The venue for the summoned ability exam was nothing short of chaotic. Many students had barely practiced with their summoned creatures, resulting in clumsy commands, misfires, and a general lack of coordination. The entire field was a mess of confusion and noise.
Despite the disarray, a few students stood out for their synergy with their summoned beings—though "well-coordinated" was still relative. The Heart class, as expected, performed the best in terms of control and cooperation, followed by the Club class. The Diamond class struggled with inconsistency, while the Spade class fared the worst, their brute-force mentality proving ill-suited for delicate summon coordination.
Among the individuals who truly drew attention, Austin stood out the most. His summoned creature, a majestic white tiger with striking black stripes and piercing blue eyes, exuded overwhelming pressure the moment it appeared. Towering and formidable, its presence subdued the other summons around it, many shrinking back instinctively in submission.
Only a few summoned creatures dared to match its dominance. One such being was the Crown Prince's griffin, a noble creature adorned in golden feathers with a gleaming beak to match. Its regal bearing stood firm against Austin's white tiger, the two locking eyes in silent acknowledgment.
Then there was Alaster Arryn, whose summoned creature drew a completely different reaction. Floating beside him was a grotesque, blood-red, jellyfish-like entity with numerous writhing tendrils. The creature pulsed and squirmed unsettlingly, as though it were a mass of living blood vessels soaked in gore. Just looking at it made Yuna feel queasy. With her heightened senses, she was almost certain she caught the faint metallic scent of blood the moment it appeared. The students nearby visibly recoiled, quickly distancing themselves from him.
Enyo's summon wasn't any more comforting. Hers resembled a koi fish—if koi fish swam in blood. The creature was entirely crimson, with droplets of red liquid orbiting it like a halo. It drifted through the air in elegant arcs, as though it were swimming in an unseen pool of blood instead of water. The eerie, macabre beauty of it sent chills down more than a few spines.
In that chaos of awe and revulsion, Yuna stood silently with her little cute raven.
The Club class representative—whose name Yuna had only recently learned from the individual rankings, Dane Lethiferous—also drew attention. His summoned creature stood tall and unyielding, refusing to be overshadowed even by the more majestic and imposing summons of the top contenders.
It resembled a coyote, but with a striking difference: nine elegant, sweeping tails fanned out behind it. The sight immediately brought to Yuna's mind the mythical nine-tailed fox, a creature often associated with cunning, illusion, and trickery in various legends.
Yuna wasn't sure what to make of the nine-tailed coyote. It unsettled her more than it impressed her. Given that summoned beings often reflected aspects of their summoner's personality—something Professor Veyne had repeatedly emphasized—Yuna couldn't help but be wary of Dane himself. A nine-tailed trickster creature? That didn't exactly scream trustworthy.
So, without hesitation, she quietly decided to treat Dane with cautious suspicion. Stereotypical? Maybe. But in her experience, it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Unfortunately for Yuna, fate rarely cared about her preferences—and it was already preparing to throw her plans into disarray.
….
The summoned ability exam wasn't just about raw power—it also assessed the synergy and coordination between the summoner and their familiar. Unsurprisingly, the field was a mess. Many students hadn't trained properly, resulting in misfires, poor commands, and general chaos.
Despite the disarray, a few students stood out—not because their performances were stellar, but simply because they weren't complete disasters. The Heart Class led in coordination, followed by the Club Class. The Diamond Class stumbled through with effort, while the Spade Class performed worst in terms of control and cooperation.
Scoring was strict. Most students couldn't even reach six points. The majority hovered around three or four, relying solely on the raw, unpolished strength of their summons. Only a handful earned extra points through even minimal teamwork.
When it was Yuna's turn, attention sharpened. Some students silently rooted for her to fail again—hoping for another infamous score below zero. After all, as long as someone else did worse, their own results wouldn't feel as bad.
The heart class performs too well. Yuna poor performance gave them a strange balance in their heart.
True to expectations, Yuna's summon—a seemingly ordinary raven—displayed no remarkable power. At her command, it simply flew in loops, twirls, and followed her gestures with perfect obedience. She earned no points for ability, but to the surprise of many, scored three points for coordination.
After its flight, the raven casually landed atop Austin's white tiger, perching arrogantly on the mythical beast's head. Yuna gave a small cough at her raven's shameless behavior, but still walked up to the white tiger and stroked its sleek, luxurious fur. The beast accepted her touch calmly, like a massive housecat indulging its favorite human.
Unable to resist, Yuna pressed her face into its soft fur and inhaled deeply. Heaven. She wasn't a cat person, but in that moment, she might as well have been.
Austin leaned closer and let out a quiet chuckle. "You like it?"
"Mmm," came Yuna's muffled reply from within the white fur.
