rlin sighed softly. He really didn’t understand how rich people like Luna thought.
"I see... By the way, you said my sister is taking this test, right? But why didn’t I know about it beforehand?" he asked hesitantly.
If Catrine was coming to the academy, there should have been a letter from his mother or father a few days ago. But there wasn’t.
"About that, you should ask Academy Head Linda. I don’t know," Margaret said, shrugging. "But I suspect she deliberately kept it from you. Maybe... you could consider it a surprise?"
rlin fell silent at the word "surprise."
Now he rembered—Linda had ntioned that word before.
When he had asked what the surprise was, Linda had only smiled mysteriously, called it a secret, and told him to discover it for himself.
He realized that the "surprise" she ant was likely his sister’s participation in the test.
"What a clever master," rlin chuckled, rubbing his temples.
Luna watched the exchange, feeling oddly annoyed at being ignored.
"All right, let’s start monitoring. I want to see the test," she said coldly.
Margaret gave her a aningful glance but said nothing.
She placed her right palm on the desk, and instantly the holographic screen lit up brightly.
The scene on the screen shifted, revealing the maze where the test was taking place.
It was spacious but dim, lit only by torches affixed to the walls.
rlin couldn’t help but recall the maze inside the ancient Egyptian pyramid—they were remarkably similar.
Margaret operated the monitoring room, shifting the screen from one view to another.
The students had already begun their tests. So struggled but still laughed casually, as if enjoying the challenge, while others battled monsters ranging from level one to three.
The scene was tense, even through the monitor screen.
"Tsk! This test is far more interesting than I expected. If so of the first wave of students were dropped in here, I’m not sure they’d make it out as champions," rlin remarked with a chuckle.
Although the students taking this test were far weaker than the first wave, that didn’t an the originals would necessarily survive.
After all, the difficulty of this test was obvious to anyone who saw it.
rlin, having experienced the prototype version, knew exactly how terrifying it could be.
"You’re right. That’s why those who went in with the first wave are the lucky ones," Margaret said with a faint smile.
Luna nodded, agreeing with her words. Subconsciously, her gaze shifted to rlin, filled with gratitude and affection.
If it weren’t for him, she might not be where she is today.
Feeling her gaze, rlin turned to her and smiled.
"Found it!"
Margaret’s excited voice ca from the front. rlin and Luna instinctively turned to the holographic monitor and saw a striking girl fighting three wolf monsters.
She wasn’t very tall, but her presence was impossible to ignore. Her long, silver hair cascaded down her back, shimring in the light.
Braids frad the sides of her head, enhancing her youthful charm.
Her eyes were a piercing blue, like snowflakes falling from the sky.
Her face was cold and distant, like frost, yet her sharp gaze radiated the aura of a hero.
The sword in her right hand sliced through the monster before her with effortless precision, as if cutting through tofu.
"She really ca!" rlin exclaid, eyes wide with amazent.
His violet eyes sparkled, and his breathing grew slightly heavy. His little sister, missing for two years, had finally appeared in this test.
Even though he trusted that Margaret wouldn’t lie, seeing Catrine in person was thrilling beyond expectation.
’So, she’s Catrine, huh?’ Luna whispered, narrowing her eyes.
Admittedly, Catrine was breathtakingly beautiful—even rivaling Luna herself.
She radiated a unique, cold aura, as if an invisible wall of ice separated her from the world.
Luna recognized it as a barrier—one that would make anyone hesitant to approach her.
Even from a glance, she could sense Catrine’s cold, decisive, and potentially ruthless nature.
Glancing at rlin with a worried look, Luna felt sothing new: fear.
If rlin and Catrine were to et, would his feelings for her weaken?
She hoped not—but if they did... she couldn’t bear to imagine it.
"[Ding! The system has detected turmoil within the heroine Luna Tharot! An ergency mission has been issued! Increase Luna Tharot’s mood! Status: 0/100. Reward: 40,000 system points and a Northern Blue Grass (Legendary)]"
rlin froze at the sudden system alert. When he read the reward, his surprise only deepened.
’Northern Blue Grass? Damn! System, are you serious? You’re giving this away for free?’ he asked in surprise, swallowing hard.
Northern Blue Grass was one of the three main ingredients for brewing the Seven-Color Potion—a potion capable of reviving the dead.
At first, he had assud collecting them would take a long ti.
He already had the Feather of Life—only two ingredients remained: Northern Blue Grass and Spirit Water Lotus.
What he never expected was for the system to suddenly assign a mission with Northern Blue Grass as the reward.
"[Master, you’re really out of line! I already issued the mission, and it has to be correct. Why would I ss with you?]" the system replied in an annoyed tone.
rlin was silent for a mont, then let out a long sigh.
’I... I’m sorry. It all feels like a dream,’ he said sheepishly.
At the sa ti, he glanced at Luna beside him, whose expression had darkened.
’But why is she in a bad mood?’ he wondered.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on Catrine on the screen. A aningful smile curved her lips.
’So... jealousy, huh?’
Everything clicked. Luna and Catrine had never t before.
His mother, Livia, must have ntioned Catrine often to Luna—whether intentionally or not.
And now, seeing Catrine in person, Luna felt threatened, afraid the girl might take rlin away from her.
Despite knowing this, rlin had no intention of starting the mission right away.
After all, the system hadn’t set a specific ti limit for completing it.
Besides, his attention was entirely on Catrine. He wanted to see how much she had grown after training with the Master of Illusions.
...
Slash!
Catrine swung her sword, wiped the blood from the blade, and sheathed it with practiced ease.
In the next instant, the last wolf was split cleanly in two, tumbling backward.
Her expression remained calm and indifferent, as if nothing could shake her.
"I got five food supplies for the next three days," she murmured, picking up five cloth bundles from the floor and storing them in her bracelet.
She looked forward, about to move on, when a playful voice called from behind.
"Wait a minute, beautiful girl. Are you just going to run away?"
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