"What do you see, Lilly?"

Silence hung for a long moment.

Vera shifted her weight, watching the pink-haired woman sit cross-legged on a floating root ten feet above the ground. Lilly's eyes were closed; her breathing steady, measured—deep in concentration.

Zone 5: Shadowmere Forest lived up to its name. Ancient trunks rose like cathedral pillars, their canopies so thick only scattered, green-tinted shafts of light reached the floor. The air smelled of rich loam, moss, and faintly sweet Luminous Sporeblossoms clinging to old bark.

Vera's eyes snapped open.

A nearby tree's bark rippled. The wood reshaped itself into a living predator and lunged at Lilly with terrifying speed. Bark-textured hide split to reveal needle teeth and predator-yellow eyes.

Barkfang Tracker (B-Grade)—a monster that mimicked bark to ambush prey.

Before it could reach Lilly, a thick root burst from the earth beneath it and pierced the creature's body. Its eyes widened; more roots erupted—five, ten, dozens—tearing it apart from the inside. The Barkfang dissolved into motes of magic before it could even scream.

+20 points.

"Thanks," Lilly said with a lazy smirk as she opened her eyes—pure black, no iris, no pupil, unsettling and striking.

"Come on, tell me! What do you see?" Vera demanded.

The root she’d been sitting on retracted silently into the soil as Lilly descended.

"How convenient," Lilly observed, watching Vera. "Your earth magic fits this zone perfectly. You're absolutely killing it."

Vera shifted uncomfortably, brushing a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear. "Well... you're welcome?"

Lilly hummed. "Multiple A-Grades. Rootmaw Annihilator and Thornspire Dreadlord. An Ivory Crown party had them engaged. Looked like they had it handled."

"We can't hunt A-Grades. We'd get demolished," Vera admitted, then brightened. "B-Grades though—B-Grades! Tell me you found some?"

"Of course. Groveborn Render and Leafbane Huntmaster. Circling each other a hundred meters east. Territorial dispute—easy pickings if we push them while distracted."

Vera's competitive grin spread. "Let's go."

Roots rose like liquid, forming a moving platform that carried Vera forward. She rode them as if they were part of her body, weaving between trunks with practiced ease.

Lilly followed on a Verdant Stag—a summoned, glowing deer whose hooves barely brushed the ground.

"You've got crazy stamina," Vera said over her shoulder. "How are you maintaining summons and scouting? I didn't know you had that much endurance."

Lilly's expression was neutral but faintly proud. "Sparring with Lady Lyralei helps."

Vera's interest sharpened. "What's it like? Training with her?"

Lilly's face tightened. "You don't want to know."

"Try me."

"It's bearable when she's relaxed," Lilly said. "When she's serious, though—just standing near her aura shreds skin. Her element, Black Lightning, doesn't just shock. It tears through you and branches through your body like living razors."

She rubbed her left arm, remembering. "I took a direct hit during a spar. Hospitalized for a month."

"A month?!" Vera gaped. Nobles' injuries usually healed in a day or two with proper magic.

Lilly chuckled darkly. "Don't mention it when we see her."

They arrived where Lilly had said.

The head of the Leafbane Huntmaster—a massive wolf-like creature covered in thorny vines—was rolling across the forest floor, severed cleanly from its body. But it wasn't just killed. Its face had been carved out, flesh and bone removed with deliberate cruelty.

Vera groaned in frustration. "We're late! Come on!"

Lilly's black eyes sharpened dangerously. "Oh yeah. We got him good now."

Their eyes tracked movement—a large figure partially obscured by trees. It was a beast-kin student—at least seven feet tall, with features that were more animal than human. Powerful muscles, fur-covered arms, and a predatory stance. The creature was slightly injured, arrows from the Leafbane still embedded in its shoulder, but it didn't seem to care.

The beast-kin crushed the skull of the Groveborn Render with one massive hand, finishing off Vera and Lilly's second target.

Their points. Stolen.

"Aah, it's you!" Vera screamed, voice cracking. "You're hunting our monsters! How do you even know which targets we're tracking?!"

The beast-kin didn't answer. Thick black smoke poured from its body—unnatural, like an artifact or ability.

"Hey! What's your problem, jerk?!" Vera screamed.

Lilly immediately shifted into battle stance. A crimson Emberphoenix materialized on her left shoulder in a burst of flames, and a massive blue Tideclaw Crab appeared beside her, its pincers snapping menacingly.

