The gates of Aegis Academy towered over the returning applicants. Yudo slowed his steps slightly as they approached. He had seen the academy from afar before, but standing before it now, without the hundreds of applicants in the plaza, felt different.

The school looked nothing like anything he had ever seen before. Around him, the surviving applicants walked through the gates with exhausted expressions. Some leaned on each other for support. Others were being carried, their injuries still fresh from the fight with the Corrupted lion.

Past the main gate, the massive courtyard was filled with people moving around. Dozens of instructors moved quickly through the area, directing injured students toward the infirmary. Several healers were already working, glowing energy flowing from their hands into the wounded. Stretcher teams moved through the crowd while academy staff shouted directions across the courtyard.

Ryukai looked around with wide eyes. “Okay,” he muttered. “Getting a second glance at this place is insane.”

Renki nodded slightly. “It’s much bigger than I imagined.”

Elaina said nothing. Her golden eyes quietly studied the academy buildings surrounding them.

At the center of the courtyard stood a massive board nearly twenty feet tall.

Yudo frowned. “What is that?”

Ryukai shrugged. “No idea. Probably some ridiculously expensive academy screen.”

Before anyone else could answer, a loud bell rang across the courtyard. The sound echoed through the academy grounds, bouncing between the stone buildings. Conversations immediately quieted. Several instructors stepped aside as a tall figure approached the massive board.

Shujiro.

He stretched his arms casually as he walked forward, looking completely relaxed despite the hundreds of applicants gathered around.

“Well,” Shujiro said loudly, scratching the back of his head. “Congratulations to everyone for surviving the entrance exam given the circumstances.”

A few applicants groaned.

Shujiro smirked. “What? That’s an accomplishment in itself.”

A nervous wave of laughter spread through the courtyard.

“Not only did you all help each other fight, you helped care for the injured ones. We expected a lot from you all and you exceeded our expectations. So be proud of that!”

The atmosphere slowly shifted in a positive direction. Another instructor stepped forward as Shujiro walked away.

“As you’ve probably guessed, the entrance exam ended earlier than expected.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Yudo and the others exchanged glances. None of them were surprised.

“Sometimes things happen like that.” His tone didn’t quite match the tension lingering in the air. “But despite that interruption,” he continued, “we were able to evaluate everyone’s performance.”

He tapped the massive board beside him. 

“This is the ranking board. Our scoring changed after the appearance of the Alpha Beast.”

The screen suddenly lit up. A faint hum echoed through the courtyard as glowing letters appeared across its surface. Names and point totals began appearing, ranked from first to forty-eight. Applicants instinctively leaned forward.

Ryukai grabbed Yudo’s arm. “Ah hell nah,” he muttered. “Didn’t Shujiro say we passed?”

His eyes darted across the board. “WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?”

The last six names appeared at the top of the board.

The top rankings slowly appeared.

Virsen Keisho — 100 points

Elaina Amane — 97 points

Yudo Kishiyoshi — 95 points

Renki Kazamine — 93 points

Ryukai Kazehaya — 91 points

Lillie Armonia — 91 points

The top names glowed brighter than the rest. For a moment, the courtyard fell silent. Some applicants stared at the board in disbelief. Others slowly lowered their heads. Some clenched their fists. Others didn’t even look back at the board. The realization that they hadn’t passed hit them all at once.

“This has to be rigged,” Ryukai stared at the board. “There’s no way you scored that many more points than me.”

Yudo blinked slightly. …Higher than I thought. He shrugged. “Well I did have more jewels than you.”

Ryukai groaned. “YOU STOLE THEM FROM ME.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Yuh huh.”

“Nuh uh.”

Nearby, several applicants whispered among themselves.

“Amane ranked second?”

“That Storm Trait user is fourth.”

“Who’s Kishiyoshi?”

A few students glanced toward him curiously.

Yudo shrugged. They’re staring at me…

Elaina barely reacted to her rank. She already knew Virsen deserved first place after the battle. Renki crossed his arms quietly. Virsen didn’t react at all. He stood several feet away from the others, his expression unreadable like the ranking didn't matter.

