Lord Of The Beast

Chapter 33: Strange Syndrome

Nyx was quite a unique-looking individual.

She had fluffy white hair that resembled freshly fallen snow, with random crimson streaks scattered throughout. They didn’t form any particular pattern; they simply appeared here and there, making her appearance even more distinctive.

Nyx glanced up from her device before speaking.

"You didn’t show up."

Caleb deliberately slapped his forehead, pretending he had forgotten.

"I got caught up in something," he replied.

His thoughts drifted back to the moment Victor had knocked him unconscious.

An Emberkind... of all people.

If Nyx ever found out about that, it would be downright humiliating.

"Forget that," Nyx said before Caleb could respond. "Vice Principal Samuel was at Fight Night yesterday, and even he was shocked by what happened. You know how hard it is to surprise him."

Caleb raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?"

"Someone suddenly appeared during Fight Night, killed Ricky, and caused a huge commotion."

His expression grew serious.

"Who could that be? An Elite?"

Only an Elite should have been capable of defeating Ricky that effortlessly. Caleb had fought Ricky before and knew exactly how strong he was.

"I don’t know who it was," Nyx admitted. "But I do know one thing."

She paused.

"He was an Emberkind."

Caleb’s eyes widened.

"An Emberkind?"

Nyx nodded.

"Samuel wouldn’t tell me who he was. He always keeps that kind of information to himself."

Ricky had been one of the candidates expected to join the Elite Class.

Unfortunately, his sudden death had forced the academy to classify the incident as a school casualty while the investigation continued behind closed doors.

The Elite Class was reserved for the academy’s most gifted students—future prodigies who could one day change the course of humanity’s war against the Draks.

These Emberkinds keep surprising me...

Caleb couldn’t help but smile.

Good.

Looks like I’ll have to train even harder.

He suddenly stood up, his usual calm expression unchanged, though excitement burned in his eyes.

"Where are you going?" Nyx asked, surprised to see him this motivated.

"I’m heading to the gym."

"But we’re in cla—"

She glanced at the teacher, who was still fast asleep at his desk.

"...Never mind."

She sighed before standing up herself.

"Fine. Let’s go."

The two left the classroom and walked through the nearly empty hallway, continuing their conversation about the events of Fight Night.

Caleb couldn’t help wondering about the mysterious Emberkind.

Could I beat him?

Maybe he’s Level 3... or even Level 4.

For an Emberkind to defeat a Level 3 so decisively was practically unheard of.

Unless...

He’s already on Vice Principal Samuel’s level.

I’ll never know until I meet him.

Nyx simply shook her head after noticing the grin spreading across Caleb’s face.

For someone who rarely showed emotion, he became unusually excited whenever combat was involved.

He really was a battle fanatic.

After several minutes of walking, they arrived at the academy gym.

The automatic doors slid open before them.

They expected to find students pushing themselves through intense training, especially the Elites. At their level, ordinary teachers had little left to teach them. Most trained under war veterans or relied on experience gained from the battlefield itself.

Instead...

Everyone inside had gathered in one place.

The atmosphere was filled with panic.

Caleb and Nyx hurried forward to see what had happened.

The moment they reached the crowd, both frowned.

Only a few minutes earlier, a student had suddenly collapsed.

She lay on the ground, desperately gasping for air.

Her lungs appeared to be failing as black veins spread rapidly across her body like living vines, wrapping around her skin.

She tried to scream, but only hoarse, broken sounds escaped her throat.

Within seconds, her skin turned a sickly green.

Her eyes became completely black, while crimson vein-like blood vessels bulged beneath her skin.

Before anyone could fully react, academy paramedics rushed into the room.

They quickly injected her with a tranquilizer, secured her onto a stretcher, and rushed her out of the gym.

The room fell silent.

Caleb scratched the back of his head.

"...Well, this has been one weird day."

Nyx let out a sigh before nudging him with her elbow.

"Come on."

"Let’s go lift some iron, bro."

As the paramedics reached the clinic, they burst through the doors in a hurry.

"We’ve got another one!" one of them shouted as his colleague carried Sue inside.

"Call the doctor!"

They gently placed her on a hospital bed. Moments later, the doctor came rushing in.

The moment he saw the girl, he didn’t look surprised. Instead, he calmly said,

"Give me some space. I’ll examine her."

A few seconds later, his expression turned serious.

"Wait... Inform the principal. It looks like a new disease has emerged within the academy—one connected to those monstrous creatures and their hosts."

"Right away," the paramedics replied before hurrying out of the room.

The clinic fell silent.

Then, from the corner of the room, a woman with crimson-red hair stepped into view. Her hair was almost the color of fresh blood. Her heels clicked softly against the tiled floor as she approached the doctor with slow, calculated steps.

"It seems the experiment was a partial success," she said. "Although the symptoms manifested much sooner than we expected."

The doctor grinned.

"No matter. Proceed with the plan. Release her... and let the infestation begin."

He let out a low chuckle.

"Ha..."

...

...

...

"What’s wrong, teacher? Surprised?" Victor asked with a playful grin before clapping his hands together.

"Someone, please get him some water."

Fortunately, a student with a water ability quickly stepped forward and handed Mr. Cark a cup of water, allowing him to calm himself.

Cark was in his mid-forties. At his age, too much shock could easily trigger a heart attack—especially when it came from a devilish child he had wished was dead.

Why did he want Victor dead?

The answer lay with his nephew, who had spent years bullying Victor’s former host. One day, the host could no longer endure the abuse and reported him to the academy.

Because the academy enforced a strict no-bullying policy, Cark’s nephew was permanently expelled. The injuries inflicted on the host were so horrific that they were officially classified as inhumane.

One of the cruelest acts involved repeatedly slicing open the host’s hands before forcing them to regenerate, only to cut them again. They repeated the process several times a day, treating his agony as nothing more than a joke.

Consumed by rage after his nephew’s expulsion, Cark secretly paid a group of students to murder the host.