Erav thrust his hand forward, and from his palm, fiery spikes shot out, striking the monstrous figure in front of him. The creature roared in pain, its glossy black-scaled body starting to bear burn marks. But instead of weakening, the creature grew wilder. Its muscles tensed, its body elongated, and it shot forward like a bullet.
Crash!
Erav's body was thrown violently, crashing into a cracked wall. His breath was ragged, blood trickled down his temple. Before he could rise, a heart-wrenching scream filled the air. The monster rampaged, tearing apart students who hadn't been fast enough to escape. Blood spilled onto the floor, mixing with dust and debris.
Amidst the chaos, a shadow leaped down from the second floor. Evan, armed with a makeshift wooden spear, jumped without hesitation. With a loud shout, he aimed the spear straight at the creature's face.
Thwack!
The tip of the spear pierced one of the creature's eyes, causing it to roar in blind rage. Swiftly, Evan spun around, dodging the monstrous claws that nearly tore him apart.
"Come on, Mr. Erav! Get up!!" Evan shouted, running in circles to keep his distance from the creature.
Erav growled, holding back the pain. He raised his hand again. Fire spiraled around him, forming a thorny chain of pure flame. With a cry of determination, he threw it, ensnaring the creature's body, burning it instantly.
The creature went berserk, struggling to break free. Erav sprinted toward a wooden sword lying nearby, grabbed it, and covered the crude blade with blazing fire.
"YOU BASTARD!!" Erav shouted, driving the sword into the creature's body.
Unfortunately, only a shallow wound was inflicted. The creature howled in fury, its rage escalating. With a brutal swing, it shattered Erav's fiery binding, then charged at him.
Erav gritted his teeth, dodging as quickly as he could. The deadly claws continued to slash at him, missing by mere inches each time.
Sweat and blood mixed on his face, but the fire in his eyes never waned.
"I'm not done yet!" Erav muttered, reigniting his flames, ready to fight until his last breath.
Just as Erav dodged one of the creature's claws, he failed to avoid a follow-up strike. The dark claw slashed through his stomach, spraying blood into the air.
"Mr. Erav!!" Evan screamed in panic, but Erav remained standing, though his knees wobbled.
Amidst the chaos, Ahreum, who had been watching with labored breath, grabbed a wooden arrow she had found on the floor. With trembling hands, she took a deep breath, aiming the arrow at the wound left by Erav's sword in the creature's body.
"Focus… focus!" Ahreum whispered to herself.
With all her might, she launched the arrow. The sharp tip shot through the air, embedding itself into the wound. The creature roared, the wound widening, and thick black blood poured out.
Seeing the opening, Renji, Dae, and Gery, who were on the second floor, moved swiftly. Without a signal, they lifted their makeshift wooden spears and threw them at the creature's back in unison.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three spears embedded themselves deep into the creature's back, making it thrash in pain. The three of them used their advantageous position on the second floor, where the center was open, giving them attack angles from various directions.
Meanwhile, the other students began to panic. Some hid behind debris, others fled toward the exits, oblivious to the danger around them.
But amid the despair, a tragedy occurred.
One of the students attempting to escape was caught by the creature. With a cruel grip, the monster lifted the frail body into the air — and mercilessly devoured it.
Creeeek!!
A brief scream echoed before everything fell silent.
The creature stood taller. Its wounds slowly began to heal. Its stamina and brutal strength started to recover.
With lightning speed, the creature leaped toward Renji, still standing on the second floor.
"Watch out, Renji!!" Dae yelled.
Renji tried to dodge, but the creature's brutal attack sent him flying backward. Reflexively, he jumped down to the first floor, landing hard and rolling several times.
"Ugh!" Renji groaned, his body bruised. With no time to think, he ran, the creature relentlessly chasing him like a shadow of death.
Seeing the critical situation, Erav, his body still covered in blood, gritted his teeth. With what little strength he had left, he formed a new technique — a skill called Binding Thorns (name can be changed if you'd like something cooler).
