Secret Route: Villain Unlocked

The trail curved again, this time sloping downhill. They passed normal forest things--just a few snagging vines and uneven roots--but Julien slowed slightly anyway, letting the others navigate through first.

It had been too quiet.

Not in the ambient mana. That still felt normal. Low, steady. No distortion or no sharp surges crawling under his skin. If he hadn't known better, he'd think this place was functioning exactly as designed.

But he did know better.

There hadn't been a single creature for almost fifteen minutes.

That's a bad sign. Something must've happened to them. 

"Wasn't there supposed to be more?" Karis murmured from up front, brushing aside a hanging branch. "We've only fought, what, five? Shouldn't there be like twenty by now?"

Julien didn't answer.

They were supposed to encounter at least one group of branch-boars every few hundred meters, maybe a flock of poison-gliders further in. The scouts said there were plenty of monsters roaming around. 

And yet… there were none to be found anywhere.

Zain hesitated as they approached a small ridge, peering ahead. "Nothing moving. Again."

"I think I liked it better when stuff was trying to kill us," Alec said. He scanned the trees warily. "This just feels... off."

They weren't wrong. Something was off.

Julien crouched for a second beside a hollow log and pressed a hand to the dirt, just in case. There was no vibration, no trace of lingering mana. Not even a monster trail.

We should've run into something by now.

He stood again. "Keep moving," he said quietly. "We'll find something soon."

Julien didn't reach for his mana-communicator. Not yet.

But his hand hovered near the coat pocket anyway.

The gate was still quiet. Mana wasn't reacting, and the students hadn't noticed anything out of place beyond the silence. By all appearances, things were fine.

But the trail ahead felt wrong in a way that didn't show up in reports or system logs.

Like something was waiting for them to catch up.

They crossed into the next stretch of forest without a word.

The trees grew taller here--their roots twisted deeper into the soil, their branches thicker, shadows stretching longer than they should've at this hour. This gate was aligned to the real world time: morning. But the shadows were unusually large.

They were surrounded by pure silence.

Julien scanned the undergrowth again. Still nothing. There were no skittering paws, nor wings overhead. Not even the chirp of mana-wasps. The deeper they moved, the more it felt like something had cleared the path ahead of them. Not by force, but by... presence.

Jenna broke the silence. "There should be gliders by now, right?"

"Yeah," Mina murmured. "They usually nest near water, but that stream we passed was empty."

Julien didn't answer. He didn't want to guess yet. Not until he was sure. These sorts of gates were supposed to contain no tricks or sudden spikes in difficulty. The monsters weren't supposed to just disappear.

Little Julien slowed his pace slightly, adjusting the way he held his blade. Not out of fear--just caution. The same instinct was settling into the others, too. Even Karis was finally keeping his voice down. They were picking up on it, whatever it was.

Another few minutes passed like that.

Then the air shifted.

Only slightly. A change so subtle that none of the students noticed. But Julien did.

It wasn't the mana itself--it hadn't warped or anything. But something around them had changed its weight. The temperature hadn't dropped. There was no scent in the air, though it didn't seem that way.

His fingers curled.

Julien glanced back at the ridge they'd crossed a while ago. Trees. Nothing else.

Okay. He exhaled quietly. If this is just a lull, it ends soon. If it's not--

A single snap echoed from up ahead.

Every head turned at once. Even the quiet girl with the spear.

Julien didn't say a word. He quickly moved to the front of the group and held out a hand.

The underbrush split apart.

Not trampled. Not broken, but displaced.

Something moved through the trees with crushing force, the ground groaning beneath its steps. Vines withered behind it. Roots cracked open like dry bone. Its silhouette emerged--a towering, eight foot tall creature of stone and jagged armor, plates fused over thick muscle, its chest glowing faintly with deep-core mana.

The system didn't chime. It flared.

[Threat Detected: Petra Lvl.80]

[Type: Named]

[Element: Earth]

[Tier: S]

Julien's heart slammed against his ribs. 

A Named?! What's it doing here?!

The Petra charged.

It didn't pause. There was no buildup. It simply used raw speed. Dirt exploded behind it as it surged forward, one of its four massive arms raised, aiming straight for the front line.

Julien threw himself between it and the students.

"Scatter!" he shouted. His voice cracked like a whip. "Get behind cover--go!"

Before they could react, the Petra's fist came down like a landslide.

Julien's hand snapped up.

"Flame Shield!"

A wall of hardened flame materialized around the group, catching the strike mid-air. The shock still rippled through his arm, but the skill held. Cracks spidered across its surface before the flame dispersed into heat, causing the monster to recoil slightly.

