After the announcement concluded and the crowd began to disperse, Leon slipped away from the group of successful candidates. He made his way through the academy’s wide courtyard until he spotted a familiar figure sitting under a tree near the edge of the training grounds — Raine, his friendly classmate from the earlier trials.

Raine sat slumped forward, his staff resting across his knees, expression heavy with disappointment. The faint ripples of dried water on his clothes told the story well enough — he had fallen during the first test.

Leon approached quietly. “Mind if I sit here?”

Raine looked up and forced a smile. “Ah… Leon. Congratulations on passing, man. You really deserve it.”

Leon sat beside him, his gaze calm. “Thanks… but you don’t have to look so down. It’s not over yet.”

Raine let out a halfhearted chuckle. “Not over? The headmaster already said the Gate of Trials is done. Only eleven people passed. The rest of us… well, better luck next year.”

Leon tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “Good luck to you too — for your next test.”

Raine blinked in confusion. “Next… test? What are you talking about?”

Leon turned his gaze toward the distant academy towers. “Tell me something, Raine. Doesn’t it seem strange to you?”

“What does?”

“Every year,” Leon said quietly, “Elsgard Magic Academy accepts hundreds of new students. Yet this year… only eleven passed the entrance exam. Doesn’t that sound a little off?”

Raine frowned, trying to process the thought. “Now that you mention it… yeah, that is odd. But maybe this year’s standards are just higher?”

Leon shook his head. “No. That wasn’t the real entrance exam.”

Raine’s eyes widened. “What?”

Leon smiled faintly. “The test we took — the one with the gate — was meant to select the elite class. Only a handful of top talents are chosen for it each year. The rest of the applicants… will have their true entrance exam* in a few days.*”

Raine blinked, stunned. “Wait—so you’re saying… I still have a chance to get in?”

Leon nodded. “Exactly. Don’t give up yet. Study, prepare, and when the next exam begins… give it everything you’ve got.”

For a long moment, Raine stared at him, disbelief slowly melting into hope. “You… you really think so?”

Leon stood, brushing the dust off his uniform. “I don’t think so, Raine. I know so.”

Raine’s expression brightened as he clenched his fists. “Then I won’t waste this chance. You better be ready when I catch up to you, Leon!”

Leon chuckled softly. “I’ll be waiting.”

As Leon turned to leave, Raine called out, “Hey, Leon… how did you even know all that?”

Leon paused, looking back over his shoulder with a small, knowing smile.
“It’s just a secret of mine.”

And with that, he walked off toward the academy gates, the evening sun casting his shadow long across the courtyard.

In his previous life, he had never reached this far — but this time, he knew what was coming.
And this time, he would be ready for everything.