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Kaelen bit his lips under the pale glow of the scoreboard in the sky. The orange-red light of the sun danced atop the dense northern forests of the island. Beams of sunlight filtering through the leaves coated the bloodstained ground with a golden hue, turning the traces of battle into a poetic lie. Estelle's 107 points shone like a star in the sky—more than twice that of anyone else. It was not just a numerical superiority, but a warning. Estelle was strong enough to hunt leveled-up monsters alone.
"So the rule is simple," Kaelen murmured, rubbing the calluses on his palms with his nails. "The strong survive; the weak lose their points. But power… isn't always physical. Kill the right person at the right time, and you could be first."
He rubbed his hands. The sweat on his palms seemed to cling to Canis' bone hilt. Hiding was no longer an option. If he wanted to climb the ranks, he would have to move quickly, make a clever move—or perhaps both.
"Ahh, this is exhausting. I want to go home. Or maybe just sleep for a few days."
Kaelen exhaled. He closed his eyes and visualized the island's map in his mind. The northern swamp region smelled of decaying leaves and was crawling with constantly grumbling level 1 monsters. Most who went there would easily become prey to hunters like Estelle. The southern cliffs, meanwhile, were dangerous due to steep slopes and sharp winds—but that's exactly what Kaelen wanted: an invisible advantage.
"There are level 2 or higher monsters in the cliffs," he thought, exhaling between clenched teeth. "But no one wants to deal with them. Risky… but the reward is big. If I go there, nothing will bother me besides the mana monsters."
Just as he was about to step forward, he felt mana fluctuations around him. Nearby bushes rustled. The sound was like a snake crawling over dry leaves—subtle, but deadly. Kaelen turned reflexively. Canis appeared in his hand at lightning speed. The white surface of the blade refracted sunlight, turning into something like a mirror made of bone.
"Who's there?" he called out, keeping his voice low and threatening. Even in the "Kai" form, he had been detected.
A young girl crawled out from the bushes. Her pale face was streaked with sweat, lips cracked. Her clothing—the standard black uniform of Eldorian Academy—was torn on her right shoulder, soaked in blood. A deep cut ran along her left leg, leaving red drops on the ground with every step. Gasping, she whimpered, "Please… help me…" Her voice trembled more from fear than pain.
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. "A trap?" he thought. He gripped Canis tighter. Behind the girl, blood dragged across the soil—irregular marks of a real escape. But on this island, nothing was ever as it seemed.
"Who's after you?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes scanning the surrounding shadows.
The girl pushed her hair back with trembling hands. Dirty blonde curls clung to her forehead. "Arnold and Sofia…" she muttered. "If they find me—"
A knife suddenly plunged into the girl's left shoulder. The metal sank into her flesh, and she screamed, collapsing to the ground. Blood spread across the black fabric of her uniform.
Kaelen leapt behind the nearest oak tree. The rough bark dug into his back, but he ignored the pain.
Arnold's deep voice tore through the forest:
"Don't run, Amanda! We'll take your points! We need them."
Amanda Oren—the girl ranked 24th on the scoreboard. Her backpack was torn, and a small mana elixir bottle had fallen out. Her expression showed more prey than hunter.
She grabbed the scattered mana potion from the ground and drank it. As the blue liquid entered her stomach, her "Enn" form became even more pronounced.
Kaelen looked at the mana bottle on the ground.
"Ahh, that girl."
He recalled a few memories of her. Amanda Oren, known as the Bringer of Light.
Seeing her in this state was intriguing even to Kaelen. Even if she was ranked 24th, she had faced stronger wizards before.
Two silhouettes appeared between the trees. Arnold Turner—a massive, muscular youth—walked forward, wielding a pair of enormous axes. The edges of the axes glowed with an orange mana aura. Sofia Lyons, on the other hand, was delicate and fast, holding a short sword that buzzed like it was strung with electric wire.
"Look at Sofia," Arnold laughed, watching Amanda writhe on the ground. "24th place suits us. How many points did she have, 17?"
Sofia bit her lips, a trace of unease under the coldness in her eyes. "Let's finish quickly. We need more kills to catch up to Estelle. That cursed mage—what kind of monster is she?"
Amanda crawled backward, her hands shaking, eyes fixed on the tree where Kaelen was hiding. "Please…" she whispered, her voice as faint as the rustle of the wind.
