"AHHH!!! HELP!! HELP!!! SOMEONE!!!"
Multiple voices screamed in terror as the maze walls shifted and multiplied around them. What had started as a simple dungeon corridor with a few low-grade monsters—easy points for a coordinated group—had transformed into a death trap. Thick vines burst from the stone walls, lashing out like whips. The ground beneath their feet cracked and collapsed, revealing bottomless darkness below.
A group of four students ran desperately, carrying an injured fifth member between them. His leg was broken, twisted at an unnatural angle.
"NO!! I—"
One student turned around just in time to see his friend being wrapped in thick, thorny vines. The boy tried to scream, but more vines muffled his mouth, silencing him completely. His eyes were wide with terror as he was dragged into the wall itself, which seemed to absorb him like quicksand.
"WAAH!!"
The others screamed, the sense of camaraderie shattering instantly. They split apart, each one running in different directions, abandoning formation entirely. Panic had won.
"Alright, alright!"
A voice cut through the chaos—calm, maybe even amused rather than concerned. It had a casual, almost lazy quality that seemed completely out of place in the nightmare scenario.
A thin sword with a slight curve—too thin to be a proper sword, more like an oversized katana—slashed through the vines with surgical precision. The trapped student fell free, gasping and choking.
A tall figure with lush blonde hair and striking features appeared, catching the student before he hit the ground. Draekon grinned confidently.
"Breathe, man. You're fine."
The student hiccupped, choking slightly as oxygen flooded back into his lungs.
Draekon took a deep breath, then slashed through the maze walls with ease, his Shifting Blade cutting through stone and vine alike. "Can't lead them out of this maze... I should just finish the source. Katana won't do for this."
The ground beneath where he stood began splitting apart, massive cracks spreading outward as something enormous moved below.
Draekon's eyes widened with genuine excitement. "A way out coming right away!!"
His katana shimmered, then transformed in his hands—the Dragon's Bracelet on his wrist glowing as the weapon reconfigured into a massive double-edged battleaxe. The transformation was seamless, like liquid metal reshaping itself.
He raised the axe overhead, muscles tensing.
"Axe Arts: Mountain Cleaver Style—Splitting Mountain!"
The vertical cleave came down with earth-shattering force. The slash cut through the entire maze structure in a single stroke, bisecting walls, vines, and the massive Verdant Earthshaker (A-Grade) that had created the labyrinth. The monster—a grotesque amalgamation of stone, roots, and earth elemental magic—split cleanly in half, its glowing core shattering.
The maze collapsed instantly, walls crumbling to rubble.
+30 points!
Draekon turned aside, his axe resting casually on his shoulder. "Is everyone alright?"
The group of students stared at him in shocked silence, mouths hanging open. The display of raw power had been so overwhelming, so effortless, that they couldn't even process it properly.
The one who'd pissed his pants—Lance, a thin boy with mousy brown hair—nodded frantically. "Th-thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Good to hear!" Draekon said with a bright smile.
The axe disappeared in a flash of light, absorbed back into his Dragon's Bracelet.
"Let me heal you all to full. We've still got half the exam to go!"
He placed his hands on each student in turn, golden light flowing from his palms. Blessing of the Valley—a basic healing technique passed down in Dragon Valley—closed wounds, mended bones, and restored stamina. It wasn't as powerful as dedicated healing magic, but it was more than enough for exam injuries.
Within minutes, all five students were back to perfect condition.
"Take care, Lance," Draekon said, waving as the group rushed off to continue their point collection.
Once they were out of sight, Draekon pulled up his status window—
[STATUS]
Points: 1,020
Reputation: Rising Star (230)
Affinity Gains:
Lance: +30 (Grateful)
Terra: +20 (Impressed)
Mira: +25 (Thankful)
General Student Body: +10 (Heroic Actions Observed)
Draekon hummed, a soft smile crossing his face. Alright, farming is going perfectly. Reputation and affinity gains are exactly where they should be.
