Back within the Dark Knight Academy, the Eastern Grand Hall remained illuminated beneath rows of suspended Myst lamps despite the late hour settling outside the academy walls.

The massive chamber carried the same atmosphere it always did during assessments.

Controlled, quiet, and watchful.

Dozens upon dozens of floating magical screens filled the hall, each displaying different portions of Nalim from the perspective of the students participating in the second-year assessment. Some screens showed students resting cautiously within hollow trees or ruined structures. Others displayed ongoing fights against demons hidden within the forests, swamps, cliffs, and ravines scattered throughout the realm.

The authoritative figures seated throughout the hall observed every movement carefully.

Every decision, mistake, and moment of growth.

At the front of the hall, Headmaster Thion sat calmly in his usual seat with one arm resting against the armrest while his eyes remained fixed on a specific screen.

Liam Hunter’s.

Beside him sat Assistant Lucia Greydon, her glasses reflecting the shifting lights of the magical displays as she continuously monitored several screens at once. Though even while doing so, her attention kept returning toward the same screen Thion had been observing for almost the past hour.

The eastern region.

More specifically, Liam and Charlotte.

On the screen, the pair could be seen resting temporarily beneath the thick roots of the forest while the shadow summon guarded the perimeter.

Lucia adjusted her glasses slightly.

"He’s definitely heading toward the eastern sector intentionally now," she said at last, breaking part of the hall’s silence.

Mystica Moonstone, who sat several seats away with one leg crossed over the other, smirked faintly without looking away from Liam’s screen.

"Well, obviously," she said lazily. "The boy practically screams curiosity issues."

"He’s searching for something," Lucia added quietly.

"Oh, he definitely is," Seraphina Vale said from farther back in the hall.

Unlike most others seated with composure befitting instructors, Seraphina looked entirely too entertained by everything happening on the screens. One arm rested beneath her chest while the other supported her cheek lazily as she stared directly at Liam’s display with unconcealed amusement.

"And whatever it is," she continued smoothly, "it has him more interested than basic survival. Which honestly makes this assessment much more exciting."

Beside her, Professor Kaine remained seated with his arms crossed.

"You say that every time Hunter does something reckless."

"Because every time he does something reckless, it becomes entertaining."

Kaine sighed quietly.

Meanwhile, farther along the front row, Magnus Yaer leaned slightly forward in his seat while staring at the eastern region display.

"Hm," he muttered. "That region escalated faster than I expected."

"It was always going to," Regulus answered calmly from nearby. "The eastern side of Nalim has never been stable."

Magnus hummed.

"Yes, but there’s a difference between unstable and whatever this is becoming."

On several smaller screens nearby, footage replayed from earlier encounters involving demons in the eastern region. Corpses missing cores. Advanced Horrors displaying territorial shifts. Multiple species overlapping unnaturally.

Signs that should not have been appearing this early into the assessment.

And yet they were.

Lucia’s eyes shifted briefly toward Thion.

The Headmaster had remained mostly silent since Liam began advancing eastward.

Which, oddly enough, only made his interest more obvious.

Because whenever Thion became genuinely interested in something, he spoke less.

Much less.

Eventually, Lucia broke the silence again.

"You expected someone to head east eventually, didn’t you?"

Thion’s eyes remained on the screen.

"Yes."

Lucia narrowed her eyes slightly.

"But not this early."

"No," Thion admitted calmly. "Not this early."

Mystica smirked slightly.

"And definitely not Liam."

At that, Thion’s lips curved faintly.

"No," he repeated. "Hunter was actually the last one I expected to move that quickly."

That statement caught the attention of several instructors nearby.

Kaine looked toward him slightly.

"You’re saying you underestimated him?"

"No," Thion answered calmly. "I simply expected him to prioritize stability first."

Magnus chuckled softly.

"Well, he technically did. The kid spent almost an entire day establishing a functional shelter before moving again."

"And still lost all patience the moment Berserker activity became possible," Mystica added with visible amusement.

Lucia glanced toward her.

"You think he knows?"

Mystica tilted her head lazily.

"Oh, he definitely suspects something."

"About Berserkers?"

"Probably."

Seraphina suddenly laughed softly from the back.

"That little conversation inside the cave practically confirmed it."

Lucia frowned slightly.

"But we couldn’t hear the conversation."

"No," Seraphina replied. "But we don’t need to."

She gestured lazily toward Liam’s screen.

"The moment he cast Silent specifically around Charlotte and himself, he practically announced he had something important to hide."

Kaine’s gaze narrowed slightly.

"And after that conversation, both of them immediately altered their route toward the eastern region."

