The moment the gates fully opened...
Nothing happened.
Several students exchanged confused glances.
Then the ground beneath all two hundred and five first-years began to glow.
An intricate formation spread across the stone beneath their feet, circles within circles, runes weaving together into an enormous array that stretched from one end of the Grand Evaluation Grounds to the other.
Headmaster Deus Lux stepped forward.
"One final lesson before you begin."
His calm voice carried across the silent grounds.
"A battlefield does not care whether you stand beside your allies."
"It only asks whether you can survive."
The runes blazed with brilliant light.
"Good luck."
The world disappeared.
---
Kael felt his feet leave the ground.
His vision became pure white.
There was no sensation of falling.
No sound.
No weight.
Only light.
Then—
His boots struck damp earth.
Kael immediately dropped into a guarded stance.
Silence.
He was alone.
Towering trees surrounded him, their thick branches blocking most of the morning sunlight. Moss-covered rocks lay scattered across the forest floor, while the distant sound of flowing water echoed somewhere beyond the trees.
He listened.
No footsteps.
No voices.
No fighting.
Good.
Slowly, he relaxed his shoulders.
"So we were scattered..."
That explained why the instructors had lined everyone up before the examination.
No alliances.
No immediate advantages.
Everyone had to survive on their own.
---
Elsewhere...
The arena erupted into chaos.
A Fire Path student materialised beside a cliff and immediately found himself surrounded by three unfamiliar opponents.
Explosions shook the mountainside.
In another region, an Earth Path user raised walls of stone before disappearing into dense woodland.
Near the ruins, two spear users crossed weapons less than ten seconds after arriving.
The first elimination occurred before a full minute had passed.
A pulse of light erupted into the sky.
The student's academy badge shattered.
His body vanished.
A calm voice echoed throughout the arena.
"Participant eliminated."
The evaluation had truly begun.
---
Kael moved carefully through the forest.
Every step was deliberate.
Every sound mattered.
His eyes constantly shifted between the trees, the ground, and the spaces above him.
Seven months ago...
He would have wandered aimlessly.
Now...
He observed.
A broken branch.
Fresh footprints.
Scratches across exposed stone.
Someone had passed through recently.
He knelt beside one footprint.
"...Large."
"A sword user."
The stride was steady.
Not running.
Searching.
Kael stood.
Then chose the opposite direction.
There was no value in unnecessary combat.
Not yet.
---
Several minutes passed.
The forest gradually thinned.
From the top of a rocky incline, Kael finally saw a large section of the battlefield.
Smoke rose in the distance.
Flashes of lightning illuminated the horizon.
Columns of stone erupted somewhere far to the west.
The scale of the arena was almost overwhelming.
It truly resembled a world unto itself.
Kael quietly watched.
Then began organising everything inside his mind.
Two hundred and five participants.
Only twenty will remain.
Lethal force is forbidden.
Students judged incapable of continuing will have their academy badges activated and be removed from the battlefield.
Survival alone does not guarantee a high ranking.
Overall performance determines next year's class placements.
He folded his arms.
"If survival alone isn't enough..."
"Then hiding until the end achieves very little."
His eyes drifted towards the smoke.
"Fighting everyone immediately is equally foolish."
Too much stamina lost.
Too much mana consumed.
Too much risk.
"There has to be a balance."
Fight when necessary.
Observe whenever possible.
Preserve strength.
Choose opponents carefully.
That...
Was the optimal strategy.
Kael nodded to himself.
The instructors hadn't designed this assessment to reward reckless strength.
They wanted judgment.
---
A distant horn echoed across the battlefield.
Almost immediately...
Another pulse of light rose into the sky.
Then another.
"Participant eliminated."
"Participant eliminated."
Within minutes, the number of students had already begun falling.
Kael took one final look across the battlefield before descending the rocky slope.
He needed information.
And eventually...
He would need to fight.
---
Several kilometres away...
A young man calmly walked through a field of waist-high grass.
Tovin.
His hands remained tucked inside his pockets.
His expression looked no different from any ordinary school day.
A student burst from the grass ahead of him.
"You!"
Without hesitation, the student attacked.
Tovin sighed.
"...Already?"
A single step.
A dull impact.
The attacker collapsed unconscious.
Tovin continued walking without looking back.
The student's badge activated.
A pillar of light carried him from the arena.
"Participant eliminated."
Tovin yawned.
"What a bother..."
He disappeared into the swaying grass.
---
Back in the forest...
Kael froze.
Voices.
Close.
He lowered himself behind a broad tree trunk.
"...Found anyone yet?"
"No."
"Keep looking."
Three students.
Different uniforms.
Different classes.
Searching together.
An alliance.
Kael waited patiently.
The trio eventually moved on.
Only after their footsteps disappeared did he continue forward.
Patience had spared him an unnecessary battle.
---
The sound of rushing water grew louder.
Kael emerged onto the bank of a wide river.
Crystal-clear water flowed swiftly between smooth stones.
For the first time since arriving...
He allowed himself a brief drink.
Cold.
Refreshing.
As he stood...
A voice called out from across the river.
"You're a first-year too."
Kael looked up.
Standing on the opposite bank was a broad-shouldered student carrying a heavy axe across one shoulder.
The student glanced at Kael's empty hands.
Then laughed.
"No weapon?"
His eyes narrowed.
"...You're the No-Path."
Kael said nothing.
The student stepped into the shallow river, water splashing around his boots.
"I was hoping I'd find an easy opponent first."
Kael slowly tightened the bandages around his fists.
His calm grey eyes never left the approaching student.
"If that's what you're hoping for..."
He settled into his stance.
"...You'll be disappointed."
The river continued flowing between them.
Neither moved.
The next clash of the Annual Evaluation...
Was about to begin.