The forest had become much livelier than it had been at the beginning of the practical test.

The once quiet woodland was now filled with movement as first-year students searched every corner for the numbered gems hidden throughout the vast training grounds. Bushes rustled one after another as students pushed through them, branches swayed from people leaping across the trees, and the occasional sounds of combat echoed faintly in the distance before being swallowed by the endless sea of ancient trees.

Despite the growing chaos...

There were still places where silence ruled.

One of those places lay beneath a towering ancient tree whose roots stretched across the forest floor like the limbs of a sleeping beast.

Veda Ashenlocke crouched beside one of those roots.

His hand brushed away a thin layer of loose soil with calm, steady movements.

The dirt slowly crumbled between his fingers until something beneath it reflected a faint ray of sunlight slipping through the canopy overhead.

A crystal-like shine caught his attention, with a small smile appearing on his face.

"There you are."

Veda reached down before carefully lifting the object from the ground.

It was another numbered gem.

The crystal reflected the scattered sunlight beautifully as Veda held it between his fingers. Tiny flashes of light danced across its smooth surface while the engraved markings became clearly visible before his eyes.

"Found my second gem."

His voice carried a quiet satisfaction.

Which wasn’t excitement.

Nor relief.

It was simply the calm acknowledgment that his search had finally produced another result.

For a brief moment, he continued examining the gem before slipping his other hand into his Spatial Bag.

Another crystal soon appeared in his palm.

Veda compared the two gems side by side.

"...Seriously."

He couldn’t help letting out a helpless laugh.

"It’s almost been an hour already... and I’ve only managed to find these two."

He looked toward the endless forest surrounding him.

Everywhere he turned...

There were towering trees.

Countless rocks.

Bushes.

Streams.

Fallen branches.

Professor Kent’s mischievous smile suddenly surfaced inside his mind.

The image of the professor casually hiding gems all over this enormous forest made the corner of Veda’s mouth twitch.

Professor Kent must have enjoyed hiding every single one of these...

Finding even one takes this much effort.

He sighed softly.

Without wasting any more time, Veda tore a small sheet of paper from one of the notebooks stored inside his Spatial Bag.

He carefully wrapped both numbered gems together before folding the paper several times to prevent them from knocking against each other while he moved.

Only after making sure they were secure did he place the package back inside his Spatial Bag.

His movements remained neat and practiced.

Nothing was rushed.

Once everything was stored safely...

Veda slowly stood.

He dusted the remaining dirt from his hands before quietly observing the forest around him.

Strange...

His expression remained thoughtful.

I haven’t even run into anyone trying to steal my gems.

His gaze slowly shifted toward his left.

Although the dense trees blocked most of his vision...

He had already sensed several people moving through the surrounding forest.

Their footsteps.

Their breathing.

The faint fluctuations of Cognis.

None of those escaped his perception.

Well...

I did, notice several students nearby.

But every single one of them changed direction the moment they sensed my Cognis.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

He wasn’t making any effort to conceal his presence.

Quite the opposite.

His Cognis flowed naturally around his body without restraint.

He wasn’t hiding his Cognis for a reason.

Since I actually want people to find me...

If someone wanted his gems...

They were free to try.

He had no intention of running.

With those thoughts in mind...

Veda calmly continued walking deeper into the forest.

His footsteps remained steady as scattered rays of sunlight filtered through the ancient canopy above, occasionally illuminating his figure before disappearing once again beneath the shadows of the towering trees.

Back at the normal academy training grounds...

Dozens of holographic screens continued to float quietly in midair.

Each displayed a different part of the forest, allowing every corner of the enormous training ground to be monitored simultaneously.

Some screens showed students carefully searching for numbered gems.

Others displayed fierce battles that had already broken out between rival groups.

Several images changed every few seconds as camera sensor devices automatically tracked the participants’ movements.

Professor Kent stood calmly watching.

Both hands rested comfortably inside his pockets as he watched the test unfold with the relaxed expression of someone enjoying an afternoon performance rather than supervising hundreds of first-year students.

Beside him...

Karla carefully examined one of the holographic screens.

Her attention rested on Selena Galehart.

The young noblewoman moved gracefully through the forest while accurately locating numbered gems one after another, her calm pace never changing despite the growing number of confrontations happening around her.

A trace of admiration appeared on Karla’s face.

"Miss Selena Galehart looks incredibly sharp during this test."

She watched another screen as Selena effortlessly avoided several hidden students without slowing her pace.

"Her awareness is remarkable too."

Professor Kent followed her gaze for a brief moment before returning his attention to the other holographic displays.

Across the observation screens...

The practical examination had become far more intense than before.

Students were no longer simply searching for gems.

Groups had already begun clashing throughout the forest.

Some temporary alliances fought against one another in fierce struggles to seize numbered gems.

