The academy felt far quieter than usual that morning.
No students wandered through the halls joking around. No loud noises came from the training grounds.
Everyone…
looked tense.
The sky was still dark when all the first-year students gathered at the academy's rear gate.
Dozens of military carriages stood lined up in formation. Royal knights surrounded the area in black armor, long spears resting firmly in their hands.
And at the very front—
Gareth stood with his arms crossed.
The pressure radiating from him made the air itself feel heavy.
Kael stood beside Irieth and the others while quietly observing the surroundings.
"…They're taking this way too seriously," Lancer muttered while looking at the knights.
Leon gave a small nod.
"Because this isn't just an academy test anymore."
His gaze shifted toward the massive forest in the distance.
"This is a battlefield simulation."
Taylor looked unusually quiet.
"…I've got a bad feeling about this."
Yuki immediately glanced at him with a flat expression.
"You always look bad anyway."
"HEY."
Meanwhile, Leinhardt had looked pale since earlier.
"…I just realized this isn't a normal exam."
Rose immediately elbowed him in the stomach.
"You're only realizing that now?"
Perona let out a small sigh.
"Where has your brain been since yesterday?"
"I thought it was just some normal test!" Leinhardt protested quickly.
Not far from them—
Selene stood alongside Duran, Elena, and several other Class 1-B students.
Their group felt solid. Clearly experienced fighting together.
Raven sat atop a rock silently inspecting his arrows one by one, completely ignoring the atmosphere around him.
Meanwhile, Lints…
was still standing alone.
His empty gaze made him look like someone who hadn't slept in weeks.
Kael glanced at him briefly.
"…He looks even more exhausted than yesterday."
Irieth gave a small nod.
"His mana feels strange too."
A faint dark aura drifted around Lints. Not wild.
Too calm.
And somehow, that made him feel even more dangerous.
But Kael's attention soon shifted toward someone else.
A boy wearing glasses from Class F.
Ellis.
He stood slightly away from the crowd while holding a small notebook.
His eyes constantly moved from person to person.
Which groups were strong. Who looked nervous. Who could become a threat.
His hand continued writing nonstop.
"…That guy again," Kael muttered quietly.
Leon glanced over.
"The Class F kid?"
Kael nodded slightly.
"…I don't like the way he looks at people."
Suddenly, Ellis raised his head.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Then—
he smiled faintly.
Not a friendly smile.
More like someone who had just found something interesting.
Kael narrowed his eyes slightly.
…That guy's weird.
Suddenly—
DUUUM!!
Gareth slammed his sword into the ground.
A wave of pressure swept across the entire area.
Every student immediately fell silent.
"Today…"
"Your survival exam begins."
Silence.
"The rules are simple."
"You will be dropped into the Northern Forest region."
"Survive for three days."
The crowd instantly exploded.
"THREE DAYS?!"
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
"That's a monster forest!"
"Even veteran adventurers die in there!"
But Gareth continued without caring.
"You are free to form teams."
"But the academy…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…does not guarantee your safety."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Nobody joked anymore.
No guarantee of safety.
Which meant—
if they died…
it would still be considered part of the exam.
Kael narrowed his eyes slightly.
…They're completely serious.
"Every monster you defeat will count toward your score."
"The stronger the monster, the higher the points."
"And…"
Gareth's aura pressed down over the area once more.
"Sometimes the greatest threat isn't monsters."
Several students exchanged uneasy looks.
The meaning was obvious.
Other students. Rogue adventurers. Even the elves living within the northern forest.
"There are no rules against stealing points."
"No rules against taking down other teams."
The tension grew even heavier.
"But…"
BOOOOM.
Gareth's mana pressure crashed over the area.
Several students nearly lost their footing.
"If anyone attempts to kill another student…"
His gaze turned ice cold.
"…I will personally cut off your head."
Complete silence.
Leinhardt immediately stood up straight.
"…That's terrifying as hell."
Kael, on the other hand, smiled faintly.
Interesting.
✍️ Teleportation Gate
Not long afterward—
dozens of giant magic circles activated across the field.
Bright blue light flooded the area.
The mana in the air felt overwhelmingly dense.
Leon's expression immediately turned serious.
"High-level teleportation…"
Irieth frowned slightly.
"…Mana on this scale is difficult even for elite mages to maintain."
Gareth spoke once more.
"You will be teleported randomly."
"Use your brains if you want to survive."
The crowd erupted again.
"WHAT?!"
"Random?!"
"What if we get separated?!"
"What kind of exam is this?!"
Kael himself looked calm.
But Lancer clicked his tongue.
"Heh… annoying."
Leon let out a quiet sigh.
"If we get separated, focus on surviving first."
His eyes turned serious.
"That forest isn't a normal place. Even veteran adventurers can die there if they let their guard down."
Kael and the others answered almost at the same time.
"Yeah."
Irieth stared at Kael for a few seconds before quietly speaking.
"…Don't die."
Kael chuckled softly.
"I should be the one saying that."
Irieth lightly punched his arm.
But it wasn't only Kael's group—
every student had begun discussing plans with their own teams.
Selene was already giving quick instructions to Class 1-B.
"First priority: find water."
Duran nodded.
"We also need high ground for scouting."
Elena crossed her arms.
"And don't rush into fighting large monsters."
On the other side—
Mira and Myra were already arguing.
"We should hunt big monsters first!"
"That's suicide, idiot!"
Raven silently attached another arrow to his quiver.
Meanwhile, Ellis…
continued writing in his notebook.
"…Interesting," he murmured softly.
His eyes moved toward Kael. Lancer. Lints.
As if calculating something in his head.
Then suddenly—
"Begin."
FLASH!!
A massive light swallowed the entire area.
Kael's vision turned white.
His body suddenly felt weightless.
Then—
BRUK!!
Kael landed hard against solid ground.
"…Tch."
He immediately stood up and scanned the surroundings.
Forest.
Silent.
Thin fog drifted between the trees.
And—
alone.
"…So it really is random."
A cold wind blew quietly through the massive trees.
Kael slowly drew his sword.
His instincts immediately activated.
This area…
was dangerous.
CRACK.
The sound of a branch snapping echoed from behind him.
Kael slowly turned around.
And saw—
a male student from Class D trembling while holding a short spear.
"K-Kael?!"
The boy instantly looked relieved.
"Thank god… I thought you were a mons—"
But Kael narrowed his eyes.
"…Behind you."
"Huh?"
The next second—
GRAAAAA!!
A massive reptilian monster lunged down from the trees above.
Its yellow eyes glowed fiercely. Its mouth overflowed with razor-sharp fangs.
The Class D student immediately panicked.
"AAAAAA?!"
But—
SHING!!
Kael moved faster.
One step.
One slash.
The monster's body split apart midair.
Black blood splattered across the ground.
Silence.
The Class D student froze.
"…Huh?"
That monster…
had died far too easily.
Kael slowly sheathed his sword.
His expression hadn't changed at all.
"…If you want to survive…"
His gaze shifted toward the dark forest ahead.
"…don't let your guard down."
The cold wind blew once more.
And for the first time—
the student realized something.
The real monsters…
might not only exist inside this forest.