Serina shifted nervously beside a tree, glancing uneasily at the sleeping figure nearby. "I shouldn't be here," she thought, cheeks burning. "Why does it have to be me so close to him?"
Agni looked so fragile—like he'd shatter if touched too roughly. Ignoring him seemed cruel... but what if she didn't? What if he actually needed help? What if he died on her watch...?
Her thoughts were a mess.
She remembered how she got here—the Talent Advancement Program route wasn't easy. Nobles were terrifying.
She recalled the cold dread filling her when Ignatia Vermillion had approached her at the Magic Tower of Light. That woman's mere presence sent a chill down her spine. Serina hadn't even bothered to read the contract before signing—she was too scared.
Later, after learning the full details of what she'd agreed to, she didn't want to find out what would happen if she messed with someone like Ignatia, let alone a royal.
"Um, excuse me," she called out nervously, her voice barely carrying over the howling wind. "Are you injured? Should I call for help?"
She glanced around anxiously, half-expecting academy staff to appear, or worse—some massive Ice Golem Prime to emerge from the swirling snow.
Agni turned his head toward her, and the layer of ice coating his body cracked and fell away in crystalline sheets. He sat up slowly, brushing frost from his sleeves with complete indifference to the sub-zero temperature.
"I'm fine," he murmured with a hum, voice calm. "Quite calm weather."
Serina looked utterly confused as an icy breeze swept past them, making her shiver violently despite her mana-heated barrier. "Calm?"
Well, I suppose it's relatively calm, she thought, trying to rationalize his statement. After all, this zone is magically replicated, so the conditions are controlled. But was he trying to sleep? How is that even possible? I'd literally die if I didn't constantly heat myself with my mana circuits!
Panic seized her briefly before she pushed it down.
Best to get lost now, she thought, quietly stepping away.
Then Agni hummed, "Let's introduce ourselves."
She froze.
Introduction? What was that about?
Serina froze mid-step. Why does he want introductions? Am I about to get executed for disturbing a prince's nap?
Cold sweat formed despite the freezing temperature. "I-I'm Serina! Serina Frostwind! I deeply apologize for disturbing your rest, Your Highness!"
Agni nodded slowly. "Serina... nice name. So what's the point of this whole selection exam anyway?"
Serina took a breath and explained, halting slightly as nerves jittered through her voice:
"Students are divided into five zones, and must score points to get into classes.
C class: 0–199 pointsB class: 200–499 pointsA class: 500–999 pointsS class: 1000+ points"
She continued, faster now, unfazed:
"Base monster point values are:
A-grade: 24 pointsB-grade: 16 pointsC-grade: 8 pointsD-grade: 4 pointsE-grade: 2 pointF-grade: 1 point
Kills made alone give a solo kill bonus of +25%.
Corrected solo points are:
A-grade solo: 30 pointsB-grade solo: 20 pointsC-grade solo: 10 pointsD-grade solo: 5 pointsE-grade solo: 2.5 pointsF-grade solo: 1.25 points"
She bowed politely, "That's all from me. I'm taking my leave now."
Agni groaned. "Such a fast explanation."
As she walked away, she caught the faint sound of his footsteps behind her.
Wonderful, she hissed internally. A boss following his office worker? Not exactly ideal.
Please don't kick me out, I need the money.
Okay, time to impress him.
Serina's fingers shot out, effortless and precise, firing mana bullets that melted nearby Frost Goblins (D-Grade) with ease. She barely glanced around nervously, doubting if she'd done something wrong.
+5points, she noted mentally.
Agni sighed, his mood mixed.
He couldn't quite place the sensation.
"Why are you trying so hard for points?" he asked.
Serina smiled, eyes bright.
"To get into S-class."
Agni shrugged, stretching lazily with hands behind his head.
"Isn't Aethermoor Academy top-level? Any class should be fine."
"Well, yes, of course," Serina muttered, her cheeks coloring. "But S-Class provides something crucial—research sponsorship and funding. I need a lot of money for my work."
"Research?" Agni asked.
Her voice grew more passionate. "I want to research Chain Strikes in both mages and martial artists. It could revolutionize magical theory."
"Chain strikes?" Agni's interest piqued, mind flickering back to memories of burning Sasha's face.
"Chain Strikes are like a fundamental law of nature—like gravity or planetary rotation," she explained, her hands moving animatedly. "They act as a strange multiplier effect on actions."
"For example, if you strike a tree with an axe normally, it counts as a single strike. But if you strike it with the proper angle, timing, and force distribution, the Chain Strike phenomenon occurs—and that single strike registers as a double strike! The damage literally multiplies!"
