[Rank 5: Draven Blackwood]

  The spotlight snapped to the left, illuminating a young man who looked more like a junior professor than a student. He wore a sleek, custom-tailored suit and adjusted a monocle over his left eye with a gloved hand. His expression was one of cool, calculated confidence.

  "Draven?" someone whispered nearby. "Wait, isn't he the heir of the Black Dragon Guild?"

  "He is! The only son of Guildmaster Blackwood."

  Ryn raised an eyebrow. Even he had heard of the Black Dragon Guild. They were legendary mercenaries, infamous for their brutally high clear rates in High-Convergence Zones. For their heir to be an intellectual powerhouse as well as a combat specialist... that was impressive.

  "Rank 4..."

  [Rank 4: Ephina Nightshade]

  The light shifted again, finding a girl with striking, violet hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall of twilight. She sat with perfect posture, her eyes a piercing amethyst.

  "The Nightshade Family..." Asher muttered beside Ryn. "One of the Seven Grand Families. They specialize in Shadow Arts and Assassination. To score that high on a written test... she's not just a killer, she's a genius."

  "Rank 3..."

  [Rank 3: Ilene Vance]

  The beam landed on a girl who seemed to glow. She had cascading golden curls and a smile that was equal parts innocent and dangerously seductive. She waved playfully at the crowd, and half the boys in the hall seemed to sigh in unison.

  "Don't look at her eyes too long," Asher warned, averting his gaze subsonuously. "That's Ilene. Her grandmother is the Sovereign of Beauty. She specializes in mental manipulation and illusions. She can scramble your brain just by smiling at you."

  Ryn looked at her. She seemed harmless enough, but he noted the terrifying clarity in her gaze. 'Another one that is annoying to deal with.'

  "Rank 2..."

  [Rank 2: Magnus Vermillion]

  The spotlight swept across the room and landed on... a mess.

  It was a boy with unruly, fiery red hair that looked like a bird's nest. He was wearing his uniform jacket halfway off his shoulders, and his eyes were drooping, fighting a losing battle against gravity. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed five minutes ago.

  He didn't even acknowledge the applause. He just let out a massive yawn, scratching his stomach.

  "Heh," Asher nudged Ryn with his elbow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Look at that. Messy hair, sleepy eyes, completely unmotivated... He looks like your long-lost brother, doesn't he?"

  Ryn looked at the red-haired boy on the screen, then looked at his own reflection in the darkened monitor.

  "...I have better hair," Ryn replied flatly.

  "Sure you do," Asher chuckled.

  "And finally," the Vice Principal's voice boomed, silencing the hall instantly. The air pressure seemed to drop. "The Valedictorian of the Written Assessment. A perfect score of 190/190."

  The crowd gasped. A perfect score in that exam? With those theoretical questions?

  Even the sleepy Magnus seemed to have woken up!

  "Rank 1..."

  [Rank 1: Mirana Dume]

  The name appeared in platinum letters, dominating the screen.

  The spotlight didn't need to search for long this time.

  It fell directly on the front row, center seat.

  The girl had silver-white hair tied in a high, combat-ready ponytail and eyes the color of tempered steel. She simply stood up, radiating an aura of overwhelming pressure that made the students in the nearby rows flinch instinctively.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "It's her..." Asher whispered, his voice losing all traces of humor. "Mirana Dume."

  "Who is she?" Ryn asked, though he could already guess.

  "Seriously? You don't even know her? Sigh, it seems like you really have been living under a rock." Asher shook his head, looking at Ryn with genuine pity. "That is Mirana Dume. She is the only daughter of Rio Dume."

  Ryn blinked. "Rio Dume?"

  "Yes," Asher whispered, his voice hushed with reverence. "The man who stands at the very apex of the world. The Unbroken Sword! The Unbound! The Sovereign of Souls! The strongest man alive!"

  "You should know him at least, right?" Asher asked, a heavy note of doubt creeping into his voice as he scrutinized Ryn's face.

  Ryn rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

  "Of course. How could I not know him?"

  'In fact,' Ryn added silently, his gaze drifting back to the stoic girl on the screen, 'I might know him better than anyone else in this entire hall. Hmm, maybe even better than his own daughter does.'

  He studied Mirana's features closely.

  High cheekbones, the flowing silver-white hair, the eyes that looked like chips of frozen steel.

  'But then again... she doesn't look like him at all.'

