One Week Before the D-Rank wizard test.

Kenta, Karna, Gyoda, and Reiko sat in a quiet room with Goro, the air heavy with tension as they planned their next move.

“It’s your job to reveal Karna’s identity as a Stranger,” Kenta said firmly, his gaze fixed on Goro.

Goro crossed his arms. “Why me?”

“Because you’re the strongest among us,” Karna answered with a grin, “and you can take care of yourself if something goes wrong.”

Gyoda frowned. “But what if Mawang wants to kill Karna?”

Kenta shook his head. “He doesn’t. Remember, Mawang ordered the one who slaughtered Karna’s clan to bring him alive.”

“Then how will Mawang even know Karna is coming to the arena?” Gyoda asked.

Karna smacked him lightly on the head. “You idiot! That’s why we spread the rumor that the Twilight would be taking the D-rank test.”

Leaning back with his arms crossed, Karna’s expression turned serious. “If Mawang really wanted me alive back then, there’s no way he’s passing up this opportunity now.”

They all knew what they were attempting. Like rabbits leaving a trail of bait to draw the hawk down from the sky, they were luring out the predator itself.

And so, on the first day of the D-rank wizard test, the first move of their plan began at the registration area. 

Goro stands near the registration desk, scanning the crowd.

He had already hired two men to put on the bad-guy act, and after effortlessly thrashing them, he walks toward Karna.
Goro: "What’s a Twilight like you doing here?"
Without waiting for a response, he turns and walks away. As soon as he’s out of sight behind a tree, he exhales sharply.
"Phew… Keeping up this bad-guy act is tougher than I thought."

Later, while Karna and the others submit their forms, Goro spots a group of cloaked figures lurking nearby. His eyes narrow—Mawang’s men.
He discreetly warns Karna and the others, exchanging subtle glances during the registration.

During their fight, Goro pulls Karna close, whispering just loud enough for him to hear.
"THAT’S HIM!! IN THE VIP BOX! THAT’S MAWANG KYOFU"

The memory of their secret planning faded, and the present in the arena came rushing back. Reiko chuckled, brushing off the tension. "Don’t worry. We’ll explain later."

Fumiko still looks baffled but nods hesitantly.

Goro’s waiting room was thick with disbelief. The two newcomers to his team stared at him, wide-eyed.

“What… he knew the Twilight all along?” one stammered.

The paid actor, the one who had been beaten at the registration counter, shifted awkwardly. “Yes… we were hired by Goro.”

“So… this was all an act? Beating you guys up… everything?” the other newcomer asked asked, still in shock.

The actor gave an embarrassed smile. “Yes. We had to grab the crowd’s attention before he revealed Twilight’s identity.”

“Why… why would you do something like that?” the first newcomer asked, struggling to comprehend it.

The actor’s gaze dropped. “I can’t really say… but I’m sorry we played you. And sorry for how Goro treated you. He’s actually a really good guy—he doesn’t go out of his way to hurt anyone.”

“But… he went after that Han guy,” the second newcomer protested.

“Oh, that? I think he was trying to save the people Han trapped,” the actor explained.

Back in the arena, Goro’s eyes met Karna’s. “You’ve gotten strong, Karna.”

Karna smirked, closing his eyes, a quiet sense of pride settling over him.

Goro’s expression remained calm, unreadable. “That compliment doesn’t mean I recognize you as my rival. You still have a long way to go. But I’ll admit—you’ve grown stronger. I’ll admit defeat.”

Karna frowns. "No way! You should only admit defeat the day I actually beat you. I’m the one admitting defeat."

Goro shakes his head. "No, I’m the one doing it."

Karna glares. "No, I am!"

Goro smirks. "Alright, let’s settle this with the classic duel then—just like we always used to. This is the hardest challenge you have ever taken. Even in the past, you barely made it alive during this fight. Whoever wins will admit defeat."

The whole crowd, now curious about this classic duel. Everyone sat at the corner of their seats. 

Karna cracks his knuckles. "Oh! You sure? I’ve been training for this. You might lose in a single move."

Goro scoffs. "I’d like to see you try."

The atmosphere shifts. The crowd leans in, anticipation crackling in the air.

Han’s eyes narrow. "Did the Twilight just say he’ll defeat Goro in a single move? What are they planning?"

Tenko crosses his arms. "Whatever it is, I have a feeling it’s going to be intense!"

