I paced nervously around the white monolith. Three cadets didn't reach Station Six by their scheduled times. One of them was Odo, and the other two were cadets from the Basilisk and Gaiarok squads. They were supposed to arrive half an hour ago, even by my most pessimistic approximations.

Things at Station Six weren't looking pretty either. The monolith had turned out to be a dangerous place for cadets. Many dropouts had realized that the top of the hill, devoid of vegetation, was the perfect place for an ambush. Speed and detection skills seemed to be the only way of countering the hunting parties.

Ilya and Firana had been constantly updating me. Things at Stations One and Five were normal. Wolf had been having trouble communicating from Station Eight. Zaon was entirely out of range of the array.

To make things worse, many cadets had decided to give up. Some were beaten, and others were chased down like dogs by dropouts. Station Six was getting crowded, and the food supplies were running low. Cadets were supposed to travel with the minimum necessary, but the same rules did not govern those stranded at the monolith. There was no reason to ration if they were staying put.

I couldn't decide if the selection exam was deeply flawed or working as intended.

I spied over the treeline, but Odo was nowhere to be found.

For the past day, I've been dragging unconscious and wounded cadets into the barrier. Then, I searched their clothes for their healing potion and made them drink it. As they had already lost their badges, I wasn't interfering in the exam. I've even built a small shelter for those needing more recovery time.

As time passed, even the seemingly cold Fortifier started to get nervous. Getting beaten by a group of people ten levels above you hardly counted as an exam. The dropouts were already breaking into their 20s, and it showed.

While I wasn't busy nurturing cadets back to health, an insistent thought came to my mind.

Why?

Astur had said that difficult times were coming. Did he refer to the increase in monster activity, or was it something else? The way he said it made me think of the latter. It was almost like he knew that really bad times were ahead. A Corruption cycle.

I pushed those thoughts aside and glanced at the treeline.

"Where are you, Odo?"

Things were getting ugly.

A fight broke out on the northern side of the monolith.

* * *

Rup lay in a puddle of blood and viscera.

Four dropouts broke through the thicket and froze when they found her. They had been hunting the beastfolk girl down for the past six hours, but Rup was nimble and surprisingly fast, considering the length of her legs.

The dropouts exchanged a worried glance.

That could only be the job of a monster.

"Check her out," one of the dropouts said.

"I'm not getting close. Whatever caught her might still be around," the other replied.

The dropout party operated around Station Seven. As all their badges had a seven on them, they concluded their prey would be around that spot sooner or later. In any other circumstance, they wouldn't have chased a cadet so far, but they had peeked a glance at the Rup's badge. They did not get a clear look but thought they had seen the number 71. Two had badges with 71 on them, so it was a safe gamble to chase.

Even if they had the wrong number, they could exchange it later.

The dropouts showed more camaraderie now than they ever did as official cadets. Returning to the program was a golden opportunity, and they would do everything to get it, even if that meant blindly trusting others. Many dropouts, those of noble backgrounds, had put hefty prizes on their matching badges. In some cases, enough to live half a lifetime without worries.

"I'll do it, but half of the reward is mine if we trade it in," a third dropout said.

"That wasn't the deal!"

"Then let's go together."

They exchanged a nervous glance and nodded. Astur had told them that third-year cadets had cleaned the area of mid-level monsters, but they doubted the Grandmaster's words. The exam, after all, was harsher than anything they experienced during their time as cadets.

The dropouts entered the clearing, walking carefully not to step on the dead vegetation. There was a lot of blood.

The sudden rustle of leaves above their heads made them stop short.

Silence.

"Take her badge, fast," a dropout said through his teeth.

The leaves rustled again, but behind them this time. The wind stopped, and an eerie silence fell over the clearing. A branch cracked. Their eyes shot upward just as a foul four-legged creature jumped from the canopy. The beast hissed and clicked its appendages.

The monster had the fur of a Barkhide Ursus, but the creature wearing the pelt wasn't its original owner.

"Hidewalker!" a dropout shouted, all his blood seemingly abandoning his face.

The dropouts fled from the scene, terrified and hoping the Hidewalker would stay fixed on its prey rather than chase them.

