Fear.It was an emotion the Olympians never admitted to feeling.They prided themselves on being above such weakness.But beneath all that pride, they were no different from anyone else.They felt fear too.Marcus felt it now.He had just watched Reeves tear through three of his strongest generals as though they were insignificant. Those men were among the greatest warriors under his command, yet they had barely slowed the old principal’s advance before being wiped out.As Reeves continued marching towards the central palace, Marcus felt his heart pound against his chest.His hands tightened around the hilt of his sword.For the first time in a long time, he seriously considered running.There’s no way I can fight that monster…Just as he was about to abandon the palace, the tide of battle suddenly changed.The enormous storm of spectres surrounding Reeves began to weaken.One ghost after another faded away until the once unstoppable vortex started falling apart.At the centre of it al

“F-Father…?” Marcus stammered, his body trembling uncontrollably.For a brief moment, he genuinely believed he was about to die.Most people would have trusted their own father to protect them.Marcus did not.Neither he nor Maeve had ever enjoyed the kind of family most children dreamed of.From the time they were old enough to understand the world, they had realised they were not truly sons and daughters in their father’s eyes.They were assets.Useful pieces on the Olympian board.Nothing more.Their mother barely had a voice in the household. She had been chosen because of her bloodline and the children she could bear, not because she was loved.Escanor’s affection worked the same way.It depended entirely on whether his children were useful to Olympus.Marcus had shown talent from a young age.Maeve had been chosen as Poseidon’s Champion.Because of that, Escanor had given them praise, attention and what looked like fatherly affection.Looking back, Marcus knew it had all been con

Rhys finished reading Ren’s letter and let out a long sigh.Ever since Principal Reeves’ death, his thoughts had been all over the place. Grief, guilt and anger had been clouding his mind.For the first time in days, everything suddenly became clear.“The final exams begin in fourteen days and they’ll last for seven. If I’m going to join the assault on Floor Twenty-One with the Elites, Kael, Varyn and I have to clear Floors Eighteen and Nineteen, then pass the Tier Promotion Test on Floor Twenty, all before the exams begin.”“On top of that, I still need to prepare for the finals. I have to finish first if I want to complete the system quest I received at the beginning of the semester.”“And then there’s Maeve.”“Whatever happens between us has to reach its conclusion soon. I’ve spent months earning her trust. It’s time to use it.”The useless emotions weighing him down disappeared as his mind shifted entirely towards the work ahead.Everything had changed.The university had moved the

“The guards on the first level are mostly Tier Three fighters,” Maeve explained as she continued drawing on the ground.“But once you reach the entrance to the second level, everything changes.”She circled the staircase leading downward.“The guards stationed there are all Tier Four.”She looked up at Rhys.“The second level holds around two thousand prisoners and is protected by roughly five hundred guards.”Her expression grew more serious.“Unlike the first level, sneaking through won’t be an option.”“The corridors are too narrow, and the security is too tight.”“If you want to get past them, you’ll have to fight.”She let out a quiet sigh.The more she explained the prison’s layout, the more impossible the rescue sounded, even to her.“If you somehow survive all of that and make it to the third level…”She paused before continuing.“You’ll be facing the maximum-security ward.”“There are only three guards down there.”Rhys raised an eyebrow.“Only three?”Maeve nodded.“They’re a

Rhys spotted the danger the instant Kael pointed it out.Without wasting a second, he drew his sword.The lake urchin was charging straight at Kael at incredible speed. Rhys quickly judged its path and timing before swinging his blade to intercept it before it could reach his friend.Slash.Swinging a sword underwater was nothing like fighting on land.Every movement felt heavy, as though the water was trying to drag the blade away from him. Rhys had to push every muscle in his body to its limit just to complete a single slash. A strike that felt effortless in the open air demanded several times more strength beneath the surface.Even so, months of relentless training had paid off.His sword mastery had reached the point where he could project a sword slash through the water for nearly twenty-five metres.The invisible blade of energy sliced cleanly through the charging lake urchin before it ever reached Kael.Green blood burst from its body and quickly dissolved into the surrounding w