Seraphina smiled slowly.

"Which means either Liam discovered something interesting..."

Her smile widened slightly.

"Or he’s about to."

The hall grew quieter after that.

Because regardless of individual opinions toward Liam Hunter, every instructor present understood one thing clearly.

The eastern sector of the zone Liam was in was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Not simply because of the demons present there, but because of what that region represented.

And now Liam Hunter was willingly walking toward it.

Farther across the hall, another screen suddenly illuminated brightly as a surge of flames erupted through a section of forest.

Several instructors shifted their attention immediately.

On the display, Asher Hawthorne could be seen standing within a burning clearing surrounded by the corpses of several Horror-class demons. Blue flames curled violently around his body while heat distortion warped the air nearby.

One of the demons still twitched weakly on the ground before Asher casually thrust his hand downward—

And a concentrated lance of blue flame pierced directly through its skull.

The corpse stopped moving instantly.

Magnus let out a whistle.

"Oho. That kid’s output keeps climbing."

"Asher Hawthorne," Regulus muttered. "Still relying too heavily on aggression."

"Yeah," Magnus agreed casually. "But it works."

On the screen, Asher rolled his shoulders slightly before wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Even through the magical display, the irritation on his face was obvious.

"Damn annoying things," Asher muttered.

Then suddenly, he froze.

The flames around his body dimmed slightly.

His eyes narrowed as he stared deeper into the forest ahead.

The instructors immediately noticed the shift.

Lucia adjusted another screen slightly for a wider view.

"What did he sense?"

Asher remained completely still for several seconds.

Then, surprisingly, he backed away.

Slowly and carefully.

Magnus raised an eyebrow.

"Well that’s rare."

Even Mystica looked slightly interested now.

Because Asher Hawthorne was not known for retreating.

Yet now he clearly was.

On the screen, Asher’s expression remained tense as he moved backward through the clearing while keeping his gaze fixed on something beyond the trees.

Then suddenly, a distant roar echoed through his portion of the forest.

The sound alone distorted nearby leaves.

The screen flickered briefly from the pressure.

Asher immediately turned and launched himself away using explosive bursts of blue flames.

Fast, very fast.

Lucia stared at the screen.

"That roar..."

"It came from deeper east," Regulus said quietly.

Thion’s gaze shifted briefly between Asher’s location and Liam’s.

The distance between both students remained large.

But not large enough.

Seraphina smiled faintly.

"Interesting."

Meanwhile, elsewhere throughout the hall, several instructors monitored the remaining students.

Some were struggling heavily.

One screen showed Maxwell Samson reinforcing his body continuously with Enhancement Magic while battling five Horror-class demons at once near a ravine. Another displayed Ariana Merdin carefully navigating a ruined structure while avoiding direct combat entirely. Dylan Wellington had somehow managed to set part of a forest section ablaze accidentally while escaping a pack of Horrors, and Sheila Granger could currently be seen standing atop a frozen patch of river after killing several aquatic demons with frightening precision.

Despite the danger of Nalim, however, one thing remained consistent. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

No Forced Extractions had still occurred yet.

Not a single one.

That alone was impressive.

Especially three days into the assessment.

Lucia eventually spoke what several others were already thinking.

"They’re adapting better than expected."

Kaine nodded once.

"Much better."

"Normally," Regulus added, "we would’ve already had at least one mental collapse by now."

"And yet none," Mystica said with visible interest.

Magnus chuckled softly.

"Well, this second-year batch has always been unusually troublesome."

"That’s one way to put it," Lucia muttered.

Seraphina smiled slowly.

"Another way would be gifted."

Kaine glanced at her briefly.

"Or unstable."

"Oh please," Seraphina said dismissively. "Most powerful students are unstable. That’s practically tradition at this point."

She then looked back toward Liam’s screen again.

Especially him.

The image currently displayed Liam sitting near the temporary resting hollow while Charlotte spoke beside him. Smoke remained alert near the edge of the roots, his glowing eyes fixed toward the forest ahead.

Even from the screen alone, the atmosphere around them looked different from every other student’s environment.

It was heavier and oppressive, like the forest itself was watching.

Lucia stared quietly at the display.

"Do you think he’ll actually find one?"

The question lingered through the hall for several seconds.

Eventually, Thion answered.

"If Berserker activity truly exists within that sector..."

His eyes remained calm.

"Hunter will find it."

Mystica’s smile widened slightly.

"And if he does?"

Thion leaned back slightly within his chair.

Then for the first time since the discussion began, a faint genuine interest appeared clearly within his eyes.

"Then we’ll finally see what kind of predator Liam Hunter truly is."