Morning sunlight spilled through the crystal windows of the High Pyramid Dormitory, painting golden streaks across the wreckage of Lina Aurelis’s room.

A cracked floorboard, a twisted brass door handle, shredded pillows, and enough scattered feathers to suggest a small bird had exploded during the night.

Lina stood silently in the center of the disaster, her cheeks slowly turning red.

"..."

Then she buried her face in both hands.

"Oh no..."

The memory of last night returned all at once, the destruction, the terrifying training, and the endless mana exercises.

The tiny white rabbit is currently sitting on her desk like an emperor judging a failed servant.

Qhuin calmly cleaned one paw.

"Your room resembles a battlefield."

Lina nearly jumped out of her skin.

Even after several hours, hearing that deep, cold voice inside her mind still felt unnatural.

"You c-can’t just suddenly talk!"

"I can. And I will."

The rabbit continued while grooming himself.

"Now stop staring at the furniture and prepare for the day. You smell like cave mud."

Lina’s face instantly turned scarlet.

"W-What kind of thing is that to say?!"

"It is an observation."

Qhuin’s ruby eyes opened slightly.

"You spent half the night rolling around on the floor while failing basic mana circulation."

Lina grabbed the nearest pillow.

Unfortunately, it was one of the pillows she had already destroyed.

The remains exploded into feathers.

"..."

"..."

A long silence followed, then Qhuin sighed.

The sound somehow carried the disappointment of an ancient monarch.

"Go bathe."

Lina fled into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, she finally emerged.

Her silver-blonde hair had been washed and brushed.

She wore the elegant black-and-gold Aurelius Academy uniform reserved for Class A students.

For the first time since the disaster in the ravine, she almost looked like a normal academy girl again, well almost.

The difference was her eyes. Before, they had always carried uncertainty and fear, but now hidden beneath the surface was something else.

Sharper reflexes, greater awareness, and power, enough power to accidentally break furniture.

Lina looked at herself in the mirror.

She still didn’t fully recognize the person staring back.

"Am I really a D-Rank Tamer now...?"

A blue screen appeared.

[Contractor Status Window]

Name: Lina Woods

Rank: D-Rank Tamer

Talent: D- rank (Hidden Talent: SSS-Rank Infinite Symbiosis)

Strength: 24

Agility: 30

Vitality: 29

Mana Capacity: 250 / 250

Passive Traits:

Vampire Reflexes Lv. 1

False Veil]

Lina swallowed.

A few weeks ago she had been one of the weakest students in Class A, but she felt she was stronger than most first-year combat students.

And the reason was currently chewing on a carrot.

"Snowy..."

"Do not call me that name."

"...Sorry."

Qhuin rubbed his forehead with a paw. Sometimes, he missed being feared.

After securing the damaged door as best she could, Lina finally stepped into the corridor.

The lockdown remained active, and runic barriers glowed faintly along the walls.

Students moved in groups, and guards patrolled everywhere around the dormitory and buildings.

The entire academy was still searching for the mysterious "vampire entity" that had appeared inside the Whispering Ravine.

Which would have been funny if that vampire entity wasn’t currently chewing on her sleeve.

As Lina descended the staircase, she noticed clusters of students whispering nervously.

Rumors were spreading everywhere about a rogue vampire, a hidden calamity beast, ancient monster.

Every version sounded more ridiculous than the last.

The atmosphere felt tense and everyone was talking about the same thing.

Lina instinctively hugged Qhuin tighter, Immediately several students glanced her way.

Whispers spread.

"There she is."

"That’s Lina."

"The girl from the ravine."

"I heard she survived a Rank C beast."

"No way."

"Then how is she alive?"

Lina’s ears turned red, and she lowered her head walking faster.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"The cattle are creating stories. They always do."

Lina sighed while walking.

She really wished he would stop calling people cattle.

The pair crossed a crystal bridge connecting the freshman district to the main academic complex.

That was when Lina noticed a large group of second-year students approaching from the opposite direction.

These weren’t freshmen, they were real combat tamers.

Veterans.

Young adults who had spent years fighting dangerous beasts, massive creatures walked beside them.

One student had a massive stone-armored bear nearly three meters tall.

Another guided a sleek Frost Panther whose icy breath drifted across the marble floor.

The younger students instinctively moved aside, the beasts radiated a pressure that made them back away.

Lina felt several predatory gazes pass over her.

Then she noticed someone familiar.

Victor.

Marcus’s older cousin.

The second-year student whose Gloom-Fang Hound had died, the same student who had trapped her inside the cave and also witnessed Qhuin’s transformation, had fled screaming into the fog.

His eyes landed on Lina.

The color immediately drained from his face, and for a brief moment, he looked like someone staring at a nightmare.