Elsewhere...

Several students surrounded isolated opponents, using their advantage in numbers to overwhelm them before forcefully taking away the gems they had worked so hard to find.

The peaceful training exercise had gradually transformed into a battlefield where determination, teamwork, and strength were beginning to decide who would leave with Academy Points... and who would leave empty-handed.

Karla continued watching the holographic screens floating before them.

Every few seconds, one display shifted to another part of the forest, seeing almost everything going on in the forest.

She watched as another group of students ambushed another.

Using their advantage in numbers, they surrounded the smaller group from every direction before rushing in together. The defenders struggled to fight back against the overwhelming assault, but within moments, they were beaten to the ground, and the attackers calmly searched through their Space Bags before taking the numbered gems they had worked so hard to find.

The scene made Karla frown.

She turned toward Professor Kent, who continued watching the examination with both hands resting inside his pockets.

Unlike her...

His expression never changed.

"Professor Kent..."

Karla hesitated for a moment before asking,

"Isn’t it risky not telling the students to hold back? They’re attacking each other with everything they have."

Professor Kent kept his eyes on the holographic screens.

His calm voice finally broke the silence.

"You already know that every academy training uniform has Healing-type Alchemy Circles embedded inside it."

He spoke as though explaining something obvious.

"And if a student’s life reaches a critical condition... the emergency function inside the uniform will immediately send a signal to the medical station located around the Forest Training Grounds. Then the medic teams will be dispatched before the situation becomes fatal."

His gaze shifted toward another screen.

A group of students had just overwhelmed another team before mercilessly beating them until they could no longer resist.

Only after taking every numbered gem they found did they finally leave.

Even after witnessing the entire scene...

Professor Kent remained completely unbothered.

Karla still couldn’t hide the concern in her eyes.

"They’re still first-year students."

She quietly watched another confrontation begin on a different screen.

"They’re being far more ruthless than I expected."

Professor Kent smiled faintly.

"At the end of the day... every one of them is desperate for achievement Since the Royal Academy rewards results. And once points become involved... kindness is usually the first thing students abandon."

His words carried neither approval nor criticism.

They were simply reality.

***

Deep inside the forest...

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed between the towering trees.

"Ah... Ah... Ah... Ah..."

Fay Ashenlocke sprinted through the woodland at full speed.

Her breathing had already become uneven after nearly an hour of running without rest.

She gripped her Basic Revolver tightly in one hand while her sharp eyes continuously searched the forest ahead.

Thick branches blocked her path one after another.

She jumped over those stretching across her waist before immediately lowering her body to slide beneath others hanging just above chest level.

Mud splashed behind her boots as she pushed herself forward without slowing down.

She didn’t dare stop.

Not even for a second.

"Get her!"

A loud shout suddenly echoed through the forest.

The next moment...

Several shadowy figures burst forward from different directions.

Some sprinted across the forest floor.

Others leaped rapidly between the branches overhead.

Together...

They steadily closed the distance separating them from Fay.

High above...

A girl landed smoothly on one of the thick branches of an ancient tree.

She lowered herself into a stable kneeling position before calmly raising the Springfield M1903A resting in her hands.

"Don’t worry, Sir Grant..."

A confident smile appeared on her face.

"I’ve got her."

She slowly looked through the optic mounted on top of the rifle.

The forest around her immediately narrowed into a clear image.

The moving figure of Fay Ashenlocke appeared inside her scope.

She carefully followed Fay’s movements.

At first...

The crosshair rested directly on Fay’s forehead.

Then...

She slowly lowered it.

Her aim settled on Fay’s right leg.

A smirk slowly spread across her lips.

"You’re lucky, Ashenlocke scum... that I’m not allowed to take a fatal shot."

Bang!

The rifle roared.

The powerful Binder-rank bullet tore through the air with terrifying speed, ripping apart leaves and thin branches that stood in its path.

At almost the same instant...

Fay’s instincts screamed.

Danger!

Without slowing her sprint...

She sharply twisted her body.

Her revolver came up in a single smooth motion.

"Tsk!"

She gritted her teeth.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Almost every bullet inside her Basic Revolver left the barrel in rapid succession.

Compared to the powerful Binder-rank round fired from the Springfield...

The revolver bullets seemed insignificant.

Yet...

That wasn’t Fay’s objective.

She wasn’t trying to overpower it.

She only needed to alter its trajectory.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three of her bullets struck the incoming round at just the right angle.

The Binder bullet veered slightly off course before tearing past her thigh instead of piercing her leg.

The powerful shot continued into the forest, exploding through the trunk of a nearby tree.

Before Fay could even catch her breath...

More gunfire erupted.

Bullets rained toward her from several different directions.

She immediately twisted around another tree, using its thick trunk as temporary cover before pushing off with her foot.

