The hellish tutoring sessions before the theoretical exam had finally come to an end.
Although the process was excruciating—even causing Helos to lose several strands of hair—under the relentless bombardment from Julius and Gavi, she had managed to cram that dry, boring theoretical knowledge into her head.
Now that the warm-up was over, the final results would be left to fate.
But for Helos, the end of the theoretical exam only meant that the real highlight was just getting started.
The assembly square of the Royal Magic Academy was buzzing with noise.
The massive dome was covered with painted trajectories of the stars, and dozens of stone pillars inscribed with defensive runes supported this wide space.
The air carried a unique sensation of surging mana, the natural magical wave emitted when hundreds of mages gathered together.
Today was the day of the practical assessment.
According to the academy’s previous arrangement, the Comprehensive Research Academy—where Helos and her group belonged—had been assigned to the third batch.
And entering the Trial Ruins in the same batch with them were students from three other academies.
These three academies were the Elemental Magic Academy, the Holy Light Magic Academy, and the Enhancement Magic Academy.
Helos stood at the edge of the crowd, not in a hurry to line up.
With her hands in the pockets of her uniform, her light purple eyes narrowed slightly as she discreetly observed these competitors who were about to become her “prey.”
In this academy, a chain of contempt always existed between the academies.
The group standing at the very center of the hall, occupying the best spot, was the students of the Elemental Magic Academy.
Most of them wore finely crafted robes and held staffs inlaid with various colored gems.
A sense of innate superiority was always plastered on their faces, as if they weren’t here to take an exam but to attend a dance called “Show of Power.”
Elemental magic, as the name implied, was magic that manipulated natural elements like earth, water, fire, and wind.
In the Asgard Empire, elemental magic had always held a very high status.
Not only because it had powerful destructive force and flashy visual effects, but also because quite a few Court Grand Mages and war heroes in imperial history had come from the elemental mage background.
This historical heritage had bred the arrogance ingrained in the bones of the Elemental Academy students.
In their eyes, magic was meant for destruction and conquest.
As for the group standing on the left, wearing white robes with gold trim, they were from the Holy Light Magic Academy.
Their temperament was relatively milder, but that didn’t mean they were easy to deal with.
Most of these people were reserves of the Church or devout believers. Though not as aggressive as the elemental mages, they exuded a kind of aloofness that said, “I am holier than you.”
They excelled in healing and purification, often playing the most troublesome “unkillable” role in team battles.
Eleanor was among them right now, surrounded by a group of people.
But what Helos cared about most was actually the group standing in the corner on the right.
The Enhancement Magic Academy.
The style of these students was completely different from other mages.
Instead of staffs, they held various weapons—enchanted longswords, heavy hammers, even gauntlets.
They rarely wore robes, preferring light armor or enchanted leather gear for ease of movement.
Enhancement magic was rather complex. It didn’t directly use mana to attack enemies but instead infused mana into oneself or one’s weapon.
For example, strength enhancement, speed enhancement, enchantment, and some auxiliary magic like concentration spells all fell within their scope of study.
If you really compared individual combat capability, these “melee mages,” who trained themselves to be like warriors, were by no means weaker than the former two.
In fact, under certain specific circumstances, they were far more dangerous than those frail elemental mages.
As for the Comprehensive Research Academy…
Helos glanced at the sparse group behind her.
Because this academy itself was a hodgepodge, the students’ research directions were all over the place.
Some studied ancient history, some studied potion cultivation, and some, like Helos, studied alchemy.
Although everyone could use a bit of magic, they relied more on magical items and external objects. Therefore, in terms of combat power, the gap between the upper and lower limits of this academy was very large.
The weak ones might not even be able to defeat a goblin.
The strong ones…
Helos glanced at Julius and Gavi standing beside her, a meaningful curve appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Strong to the point of being inhuman.
Of course, this difference in strength wasn’t visible before they actually crossed hands.
In the eyes of students from other academies, the Comprehensive Research Academy was just a bunch of “bookworms” who only knew how to study, the “small fry” destined to be eliminated in this battle royale.
Especially those arrogant elemental mages.
“Hey! Over there!”
Just as Helos was still analyzing the situation, an extremely grating voice suddenly came from not far away.
Helos looked up.
In the Elemental Academy’s ranks, a young man with fiery red long hair was pointing in her direction, a sneer of undisguised mockery on his face.
He wore an extremely luxurious mage robe, with complex flame crests embroidered in gold thread on the cuffs and collar.
The top of his staff was inlaid with a fist-sized ruby, which was now emitting a scorching magical wave.
From this getup, it was clear he was a noble with a prominent family background.
“Isn’t this the… Comprehensive Research Academy’s team?”
The red-haired young man deliberately raised his voice so everyone around could hear him.
“Can you guys even score in this kind of exam? Or did you all get full marks on the theory exam, so you can pass even with a zero on the practical?”
His words drew a burst of laughter from the surroundings.
“Look at that person!”
The red-haired young man didn’t stop there. As if discovering a new continent, he pointed at Gavi behind Helos and laughed so hard he bent over.
