Imperial PalaceThe king frowned deeply as he looked from Sullivan to the researcher standing beside him.“What did you say?”The hall fell silent.Simon calmly met the king’s gaze before answering, “Your Majesty, I believe the abyssals may not actually be our enemies. They may be a race we should be trying to befriend.”The entire room froze.“Simon!” the king snapped. “Do not assume that being one of the royal court’s researchers gives you the freedom to make such outrageous claims. Have you forgotten how much suffering the abyssals have brought upon this world?”“I understand your concern, Your Majesty,” Simon replied without raising his voice. “And under normal circumstances, I would never suggest something so absurd. However, after studying the information provided by Valaris Academy, I have no choice but to consider this possibility.”Not far away, Cade Harold, Skylar’s father, turned toward Sullivan with an unreadable expression.“Father…”He did not continue, but the question

The entire hall fell silent.Everyone could hear the anger hidden beneath the principal’s calm voice. It was rare for him to openly show such hostility, yet this time there was no attempt to hide it. Whoever that organization was, Valaris Academy had no intention of showing mercy.At the same time, another thought lingered in everyone’s mind.Rhys.No one had expected a commoner to receive the highest honor of the ceremony.They already knew he was talented. His performance during the entrance examination and the battle royale had made that obvious. But what they heard today went far beyond talent. His accomplishments were difficult to believe, even after the principal personally confirmed them.Among those most shocked was Grace.She stared at Rhys from her seat, unable to hide the disbelief in her eyes.“How did he break Teacher Malen’s barrier?” she muttered. “He may not be a Barrier Grandmaster yet, but he’s already one of the finest barrier specialists in this kingdom.”Her brows

After class ended, Meave wasted no time cornering Rhys.An explanation was long overdue.To Rhys’s surprise, Serafina tagged along as well, wearing the same innocent smile that had caused him so much trouble in the classroom.Fortunately, the initial shock had worn off.Now that he had a chance to think everything through, Rhys was much calmer than before.Meave folded her arms and stared straight at him.“So,” she said coolly, “are you going to explain everything?”Rhys nodded without trying to dodge the question.“Her name is Serafina. I met her while I was trying to enter the Ancient Library.”He scratched his cheek before continuing.“My teacher introduced me to an elder, and that elder told me someone would guide me into the library after giving me a task.”“So when I ran into her…” He pointed at Serafina. “…I naturally assumed she was that guide.”“The first time I saw her, she had already collapsed from exhaustion after being chased by a group of bandits.”“I helped her, and af

There was little the students could do to prepare.The competition had been rescheduled so quickly that one day simply wasn’t enough to gather new resources or come up with elaborate strategies. On top of that, the teachers kept a close eye on everyone, making sure nobody tried to cheat before the event.By the following morning, all the participants had gathered once again inside the academy hall.The faculty stood at the front, with Wyndia among them.Once the room quieted down, Varyn stepped forward.“We’ll now begin the final competition.”His voice echoed throughout the hall.“This event will take place inside an illusion created by Vice Principal Wyndia.”“In other words, even if you’re defeated during the battle, you won’t actually die.”“You’ll simply be removed from the illusion.”He swept his gaze across the students.“Fight with everything you have.”“This is your final chance to earn rewards.”“As the rules differ from the original event, I’ll now hand everything over to V

Wyndia observed the battle without taking her eyes off the arena. After a while, she turned to Serafina.“Can you tell what he’s doing?”“Of course.” Sera nodded. “We use similar fighting styles, so it’s easy enough for me to understand.”She folded her arms as her eyes followed Thalveris’s movements.“Synchronization is a very flexible ability. Most people think it’s nothing more than sharing your Mana with someone else.”“But that’s only the most basic application.”“If your control is refined enough, Synchronization can be used in several different ways.”“There are four major variations.”She raised four fingers.“The first is Super Boost.”“You pour your own Mana into a single target and strengthen them to the greatest extent possible. That’s essentially what his black dog is doing.”“The second is Split Boost.”“You divide your Mana among several allies, allowing all of them to receive smaller enhancements at the same time.”“The third is Time Boost.”“Instead of maintaining a c