Soul system:Return Of The SSS-Ranked Troublemaker-Chapter 25: Jeju Island (2) Portal Outbreak

As soon as Leon spoke, Zion reacted instantly. He grabbed Yin from the ground and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh," Zion whispered.

He narrowed his eyes and activated his ability.

Gaze.

A faint glow flickered in his irises as he scanned the White Team, analyzing their auras.

"Zion, what do you see?" Karina asked in a hushed tone.

"Wait..." Zion muttered, his eyes widening. Something was wrong.

He could only see three auras.

"Shit."

Zion’s instincts screamed at him. He snapped his head back—only to find Callix standing behind them, his presence looming like a shadow.

With a slow tilt of his glasses, Callix smirked.

"May I ask what you’re doing here, Top Five?"

The weight of his words sent a chill down Karina, Yin, and Zion’s spines.

Despite the pressure, Zion took a bold step forward, forcing a confident grin.

"I’m surprised you know me. Y’know, we didn’t even realize you guys were here. We were just checking the mountain for clues." His voice remained calm, almost casual.

Callix’s eyes, however, shifted to Karina and Yin, studying their stiff expressions.

"Funny," he mused. "Because from the looks on your faces, it doesn’t seem like you were just sightseeing." His tone sharpened like a blade.

At that moment, Leon, Celestia, and George emerged from the clearing, their gazes locked onto the three intruders. But what caught Zion’s attention most was the massive stone dragon from earlier—now fully alive. It hovered near Celestia’s shoulder, its wings flapping gently as it observed them with glowing, intelligent eyes.

"Hey, isn’t this the Top Five?" Leon asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yeah, and that guy’s Top 14," George added, glancing at Yin.

Leon sighed, shaking his head. "Tch. I thought Top Four was the only annoying one. Guess I was wrong. You’re also one of the irritating ones."

Zion forced a nervous chuckle, sweat forming on his brow. "C’mon, we’re all classmates. Can’t you just let this slide?"

But in his mind, calculations were running wild.

"I can take them. But if I go all out, I’ll attract too much attention. Wrecking this place would ruin my reputation in the long run..."

As Zion weighed his options, Yin clenched his fists.

"C’mon, what are you doing? Stand up."

A fire lit in his chest as he reminded himself—

"You are the pride of the Fiery Fierce Arts."

Taking a deep breath, Yin stepped forward confidently, standing tall beside Zion.

"Hey, you heard Zion—we didn’t even know you guys were here," Yin said firmly, stepping forward with confidence.

Leon let out a cocky laugh, smirking as he crossed his arms.

"Wow. Looks like these two losers decided to team up." His tone dripped with arrogance.

But then, his smirk twitched. A vein popped on his forehead as his expression darkened. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Just seeing you two is already pissing me off."

Celestia remained silent, her gaze unreadable. Callix, noticing this, glanced at her before giving a subtle nod.

"Fine," Callix said in a cold, measured tone. "We’ll let you off this time. But don’t mess with us again."

With that, the White Team turned and left, disappearing down the mountain trail.

Zion exhaled a deep breath. "Tch. As if you guys weren’t the ones messing with us first..." he thought.

Meanwhile, Yin clenched his fist, his chest swelling with excitement.

"I did it. I actually stood up to them!"

Karina stepped forward, her expression shadowed by disappointment.

"I’m sorry," she murmured. "I should’ve protected our group."

Zion looked at her and shook his head.

"It’s fine. There will come a time when each of us has to step forward on our own," he said, his voice steady.

Karina bit her lip, then nodded. "Right..." she whispered.

The group stood there for a moment, the weight of the encounter settling in.

"It doesn’t look like anything important is here," Zion finally said, glancing around. "We should keep moving."

"Yeah," Karina agreed, while Yin nodded.

As they walked away, Zion’s thoughts lingered on what they had just seen.

"That stone dragon... it became real. Was that Celestia’s ability?"

A part of him wanted to dig deeper, but he shrugged it off.

"Who cares? She’s from a famous Mystic Arts family. Of course, she can do something like that."

With that, the trio continued their journey, leaving Hallasan Mountain behind.

As they made their way down the mountain, the sky had begun shifting to a warm orange hue, signaling the approach of evening. Their feet ached from the long journey, but the sight of the bustling city below brought some relief.

Walking through the crowded streets, they spotted a small water station with a sign that read:

[FREE WATER]

"Huh? Free?" Zion muttered, narrowing his eyes at the sign. What was odd, however, was that the text was in English, a rare sight in Jeju.

Zion turned to his team and gestured for them to come over. Without hesitation, they rushed to the stand and drank eagerly, the cool water refreshing their dry throats.

"Ahh, that hit the spot," Yin sighed in relief.

"Thank you," Karina said, nodding to the elderly woman running the stall.

The woman gave a warm smile but said nothing, simply watching them as they turned to leave.

Just as they stepped back onto the street—

A deep hum vibrated through the air.

Zion stopped. A strange, sinking feeling filled his chest.

"Huh?" He instinctively looked up.

The sky twisted and tore apart.

A massive, swirling portal, black as the void yet lined with eerie violet cracks, ripped open above the city.

The air crackled with energy, and a deafening screech echoed across the streets.

People stopped in their tracks. Eyes widened. Gasps filled the air.

From the depths of the portal, dozens of creatures emerged, their monstrous forms twisting and writhing as they descended like a swarm of locusts.

The first wave consisted of small, winged creatures with razor-sharp talons and glowing red eyes. Their screeches were sharp enough to pierce eardrums. Their leathery wings flapped wildly as they darted through the air like living arrows.

Zion’s heart pounded.

"Shit—a portal outbreak!" he shouted.

A second wave followed, larger creatures with jagged exoskeletons and multiple eyes. Their limbs cracked like branches as they landed on the pavement, their mouths splitting open into rows of needle-like teeth.

Panic erupted through the streets.

Screams. Running footsteps. Chaos.

The once-busy city was now a battlefield.

"Move! Get to cover!" Karina yelled.

Zion gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists as his aura flared instinctively. His mind raced.

"This isn’t just a small outbreak... this is bad."

Then, from deep within the portal, a shadow loomed.

Something big was coming.

And Zion knew—this was only the beginning.