Red rain

“Everyone, please check your belongings and make sure you’ve packed all your necessities. If you’re missing anything, inform your instructor immediately, and do not hesitate to seek guidance from your senior upperclassmen.” 

Instructor Valen stood at the front, his soft mint-green hair tied back into a loose ponytail that rested over his dark blue cloak. The students standing before him wore muted gray cloaks, marking them as first-years. Instructor Valen scanned the crowd of students with practiced ease.

“Everyone should already be aware of this, but I’ll repeat it once more: we are no longer within the safety of the main barrier shield,” instructor Valen announced, his voice carrying clearly over the whispering crowd.

“For most of you, this is the very first time stepping outside the sanctuary’s shield, so please exercise extreme caution. Even though this region is considered one of the safest sectors outside the perimeter, a single careless mistake can still prove fatal.”

Massive, moss-covered living roots web together across a misty blue-green sky, forming a towering network, subterranean-like structure that stretches out in every direction—and damp wooden bridges where rare herbs thrive in the heavy air.

“The test itself is Rank: F. But considering the location and the time it takes to complete, it has been decided that it'll be Rank: E, and you'll get the according points. But there's also a deduction of points you need to keep in mind.”

Despite the stern warning, low chatter broke out among the students.

“Hey, isn’t this exciting? Like, at any moment, a monster could just pop out of nowhere!”

“It really feels completely different out here, doesn't it? The atmosphere, the temperature—everything feels wilder.”

“Well, I heard this kind of terrain is exactly what wild monsters prefer. But guess what, there aren't any high-tier beasts around here. Only mid-tier and low-tier ones have ever been spotted.”

“Yeah, the seniors mentioned that too. They said they've never seen a high-tier monster in this sector.”

“The teachers probably cleared the high-level threats before setting up the exam area,” another student chimed in with a scoff. “It makes sense. This is just our entry test, so they wouldn't make it impossible. Otherwise, half of us would drop dead in the first hour.”

They laughed among themselves until a young man walked quietly past. Spotting him, one of the students called out from behind with a smug grin.

“Hey, ‘Young Master’! Where are you headed in such a hurry? Forget something, or~ were we being so loud that you’re running off to tattle to the instructor again?”

His friend immediately jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.

“Ethan, cut it out! What are you doing?” the friend said, putting on a fake look of concern while barely hiding a grin. “Are you trying to get sent back to the headmaster’s office?”

Another young man continued in the same tone, “You know the headmaster is so~ scary. Haha~”

Unbothered by the taunts, the quiet young man simply turned his head and looked at them for a silent moment—before turning away and walking off without uttering a single word.

Instructor Valen started talking again, his voice cutting through the noise as he cast a brief glance toward the rowdy group.

“The senior class conducted their field exams here yesterday and cleared out most of the area. However, if you happen to come across any low-tier monsters, notify an instructor immediately. Do not engage in combat on your own. I repeat: do not engage, and call for assistance.”

Watching the quiet youth disappear into the crowd without reacting to them, Ethan ground his teeth and cursed under his breath.

“Is that bastard mute or what? Did you see the way he was glaring at me?”

His friend laughed lightly, patting Ethan’s shoulder. “Yeah. Like you were nothing more than a bug to him.”

The teacher wanted to continue, but the crowd of students started shouting.

“Teacher, we are aware of that! You've repeated it many times already!”

“That's right, that's right!” Everyone voiced the same in unison, leaving the teacher with no choice.

“These young kids. Always so full of energy but never listens,” 

Instructor Valen muttered to a fellow instructor, who chuckled in response.

Turning back to the students, he raised his voice. “You guys remember, right? What is the test about?”

Someone from the crowd shouted, “To find the unique herbs we were instructed! We know~”

“Well then, wait for the signal. And fire mages, remember not to use your magic carelessly. Others should also be careful as well.”

The teacher stepped back, and a moment later, a bright mana flare shot into the sky—the signal to start.

