis let out a yell and charged the second with his longsword, only to trip halfway and barely avoid taking a tusk to the ribs. Zain pulled him back with a quick tug on his collar.

"Don't overextend yourself," Jenna snapped, forming a basic barrier between Karis and the boar.

Mina struck next, swinging her staff down with both hands like a club. It connected with a solid crack that knocked the creature off balance long enough for Alec to finish it with a sharp downward strike.

Right. Mina wasn't too confident with her spellcasting yet. She'll learn the hard way not to use a staff as a spear in a few years.

The whole fight lasted less than fifteen seconds.

Julien didn't move once.

"Well done," he called forward, once the dust had settled. "You held formation, reacted fast, and nobody screamed. Pretty good start."

"Did you see that hit I got?" Karis said, practically skipping. "I totally clipped that thing before it went down!"

"You clipped the air," Alec huffed.

Julien let them have a moment to breathe before speaking again. "Remember, these are just branch-boars. They're not smart, and they're not strong. But they're fast, and they usually fight in pairs. Don't chase them, and don't assume you're safe after the first one falls."

Little Julien sheathed his sword with a satisfied nod. "That was good practice," he said. "Their movement was pretty predictable."

A few moments later, the two boars vanished in a puff of air, leaving behind faintly glowing shards where their bodies had fallen.

Karis scrambled up and leaned over them, eyes wide. "Loot!"

Julien stayed where he was, arms crossed. "Go ahead, but just don't touch anything until you identify it."

Mina knelt beside one of the shards. "It's just basic material drops. Nothing special."

She reached out and tapped it with her finger. The shard responded with a soft pulse, and a small pop-up appeared above it, visible to the whole group.

[Item: Dull Fang]

[Grade: F-tier]

[Use: Crafting, Alchemy]

[Value: Low]

Zain glanced at the other one. "Same thing over here. Fang and... oh, some Lesser Pelt."

Julien nodded. "That's standard for branch-boars. Low-tier loot, usually crafting materials. We're not going to find any weapons or skill scrolls unless we find an elite."

"Can we keep it?" Karis asked, already pocketing the fang like it was treasure.

"You keep whatever you pick up," Julien said. "Within reason. Instructors review it all after the gate, so don't try to sneak anything dangerous."

Alec gasped softly. "There's dangerous loot here?"

"Probably not in this one," Julien said. "But in general, yeah. Cursed items, traps. Live monster cores, even. Most gates restrict that stuff to deeper zones, but always check your drops. Identifying is the first thing you learn for a reason."

The group seemed satisfied with that. They gathered their loot quickly and fell back into a loose formation.

Julien scanned the trees again.

Nothing out of the ordinary yet. Maybe I'm just overthinking things.

The group moved steadily along the trail, their earlier energy tempered now by a touch of focus. After that first scuffle, they'd somewhat realized how things worked. They kept their weapons close, but still kept up the excited conversations.

Up ahead, little Julien took point again, sword drawn, posture solid. Harin kept pace behind him, quietly sketching something into a folded sheet of paper, checking it vigorously while adjusting her glasses.

Mina and Jenna moved at the center, whispering back and forth, likely about the spells they wanted to learn. Alec stood at the side, watching the tree line like he expected something to leap out at any second. Zain hovered near the back, not far from Julien, eyes scanning every footprint and disturbed leaf.

And then there were the others.

He didn't know their names--they hadn't been there in his memories, nor had they stood out in the past. But they were still here, still part of this group. A girl with short white hair who barely spoke. A taller boy who kept adjusting his gloves like he didn't trust them. Two others who always moved in sync, clearly friends even before the academy.

And others who said nothing, and just let themselves drift among the group.

Just because I don't remember them doesn't mean they don't matter now.

Karis, naturally, broke the silence. "Hey, is this poisonous?" he asked, crouched beside a tree stump and holding up a jagged mushroom.

"If it bites you back, yes," Julien said mildly. "Leave it. Stay close."