Julien skidded back a step, eyes narrowing.

They can't handle a Named. And I'm not sure I could counter one myself, at least not with my current mastery of Ian's abilities. Of all things, why did it have to be a Petra? Fire isn't the best element to fight an earth monster with.

Another system alert pinged in his mind, different from before.

[Character Guidance: Deactivated]

[Status: Threat Level exceeds Guidance Threshold]

Of course it does.

The Petra reared back again, dust circling it in a slow spiral as it prepared to charge once more. Julien could see the mana gathering around its frame, coating its skin in another layer of armor--a defensive skill. Its body was already regenerating where Julien's barrier had scorched the surface.

Julien raised both hands, mage staff forgotten a few feet away.

He wasn't acting as a teacher now.

He was fighting as Ian Mooring.

"Don't look back!" he yelled, not even turning toward the students. "Just run!"

Flames curled around his fingers, gathering into concentrated points--not skills this time, but spells. The strongest ones, those he hadn't dared to try back at the Academy. The kind that most mages wouldn't dare cast without complete confidence.

He wasn't sure how well he could control them.

I just need to aim forward. The kids are behind me, so any stray flames shouldn't touch them.

The Petra charged again.

Julien dashed forward to meet it, trying to both keep his eyes on the monster and comb through Ian's memories of spellcasting.

Skills and spells… they're not the same.

Skills were the only thing I knew. The abilities unique to everyone. Mine were mostly melee-based. Ian's are different, sure, but using them is simple, really.

But spells? Spells are a mage's domain.

I've been relying on easy, controllable ones for the last few days, but they aren't going to get me anywhere with a Named. I think I could use the powerful ones if I find Ian's memories of using them. 

One memory stood out from the rest.

It was during an advanced trial at the Academy. A simulated battlefield, shattered terrain, debris still smoldering all around him. The final challenge: defeat a crystalback golem with an advanced spell.

Ian didn't hesitate. He extended one hand, fingers steady. 

Mana coiled inward, precise and compressed. A single lance of flame formed at his palm and shot forward. It was silent, but focused and impossibly fast. It pierced straight through the golem's chest. The core shattered instantly.

He hadn't even needed to recite an incantation.

Okay, let's do this thing. No words, only will.

A spear of compressed flame ripped from his palm, spiraling toward the Petra's chest. It struck dead-on, detonating in a burst of red heat that shook the trees. Smoke billowed out.

But when it cleared, the Petra was still standing.

Charred, yes. But not slowed.

Its plated chest had cracked--but not collapsed. One of its four arms now hung limp, blackened from the blast, but recovering slowly. The other three slammed into the dirt as it lunged through the smoke, undeterred.

I need to break the plates. Named monsters don't die until you destroy their core. It'll just keep regenerating itself.

Julien dropped low, barely dodging a sweeping punch. Earth split where he'd just been standing. Shards of stone shot past his head, slicing his cheek. He turned with the motion, channeled his mana without a chant.

"Flare Step."

His body vanished in a flash of orange and reappeared ten meters to the right, heat trailing behind. It was a short-range movement skill. 

Mana Level. 

A blue system popup appeared.

[Mana: 25390/31000]

Down almost six thousand points already? Are you kidding me? No wonder mages faint from mana exhaustion so much. In my old life I only had seven thousand, total. It's a good thing Ian naturally has high levels of it. 

He flicked his hand sideways, igniting a stream of searing fire into the Petra's side. The heat was enough to melt through iron… but the Petra wasn't made of iron.

The monster roared, staggered once, then retaliated by slamming two fists into the ground. The entire area shook.

A crack shot toward Julien's feet like a fired arrow. Stone erupted upward in a jagged pillar.

He didn't use a skill or spell to deflect it. He just dodged, his instinct as a physical fighter taking over for a second. 

Julien stopped once he was clear of it, panting slightly.

Ugh… I can't forget, this is Ian's body… he's not suited to ducking and weaving all around the place. Running circles around it isn't an option. I could use mobility skills, but I might really need that mana for offensive spells. 

Julien glanced briefly toward the students. They were crouched low behind a mossy ridge far behind, wide-eyed but unharmed.

Good. Stay down.

He wiped the blood off his cheek, remembering that Ian was far from a tank.

Health Points.

[Health Points: 6208/6300]

Great, not too much damage. But I have to be more cautious now. Honestly, this guy is as brittle as a snowflake.

The Petra turned again, gaze fixed.

It charged a third time.

Julien straightened, clenching his fists.

"Let's see how well you handle this," he muttered to himself.