Nearby, the griffin—summoned by the Crown Prince—cast a condescending glance at the scene. Its piercing violet eyes regarded the tiger with disdain, clearly questioning how a majestic beast could allow such treatment from a weak human. It then shifted its gaze to Yuna's unimpressive raven and let out a derisive snort.
But the proud little raven wasn't one to take insults lightly. With a sharp caw, it darted through the air and delivered what could only be called a bold—albeit harmless—slap to the griffin's face.
The griffin froze in shock. It had just been struck by a creature it could wipe out with a breath. Once it registered the offense, rage took over. With a shrill screech, it spread its wings and prepared to strike.
Before it could move, the white tiger growled—a low, rumbling warning. The griffin halted, turning to face its fellow mythical beast. Tension crackled in the air between them.
Then a cold voice rang out: "Orphic."
The griffin stilled. Alaric, the Crown Prince, had called it by name. Reluctantly, the griffin withdrew, giving one last defiant screech before backing off.
The white tiger turned its head away, signaling the matter was settled.
Triumphant, the little raven strutted back to the tiger's head and began preening its fur smugly, as if proud of its 'victory' and the performance of his 'underling', the white tiger.
Yuna, meanwhile, remained where she was, still nestled in the tiger's fur, completely unbothered by the chaos her summon had nearly caused.
From across the field, the Crown Prince watched her with a cold, sharp gaze.
To him, Yuna embodied everything he despised—weak, thoughtless, always dragging trouble behind her, and acting like someone else would clean up the mess. She reminded him of the arrogant, scheming members of his own family—people who contributed nothing but expected everything.
Tch. Disgusting.
....
This time, the top spot in the Summoned Ability Class Ranking went to the Heart Class, followed by the Club Class. The Diamond Class came third, and in last place—unsurprisingly—was the Spade Class.
Just as the students thought the exam was over, Professor Bales from the Diamond Class stepped forward.
"Before the upcoming Card Class Exam and the Interclass exam, there will be the Class Representative Exams," he announced, holding up a card with its back facing the students. "The first phase will be done in teams of two, repeated three times. Then, it will shift to individual trials. Now—Heart Class Representative and Spade Class Representative, step forward and choose your partner for the first round."
At that, every student's attention sharpened.
The other class representatives especially perked up. So far, the Heart Class Representative had remained a mystery. Word of their performance had circulated—high rankings, impressive progress, and an air of capability that left even rivals reluctant to admit the gap.
Now, they were finally going to see who this supposed prodigy was.
A groan rose from the Heart Class.
"Aw man... I thought we could keep the mystery going a little longer."
"What a shame," someone sighed dramatically.
Yuna's mouth twitched. She let out a quiet sigh, then stepped forward toward Professor Bales.
The moment she moved, gasps echoed across the field.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Her?"
"No way."
Disbelief hung thick in the air. No one expected Yuna—the quiet, seemingly dependent girl often seen around stronger peers—to be that Heart Class Representative. It just didn't fit the image.
"She must be a figurehead," someone whispered. "A mascot, at best. The real brains behind Heart Class must be someone else."
That seemed more acceptable than believing Yuna was actually capable.
Even Cailum took a moment to collect himself, while the other class reps exchanged similarly skeptical glances.
Professor Bales, unfazed by the murmurs, glanced down at the card Yuna had drawn and declared, "Club and Heart will form one team. Diamond and Spade, the other."
Yuna clenched her jaw. Not long ago, she had sworn to keep her distance from the Club Class Representative. And now? Of course fate would throw them together.
With a bitter numb sigh, she turned and walked back to her class, where her Heart Classmates immediately surrounded her like a protective barrier, shielding her from the invasive stares of the other students.
"Their eyes are annoying," Juno, the alchemist, muttered. "I want to bomb them with stink-eye."
"Hehe~" Celeste giggled. "Their voices are irritating too. I wanna mute the whole crowd."
"I want to line them up and use them for target practice," Theo said bluntly.
As the comments escalated, Yuna's brow twitched.
"Behave," she warned. "I've got a big day tomorrow. Don't go causing trouble."
"Ugh… fine…" The Heart Class let out a collective, half-hearted groan.
Tomorrow marked the start of the Class Representative Exams, and Yuna already felt a headache brewing. She'd have to team up with each of the other class reps one by one. First round: the sly and cunning Club Representative. Then it'd be either Enyo or the Crown Prince. And the final round…
Hah… just the thought made her want to lie down.
Dane, clever and calculating. Enyo, reckless, arrogant and brute-force incarnate. And worst of all, that cocky, smug, holier-than-thou Crown Prince who acted like he was always right.
She rubbed her temples.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
'Woe is me…'