Morning had long since faded.
The Evaluation Grounds no longer resembled the pristine wilderness the first-years had entered only hours before.
Trees lay splintered across the forest floor.
The river carried broken weapons and shattered shields downstream.
Entire sections of the ancient ruins had collapsed under the force of clashing Paths.
Smoke drifted lazily into the sky from battlefields that had already fallen silent.
The academy's greatest examination was steadily reshaping the land itself.
Kael emerged from the abandoned structure where he had spent the last few minutes observing.
His uniform was marked with dirt and torn at one sleeve from his previous battle, but his breathing remained controlled.
His fists were still wrapped tightly in white bandages.
One elimination.
That was all.
He hadn't entered the Evaluation to chase numbers.
He had entered to prove that he belonged.
A distant announcement echoed across the arena.
"Participant eliminated."
Another followed moments later.
Then another.
The eliminations were becoming more frequent.
Kael stopped beneath the shade of a towering oak and quietly closed his eyes.
He replayed the rules once more.
One hundred and fifty participants remain.
Only twenty will advance to the final stage.
Killing is forbidden.
Badges activate once instructors determine a participant can no longer continue.
Final rankings are based on overall performance—not survival alone.
His grey eyes opened.
"So the battlefield has changed."
Earlier...
Avoiding unnecessary combat had been the correct decision.
Now...
It wasn't enough.
The shrinking barrier guaranteed that every remaining student would eventually be forced together.
Resources were becoming limited.
Safe places were disappearing.
Students who had hidden until now would soon have nowhere left to run.
Kael looked towards the distant horizon where flashes of mana illuminated the sky.
"If I continue avoiding everyone..."
"I'll survive."
"But I won't climb."
The academy wasn't searching for students who could merely remain alive.
It wanted students capable of making decisions under pressure.
Students capable of overcoming impossible odds.
Students who could become protectors.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"I need to choose my battles."
Not every battle.
The right battles.
He adjusted the bandages around his hands one final time before stepping deeper into the forest.
Unbeknownst to him...
Someone else had already found him.
Kael hadn't taken more than twenty steps before the feeling settled over him.
Someone was watching.
He stopped.
The forest grew quiet.
The wind stirred the leaves overhead, but beneath the canopy...
Nothing moved.
"...You noticed."
The voice came from somewhere to his right.
A young man stepped out from behind a thick tree.
His academy jacket bore the crest of C-Class.
Unlike the axe wielder Kael had defeated earlier, this student carried himself with patience rather than arrogance.
A slender sabre rested at his side.
His amber eyes studied Kael carefully.
"So the rumours were true."
Kael remained silent.
"The No-Path survived the first stage."
The student smiled faintly.
"My name is Rowan."
"I've been following your tracks for the last few minutes."
Kael glanced towards the ground.
He immediately spotted where he had made his mistake.
A broken twig.
Fresh footprints leading through damp soil.
He had been careful.
Not careful enough.
"I expected someone stronger," Rowan admitted.
"But surviving this long isn't luck."
His hand rested on the hilt of his sabre.
"You've earned my respect."
"For that reason..."
His expression sharpened.
"I won't underestimate you."
Steel rang through the forest as the blade left its sheath.
Kael slowly raised his fists.
"...Thank you."
Rowan frowned.
"For what?"
"For taking me seriously."
For a brief moment...
Neither moved.
Then Rowan vanished.
Kael's instincts screamed.
He twisted his body just as the sabre sliced through the air where his shoulder had been.
Too fast.
Much faster than the axe user.
Kael immediately widened the distance between them.
"Speed-focused..."
"No..."
"His footwork."
Rowan wasn't simply quick.
Every movement placed him in a position to attack again immediately.
He never overextended.
Never committed too much.
Every strike flowed naturally into the next.
Kael blocked one slash with his forearm guard and stepped inside Rowan's reach.
His fist shot forward.
Rowan expected it.
He leaned back just enough for the punch to miss before sweeping his leg toward Kael's ankle.
Kael jumped backwards.
Both fighters reset.
Neither had landed a clean hit.
Rowan smiled.
"...Good."
"I was hoping this wouldn't end immediately."
Kael said nothing.
His mind was already working.
"He's watching my eyes."
"Every time I decide where to move..."
"He reacts before I do."
Kael deliberately shifted his gaze toward Rowan's left side.
Exactly as expected...
Rowan adjusted his stance to intercept that route.
"Got you."
Kael exploded in the opposite direction.
His shoulder crashed into Rowan's chest before the sabre could be repositioned.
The two stumbled apart.
For the first time...
Rowan's calm expression cracked.
"You..."
"You tricked me."
Kael finally spoke.
"No."
"I observed you."
The forest fell silent once more.
This fight...
Would not be decided by strength alone.