Return Of The SSS-Class Hunter-Chapter 131: In Another Dimension

The instant the word "Begin" left Daniel's mouth...

The arena stirred with motion. Five instructors attacked at the same time. They didn't shoot any devastating spells. Not flashy, world-shaking techniques. But that was precisely what made them terrifying.

A razor-thin wind blade sliced silently from Derek's right.

A dull fire bolt shot from behind, radiating heat but making no sound.

A compressed air pulse rippled the space to his left, distorting the air without warning.

From the front, a low hum accompanied a dense lightning strike meant to disrupt balance.

Attacks came from every direction, layered and overlapping. Some were loud. Some silent. Some could be felt early. Others only at the last instant.

For any normal participant, this would have been instant failure. Even for most instructors, it would have been impossible.

The audience inhaled sharply.

"He's finished."

"There's no way he can dodge all those attacks."

"This isn't even a test anymore, it's a trap!"

But before anyone could finish their thought

Derek moved. Not hurried. Not panicked.

He stepped sideways as the wind blade skimmed past his ribs. Twisted at the waist as the fire bolt scorched the air where his spine had been. His foot slid back just enough to avoid the air pulse, while his upper body leaned forward, narrowly missing the pressure strike descending from above.

Gasps erupted.

"That... that was luck, right?!"

Those who had been anticipating an instant annihilation were left speechless. They couldn't believe their eyes anymore.

But the attacks didn't stop. They kept coming.

And Derek?

He kept moving. Or it looked like he was dancing. He didn't dodge wildly. He didn't leap or roll unnecessarily. His movements were economical. Clean. Almost lazy.

Yet every attack missed. Not a graze. Not a tear of cloth. Not even a brush of an attack spell.

Again and again, it looked as though an attack would land...

Only for Derek to slip past it at the very last moment.

Like a shadow sliding between cracks in reality.

Seconds passed. Then half a minute.

Then a full minute. Sweat began to bead on the instructors' brows.

They adjusted. Changed rhythms. Altered angles. Mixed attack patterns.

Still nothing.

Derek's body flowed.

For the audience, those two minutes felt like an eternity. For the instructors, they vanished in a blur of frustration and disbelief.

Derek wasn't thinking. He wasn't calculating.

His mind was calm — empty. This wasn't just Divine Sense. This was something deeper.

The countless hours of training Lightning Pace.

The repeated drills. The instinct to move before thought. His danger sense screamed, and his body answered. Not consciously.

Automatically.

As if his muscles themselves had learned how to survive. As if his body had developed a will of its own.

A fourth-year student whispered hoarsely, "He's not just dodging… It's as if he's responding to those attacks."

At last...

Daniel raised his hand.

"STOP!"

The shout echoed across the arena. All five instructors halted instantly, spells dissipating mid-air.

Silence fell.

The instructors stood there, breathing hard. None of them bore hostility toward Derek — but frustration twisted their expressions.

They had tried. They had truly tried to land at least a single hit.

But failed.

Daniel turned toward Derek, his voice steady despite the storm of emotion in the arena. "You have passed this phase successfully as well."

The arena exploded. Not with cheers.

But with disbelief.

Yami leaned forward in his seat, laughing openly now. "Hah! I knew it. That brat's senses are already sharper than even most capable instructors."

High above, the Headmistress watched with narrowed eyes. There was no amusement on her face now.

Only interest. Genuine interest.

Daniel raised his hand again, silencing the crowd with effort.

"For the next phase," he announced, "you will be transported to a separate dimension."

The murmurs returned instantly.

"There, you will remain blindfolded just like the earlier phases." The murmurs grew louder. "Five instructors will hide themselves in five different locations inside a forest."

Shock rippled outward.

"You will have five minutes."

The arena went deathly quiet.

"You must locate all five instructors without removing your blindfold."

The silence shattered. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"What?!"

"That's insane!"

The audience could barely believe their ears. And it wasn't just students. Even instructors exchanged glances.

Daniel's voice cut through the chaos.

"Begin preparation."

The implications struck everyone at once.

Attempting this test meant only one thing.

Derek Hale had comprehended at least sixty percent of Divine Sense.

And in only five hours at that.

Shock. Disbelief. Awe.

Ripples spread through the gallery like a tidal wave.

This wasn't talent anymore. This was an anomaly.

And as Derek stood silently at the center of the arena.... Blindfolded. Calm. Unshaken.

Every single person watching realized one truth. They were no longer witnessing a trial. They were witnessing the birth of something terrifying.

Daniel raised his hand and waved it. Space itself rippled.

A circular portal unfolded in midair, its surface shimmering like a distorted pool of water.

"Enter," Daniel said calmly.

All eyes turned to Derek. Still blindfolded, he stepped forward. He didn't hesitate. The portal's aura was overwhelming — thick, heavy, impossible to miss. Even without sight, Derek walked straight toward it, his steps steady, unhurried. The spatial distortion brushed against his skin as he passed through, and his figure vanished instantly.

A moment later, five more portals opened in succession around the arena.

"These portals lead to the same dimension," Daniel continued, "but to different locations within close proximity."

One by one, the five instructors entered their respective portals as well, disappearing into the dimensional rift. The portals sealed shut.

Silence lingered.

Then murmurs started to spread again in the gallery.

"Do you think he can really do it?"

"Nahh! I don't think so," someone scoffed.

"Dodging attacks is one thing. Finding five hidden instructors while blindfolded? That's absurd."

"Still…" another student hesitated. "After what we just saw… maybe he can."

Just then, a calm voice cut through the noise.

"He might."

Several heads turned. Cecilia Glaciblade stood there quietly, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the space where the portal had vanished.

"If he couldn't," she added softly, "the Headmistress wouldn't want to prolong this trial."