In this ruined forest shrouded by an ancient barrier, the once-silent air was now broken by the sound of ragged breathing.
Claude had never felt so humiliated.
His luxurious mage robe, which symbolized the honor of his family and his elite status at the Academy, was now covered in dust and grass clippings, with several slits cut by sharp blades at the cuffs.
His meticulously styled fiery red hair now sat atop his head like a messy bird’s nest.
This proud Second Young Master of the Fleming Family was now panting heavily, his hands resting on his knees as he tried to calm his pounding heart.
Sweat trickled down his cheeks and dripped onto the dry ground, evaporating almost instantly.
And on the towering rock opposite him, the silver-haired girl remained in the exact same posture.
She swung her legs leisurely, spinning the delicate hand crossbow deftly between her fingers, as if it weren’t a deadly weapon but a toy to pass the time.
“What’s the matter, Great Genius?”
Helos looked down at the red-haired young man, who was already unsteady on his feet, a malicious grin curling at the corner of her lips.
“We’ve only just started warming up, and you’re already done?”
Her tone was laced with undisguised mockery.
“Weren’t you just trying to teach me a lesson? Didn’t you say Elemental Magic was the strongest? Come on, let me see your so-called ‘strongest.'”
Claude ground his teeth and forced out a few words.
“You… monster!”
He looked at the two lackeys lying not far away, who were still twitching occasionally, his heart filled with fear and confusion.
In the mere few minutes just now, he had tried countless counterattack methods.
Instant Fireball.
Flame Shield.
Even Fire Serpent Dance, which required a brief incantation.
But no matter what magic he cast, no matter how he mobilized his mana, the girl sitting on the rock always reacted a step ahead of him.
She hadn’t even used the ability to nullify magic, simply dodging most of his spells.
And the projectiles from her hand crossbow precisely interrupted his spellcasting rhythm every time.
Whenever his incantation reached a critical point, a projectile would graze his scalp or land precisely in the dirt at his feet, startling him into losing control of his mana and suffering spell backlash.
She was like a cat toying with a mouse.
She could have finished him off in one go, but instead she chose to watch him struggle in fear, watch him ignite hope again and again, only to sink back into despair.
“What? Out of tricks?”
Helos looked at the young man, who was already on the verge of a mental breakdown, and felt a hint of boredom.
She had wanted to test the practical application of alchemy a bit more, but she didn’t expect this so-called favorite to be so fragile.
As long as Helos locked onto the nodes of his mana flow and used her hand crossbow for physical interruption, this academy-trained mage raised in a greenhouse was completely helpless.
She didn’t even need to use the Curse of Silence.
“Since you’re out of tricks…”
Helos sighed and slowly raised her hand crossbow.
The dark muzzle of the crossbow again locked onto the center of Claude’s forehead.
“Then let’s end this boring game. Your mana crystals are definitely mine now, but sending you out will at least save you from a bit of physical pain.”
Watching the finger about to pull the trigger, Claude’s pupils contracted sharply.
He didn’t want to be eliminated!
He was the genius who bore his family’s expectations and swore to take first place!
If he were eliminated here in the first round, and by a loser from the Comprehensive Research Academy no less, how could he ever show his face at the Academy again?
He would become a laughingstock for everyone!
No! It couldn’t end like this!
“Wait!”
Just as Helos was about to fire the Thunderbolt Bullet with its paralytic effect, Claude suddenly shouted.
He thrust out his hand, making a stop gesture, his face wearing a strained expression that pretended to be conciliatory.
“Stop! Don’t do it yet!”
He gasped for breath, trying to make his voice sound sincere.
“We… we can talk! How about a trade?”
“Trade?”
Helos’s finger paused on the trigger.
She looked with interest at the young man who was now at the end of his rope, playing with her hand crossbow, her tone light and airy.
“Oh? What kind of trade do you want to make with me?”
