The next morning, the class gathered again.
They stood near the dungeon gate.
Mr. Corvin looked serious.
"This dungeon… it changed overnight."
Eiden narrowed his eyes.
He could feel it too.
The air is heavy. Mana is twisted.
---
Kai frowned. "What do you mean changed?"
Mr. Corvin pointed to the sky.
"Dark mist above the forest. It wasn't there yesterday."
Sera looked nervous.
"Did the monsters… get stronger?"
Mr. Corvin nodded.
"We don't know how bad it is. But we must check."
He looked at the class.
"This time, no one goes alone. Stay in groups."
---
Eiden stood at the back.
He didn't speak.
His mind was calm, but alert.
He remembered the spider monster from yesterday.
It wasn't just a random beast.
It had corruption mana inside it.
A sign of something worse.
---
The group entered the dungeon again.
It was darker now.
The air was cold.
Trees were black, as if burned.
The wind made no sound.
Even birds were gone.
---
Sera walked beside Elara.
She whispered, "Why is it so quiet?"
Elara answered in a low voice, "Because something strong is near."
Sera looked scared.
But Elara stayed sharp.
She glanced back at Eiden.
He walked alone again—silent, like a shadow.
---
Suddenly—snap!
A branch broke ahead.
Everyone froze.
Then—
GRRRRRRRRRRAAAH!
A huge bear-like monster jumped out.
Its body was covered in red boils.
Eyes glowing purple.
Corruption.
---
"Form battle lines!" Mr. Corvin shouted.
Students moved fast.
But the monster was faster.
It slammed one boy aside.
Blood hit the trees.
---
Kai charged forward.
"I'll kill it!"
But the monster knocked him back with one paw.
He crashed into a rock.
"Ugh!"
---
Eiden watched.
He saw everything in slow motion.
The monster's movement, the mana flow, the broken pattern.
It's not natural. It's controlled.
He stepped forward.
His sword glowed faintly.
Just a little.
Enough to cut.
---
Elara noticed.
He's going to fight it alone.
She wanted to stop him.
But something told her to wait.
---
The monster roared and charged.
Eiden's eyes glowed faintly—just for a second.
Then he moved.
One step.
Two steps.
Slice.
The monster stopped.
Blood sprayed.
Then—it fell.
Dead.
---
Silence.
No one clapped.
They just stared.
Mr. Corvin stepped forward.
"…You've been hiding strength."
Eiden said nothing.
He turned away.
---
That night, rumors grew stronger.
"Elara saw him move like a master."
"Kai was crushed. Eiden didn't even blink."
"His sword shines, but there's no aura."
"Maybe he's a ghost…"
A new name started to spread:
Ghostblade.
---
Far away, deep underground…
A man in black armor watched a magic mirror.
Eiden's face appeared.
He smiled.
"So… you're alive again."