The first thing I saw was the infirmary ceiling.Soft white light filled the room. It was still early in the morning, and everything was quiet. The faint smell of healing herbs lingered in the air.Unsure of the exact reason, I wondered if we had been put in the same room for monitoring, as Shayna and Seiren were still asleep and completely drained on the beds beside me.Sitting up slowly so as not to make a sound, my gaze drifted to the two patients. Their mana was completely drained from pushing themselves so hard just to help me.As Shayna slept peacefully despite her earlier tears, and Seiren hid her underlying despair beneath a calm exterior, I wondered if I had gone too far. Then a wicked thought suddenly crossed my mind.Looking down at the bandages on my shoulder and leg, I sighed, feeling lightheaded. I had to master this skill soon because when it took over, the hunger and lack of pain made me feel like an entirely different person.I sighed. I was completely stuck between s

Elira and I wanted a change of scenery, but everywhere we went from the courtyards to the lounges was completely packed. The noise and crowds of students were just too much, so we ended up finding a quiet spot to escape the chaos.Trying to have a conversation here was impossible. Giving up on the noise, I leaned in toward her ear to make sure she could actually hear me."We should probably just do it at my dorm," I muttered.She stiffened on the spot. "Wait, do what?!"I sighed and clarified, "Why are you shouting? I meant our contract," causing her face to turn bright red as she mumbled, "Oh, okay," and whispered under her breath, "You dork."I raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at my lips as I asked, "Or I can just go to your dorm again, like last time?"Her refusal was immediate, cutting me off with a sharp "No."___My dorm room was simple, featuring a single bed pressed against the wall without a wrinkle in sight. Nearby, the study desk stood in stark contrast, completely

The moon hung high above the academy, bathing the empty training grounds in pale silver light. A cool night breeze drifted through the campus, rustling the trees and carrying with it the quiet that always came after curfew.By this hour, most of the students were fast asleep.I wasn't one of them.My footsteps echoed across the stone path as I jogged through the training grounds. Running usually helped clear my head, but tonight it did the opposite. I couldn't stop thinking about Zinnia's report and how Class A had rotted from the inside.Despite everything Balthazar Adelram had done, no one ever reported him, not to the Student Council and not to the instructors. Anyone with a strong sense of justice would probably ask, Why?The answer was simple. Even if the academy gathered enough evidence to expel him, everyone knew what would happen afterward. Balthazar would simply return to the Adelram family, while the students who spoke against him would be left to deal with the consequences.

My connection to Zinnia through Shared Vision ended after she delivered her final report, leaving me blinking as my vision adjusted to the dim light of my dorm room.I flopped backward onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling as I replayed everything in my head and chuckled quietly to myself. "Zinnia really doesn't hold back, huh? Well, that's just like her."___The announcement came just four weeks before summer break, catching everyone off guard. This annual practical exam was held right before the break, with the written midterms taking place afterward.Unlike ordinary written tests, this assessment focused on evaluating students' combat abilities and teamwork.But this time, instead of holding the test safely within the academy grounds, the Academy was sending us into a massive multi-class joint operation outside the campus, involving every class from Class S down to Class C."For the first time this semester, four different classes were grouped together to complete the Joint Opera

By the time the briefing started, the forest was already bright and warm. The sun hung high in a clear blue sky, its heat slipping through the trees and chasing away the last bit of morning chill.Light spilled across the clearing, making the leaves shimmer and the air feel heavier than before.All the students had gathered in the clearing, standing in their assigned teams. Usually, there would have been chatter and laughter, but today the conversations were hushed. People shifted their weight, checked their gear again and again, and glanced toward the front as if the exam might start the moment they blinked.Everyone knew this wasn't just another field exercise.I stepped closer to the bulletin board, eyes scanning the neatly arranged names etched in glowing letters.**S-Class students Seiren and Caen, partnered with students from other classes.**S-Class students Lucia and Pavel, also joined by students from different classes.**S-Class students Sol and Cassandra, their team filled