Klaiman stared silently at the screens floating before him.
Across the different battlefields, the applicants continued fighting relentlessly.
If one looked carefully enough, they could notice something strange.
Two students could be standing in the exact same location… yet neither could see the other.
"When only ten students remain in each gate, the examination will end."
Klaiman rose from his seat and declared the announcement with absolute seriousness.
Before him, the professors ..and even Professor Maria nodded obediently.
"Understood."
…
"To all applicants…"
Professor Maria's cold voice suddenly echoed throughout the forests of the virtual gates, shattering the silence.
Every student fighting inside the examination grounds froze instantly.
It was as though a royal decree had descended from the heavens themselves.
Raven sat resting atop a rock while Renee sat beside him quietly.
"I repeat… to all applicants."
The voice rang once more in their ears.
The two glanced at one another.
Silver eyes met crimson ones.
Then both silently focused on the announcement.
"Due to an unforeseen incident, the rules of the examination will be changed."
'Huh? What does that mean?'
Confusion flashed through Raven's mind.
He didn't remember anything like this ever happening in the novel.
"I think many of you have already noticed the irregularities in the rankings. To summarize briefly… the original virtual gate was divided into four separate gates sharing the same overall area shortly after the examination began."
Her tone remained cold and noble, carrying only elegance and distance.
"Therefore, instead of selecting only three students… ten students will now pass from each gate. The examination will end once that number is reached."
A brief pause followed.
"So do your best."
"And remember…"
"The examination time has also been shortened."
"Only two hours remain."
As soon as her announcement ended, Maria's voice vanished ...yet the uproar it created among the applicants remained.
"Only two hours…"
Raven muttered quietly.
His gaze dropped toward the watch on his wrist.
Rank: 23
Remaining Participants: 47
"Renee, what's your rank?"
He turned toward the pink-haired girl beside him.
She looked completely unconcerned.
"Rank three."
She nodded with her usual smile, her crimson eyes narrowing playfully.
'That fast?'
Raven was briefly stunned before shaking his head.
Thinking too much wouldn't help him now.
"I'm rank twenty-three. Let's move and finish this quickly."
He stood up slowly.
At the moment, he was in nearly perfect condition.
Most of his mana and elemental energy had already recovered.
"Alright."
Renee stood as well, stretching her body lazily.
…
"Huff… huff…"
"That should place me at… rank three now."
Raven breathed heavily as he drove his katana into the skull of a gigantic wolf.
Sweat dripped from his forehead while he raised his wrist again.
Rank: 3
Remaining Participants: 11
A faint smile appeared on his face.
This examination had become unbelievably chaotic.
Honestly…
If an author ever wrote a plot this messy, they would definitely get criticized for it.
"Hmm?"
Before he could process his thoughts, he suddenly felt something soft touch his forehead.
This time, he neither jumped back nor panicked.
Who else could it possibly be other than Renee?
At some point, he had already grown accustomed to her strangely intimate behavior.
…Or perhaps he simply liked it a little.
Raising his eyes, he met hers once more.
Renee held a soft handkerchief as she gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Thanks."
Raven nodded quietly after she pulled the cloth away.
"It's nothing."
Her usual playful smile remained unchanged.
Yet her crimson eyes shimmered faintly with an emotion he couldn't understand.
'Doesn't her face get tired?'
Raven stared at her in slight confusion.
During the past two hours…
That smile had never once disappeared from Renee's face.
"The participant ranked eighth has been eliminated."
"Only ten participants remain."
Maria's voice thundered across the battlefield once again, abruptly shattering the strangely intimate atmosphere between them.
Raven's expression hardened instantly.
That meant
"The examination is over."
The moment the words echoed in his mind, an unfamiliar sensation spread through his hand.
He raised it instinctively.
Blue fragments began scattering from his skin like shattered pieces of data.
Starting from his fingers…
Then his arm…
Until finally, his entire body crumbled apart into glowing particles.
The last thing Raven noticed before disappearing…
Was Renee's expression.
For the first time since meeting her
The playful amusement in her crimson eyes vanished.
And in its place…
Was sadness.
Then—
A familiar feeling of transportation engulfed him.
A violent force suddenly hurled his body forward.
"Shit—!"
Raven's eyes widened.
His body shot through the air at terrifying speed straight toward a solid wall only a few meters ahead.
'I'm dead.'
Just before impact
Something cold and solid wrapped around him instantly.
It held him tightly in place before he could crash into the wall.
"What a troublesome child…"
The only thing he heard was Professor Maria's annoyed voice from behind him.
The icy object restraining him slowly melted away.
Raven lowered his gaze quickly.
Two hands made entirely of ice were wrapped tightly around his body, dissolving into droplets.
'Are you kidding me?'
Cold sweat poured down his back.
He genuinely would've smashed into the wall before even understanding what happened.
"Damn— huh?"
Another flash of light suddenly caught his attention.
Raven looked toward the glowing gate again.
Renee's head emerged from it
And just like him, her body shot forward at terrifying speed.
Yet before he could even react
She vanished.
"Oh? Raven, what are you doing?"
Her voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"…Nothing."
Raven adjusted his posture calmly, though inwardly he was shaken.
Her reaction speed and abilities were monstrous.
Even for someone like him
Someone who possessed authority over time.
"Everyone, line up."
Maria's cold voice pulled them all back to reality.
The students obeyed while glancing around awkwardly.
Compared to before…
The number of applicants had dropped drastically.
What had once been thousands…
Was now only a few hundred.
The enormous hall finally felt spacious.
"Hehe~"
Renee suddenly grabbed Raven's hand and pulled him toward the gathering students.
Some people looked devastated, as though they had lost close companions.
Others radiated excitement.
And some simply looked hopeless.
Raven noticed many familiar figures among the crowd.
Klein.
Adel.
Leon.
Abraham.
And many others.
When Adel noticed Raven staring, he casually nodded toward him.
Soon enough, everyone stood in a random formation before Professor Maria.
"The first examination has now concluded."
Maria spoke slowly, exhaustion slipping faintly into her voice.
"Despite the numerous complications…"
"The second examination will begin two months from now."
A brief pause followed.
"Therefore…"
"You may now officially consider yourselves students of Arthena Academy."
For the first time
Her voice carried genuine congratulations instead of cold indifference.
The words resonated deeply within the hearts of the remaining applicants.
Many unconsciously straightened their backs with pride.
Several students even began whispering excitedly to one another.
Raven maintained his calm expression while Renee continued smiling beside him as always.
"Now follow me."
Maria gestured forward as two staff members stepped beside her.
She nodded once.
Then began walking.
The students obediently followed behind.
After several minutes of walking through the massive halls, they eventually arrived before a tunnel.
"Raven! It's wonderful seeing you again, my dear friend."
A familiar voice suddenly echoed beside him as they entered the tunnel.
"Adel… I see you lost rather quickly against Braham."
Raven answered coldly, not even attempting to hide the mockery in his tone.
"Hehe…"
Leon scratched the back of his head awkwardly beside Adel.
"Ignore that."
Adel dismissed the sarcasm entirely before glancing toward Renee.
"Is this your partner?"
"Yes. Her name is Renee… Renee…"
Raven paused slightly.
He realized he didn't know her surname.
Before he could ask
Renee answered herself while walking quietly beside him.
"Renee…"
"Just Renee."
For a brief moment, sadness slipped into her voice again before disappearing beneath her usual cheerful tone.
"Everyone, board the metro."
Maria interrupted the conversation as she pointed toward a gigantic futuristic train waiting nearby.
Raven followed silently
But he couldn't ignore Renee's reaction anymore.
She truly was…
A strange girl.
At least, to him.