Later that day, it felt as though nothing unusual had happened.
Classes ended as usual. Students laughed, gossiped, and complained about assignnts.
On the training field, Derek and his team gathered once again.
Eva and Emma sparred on one side. Explosive magic colliding with refined control. Ice bullets whistled through the air, sharp gusts of wind cut across the field, and the ground cracked under the force of their spells.
On the other side, Henry and Art exchanged blows, both of them pushing themselves harder than before.
And Derek?
He sat on a nearby rock, carefully observing every movent.
After several rounds, he stood up and stepped onto the field.
"Let’s do another four-versus-one spar," he said calmly.
Henry, Art, Emma, and Eva exchanged glances, then nodded in unison. They spread out and ford a circle around Derek.
"You can attack whenever you’re ready," Derek said confidently.
The fight began at once.
Their coordination had improved significantly. Repeated training together had sharpened their teamwork, their reactions, and their understanding of one another’s movents.
But it still wasn’t enough.
One after another, they were overwheld.
Derek moved with effortless precision, weaving between their attacks as if he had already predicted them. After learning lightning pace, his speed had improved drastically. From ti to ti, his fist or palm struck decisively, knocking soone away or forcing them to retreat.
He was being strict. But it was necessary.
The battle for cultivation resources and the opportunity to advance into the elite class would be ruthless. If they couldn’t endure this, they wouldn’t survive what awaited them.
No matter what formation they tried...
No matter what tactics they used...
The result remained the sa.
And Derek still wasn’t using his full strength.
His goal wasn’t to discourage them, but to push them past their limits.
To anyone watching from afar, it looked like an ordinary training session.
But in the shadows, soone was watching closely.
Or rather... believed they were unseen.
High above, partially concealed behind the edge of a rooftop, a cloaked figure crouched silently. Her gaze never left Derek.
’Now I understand why Master wants to protect him,’ she thought. ’He isn’t just a genius. He’s terrifying.’
Her eyes narrowed slightly. ’Even if I must interfere, I can’t do it too early. That would hinder his growth.’
She wasn’t the only one watching Derek within the academy.
But she was the only one tasked with protecting him.
Without making a sound, her figure faded back into the shadows.
Ti passed.
One day.
Then two.
The tension within the academy steadily grew. Rumors spread about Frederick’s sudden disappearance, about Emma abandoning her forr team to join a new one led by a first-year student.
A first-year who was rely a cultivator.
Whispers echoed through dormitories.
Instructors spoke in low voices within staff rooms.
Even the atmosphere itself felt heavy, as though a storm was closing in.
And finally...
The sun rose on the day of the Half-Yearly Ranker’s Test. The real storm was about to begin.
The fighting arena was already overflowing long before the test officially began.
Students poured in from every direction, filling the coliseum-like gallery that surrounded the central fighting arena. The noise was deafening — cheering, chatter, laughter, and restless excitent blending into a constant roar.
Instructors occupied the higher sections, sitting in reserved areas, their expressions far more serious than the students below. Many of them had participated in the Half-Yearly Ranker’s Test during their own academy days. They knew better than anyone that this wasn’t just another competition — it was a turning point that could decide a student’s future.
At the center of the arena, the ground was smooth and reinforced with layers of formation arrays, designed to withstand intense combat.
A mont later, a figure appeared.
He was a man in his mid-thirties, tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a dark instructor’s robe embroidered with the academy insignia. His aura was calm but imposing, instantly quieting a large portion of the crowd.
He stepped forward, his voice amplified by magic as it echoed throughout the arena.
"Silence."
The chatter gradually died down.
"Welco," he said. "To the Half-Yearly Ranker’s Test."
A ripple of excitent ran through the students.
"This test will evaluate not only your individual strength, but your judgnt, teamwork, adaptability, and survival instincts," the man continued calmly. "Listen carefully. I will only explain the rules once."
His gaze swept across the arena before he began.
"Rule one," he said clearly. "Intentional killing of another participant is strictly forbidden."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"However," he added coldly, "injuries are expected. If you enter this test, you accept the risks that co with it."
The murmurs grew louder.
