A soft glow spread across the jungle as Manacrons throughout the exam site activated at the same time.
Damon's wrist vibrated faintly.
The holographic interface expanded in front of him, projecting a floating panel of blue light that hovered in the air just above his arm.
At the top of the panel, bold letters appeared.
CURRENT EXAM RANKINGS
The list began scrolling downward.
1 — Khaira Emberhorn(Beastwoman) — 500 Points
Her name sat firmly at the top of the ranking, shining brightly above the others.
Below it came another entry.
2 — Aelrion Sylvaris (Elf) — 490 Points
Damon's eyes moved down the list.
3 — Serena Valmont (Human) — 430 Points
4 — Lucian Aetherwind (Human) — 350 Points
5 — Grukk Ironmaw (Beastman) — 300 Points
The list continued far beyond that, dozens of names shifting and updating as points accumulated across the jungle battlefield.
160 — Eric Fluffief — 80 Points
Damon scrolled further down.
Near the lower end of the rankings—
His own name appeared.
257 — Damon Valecrest — 50 Points
For a moment he simply stared at the display.
Leaning against the tree trunk behind him, Damon slowly clenched his fingers.
The muscles in his hand tightened slightly as the frustration from earlier battles lingered in his chest.
Then he relaxed his grip again.
"…I need to find and conquer some breaches," he muttered quietly.
His gaze remained fixed on the ranking list.
"Otherwise getting into Class S will remain nothing but a pipe dream."
Using the tree for support, Damon slowly pushed himself upright.
His body still ached from the brutal encounter with the beastman earlier, but the worst of the pain had already begun fading. The cuts along his hands had nearly closed, and the bruised muscles in his arms and ribs no longer throbbed as sharply as before.
He flexed his fingers slightly, testing the movement.
I noticed it during training as well…
Damon rolled his shoulder once.
This body heals faster than it should.
His golden eyes glanced briefly toward the surrounding jungle.
It must be because of the mana here.
The ambient mana in this world probably accelerates natural recovery… at least for normal injuries.
With his breathing steadied again, Damon stepped away from the tree.
Then he began walking deeper into the jungle once more.
***
In another region of the vast jungle world, where the terrain sloped gently downward into a thick cluster of towering trees, a crooked trunk bent almost horizontally from the weight of its own growth. Its bark was rough and pale, stretching out like a natural platform above the forest floor.
Seated comfortably on that bent trunk was a young nobleman with neatly combed green hair.
One leg rested lazily over the other as he leaned back slightly against the curve of the tree, his posture relaxed despite the chaos of the ongoing exam. A faint glow from his Manacron illuminated his face as the ranking board hovered before him.
His eyes scanned the list slowly.
Then they stopped.
His lips curled slightly.
"Tch."
"Two hundred fifty-seven… Damon Valecrest."
He let out a quiet breath of annoyance.
"So that dirt still hasn't been eliminated."
Standing several steps in front of him were two other noble students, both dressed in pristine academy uniforms that showed none of the wear and damage common among the students fighting through the jungle.
They had clearly chosen to stay close to the green-haired nobleman, waiting for his instructions rather than charging recklessly into battle.
One of them spoke cautiously.
"Lord Beaumont, according to the information you obtained earlier, the last fifty students on the ranking board will be placed into the weakest class and will also face the possibility of expulsion from the academy."
He glanced toward the floating ranking display again.
"And right now… Damon Valecrest is already within that range."
The green-haired nobleman—Beaumont—listened quietly.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Hmph."
"You truly believe the son of a duke would be ignorant of the same information I have access to?"
His calm voice carried quiet certainty.
"Someone like him will undoubtedly try to climb out of that position before the exam ends."
Cedric straightened slightly against the tree trunk.
His eyes hardened as he continued speaking.
"Whatever, Damon Valecrest must not remain inside this place until the exam is over."
A brief flicker of determination passed through his expression.
Then he looked toward the two noble students standing before him.
"Contact our other allies through the Manacron," he instructed calmly.
"Tell them that whoever manages to eliminate that dirt…"
His smile widened slightly.
"…will earn the good graces of Marquis Beaumont."
The two noble students exchanged a brief glance.
Both of them seemed hesitant for a moment.
Finally, one of them asked carefully,
"Are you certain about making such a promise?"
Cedric looked at them as though the question itself amused him.
"Of course," he replied smoothly.
After all…
He tilted his head slightly.
"The Beaumont Marquisate will belong to me after graduation."
***
The next stretch of the exam passed in a blur of movement and violence.
Damon moved through the jungle relentlessly, cutting down monsters whenever he encountered them and gathering points wherever he could. The creatures that crossed his path fell quickly under his precise strikes, dissolving into green light that flowed into his Manacron. Along the way he also stumbled upon two scattered relics hidden among roots and rocks, each dissolving into glowing particles and adding twenty points to his total.
