Only a single Shadowprowler stood after the tornado calmed.
The giant serpent lay unconscious, defeated and out of fighting condition.
Ray looked at Rogue with a smile before the cat ran over to nuzzle against his leg. He scratched under its chin until it purred blissfully, then gave it money as promised.
"The winner of this battle is Ray Landrollllllll!"
Cheers and applause thundered throughout the bleachers, echoing everywhere until the brown-haired young man got goosebumps all over his body. He slowly stood up and turned to look at the many spectators surrounding him, accepting this lowest-class human like him.
His chest swelled with emotion. When his determination bore fruit, he never imagined his fight with Jason would make the audience this happy.
The teachers were jotting down scores in their notebooks. Aria, standing beside the arena, might have stood with crossed arms quietly like a cold princess, but she nodded slightly, congratulating her friend.
When Ray saw others happy, it made him even happier. His face beamed as he waved to everyone, then bowed his head in all directions.
"I don't accept this! I won't accept it! Me losing to a weakling like you! You must have cheated somehow!"
Of course, the one shouting wasn't anyone else but Jason.
But the judge's declaration was final. Everyone already knew nothing could escape the teachers' high-level detection magic. This fight was Ray's clean victory.
Ray smiled and walked slowly toward his opponent, extending his hand in the middle of the arena where the audience still hadn't stopped applauding.
"Jason, even though I don't like you, thank you for fighting me. It was a very good fight for me."
At first Ray thought about spitting and trampling back in revenge. But when the results came out as seen, he realized that without Jason, he wouldn't have had the drive to train his death moves to defeat the opponent or entertain the audience this much.
*Smack!*
The tall purple-haired young man slapped the other's hand away.
"Don't give me that fake kindness! You orphan brat! I won't dirty my hand touching scum like you! Just wait—I'll catch you cheating somehow! If you get into the school, you're dead! Just wait!"
Finishing his words, Jason grabbed his bag tightly in anger, turned his face and stormed out of the arena in a bad mood. Everyone watched his back as he walked away.
"Yeah, I'll be waiting," Ray smiled sweetly at him.
The other side raised his middle finger in response.
Ray shook his head and laughed, then walked to his spot.
"Congratulations, our superstar. Just in case—called it right," Aria's calm voice with a thin smile spoke from beside the arena. Ray laughed and walked over.
"I'm trying not to be like that. I'm not good at enduring other people's stares like you. Haha! I'm worried to death," he scratched his head and looked down.
"Endure what? Look over there—everyone's praising you. Your reputation isn't like mine at all, our superstar," Aria smiled and nodded her chin for Ray to look back at the spectators in the bleachers, who were all sending friendly, smiling looks his way.
The young man scratched his head, smiled shyly, and bowed to them in thanks.
Then someone stood up, and everyone gradually fell quiet.
"Ray Landroll, thank you for giving our school such a valuable battle. According to exam rules, you have a ten-minute rest period before the next fight begins. Please rest as you wish," she gestured gracefully before sitting back down.
That familiar voice came from the highest VIP seats of the teachers.
Just Witzany speaking a little made everyone there ready to fall silent without anyone commanding it. Everyone gave respect to the woman who looked to be in her early thirties with blue hair in a cloak.
Because without her, the world would have been in chaos and ruin since the last disaster.
Ray smiled before waving back to her:
"Oh, you staff member came to watch me too? Thank you so much for all your advice!"
That was all it took for everyone's faces to go pale at what Ray said. except Ray and Witzany, who were both smiling cheerfully.
Aria was startled. "Ray… do you know Professor Witzany?"
"What are you talking about? I have to know her already! The strongest current beast tamer, Grand Professor of Temmecia, who swept away the great global chaos of the Pandora Disaster Dragon, everyone's heroine," Ray said.
"But you… you've never actually seen her face, have you?" Aria stressed on his behalf, sweating and looking at Ray, her crossed-arm fingers tapping rapidly in irritation.
Ray nodded glumly and smiled, but after a moment when something occurred to him, he turned back to the same staff member sitting in the teachers' VIP corner. Seeing everyone's reaction, including Aria's, he finally understood and made a face like seeing the world about to collapse.
"Or… staff member! Are you Professor Witzany!?" he cried.
The blue-haired woman with glasses sipping tea smiled at him coolly and fondly. "Yes, Ray. I'm the Grand Professor."
That was all it took for Ray to…
"Ahhhhh! Just kill me! This can't be real!" Ray slowly covered his face with both hands, shouting as he quickly walked to his friend to escape the embarrassment.
The audience began laughing heartily at the complete ignorance of someone who seemed smart enough to beat Jason.
"Sigh. You're honestly, truly naive enough to win an award," the silver-haired girl sighed, furrowing her brows at his clumsiness that made her both irritated and embarrassed.
Both of them quickly walked away from the arena together at high speed.
-----
"This time you're really scolding me, aren't you?" Ray said.
"Yes! Most embarrassing ever! You worked so hard to get a good reputation!" The silver-haired girl walked huffily with crossed arms on the stone road in the big school.
"Ahhhhh! I want to die! I called the Grand Professor 'staff member'! Ahhhhh!" Ray lost his mind and ran ahead of Aria toward the fountain plaza in the middle of the school, not caring about anything anymore.
Everyone looked at him. Aria saw her friend in bad shape and ran after him closely.
"Wait! Come here, Ray! Don't stick your head in the water!" She ran to grab and drag his body out from the fountain amid many people's stares. Good thing she stopped him in time.