Immediately, all the students lunged forward. Some used ice magic chants, creating slick ice paths to speed ahead, which made it difficult for others to keep their footing. Others used wind magic to boost their leaps and run faster by pushing the air behind them. The fire mages couldn't use their magic at all because the surrounding fog was thick with volatile damp air; a fire spell could trigger a dangerous flare-up that would harm everyone nearby.

Those without magic affinity ran on foot alongside the fire mages after the starting signal. After running for a while, everyone scattered across the giant mossy branches to find their target herbs.

Ethan was furious as he ran, cursing loudly, “Why do we have to be at a disadvantage, damn it? Should I just burn the whole place down?”

“Burn the whole place down? Are you daydreaming?” his friend replied mockingly. “You know very well our magic can barely light a spark in this place, even if your affinity is the strongest among us, I doubt it'll burn as you say.”

“That's what I'm aware of! So why all the extra restrictions?”

“Even though the teacher repeated it until our ears bled, you still don't get it?”

“Forget it, forget it,” another friend chimed in. “You know he isn't interested in anything other than raw magic power and strength.”

***

Everything was going smoothly. After a few hours, Ethan crossed paths with the quiet young man, who was bent down carefully examining a cluster of herbs growing on a thick vine.

Ethan smirked. “Young master, are you not done yet? Isn't this your one and only forte? Though it might not be advantage to others, it sure is to you. Like the test itself was staged just for someone.” He chuckled mockingly, but the young man remained as silent as before.

“Hey, are you ignoring me?” Ethan took a intimidating step forward, but his friend quickly stepped in and grabbed his arm. While his friend was dragging him away, Ethan just clicked his tongue but walked away.

“I told you not to cause trouble in the middle of the test,” his friend warned Ethan as they moved off together. Ethan grumbled in response…

***

Half an hour later, 

The instructors, who were long tired after the second and third year's field exam and now the first year's continuous exam, now were finally having a bit of rest while— their white shirt beneath their cloak turned red from the thick crimson drops that began to fall from the pale sky. Drops of red liquid started tapping against the giant roots.

Bzzzt—

An emergency broadcast rang out over the local spell-mics:

“..Students, all students! Immediate retreat! Careful on your steps—do not slip, exercise extreme caution, and return to the starting point immediately!”

Panic erupted instantly. The students had never seen such blood-red rain falling from the sky before. The teachers and seniors were familiar with the uncommon rain unlike first years—came running back onto the giant branches to help evacuate everyone. While the rain itself wasn't immediately danger, it made the mossy wooden terrain dangerously slick. Slipping off the massive root bridges meant plunging down into the bottomless abyss—a fall where the survival rate was absolute zero.

It took some tense minutes, but most of the students managed to hurry back to the staging area. The instructors immediately activated a massive teleportation portal they had prepared for an emergency.

Once everyone rushed through the portal and arrived safely within the sanctuary’s main barrier shield, a collective sigh of relief washed over the crowd.

***

The students gathered on the central tent catching their breath while Instructor Valen checked everyone for injuries. A girl shifted nervously, looking around the group before stepping forward.

“...Um, teacher... I don't see… Renan,” she said, her voice small.

The instructor froze, scanning the crowd quickly. The quiet young man was nowhere in sight.

“Renan? Renan!” he called out, turning to the rest of the group. “Has anyone seen him?”

Silence washed over the students. No one answered.

***

Some time earlier, 

When the emergency announcement first broke out, Renan was preparing to run with the rest of the group. However, a tough, thorny vine tangled around his ankle, pinning him to the spot.

By the time he managed to break his leg free from the vine, the path was filled with frantic, rushing students. As he tried to hurry forward on the slippery moss, someone roughly shoved past him from behind. 

Whether the push was a careless accident or intentional in the chaos, it was impossible to tell.

Renan lost his footing completely. His body tipped backward over the edge of the giant root. He reached out to grab a hold of the slippery ledge, but his fingers slid right off.

“HELP!~”

He shouted for help, but his voice was completely drowned out by the screaming crowd and the heavy sound of the falling red rain. He fell into the thick, swirling mist below. Within seconds, his fading cry vanished entirely into the dark abyss.