“I’ve been thinking,” he muttered to no one, then turned slowly with a glint in his eye. “We should ditch school.”
Yeon, sprawled on the floor shirtless and mid-crunch for no reason, perked up. “Finally! I thought you'd never say it! I already packed snacks.”
Tonio paused mid-tea sip. “We’re sneaking out? Like criminals?”
“More like academic sabbatical by force,” Rayan replied, pulling his coat over dramatically. “We need real training. Real fights. Not just tests and lectures about mana resonance. We need... the Guild.”
Cezar looked up from his notes. “That’s... actually smart.”
“Of course it is,” Rayan said, flipping his hair and whispering under his breath, “Background character route: activated.”
At the Arcania Adventurer's Guild
They slipped through a side gate, avoided two professors, a cleaning fairy, and one suspiciously angry goose before landing at the foot of the grand guild hall.
Rayan pushed the massive doors open with the flair of a man summoning destiny. "Behold… the path to power and poor life choices."
Inside, the receptionist—a tall woman with one eye glowing like a gem and the other twitching from overwork—blinked at the four students.
“Let me guess... unauthorized academy students looking for a fight?”
Yeon slammed his hands on the counter. “Not just a fight. We want the fight. Give us something legendary!”
She smirked. “Good. Because there’s only one quest left.”
The paper floated down in front of them.
Quest: Subjugate the SS-Rank Sea Beast – Leviathan.
Reward: 10,000 Gold Coins.
Difficulty: SS
Success Rate: …Don’t ask.
Tonio took one glance and whispered, “Shouldn’t we maybe… start with goblins or rats?”
Yeon fist-pumped. “This is our destiny! The gods have chosen us!”
Rayan stared at the word Leviathan, his eye twitching. “Thalassophobia intensifies...”
Open Sea – Aboard a Cursed Vessel
Rayan gripped the rail of the ship, his face contorted in displeasure. "Why does this ship smell like wet socks and existential dread?" he grumbled, eyeing the old planks beneath his feet.
"Because it’s the only vessel dumb enough to head out here," the captain called from the galley, stirring something in a rusted pot. He was missing a leg, which had been replaced with an old mop. "No refunds!"
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The waves pounded against the boat like they had a personal vendetta.
Cezar adjusted his scarf, a slight frown on his face. "It’s too quiet… something feels off."
Before anyone could respond, the sea erupted with a deafening boom.
BOOOOOM!
The ocean split wide open. From the depths, a massive form emerged—the Leviathan. Its body was a glistening mass of obsidian scales, red eyes blazing like it had just woken up from a thousand-year nap and was not happy about it.
Yeon, standing dramatically on the bow of the ship, threw his head back with an insane laugh. His cape fluttered—despite there being no wind whatsoever. "Behold, I am the Chosen Flame King of Heaven's Wrath! Tremble, water worm!"
With a dramatic leap that defied all logic and gravity, Yeon soared into the air, his war cry so loud it startled every seagull within a mile radius.
“FLAMING PHANTOM DRAGON-STYLE—WAIT, I DIDN’T NAME THIS MOVE YET—”
WHAM!
The Leviathan whipped its tail, sending Yeon flying mid-air like a ragdoll, and he crashed into the sail with a sickening thud. He slid down the sail, leaving a trail of burned cloth behind him. Groaning, he raised a finger from the deck. "All part of the plan..."
Rayan, standing nearby with his katana drawn, stared at him in disbelief. “You really are a walking disaster, aren’t you?”
Yeon, in true form, just shrugged, a smirk plastered on his face. “Disaster? No, no—this is just... a warm-up.”
The Leviathan, still roaring with fury, seemed like it was only getting started.
Rayan stepped forward, a determined glint in his eyes. "Alright, no more games."
He raised his katana high, a dramatic flourish, as if summoning some ancient, forgotten power. "Come forth, my brightest light, EXCALIBUR SWORD GOD—WAIT, WHAT WAS I EVEN SAYING—SWORD GOD EXCALIBUR!"
With a final deep breath, Rayan launched himself toward the beast, the wind and light swirling around him like a storm. He slashed, his blade crackling with energy.
The Leviathan roared, its scales gleaming in the sunlight as it twisted toward him.
But just as Rayan was about to make contact—
“IMPACT IN THREE... TWO...”
SPLOOSH!
Rayan fell straight into the water, flailing as he sank.
“WHY IS IT SO DEEP?!” Rayan’s voice echoed underwater, his panic audible even through the waves.
Tonio and Cezar exchanged a glance, unfazed by the disaster unfolding before them. Cezar cracked his knuckles. “Alright, time to wrap this up.”
Tonio, ever the calm one, vanished from sight in a blur. Reappearing above the Leviathan, he slammed his foot down, his Dryad nature taking over. With one brutal strike, his claws raked across the beast’s back, leaving a trail of deep gashes.
The Leviathan screamed in pain, thrashing wildly, sending waves crashing against the boat.
Yeon, now entangled in ropes and possibly some fish guts, rolled over with an enthusiastic grin. "Great! Just give me ten seconds! I’ll distract it with... my face!"
He charged at the Leviathan, his war cry resembling the dying squeal of a startled chicken.
Just as the Leviathan reared up to strike, Rayan burst from the depths of the ocean, his soaked form glowing with the energy of his katana.
Lightning crackled around him, mixing with the wind in a dazzling display of power.
“No spotlight, remember?” he muttered to himself, then raised his sword high. "But this... this is MY moment."
The sword gleamed brighter than the sun, and with one swift motion, Rayan slashed through the beast’s massive body.
Time seemed to slow.
CRACK!
The Leviathan’s roar echoed through the sea before it shattered into mist and particles of mana, its immense form collapsing into nothingness.
Rayan landed on the boat with a loud splash, drenched but grinning like a maniac. “Well, that was... something,” he said, wiping seaweed from his face.
Yeon, still trying to untangle himself from the ropes, managed a thumbs-up. "Did we win? I think I blinked."
Cezar and Tonio exchanged a high-five, clearly enjoying the aftermath of the battle.
The captain, leaning against the mast with a knowing grin, shook his head. "That was... the dumbest brilliant thing I’ve ever seen."
Rayan, still dripping wet and slightly irritated, groaned. “Next time... we fight land monsters. Or rats. Rats are safe.”
Yeon, now standing on the wreckage of the Leviathan’s remains, grinned maniacally. “Forget rats! Next up—DRAGON WRESTLING!”
Everyone else: “NO.”
End of Chapter 11