“Argh—!”Rhys’s scream tore through the clearing as he clutched his right arm. The sound of something cracking had echoed in his ears a second earlier, and now the limb hung uselessly at his side. No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t respond.Skylar didn’t slow down.“If that kind of pain is enough to stop you,” she said as she stepped forward, “then an alien would finish you in an instant, Junior.”She was about to close the distance again, but Gaelion and Anubis moved at the same time, cutting her off from both sides.Gaelion struck first, slamming into her blade and stopping it for a brief moment. At the same time, Anubis sent its bandages forward, aiming straight for her weapon.Skylar leaned back to avoid the attack, but the bandages weren’t aiming for her body.They wrapped around the sword.With both Gaelion and Anubis holding onto it, they forced it down, driving the blade into the ground.Even so, Anubis didn’t stop there. The bandages were only part of its strength. It l

“Yeah! That’s it—finish her!” Wyndia practically bounced on the spot, fists clenched in excitement as she watched the bullets strike. There was a spark of pride in her eyes, but it quickly shifted into frustration. “Such a shame… His power still isn’t enough. He can’t punch through that much Mana protection, not fast enough to overwhelm her body and arm at the same time.” Beside her, Grace blinked several times, clearly struggling to process what she was seeing. “What is going on here? Skylar, you’re not actually losing, are you?” she muttered, half to herself. Then her voice rose. “You can’t lose here! If you do, I’ll be the one in trouble. That boy is dangerous. If you don’t stop him now, he’ll turn the entire class against itself!” Jason, standing a short distance away, scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He wanted to suggest that maybe they should pay attention to the other students too, but the tension between the two women made that feel like a terrible idea. In the end,

"Damn it… this world is way too hard." Rhys lay flat on the grass, staring up at the clear blue sky as the thought echoed in his head. For a while, he didn’t move. He just breathed and let everything settle. Nothing had gone the way he planned. Not from the very beginning. Xander hadn’t acted like the typical arrogant noble he expected. His father never showed up to try and kill him. Instead of summoning Sun Wukong, he ended up with Anubis. And just when he thought he had Skylar figured out, Maeve stepped in and threw off the entire flow of the fight. Every piece had shifted at the wrong time. Every assumption had failed him. He had joked about it before, cursed his luck, even made light of it out loud. But deep down, he didn’t actually blame anyone. Not Xander. Not Maeve. Not even fate itself. When Anubis appeared instead of the familiar he expected, he didn’t complain. He adapted. He built an entirely new plan around healing instead of raw combat. He reshaped his strategy

Inside the hut, the atmosphere was far calmer than the chaos outside. The battle had ended for those who made it, and now all that remained was choosing how to spend their hard-earned points.Maeve sat quietly, her eyes drifting toward the entrance from time to time. She was not really focused on the items in front of her. Instead, she was waiting. Waiting for Rhys.Cade and Thalveris were there as well, seated a short distance apart. Neither of them spoke, but the tension between them was obvious. They kept a careful eye on each other, both aware that the other was a rival worth watching.At the same time, they shared a similar thought. Where was Rhys?Given his performance during the previous trial, it made no sense for him to be absent. Someone who had ranked among the top three before should have easily made it here again. His absence felt… wrong.That quiet unease did not last long.A voice suddenly echoed through the air, clear and authoritative, cutting through the silence.“Th

Thalveris caught up with Grace in the corridor, his steps sharp and impatient. The moment she stopped, he didn’t bother holding back. “What exactly are you doing, Grace?” She tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips as if she found the question amusing. “What do you mean? I’m standing right here, aren’t I?” she replied lightly. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” His voice hardened. “Do you really think I wouldn’t notice what you were trying to say when you invited him into the student council like that? In front of everyone?” Grace let out a soft laugh, covering her mouth for a moment before lowering her hand. “Oh? You mean Rhys?” she said, her tone turning playful. “He’s a citizen of the Virelith Kingdom. As someone who represents that kingdom, it’s only natural that I take care of my own people. Or is there something you’d like to say? Don’t tell me the Thalverian Kingdom is planning to take what belongs to me.” “Your people?” Thalveris snapped. “I