The next morning arrived faster than expected, and the atmosphere around the academy had completely changed. What used to be a regular training day now carried a sense of tension, anticipation, and quiet excitement. Rhys stood among the other students as a staff member approached him and handed over a piece of cloth. “Please wear this on your head.” He took it without much thought, flashing a casual smile. But the moment he looked down at it, something felt off. It was red. That alone wasn’t strange, but when he glanced around, he noticed that every other student nearby was already wearing theirs… and theirs were white. Rhys raised an eyebrow and turned back to the staff. “Are you sure this is the correct one?” The staff didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” That single word was enough. Rhys exhaled quietly, already piecing things together in his head. “So that’s how it is…” Without making a fuss, he tied the red headband around his head and began walking toward the front, where the rest o

The glare of white light slowly faded, and one by one, the students regained their vision. When the brightness finally lifted, they found themselves standing inside a completely empty room. The space was vast yet featureless, its walls smooth and pale, giving off an unsettling stillness that made it feel detached from reality. There were no doors, no windows, no visible exits. Just silence… and anticipation. Floating at the center of the room was a familiar presence. It was one of Wyndia’s contracted spirits. Her figure hovered effortlessly above the ground, her form ethereal and faintly radiant, as though she were only partially bound by the laws of the physical world. When she spoke, her voice carried a strange calm that seemed to settle directly into their minds rather than simply reaching their ears. “Welcome to my dream world, students.” A few of them instinctively straightened their posture. Even those who didn’t fully understand what stood before them could feel the pres

“About half of them have gathered already.”The report came from a student standing a few steps behind the blond-haired young man at the center of the group. His tone carried a mix of confidence and urgency, the kind that came when a plan seemed to be unfolding exactly as intended.“Your Highness,” he continued, lowering his head slightly in respect, “with this number, breaking through shouldn’t be a problem.”Thalveris didn’t answer immediately.Instead, a slow smile spread across his face, subtle but unmistakable. There was no surprise in his expression, no hesitation either. Everything about his demeanor suggested that this outcome had been expected from the very beginning.“And Cade?” he asked calmly.Another student stepped forward to respond. “He’s been sighted. Far from this area. From what we can tell, he only has two people with him right now. Meanwhile, we’ve already gathered nine.”That was enough.Thalveris gave a small, satisfied nod. “Good. Then there’s no reason to dela

On one side of the forest, the clash had already ended.Cade stood quietly among the aftermath, his expression as composed as ever. With a smooth motion, he slid his sword back into its sheath, the faint metallic sound cutting through the silence that followed the fight. Around him, several headbands lay scattered across the ground, abandoned where their owners had fallen. It didn’t take much imagination to piece together what had happened here.A student nearby clapped his hands, clearly impressed. “As expected of you, Cade. With you leading, that was almost too easy.”Another nodded eagerly, glancing at the headbands as if they were proof of victory. “At this rate, we’ll reach the goal before anyone else even gets close.”Cade didn’t respond right away.His gaze drifted briefly toward them, unreadable. He wasn’t particularly interested in their praise. In fact, if anything, it annoyed him. These two weren’t his allies in any meaningful sense. They had simply attached themselves to h

“Are we seriously doing this?” Rhys let out a small, crooked smile, though there was a hint of tension beneath it. His eyes stayed locked on the figure ahead. “Gaelion… I’ll stall her for a bit. While I do that, explain it to Anubis.”Gaelion blinked, clearly thrown off at first. The instruction sounded vague, almost random. But after everything they had been through, one thing had become clear—when Rhys spoke like this, it usually meant he had already thought several steps ahead.Even if the plan sounded reckless.Even if the chances of success were slim.Still, Gaelion exhaled slowly. If there was even a possibility of winning, it would come from whatever Rhys was about to attempt.Rhys straightened and stepped out from behind cover, no longer hiding.“Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?” he called out. “Attacking a junior like that without holding back?”Skylar didn’t react much. Her expression remained calm, almost indifferent, as if his words didn’t carry any weight.“Wo