Kaelen held his breath. Canis felt like a cold reality in his palm. The magical letters on the blade glimmered faintly blue.
"If I run, Amanda's points go to Arnold. Maybe I could escape both of them. If I fight… can I take them out together? Why do I always end up in situations like this?"
Arnold's axes were sharp enough to split a level 1 monster in two. Likely ordinary rank, similar to Canis. Sofia's speed, however, was a threat.
Kaelen only had the ordinary-ranked Canis in his hand.
He met Amanda's eyes. The desperation there tore through Kaelen's memories. Just like that day…
Suddenly, a scene flashed in his mind: the moment he died in his past life. Fighting and falling against the demon.
"Tch."
Kaelen made a sound of disgust.
The girl didn't want to die, but if you were weak and wanted to become a mage, the first thing you had to do was die.
As Kaelen pondered this, a thought struck him like lightning.
So that's why…
He muttered to himself.
Pheniyet's goal from the very beginning had been to make them face death. To let them experience firsthand that this mana world was no joke. Preparing every wizard for the inevitable moment they would face.
The moment Kaelen realized the essence of the exam was to risk their lives, his mindset changed.
"Ahh, I don't want to die again. That would be boring."
Kaelen raised Canis. He slowly walked past Amanda and stepped in front of Arnold.
Arnold's massive axe was already in the air. Surrounded by a blue mana aura, its descent seemed to split the air itself. Kaelen dodged at the last moment—the edge grazed his left shoulder. The blow was so strong that the stones on the ground shattered, and the dust stung his eyes.
"You can't escape!" Arnold roared, baring his teeth.
Sofia moved like a shadow. Her short swords—one black, one silver—shimmered deadly in the sunlight. Kaelen struggled to follow her movements. Her steps were like the dance of the wind: sudden, unpredictable, sharp. It was like dodging lightning as it strikes—unpredictable.
Sofia attacked from Kaelen's right. Her sword struck like a venomous snake fang. Kaelen swung Canis to deflect the blade—the sparks flew as steel met white bone. But Sofia's second sword was already aimed at his left ribs. He jumped back, barely escaping, but the tip tore his uniform.
Arnold swung his axe diagonally. Each strike sent fragments of stone flying. Kaelen leapt behind a tree—axes split it in half. The crashing tree thundered to the ground, ringing in Kaelen's ears.
Sofia appeared behind him, using the opening.
Tinn.
A thin sound echoed in the gap.
"Not so easy."
Kaelen shrugged. In front of him were incredibly coordinated mages, but there had to be better. Especially if they wanted to defeat him.
"Who the hell are you!"
Arnold channeled his mana into the "Nex" form, and the two-meter axe glowed with energy.
Kaelen was too weak to counter such magical power. He crouched and rolled.
The axe hit the ground with a crash, shaking the area. Some birds flew from the trees.
Kaelen got up and blocked Sofia's sneaky blade again.
As the snake-like blade moved away from him, Sofia jumped, increasing the distance between them.
"Arnold, this kid is dangerous!"
Sofia spoke without taking her eyes off Kaelen. The brown-haired mage's pale eyes gleamed.
Kaelen felt the piercing gaze of her yellow eyes.
She was probably using "Mef," he thought.
At this moment, Kaelen was only using his mana to reinforce certain parts of his body. Only his hands, feet, and the small Canis blade were covered in mana. The rest of his body was exposed and vulnerable. Their two opponents had "pike" covering their bodies, extending their mana almost five meters high, striking the surrounding tree branches.
Kaelen smiled.
"Is that all you've got?"
Both Arnold and Sofia relied solely on raw power. That wasn't good for them. No matter how skilled, there were enemies they couldn't beat with sheer strength alone. One of them was standing right in front of him.
Arnold's expression changed. The muscular mage lifted his axe from the ground. He held it in one hand, while a large shield appeared in the other, as tall as he was.
Kaelen didn't take his eyes off Sofia. She was the only one he needed to watch right now.
Arnold was strong, but he couldn't win against someone as agile as Kaelen. Sofia, meanwhile, was fast—like an assassin, disappearing into the field, targeting Kaelen's weak points.
Kaelen looked at Amanda, who had collected her mana.
The blonde mage had managed to stand up. Her wounds had closed, and her "Enn" form had stabilized somewhat. She was still far from ready to fight, but she could help Kaelen.
"Hey, blondie. Give me your blessing!"
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