The bus moved forward smoothly, crossing various landscapes.
Sitting at the back, Carl observed the scene like a king on his throne. Around him, various races coexisted, although humans were the majority. Some whispered while discreetly glancing at him, while a few girls giggled when he flashed them his charming smile.
— "You're already popular before even entering the institute. That must be fun."
Carl turned toward the one speaking to him. It was a guy with a laid-back attitude, dressed in Hawaiian-style clothes, with a piercing on his lip and tongue, and a tiger tattoo stretching from his chest to his neck. His green hair contrasted with his charming face.
— "Hey, I'm Khan Storm."
— "Carl Joeblack. Nice to meet you."
— "Tell me, what race do you belong to? You're excessively handsome to be human, and on top of that, you give off a dangerous aura," Khan remarked.
— "I'm a vampire," Carl replied with a smirk.
— "Hmm… Never heard of it. A new race?" Khan asked, intrigued.
— "Yes."
Taking advantage of the conversation, Carl discreetly entered Khan's mind, scanning his body without alerting him. But to his surprise, Khan felt the intrusion.
— "What you're doing is really unpleasant," he growled.
— "Interesting," Carl murmured, surprised by his reaction. "Tell me, from what I've checked, you're human. Yet, you're stronger than an average adult, and this is the first time someone has noticed my intrusion. So, what are you really?"
Khan burst out laughing.
— "I am human, but let's just say the gods blessed me in some way. I've always been physically stronger than my peers, and I have an overwhelming instinct. It's my special ability—I call it 'Primal.' It has saved my life more than once."
— "Even more interesting," Carl murmured.
— "To be honest, my instinct is screaming at me to stay away from you. Given the intensity of this warning, you must be extremely powerful. Maybe you'll find me selfish, but I want to stick to you as much as possible."
Carl thought for a moment before replying:
— "That's fine with me."
**He's interesting. A potential candidate,** Carl thought to himself.
As they continued talking, the bus suddenly stopped in the middle of a forest. The driver got out without a word. The young passengers, perplexed, watched the scene with suspicion. They were far from their destination.
— "It begins," Carl murmured.
— "What begins?" Khan asked, intrigued.
Carl shot him an amused look.
— "The entrance test. Be ready. If you want to follow me, overcome this trial."
In front of them, a massive figure stood in the middle of the road. A black onyx wolf with glowing blue eyes exuded an overwhelming aura. The driver approached it, nodded, then quietly walked away.
All the students got off the bus, staring at the massive beast, whose presence alone made them understand it was an Alpha. Some staggered under the pressure of its aura.
The wolf sniffed disdainfully before speaking in a strong voice:
— "Welcome, new recruits. My name is Kael Bloodfang, Alpha of the Bloodfang pack."
A murmur ran through the students.
— "Bloodfang… an aristocratic pack."
— "So, he's one of the Four Stars!"
— "He's magnificent…"
Kael reveled in the praise before continuing:
— "Only the worthy enter Velmora. Prove your value to me."
The Bloodfang pack was renowned for their mastery of illusions and manipulation. Kael, a young heir, had acquired "Azrael," the most powerful eye in his family, making him a candidate for the throne.
With a single glance, he swept over the recruits. The moment his eyes met a student's, they collapsed or screamed in terror. Some resisted, but barely. Then, it was Carl's turn.
Their gazes locked. Nothing happened.
Kael frowned and intensified his power. But to his shock, the illusion backfired.
He saw a bottomless abyss, ready to engulf him. A chilling pressure ran down his spine, sending cold sweat down his back. Panicked, he immediately dispelled the illusion.
— "What… is this? Who are you?"
Carl stared at him with an indifferent expression, but Kael felt like he was being observed by an absolute predator.
The examiners hidden in the forest were stunned. This student was no ordinary recruit.
Carl tilted his head slightly and smiled.
— "An interesting power, Alpha… but it doesn't work on me."
Kael narrowed his eyes before bursting into laughter.
— "Very interesting. One day, we'll see who the true predator is."
— "I look forward to that day," Carl replied with a smirk.
The recruits were in shock. Some were still trembling from the illusions, while Carl remained completely unaffected.
Khan, meanwhile, thought he had made the right choice in following Carl.
— "Still holding up?" Carl asked, casting an amused glance at his new companion.
— "I already told you, I'm not a normal human," Khan replied with a laugh.
Suddenly, a beastly roar shattered the silence. A crushing aura was rapidly approaching.
A massive black demonic boar, five meters tall, with iron-like skin, charged straight at the students still dazed by the test.
— "Shit! How did that thing get here?!" an examiner shouted.
— "A demonic boar… Alpha-level…"
Kael tensed, ready to intervene.
But Carl didn't move. Instead, a predatory grin appeared on his face. In an instant, he vanished.
He had moved at an inhuman speed.
A second later, he was on the monster's back. With a fluid motion, he plunged his hand into its skull, shattering the frontal bone and pulverizing its brain. The beast let out a final cry of agony before collapsing in a cloud of dust.
Silence.
It had all happened in mere seconds.
The recruits were stunned. The examiners, speechless. Even Kael, in his massive wolf form, was frozen in shock.
Carl sank his fangs into the corpse, greedily draining the blood, emptying the creature of its vital essence.
Everyone swallowed hard at the sight.
Then, without even looking back, he declared:
— "If this is the level of predators in this world, I'm going to get bored quickly."
He jumped off the corpse and walked away.
— "Khan, you coming?"