Chapter 3

The monthly trial took place in the academy's exclusive Phantasmal Beast Forest.

The rules were simple: kill phantasmal beasts to earn points.

Level-one beasts worth 10 points, level-two 50, level-three 200.

The higher a student's overall rating, the deeper into the forest's center they could venture for higher scores.

When Kael and I appeared at the trial entrance, the chatter around us died instantly.

"They're not dead?"

"They spent a month in the Rampant Crystal Mine and came out alive? Though looking at how beat-up they are, they probably just cowered at the entrance and never went in."

Draco strutted over, surrounded by his entourage.

When he spotted me, surprise flickered across his face before twisting into mockery.

"Lyra. Tough to kill, aren't you?" Draco sneered. "But the monthly trial isn't something you can just hide through. If you end up at the bottom of the rankings, you'll be expelled on the spot."

"Save your breath." I didn't even look at him, just pulled Kael toward the transport circle.

"Hmph. Keep that tough act up. We'll see who's laughing when the scores are in." Draco scoffed.

Once inside the Phantasmal Beast Forest, Kael glanced at me. "What's the plan? Start farming the outer zones?"

"Those ten-point, fifty-point scraps are a waste of time." I raised my hand, my mental power instantly blanketing a three-mile radius.

"We're going straight to the center. We're raiding the level-three nests."

Kael grinned and grabbed my hand. The Mana Symbiosis Link activated instantly.

"BOOM!"

Rampant magical energy exploded around us in a visible shockwave.

Unlike the other students who crept cautiously through the undergrowth, we charged toward the forest's heart like a battle tank.

A level-two wind wolf lunged at us.

I didn't even lift my hand—just a thought. Kael's magic flowed along my mental guidance and condensed mid-air into ten ice spears.

"Thunk-thunk-thunk!"

The wolf was skewered in mid-leap, dissolving into particles of light. Our score crystal flickered: +50.

"Too slow." I frowned.

"Then let's go bigger!" Kael laughed.

We stormed into level-three territory. Dozens of rampaging dire bears charged at us with earth-shaking roars.

"Inferno Sea." I spoke the words coldly.

Kael's ocean of mana poured out without restraint.

Under my precision control, the power transformed into a sea of flames with surgical precision, avoiding the surrounding trees while instantly consuming every rampaging bear.

Our score crystal went wild: +200, +200, +200...

In the monitoring hall, the instructors who'd been casually sipping tea all froze.

"What's happening?! Who's casting high-tier magic in the center zone?"

"The scoreboard... is the scoreboard glitching? Why are Lyra and Kael's scores rising by hundreds per second?!"

Vane, seated in the head position, shot to his feet, staring hard at the two names dominating the crystal display, his face dark as a thundercloud.

Two hours later, the trial ended.

Everyone transported back to the plaza.

Draco strode out, chest puffed, his score sitting at 3,500 points—far beyond the second place's 1,200. He waited smugly for the cheers.

The plaza was dead silent. Everyone stared at the scoreboard overhead like they'd seen a ghost.

First Place: Lyra/Kael (Team), Score: 48,500

Second Place: Draco, Score: 3,500

Draco's smile froze. He rubbed his eyes, certain he'd misread. "Forty-eight thousand? That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Kael and I stepped out of the transport circle without a speck of dust on us.

"Oops, we overdid it." Kael sighed loudly on purpose. "We accidentally wiped out all the beasts in the center zone. What a drag."

The crowd erupted in chaos.

"Cheating! They absolutely cheated!" Draco jabbed a finger at us, screaming.

Vane approached with a squad of fully armed enforcers. His eyes locked on me like a viper's.

"Lyra. Kael." Vane's voice was ice. "You're both null-veins—one with zero mana capacity, the other zero control. With abilities like that, you couldn't kill a single level-one beast. Speak. What banned magical artifacts did you use?"

"We didn't use any artifacts." I met his gaze head-on. "We earned every point ourselves. If that doesn't count as real skill, I don't know what does."

"Insolent worms." Vane's fury exploded. "You think such a clumsy lie will fool me? Two failures like you—copying each other's work and parading it around?"

He turned to the enforcers. "Arrest them. Search them. If you find no banned artifacts, use truth serum!"

The enforcement squad immediately drew their wands, surrounding us.

A flash of violence sparked in Kael's eyes, mana churning inside him. I squeezed his hand, signaling him not to act rashly.

"Instructor Vane." My voice was cold. "You have zero evidence. Just because we outscored your precious student, you're fabricating charges. Is this Wintergarde Academy's justice?"

"Justice? I AM justice!"

Vane tore off his mask of civility, his face twisted. "Two pieces of trash dare to challenge the academy's authority! Since you won't confess, don't blame me for what comes next."

He swept his hand forward. Two enforcers lunged, pressing freezing wand-tips hard against our heads.

The cold metal bit into my skin.

Vane loomed over us, cruelty gleaming in his eyes as he issued his order with brutal finality:

"Drive bone spikes through their mana channels. Cripple these two cheaters!"