BAIT

Sage hesitated. He wanted to trust him—but he couldn't risk it all.

He stood with his back to the wall, shadows pooling under his feet. Across from him, Kai waited, arms crossed, eyes narrowed—just... watching.

"There's a hidden organization inside the school," Sage said. "They're after something powerful. One of them betrayed the rest. That's why Arson killed him."

Kai's brows lifted slightly. "You sure about this?"

"I saw it. I heard them. He said something about Black not being happy about it. I don't know what they're after, but it's big enough to kill over."

Kai's jaw clenched. His voice dropped. "So they are in the school too, huh..."

"I'll look into it," he added, eyes hardening.

Kai turned toward the door, then paused. "Stay under the radar," he said. "And Sage…"

He looked back over his shoulder. "Be careful."

Sage nodded. He felt a tug in his chest. He hadn't told him everything. Not about the system. Not about the elixir.

But Kai was right. Things were getting dangerous. And Sage knew one thing for certain—he had to get stronger.

---

The next morning, the students assembled before sunrise. Fog hung over the training yard like a veil.

Erin Heeves stood at the center, arms folded, flanked by Tarris, Mr. Flynn, and Duke, the weapons instructor.

"Class Trial begins now," she called. "Today, you'll be dropped into the lower tunnels for a real combat . Your target is a Class-C beast. Simple rules: find it, engage it, kill it."

Sage felt a twitch of unease.

"Two teams," Erin continued. "Whichever team kills theirs first will be awarded five extra points this session."

The names rolled off her tongue like a death sentence.

Sage stood beside Kol as usual, last night's conversation still echoing in his mind. He'd told Kol the truth—about the elixir, about Black, and the ultimatum. But the system? He couldn't explain something he barely understood himself.

Kol—Team A.

Sage—Team B.

Kol groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Miss me already?" Sage grinned.

Before the teams split, Sage pulled Kol aside. They gripped hands briefly.

"Good luck," Sage said, letting go.

---

The tunnels were colder than expected. Slick with moisture and laced with glowing runes, they stretched deep into the school's underbelly. If they weren't seeing it with their own eyes, most wouldn't have believed they even existed.

Sage's team moved ahead—cautious, nervous.

"Class-C beast," someone whispered. "We skipped straight from E to C?"

"That's because they trust us," Ryker smirked, twirling flames in his palm. "Besides, I'm here. It'll be a piece of cake."

Sage rolled his eyes.

During the war with Xranthos, He had used a particular skill; dimensional breaches which allowed creatures from other Rings to enter Earth. Many were destroyed by slayers, but others—capable of rapid replication—survived. They were categorized: E to A. Above A, there were beasts so powerful they were only known in whispers.

Omega.

They were the kind of monsters that could level cities. Thankfully, none had been seen in years.

"Alright, everyone gather," one student Mark barked.Apparently he was nominated as the groups leader. "We lure it out, hit it fast, then finish it."

"But who's gonna be bait?"

A cold silence followed.

"Put the Zeta in front," someone muttered.

Every eye turned to Sage—even though he wasn't the only Zeta there. Ryker shoved him forward. "Bait goes first. And just because Kai took you into his dojo doesn't mean you're not still trash", he whispered after.

Sage stumbled into the tunnel alone. He didn't even have time to curse.

Ryker had always been a pain, but ever since Sage got into Ash Ring, it had gotten worse. Apparently, Ryker had tried and failed to join—and now, every chance he got, he reminded Sage of it.

The tunnel darkened as Sage walked deeper feeling like it never ended. Moisture dripped from the ceiling, echoing like a ticking clock.

This kind of reminded him of a horror movie but he couldn't really think about that now.

Was it supposed to be this long..., he cursed under his breath. What was he supposed to even do when he sees the class C beast?.

Walking slowly sage could finally see some hope.

Just ahead, the tunnel opened into a small chamber—and there, carved into the stone, was a --a staircase??.

Old. Cracked. Covered in moss and rune dust.

Sage paused.

Stairs?

What were stairs doing this deep underground?

They didn't match the rest of the tunnel—too. ...ancient. Like they belonged to something older than the school itself. But sage couldn't question much this days since he had gotten the system, there was much he couldn't explain.

He pushed the thought aside and stepped onto the first stair.

the air around him shifted and a chill crawled up his spine.

A pulse of energy slammed into him. Like a jolt of electricity making his vision blur for half a second.

> [System Message: Quest Complete – Find out more about the 13th Ring]

Rewards Pending...

Bonus Quest Unlocked: Meet the 13th Ring

Bonus Rewards ???

Meet the 13th Ring?

He didn't have time to process it.

A low, guttural growl shook the stone. The kind that didn't echo—it devoured sound.

> [System Alert: Class A Threat Detected]

Class A!!

Sage staggered back, scanning the dark. Nothing. Just stone and shadow.

He turned—ready to retreat—and stopped realising.

He could no longer hear their voices.

Far behind him, the others were gone. No backup. No signal.

---

Meanwhile...

Ryker leaned against a wall, smirking. "He'll scream in two minutes."

"Shouldn't we be helping?" one student asked, glancing toward the tunnel.

"Why?" Ryker said. "This was the plan."

The teachers—Flynn, Duke—stood further back.

"We should at least be monitoring—" Duke began.

Erin Heeves cut him off. "We're observing. That's the entire point. No interference unless it's life-threatening."

"He's a zeta, the school won't worry much if he dies" Flynn muttered scoffing.

Erin was deep in thought, she knew of the harsh treatment on those without power. They'd sent in a Zeta as bait—because it was easy. Disposable.

Though she was very curious about this particular zeta that seemed to attract alot of attention.

But she couldn't dwell on it much longer as a loud growl echoed through the tunnels. Mr Flynn reached for his scanner reading the frequency of the sound.

Slowly his face turned pale.

"Class A", he whispered visibly shaken.