He dismissed the window and started walking through The Verdant Meadows, his eyes scanning for his next target.
"Now, where's that red mask senior? I've been trying to find him to continue farming high-value encounters..."
His expression shifted slightly, becoming more thoughtful.
"Even Lyralei... I thought I had her on track. Well, I hope she's not doing too badly."
He frowned. But her reaction was pretty laid-back earlier. She wasn't that fired up, which she was supposed to be according to the romance route. That made me curious.
I half-expected it, though. With Agni still alive—he should have died in the assassination attempt—she's still stuck being his fiancée. The engagement wasn't broken like it should have been.
Draekon sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. Still, her complete nature isn't free yet. There's something else bothering her beyond just the political arrangement...
At that very moment, a massive lightning strike lit up the sky to his left, followed by a thunderous boom that shook the ground.
Draekon's eyes lit up with opportunity. Blessed by the gods! I may still have a chance
He took off running at full speed toward the source of the lightning.
Lyralei stood atop the corpse of a Plains Colossus (A-Grade)—a massive stone giant that lay in pieces, its body crackling with residual black lightning. Her hands were wreathed in wild, untamed electricity that rushed throughout her entire body like living serpents. Her eyes glowed with barely contained power.
Across from her, the white-masked woman—Aurora—remained completely unfazed. Her fingers showed slight bruising, the only indication she'd been in combat at all.
The fight had paused momentarily as panicked students fled the area, running in every direction. One student near Lyralei's position crawled away desperately, tears streaming down his face.
"Is that a fight between students?" one observer whispered to his companion. "Or is that white mask a professor?"
"The other woman tore through the Colossus in a second!" another said, voice shaking. "Please, let's just get out of here!"
Aurora tilted her head slightly, her body language suggesting curiosity. So sensitive. Interesting.
Her eyes—barely visible through the mask's eye holes—tracked Lyralei's every micromovement. The moment I make a move, it feels like she's already aware of what I'm going to do. Her prediction is excellent. Yet her reactions are so sloppy, so delayed. What's distracting her?
Aurora rushed forward with blinding speed.
Lyralei dodged with grace, her body moving fluidly—Second Form: Thunder Guard keeping her protected. The situation was complete cat and mouse, with Aurora as the predator toying with her prey.
"What's bugging you, darling?" Aurora asked in that infuriatingly soothing voice.
Lyralei groaned. "Stop it, Aurora!"
She planted her feet and let out multiple rapid punches—Fifth Form: Phantom Edge Dance—each strike wreathed in black lightning and aimed at vital points. Aurora dodged them all with minimal movement, then casually flicked Lyralei's forehead with two fingers.
The impact sent Lyralei skidding backward twenty feet, her boots leaving gouges in the earth.
"Nope," Aurora said, blowing on her fingers with a soft smile. "Something is definitely bothering you. You wouldn't get hit by something like this normally."
Lyralei rubbed her forehead, frustration clear on her face. "I just have something on my mind that I don't want to share... with you."
She saw Aurora's posture shift expectantly.
"Ahhh, what experience do you even have with boys?!" Lyralei snapped.
Aurora blinked. The mask couldn't hide the way her entire body seemed to freeze, as if all color had drained from her face. "None," she admitted quietly.
Multiple lightning bolts—actual natural lightning, attracted by the massive electrical charge in the area—struck down from the sky, hitting Lyralei directly. The attacks didn't phase her at all. In fact, the black lightning aura around her body grew thicker, denser, more violent.
Aurora hummed a soft tune, recovering her composure. "Well... I suppose you should have patience. You don't particularly look lacking in assets. Boys should be fighting over you."
They zipped around the forest at incredible speeds—Lyralei's movements leaving black lightning scars across trees and ground, Aurora moving with that same lazy grace.
At each of Lyralei's attempts to hit—whether Third Form: Storm Thrust or Fourth Form: Cascade Cleave—Aurora responded with a light tap on her forehead that pushed her back with disproportionate force.
