I yawned, barely holding back the urge to fall asleep. More than half the class had already been called. I was starting to think they'd forgotten about me entirely.
Andrea had just walked down into the arena, ready to face her senior opponent. I watched her disappear from sight as the next batch of students entered the hall and took their seats. Among them were Amy and... Selena.
The moment I saw her, my heart skipped a beat—and not the good kind. I immediately started praying, half-seriously, that she wouldn't sit next to me.
Not now.
Not when Andrea had just left my side.
But fate, as always, enjoyed messing with me.
We made eye contact across the room. Her sharp, cold eyes narrowed, and then slowly, methodically, she scanned the entire room.
There was only one seat left.
Mine.
My eye twitched. I glanced around, confirming the tragic truth. Every other chair had been taken. Even Fatty was already squished into his seat, munching loudly on some greasy snack.
Selena's lips twitched into a frown. Clearly, she didn't want to sit next to me either. She probably thought I was some pervert or weirdo—though, to be fair, her poker-faced glare made her seem like the real creep.
Behind that elegant, aloof mask was a sadistic personality just waiting to be awakened. I'd seen enough of this character pretending too be cold but have something inside them
With a long, exaggerated sigh, she finally walked over and sat beside me, her strong perfume immediately filling the air.
Sweet. Spicy. Dangerous.
But I wasn't about to back down.
Activating my seduction aura—subtle, barely noticeable—I aimed it toward her. It wasn't much, but it worked.
She didn't flinch.
In fact, she leaned back in her seat, visibly more relaxed.
...Great.
So much for seduction. Apparently, my aura made her more comfortable instead of embarrassed. Now she looked like a queen on a throne. Smug.
I shook my head and turned my attention back to the match.
Andrea was struggling.
The senior she faced was clearly more experienced, forcing her to stay on the defensive. She darted around the arena, barely dodging his blows, while commanding her Hellhound to attack in her place.
She was buying time—buying precious seconds.
Her movements were sharp and fluid, but I could tell she was under pressure. Most people watching had assumed Andrea, being a noble, would be one of the strongest. She was practically considered perfect in the eyes of her peers.
But five minutes in, she looked like she was about to collapse. Her foot caught the edge of the arena, and she nearly stumbled over.
Then something changed.
Her expression shifted. Her eyes lost focus—like her mind wandered for a split second.
And in that brief second, I realized…
She was remembering what I said earlier.
"If you make it to the Top 5… I'll kiss you again. Not on the forehead this time."
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
And then—boom.
A giant magic circle appeared beneath her.
The crowd gasped.
A dragon emerged—towering at the size of a human. Its emerald-green scales gleamed with light, and its golden eyes burned with intelligence. The Trainjng ground shook from its presence alone.
The Hellhound, sensing Andrea's collapse, darted across the stage and caught her just in time—lifting her away from the senior's incoming strike.
The dragon let out a low growl and stepped between Andrea and her opponent.
The entire arena fell silent.
A dragon.
Not a lizard. Not a wyvern. A full-fledged, high-tier dragon.
Summoned.
Even summoners with great talent usually only had one familiar—two, in rare cases. But this?
A Hellhound and a Dragon?
No one had ever seen someone with three. And while Andrea hadn't shown a third familiar, the presence of even these two was astonishing.
The professors stood up, their eyes practically glowing. Murmurs filled the hall.
"If her Hellhound is fully nurtured, it could compete with S-rank combatants…"
"And now she has a Dragon, too?!"
"This generation… is blessed."
The whispers grew louder. Already, they had seen Luna—someone with the potential to reach SS-rank. Then Miguel, chosen by the Holy Sword, with equally monstrous potential.
And now Andrea, standing between the hellfire and a dragon's roar.
Tomorrow, all of the Kingdoms would know. Word would spread like wildfire.
And it didn't stop there.
Everyone was starting to realize that something about this generation was different. Five names were already on everyone's lips:
Luna.
Miguel.
Andrea.
Amy.
And… Selena.
The five prodigies of the Academy. The future protectors of humanity when the demons return.
After several minutes, Andrea finally lost—but not before exhausting her opponent to the brink. She came back, flustered and nervous about the upcoming leaderboard results.
And then she saw her seat was taken.
Selena sat there, casually flipping through the air with a bored expression. Andrea paused, contemplating whether she should walk away and pretend to still be mad at me. She was clearly trying to hold onto her pride, but the look on her face gave her away.
A playful pout.
I chuckled softly, watching her from the corner of my eye. Then, my name was called.
With a lazy yawn, I stood up and walked past her. As I passed, I leaned in just slightly and whispered:
"Great job down there."
My voice was soft. Comforting. Sincere.
She blinked, stunned, and clutched her chest for a moment. Her heart skipped a beat before she hurriedly tried to suppress the strange warmth blooming inside her.
She sighed, composed herself, and sat beside Selena—still sneaking glances at me as I walked toward the arena.
Selena, amused by the whole exchange, glanced sideways at Andrea and said casually, "Hmm. You like him, don't you?"
Her tone was calm, teasing, like she already knew the answer.
Andrea, mid-sit, froze. Her face turned bright red. She and Selena weren't exactly close, but acquaintances at best—still, she hadn't expected Selena to be so… bold.
Andrea opened her mouth to deny it, but Selena kept going.
"Why him though? He looks like a scummy pervert. He's been stalking me, you know."
Her voice was cold, but her eyes gleamed with a strange light.
Andrea looked stunned. She knew there was no way I would do something like that.
"W–What? That's not true. He's a good guy. He was kind and…" Her voice faltered as if unsure if she should continue.
Selena smirked, her gaze sharp as a dagger.
Before either of them could say more, the match started.
And all eyes turned toward me.