With a dramatic pause, Karna and Goro raise their hands, eyes locked.

Then—

"ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS!"

Followed by a Silence.

The crowd’s excitement freezes in place.

Han- “Huh?”

A guy from crowd: “What’s going on?”

We cut to their hands—Karna throws rock. Goro throws paper.

Goro grins. "I win! You’ve got a long way to go, kiddo. Keep practicing."

The entire crowd’s expression shifts from eager anticipation to sheer disappointment.

"WHAT?!"

"Is this a joke?"

"You bunch of idiots! We got hyped for nothing!"

"This is the worst tournament ever!"

Ignoring the outcry from the stands, Goro lifted his hand. “Alright! I won. I will admit defeat then!”

But before he could finish, Karna’s hand shot up. “I admit defeat.”

Hatake’s voice rang out across the arena. “Karna admits defeat. Goro wins!”

Goro froze, his arm still raised. “What? Why did you do it? I was supposed to—”

Karna cut him off with a firm smile. “Goro-senpai, I won’t let you admit defeat until I can beat you fair and square. Until then, you’re the winner.”

The crowd, let down by the sudden end, began booing once more, their voices echoing through the arena.

Hatake stepped forward, raising his voice. “Karna admits defeat—Goro is the winner!”

As the noise of the arena swelled, Hatake’s eyes narrowed, his thoughts turning inward. So that’s their game… They’re not here to fight seriously. They wanted to lure out Mawang-sama —and Goro took the role of revealing Twilight's identity before everyone. Clever… very clever.

(*Writer’s note: In Japanese, "sama" (様) is an honorific suffix used to show respect, similar to "Mr." or "Ms." It's often used in formal or polite language.)

Goro with a smirk walks back into the hallway from the arena.

Karna left the arena and returned to the waiting room.

In the waiting room. Gyoda crossed his arms, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Well, you didn’t put up much of a fight.”

Kenta’s tone was calm and steady. “Fighting wasn’t our real goal. Don’t forget why we came here—we’ve been planning this for months.”

Reiko nodded in agreement. “Yeah. We had to find the right place and the right reason to lure him out. This test was the perfect opportunity. Luckily, it’s happening in a small town. Spreading a rumor that the Twilight would show up didn’t attract too much trouble from other clans or mages. It was just enough to catch Mawang’s attention without drawing unwanted interference. And since this is only a D-rank test, it made the perfect setup.”

Hatake’s voice echoed through the arena. “Next match—Reiko versus Han!”

Han stood from the couch without a word. Adheera leaned forward, his voice low. “Careful, Han. We don’t know what she’s capable of. If she’s anything like her team, assume she can use elemental magic. Best to surrender quickly.”

Han didn’t respond. He simply lifted his hammer-like enhancer and walked out, his expression unreadable.

In the waiting room, Reiko exhaled softly and glanced at her teammates. “You guys already put on a big enough show. I’ll just admit defeat. No need for me to waste energy.”

When she stepped into the arena, the crowd grew restless, whispering. Han stood across from her, his enhancer resting heavily against his shoulder.

“The match begins!” Hatake declared.

Reiko raised her hand, ready to surrender on the spot. But before she could finish, Han lunged forward, his hammer whistling through the air as it swung straight for her face. She bent low, barely dodging, and rolled back onto her feet.

“I don’t want to fight,” Reiko said, her voice calm. “I’ll admit defeat, and we can walk away.”

Han sneered, veins standing out in his neck. “Fight me, you Twilight’s lapdog! You’re nothing but trash!”

“These kinds of taunts might work on the others,” Reiko replied coolly, brushing dust off her sleeve. “But not me. I’m not that easy to provoke.”

Han slammed his enhancer into the ground. Boulders rose from the floor and launched toward her, but Reiko slipped between them with effortless grace.

“Seriously,” she muttered, sidestepping again. “You couldn’t make me mad in a million years.”

She lifted her hand again—
—and then Han shouted, his voice ringing over the arena.
“Fight me, you Viridmane!”

Reiko froze. Her hand stopped mid-air, her expression blank.

In the waiting room, Karna and Gyoda both stiffened, shivering like they’d been struck by lightning.

“Oi, Karna!” Gyoda’s voice shook. “Did he just say… the FORBIDDEN WORD?”

Karna’s face paled. “Yeah. He did.”