"Rule two. You are allowed to hinder, obstruct, and interfere with other participants’ progress by any ans short of intentional killing."
So students exchanged grim smiles.
"Rule three. No external treasures are permitted," the instructor declared. "You may only use your standard equipnt. For Aurans, this ans your usual weapons, swords, spears, or equivalent. For mages, your wands or staffs. Any participant caught using high-grade treasures to boost their strength or for protection will be disqualified on the spot."
A few students stiffened uneasily.
"Rule four. The test consists of five stages. So will be individual trials. Others will require teamwork. But even during individual testing rounds, assisting your teammates is allowed."
Derek listened calmly, his hands resting at his sides. His expression didn’t change, but his mind was already working, morizing every detail.
"Finally," the instructor said, his voice hardening, "rule five. Any team that loses more than half of its mbers throughout the test will be imdiately disqualified from the test."
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the stands.
That ant if a team failed to protect its weaker mbers, everyone would pay the price.
"Those are the rules," the instructor finished.
He raised one hand. "All participating teams... step forward."
One by one, teams entered through the massive gates lining the edge of the arena.
Twenty teams in total.
Each team consisted of five to eight mbers, their uniforms and insignias marking their respective Houses and divisions. So teams radiated confidence, their mbers standing tall with powerful auras barely restrained. Others looked tense, their weaker mbers clustering close to their strongest fighters.
Derek’s team stepped forward together.
Henry rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck as he looked around. "Damn... this crowd is huge."
Emma remained composed, her eyes scanning the surroundings with careful attention. Eva adjusted her stance silently, while Art stood slightly back, steadying his breathing. No one spoke loudly,;this wasn’t the place for unnecessary bravado.
From the stands, whispers erupted the mont Derek’s team appeared.
"That’s them..."
"So it was really the truth? Emma Starwind has really left her previous team and joined a team of nobodies!"
"No way..."
Above, among the instructors, several pairs of eyes lingered longer than necessary on Derek.
The instructor at the center of the arena waited until all teams were assembled.
Then he spoke again.
"The first stage... is a team-based trial."
A pause.
"You will be transported to a designated combat zone," he continued. "Your objective will be simple."
His lips curved into a faint, humorless smile.
"Survive."
At that instant, the mana in the air shifted.
Directly in front of each team, space began to distort.
Thin cracks appeared in the air, spreading outward like shattered glass. A mont later, shimring rifts tore open, each one large enough to swallow an entire group.
The instructor’s voice rang out once more.
"You will be fighting monsters," he said. "However..."
His gaze sharpened.
"The environnt is unpredictable. Your coordination will matter more than raw strength."
In front of Derek’s team, the rift flickered steadily — an unstable mix of light and shadow swirling within.
Henry swallowed. "Guess there’s no turning back now."
Derek took a step forward, his voice calm. "Stay close. Protect each other. No matter what."
Everyone nodded imdiately.
Emma tightened her grip on her wand. Eva’s eyes glead with focus. Even Henry’s usual joking expression faded, replaced by determination.
One after another, teams began stepping into their respective rifts.
Entire groups vanished in flashes of light. Shimring panels appeared high in the air above each rift.
When Derek’s team’s turn ca, he didn’t hesitate.
He stepped into the rift first.
For a brief mont, his body felt weightless.
Then...
The world twisted.
Light fractured.
And suddenly, Derek’s feet touched solid ground again.
They stood in a vast, rocky plain surrounded by jagged cliffs. The sky above was dull and overcast, casting a gray pall over everything. The air carried a faint tallic scent, mixed with sothing far more unpleasant.
Blood.
Low growls echoed in the distance.
Derek’s eyes narrowed.
"Form up," he said quietly.
The others gathered close, backs nearly touching.
From the shadows between the rocks, multiple pairs of glowing eyes suddenly lit up.
A chorus of snarls followed. Monsters began erging.
Lean, wolf-like creatures with jagged spines along their backs crawled out from behind the cliffs. Their bodies were covered in coarse, dark fur, and their mouths dripped with saliva as they stared hungrily at the teams.
"Dire hounds," Emma said instantly. "F-rank... but in packs."
As if responding to her words, the pack burst forward.
And just like that, the first round started.
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