  An image of a man popped into Ryn's mind.

  A rough, boisterous figure with a crooked grin and a completely different vibe from this ice-cold princess.

  'Yeah,' Ryn concluded, nodding to himself. 'She definitely got her looks from her mother.'

  On the stage, Mirana offered a faint, respectful nod to the Vice Principal.

  For the first time since the ceremony began, the stern man's face cracked. The Vice Principal offered her a genuine, approving smile before gesturing for her to return to her seat.

  As she sat down, the heavy atmosphere in the room lightened slightly.

  "That concludes the Written Assessment," the Vice Principal announced, the holographic screen behind him flickering off. "You have proven your intellect. Now, we move to the application."

  He checked his pocket watch.

  "The Second Stage will be the Practical Evaluation. The coordinates have just been sent to your devices."

  Ping.

  Every student's wrist terminal chimed in unison.

  "You are expected to arrive at the designated training grounds in exactly twenty minutes," the Vice Principal said, his voice sharpening. "Do not be late. Dismissed."

  "Let's go," Asher whispered urgently, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "We're right by the doors. If we leave now, we can avoid the stampede."

  Ryn nodded, standing up and following Asher. Being in the very last row finally had its perks; while the massive crowd below was surging forward to get a glimpse of the Top 10 rankers, swarming the aisles and blocking the lower exits, the rear doors were wide open and completely clear.

  As they reached the threshold, Ryn felt a prickle on the back of his neck.

  It was a specific, heavy sensation.

  He didn't turn around. He didn't need to. Through his perception, he could feel the lines of sight directed at them from across the vast hall.

  There were a few shadowy figures up on the faculty balcony, their eyes scanning the departing crowd with interest. They must be academy staff.

  But more intensely, there was her.

  Mirana Dume.

  Down in the front row, the silver-haired girl had turned completely around in her seat. She was ignoring the students clamoring for her attention, her steel-gray eyes fixed unerringly on their retreating backs at the top of the amphitheater.

  Ryn pretended to be completely oblivious, scratching his head and yawning as he pushed the doors open, following Asher out into the blinding sunlight.

  "Should we warp?" Ryn asked as they walked quite a distance, checking his watch. "It's faster."

  "N-no, let's just walk," Asher stammered quickly, his face paling slightly at the mere suggestion. He instinctively rubbed his stomach, remembering the sensation of being yanked through space earlier. "We have plenty of time, and the training grounds aren't that far. Besides... unauthorized spatial magic might trigger the campus defenses. Let's not push our luck. Yeah..."

  Ryn chuckled inwardly.

  'It seems my plan worked.'

  He then shoved his hands into his pockets, falling into a leisurely stride beside his surprisingly smart yet still crazy noble companion.

  They made their way down the wide, marble-paved avenue that connected the academic sector to the training grounds.

  The campus was breathtaking.

  Towering spires of white stone and blue glass pierced the clouds, connected by shimmering bridges of solid light. Arcana streams flowed like rivers through the air, feeding the glowing trees that lined the path with vibrant, pulsating energy.

  Asher slowed his pace slightly, looking around with a gaze full of longing and determination.

  "This is it..." he muttered, watching the crystalline leaves of trees drift in the wind. "This is where we will be studying soon..."

  "Only if we pass the exam," Ryn added.

  Asher shot him a glare, but he didn't deny it. Instead, he took a deep breath and lowered his voice.

  "We will. So, listen closely," Asher began, his tone shifting into a lecture. "The Practical Evaluation isn't like the written test. It measures raw application. Usually, they put us against Arcana-Puppets or monsters. They aren't looking for flashy moves; they want to see reaction speed, casting stability under pressure, and combat sense."

  Ryn nodded along, half-listening.

  "Don't hold back too much," Asher advised seriously. "If you aim for average here, you might accidentally fail. The puppets don't pull their punches."

  As he spoke, the path opened up into a vast plaza.

  Looming ahead of them was their destination — a colossal, circular building that looked like an ancient colosseum retrofitted with high-tech shielding arrays.

  "By the way," Asher said, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of the approaching crowd. "I marked down 'Combat Division' for my application, since, you know, I'm good with spears. I then chose the Vanguard Track."

  He glanced at Ryn, eyeing the boy's slender frame and lack of visible weapons.

  "What did you pick? Assassin? Or maybe Scout, given your... mobility?"

  Ryn shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, stifling a yawn.

  "I chose..."