Rup had to cover her mouth with both hands not to laugh. Her shoulders jolted, and she raised her body when she was sure there was no one else nearby. The sticky blood soaked into her jacket, but she didn't care. At the same time, her puppet dropped the heavy Barkhide pelt.

"Good work, you are a natural actress," Rup complimented her puppet.

Getting rid of four dropouts was more than many cadets could brag about, so Rup was satisfied with the outcome. She was lucky to have found a monster on her path, but Grandma Jorven always said luck smiled over those prepared to seize it.

Rup grabbed a piece of moss and cleaned the blood from her clothes.

The only thing stronger than her amusement was her surprise. The fight with the Barkhide had been too smooth. Sure, the Barkhide was still young and its hide hadn't fully hardened, but her blade cut through it with surprising ease. Rup examined the hide. The pelt was thick, with bristling quills seemingly made of iron among the regular hair. She tugged at one until it snapped off. It wasn't useless, but not exactly a trophy.

Carrying the heavy fur was out of the picture.

"You might be a genius after all, Rup," she whispered.

Her puppet shifted by her side silently, save for the creak of its joints.

With a tug of her [Mana Thread], Rup recovered her sword and daggers hidden on opposite sides of the clearing. She had been ready for a surprise attack if her little act failed.

"Their lack of bravery saved them," Rup said, unsure if she could actually stab someone. She ignored those thoughts and puffed out her chest. "Always strike up, Rup, and if you can't, kick their shins, and stomp on their toes."

* * *

The fortified shirt stopped the sword from slicing into Odo's ribs.

"You son of a bitch!" he bellowed.

Odo had always been tall for his age, so nobody had dared to stab him before. The other kids at Stormvale Manor had been afraid of him, and not even the older kids messed with him.

Odo was the son of a Kigrian Knight, but had inherited the character of her mother, the eldest daughter of a potato farmer. The boy was pissed off. Logically, whoever had stabbed him would turn their attention to Lord Malkah next, and that made him irrationally angry. Why would anyone want to hurt someone as excellent as his lord? The answer was always the same: idiots or evildoers.

Mana surged through Odo's body. [Sentinel's Oath] told him that Lord Malkah was in danger, so he had to get rid of the pesky dropout in front of him. Speed types were Odo's worst matchup, but he had an ace up his sleeve.

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Clear, silvery mana surrounded his body, and he shot forward. He rammed through the forest, the skill improving his speed. [Charge] was a rare pull for a Sentinel, so his opponent wasn't expecting it.

Odo thought he could've just charged sword first and impaled the Assassin dropout easily, but Lord Malkah had been clear with his orders. Killing was prohibited.

The Assassin's speed and piercing skills were good against Odo's Sentinel skills, but Odo's [Awareness] was excellent against the Assassin's obfuscation skills. In the end, the fight was even.

The Assassin dropout grinned and pointed at Odo with the tip of his sword, but the boy was prepared. He channeled his mana like Instructor Clarke had taught him and summoned a [Steadfast Shield] twice as strong as he could before entering the Academy. The Assassin's sword bounced, and Odo rammed his shoulder cleanly into his solar plexus.

Sure, Odo believed Malkah's enemies ought to die, but without that option, taking their breath away was almost as satisfying.

The Assassin was thrown backwards and crashed into a tree.

Odo took a deep breath and wiped the blood from his forehead. If not for Instructor Clarke's reinforced shirt, he would've ended up picked apart. His padded jacket was torn to pieces, and his abdomen was covered in bruises. Still, bruised was better than cut down.

Odo edited The List inside his mind.

Instructor Clarke - Friend of the Stormvale Family. Protect.

[Sentinel's Oath] pinged his brain to help Malkah, and Odo quickly snatched the badge from the dropout and ran in the direction that his skill showed.

Harwin's [Mana Arrows] ominously revolved around the battlefield.

Instructor Clarke had taught them that a distraction was as valuable as a powerful attack. Odo didn't believe him, but the scene before his eyes changed his mind. This dropout was leagues above everyone else: a Fortifier talented enough to block every single one of their attacks.

If Odo could summon a shield, the Fortifier could summon an impregnable fortress. But the tides of the battle had changed. Harwin had pinned the Fortifier between his arrows and Lord Malkah's sword.

Odo sighed in relief. Malkah wasn't using his Bloodreaver powers, which meant he was unharmed.

