The next day dawned, bringing with it the final stretch of our long, exhausting episode. We trudged across the desert, each step weighed down by fatigue. As we walked, maintaining our vigilance, Regia suddenly muttered to herself.

“...Today feels strange.”

It was unusually quiet. On any other day, we would have already faced two or three attacks by now. But today, nothing—not even a single scorpion tail in sight.

“The desert’s never been this silent before,” she whispered. “It feels… eerie, like the calm before a storm.”

“Let’s use this time to conserve our energy,” I suggested.

“Good idea. We’re almost there, after all.”

I replied nonchalantly, though I knew this was the calm before the storm—the final wave pattern. No attacks would come during the day. But once night fell, the last wave would hit, and this one would be on an entirely different scale.

*This isn’t looking good.*

The difficulty of this episode was meant for someone more seasoned, an academy graduate who’d earned the title of Senior Cadet. Given our current state, I doubted we could hold out.

*I brought Regia here hoping to help her grow… but was it too much?*

Regia’s summoner abilities remained dormant, without even a hint of awakening. But there was no rush—I still trusted in her potential, as I’d told her before. Even if this wasn’t the moment, there would be plenty of others. And at least we could still walk away with some decent rewards.

As we continued our trek through the quiet desert, the day passed quickly. Soon enough, the bright sun dipped below the horizon, and the world was swallowed by shadows. And as I lay down, ready to rest, I heard a scream.

“Master! Wake up, quickly!”

Regia’s voice tore through the night, filled with panic. I rose immediately, surveying the surroundings with a steady gaze. All around, there was only blackness.

*Kriieek! Click-click! Creak, crack…!*

But the darkness wasn’t just the absence of light. It was teeming with movement, the ground itself writhing as countless scorpions emerged, filling every possible space around us, cutting off all escape. It was a scene of utter despair.

“Master! Hurry!” Regia’s voice was desperate.

“So, this is it…”

The old man loaded his crossbow with a resigned sigh, while I silently drew my sword, murmuring to myself.

“At last, the finale.”

*Kriieek!*

The scorpions charged as one, a hopeless wave, obliterating everything in their path. We clung to the narrow strip of ground we had left, fighting back with everything we had, sparks flaring constantly in the darkness.

“Hngh…!”

*Clang! Thud!* We fought against the endless stream of creatures, repelling each toxic stinger as it lunged for us. The impact reverberated through the air with each clash. But against their sheer numbers, our resistance seemed futile.

I sliced one in half, its body barely hitting the ground before the next wave closed in.

Kill one, and ten take its place.
Kill ten, and a hundred swarm.

Amid the chaos, I heard the old man shout from behind.

“Duck!”

At his signal, I dropped to the ground just as a volley of arrows tore through the air above me, mowing down the creatures in front of us.

*BOOM!*

The scorpions were obliterated, but as I backed away, I called over to the old man, joking lightly.

“A fine shot, sir. Just do that about ten thousand more times, and we’ll be done here.”

“Unfortunately, those were my last arrows,” he replied, grimacing.

“Oh dear.”

*Thunk!*

Another scorpion descended from above, a winged variant. It seemed all the middle-tier creatures were joining the fray. I wiped the blood from my sleeve and steadied my stance.

“Let’s go again.”

“I’ll cover you.”

“Master! Watch out—from behind!”

We fought with all we had. My sword tore through every enemy in reach, the old man’s crossbow firing until it was empty, and Regia supporting us as best she could. We held out longer than I had expected.

*Phew…*

But it was only a delay. Inevitably, we were surrounded, exhausted and broken, amidst the relentless scorpions. I glanced around.

Both the old man and Regia were on the ground, too tired to stand. His crossbow lay abandoned, out of ammunition. My sword, once sharp, was now dull and notched. It wouldn’t cut through anything anymore.

“So this is it,” I murmured, letting go of my sword. It fell, its shadow dissolving into the sand and scattering like dust. We had nothing left to defend ourselves with.

*I had hoped to push our limits a little further.*

Regia, crouched and shaking, looked up at me, tears pooling in her green eyes. I knelt beside her, meeting her gaze.

“Regia.”

“Master…”

“It’s alright now. It’s over.”

“I-I’m sorry. If only I could have done better… because of me, you and the old man—”

“Shh.”

I gently placed a finger on her lips, then held her hand, stroking her head to calm her trembling shoulders.

“You did well, Regia.”

“But…!”

“Remember what I told you? I’ve always believed in you, Regia.”

“…”

I carefully wiped her tears away, watching as her shoulders slowly stopped shaking. I smiled softly.

“That trust hasn’t changed. It never will.”

She looked up at me, biting her lip, as if grappling with something. I wanted to offer more comfort, but the scorpions’ shrieking cries filled the air around us, closing in.

*Kriieek!* *Creak!* *Screech!*

A wall of black descended upon us, the creatures ravenous, their teeth gleaming as they surged toward us.

At that very moment, a soft whisper echoed.

“...Efri.”

A streak of light shot down from the sky.

“What…?”

A piercing tone, high and loud enough to make my ears ring, filled the air. Blinking through the sudden brightness, I looked up to see a massive shape, wings spread wide over the entire area.

“That’s…?”

The sight stole my breath. Towering wings, a massive body, a tail lined with spikes, and a maw that flickered with fire. It was the same creature I had seen during the entrance exams.

“A wyvern…”

*ROOOOAR!*

The majestic beast let out a thunderous roar, shaking the entire desert. Then, its mouth opened wide, unleashing a torrent of fire—the legendary Dragon’s Breath.

*BOOOOM!*

The blue flames swept through the swarm of scorpions, incinerating them. The brilliant fire consumed everything in its path, leaving not a trace behind. In the blink of an eye, nearly a third of the scorpions were obliterated.

I turned to look at Regia.

“Hah… hah…”

She was trembling, her pink hair damp with sweat as she clung to my hand, tears streaming down her cheeks even as she smiled. Her slender frame was shaking with exertion.

“Regia…”

I caught her as she collapsed, her eyes shining with relief and joy, looking only at me.

“I… I did it…”

She whispered, her smile glowing, outshining even the Dragon’s Breath.