CHAPTER 41 — Joint Class Training (3)
Several students wandered through the vast Tree Garden, though calling it a garden almost felt insulting.
It was a forest.
A gigantic ancient forest stretching so far into the distance that its edges could no longer be seen once one stepped deep enough inside.
Towering mana trees stood like silent giants beneath the heavens, their enormous trunks rising high into the sky while layers upon layers of glowing leaves filtered sunlight into countless scattered rays. Some trees possessed silver bark shimmering faintly like metal, while others carried dark blue leaves glowing with traces of mana.
Every single tree looked different.
And that only made the students' decisions harder.
"How are we supposed to know which tree is the best?"
"I don't know, man… just choose one that looks good."
"Really?" another student snapped immediately. "You're telling me to randomly choose the wand I'll use for the next three years?"
"That's exactly why I'm saying we should think carefully first."
Groups of students walked through the forest arguing endlessly with their assigned partners.
Some inspected leaves.
Some checked mana density around the trunks.
Others simply stood staring blankly at trees, completely unable to decide.
Because unlike ordinary wood—
The material they chose here would eventually become their wand or staff.
A weapon that would remain with them throughout their entire academy life.
Compared to the chaos surrounding them—
Rowan's group was strangely quiet.
Damon walked calmly beside him with his wand already resting in his hand, his dark eyes silently scanning the surroundings as if observing something beyond the visible surface of the forest.
Meanwhile—
Rowan kept stopping every few seconds.
He walked toward one tree before placing his palm against the trunk and slowly running his hand across the bark. Then he lightly knocked against it with his fingers before leaning closer as if listening to something.
Damon's eyebrows slowly rose.
"What are you doing?" he finally asked.
"Oh." Rowan casually knocked against the tree one more time. "Just checking the quality of the wood."
Damon stared at him.
The confusion in his eyes deepened.
It was as though the entire scene unfolding before him was something completely foreign.
Almost incomprehensible.
"…Checking the quality?" Damon repeated slowly.
"Yeah." Rowan nodded naturally. "Like this one sounds too hollow."
He knocked again.
Tok. Tok.
"And this bark feels too dry."
Damon remained silent for several seconds.
He genuinely could not understand what Rowan was doing.
Nearby students were also carefully examining trees while discussing with their partners.
"What about this one?"
"No idea."
"It looks strong though."
"That's because it's gigantic, idiot."
Two students stood near an enormous tree with dark navy leaves shimmering beneath the sunlight.
The leaves themselves looked strangely beautiful, almost like fragments of the night sky.
Suddenly—
The bush beside them rustled slightly.
Neither of the students noticed.
Then—
"Ooh ooh! Aah aah!"
A small monkey-like creature suddenly jumped out from the bushes.
Its body was covered in gray fur while glowing yellow eyes sparkled mischievously.
The creature moved with unnatural speed as it instantly snatched the wand hanging from one student's waist before climbing the tree in a flash.
"Hey—?!"
The student froze for a second before panicking.
"T-That damn Monji!"
The small monster sat atop a branch while swinging the stolen wand around mockingly.
Then it stuck it's tongue out at them.
"Ooh aah aah!"
"YOU LITTLE—!"
FWOOSH!
The other student instantly launched two fire spells upward.
The flames tore through the air like blazing whips, but the Monji agilely leaped aside and dodged them effortlessly before hanging upside down from another branch.
Then it mocked them again.
The veins on the students' foreheads bulged instantly.
"Fuck this Monji—!"
Suddenly—
SHING!
A sharp crescent arc of fire suddenly cut through the forest.
The attack moved so fast that even Damon's eyes shifted slightly.
The blazing crescent sliced directly through the branch holding the Monji.
CRACK!
The branch broke instantly.
"OOH?!"
The Monji fell flat onto the ground together with the stolen wand.
Before it could even recover—
The two enraged students immediately surrounded it.
For the first time—
Fear appeared on the monster's face.
"OOH…?"
FWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Fire spells instantly rained down toward the poor creature.
"Die, you fucking Monji!"
STOMP! STOMP!
The Monji's screams echoed briefly before disappearing entirely beneath the barrage.
A moment later—
Silence returned.
Rowan stood several meters away watching the entire scene unfold with a completely flat expression.
Damon slowly turned toward him.
"You helped them?"
Rowan looked back at him.
For a brief moment, he tilted his head slightly as though genuinely thinking about the answer himself.
Then—
He casually shrugged.
Damon frowned.
"What does that even mean?"
"I…" Rowan opened his mouth as if about to explain something.
But after several seconds—
He simply shrugged again.
"…Seriously?"
Damon stared at him in disbelief.
That answer somehow explained absolutely nothing.
"Hey!"
A voice suddenly called out from nearby.
The students Rowan had helped earlier waved toward him while holding the recovered wand.
"Thanks!"
One of them lifted his thumb enthusiastically.
Rowan smiled lightly before waving back casually.
Meanwhile—
Damon stood beside him with the same flat unreadable expression on his face.
Though this time—
There was a faint trace of curiosity hidden deep within his dark eyes.
---
Creak—!
The sharp sound of a branch snapping echoed through the forest as Seraphine stepped over a fallen limb without even glancing down at it.