"It's enough, you are surrounded," Lord Malkah said, making his best impression of Lord Kigria.

A shiver ran down Odo's shoulders.

Lord Kigria was a scary man.

"My barrier will hold until my companions arrive," the Fortifier replied with an arrogant tone. "I already noticed it. You don't have piercing spells."

Harwin diverted his eyes, embarrassed. He probably was the only Ranger in Ebros without a piercing skill. [Piercing Arrow] was as basic as Ranger, Hunter, and Archer skills went, but he didn't have it. Odo let out an inward sigh, questioning what the System saw in his friend to grant him a skillset so skewed toward support spells.

"You're too passive, Harwin. We are in this situation because you lack initiative," Odo said, shaking his head.

"How is that my fault!" Harwin replied from the other side of the clearing. "Use [Puncture] then, and get us out of this mess!"

Odo was taken aback. [Puncture], after all, was as basic as Sentinel, Fencer, and Soldier skills went, but he didn't have it.

"I pulled [Charge]! It's only natural for the System to withhold some skills after giving me something so rare!" Odo shouted.

Lord Malkah closed his eyes. Odo was about to apologize for his lack of skills, but mana surged through Malkah's body. Not the fiery red mana of a Bloodreaver, but pure non-elemental blue mana. The mana gathered on his right hand and passed into his sword, giving the metal an eerie glow.

Odo recognized the skill, or rather, the technique. Instructor Clarke used it to reinforce his sword during sparring. With it, he could stop Cedrinor's axes and even break Leonie's thunder spells.

A jitter of excitement ran through Odo's hands. If Lord Malkah could pull off that technique with such a limited mana pool, it could only mean he was nothing short of a genius. Not that he was surprised.

Malkah shot forward. The mana gathered in the tip of his sword. Sparks shot in every direction, and Odo had to divert his eyes as the sword stabbed the Fortifier's barrier. A crack echoed through the forest.

Odo couldn't see if the barrier had fallen, but he used [Charge] nonetheless. If it was Lord Malkah, he must've broken the barrier. Moving forward like a freight train, the remnants of the barrier bounced against Odo's shoulder. He hit something solid. A body.

The Fortifier bounced back, slammed against the intact section of the barrier, and hit the ground with a dull sound.

Odo beamed.

Ramming into Lord Malkah's enemies was truly one of the highest pleasures of life.

"I think you dislocated his shoulder," Harwin pointed out as he reabsorbed the mana of his summoned [Mana Arrows]. Then, he used [Snare], and roots emerged from the ground and trapped the legs of the Fortifier.

[Snare] was a trap skill, but Harwin could use it directly under his target for instant activation. The skill wasn't as strong or versatile as [Entangling Vines], but it required less mana, and remained set for hours after the cast.

"Good job, Odo and Harwin. Now go; you need to complete the exam," Malkah said with a commanding voice.

After the first station, their paths diverged.

"We will escort you, Lord Malkah," Odo replied.

Malkah's eyes twitched. The movement was subtle to the point that nobody but Odo and Harwin could detect it. It happened every time Lord Malkah was angry.

"Your Lord has given you an order. Go."

Harwin looked at the tip of his boots.

"Well, about that. We are sorry to say we can't obey."

Odo's father had taught him the basics of becoming a Kigrian Knight. His first teaching was about selective orders and how to disobey their superiors without getting into trouble. The trick was to blame other superiors.

"Lord Kigria ordered us to protect you so… our hands are tied," Odo said, pretending to be sorry.

Although his expression remained composed, Malkah pinched the bridge of his nose. Even if his facial muscles barely moved, his anger levels were reaching dangerous levels. Still, neither Odo nor Harwin backed off. The fact that they had come so far in such a hectic year was already extraordinary. A testament to Kigrian's potential, Odo thought.

"It's better this way," Odo said. "I would rather be a Kigrian Knight."

"Ditto… respectfully," Harwin added.

Malkah grabbed the badge from the Fortifier's chest and stomped his way out of the clearing. "Do whatever you want."

Odo couldn't help but smile.

