The enormous first-year auditorium buzzed with conversation as hundreds of students gradually filled the ascending rows of seats, their voices blending together into a constant murmur that echoed throughout the vast hall while speculation regarding the recently conquered breach spread from one group to another. Some students spoke excitedly about the military deployment that had been seen leaving for the Valmont Duchy’s territory, while others discussed increasingly exaggerated rumors that had somehow already spread throughout the academy despite only a few days having passed since the operation concluded.

"I heard an entire noble party was wiped out inside."

"That’s nothing. My cousin said the terrain itself was alive."

"Stop making things up."

"I’m serious!"

The discussions continued endlessly while students exchanged whatever fragments of information they had managed to obtain.

Meanwhile, Damon sat quietly amongst the gathering crowd while Eric occupied the seat beside him and Khaira sprawled comfortably on the other side, her burning horns drawing occasional glances from nearby students despite the beastwoman appearing completely unconcerned by the attention.

Then—

Without warning—

The noise throughout the auditorium began fading.

Not because anyone had ordered silence.

Not because an announcement had been made.

But simply because a familiar figure had stepped onto the stage.

A woman with long blue hair tied neatly into a low ponytail draped over one shoulder stood beneath the lights, her calm gaze sweeping across the gathered students while the atmosphere of the auditorium gradually settled on its own beneath her presence.

Instructor Elowen.

Within moments, the countless conversations died away completely.

Only silence remained.

Elowen waited patiently until every student had directed their attention toward the stage before finally speaking.

"As many of you already know, the breach that appeared within the territory of the Valmont Duchy has been successfully conquered."

A wave of relief visibly spread throughout portions of the auditorium.

However—

Elowen’s expression remained unchanged.

"The purpose of this assembly is not to celebrate that fact."

The relief immediately vanished.

Instead, the atmosphere grew heavier.

"The breach was officially classified as a Level Five Breach."

This time the reaction was immediate.

Shock spread throughout the auditorium as whispers erupted once more despite the students’ attempts to remain quiet.

Even Khaira’s expression shifted slightly.

"A Level Five?" she muttered beneath her breath before glancing toward Damon. "Jus’ how bad is that exactly?"

Damon kept his eyes fixed upon the stage while answering calmly.

"A breach classification isn’t determined purely by the strength of whatever lives inside it. The Empire measures factors such as territory corruption, mana instability, expansion speed, casualty projections, military resources required for suppression, environmental hazards, and the probability of containment failure."

Khaira blinked.

"...Ya couldn’t say that in normal language?"

Eric immediately sighed.

"What he means is that stronger monsters don’t automatically mean a higher-ranked breach."

Damon nodded slightly.

"A Level One Breach is considered manageable by local resonance users. A Level Two Breach requires organized response teams. A Level Three Breach can threaten cities. A Level Four Breach can destabilize entire regions."

Khaira stared at him.

"...An’ a Level Five?"

Damon remained silent for a moment.

Then—

"A Level Five Breach possesses enough destructive potential to devastate an entire territory if left unchecked."

The beastwoman’s expression immediately lost most of its usual playfulness.

Meanwhile, upon the stage, Elowen continued.

"Over the course of the operation, the Empire committed multiple military units, noble house forces, specialized breach response teams, and academy personnel to the suppression effort."

The hall remained completely silent.

"Several reconnaissance parties failed to return."

A visible tension spread throughout the auditorium.

"Multiple combat groups suffered severe losses during the initial exploration phase."

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Beside him, Eric frowned.

"The initial exploration phase?"

Damon nodded.

"Which means something went wrong before they understood the breach."

Khaira looked between the two.

"Explain."

"A properly managed breach follows a predictable procedure," Damon replied. "Reconnaissance teams enter first. They map the terrain, identify enemy populations, determine environmental threats, establish routes, and create fallback positions. Only after sufficient information is gathered do larger forces begin deeper operations."

Eric immediately understood.

"So if experienced reconnaissance teams were being wiped out..."

"They were operating with incomplete information," Damon finished calmly. "Or the information itself became unreliable."

A brief silence followed.

Then Eric’s expression darkened.

"...The breach was changing."

Damon did not answer.

He didn’t need to.

Because at that exact moment—

Elowen’s next words confirmed it.

"During the operation, the breach displayed numerous abnormalities not consistent with standard recorded behavior."

The auditorium grew even quieter.

"Reports indicate severe mana instability, irregular terrain shifts, distorted spatial pathways, and multiple incidents in which previously mapped locations could no longer be located by subsequent teams."

This time—

Even Damon felt his attention sharpen.

