The demon servant's attack shook the very foundations of Star Academy. Panic turned into order as an emergency meeting was held. In the grand hall, cadets were ushered into safety while staff and instructors gathered to understand what had gone wrong.
It was there that the most unexpected announcement arrived. Murden Arkwright, the aging headmaster, was replaced. The new headmaster, Arcen Lucian—known as Phoenix for his legendary rebirth from death on the battlefield—took command. It was Arcen who uncovered the traitor among the staff, the one who had sabotaged the academy's magical barriers. With cold resolve, the traitor was executed on the spot.
To regain composure and reinforce the defenses, a three-day holiday was declared.
But Lee Yujin had no intention of resting.
He knew of a secret—one that hadn't yet happened. A double dungeon hidden in the mountains of Japan, named Fuyugiri Gorge. In his past life, it had appeared weeks later, claiming dozens of lives before it was closed. This time, Yujin would reach it first.
He invited Kain Vagor, who agreed without hesitation. By now, Yujin had reached Level 20, and Kain was at Level 15. The two departed under cover of night in a private guild aircraft, using credentials Yujin still remembered from his previous life.
The snowy peaks of Fuyugiri Gorge welcomed them with silence and ice. At the mouth of the first dungeon, ancient runes pulsed blue in the frost-covered walls. Inside, they encountered wave after wave of frost elves—pale beings with ice-tipped arrows and chilling blade magic. Yujin's dual pistols lit up the darkness with golden flashes, while Kain's sword danced with brutal grace.
At the heart of the dungeon, they faced the Frost Elf King, a towering being clad in ice armor and crowned with frozen antlers. The battle was fierce—Kain clashed blade to blade, his newly learned Crescent Rend skill tearing through the Frost King's defenses. Yujin used his agility and gunplay to strike weak spots, but the King regenerated rapidly.
It was then the wall behind the throne cracked.
An oppressive demonic aura flooded the chamber. The dungeon had a second layer—a hidden gate—and from it emerged a grotesque demon lord, a hybrid of molten fire and frozen flesh.
The battle turned into chaos. Kain was knocked back, and Yujin stood his ground. His eyes began to burn. A new power surged inside him—his Vision of Clarity awakened. He could now see every weak point of the demon, and even through walls up to a kilometer away.
Dodging swipes and fireballs, Yujin used the demon's momentum against itself. With calculated strikes, he dismantled its core. Kain, back on his feet, leaped in with a final Solar Slash, cleaving the demon in two.
Their spoils were rare and powerful. Yujin took the Demon Core, a blackened sphere pulsing with dark mana. Kain claimed the Frost Core, its blue energy humming with elemental resonance.
"I'll craft a blade worthy of this," Kain muttered, still breathing heavily.
Yujin nodded. "And I'll build something new—something even better than the Duel Golden Eagle."
They returned to Circle, the artificial island, and entered the old, rust-covered forge of the world's best blacksmith: Varnum Dreadforge. The dwarf-like man was gruff, covered in soot, and clearly irritated.
"You bring me two of the rarest cores in the world and want weapons made in three weeks?!" he barked. "Fine. But if I don't sleep, you don't complain."
The deal was made. Varnum would forge Kain a new sword from the Frost Core, and Yujin's next gun—one never used before in his past life—would be built from the Demon Core. It would be called Demon Howl.
Their three-day break ended with the academy gates once again opening. Star Academy buzzed with new rumors of the attack, and of the two cadets who had gone missing and returned even stronger.
As Yujin and Kain walked through the gate, their eyes burned with purpose. The road ahead would only grow darker.
But they had already faced the e
choes of ice and fire—and survived.
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