Fiery thorns rose from the floor and walls, connecting and wrapping around the creature's legs and body, briefly restraining its movements.
"Ahhh!!" Erav screamed, holding back the pain.
Ahreum watched in panic, her mind racing to find a solution. She had to do something — she had to save Renji — before the creature broke free from the fire bindings and hunted their friend.
In the midst of despair, as the creature roared and struggled to break free from the fiery thorns binding it, Ahreum suddenly felt something strange.
Her head throbbed.
"A-agh!" Ahreum bent over, clutching her temple.
The pain was so sharp, as though something was being forced into her mind.
Strange images, unfamiliar symbols, and unknown knowledge surged into her mind. It felt as if her brain were being pierced by a thousand hot needles.
"Aaaghh!!"
Her body trembled violently. Her eyes widened.
In the midst of the pain, something appeared on her right hand — a glowing symbol shaped like a compass with an hour hand that slowly spun.
The mark pulsed warmly, almost alive.
Information flooded into her mind: about a new magic — the ability to accelerate and decelerate objects around her.
Accelerator Magic.
"I... I have to try," Ahreum whispered, though her entire body still trembled.
Without thinking, Ahreum raised her hand, targeting Renji, who was still running to avoid the creature's pursuit.
A faint magic circle — almost invisible — formed beneath Renji's feet.
In an instant, Renji felt his body become lighter, his steps speeding up faster than usual.
"What...!?"
He almost stumbled from the sudden speed but quickly adjusted his movements, narrowly dodging the creature's claws.
Ahreum then turned, directing her left hand toward the creature.
"Slow down!" she muttered.
Another magic circle appeared around the monster.
The creature's movements immediately felt heavy. It hissed as its body was dragged back a few steps, struggling to catch up with Renji.
Ahreum's eyes sharpened. Though the pain still gnawed at her head, she held on. This was the only way.
"Renji!! Get out of there!!" Ahreum yelled as loudly as she could.
Renji, now running much faster thanks to her magic, made a sharp turn and managed to escape the creature's reach.
Meanwhile, the fiery thorns binding the creature, which were on the verge of breaking, held on for a few more seconds, giving Renji enough time to escape.
But the creature wasn't going to stay still. Its glowing red eyes focused on the new source of power — Ahreum.
The creature emitted a low growl, full of hatred and hunger, then slowly turned toward Ahreum, though its movements were slow.
Seeing Ahreum unleash strange power, Mr. Erav didn't remain idle.
His body, now covered in wounds, trembled violently, and flames enveloped him. With all the strength left, he raised his hand, and his fiery thorns began to stretch wildly in all directions — piercing the creature's body from multiple angles.
The creature howled, trying to break free. But this time, Erav didn't give it a chance.
"I won't let you... touch them again...!!" Erav shouted, his voice hoarse but full of resolve.
The thorns didn't just pierce; they began to heat up, burning, making the wounds on the creature's body worsen.
But the creature still resisted, despite its body being filled with wounds, its eyes glowing red with fury.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ahreum, still maintaining her magic, began to feel the side effects.
Her vision started to spin. Her head felt heavy. Her nose even started to bleed slightly.
"I... have to... slow it down... one more time..." Ahreum whispered.
With all her remaining strength, Ahreum raised her hand one last time.
A new magic circle appeared, slowing the creature's movements once again — the massive body seemed to be held back by something invisible.
Erav didn't waste this opportunity.
With one final shout, he created a massive sphere of fiery thorns around the creature's body, forming a sharp dome that trapped and tormented the creature from within.
"AAAAAARRGHHHHH!!!"
The creature howled loudly, its voice shaking the entire building.
The fire from Erav's thorns continued to intensify until finally —
BOOM!
The creature collapsed. Its body was charred, falling hard to the floor, motionless.
Ahreum, watching this, sighed in relief, but her body could no longer bear the strain.
With a pale face, Ahreum smiled faintly.
"Finally..."
And then, she collapsed, sitting down before losing consciousness.