SRRTTTTD!
In an instant, the shadow was already upon her, then Seraphina vanished from the sight of all examinees. Only the rushing wind and the swirl of residual energy inside the massive crater testified to the explosion that had just shaken the arena.
"What... what the hell was that?" one examinee stamred, his voice trembling.
"W-where did that white-haired girl go? The one who caused that... thing?!" another asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
The Swarm Orbs drifted closer, scanning the blast zone. Their crystalline lenses flickered, analyzing the lingering mana traces, but no clear identity appeared. Only the hollow crater remained, a silent witness to the overwhelming power unleashed seconds ago.
Then the Proctor’s voice thundered across the simulated sky, amplifying the tension.
"OHHHHH! Audience, do you see this?! What kind of magic could carve such devastation?!"
Participants, still stunned, had no ti to dwell on what they saw. From the sky above and the ground below, the holographic monsters closed in once again. Their movents fractured the light into thousands of shards, creating illusions so vivid they felt alive. Blue flas licked across their bodies, phantom smoke blanketed the battlefield, and the air itself seed to vibrate with nace. Screams, tal clashes, and bursts of magic echoed from every corner, pulling everyone back into the chaos of survival.
At the edge of the forest, the shadow ca to a halt. It lowered Seraphina carefully, as though setting down sothing fragile. Puff nearly tumbled from Seraphina’s shoulder, clutching her fur with wide eyes as she turned toward the cloaked figure.
Only a pair of glowing crimson eyes glead beneath the hood. His attire was entirely black, every detail concealed, and yet his number plate still shone faintly red: 439.
"Boss!" Puff burst out, still pale from shock. "What in the na of hell was that?! You just appeared out of nowhere! My heart nearly jumped out of my body!"
A deep voice replied from under the hood, calm, steady, but cold enough to chill the air.
"Forgive . I only ca to find you."
Puff leaned forward, ears twitching nervously.
"I get it, you care about Seraphina... but don’t just appear like so nightmare spirit, bosz!"
Arzael remained silent for a mont. Only his red eyes glowed, unblinking in the darkness. Finally, he turned toward Seraphina. His tone softened, though the weight in his words remained.
"Next ti, don’t use explosions like that."
Seraphina t his gaze silently, then gave a small nod.
"Eh? Why not, boss?" Puff asked, tilting her head.
Arzael exhaled through the shadows of his hood.
"Think for yourself."
Before Puff could react, he stepped back. The forest air rippled, and his figure dissolved like smoke, leaving only a cold wind that stirred the leaves.
"Geez... he’s impossible to read," Puff muttered, folding her tiny arms. Then she looked at Seraphina, serious now. "Phina, what did he an by that? I don’t get it at all."
Seraphina’s crimson eyes swept across the trees, scanning for threats. Her voice was calm, detached.
"Explosions attract too much attention. Especially from the Swarm Orbs."
"Ohhh..." Puff frowned, ears drooping. "But wouldn’t it be cooler if the whole world saw how strong you are?"
Seraphina didn’t bother answering. She simply walked out of the forest, steps unhurried.
"Hey! Don’t ignore !" Puff shouted, flapping her ears furiously as she dove back into Seraphina’s hair.
The arena outside was chaos reborn. Giant insectoid illusions darted from the treeline, their mandibles gleaming. Massive tentacles burst from the earth, coiling hungrily. Above, wyverns spread phantom wings that whipped the air into storms. Light and shadow clashed in waves, turning the battlefield into a breathtaking, terrifying panorama.
"Seraphina, now’s the ti! Push your points to green!" Puff urged.
Seraphina only gave a quiet nod and kept walking.
"...Uh, Phina, you do realize if you stroll like that, you’ll get—"
A blur of scales and claws lunged from behind—a holographic predator, fangs bared, eyes glowing. It pounced with the speed of an arrow.
"Behind you!!" a female examinee shouted, wielding twin karambits.
But before the beast could land, its body shredded into countless shards of blue light, scattering like broken glass. No one had seen Seraphina move, only the faint glimr of invisible mana threads dissolving in the air.
The examinee gasped, dumbfounded.
"I... I didn’t even see her cast anything... how...?"
Seraphina turned slightly, her voice flat.
"Pay attention."
From within her hair, Puff burst out laughing.
"Ha! That’s my girl! Smooth and deadly, Phina!"
Seraphina lengthened her stride, though her composure never wavered.
Nearby, a dwarf girl stumbled as a towering holographic orc raised a colossal axe to finish her.
CLANG!
The weapon was intercepted by a human participant with a massive shield. His face strained under the blow.
"Get up! I can’t hold this forever!"
The dwarf scrambled upright, breathless, as an elf spearman joined the fray. His strike lanced into the orc’s side, bursting fragnts of light.
"Struggling already?" he muttered, circling at range.
The three fought desperately, but the orc’s sheer size pressed them back.
"This thing won’t fall with just the three of us..." one panted.
Then Seraphina stepped forward. The others turned to her in surprise.
The shield-bearer grinned. "Good. Now we’re complete."
The orc roared, axe raised high, then swung down. Everyone dodged, except Seraphina.
"DODGE!!" the spearman scread.
But Seraphina didn’t flinch. She twisted her body, pressed her hand to the orc’s face—
WHOOSH!
Black flas erupted, devouring the creature’s head. Its body unraveled into glowing fragnts before it vanished.
Seraphina’s plate shimred, shifting from yellow to green.
The others froze. One gawked, lips trembling. Another whispered in awe. A third unconsciously stepped back, fear etching his face.
But Seraphina walked on, indifferent to their stares.
From her hair, Puff peeked at the giant ranking panel that floated above the arena.
"Phina... look! You’re in the top twenty!"
Seraphina’s eyes flicked up, impassive.
"Third place, Number 6578, with 2025 points... second place, Number 781, with 2567 points..." Puff read aloud, her voice tightening. Then her jaw dropped. "And first place... with 9830 points?!"
Seraphina’s gaze lingered, expression unchanged.
Elsewhere, the forest shook as a colossal stone Golem stomped forward. Shinji and over a dozen others struggled against it, their blades and spells barely chipping away at the mountain of rock.
"...Even with this many people... we can’t bring it down..." Shinji muttered, despair creeping in. Then he raised his voice, almost screaming, "Oh Goddess! Why wasn’t I given the System power and Rank S skills!"
"Shut up, freak!" a dark elf snapped, hurling a spell. "Quit whining and fight!"
The Golem’s massive hand swung down, about to crush Shinji flat.
"WATCH OUT!!"
But before the strike could land, blood-red chains erupted from the shadows, binding his legs and yanking him aside.
A voice cut through the chaos, low and rciless—
"Get over here."
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