"The person troubling me," Lyralei said through gritted teeth, "is an idiot."
Aurora landed gracefully on a tree branch. "Oh, so the worst kind of boy trouble."
She tilted her head sympathetically. "Well, you'll surely have plenty of time for patch-up and romance... in C-Class."
Lyralei's expression shifted to confusion. "What?"
The masked woman's voice took on a more playful—and dangerous—tone. "This is Phase Two of the examination. So I'll be stealing your points now."
Dozens of Red-hot fire orbs materialized in the air around Aurora, each one radiating intense heat that made the air shimmer and distort.
"And if you lose enough points to drop back to zero..." Aurora paused for effect. "Well, that would put you in C-Class, wouldn't it? Such a shame."
She raised one hand. "Oh, and Lyralei? I should remind you properly—I'm a mage, not a martial artist. So I'm being serious now."
Lyralei groaned, then her expression hardened with determination. "Right... I'm facing Aurora Drakonis. And I'm still going half-assed. I should get serious."
She's easily at Level 7 Mana Circuit Manipulation. I can't afford to hold back.
Lyralei planted her feet wide, taking a proper stance. "The Valen Lightning Style," she muttered.
The ground cracked and split around her feet in geometric patterns—not random destruction, but controlled channeling. The black lightning surrounding her body began marking her skin with glowing circuit patterns that spread like branching tattoos. Her power output increased exponentially.
Aurora let out a full, genuine smile behind her mask—her fangs briefly visible. "Good girl."
In the Monitoring Control Room, Professor Sylvia was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Did you see that?!" she gushed to Professor Lydia, who sat beside her with patient composure. "Student Draekon saved an entire group without hesitation! His transformation technique with the Dragon's Bracelet was flawless, and that healing afterward—such a kind heart!"
Lydia nodded politely, listening with the patience of someone who'd heard Sylvia fangirl over promising students many times before.
Nearby, the senior students monitoring the displays were having their own discussion.
"Was it really necessary to send the Big Three this time?" one asked, adjusting a scrying crystal. "Seems like overkill for freshmen."
Another senior shrugged. "It was a free-for-all among the Elimination Squad. Those three won fair and square. Can't change the results now."
Professor Kazuki leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Well, Aurora Drakonis picked Lyralei Valen. That's where her luck runs out."
Professor Luna raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised Aurora didn't go after Draekon instead. He's clearly the bigger point threat."
"She has favorites," Professor Kazuki said with a knowing smile. "Lyralei just got unlucky with the matchup."
Professor Luna snickered. "Putting prey against predators and calling them 'unlucky' is something else, Kazuki."
The displays shifted, cameras zooming in on different zones.
Zone 4: Ironhold Fortress
A masked figure sat casually on the ancient throne—not Cassius, but someone else. This one wore a crimson-red mask with sharp, demonic features. His posture was relaxed, almost bored, as if waiting for something interesting to happen.
Footsteps echoed down the King's Path.
Cassius walked into the open throne room alone, his white spear—Ivory Piercer—resting on his shoulder. His grey eyes assessed the figure with calm calculation.
"Are you part of the competition," Cassius asked evenly, "or not?"
The red-masked man smiled—audible in his voice even if not visible. "It's Phase Two. Just an elimination round."
He stood slowly, stretching as if working out a kink in his back. "So the question is: are both of you ready to go back to C-Class? Because I'll be taking all your points now."
Cassius hummed thoughtfully. "Sure, sure. We'll see who ends up where."
He didn't even turn his head. "Aria?"
In less than a heartbeat—faster than breath, faster than thought—Aria materialized directly behind the red-masked man.
Her Serpent's Fang Whip cut through the air with absolutely no sound, aimed precisely at the back of his neck. The attack was silent, invisible to normal perception, perfectly executed to decapitate.
The whip should have ended the fight instantly.