The ice around her feet began melting as her excitement literally heated the air around her.
"And it's not just about raw power," she continued, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "People who trigger Chain Strikes consistently improve their overall abilities exponentially. They learn more from doing less, because each successful chain teaches their body the optimal patterns for efficiency!"
Wow, Agni thought, watching her transformation. When she starts talking about this stuff, there's absolutely no end to it...
"So this research explains how chain strikes occur, and why?"
Serina nodded so enthusiastically her light blue hair bounced. "Yes! Exactly! Imagine if we could understand the underlying mechanism and control it deliberately! It would accelerate magical development by generations in just a few years!"
Her staff began crackling with uncontrolled energy as her emotions surged.
"Right now, it's just a rare phenomenon that occurs randomly in all sorts of activities—eating, crafting, combat, even daily tasks. But the highest ever recorded was someone achieving four Chain Strikes in sequence..."
She clenched her fists with fierce determination. "I want to break that record. It's my dream. And S-Class gives me access to the equipment, funding, and research time I need to make it happen."
The ground beneath her feet actually trembled as her mana flared. Thin tendrils of light blue lightning began crackling around her entire body, melting the snow in a widening circle.
Agni raised a hand,, "Alright, you're getting too excited."
Serina blushed.
"Sorry."
"Prince," she hesitated. "Why are you following me? Do you want to team up?"
Please say yes, she thought desperately.
Agni shrugged. "Teaming up would be nice, I guess. But after hearing about your research goals, I honestly don't want to get in your way and slow you down."
"I actually wanted to know more about you."
Serina looked surprised.
"Why?"
"Because," Agni said softly, "I feel like you're exactly what I'm looking for."
A hot rush of blood filled Serina's cheeks.
What?
Does Prince like me?
Is this a confession?
Is this a proposal?
No! Is this a jackpot??
If I become queen, I'll be able to do so much research!
Her imagination ran wild with possibilities.
But when she looked back at Agni, he'd already sat down under a nearby frost-covered tree, staring at his reattached hand with an expression of deep confusion.
"Just... get going with your point collection," he said quietly. "Sorry for wasting your time."
He looked more lost than confused now, as if something fundamental didn't make sense to him.
What the... hell is wrong with me? he thought.
conversation through the Scrying Crystal focused on Zone 3.
"So the prince is troubled by romance!" Professor Luna said with obvious amusement, her wolf ears twitching.
Professor Helena sighed heavily. "Well, I suppose it's the age when hormones make everything confusing. Even royalty isn't immune."
"I doubt romance is his actual problem," Professor Marcus muttered, studying Agni's body language on screen.
Professor Vincent's Enchanted Score Tablet suddenly flickered with major updates.
"Oh, we have significant developments," he announced.
The main scoreboard shifted dramatically:
Student Cassius: 501 points
Student Draekon: 459 points
Student Lyralei: 423 points
"Student Cassius was the first to break 500 points," Vincent noted. "That's remarkably fast progress."
"Wait, is teamwork allowed in this exam?" Professor Sylvia asked, squinting at the Zone 4 display.
The Scrying Crystal showed a dark chamber within the Ironhold Fortress lit only by flickering wall-mounted lanterns that cast dancing shadows. Cassius stood in the center holding an elegant white spear, surrounded by ten Dark Knights—B-grade monsters that normally posed serious threats even to experienced students.
But all ten had their arms and legs precisely severed, rendered immobile but technically still alive.
"Good work, Aria," Cassius said with his characteristic soft smile.
The blue-haired woman looked genuinely proud of her efficiency.
Cassius moved through the disabled Dark Knights with practiced grace, beheading each one in a single clean strike. His point total jumped by 200 in less than thirty seconds.
"So Student Aria damages and immobilizes the monsters," Professor Gareth observed. "Then Cassius delivers the killing blow."
"But there's no official team formation registered," Vincent said, checking his tablet. "According to the system, each kill counts as Cassius's solo elimination, which means..."
He pulled up Aria's profile on a separate display.
Student Aria: 0 points
"She's feeding him points," Professor Whisper said quietly. "Crippling enemies without killing them, letting him claim full solo bonuses despite her assistance."
The professors exchanged uncertain glances.
"Is this... allowed?" Professor Sylvia asked hesitantly.
Professor Marcus rubbed his temples wearily. "Technically, nothing in the rules forbids it. She's not in a registered party, so points don't split. She's just... helping."
"It's exploiting a loophole," Professor Helena said with grudging respect.
"Truly a weird batch of heirs," Professor Marcus sighed, watching the screens show.