Cold wind swept through the giant trees once again.
A thin mist still lingered throughout the forest.
Silent.
Too silent.
The Class D student remained frozen in place, staring blankly at the reptilian monster lying on the ground.
Or more accurately—
what remained of it.
Split perfectly in half.
His eyes slowly shifted toward Kael.
Then toward the sword hanging at his waist.
Then back to Kael.
"…Huh?"
His brain still couldn't process what had just happened.
The monster that nearly made him pass out moments ago...
had died from a single slash.
And the person who did it didn't even seem serious.
Kael calmly sheathed his sword.
His expression remained relaxed.
"…You planning to stand there spacing out forever?"
"Huh?! Ah— eh?!"
The boy snapped out of it instantly.
"Ah! S-Sorry!"
Kael stared at him for a few seconds.
Only now did he actually take a proper look at the person in front of him.
Messy brown hair.
Light armor.
A short spear in hand.
And a face that had looked panicked from the very beginning.
"…Name?"
"Huh?"
"Your name."
"O-Oh!"
The boy immediately straightened his back.
"R-Reyn!"
"Class D!"
Then he quickly lowered his head.
"Reyn Valen!"
Silence.
Kael blinked.
"…Why are you so nervous?"
Reyn slowly raised his head.
"…Because you're Kael."
"Hm?"
"You're Kael Rynthier…"
Kael tilted his head.
"So?"
Reyn looked even more confused.
"Huh?!"
"You're famous in the academy!"
"Everyone knows you!"
"You're one of the first-year monsters! Standing alongside Lancer, Irieth, Lints, and Leon!"
Kael went silent for a moment.
Then looked to the side.
"…Monster?"
Reyn nodded rapidly.
"Y-Yeah!"
"The rumors say you defeated a giant monster during the Rynthier territory invasion two years ago, right?!"
"And they say you're a Sword Magic genius too!"
"And then—"
"That's enough."
Kael cut him off immediately.
Reyn instantly shut his mouth.
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
Kael let out a small sigh.
"…Rumors really are scary."
"Eh?"
Kael glanced at him.
"I'm just a normal student."
Silence.
Reyn stared at Kael.
Then at the blood-stained ground.
Then back at Kael.
"…Liar."
"Hm?"
"That's a lie."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
Reyn pointed at the ground.
"You killed that thing like you were slicing bread!"
Kael went quiet.
A few seconds.
Then—
"Hahaha."
He actually laughed.
Reyn stared blankly.
...Huh?
This guy was way more laid-back than the rumors made him sound.
But before Reyn could say anything—
CRACK.
The sound of a branch snapping echoed from the distance.
Kael's expression instantly changed.
The smile disappeared.
His eyes sharpened immediately.
"…Quiet."
Reyn froze.
His instincts screamed.
The change in Kael's atmosphere happened too fast.
Just moments ago he was relaxed.
Now...
it felt like he had become a completely different person.
Kael slowly looked toward the forest ahead.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Strange."
Reyn swallowed nervously.
"W-What is it?"
Kael pointed at the ground.
"Footprints."
Reyn followed his finger.
Large footprints were clearly visible.
Deep.
And there were...
too many of them.
"…Monsters?"
Kael slowly shook his head.
"…If it was just a normal monster, the tracks wouldn't look like this."
His expression grew even more serious.
Several trees ahead looked broken.
And the ground seemed crushed by something huge.
Very huge.
Reyn felt chills crawl down his spine.
"D-Don't tell me…"
Kael stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then turned around.
"Let's go."
"Huh?"
Reyn blinked.
"Go?"
Kael nodded casually.
"Yeah."
"My instincts feel bad."
"…Eh?"
Kael started walking.
"When my instincts feel bad..."
he paused slightly.
"Something usually happens."
Reyn stared at the forest.
Then at Kael.
Then back at the forest.
Silence.
Three seconds.
Four.
Five.
Then—
"WAIT FOR MEEE!!"
He immediately ran after Kael.
Meanwhile, in another area of the exam...
FLASH!!
The teleportation light slowly faded.
THUD!!