The next volley struck the bark behind her.

Wood chips exploded into the air.

She rolled across the ground, sprang back to her feet, and continued running.

Even so...

Not every shot missed.

Sharp cuts appeared across her forehead as fragments of bark grazed her skin.

The sleeves of her academy training uniform were torn open in several places where bullets had barely passed by.

Fay didn’t even spare them a glance.

She simply kept running.

"Those damn Evergrey’s..."

She clenched her jaw.

"They’re seriously relentless."

She leaped over a fallen tree before landing heavily on the opposite side.

"If I’d known this was going to happen... I would’ve never fought those two Evergrey bastards."

Her breathing became heavier.

"They’re just using that fight as an excuse to come after me. I didn’t even seriously injure them... I only subdued them."

She glanced behind her for the briefest moment.

"I need to find another member of House Ashenlocke. No... I have to warn them. Those Evergrey’s are planning to target every..."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four gunshots suddenly echoed from directly ahead.

The attack came so unexpectedly that Fay never even saw the shooters.

The bullets reached her almost instantly.

Pfft!

One pierced her thigh.

Another tore into the side of her abdomen.

The remaining shots ripped through her arm.

Her eyes widened.

The strength instantly left her legs.

She couldn’t even finish her sentence before her body pitched forward.

She began falling toward the forest floor.

But before she could even hit the ground...

A shadow descended from above.

Using the momentum of his leap...

The figure drove his leg downward with brutal force.

Boom!

His boot slammed into the back of Fay’s head.

The impact smashed her face-first into the dirt.

"ARGH!"

A painful cry escaped her lips before everything became quiet.

Blood slowly trickled from the bullet wounds scattered across her body.

Another thin stream flowed from her nose before soaking into the damp soil beneath her.

Her fingers twitched once...

Then, became still.

The young man standing over her, looked at her body with a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"One Ashenlocke down."

The Highline noble of House Evergrey said mockingly.

Even after knocking Fay unconscious...

He kept his boot resting firmly on the back of her head, as though making sure she wouldn’t get up again.

Another Highline noble approached, his expression noticeably more uneasy.

He looked between Fay’s unconscious body and the blood staining the ground.

"Hey... You sure that won’t kill her?"

His voice carried genuine concern.

"If she actually dies... we’ll have broken one of the Royal Academy’s biggest rules."

"Don’t worry."

A calm female voice drifted through the forest.

The surrounding members of House Evergrey instinctively turned toward the source.

Grace Evergrey stepped out from between the trees with an unhurried pace.

An Ak-47 rested comfortably in her hands, its barrel releasing the last traces of smoke from the shots she had fired moments earlier.

Her expression remained calm, almost indifferent, as though the person lying unconscious before her was merely another obstacle in the practical examination.

She stopped beside Fay’s motionless body and looked down at her.

"I deliberately avoided every vital organ."

Grace’s tone remained steady.

"And the academy training uniform is already doing what it was designed to do."

Her gaze briefly settled on the faint Alchemy Circle hidden beneath Fay’s torn training uniform.

"The Healing Alchemy Circles embedded inside the uniform are already slowing the bleeding. The medic team only needs to arrive before excessive blood loss becomes dangerous."

She spoke so naturally that anyone listening would have thought she had merely explained a classroom lesson rather than the injuries she had just inflicted upon another student.

Grant Evergrey landed lightly beside her.

The leaves beneath his boots rustled softly before becoming still again.

He looked at Fay for a brief moment before speaking.

"She was harder to catch than I expected."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"For someone who’s only at the Novice Alchemist... she put up a decent chase."

One after another, more members of House Evergrey emerged from the surrounding forest.

Some jumped down from the trees.

Others arrived through the undergrowth.

Within moments, the scattered pursuit group had reunited around Fay’s unconscious body.

"I found her numbered gem."

The Highline noble who had pinned Fay to the ground raised a sparkling crystal into the air while holding her Spatial Bag in his other hand.

The gem reflected the sunlight filtering through the canopy above.

A satisfied grin spread across his face.

"Alright."

Grant nodded once.

"Throw her Spatial Bag back. We’ve already taken what we came for."

He glanced toward the surrounding forest.

"And remove your foot. The medic team should be here soon."

The Highline noble shrugged carelessly.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed Fay’s Spatial Bag onto her motionless body.

The bag landed across her back before sliding onto the forest floor.

He finally lifted his boot from the back of her head.

"Trash."

He clicked his tongue.

"She couldn’t even put up a proper fight."

Several members of House Evergrey laughed.

Some shook their heads mockingly.

Others simply smiled before turning away.

To them...

This victory had been nothing more than another step toward securing Academy Points and especially... Towering over the Duke House of Ashenlocke.

Without lingering any longer...

The entire group immediately resumed moving.