A few students crossed his path as well.
Those who wandered alone rarely lasted long. Damon struck from blind spots and shadows, eliminating them before they could activate their resonance abilities. Those encounters were short and efficient.
But reaching breaches proved far more difficult.
Every time his Manacron alerted him to a nearby mana instability and he rushed toward it, something interfered. Sometimes it was a group of commoner students lying in wait, clearly expecting him. Other times a pair of beastmen would appear out of nowhere, laughing loudly as they activated their resonances and charged him head-on.
Without resonance of his own, fighting multiple opponents like that was suicide.
Each time Damon was forced to retreat.
Again and again.
By the time the next encounter happened, the frustration inside him had already built into a simmering rage.
He had just been notified about another nearby breach when a figure suddenly lunged at him from the side.
The student moved fast, clearly intending to catch him off guard.
But Damon didn't give him the chance.
Already irritated and exhausted, he moved first. His fist drove straight into the boy's ribs before the student could even attempt to activate his resonance, the impact forcing the air from his lungs. Damon followed with an elbow to the jaw that dropped him instantly, then a series of brutal strikes that left the boy sprawled helplessly on the ground.
Within seconds the fight was over.
Damon pinned him down with his knee and grabbed the collar of his uniform.
His eyes narrowed.
"This doesn't look like commoner clothing."
His voice was cold.
"You don't seem to be a commoner… so why did you attack me instead of heading for a breach?"
The defeated student trembled violently beneath him.
When he saw the frightening expression on Damon's face, his composure shattered.
"Y–young master of the Beaumont Marquisate announced it," he stammered. "He said whoever eliminates you will be in good graces of the marquisate… m–many lower nobles are hunting for you right now…"
For a brief moment Damon remained silent.
Then his expression grew even darker.
"Is that so?"
The next instant his foot came down.
The kick crushed the student's skull against the ground, and the body dissolved into light as the system removed him from the exam.
Damon stood there, breathing slowly.
I'm going to tear that bastard Beaumont into pieces.
Just then—
DING.
His Manacron lit up with a notification.
THE NEARBY BREACH HAS BEEN CLEARED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.
***
Back in the academy auditorium, the atmosphere was far calmer than the chaos unfolding inside the simulated jungle.
Groups of instructors and academy staff stood scattered across the room, quietly discussing the scenes unfolding before them.
Near the center, Valerian, Garrick, and Elowen continued observing the projections.
Valerian leaned forward slightly with his elbows resting on the console before him, his earlier manic enthusiasm now replaced by an expression that looked suspiciously similar to Garrick's usual tired irritation.
"Umm…" he muttered after watching several screens in silence. "Aren't things getting a little boring?"
Garrick shot him an annoyed glance.
"So what exactly do you want?" he replied dryly. "For the students to start tearing each other apart?"
He gestured toward one of the ranking panels hovering nearby.
"Seventy-three students have already been eliminated, which means we already have enough candidates for Class E this year."
His expression remained as unimpressed as ever.
"From an examination standpoint, this is more than sufficient."
Elowen, who stood beside them with her usual warm smile, tilted her head slightly as she looked at the ranking display.
"Oh my," she said softly. "Isn't there only one hour remaining now?"
Her gaze drifted toward the larger monitoring screens.
"Shouldn't we open the core breaches soon? After all, our two fellow instructors have been waiting there for quite some time."
Garrick crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Hm."
"There's no way a single student could clear a core breach alone," he said matter-of-factly. "Those things are designed for team engagement. If anyone wants to conquer them, they'll have to cooperate and form groups."
For a brief moment, Valerian remained silent.
Then—
His eyes suddenly widened.
And the grin slowly returned to his face.
"HAHHAHAHAHAHA!"
His manic laughter erupted through the monitoring hall, startling several nearby staff members.
"Good… good… I GOT IT!"
Before Garrick could even ask what madness he had just thought of, Valerian snapped his fingers and began rapidly tapping commands across the control panel.
***
Across the simulated jungle—
Manacrons lit up simultaneously on the wrists of every remaining student.
A loud warning message flashed across their holographic displays.
LARGE AMOUNT OF MANA INSTABILITY HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE AREA.
A LARGE-SCALE BREACH MAY OPEN SOON.
EVACUATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
The warning hadn't even finished fading when Valerian's voice suddenly echoed across the entire jungle world.
"Hihihhehehahahahhaha!"
"My dear students!"
His tone sounded gleeful.
"To make things a little more interesting…"
A pause followed.
Then his laughter returned, echoing through the forest canopy.
"All of your locations have now been made public!"
"HAHAHAHEHEHEHAHAHA!"