Someone crashed hard onto the grass.
"…Ow."
Leinhardt held his head and winced.
For a few seconds, he just sat there.
Then slowly opened his eyes.
Silence.
Thin fog.
Tall trees.
And...
"…Alone?"
Silence.
"…ALONE?!"
Birds immediately scattered from the trees overhead.
Leinhardt jumped to his feet in panic.
"Wait, wait— where's Kael?! Rose?! Perona?! Irieth?!"
He looked around frantically, his face turning pale.
"This isn't funny…"
His hand slowly tightened around the handle of his sword.
The exam had only started a few minutes ago.
And he was already by himself.
"…Damn it. So we really got split up."
CRACK.
Leinhardt's body froze instantly.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
he turned around.
The bushes moved.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
GRRRR...
Leinhardt's expression stiffened.
"…Monster."
Two red eyes appeared behind the bushes.
Then four.
Then six.
One after another, figures slowly stepped out.
Goblins.
But not ordinary goblins.
Their bodies were larger.
Dark gray skin.
And bloodstained weapons in their hands.
Goblin Raiders.
Leinhardt stared at them with a stiff expression.
"…Why is the welcoming party this intense?!"
One of the Goblin Raiders grinned.
The next second—
they charged.
"AAAAAA!!"
Leinhardt instinctively swung his sword.
CLANG!!
A goblin's axe slammed into his blade.
His arm instantly trembled.
"STRONG?!"
A second goblin attacked from the side.
Leinhardt hurriedly twisted his body and blocked again.
One.
Two.
Three.
Too many.
"I'M SO DEAD—"
FWOOOSH!!
Suddenly—
a massive stream of fire shot from the side.
BOOOOM!!
The explosion blasted into the ground.
Two Goblin Raiders were sent flying instantly.
Leinhardt froze.
"…Huh?"
Footsteps echoed softly from behind the trees.
A girl slowly walked out.
Long black hair.
Cold eyes.
And an expression far too familiar.
Leinhardt slowly turned.
Then—
his entire body froze.
"…Eh?"
The girl stared at him blankly.
"Elena."
Leinhardt immediately stumbled three steps backward.
"AAAAAA! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"
Elena frowned.
"We were teleported randomly."
Silence.
Leinhardt blinked.
Then slowly gave a thumbs up.
"…But that was a really good save!"
The remaining goblins roared once more.
But Elena didn't even look at them.
She slowly raised her hand.
A magic circle appeared in front of her.
"…Freeze."
CRACKKK—
Ice spread instantly.
Across the ground.
The trees.
Even the air around them seemed to freeze.
The three Goblin Raiders stopped moving.
Leinhardt's eyes widened.
"…Huh?"
The next moment—
SHATTER.
The goblins exploded into countless pieces of ice.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Leinhardt blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then slowly looked toward Elena.
"…Scary."
Elena glanced sideways.
"What?"
Leinhardt swallowed.
"…Beautiful, I mean."
Silence.
Very, very silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
And only then did Leinhardt realize what had just come out of his mouth.
"…Eh."
Elena stared at him for a few seconds.
Then looked away.
"…Focus on the exam."
But for just a split second—
the tip of her ears turned slightly red.
Leinhardt blinked.
"…Eh?"
DUUM.
The ground suddenly shook.
Both of them froze.
DUUM.
DUUM.
Elena's expression immediately became serious.
"…Something's there."
Leinhardt swallowed and looked toward the source of the sound.
Trees in the distance began shaking violently.
Birds scattered into the sky.
DUUM. DUUM. DUUM.
Heavy footsteps.
Getting closer.
Closer.
Then—
CRAAASH!!
Huge trees collapsed one after another.
And a few seconds later...
something stepped out from the forest.
A massive body.
Nearly three meters tall.
Black skin covered in scars.
And one giant red eye in the center of its face.
"…An Ogre?"
Leinhardt's eyes widened.
Slowly—
he turned toward Elena.
"…We run?"
Elena stayed silent.
Two seconds.
Three.
Then—
"…Agreed."
Leinhardt immediately pointed ahead.