"Ow, I can't take it anymore, Aria," Ray said while turning back his face that was flushed red all over, because he had too little sleep and hadn't eaten yet. Ray collapsed unconscious on the walkway.
She sighed tiredly, slowly dragging the young man's body like a corpse to lie under a nearby shady tree where green grass swayed gently.
"Sigh, Ray. Don't be so dramatic. You're not being looked at badly like me at all," the cool person smiled, glad that at least he probably wouldn't have to face anything similar to her.
-----
Ray woke up again, completely dizzy, finding himself lying under an unfamiliar lush green tree.
The evening sunlight was beautifully orange.
"Oh! What about the exam!?" Ray jumped up to ask.
"Sigh, I already told the professors you fainted, so they let others take their exams first. You can go back to fight for the prize when you recover," the silver-haired person sitting reading a book under the nearby tree sighed and told him.
Ray looked at his benefactor friend who couldn't go anywhere and felt deeply grateful.
"Thank you, Miss Aria! I, Ray Landroll, will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life!" He bowed respectfully to the silver-haired, braided person in high-class noble clothing.
Ray kept bowing repeatedly until she closed her book and furrowed her brows at him.
"Sigh, you're way over the top. I'm second-guessing whether I was right to be friends with you," she sighed again.
"Hehe, what are you reading?" Ray smiled brightly and innocently like a curious puppy.
"Just a book," she said, intentionally turning the book cover toward herself.
"What book?"
"Just general stuff. Detailed history about the Pandora Dragon disaster, analyzing origins and socio-political and philosophical influences," she spoke like a smart person using alien language for Ray.
"Oh, sounds exciting but gives me a headache. Someone like me probably wouldn't read it because I wouldn't understand anyway. Hahaha! But do you like reading books?" Ray was straightforward. He already knew why she was intentionally hiding her book cover like that—she probably didn't want people to think she was hard to reach.
Seeing this, Aria relaxed that Ray didn't act like he liked her taste like other people, because she didn't like those who flattered her hoping for something from her family.
"Not really—I don't like reading that much. I just don't have many people to talk to, so I read books instead. They're mostly more trustworthy than people who like to gossip about me all the time."
"Oh, sorry. Did I say something wrong?" Ray scratched his cheek.
"Sorry for what? I don't feel bad. Being alone is incredibly comfortable. No fuss with anyone. Quiet and peaceful like this." She sat reading her book, stretching her long skirt.
"You're way too strong. Are you really the same age as me?" Ray asked while hungry, casually taking out bread from his bag to eat.
"People have said that often, but I'm just like this. I'm not that strong," she said calmly, her eyes following the letters in her hand. A cool breeze came in—nice atmosphere.
"Hmm, thinking about it, you don't usually open up to people, but you wanted to be friends with me. That means I'm trustworthy! Oh wow, I'm so happy! I'm really good! Hahaha!" Ray ate bread while being happy, his face beaming brightly like the sun.
The super cool silver-haired girl smiled teasingly, lifting her book away from her gaze and telling Ray:
"Not really. I'm friends with you because you're naive, Ray. You probably can't lie or harm anyone because you're too awkward and bumbling."
"Geez! Hey, Aria!"
"Hehe, that was a compliment just now."
"You were insulting me!"
"Hahaha!"
Then both of them laughed together under the tree shade in the evening.
-----
Ray's second round exam that day went smoothly.
He went back to fight to find the strongest person in arena nine.
Who would be worthy of receiving the golden egg prize that would hatch into a magical-level beast?
He determinedly fought in the arena, continuing to win with Geed and Rogue.
If opponents used physical attacks, Geed was nearly invincible, not getting injured even once, winning ten consecutive rounds quickly.
Fighting regular people was many times easier than fighting Jason. Ray defeated everyone rapidly until the audience started making magic fire signs for him.
Rogue came out to handle beasts that used wide-range magic instead of Geed. Regular examinees facing just these two of Ray's had no idea what to use to win.
Ray had never used his third magical beast even once. He had never gotten serious yet.
Now, Geed's level after long battle farming had leveled up to 15.
Rogue's level had leveled up to 18.
Finally came the last match at 8 PM.
The match everyone had been waiting for most.
And this would probably be the only opponent who would make Ray use all three of his magical beasts.
"Examinee number 3, Aria Atheria Falerian! Please come report to the front of the stage!"
A long pink skirt and patterned wooden shoes stepped onto the stage where Ray stood. Aria's beautiful white face and silver braided hair swayed in the wind like an ice princess.
She walked to stand directly in front of him, facing off against the brown-haired young man in slightly nice commoner clothes.
Both smiled at each other.
"Don't go easy on me, Ray. Give it your all," the owner of beautiful emerald green eyes said.
"Yeah, do your best, Aria," the blue-eyed person told the other side as well. She nodded in acknowledgment.
Ray called out Geed to test the other side.
Aria called out her unicorn, getting serious from the start.
And so the battle between the two friends began.
"I'm counting on you, Sereni."
**Name: Sereni**
**Beast Species: Unicorn**
**Level 19**
**HP: 900 MP: 900**
**Element: Light**
**Rarity: A-Rank**
**Info: Unicorns are creatures that require deep time to study and understand. They have gentle, elegant, and intelligent natures. They are rarely seen by ordinary humans. It's said their horns, besides being used for self-defense, also have high-level healing powers. They prefer to live alone until they find a life partner they're ready to be with forever.**
**Skills: Charge, Unicorn Heal, Magic Shield, Sacred Blessing, Horn of Light, Power of the Stars**