Damned Healer

All the disciples watching the fight were stunned. Darian gave them an impression that was radiant and unyielding. Behind his seemingly fragile appearance, there was a proud man… who, when provoked, turned into an oppressive, terrifying demon.

After taking down all the instructors, his expression stayed neutral, without the slightest emotion. It was like he had just done something completely insignificant. That coldness made people shiver.

Suddenly, a warning sound echoed inside the hall.

One of the disciples who was part of the test and had been watching the final fight triggered the alarm. Inside the Battle Institute, the Elders immediately rushed to the scene.

In a second, hurried footsteps echoed and countless Elders stormed in. In an instant, hundreds of them surrounded the place.

In the middle of the crowd was Elder Aberrant, the one who had brought Darian to the institute. When he saw him, his eyes widened in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Darian turned to him with a cold look.

At that exact moment, a Chromaraic High Elder arrived and roared: "Who dared to do this to my son?!"

The figure moved quickly and placed a glowing pill in the mouth of the man lying on the ground with his face ruined. Almost instantly, his body started pulsing with energy and recovering.

After stabilizing him, another Chromaraic who had witnessed the fight had already transmitted everything that had happened. The High Elder then turned to Darian with a sharp expression.

"Brat… I'll make sure you—"

"Fuck off." Darian's dry voice cut him off. Everyone stared at him in shock, as if he were insane.

"I came here to take the instructor test and followed every rule till the end. But if you guys want to screw me over… fine. Come at me all at once, that way I won't need to hold back. I promise none of you will walk out of here alive today."

His words were cold, while his killing intent took over the hall. A black aura also flowed out of him, and as a result, all the Elders present involuntarily trembled, a chill running down their spines.

The disciples instantly froze, not daring to move. They could smell death. What stood before them wasn't a mere disciple, but a demon that killed without hesitation.

As for Darian… inside, his irritation only kept growing with the situation.

He couldn't even think straight anymore, with his heart demon tempting him. It was like it was whispering in his ears, urging him to start a bloodbath.

He took a step forward, advancing toward the High Elder. The Chromaraic stared at him in shock. He had never seen anyone with such terrifying killing intent.

Suddenly, another Elder stepped forward and roared furiously:

"You damned half-demon, how dare you…!"

He didn't even finish speaking when he felt a subtle fluctuation of the wind element. In an instant, Darian appeared in front of him like a ghost and threw a punch.

*BANG!*

A heavy impact echoed as the Elder was sent flying, crashing hard against the wall.

"What?!" Everyone's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He dared to attack that Elder? Was he insane?!

"How dare you!" Suddenly, the High Elder roared in fury. Fire runes appeared, burning all around him.

However, the flames barely had time to appear before they were snuffed out by a kick to his stomach. His eyes bulged wide, caught completely defenseless.

Right after, the tip of a sharp dagger stopped less than an inch from his eyes.

Darian held it with a cold gaze. The High Elder froze, feeling like he could really die with the slightest slip.

"You think you're so superior, don't you? A coward like you, who gave up long ago on leaving this place, is nothing but another ant for me to crush."

Darian's words came out slowly, and everyone swallowed hard. The Battle Institute was home to the sect's specialists in physical and direct combat. But, right in front of everyone, that young man had pulled off two sudden moves with a speed that was utterly abnormal and terrifying.

Both times, they had felt a faint fluctuation of the wind element, but before they could even figure out its source, the attack had already landed.

"You… you brat…"

The High Elder tried to say something, but stopped when Darian slowly moved the dagger and pierced his eyelid. Blood started dripping down, and the High Elder froze in silence.

"Young man, please, calm down." Suddenly, Elder Aberrant, the one who had brought Darian, spoke anxiously.

Darian didn't even turn to him.

"Calm down? I came into this place to take a test, and even after getting top marks and winning my fight within the rules, I'm being targeted and attacked nonstop. Give me one reason why I should calm down and not kill this bastard right here."

Silence took over the hall.

"W-wait... top marks? That's not possible." Elder Aberrant finally spoke, stunned.

Darian scoffed, then moved his left hand to his waist. There was his emblem. He tossed it toward the Elder.

That emblem worked as a record from the start, where the examiners' scores were internally marked. The Elder caught it and activated it...

"This is... all three exams... top marks."

The Elder's words echoed, leaving everyone stunned.

Everyone understood what that meant, but found it hard to believe. He had passed the exams with top marks... if this had happened in another institute, it wouldn't have been so shocking. Rare, sure, but there had been cases like that before.

But in the Battle Institute it was different. Every race specialized in physical combat had its own flaws. None were perfect, but if you were good enough in something, that was already excellent. The exam's goal was to expose those flaws and push them to the limit.

No one was physically strong enough to lift that colossal spear while also being absurdly agile to dodge every single shot perfectly. On top of that, no one had absolute skill and precision in combat to deal with all the dummies.

But... that young man did.

Scoring top marks in one of those tests wasn't impossible, but in all of them? That bordered on fantasy. Hearing the result, everyone's hearts trembled. At least it explained the terrifying ability that hybrid had shown in front of them.

"But... what the hell happened in this fight?!" Elder Aberrant, still stunned, asked, then looked at the disciples who had watched the battle.

When his eyes landed on the beast-woman, she immediately opened her mouth: "I saw everything!"

She looked at Darian with gratitude, for beating those two down, and then couldn't hold back, recounting everything that had happened in the fight.

Darian had struck his opponent, but still gave him space to admit defeat and even asked him directly. However, that idiot not only refused to give up, but also tried to use a hidden weapon against the rules. When he failed... the examiner, with no reason at all, interfered in the fight claiming Darian had cheated.

All the Elders heard that and their expressions grew serious. Elder Aberrant turned to the High Elder who was still under Darian's threat.

"Sir, I will personally go to the sect leader to file a formal complaint. By the rules, everyone involved must be thrown into the dungeon, and then an investigation will follow. If you take any action against this young man or try to stop this, we will be allowed to strike you down and execute you for treason."

The High Elder listened with a pale and twisted expression.

"Sir, I know your hatred toward demons. After all, your wife and your eldest son were killed because of them. Almost every Elder of the sect also suffered similar losses. But... because of the actions of your son and those close to him, this young man — who might become the sect's greatest force — almost suffered serious harm. One mistake doesn't justify another."

Elder Aberrant spoke slowly, and all the other Elders sighed. Indeed, they held endless hatred toward demons. But... this had gone too far. They couldn't harm someone who had nothing to do with it in such a way.

"Fine..." the High Elder muttered, trembling.

"Young man... we guarantee that we'll deal with this, so..." Elder Aberrant spoke toward Darian, who was still holding his dagger threateningly against the High Elder.

"Listen! By the sect's rules, with a top mark in the instructor exam, you get a bonus. That gives you a position above everyone else who passes. There are no precedents for three top marks, so I'll request that the Institute commander add up the bonuses. What do you think?"

He spoke quickly, trying to please him and calm him down with his words.

Darian listened, then let out a deep scoff. "You sure know how to convince..." then turned and put away his dagger.