They sprinted through the forest in perfect coordination, weaving between towering trees and thick bushes as though they had practiced moving together countless times before.

The sounds of their footsteps quickly blended into the forest.

As they continued running...

Grant glanced toward his younger sister.

"Grace."

"Yes."

Grace answered without turning her head.

Her eyes remained fixed on the path ahead as she leaped over a fallen tree trunk before landing lightly on the opposite side.

"Who’s our next target?"

Grant asked.

For several seconds...

Only the sound of rushing wind answered him.

Then...

"We should go after Ezra."

The aggressive Highline noble spoke confidently from behind them.

"Force him to change sides immediately. If he refuses... we make his life a living hell, right here and right now."

Grace immediately rejected the idea.

"That’s a stupid suggestion."

Her answer came so quickly that the young noble blinked in surprise.

"And it’s completely off limits."

Her voice remained calm, but there wasn’t the slightest room for argument.

"Until I complete the mission entrusted to me... Any form of force is not allowed, because Ezra Ashenlocke is untouchable."

She finally glanced toward him.

"Unless... You want to make Big Brother Louis angry."

She paused for a moment.

"Arelo."

The aggressive noble immediately fell silent.

Even the others exchanged brief glances after hearing Louis’ name.

No one wished to interfere with whatever assignment Grace had received from him.

"Then who are we targeting?"

Arelo Greyson asked after a brief silence.

Grace continued running.

Her breathing remained perfectly steady despite their speed.

"We’ll leave Felix Ashenlocke alone. Since he’s currently under Prince Tristin’s friend group."

She pushed aside a low branch before continuing.

"And Vera Ashenlocke..."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"...is too much of a large target. There are too many people from the Second and Third Years watching her right now. So, attacking her would create unnecessary trouble for us."

Everyone silently agreed.

No matter how ambitious they were...

None of them wanted to provoke powerful upper-year students.

Grace’s eyes gradually sharpened.

"But..."

She slowed her pace slightly.

The confidence inside her emerald eyes became even clearer.

"That also means... this is the perfect opportunity."

She looked toward the members of House Evergrey running beside her.

"We can strike House Ashenlocke where it hurts the most. If we suppress them during this practical examination... their prestige inside the Royal Academy will suffer."

Grant smiled.

"So... We’re going after him, right?"

He said calmly, not asking a question, because he already knew the answer.

"Yes."

Grace nodded.

A calm smile slowly formed on her lips.

"We already have the numbers. We’ve prepared the strategy. And our backup members are already in position."

She briefly looked behind her.

Every member of House Evergrey met her gaze with determined expressions.

Their footsteps unconsciously became faster.

Their morale rose noticeably.

Grace’s smile deepened ever so slightly.

"We’re hunting... the Young Lord of Ash. Veda Ashenlocke."

The moment those words left her mouth...

Every member of House Evergrey silently nodded.

No one questioned the order.

Their formation immediately tightened as renewed determination filled their eyes.

Their pace also increased once more as they disappeared deeper into the forest.

Not long after they left...

The forest around the battle area became quiet again.

Only the rustling leaves and the distant sound of flowing water remained.

Several minutes later...

A different group arrived.

Members of the academy’s medical team hurried into the area carrying emergency equipment.

One of them immediately knelt beside Fay.

"How’s her blood loss?"

The medic quickly began examining the bullet wounds while activating a Healing Alchemy Circle.

A soft green glow spread across Fay’s body.

Warm light gently covered every injury as the Healing Alchemy slowly stabilized her condition.

Another medic stood nearby, carefully reading the information displayed on a portable medical gauge.

The device continuously monitored her pulse, blood pressure, and blood loss.

"It’s stabilizing."

He nodded professionally.

"The Healing Alchemy Circles embedded in the academy uniform slowed the bleeding enough, to make the situation stay under control."

After confirming there were no immediate complications...

The medical team carefully finished the emergency treatment.

They gently lifted Fay onto a stretcher, making sure not to worsen any of her injuries.

Once everything had been secured...

The group disappeared into the forest at remarkable speed, carrying her toward the hospital located outside the training grounds.

But not everyone had left the area.

High above...

On one of the thick branches overlooking the battlefield...

Priscilla quietly swung her legs back and forth.

Both arms remained folded across her chest as she observed the aftermath with calm eyes.

"Those were bullet wounds... weren’t they?"

She asked without looking away from the bloodstained clearing below.

Beside her...

Nate leaned comfortably against the trunk of the ancient tree.

One foot rested on the branch while his arms remained loosely folded.

His eyes calmly swept across the broken branches, scattered footprints, bloodstains, and damaged terrain left behind by the battle.

"The holes do speak for themselves."

He replied quietly.

His gaze lingered on the battlefield for another moment.

"There was quite a fight here."