We finally returned to the training center.
The moment Dorna saw us, he walked over with a smile.
"So..."
"How did it go?"
The three of us looked at each other.
Then we told him everything.
The demons.
The Fake Ranker.
The people who died.
The Final Selection.
The weapon ceremony.
We even told him about the mysterious Bamboo Breathing user who had helped me defeat the Fake Ranker.
By the time we finished...
Dorna was wiping tears from his eyes.
"You idiots..."
He laughed while trying to hide his face.
"I really thought I'd never see you again."
None of us knew what to say.
Finally, he smiled.
"Well..."
"At least you three survived."
Marie smiled.
"We did."
Tobisa stretched his arms.
"And we're official Wings now."
Dorna nodded proudly.
"I knew you'd make it."
The next morning...
My watch suddenly vibrated.
Beep! Beep!
I looked down at the glowing crystal.
A message appeared.
NEW MISSION!
My eyes lit up.
"Cool!"
I immediately opened it.
There has been a demon sighting in the Hindi District.
Proceed immediately.
Investigate the disappearances and eliminate the threat.
My first mission.
I grabbed my katana and hurried out of the training center.
By the time I reached the Hindi District...
It was already midday.
The streets looked normal.
Children were playing.
Shopkeepers were selling food.
People walked around as if nothing was wrong.
"...Strange."
If a demon really lived here...
Why wasn't anyone panicking?
I spent the next few hours asking around.
"Have you seen anything strange?"
An old man nodded.
"People disappear."
"When?"
"After three o'clock in the morning."
A woman added,
"My neighbour vanished last week."
Then another person spoke.
"My cousin disappeared too."
"They're always taken from inside their own houses."
Nobody had actually seen the demon.
Only the disappearances.
That was enough for me.
"I've heard everything I need."
One family agreed to let me stay at their house for the night.
Their son, Ravi, looked about my age.
"So..."
"You're really a Wing?"
I smiled.
"Yep."
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Does that mean you've fought demons?"
"A few."
"Were they scary?"
"...Very."
His smile disappeared.
"I hope you kill this one."
"I'll do my best."
That night...
The entire house became silent.
Everyone went to sleep.
Except me.
I looked at the clock.
2:58 A.M.
Almost time.
I quietly stepped outside.
The streets were completely empty.
No wind.
No footsteps.
Nothing.
Perfect.
I stood in the middle of the road.
If the demon was really hunting people...
Then tonight...
I would become the bait.
Minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
Then...
I frowned.
"...Seriously?"
An elf was stumbling down the street.
He was completely drunk.
He could barely walk.
"Oh no..."
"This guy picked the worst possible night."
The elf laughed to himself as he wandered past me.
Then...
A shadow appeared behind him.
Without making a sound...
It grabbed him.
I reacted instantly.
"Nature Breathing..."
"Third Form..."
"Volcanic Eruption!"
My katana flashed upward.
SLASH!
The shadow split apart before it could drag the elf away.
The drunk elf blinked.
"...Huh?"
He scratched his head.
"...Must've been the wind."
Then he continued walking as if nothing had happened.
"...He's too drunk to notice."
I sighed.
Then...
A strange feeling ran through my body.
I froze.
In the darkness...
I then had a flash of the same Six glowing yellow eyes.
A deep voice echoed through the street.
"So..."
"...Why did they send a child?"
I slowly turned around.
Standing on the roof of a nearby house...
...was a demon.
He wasn't very large.
But the pressure coming from him was far greater than the normal demons I had fought during the Final Selection.
His smile was cold.
His six yellow eyes never blinked.
I immediately tightened my grip on my black katana.
"...A normal demon," I whispered.
"But..."
"I can feel it."
"He has a Blood Demon Art."
The demon chuckled.
"Good."
"At least you're smart enough to notice."
I lowered my stance.
"Damn..."
"This is going to be tougher than I expected."