The Trial Forest exam lasted until sunset.
By the time the final signal flare was launched into the sky, most applicants looked exhausted.
Some students limped out of the forest.
Others supported injured companions.
A few even had to be carried by academy assistants.
The Trial Forest had once again proven its reputation.
It was not an easy test.
Near the exit gate, several instructors waited beside a large table filled with glowing crystal tokens.
Applicants stepped forward one by one, placing the tokens they had collected onto the table.
Each token represented points.
The more tokens a student collected, the higher their ranking would be.
Lucien Aurelius walked out of the forest calmly.
Unlike many others, his clothes were almost perfectly clean.
Several nearby applicants glanced at him nervously.
After the Frostfang Beast incident, rumors had already begun spreading.
"The Aurelius heir killed a Frostfang Beast with one strike…"
"I heard the instructors were shocked."
"He's definitely placing first."
Lucien ignored the whispers.
He simply placed his collected tokens onto the table.
The instructor counting them raised his eyebrows.
"Twenty-three tokens."
A quiet murmur spread among the surrounding applicants.
That number was extremely high.
The instructor wrote something down on a large parchment list.
"Stand to the side. Results will be announced shortly."
Lucien stepped away.
A few minutes later, another familiar figure emerged from the forest.
Adrian Solhart.
His clothes were slightly torn, and a few small scratches marked his arms.
But his posture remained steady.
He placed his tokens on the table.
The instructor counted.
"…Eighteen."
More whispers followed.
"That's the commoner from earlier…"
"Eighteen tokens is incredible."
Adrian moved aside quietly.
Soon another figure arrived.
Elena Valtieri.
Her long silver hair glimmered in the evening light.
She placed her tokens down.
"…Sixteen."
Within the next half hour, all applicants had returned.
Nearly two hundred had entered the forest.
But many had failed to gather enough tokens.
Finally, the chief instructor stepped onto the platform near the gate.
"Applicants."
Everyone immediately became silent.
"The results of the Celestial Academy entrance examination have been finalized."
He unrolled a large scroll.
"Only the top fifty applicants will be admitted."
Several nervous students swallowed hard.
The instructor began reading the list.
"Rank 50…"
Names continued being announced.
Every time a name was called, one relieved student stepped forward.
Others sighed in disappointment.
Lucien listened calmly.
Then—
"Rank 3: Elena Valtieri."
Elena stepped forward gracefully.
A few more names were called.
Then—
"Rank 2: Adrian Solhart."
The crowd reacted immediately.
"A commoner ranked second?!"
"That's impossible!"
Adrian ignored the shocked whispers and stepped forward.
Finally—
The instructor spoke the last name.
"Rank 1: Lucien Aurelius."
No one seemed surprised.
Lucien walked forward calmly.
The top three stood together in front of the crowd.
The instructor looked at them carefully.
"Outstanding performance."
"But your journey at the academy is only beginning."
He rolled up the scroll.
"Tomorrow morning, the fifty admitted students will gather inside the academy courtyard."
"Your class assignments will be announced there."
The exam had officially ended.
Students slowly began leaving the plaza.
Some celebrated.
Others looked disappointed.
Lucien turned to leave.
But suddenly—
"Lucien Aurelius."
He stopped.
Adrian had approached him.
The young hero's expression was serious.
"About earlier in the forest…"
Lucien tilted his head slightly.
"Yes?"
Adrian hesitated briefly.
"Thank you."
Lucien smiled faintly.
"You already said that."
Adrian shook his head.
"I meant something else."
Lucien waited.
Adrian continued.
"You could have taken the credit for killing that beast."
"But you didn't."
Lucien shrugged casually.
"Recognition is meaningless if you already know your own strength."
Adrian stared at him quietly.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Finally Adrian said,
"I hope we meet again inside the academy."
Lucien chuckled softly.
"I'm certain we will."
Adrian nodded once and walked away.
Lucien watched him leave.
Then the system interface appeared again.
Destiny Observation
Hero Awareness Level: 12%
Warning: Increased awareness may lead to unexpected outcomes.
Lucien smiled slightly.
"Good."
A hero who notices the villain early…
Would make the story far more entertaining.
The next morning—
The courtyard of Celestial Academy filled with newly admitted students.
The academy itself looked even more impressive inside the walls.
Tall towers rose toward the sky.
Beautiful gardens surrounded ancient stone pathways.
Magical runes glowed faintly along the buildings.
At the center of the courtyard stood a large circular platform.
Several instructors waited there.
One of them stepped forward.
"Students."
"You have passed the entrance exam."
"But within this academy, competition continues."
"The fifty of you will now be divided into two classes."
He raised his hand.
"Class B will contain thirty students."
"Class A will contain the top twenty."
A quiet wave of excitement spread among the students.
Class A was the elite group.
Students in that class received the best instructors and resources.
The instructor began calling names again.
"Class B…"
Several students stepped forward.
Lucien watched calmly.
Eventually—
"Lucien Aurelius."
He stepped onto the platform.
"Adrian Solhart."
Adrian joined him.
"Elena Valtieri."
Elena stepped beside them.
More names followed.
When the list ended—
Exactly twenty students stood on the platform.
The academy's elite class.
Just as the instructor prepared to continue—
A sudden voice interrupted.
"Am I late?"
Everyone turned.
A girl stood near the courtyard entrance.
Long crimson hair flowed behind her.
Her golden eyes sparkled with confidence.
She wore a dark red academy cloak.
But unlike the others—
She looked completely relaxed.
One instructor frowned slightly.
"Name?"
She smiled.
"Seraphina Draven."
A few instructors exchanged surprised looks.
One of them whispered,
"The Draven family…?"
The chief instructor nodded slowly.
"She arrived later due to special circumstances."
He looked at the students.
"Seraphina Draven will also join Class A."
Seraphina walked toward the platform.
Her gaze casually scanned the students.
Then—
Her eyes paused briefly on Lucien.
A playful smile appeared.
"Well… this class looks interesting."
Lucien studied her carefully.
The system interface appeared instantly.
Destiny Character Detected
Name: Seraphina Draven
Role: Unpredictable Heroine
Threat Level: Unknown
Lucien sighed quietly.
"Another one already…"
The academy year had only just begun.
But the pieces of destiny were already gathering.
The hero.
The heroines.
And the villain who refused to follow the script.
Lucien smiled faintly.
"This should be fun."