“Oh my God! Am I seeing things? Is that a maid? Someone actually brought a maid to the practical assessment?”
“Hey! You, silver-haired little lady!”
He shouted at Helos.
“Did you come for an exam or a picnic? This is the Trial Ruins, not your back garden! If you’re afraid of getting your clothes dirty, you’d better go home early! Hahahaha!”
At these words, the laughter grew louder.
Even the students from the Holy Light Academy and Enhancement Academy cast mocking glances their way.
In their view, a combination of a maid and a young man who didn’t even seem to have a staff was indeed amusing.
Faced with this blatant provocation, Julius’s pitch-black eyes darkened instantly.
His body leaned forward slightly, and the dangerous aura of the chosen one seemed to be on the verge of losing control.
Gavi, expressionless, stepped forward. The hand hidden in her sleeve had already clenched slightly. At Helos’s command, a blood hole would appear in that red-haired young man’s throat the next second.
“Don’t move.”
But Helos reached out and gently stopped them both.
She wasn’t angry.
Or rather, her face was calm to the point of being frightening.
There was no trace of anger in the girl’s light purple eyes, only a pity and disdain like that of looking at a dead man.
She looked at the red-haired young man who was still spouting nonsense in the distance.
She was a little curious. Had she been too low-key?
Or was the reputation of her Olivias Family too weak?
Apart from the royal family, she really couldn’t think of anyone who would dare to talk to her like this in such a place.
What background do you have, bro?
Helos glanced in Eleanor’s direction.
She noticed that Eleanor was also looking at the red-haired young man, but with a half-smile on her face.
Under normal circumstances, her sister would be more anxious than her.
But now Eleanor was so calm, with that expression, which meant only one thing.
This guy was completely a hothead.
Or rather, aside from Helos’s classmates, not many people outside knew her identity.
Through her mind’s eye, she could clearly see the mana source burning like a blazing fire inside the other’s body.
Although it seemed impressive, in Helos’s eyes, that fire was full of impurities and loopholes.
His mana flow was unstable, even a bit shaky.
This was a typical bluffer who had mana but no control skills.
If she wanted, that fireball the guy prided himself on would backfire instantly, turning his annoying face into a charcoal briquette.
But now wasn’t the time.
“Let him laugh.”
Helos withdrew her gaze and said flatly.
“The happier, the better. After all…”
A cruel curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.
“Only a plump enough prey makes for a satisfying kill, doesn’t it?”
“Claude Fleming.”
Gavi’s flat voice sounded at the right time in Helos’s ear.
“The second son of the Imperial Viscount Fleming family. Proficient in fire elemental magic. According to intelligence, he is carrying at least three high-grade Magic Crystals as backup energy sources, and a set of expensive defensive magic items.”
“Oh?”
Helos’s eyes lit up.
This wasn’t an enemy mocking her?
This was a walking treasure trove delivered right to her door!
“Write it down.”
Helos said softly.
“After we enter, he’s the first target.”
“Yes.”
Gavi nodded, already passing judgment on that red-haired young man in her heart.
And that young man named Claude, still basking in the attention of the crowd, had no idea he had already been targeted by the most terrifying trio in this academy.
“Silence!”
At that moment, a dignified voice rang out above the square.
The supervising dean appeared on the platform.
He swept his gaze over the restless students below, and that powerful aura instantly silenced the entire venue.
“Time is up.”
The dean didn’t waste words. He raised his staff and struck it heavily on the ground.
“Trial Gate, open!”
“Rumble—”
Accompanied by a teeth-grinding sound of stone grating, the bronze giant door at the end of the square, which had been sealed for hundreds of years, began to slide open slowly to both sides.
A cold wind mixed with a decayed smell and thick mana howled out from behind the door, fluttering the robes of the front-row students.
Behind the door was a long, deep corridor leading to the ancient ruins shrouded by a Barrier.
The corridor was filled with visible thick fog, making it impossible to see inside.
“Third batch! Enter!”
With the command given, students from each academy began to line up and walk through the giant door.
Christ had mentioned before that the space inside these ruins was folded.
Although everyone entered from the same entrance, the mist in the corridor had a spatial interference effect, randomly scattering entrants to various corners of the ruins.
Helos had worried before whether she could pass through this thing.
But Finalais had come specially to guarantee it would be fine.
To put it in her words, based on the amount of mana in this thing, even if Helos stood next to it, it could hold for at least an hour or more.
“Let’s go.”
Julius took Helos’s hand.
“Hold on to me.”
He whispered a warning.
“The space inside is very unstable. The mist might separate people. Don’t let go.”
“Mm.”
Helos took a deep breath.
She looked at the bronze giant door slowly opening, and the rolling fog beyond it. Her purple eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit.
This wasn’t an exam.
This was a hunt.
And they were the greediest hunters lurking in the shadows.
“Let’s move!”
The girl stepped forward, and with her knight and her maid, she plunged without hesitation into the deep darkness.