"RUN, ELENA!!"
And for the first time since the exam began—
two people who almost never got along...
started running as fast as they could.
Because this time—
their lives genuinely depended on it.
Meanwhile, in another area...
FLASH!!
The teleportation light slowly faded.
THUD.
Someone landed perfectly on the branch of a massive tree.
No panic.
No complaints.
Only silence.
Raven slowly opened his eyes.
Cold wind brushed past his black hoodie.
His gaze lowered.
Forest.
Mist.
Silence.
"…Hmm."
Only a quiet sound escaped his mouth.
He slowly stood up.
His hand reached toward the bow on his back.
Then—
CRACK.
The sound of a branch snapping.
Raven went still.
His eyes shifted slightly to the left.
CRACK.
To the right.
GRRR...
Low growls began to echo.
From behind the trees—
One.
Two.
Four.
Eight.
Dark figures slowly emerged.
Monkey-like monsters with elongated arms and razor-sharp claws.
Shadow Apes.
Creatures notorious for hunting in packs.
And extremely annoying to deal with.
One Shadow Ape immediately climbed the tree.
Fast.
The others spread out.
Surrounding him.
Closing in.
But Raven only stared at them with the same blank expression.
"…Noisy."
He pulled out a single arrow.
No magic circle.
No skills.
Nothing.
He simply drew the bowstring.
And—
FWIP.
The arrow vanished.
THUK.
The first Shadow Ape's head was pierced instantly.
Before its body even hit the ground—
FWIP.
THUK.
Second.
FWIP.
THUK.
Third.
FWIP.
THUK.
Fourth.
Fast.
Too fast.
It was difficult to even tell when Raven released the arrows.
The remaining Shadow Apes immediately panicked.
They jumped back.
Retreated.
Tried to flee.
Raven's eyes narrowed slightly.
He pulled out three arrows at once.
Draw.
Release.
FWOOOSH!!
Three black streaks tore through the air.
THUK!! THUK!! THUK!!
Silence.
One body after another dropped to the ground.
The forest became quiet once more.
Raven calmly returned his arrows.
His expression remained unchanged.
Blank.
"…Too easy."
But then—
his eyes shifted.
Someone was standing behind a tree around fifty meters away.
Silent.
Watching.
Raven slowly raised his bow.
"…Come out."
Silence.
Several seconds passed.
Then—
"Waaah... scary."
Someone walked out with both hands raised.
Glasses.
A small notebook.
And an overly relaxed expression.
Ellis.
Raven remained silent.
Ellis smiled faintly.
"I was just passing by."
No response.
Ellis looked around.
His eyes landed on the bodies of the Shadow Apes.
Then shifted back toward Raven.
"I honestly didn't expect this."
He smiled slightly.
"They said Raven from Class C was just a normal hunter from some ordinary village."
His eyes narrowed a little.
"Turns out you're a monster too."
Silence.
Raven simply stared at him.
His bow still hadn't lowered.
Ellis chuckled.
"Relax."
"I'm not looking for trouble."
His eyes moved around briefly.
Then returned to Raven.
"Especially not with someone like you."
Silence lingered for several seconds.
Then Raven lowered his bow.
"…Leave."
Ellis blinked.
"Hm?"
"…You're annoying."
Silence.
Then Ellis smiled again.
But this time—
it looked different.
"…Hahaha."
He turned around.
And slowly walked back into the forest.
But before disappearing—
he quietly muttered,
"…Kael."
"…Lancer."
"…Lints."
"…Raven."
"…Irieth."
"…Too many variables."
For the first time—
Ellis' expression turned serious.
Because this exam...
was no longer following his calculations.
Far behind him—
Raven still stood atop the tree branch.
Watching the direction Ellis disappeared toward.
"…Weird guy."
Silence.
Then—
GRRRR.
Raven slowly looked down.
A pair of red eyes appeared within the mist.
Then two.
Four.
Eight.
...
Raven let out a slow sigh.
"…Troublesome."
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
FLASH!!
The teleportation light slowly faded.
THUD.
Irieth landed with one knee touching the ground.
Her silver hair swayed slightly in the wind.