“Pretty awesome scores all around.”

He pointed toward the board.

“Keisho had the highest combat score.”

Virsen remained silent.

“Amane showed the highest Trait output during the exam. She also protected the most students.”

Elaina gave no reaction.

The instructor continued.

“Kishiyoshi had the highest tactical score.”

Several instructors standing nearby exchanged glances.

Yudo blinked. He hadn’t expected that.

Shujiro grinned at him. Turns out holding off a Corrupted Alpha while protecting half the exam field earns you some points.

He subtly pointed at Yudo, mouthing “You should thank your teacher for being so incredible.” 

Only Yudo noticed what Shujiro was saying. All he could do was laugh. 

Across the courtyard, a group of instructors gathered near the ranking board. Their expressions were serious.

“Rest assured that the professional Guardians will handle the situation with the Corrupted Beast.”

Yudo’s eyes sharpened slightly. So I’m not the only one thinking about it.

The instructor suddenly raised his voice again. “Alright everyone.” The courtyard quieted. “Those who didn’t pass may leave.”

Several applicants slowly began walking toward the gates, disappointment written across their faces. Some looked defeated. Others looked angry. A few stopped briefly to look back at the academy one last time before continuing on. No one stopped them.

Soon only a small group remained. Forty-eight students. The ones who passed. The rest had already disappeared beyond the gates. 

The forty-eight students were divided into three classes of sixteen based on their scoring.

“The forty-eight of you who passed,” the instructor continued, “are now officially students of Aegis Academy.”

A few students cheered weakly. Others simply exhaled in relief. The tension many had carried since entering the forest finally began to disappear. 

Shujiro scratched his head as he walked behind the instructor that was talking. “…Damn. Tough crowd.”

Yudo just let out a breath. Relief settled in quietly.

Shujiro pointed toward the massive academy buildings behind him. “Your real training begins tomorrow.”

Ryukai blinked. “Tomorrow… as in the day after today?”

Shujiro smirked. “Mhmm. That is generally what tomorrow means.” He shrugged. “But don’t quote me on that.”

Several students laughed. Others groaned.

He glanced around the courtyard. “The entrance exam was only the beginning.”

The bell rang again across the courtyard. Its deep tone echoed through the grounds.

Several instructors began leading students toward their dormitories.

First the 1-C class headed to their dorms with 1-B following shortly afterwards.

Shujiro walked up to Elaina. “Elaina,” he said casually.

She turned slightly.

“Try not to cause too many problems.”

She smirked faintly. “No promises.”

Shujiro then looked at Yudo. For a brief moment, his expression changed. The casual smile disappeared. Something sharper replaced it.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Try not to die before classes start.”

Yudo rolled his eyes. “You really suck at motivating people.”

Ryukai leaned toward him. “I didn’t realize Shujiro was such a weirdo.”

Yudo sighed. “Trust me. You get used to it.”

The courtyard felt quieter now. Only the selected students remained. But even among them, a smaller group stood out.

The top sixteen.

Class 1-A

The atmosphere around them felt different. A few students glanced toward them. Some with respect. One final instructor stepped forward beside Shujiro.

Shujiro spread his arms dramatically. “Allow me to introduce my good friend… Clarence.”

Clarence stepped forward. His presence alone quieted the courtyard. The casual conversations immediately died down.

“Hello, first years,” he said calmly. “I will be overseeing your training from this point forward.”

He scanned the group carefully. His eyes lingered on each student for only a moment, but somehow it felt much longer.

“By the end of this year, some of you will be closer to becoming Guardians.” He paused. “The rest of you will learn exactly why you shouldn’t have come here.”

The weight of his words settled over the group. Several students straightened instinctively. Others swallowed nervously.

Shujiro clapped slowly. “What an introduction. Don’t scare them too much.” 

Clarence ignored him. He turned and began walking toward the academy buildings.

“Follow me.”

“I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

Yudo took a slow breath.

His first goal was complete.

He made it.

But he knew that this…

Was only the beginning.