"Oh, his problem?" Lilly said with a dangerous grin. "His problem is that no one's beaten the shit out of him yet. Let's knock his lights out."

Vera nodded eagerly. The trees around them responded to her will, their branches moving like fans, creating powerful gusts of wind that cleared away the obscuring smoke.

The beast-kin student—immediately bolted, running at incredible speed deeper into the forest.

Vera and Lilly pursued without hesitation—Vera on her root platform, Lilly on her Verdant Stag.

Suddenly, he stopped.

An Earth Sentinel Golem burst from the ground directly in front of him, its massive stone fist crashing down with enough force to crater the earth. he tore through the golem's chest with his bare claws, shattering stone like it was clay, then continued running.

Lilly groaned. "Persistent bastard."

.

The next second, he was a hair's breadth away from her eyes—claws extended, ready to tear through her face.

"Roka, aren't you taking it too far?"

A hand deflected the blow with casual ease. The claws scraped to the side.

Lilly fell backward gasping. She looked up and recognized the man between her and Roka.

Darius of House Aquilon—lean, blue-green hair that moved like water even when there was no breeze. His eyes were closed, yet he'd intercepted Roka's attack. A soft smile crossed his lips.

"Well?" Darius said calmly. "Gonna say nothing?"

A small Aqua Sparrow perched in his left hand—its water-eyes had been blood-red, a sign of influence.

My scout! Lilly's mind raced. He must have hijacked it to track their targets.

"Come on," she said, anger bright despite herself. "Let's put this mutt back in his place."

Roka stayed silent, then bolted, disappearing into the foliage.

Lilly moved to pursue, but Darius caught her shoulder and pointed to where the Tideclaw Crab still held Vera's body.

"Why did you let him get away?!" Lilly barked.

She rushed to Vera, hands glowing with soft green healing magic—basic, but enough to stabilize her. "Vera! Wake up!"

She rushed over to Vera, her hands glowing with soft green healing magic—basic, but enough to stabilize injuries. "Vera! Wake up!"

Darius followed at a leisurely pace, humming thoughtfully. "Well, Roka was one of the students who rejected all our noble house sponsorships."

He laughed lightly. "It appears he found his reason to fight after all." The Aqua Sparrow's eyes returned to their normal blue color, released from whatever control had been placed on it.

Lilly groaned in frustration. "Well... fuck him. Next time, I'm turning his skin into a carpet for hurting Vera and Mizu." She gestured at the Aqua Sparrow.

Her tone became slightly accusatory. "You're way too loose with these commoners. That's why they're getting so bold."

"His Majesty's orders," Darius replied instantly.

The conversation ended just like that—absolute and final.

Lilly muttered under her breath, "I know, I know..."

Vera blinked groggily, her light blue eyes unfocused. "Ahh... dazed..." She sat up slowly, then immediately straightened when she saw Darius. "Lord Aquilon!"

"Be at ease," he replied with that same gentle smile.

Lilly asked, "Why were you late to orientation anyway?"

"Had some stuff to handle," Darius said vaguely.

The scene shifted.

Zone 3: Frostwind Tundra

"Ice spells to slow down attacks, earth spells to block—good tactical choices indeed."

The figure's voice was calm, almost conversational, but there was a certain excitement underlying it. He wanted more.

"But blocking and dodging aren't the only things that win battles, are they... Serina?"

The speaker was a lean young man with messy blue hair and bandaged hands. He wore a black mask covering the upper half of his face, leaving only his grinning mouth visible.

Serina panted desperately, tears streaming down her face from pain and desperation.

"Come on! Think harder!"

I can't! she thought. "It hurts!"

A single touch earlier had shattered her ribcage. Since then, she'd only dodged and run, barely able to breathe without agony.

"Come on, get up!"

She looked to her side desperately.

Damn it, we're going to lose...

Prince Agni was lying on the ground nearby, barely conscious. His breathing was even more irregular than when she'd first met him in the snow—shallow, stuttering, wrong. His left shoulder was bleeding furiously, the entire arm torn completely off. It lay several feet away, still twitching slightly.

What's his deal anyway? This is supposed to be an elimination round for points, not attempted murder!

Serina's mind drifted back to how peaceful things had been just a short while ago.

[Flashback]

Head of Coldmaw Warden (B-Grade) was decorated on snow.

She'd been humming to herself—800 points complete. "Just a little more and I can hit S-Class early."

She'd glanced back toward where she'd left Prince Agni. Was it okay to leave him behind like that?

