Chapter 247: Who Said I Am Human?

Zane stood with his hands in his pockets, watching quietly.

Beside him, Eira hovered slightly above the ground, her holographic eyes scanning everything at once.

In front of them—

Chaos.

Maera, Drevin, and Selene were fighting with everything they had. The E.I.R.A bots moved in perfect coordination, gradually separating them from each other.

It wasn’t accidental.

It was deliberate.

Once separated, the pressure increased immediately.

Each of them had to deal with multiple bots alone.

Zane spoke calmly, without taking his eyes off them. “Push them further.”

A small pause.

“Slowly increase the attack intensity.”

Eira nodded with smile.

A silent command was issued.

The bots adjusted.

Not suddenly—

But gradually.

Each strike became slightly faster. Slightly heavier. Slightly sharper.

Enough to force them to adapt.

Again and again.

—

Zane’s gaze shifted toward Maera.

She was already deep in combat, her gauntlets tearing through one bot while blocking another. Her movements were becoming more instinctive, less forced.

He observed quietly.

“…She’s close.”

Eira followed his gaze.

Maera wasn’t thinking anymore.

She wasn’t hesitating.

Every movement flowed into the next—punch, dodge, tear, strike.

Pure combat with nodistraction.

Without any overthinking.

Zane nodded faintly.

“She’s nearing the zone.”

—

Eira then looked toward Drevin.

“He’s doing well too.”

Drevin kept his distance, constantly repositioning. His arrows didn’t come in simple straight shots anymore. Some curved. Some split. Some missed intentionally—only to redirect.

He is using layers of feints with various trick shots with good control

Eira smirked slightly.

“I don’t like my bots getting destroyed…”

A small pause.

“…but he’s good.”

Zane nodded.

“He’s close as well.”

—

Then—

Both of them looked at Selene.

She was fighting.

But differently.

Runes formed rapidly around her—fire bursts, attack sigils, defensive barriers. Her wand moved quickly, her casting speed impressive.

But—

Zane narrowed his eyes slightly.

“She’s trying too hard.”

Selene wasn’t immersed.

She was forcing it.

Trying to reach the zone instead of letting it happen.

Every move carried intent—not combat instinct, but effort.

Zane spoke calmly,

“She’s focusing more on entering the zone… than on fighting.”

Eira crossed her arms.

“…Which is exactly reason that’s stopping her from entering it.”

Zane nodded.

A brief silence followed.

He kept watching.

“Let’s observe a little more.”

—

Maera’s breath came out rough as her claws collided with another bot. She pushed it back and immediately turned, blocking a strike from the side. There was no pause between her movements anymore—her body was already reacting before her thoughts could catch up.

At first… I thought Professor Zane died saving the world.

The memory flickered as she fought.

Six months. So much had happened in that time. They struggled, trained, lost direction—and then decided to save Ron and Lia no matter what.

And then suddenly—

He was back.

Alive.

Even after he said it himself, she hadn’t fully believed it at first. But everything she had seen since then… erased that doubt completely.

A cube with a world inside it. A sky that looked wrong. A sun that didn’t feel real. Time itself behaving differently.

If someone had told her this before, she would’ve called them insane.

Now she was inside it.

Fighting in it.

Living it.

And that woman—Eira. She looked like the one who followed Zane that day, yet she wasn’t. Her clothes, her presence… even the things she created didn’t belong to this world.

Faceless machines that moved like humans.

Fought like warriors.

Didn’t stop.

Didn’t hesitate.

What even is all this…?

A bot rushed her.

She didn’t think.

Her leg swung out instinctively and struck it, sending it sliding back across the ground. Another one came immediately after—she blocked, twisted, and struck back in the same motion.

Her breathing grew heavier.

But she didn’t slow down.

Professor…

Zone…

She didn’t fully understand it.

But her body was already moving differently.

Less hesitation.

Less thinking.

More instinct.

A strike came from her blind spot—she ducked and countered without even turning fully.

Sometimes…

Another attack—she tore through it.

It feels like…

Her claws dug into a bot as she pushed forward.

He’s not from this world…

The thought faded as quickly as it came.

Because there was no room left for thinking.

Only fighting.

Her muscles burned. Her wounds deepened. Her breath grew rough.

Still—

She kept going.

“I’ll save them…” she muttered under her breath, barely audible.

Another bot charged.

She stepped forward to meet it head-on.

“No matter what.”

And somewhere in that relentless motion—

She was getting closer.

Maera kept fighting.

Punch. Kick. Slash.

Her body moved without pause, flowing from one motion to another. The bots came from all sides, but she didn’t stop anymore. She didn’t think about where to move—she just moved.

Her breathing was heavy, her body tired, but something inside kept pushing her forward.

She stepped in and threw a punch—

Swish!!

