Elian fell asleep.
His breathing was steady, his body completely relaxed—yet his consciousness began to move again.
Within his dream world, a three-dimensional map of the small world appeared clearly. Though incomplete, he already knew the locations of other regions he planned to visit.
Elian slightly opened his eyes, staring at the pale blue sky above.
'…Too conspicuous.'
If he openly entered the core region, killed the main boss, and took all the treasure there—what would happen?
If it happened once, people might call it coincidence.But if it happened six times, people would definitely grow suspicious.
Second, the exam supervisors—the ones watching from behind the scenes—would surely take note of his name.
A Sequence 8 participant soloing a main boss?
That wasn't an achievement.That was an invitation to trouble.
Elian closed his eyes again.
Behind his eyelids, his thoughts moved calmly and coldly.
"The main boss is the anchor of this small world," he muttered softly."As long as it lives, balance remains. If it dies too early… the world will react."
He imagined the worst-case scenarios: sudden environmental changes, monsters going berserk, or even direct intervention from external forces.
None of that suited his way of doing things.
Then—
An idea surfaced.
The corner of his lips lifted slightly.
"If I can't kill it directly…""Then I just need to make sure someone else does it for me."
On the dream-map, several points of light began to blink—marking groups of powerful participants. They were located in extreme regions: volcanic lands, the deep sea, and frozen wastelands. Individuals driven by ambition, hungry for achievement, and… easy to exploit.
And rumors—yes, rumors would spread on their own once people saw the benefits.
Elian let out a soft breath.
'The main boss will fall,' he thought.'And when that happens… I won't arrive as a challenger.'
But as—
The final scavenger.
In the distance, Edgar sat trembling, his eyes fixed on Elian as if staring at a sleeping demon.
"Master… who are you going to kill?" Edgar asked in a stammering voice.
In an instant—
A blade of wind flashed past and cleanly sliced through Edgar's neck.
No blood spilled. At the same time, Edgar's body turned into a beam of light and shot into the air before vanishing completely.
Elian observed the change from the corner of his eye.
Point: 10Rank: 359
Elian stood up and calmly brushed off his clothes.
Without the slightest change in expression, he took flight from the grasslands, heading toward a location firmly etched in his mind. After flying for about an hour, a vast dense forest with towering trees appeared before him.
He landed lightly and began walking into the forest.
Not long after, a low growl echoed.
A monster emerged from the bushes, followed by two more.
Elian raised his hand.
A lightning magic circle formed.
BRRAAK—!
Lightning struck, erasing the monsters without a trace. He continued walking, facing more monsters—and every time, a lightning magic circle appeared with perfect precision, annihilating them before they could get close.
Point: 26Rank: 358
Some time later—
Srrt!
An arrow shot straight toward his head.
Elian formed a faint smile. With wind magic, he deflected the arrow, as if merely playing around.
He stopped walking.
Yet—strangely—he couldn't sense the attacker's location at all, even after spreading his magic power in every direction. That only made him more certain of the attacker's identity.
Srrt!
Another arrow flew in, this one coated in dense magical power. Elian immediately released a wind blade, causing the arrow to collide midair and shatter.
Through his perception, Elian felt soul vibrations moving rapidly—leaping from one tree to another.
He immediately flew in that direction.
Several arrows attacked him, each stronger than the last. But even before he could see them, Elian had already sensed their trajectories the moment they entered his magic zone, dodging with minimal movement.
Finally—
He saw her.
A girl attacking him from concealment among the trees.
"So this is how you treat your own older brother?"Elian asked with a smile.
Liana stared at him in disbelief, then frowned."This is an exam. I can attack whoever I want."
Elian observed her quietly.
Name: Liana ArcadiaGender: FemaleAge: 14Sequence: 8Magic Power: 12,900
Personality: KindTrait: Cheerful • Protective • Glory Hound • Family-Oriented • Stealth • Sharp Shooter
Rank: B
Strength: 720 (C)Dexterity: 1,280 (B)Agility: 1,550 (B)Constitution: 480 (D)Intelligence: 1,290 (B)Wisdom: 860 (B)Charisma: Pretty
"How did you find me and avoid my attacks with such pathetic ability?"Liana stared sharply at Elian, one of her eyes glowing blue.
Elian realized something and channeled magic into his eyes.
Name: Liana ArcadiaClass: 1Sequence: 8Combat Power: S
Elian remembered that the academy had a special evaluation system to assess its students. If he recalled correctly, Liana was rated S-tier in combat ability because she was essentially undetectable to opponents of the same level in wide-area battles. On top of that, she possessed outstanding potential as a special-admission student.
"The reason is simple."Elian smiled warmly."Because I'm stronger than you."
In an instant, a wind blade shot toward Liana's neck.
But before it could touch her—
It vanished, as if it never existed.
Elian immediately fired another wind blade.
Same result.
It disappeared in midair.
Liana smiled mockingly."Your attacks won't work on me."
Elian frowned and formed a magic circle in his hand, releasing lightning and water spikes—but the result was the same.
Suddenly, Liana raised her hand into the air.
"My turn now."
Elian raised a barrier, bracing for the attack.
…
Seconds passed.
Yet nothing happened.
"Why?""What do you mean you don't want to attack him?""He's a good person?""Didn't you always say he was evil?""And he's not a baby!"
Elian watched as Liana talked to herself. He was still shocked by what had happened, but he had already formed an assumption.
He poured in more magic power, formed another wind blade, and fired it at Liana again.
This time, the wind blade didn't vanish immediately, instead colliding with a transparent barrier that suddenly appeared to protect her.
"Spirit magic…"Elian muttered, recognizing the unique structure of the shield.
In essence, spirit magic could only be used by elves through communication with fairies or spirits. If humans wanted to use it, they needed a special fate that allowed them to communicate with such beings.
Most spirits were aggressive. Fairies, while easy to get along with, generally disliked combat and were quite weak compared to spirits or humans.
However, fairies possessed extremely high elemental affinity, allowing feats like this—though at the same time, they were very timid.
"Look!"Liana shouted at something invisible."Do you still think he's a good person? He tried to kill me!""Besides, I won't get hurt here even if we attack him!"
Elian fired another wind blade, this one faster and stronger.
Liana dodged deftly. The blade flew straight through, splitting a tree in its path.
She leapt from tree to tree while continuously firing arrows.
Elian already knew her arrow trajectories, moving with minimal motion to avoid them, then cutting the branch she was about to land on.
Liana fell and rolled across the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Elian launched a wind blade meant to split her body in two.
Liana instantly formed a defensive barrier around herself. At the same time, a spirit shield and earthen wall rose to block the attack.
Elian's wind blade cut through the earth wall, then slammed into the spirit shield. Cracks began to spread.
"Impossible!"Liana exclaimed as the shield protecting her shattered into pieces.
The wind blade continued forward, inch by inch, close enough to cut her in half.
She closed her eyes.
"Is this the end…?"
BOOM—!
A massive impact echoed through the forest. Violent winds slammed into Liana's body.
"Miss, are you alright?"
Liana opened her eyes.
Before her stood a burly man, smiling kindly as he extended his hand toward her.