Then something even stranger happened, he immediately turned around and walked the other way, practically jogging.

One of the nearby second-years blinked.

"Victor?"

No response.

"Victor, where are you going?"

Victor sped up. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"I just remembered something."

"You were literally walking to class."

"I forgot it."

"What?"

"Everything."

The second-years and the freshmen stared in confusion

Even Lina stared as Victor disappeared around a corner, several students exchanged confused looks.

"What was that about?"

"No idea."

"He looked terrified."

Lina silently looked down at Qhuin, the rabbit appeared innocent.

Completely innocent.

A fluffy white snowball, inside his mind, however—

’Good. Learn fear, little prey.’

Class A was already filling when Lina arrived.

The moment she entered, the room was strangely quiet; observing, she noticed it wasn’t because of her, but because of Marcus.

The proud noble sat all the way in the back.

Alone, usually, Marcus occupied the center of attention, bragging and mocking people.

Usually, he made sure everyone knew he was important, but today he looked like a man attending his own funeral.

His eyes met Lina’s for a split second, then he immediately looked away.

The entire class noticed.

Chloe blinked.

"Did Marcus just avoid eye contact?"

Mei looked equally confused.

"That has literally never happened before."

Several noble students exchanged glances, something was clearly wrong.

Marcus spent the entire lesson pretending Lina didn’t exist.

Whenever she glanced his way, he suddenly became fascinated by the wall.

Or the desk, or the ceiling.

Anything except her.

Qhuin almost laughed.

’Excellent. The prey is finally learning survival instincts.’

The first class of the morning was Beast Evolution Theory.

An elderly professor shuffled into the room carrying enough books to break a normal person’s spine.

His beard looked older than civilization, and his glasses were crooked.

Half the class immediately assumed he was senile.

Then he began speaking, and within five minutes everyone realized he was a genius.

The lecture covered evolution pathways.

Potential caps.

Rare materials.

Bloodline catalysts.

Artificial breakthroughs.

Lina struggled to keep up, but Qhuin did not.

Through their shared connection, he absorbed every word.

Every diagram.

Every theory.

Every recorded mutation.

His mind rapidly calculated possibilities.

’So this world artificially stimulates evolution through external materials, although Primitive, but effective.’

Several ideas immediately formed.

Things he would need, and he would eventually hunt, and importantly, things he would eventually steal.

After the lecture ended, students moved toward the combat grounds, The next lecture was Direct Combat Synchronization.

Professor Valerius himself supervised, the moment he entered, conversation ceased as silence swallowed the training field.

Valerius surveyed the students.

His golden eyes passed over them like execution blades.

"Pairs."

That was all he said, as the training immediately began.

Heavy steel practice weapons were distributed.

Lina accepted a training sword, and the weapon felt strangely light.

A month ago, she would have struggled to lift it, but now it felt like carrying a broom.

Panic instantly flashed through her chest.

Act weak.

Act weak.

Act weak.

She raised the sword.

Swung.

Then deliberately stumbled, as the blade crashed harmlessly into the ground.

Several students laughed, and Lina nearly sighed in relief.

Then she noticed Chloe staring.

"Lina..."

"W-What?"

"Did you just leave a crack in the training platform?"

"..."

Lina looked down, there was indeed a crack, a very noticeable crack.

"...I think it was already there."

"It wasn’t."

"Oh."

By lunchtime, rumors were spreading again, not about vampires and not about Marcus, but about Lina.

Specifically why she suddenly seemed stronger.

Lina wanted to disappear.

Qhuin found the situation amusing, the cafeteria buzzed with noise.

Students packed every table.

Upperclassmen mingled with each other clearly not wanting to mix with the first year.

The atmosphere felt almost normal, then a shadow descended from above.

A messenger hawk, the bird circled once.

Twice.

Then dropped something directly into Lina’s lap.

A black scroll.

The cafeteria instantly fell silent, everyone recognized the seal stamped onto the wax.

The Principal’s seal.

Lina stared.

Her hands trembled, as she slowly opened it.

The message inside contained only a few lines.

Her face went pale, across from her, Chloe leaned forward.

"What is it?"

Lina swallowed.

Then looked down at Qhuin, the rabbit’s ruby eyes narrowed and for the first time all day, his expression became serious.

Lina read the message although her voice wasn’t loud the student could hear it because of the silence.

"Student Lina Aurelis."

She paused, as the entire cafeteria listened.

"You are hereby ordered to report to the Grand Office immediately."

Her voice became smaller.

"Together with Professor Valerius."

Silence.

Then Qhuin felt a very familiar sense of danger, because in his experience, whenever powerful people started summoning others to private offices, nothing good ever followed.

And somewhere deep within Aurelius Academy, an ancient Principal waited.