Dry leaves crunched beneath her boots while rays of sunlight slipped through the towering canopy above, painting scattered patches of gold across the forest floor.
Her crimson hair swayed behind her like flowing flames, the long strands brushing against her waist as she moved forward with visible irritation written across her face.
"Ughhh…," she groaned under her breath, rubbing her temple. "Why do I have to search for wood in this damn forest?"
The irritation in her voice was impossible to hide.
Behind her, Ritvik walked with slow and measured steps, his staff resting against his shoulder. Although his expression remained mostly hidden behind the thin frame of his glasses, the slight twitch near his brow and the stiffness in his posture made his annoyance equally obvious.
The deeper they went into the Tree Garden, the denser the forest became. Strange trees towered everywhere around them, each carrying different colors, different bark textures, and different mana signatures.
Some trunks glowed faintly blue beneath the bark while others carried crimson veins pulsing like living creatures.
The entire place felt less like a forest and more like a living maze.
Seraphine suddenly stopped walking and turned around sharply.
"Hey, you," she called out, pointing at Ritvik.
"Do you know which trees are considered good for wands?"
Ritvik barely looked at her.
"How would I know?" he replied flatly. "I'm not some kind of tree expert."
Seraphine stared at him for a long second with a completely unimpressed expression, as though she had just received the dumbest answer possible.
Then she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Which class are you in?"
Ritvik's brows flickered for a brief moment. He clearly did not want to answer.
"Hey," Seraphine said again, her tone sharper this time. "Are you deaf? I asked you something."
Ritvik exhaled quietly before finally replying.
"Class B."
For a second Seraphine simply stared at him blankly.
Then a small chuckle escaped her lips.
"Haha… Yeah, I shouldn't have expected much from a Class B student like you."
Ritvik slowly turned his head toward her. Behind the reflection of his glasses, his eyes narrowed visibly.
"As if you're any better."
Seraphine lifted her chin proudly before flipping a strand of crimson hair behind her shoulder.
"I am better," she replied without hesitation.
"I'm in Class S after all."
Ritvik's expression twitched faintly.
"Even I could've made it to Class A if not for you—"
He suddenly stopped midway.
Seraphine blinked.
"…What did you just say?"
Ritvik instantly looked away.
"Nothing."
"Hah?" Seraphine frowned deeply. "So now you're blaming me because you didn't make it into Class A? People like you really—"
"Because you were my first match in the Arena Duel," Ritvik interrupted this time, the irritation in his voice finally surfacing. "If I hadn't fought you first, my placement in Class A was basically guaranteed."
Seraphine stared at him in genuine confusion.
"…I don't remember fighting you."
Ritvik adjusted his glasses.
"It was your first match," he said dryly.
"Remember now?"
Seraphine crossed her arms while placing a finger against her lips thoughtfully. Her crimson eyes drifted upward as she tried recalling the memory.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
A vague image surfaced in her mind.
A boy getting blasted out of the arena before the fight had even properly begun.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Ohhh…"
A grin slowly spread across her lips.
"Yeah, I remember now."
She looked directly at Ritvik.
"That was you?"
The next second she covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha~!"
Her laughter echoed shamelessly through the forest.
Ritvik closed his eyes and slapped his own forehead with a deep sigh.
At that moment, he regretted revealing the truth more than anything else.
Rustle… Rustle…
The laughter suddenly stopped.
Both of them frowned at the same time.
Another sound came from the nearby bushes.
Rustle… Rustle… Rustle…
This time the movement was clearer.
The leaves trembled violently.
Ritvik's grip around his staff tightened immediately while Seraphine's expression sharpened. The playful mood from moments ago vanished almost instantly.
The forest became strangely quiet.
Even the wind seemed to slow down.
Then—
Something slowly peeked out from the bush.
A small white head emerged first.
Soft fur.
Round face.
Tiny nose.
Deep crimson eyes.
For a brief moment…
It looked almost adorable.
"Huh?"
The tension cracked slightly from Ritvik's face.
'…What the hell? It's just a bunny.'
The creature slowly hopped out from the bushes.
And the moment it's full body appeared—
A massive shadow swallowed both of them whole.
The bunny was enormous.
No—
Calling it a bunny now felt completely wrong.
It's body towered well above six feet in height. Thick white fur covered muscles so unnaturally large that they stretched against its skin like coiled steel cables. Veins bulged along its gigantic arms while monstrous shoulders cast heavy shadows across the ground.
It's chest looked like a wall of compressed muscle.
Its abdomen carried sharply defined packs running all the way downward like carved stone.
The sunlight filtering through the trees only made it worse. Half of it's face remained hidden beneath shadows while those glowing crimson eyes stared directly at them without blinking.
Predatory And Hungry.
The giant rabbit slowly tilted its neck.
Crack… Crack…
The sound of it's bones shifting echoed horrifyingly in the silence.
Then—
It smiled.
Two enormous front teeth gleamed under the sunlight.
Ritvik's face froze.
Seraphine's lips twitched slightly.
A heavy silence stretched between them.
Then Ritvik finally spoke in a completely flat voice.
"…Why does the rabbit look like it can bench press a dragon?"
---
CHAPTER ENDS