Old man

Almost a year had passed since Ray entered Avrion Academy. This meant their basic knight training was coming to an end, and soon, they would become second-year students. While their sash training would continue, Ray also had to keep up with his Dragon Knight training.

But it wasn't what he had expected.

The academy had brought in a teacher from Roland Academy to try and teach them magic, but that had failed. After that, they resorted to pushing their bodies to the limit, expecting something to happen. Every day was different—a new test, a new exercise. Rather than actual training, it felt like they were being treated as test subjects.

Whatever the academy was looking for, they weren't happy with the results.

With the year ending, the final season of winter arrived. The snow deepened, and massive icicles hung from buildings. Not all students had made it through the year—some found the training too difficult and dropped out due to their own laziness or inability, while others broke the academy's rules and were expelled.

Ray learned most of what went on in the academy from one person—Kyle.

At this point, Kyle felt like their eighth roommate, spending more time in their dorm than in his own. He still kept up with all the gossip circulating around the city.

Rumors had begun spreading among students—the Dark Guild had infiltrated Avrion Academy. Some whispered that knights were secretly working for them. Others claimed that knights were dying in great numbers on the battlefield, and that the Shadow Plague was creeping past the kingdom's borders.

Of course, none of this information was confirmed—it was all hearsay. But some things were undeniable.

More meetings were being called among the Master Knights, and the number of knights in the city had visibly decreased.

Ray had grown stronger over the past year. He was now bigger and more muscular, and his swordsmanship had improved to the point that he was on par with Gary in pure skill.

But he had hit a wall.

If he fought Harry now, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance.

He had three possible paths to becoming stronger:

Learn to use and wield Ki—both in his body and in his sword.Unlock more of his Dragon skills, though he still had no clue how.Gather more beast crystals to increase his power.

The first option required either finding a teacher or waiting for the academy to teach him. The second option was still a mystery.

That left him with the third option—the easiest one.

And soon, he would have the perfect opportunity. Second-years were required to hunt magical beasts in the lands near the kingdom.

After training each day, it had become routine for Ray to spend time alone on the roof at night, overlooking the city. The others had grown used to his absence, continuing their conversations without him.

Tonight was no different—except something strange caught his eye.

Down below, an old man walked alone through the streets. Retired knights were allowed to live in the city, so this wasn't unusual.

The city was supposed to be safe, since only knights were permitted to live there. Crime was rare.

But something was off.

Behind the old man, a group of four people was following him.

Ray observed them closely, watching for any indication that he was overthinking it. But after a while, it became obvious—they were tracking the man, waiting for an opportunity.

The city wasn't as safe as he had assumed.

Humans were still humans. They did cruel things to each other for no reason.

Ray wasn't planning to interfere. It wasn't his business.

But something bugged him.

Activating Dragon Eyes, he scanned the group.

His stomach dropped.

Each of the four figures had mixed auras—yellow intertwined with purple.

There were only two times he had ever seen a purple aura before—

His father. The Drop Bear King.

That could only mean one thing.

They were infected by the Shadow Plague.

Ray clenched his fists.

After what had happened to his father, the Shadow Plague had become his enemy.

He had questions—and these people were going to answer them.

Moving quickly, he climbed down from the roof, using ledges and cracks in the walls to descend silently.

He stayed above ground, traveling across rooftops for a better vantage point.

By the time he caught up to the old man, the four pursuers were still following him from a distance. They were waiting for the right moment to strike.

Then, the old man did something unexpected.

He turned into a narrow alleyway between two buildings—an area with no people around.

It was as if he had a death wish.

The four figures followed immediately.

Ray moved into position above, keeping his eyes locked on the scene.

As expected, once the old man was deep enough into the alley, two figures stepped forward, blocking his path.

The old man turned around—only to find the other two blocking his escape.

He was trapped.

"I'm afraid you'll be coming with us, old man," one of them sneered.

The old man glanced around at his attackers, his expression calm.

"I guess the rumors about the Dark Guild infiltrating Avrion were true after all."

Ray froze.

The Dark Guild?

Had he misheard?

These people were clearly infected by the Shadow Plague.

Was the Dark Guild somehow connected to the Shadow Plague?

Or had the old man simply mistaken them for regular Dark Guild members?

One of the attackers let out a laugh.

"You people are so clueless," he said. "The Dark Guild will soon take over Avrion—and none of you will be able to stop it."

The old man sighed. "One against four. It'll be tough, but I won't go down without a fight."

His voice was confident. But Ray could see their auras—they were strong.

At most, the old man could probably take two of them.

And he didn't seem to be carrying any weapons.

Ray wasn't confident in taking them down himself either—but he was confident in his Black Sash skills to escape if things went south.

The most important thing was hiding his identity.

If any of these people survived, they couldn't know who he was.

Pulling off his black sash, Ray cut it in half, fashioning it into a long strip.

He wrapped it around his face, covering his mouth and nose.

His black sash gear included a hood, so his hair was hidden as well.

With that, he was ready.

Leaping from the rooftop, Ray landed beside the old man.

The four attackers tensed.

Ray adjusted the sash covering his face and smirked beneath the fabric.

"Why don't we make this a two-on-four?"