Because those weren’t merely dangerous anomalies.

Those were the kinds of anomalies that killed experienced people.

And judging from the increasingly serious expression on Elowen’s face—

The truly important part of the report had not yet been revealed.

Then, after allowing the weight of her words to settle over the auditorium, Elowen finally continued.

"Despite eventually achieving victory and successfully conquering the breach..."

Her voice slowed.

And for the first time since taking the stage—

A faint shadow crossed her expression.

"...the cost of doing so was far greater than any of us anticipated."

The moment Elowen’s words settled throughout the auditorium, countless murmurs immediately erupted amongst the gathered students once more, spreading through the enormous hall like ripples across still water. The earlier atmosphere of curiosity and concern rapidly transformed into something heavier as the students began exchanging uneasy glances with one another.

"A cost greater than anticipated...?"

"What exactly happened inside?"

"There were really that many casualties?"

"Didn’t they say the breach was conquered?"

The whispers only continued growing louder.

Meanwhile, Damon remained seated quietly while observing the reactions spreading throughout the auditorium. Beside him, even Khaira’s usual confidence had noticeably faded as her burning horns flickered faintly beneath the lights.

Meanwhile, Eric looked considerably worse. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The orange-haired boy sat forward slightly in his seat, his brows furrowed while anxiety slowly crept across his face.

Then—

Elowen raised her hand slightly.

The auditorium immediately fell silent again.

Once the final whispers disappeared, she continued speaking.

"The operation eventually reached a point where no viable route forward remained."

Her calm voice echoed clearly throughout the hall.

"The scouting teams were unable to establish stable pathways."

"The military could not advance safely."

"The noble forces had already suffered significant losses."

"The rescue teams themselves required rescue."

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

The atmosphere continued growing heavier.

Then Elowen paused briefly.

And when she spoke again—

Her next words seemed to strike far deeper than anything she had said before.

"At that point..."

The entire auditorium remained silent.

"...Instructor Valerian stepped forward."

For a moment—

Nobody reacted.

Then gradually—

Understanding began spreading throughout the hall.

The implications behind those words were obvious.

Painfully obvious.

Even the students who usually struggled to follow lectures understood what that statement meant.

If the operation had reached a dead end...

If the rescue teams themselves had become trapped...

If the military could no longer advance...

Then someone had entered knowing there was a very real possibility of never returning.

The atmosphere became suffocatingly heavy.

Meanwhile, Eric slowly lowered his gaze.

"...No way."

Even Khaira remained unusually quiet.

Upon the stage, Elowen continued.

"Despite repeated objections..."

"Despite the lack of reliable information regarding the breach interior..."

"Instructor Valerian entered the breach alone."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Not a single whisper remained.

"He entered with the objective of locating the trapped parties."

"He entered with the objective of establishing an exit route."

"And he entered with the objective of ending the breach itself."

The students listened without breathing, their faces gradually becoming pale.

Meanwhile, Elowen’s voice remained calm.

Steady.

Controlled.

Yet somehow that only made her next words heavier.

"He succeeded."

The students remained silent.

"He located the surviving parties."

"He secured their escape."

"And he ultimately cleared the breach."

A brief pause followed.

Then—

"...but in the process..."

The entire auditorium froze.

Even Damon narrowed his eyes slightly.

Because Elowen’s expression had subtly changed.

And more importantly—

She had stopped.

The implication was obvious.

Painfully obvious.

Several students lowered their heads.

Others looked away.

Even Khaira slowly clenched her fists.

Meanwhile, Eric’s expression gradually collapsed.

"E-even..."

His voice came out almost as a whisper.

"E-even the instructor could not ..."

The orange-haired boy stared toward the stage and then at Damon...

"...Even though he was eccentric beyond measure..."

His voice cracked slightly.

"...And had a bad habit of sneaking in his students..."

The auditorium remained utterly silent.

The conclusion had already formed within everyone’s minds.

Instructor Valerian had entered alone.

He had rescued everyone.

He had cleared the breach.

And now—

Elowen stood here telling them about the cost.

The answer seemed obvious.

Everyone lowered their heads.

Meanwhile, beside him, even Damon remained unusually quiet.

Then—

A familiar voice suddenly sounded from directly beside Eric.

"Hehehehehahahhaha..."

The laughter appeared completely out of nowhere.

Casual.

Carefree.

Insane.

"...Are you talking something about me?"

Eric froze.

Every muscle within his body locked instantly.

Then slowly—

Very slowly—

He turned his head toward the source of the voice.

And the moment he saw who was standing there—

His entire face lost color.

"Aahhhhhh... Ghost! Ghost!"