Well, it was his choice, she'd rationalized. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

Her mind had flickered red with the memory of his blunt marriage proposal, and she'd physically shaken her head to clear it. No need to think about that right now. Focus on points.

Then she'd heard it.

A sound that made her heart drop into her stomach—like two mountains grinding against each other, then collapsing. The very air vibrated with the impact.

Something landed beside her.

"Landed" was an understatement. It was practically a bomb blast. The ice beneath her feet shattered in a fifty-foot radius, sending deadly shards flying in all directions.

The same black-masked figure revealed himself, grinning widely.

"Found you, Serina!!" he shouted excitedly. "The genius researcher who proposed Thermal Acceleration Dynamics theory at orientation! Let's see if you can replicate it when your life depends on it!"

He rushed ahead instantly, his fist aimed directly at her liver—a precision strike designed to incapacitate.

Serina moved not with calculation, but pure survival instinct.

She swung her staff wildly, ice magic forming reflexively. Her staff made contact with his fist—

And everything changed.

The moment was short yet somehow lasting. She felt her entire being drawn toward her own staff—dragged inward, then violently pushed outward. Her body temperature spiked dramatically. Her hearing picked up sounds that shouldn't exist: the rattling of chains grinding against each other, the hum of resonating frequencies.

Her black eyes shone with sudden understanding.

A shockwave erupted from the point of contact, sending both of them flying backward. Serina ground against the frozen earth, her staff smoking—

But she was smiling.

"A Chain Strike!"

Her eyes began shaking, her breathing growing heavier and heavier with excitement rather than fear.

"Chain Strike?! That was a Chain Strike, wasn't it?! It feels amazing! I feel... I feel whole!" its like solving a puzzle , like a moment everything make sense......
.

But her excitement was short-lived. Her nose began bleeding furiously, and blood filled her mouth—internal damage from the backlash.

The black-masked man shook his hand, which had been completely frozen. Ice shattered and fell away as he grinned. "I knew it! You had the passion I was looking for!"

Serina's analytical mind kicked back in. I dodged the full impact, didn't I?

But pain shivered down her entire body. Her chest felt weak—definitely internal damage. A mouthful of blood came up.

Retreat!

She started running backward desperately.

The black-masked man looked genuinely shocked. "Eh? Was I too direct...?"

He ran after her. "Hey, wait! Come on, you can't run away like that! We were just getting started!"

He appeared beside her instantly, matching her speed effortlessly. "Where are we running? Got any allies nearby?"

Serina froze mid-stride and fired a lightning spell point-blank into his face.

He shrugged it off completely, the electricity dispersing harmlessly. The spell did, however, smash through the tree behind him, sending it toppling—

And from the snow-covered branches, Prince Agni fell directly onto the black-masked man.

"Hey, watch it!" Agni groaned, disoriented.

The masked man grabbed Agni by his leg and hurled him away like a sack of garbage. "You bore me!"

But then his eyes sharpened with interest. He appeared on top of Agni in an instant, pinning him.

Agni slammed against the frozen ground, coughing up spit mixed with blood. "Ah... is it even legal to fight among students like this?" he muttered weakly.

The black-masked man's fist came racing down toward Agni's face.

Agni raised his arms to block—

The man's bored expression completely vanished, replaced by a wild grin. "You're gonna block it? Then you'd better block like your life depends on it!"

His fist made contact with Agni's hands.

The impact tore Agni's left arm clean off at the shoulder, tendons snapping, bone shattering, blood spraying. The detached limb went flying, and Agni's body was sent crashing violently into a nearby tree.

"Come on now..." Agni muttered, his eyes dulling further as consciousness began slipping away. "I thought i had suffered enough."

The black-masked man nodded in satisfaction, hands on his waist, grinning widely. "If this helps you fight more seriously—"

He turned toward Serina, who was still recovering from her internal injuries.

"This is Phase Two: Elimination Round!" he announced cheerfully. "So if I defeat you both, you go back to C-Class! So fight with everything you've got!"

[Back to Present]

Serina groaned, forcing herself to her feet despite the agony in her ribs.

"Recovered enough?" the masked man asked, genuinely curious.

Serina's posture fixed into a proper combat stance, staff held defensively. She gritted her teeth.

Remember the sensation of Chain Strike. Replicate it!

"I'm not going back!" she declared, her voice shaking but determined.

The black-masked man's grin widened even further.

"That's the spirit!!"