“If you’re thinking of begging for mercy, forget it. I’m not in a good mood today, and I don’t accept verbal apologies.”
“No, it’s not an apology!”
Claude quickly shook his head.
He reached into the storage pouch at his waist and pulled out a heavy cloth bag.
Clink—
It was the crisp sound of mana crystals clinking together.
“This contains all the mana crystals I’ve collected so far!”
Claude held the bag high to demonstrate his sincerity.
“There are fifteen in total! Three of them are even mid-grade! If you let me go, these crystals… they’re all yours!”
He looked at Helos, his eyes full of earnestness.
“I know you’re here for points too. With these crystals, your ranking will definitely break into the top ten! There’s no need to eliminate me, right? More friends, more paths.”
Helos looked at the bulging bag and narrowed her eyes slightly.
Indeed.
Fifteen crystals was definitely a high score at this early stage of the exam.
Getting them without lifting a finger would still be a worthwhile deal.
The girl rubbed her chin, seeming a bit tempted.
“Sounds… not bad?”
“Right? Right?”
Seeing Helos showing signs of wavering, Claude’s heart leaped with joy.
He didn’t show it, but continued to press the advantage:
“Don’t worry, I’ll put the bag here and back away. Once you’ve got the crystals, I’ll leave. No tricks, I promise!”
With that, he bent down as if to place the bag on the ground.
However, in that instant when he lowered his head, a flash of venomous malice flickered in Claude’s eyes, which had been full of earnestness.
‘Fool.’
‘She actually believed it.’
‘So what if she’s an alchemist? So what if she’s a bit clever?’
‘In the end, she’s just a naive little girl who hasn’t seen the world!’
His right hand, shielded by his body, quietly slipped into the inner pocket of his mage robe.
There, hidden, was a one-time magic scroll he had bought at a high price, his last trump card.
[High-Level Magic: Explosive Fire Ring]
This was a high-level magic tool that required no incantation—just tear it open, and an instant ring of flames would explode around the user.
Though the range was small, its power was enough to incinerate all living things within five meters.
As long as that woman dared to come down for the crystals, dared to come within five meters of him.
He would tear open the scroll without hesitation and show her the meaning of “all’s fair in war”!
‘To hell with first place, to hell with mana crystals—none of it matters in the face of revenge!’
‘He would make this woman who dared to humiliate him pay a painful price!’
“Alright, I’ve put it down.”
Claude straightened up and took two steps back, a harmless smile on his face.
“Come down and get it.”
Helos looked at him.
Looked at his expression, which, though he tried to hide it, was still a bit stiff.
Looked at his right hand, which had been tucked into his robe the whole time, as if clutching something tightly.
A faint, mocking smile slowly curled at the girl’s lips.
She didn’t move, not even shifting her butt.
She just watched the still-performing red-haired young man quietly, with a look that said he was a fool.
“What’s wrong?”
Claude, feeling a bit guilty under her gaze, asked with forced calmness.
“I’ve already put the thing down. You still don’t trust me?”
“Can’t trust you.”
Helos answered honestly.
“Also… your acting is terrible.”
“Are you hatching an egg with that hand stuffed in your robe? Or do you think I’m stupid enough to jump right down and become your target?”
His intentions exposed, Claude’s face froze. But before he could react, a broad, powerful hand suddenly extended from behind him without warning and landed heavily on his shoulder.
That hand was like a red-hot iron clamp, with a terrifying force that was impossible to resist, instantly locking all of his movements.
“Who?!”
Claude’s hair stood on end.
He wanted to struggle, to turn around, to tear open the scroll in his robe.
But the force from that hand was astonishingly great, like a mountain pressing down on him, preventing him from moving even a single finger.
A low, cold voice sounded behind his ear.
The voice held no emotion, like a death sentence.
“Don’t move.”
Claude stiffly turned his head.
In his line of sight appeared a black-haired young man.