Fumiko blinked in confusion. “Viridmane? Isn’t that a rare magical plant with powerful healing properties? Round crown, silky green strands flowing down like hair…” Her gaze lingered on Reiko, and for the first time she noticed—Reiko’s head resembled the plant itself. “…Oh.”

She turned to Kenta. “Then why are they trembling?”

Kenta’s jaw tightened. “Because Reiko hates that name. Once, Gyoda and Karna teased her with it. She beat them so badly it took a month to recover, even with medical care. That idiot Han… he just poked a sleeping beast.”

Back in the arena, Reiko’s calm face hardened, anger radiating from her like heat from a forge.

Her voice was low and sharp. “What did you just call me?”

Han blinked, confused. “A Virid—”

Before he could finish, the ground trembled. Five massive stone projections erupted almost simultaneously, shooting up with a deafening crack, each one positioning itself around him—top, bottom, left, right, and directly in front. The projections froze mere inches from his body. The sheer force made the arena floor shudder.

Han’s eyes went wide. Sweat ran down his temples, trickling into his eyes. His heart pounded against his ribs. A stunned silence rippled through the crowd, broken only by sharp gasps. Many spectators instinctively covered their mouths, believing he had been crushed in that instant.

Reiko’s gaze was sharp, unwavering. “Say it again,” she warned, her voice calm but deadly, “and I’ll crush you alive.”

The stone projections trembled for a fraction of a second before shattering violently into the ground, sending chunks of rock and dust scattering across the arena. The impact rattled the stands, and a low hum of awe and fear rolled through the audience.

Without another word, Reiko raised her hand, still wearing that icy glare. “I admit defeat.” She turned and walked out, leaving silence in her wake.

Han stood frozen, drenched in sweat, his hammer slipping from his grip. He knew. One more second, and he would have died.

A few spectators let out shaky breaths, while others exchanged nervous glances, clearly shaken by Reiko’s display of overwhelming control. The arena buzzed with a mix of awe, fear, and astonishment.

Adheera’s voice wavered. “These guys… they’re ridiculously strong. That girl alone could have crushed us all.”

Henry leaned back slightly, his voice clipped and precise. “What an astonishing display of power. I daresay she could contend with both George and myself, and still hold her ground.”

Hatake raised his hand, his voice cutting through the tension. “Reiko admits defeat! Han wins!”

He smiled faintly to himself as he watched her walk away. These kids… they’re far stronger than they let on.

Reiko stepped into the waiting room. Gyoda and Karna immediately hid behind the Sofa, trembling. Reiko, with a serious face, sat on the sofa,  her expression cold as ever. 

From the arena, Hatake’s voice rang out: “Next up—Fumiko versus Henry.”

George, swirling his teacup with meticulous care, spoke first. “Ah, it seems you are to confront a teammate of the Twilight. How… quaint.”

Henry’s voice carried the clipped authority of one accustomed to command. “Preposterous. She was never part of their team from the outset. Her presence is purely to satisfy the absurd requirement of five participants. And do take note—she is unmistakably a Lycian.”

Charles, momentarily abandoning his book, blinked in shock. “Really? This is… quite the revelation.”

Edward sighed, exuding the air of a man who found everything beneath him tedious. “That is precisely what occurs when one buries oneself in trifles rather than observing the world with the appropriate discernment, my dear Charles.”

Charles frowned. “But surely CAL—the Central Assembly of Lycia—has dispatched only five of our kind for this tournament?”

Albert’s tone was clipped, almost surgical, each word deliberate. “Our intelligence confirms she was consigned by the Kyofu clan to this continent at the tender age of five, as a slave. And she wields magic. Rest assured, the CAL maintains exhaustive oversight of every Lycian—they leave nothing to chance.”

George leaned forward, his gaze sharp. "A lamentable fate, indeed. And if she commands magic, then she must hail from the Shugo clan, those who journeyed from their native continent and established themselves in Lycia millennia ago."

Edward’s voice drew out each word with deliberate, cold precision. “Oh, that wretched clan! I had assumed they had endured sufficient hardships under our government, yet to be shipped as slaves and compelled to do another’s bidding—truly, I do feel some measure of pity for them. Henry, I trust you will exercise at least minimal restraint.”

Henry’s smirk widened as he adjusted the golden glove on his hand, the movement precise and ceremonial. “And pray, why should I concern myself? A lineage on the wane merits nothing but my impartial observation. If extinction is their destined course, I see no cause to interfere.” He strode toward the arena, every step measured, echoing with authority.