Taking off my jacket, I revealed the tracking mark on my wrist and then asked.

"Yes...so can you remove this?"

Shaking her head, Serena stood up and walked toward the door.

"I need to keep an eye on you."

Seeing her slam the door shut, I sighed and opened the sealed window, peeking my head down and glancing at the entrance, where I saw two familiar figures.

"Where is she!?"

"*tsk* She's going to make us late, let's just go."

Magnus's two group mates from the practical angrily shook their heads before turning around and heading into the manor, the clock about to hit 10 PM.

They were supposed to stop her from entering the manor on time, but with my change, it wasn't neccesary.

Watching them about to enter the manor, I paused before ultimately deciding not to make them late by pulling some trick.

They would just take out that extra anger on Ruby, anyway.

Rather than dealing a small blow to them, making them late once, it was better to end them with one careful strike.

...

...

...

The night and the next days quickly passed in succession as I returned to my daily life at the Four-Axis, rarely straying away from my dorm room and spending more time in my painting than in the real world.

With no weapon to practice swordmanship, I had resorted to practicing my art and trying to recall how Anna had used my body to perform "Heaven's Rebound."

Unfortunately, although I could recall portions of her movement and imitate them, such as kicking my right heel into the air, the concept was impossible for me to grasp.

Why the right heel? Why kick it up? What is cutting through?

As for classes, Monday and Tuesday were simply lectures.

Carissa avoided me at every turn, her head twisting in the opposite direction as mine every time that we crossed paths, not that I cared.

At the same time, Leo and Haerin would occasionally try to convince me to join them in the training hall, but I politely declined.

Serena was well...oddly silent.

Every so often, during class, she would glance at my wrist, ensuring the tracking mark was still there.

That wasn't surprising in itself; after all, the tracking mark probably stopped working every time I entered the subspace.

She probably thought that I had found a way to invalidate it and started inventing again, secluding herself in the lab.

Behind the scenes, though, the real separation was taking place, much earlier than I had written it, as Magnus slowly spent less and less time with the rest of the main cast, opting to train alone or eat with his subordinates.

The rival turned villain.

Finally, after some boring days, on Wednesday, the day of our second practical exam arrived.

Leaving my dorm, wearing a black full-body suit... no weapon attached to my waist, my Willow Leaf Dao long lost during my saving of Carissa, I sighed.

The weapon had fallen off my body during my descent, unsurprisingly, and had been lost in the forest.

Getting a replacement would mean I have to pay for the last one, and even with my current balance, it was still a massive price tag.

"Huh?"

Opening my dorm door, I paused upon seeing a package awaiting me.

A familiar golden nametag lay atop the package, its name instantly catching my attention.

[Keepers of Elysium]

The number one guild, owned by none other than Carissa's father.

Pausing, checking my watch to ensure I had sufficient time, I grabbed the massive package and slid it inside my room, instantly grabbing a knife from the kitchen after.

As I sliced open the package, a faint smile slowly started to take form on my face, Carissa's face appearing in my head.

A jade-green sheath, covered in gold at the top and bottom, was nestled within the empty and seemingly cheap cardboard box.

Of course, after choosing my weapon to be the Willow-Leaf Dao, I had researched every single artifact associated with it.

Thus, I instantly recognized the weapon before me.

The Golden Willow Liyue Dao, created by the Qing Dynasty and wielded by their warriors.

It wasn't a one-of-one artifact, but that didn't diminish my happiness.

The blade was used to slice millions of Mongolian soldiers during the Chinese Empire's conquest, quickly becoming the most common saber type in China.

With a gentle curve spread evenly along the blade length, the Golden Dao was the perfect balance between cutting and accurately thrusting, exactly what I needed and wanted.

The sheath alone was beautiful, a mix of pure gold, richness, and jade-green, humbleness, and sparkled under the lights of my dorm room.

Beside the sheath lay a small piece of paper with some handwriting.

[A Token of My Appreciation - Carissa (Serena recommended this type of weapon)]

"...perfect. The perfect gift."

Taking the sheath and attaching it to my waist, allowing it to fall behind me, I grinned and officially left my dorm building, heading toward the practical exam grounds.

Standing amidst the field of over two thousand first-years, I wondered if this exam would remain the same as the second one in my book.

Luckily, my answer was handed to me almost instantly when the instructor began barking out commands at us.

"This practical exam is unlike the last...in that your team will not be around you to help. While your points are still summed together and calculated as a team, you will not be with them."

"During this exam, all of you will be individually transported to part of an underground labyrinth. Your goal is to reach the middle, and yes, you may attack other students."

"For each student that reaches the middle of the maze, your team will receive fifteen points; however, if one of your teammates is eliminated, your team will lose 7 points."

"If you eliminate another student, you will receive 1 point."

"Every hallway and corridor of the labyrinth is being carefully monitored, so if you are unable to continue fighting, simply say 'Surrender' and you will be picked up consequently."

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