Since the day they met, Malkah had taken the fall for every mess they'd caused. He didn't have to; after all, he was the eldest son of a duke. Odo, on the other hand, was the son of a down-and-out knight married to a commoner, and Harwin was the son of a stablehand and a handmaiden. And yet, time and again, Malkah shielded them despite Lord Kigria's affinity for exemplary punishment.

Odo and Harwin exchanged a smile and caught up to him.

"Are you crying, Lord Malkah?" Harwin asked.

"A mana spark must've got in my eye."

"That might be it. Stay behind my [Steadfast Shield], Lord Malkah."

* * *

Yvain threw the cloak over his head and moved away from Station Five. The badge had to remain on his chest, but no part of the rules prevented him from adding more layers to his attire. Dropouts could only tell friend from foe by their clothing. Cadets wore the black, padded jacket of the Academy, while dropouts wore a variety of colors and styles. Some even used the emblems of their houses.

Yvain acquired the cloak after defeating a Knight from the Dalton Family. Technically, he had borrowed the cloak from the Knight's unconscious body. It was a unilateral loan, if anything, but Yvain planned to return it. The Dalton Family shared frontiers with the Osgirian dukedom, so they had met during the gatherings to plan the defense of the border against Monster Surges.

"Maybe I shouldn't," Yvain said to himself.

Returning the cloak after taking it might be taken as a sign of mockery.

"Should I add a letter of apology?"

Since his father's downfall, Yvain had been walking on eggshells. He had lost political backing and fallen deep into the inheritance line; the anger of the Vedras nobles had been redirected to him, and he had become an afterthought at the family events. Even his mother had relegated him to the background as she looked for a prospective match after the obligatory year of mourning.

Yvain was lost.

The Imperial Academy was everything he had, the only thing solid in his life, but even that could change if he slipped just once.

Yvain channeled his mana and used [Duelist's Advance] to jump over a bush. Unlike [Dash] or [Quickstep], [Duelist's Advance] allowed forward movement even without a solid footing. Yvain landed gracefully and almost crashed into a group of dropouts crouching behind the thicket. He quickly sidestepped and rolled over the damp forest bed to avoid hitting them.

The dropouts blinked in surprise.

The Duelist Class had a huge weakness: most of its skills required a target.

Thanks to his passive [Feline Grace], Yvain jumped to his feet in a single movement.

Three overleveled dropouts were more than he could take.

Instructor Clarke's words echoed in his mind.

Work hard and work smart.

"Hey! Sorry about that. Have you seen 5719?" Yvain asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"5719?"

"Yes, that's the cadet I'm supposed to hunt down. He should be around Station Five, right?"

The dropouts relaxed, but Yvain's heart continued to beat like one of those huge Karid war drums.

"Well, not necessarily. Cadets don't have to visit the stations in the badge's order," a redhead girl with freckles explained.

Yvian pretended to be surprised.

"Oh… that makes things harder," Yvain said.

"Yeah, it's better to get as many badges as possible and then exchange them," the girl said, with a tired sigh. "Truth be told, if the selection exams are going to be this hard, I don't know if I want to return to the Academy. Astur is losing his marbles. I saw a cadet from the Golden Dragon squad skewering a fellow dropout near Station One. If you find one of Astur's cadets, it's better to turn around. Any level advantage you have will be nothing. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Yvain nodded. He was starting to like the redhead girl. Unlike other dropouts, she didn't seem outright vengeful.

"I'll be going then," Yvain said.

"How about teaming up? It's more efficient this way," the girl said.

"My skills work better in one-versus-one fights. Besides, we must cover a lot of ground if we don't want cadets to pass by."

Two of the three dropouts nodded. The last one looked at Yvain with suspicion.

"Before you leave, mind telling us what squad you were in?"

"D-does it matter?" Yvain stuttered.

"I have a good memory, and I don't recall seeing you at the Academy before."

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and the dropouts stood, slowly bringing their hands to their weapons.

A little voice inside Yvain's head told him to give up. He was alone against three enemies. His class wasn't suited for that kind of combat. Nobody was going to save him. He was alone.

"You sneaky rat," the dropout grinned. "I knew it!"

The ground trembled, and the environmental mana quivered. Yvain prepared for the worst. Then, out of nowhere, a massive, fat frog jumped into the clearing, knocking down the dropouts like bowling pins.

"D-Dolores?"

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