For a few seconds, she remained silent.
Then slowly lifted her head.
Thin fog.
Massive trees.
Silence.
Her eyes swept across the surroundings.
No Kael.
No Perona.
No one.
Just the forest.
Cold wind quietly drifted past.
Irieth stood up and brushed dirt from her clothes.
Her expression remained calm.
Too calm.
But—
Kael wasn't here.
Her expression shifted slightly.
"…Annoying."
CRACK.
Irieth immediately stopped moving.
Her eyes turned right.
Bushes moved.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
"IRIETH!!"
Someone burst out of the forest while running.
Long red hair.
And a very familiar face.
Rose.
Rose instantly stopped.
Stared.
Blink.
Then—
"EH?!"
Irieth blinked slowly.
"…Rose?"
The next second—
Rose immediately grabbed both of Irieth's shoulders.
"THANK GODDD!!"
"We got teleported close together?!"
"I thought I was all alone!"
She looked genuinely relieved.
Irieth stayed silent for a few moments.
Then let out a quiet sigh.
"…I thought it was Kael."
Even though she said that—
she never pushed Rose away.
For some reason...
the atmosphere felt a little calmer now.
But then—
CRASH!!
Something suddenly fell from above.
"AAAAAH!!"
THUD!!
Someone smashed into the ground.
Rose instinctively jumped backward.
Irieth instantly raised her hand.
Mana gathered around her fingertips.
But then—
"…Oww."
The voice sounded familiar.
Rose blinked.
"…Taylor?"
Taylor slowly raised his head.
Leaves were still stuck in his hair.
He looked around.
Then toward Rose.
Then Irieth.
Silence.
Several seconds passed.
"…I'm alive?"
Rose stared at him.
"You thought you died?!"
Taylor slowly stood up.
"…Oh."
"…You guys."
Irieth stared blankly.
"…Why did you fall from a tree?"
Taylor paused.
"…I failed the landing."
Rose stared at him in disbelief.
"…Haa?"
"You're just as hopeless as someone else I know."
Taylor calmly brushed leaves off his clothes.
"…It was merely a technical mistake."
Rose immediately held her forehead.
"I suddenly have a bad feeling…"
Irieth nodded slightly.
"…Same."
Still—
at least now there were three of them.
Not alone anymore.
Rose finally let out a relieved sigh.
"O-Okay…"
"We'll find Kael and everyone else later."
Taylor nodded.
But before anyone could continue—
DUUM.
The ground shook.
Everyone froze.
DUUM.
DUUM.
Rose slowly turned.
"…You guys felt that too, right?"
Taylor looked toward the forest.
Irieth did the same.
Then—
CRAAASH!!
A massive tree collapsed in the distance.
One.
Two.
Something was approaching.
And its size...
was huge.
Rose swallowed nervously.
"…Haha."
"…This is a really terrible start, huh?"
No one answered.
Because several seconds later—
something emerged from behind the trees.
Almost four meters tall.
Massive black body.
Two sharp horns.
And a gigantic axe resting in its hand.
Minotaur.
Silence.
Rose stared at the monster.
Then slowly looked at Irieth.
"…Irieth."
"…Hm?"
"…What does Kael usually do when he sees something like that?"
Irieth thought for a moment.
Then answered flatly,
"…He walks forward without hesitation."
Rose froze.
"…Then?"
"…He wins."
Silence.
Rose slowly looked toward the Minotaur.
Then back at Irieth.
Then back to the Minotaur.
"…THE PROBLEM IS KAEL ISN'T HERE!!"
ROOOAAARRR!!
The Minotaur let out a deafening roar.
The ground trembled.
And without warning—
it charged.
Irieth slowly raised her hand.
A magic circle appeared instantly.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…Then."
Mana swirled around her.
"…We do this our way."
And for the first time since the exam began—
an odd team made up of a cold mage, an overly energetic girl, and someone with absurd confidence...
was officially formed.
But none of them knew—
this was only the beginning.
Because deep within the forest...
a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
Watching.
Waiting.
And locked onto only one target—
Kael Rynthier.