The one who had been following Helos all along, the attendant he had mocked for not even having a staff, had somehow arrived behind him without a sound!
He hadn’t even heard a single footstep!
Julius looked expressionlessly at the “genius mage” he had pinned down.
In his pitch-black eyes, there was no anger, only an unfathomable calm.
“Hand it over.”
He extended his other hand, palm open, in front of Claude.
His meaning was clear.
Not the bag on the ground.
But the thing in Claude’s robe.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Claude was still trying to bluff.
Crack.
Julius’s hand on his shoulder tightened slightly.
A crisp sound of bones grinding was clearly heard.
“Ahh—!”
Claude let out a scream. The intense pain instantly shattered all his will to resist.
Trembling, he pulled out the precious magic scroll with the hand he had intended to use for the ambush and placed it shakily into Julius’s hand.
Julius glanced at the scroll in his hand, then casually tucked it away into his own pocket.
Then he released his grip, bent down, and picked up the bag of mana crystals from the ground.
“Good.”
He weighed the bag in his hand, then tossed it back casually.
The bag arced beautifully through the air and landed precisely in Helos’s hands on the rock.
“Thanks, Julius.”
Helos caught the bag with a grin, opened it for a look, and nodded in satisfaction.
“Our score should be up near the top now.”
Having lost his trump card and his spoils, Claude was now like a defeated rooster.
He clutched his shoulder, which felt like it was nearly crushed, his face ashen.
He knew he had completely lost.
“Since the stuff is all yours now…”
He gritted his teeth and lowered his head, his voice full of humiliation.
“So can I go now?”
He just wanted to get out of this damn place as quickly as possible.
Though he had lost the crystals, he still had a chance to gather more.
As long as he was still in, the exam wasn’t over.
But just as he turned to leave—
That devil-like voice came drifting down from above again.
“Go?”
Helos sat on the rock, tilting her head, her light purple eyes glinting dangerously.
Claude’s steps came to an abrupt halt.
“When did I say… I’d let you go?”
He turned back in disbelief, glaring at Helos.
“What do you mean?! Didn’t we agree on a trade?”
“Sure, a trade.”
Helos jumped down from the rock.
She walked over to Claude with light steps.
A pure yet cruel smile appeared on the girl’s face.
“But—”
“If it’s a trade, we have to be thorough, don’t we?”
“Just these few crystals can’t buy your life, Great Genius.”
She reached out and pointed at his luxurious mage robe, at the ruby staff in his hand, and at the rings on his fingers, which glimmered with magical light.
“Hand over your magic crystals, magic tools, and all the valuable equipment on you.”
“All of it. Hand it over, understand?”
“You—!”
Claude was shaking with rage.
He pointed at Helos, his voice turning shrill with anger.
“This is highway robbery! This is banditry! I already gave you the mana crystals!”
“We were going to take those crystals anyway!”
Helos retorted matter-of-factly.
“Mana crystals—if we eliminated you, they’d be ours anyway. Since you offered them up yourself, they barely count as a greeting gift.”
“You think you can fob us off with just that? Who do you think we are, beggars?”
She stepped forward, her purple eyes boring into Claude, her tone turning icy.
“I’ll give you two choices.”
“First, leave everything useful on you behind and get the hell out of here naked. I’ll graciously let you stay in the ruins and experience what true ‘survival’ really means.”
“Second.”
She pointed at the two still-unconscious lackeys behind her.
“I knock you out right now and throw you into the monster mound outside. The stuff on you… still mine. And you wait for the ruins’ protection mechanism to teleport you out.”
“Choose.”
Helos crossed her arms, like a bandit chief, waiting for the prey’s final decision.
Looking at this girl, more greedy than a demon, more shameless than a bandit.
And then looking at the black-haired bodyguard standing behind her, who was cracking his knuckles, seemingly ready to strip him bare at any moment.
Claude Fleming, this arrogant noble young master, at this moment…