And hit nothing.

Air.

Maera blinked.

There was no resistance. No impact.

She looked up.

Nothing.

There were no bots.

She quickly turned around.

The grassland stretched endlessly, empty and silent. There was no sign of professor, Selene, drevin and Eira.

No one.

She stood there alone.

Then—

From behind—

“You are ready to learn.”

Zane’s voice.

Maera turned.

He was standing there, hands in his pockets, a small smile on his face.

“You’ve done it,” he said calmly. “You entered the zone.”

Maera frowned slightly, still catching her breath.

“Hah… hah… I don’t feel any different,” she said. “Aside from being tired…”

Zane chuckled lightly.

“It’s not something you feel directly.”

He walked a step closer.

“It works more on the subconscious level.”

Maera listened quietly.

Zane continued, his tone calm.

“It’s more like a drive… or a longing. A state where you just want to move toward your goal without hesitation.”

He paused briefly.

“For you, it’s fighting to protect your friends.”

Maera looked down slightly.

Zane added,

“Being in the zone is different for everyone.”

“It’s not something that can be properly explained in words.”

The grassland stayed quiet around them.

Maera wasn’t thinking about the fight behind her.

Only what comes next.

.

.

.

Maera steadied her breathing and looked around the empty grassland again.

“Professor… where are the others?”

Zane answered calmly, “They’re at same place still fighting.”

He glanced at the vast field.

“This space is large. If I teach you all together, you’ll lose focus and they will too.”

Maera nodded slowly, then looked back at him.

“…So what are you going to teach me?”

Zane’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“Your innate ability.”

A small pause.

“You’re a beastman, Maera.”

She straightened a little at that.

“And your bloodline…” Zane continued, “is quite strong.”

Maera felt a slight unease, but she nodded.

Zane went on, “Most beastmen have feral traits. Some more than others. But only a few bloodlines…”

He looked directly at her.

“…have both feral traits and an innate ability.”

“Because the beast they originate from… was powerful.”

Maera’s eyes widened.

“…Do you mean…”

Her voice rose slightly.

“The legendary beast transformation?!”

Zane smirked.

“…Yes and no.”

Maera’s excitement dropped a little.

“Ah… I knew it… It’s a legendary ability. Not everyone can learn it.”

She looked down slightly.

“My father told me… only truly strong beastmen can use it.”

Zane nodded.

“That’s correct.”

Then added bluntly,

“You’re too weak for it.”

Maera flinched slightly.

Zane continued casually,

“I could forcibly push you into beast form… but you wouldn’t be able to control it.”

A small pause.

“You’d most likely lose yourself… or die.”

Silence.

Then—

“That’s why I’m not teaching you that.”

Maera looked up again.

Zane raised his hand slightly.

“I’ll teach you something else.”

“Partial transformation.”

Maera frowned. “…Partial?”

“Instead of fully transforming,” Zane explained, “you borrow a fraction of your beast’s power…”

“And manifest it into your current humanoid form.”

Maera’s eyes widened again.

“That… that’s not possible.”

Her voice was filled with disbelief.

Her thought were in disarray.

I’ve never heard or see anything like that… not even my father mentioned it…

She looked at him carefully.

“…Even if it’s real…”

A pause.

“How are you going to teach me,professor?”

Her gaze narrowed slightly.

“It’s a beastman ability.”

“And you’re human.”

Zane’s smirk deepened.

“…Who told you I’m human?”

Before she could react—

His eyes changed.

Deep purple—

Shifted into glowing gold with a faint red hue with slits.

Then—

He raised his hand.

From his fingers to his elbow—

Transformation.

Golden-red feathers formed, glowing faintly like living flame. Heat shimmered around them, and a distant, sharp bird-like cry echoed across the empty grassland.

Maera froze.

Her pupils shrank.

“T-this… these flames…”

Her voice trembled.

“…Legendary Phoenix…”

She looked up at him, completely stunned.

“P-Professor… y-you’re a beastman…?!”

Zane just smiled.

—

At the same time—

Drevin stood alone in another part of the grassland, breathing heavily.

His grip on the bow tightened.

His eyes widened.

In front of him—

Zane stood.

But different.

Dark and gloomy.

Gloomy shadow-like mana wrapped around his body, pulsing slowly. His arm… was no longer normal. It looked like it was melting into shadows, shifting and reforming constantly.

Drevin felt it.

That presence and familiarity.

Zane spoke, his voice calm but heavy.

“Don’t be afraid of your power.”

The shadows around him deepened.

“Don’t hide in the shadow…”

A pause.

“Become the shadow.”

Drevin’s breath hitched.

“P-Professor… y-you’re also a Shadow Spirit…like me ?”

Zane didn’t answer.

He just stood there.

Smiling.

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