The others chuckled lightly. Even the quiet ones.

A moment later, Mina paused near the trail's edge. "Wait, I think these are Mooncaps. They're used in vision potions, right?"

Julien stepped closer and gave a nod. "If they glow blue, they're real. Tap one."

She touched the cap. A soft shimmer appeared.

[Item: Mooncap Mushroom]

[Grade: F-tier]

[Use: Basic alchemy, night-vision potion]

Jenna immediately pulled out a small leather-bound logbook. "I'll record it. It counts as a resource find."

Karis groaned. "Seriously?"

"She's right," Julien said. "Materials count toward your assessment too. As Marked, it's not just our duty to clear gates. We also have to explore and find things that could better humanity as a whole."

"You sound like you read that off a script."

Julien smiled. "Maybe I did. It's true, though. Besides, isn't it exciting to find new things?"

Mina gave a small nod. "I mean… kind of."

"It's cool," Jenna added, already jotting the mushroom's details into her log. "I never got to see plants like this, living in the city districts."

"I just like hitting things," Karis said, already bored again. He gave a branch a half-hearted smack with his longsword and grumbled something about hoping for a bigger monster next.

Another few minutes passed before a new set of rustles echoed from the right side of the trail. Not loud, but not random, either. Julien didn't call out. Instead, he waited.

The group noticed almost immediately. Little Julien raised a hand, signaling stop, and motioned for Alec and Zain to flank either side. Karis started forward again, but Jenna yanked him back hissing something into his ear.

Out of the brush came three more branch-boars, moving faster than the last pair. The students didn't need prompting.

Zain circled quickly, forcing one into the open. Mina tried a spell this time--a small, flickering spark--but missed. Alec leapt in and landed a clean blow to the creature's hind leg, forcing it to vanish into smoke.

The second and third boars split apart. One charged toward Harin, who barely had time to react. The quiet white-haired girl stepped in without a word, parrying it with a sharpened steel spear and pushing it back with surprising precision.

She's good. How come I never saw her back then?

Little Julien slashed the last one across the back. It shrieked, turned, then lunged again--only to be met by a barrier spell from Jenna, snapping up just in time. Karis dove in with a final hit, sending the beast scattering into nothing.

When the last one disappeared, Julien finally stepped forward.

"Much better that time," he said. "Faster spacing. Better coordination. And I saw at least one person finally use a spell. Keep it up."

He turned to the white-haired girl. "Nice block. You've practiced that before?"

She nodded once. Still didn't speak.

Julien made a mental note. I'll need to keep an eye on that one.

The students regrouped quickly, settling into their earlier formation like nothing had happened. A few of them glanced back at Julien, waiting to see if he'd say more--but he just gave a small nod and motioned for them to keep moving.

The trail curved again, cutting through a patch of thinner trees. The underbrush grew denser on the left, but the path remained smooth. A stream flowed loudly nearby.

So far, so good.

No unexpected enemies. No system pop-ups. No unusual changes in mana.

And yet, the warning still hung over him. Like a thread dangling just out of view.

Up ahead, Karis kept glancing around, clearly hoping for another ambush. He didn't seem tired yet--none of them did--but that wouldn't last long. The fights had been small so far, and they'd handled them well enough, but it was only a matter of time before something tested them for real.

Julien watched Alec adjust his stance again, checking his grip like he was expecting another wave. He was careful. Almost too careful. Probably felt like the group's safety depended on him.

It doesn't. But he'll grow into it.

Harin was still scribbling things in her paper, though she did pause once to murmur something to Mina. The two of them smiled faintly at whatever was said. Jenna had her eyes locked forward, visibly more focused than before. And Zain still hadn't let his attention slip once.

The quiet girl with the spear hadn't said a word since her block. She just walked, spear balanced carefully along her shoulder, watching the trees with the same expressionless calm as before.

A few more minutes of silence passed like that.

Julien didn't interrupt it.

Even the unnamed ones--the taller boy, the synchronized pair--were walking along more naturally now.