The fifth and final day passed like a fading whisper in the wind. There were no more battles. No ambushes. No blood spilled. Only silence.
Rael sat alone atop a moss-covered rock, the wind brushing through his silver hair. His blade lay across his lap, faintly humming—alive, it seemed, with something only he could hear.
Eris kept her distance, though her eyes found him often. She had tried to thank him again that morning, but Rael brushed it off with a nod. To her, he seemed shy.
In truth, he simply didn't care.
"Only one goal matters—victory."
The sun reached its peak, and a blinding white light engulfed the forest. A mechanical voice echoed through the trees.
> "The Hero Selection Trial has concluded. Transporting participants to Academy grounds…"
A moment later, Rael and Eris found themselves standing on a platform before a massive crowd—students, nobles, professors, and nobles alike. The royal announcer, draped in golden robes, stepped forward with a scroll in hand.
His voice boomed:
> "Final Rankings of the Verdant Demon Forest Trial!"
> "Fourth Place: Elaria Laziel
of Class A—eliminated."
> "Third Place: Liana Vale of Class A—eliminated."
> "Second Place… Eris Windthorne of Class S, 1,300 points!"
Polite clapping. Some surprise. But everyone had expected her to rank high.
> "First Place… Rael of Class C. 1,500 points."
Silence.
And then—uproar.
A commoner? From Class C?
Whispers broke into mutters, then gasps and shouts.
"Impossible!"
"He must have cheated!"
"Did he really defeat two nobles?!"
Rael stood unfazed. Their disbelief was nothing new. It only proved how low they had set their expectations. He glanced at Eris—her eyes were wide, shimmering not with jealousy, but wonder.
"That's why I said you're interesting," she murmured.
Professor Helgar, watching from above the crowd, narrowed his eyes. He whispered to a fellow instructor, "That boy… he didn't just win. He dominated."
---
Back at the Academy
Night fell. In his dorm, Rael sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. His blade floated in front of him, trembling as energy coursed through the air.
Memories of the forest surged back—Phantom Step, crimson fire, the perfect execution of Echo of the Afterlife.
He could feel it.
A new threshold.
> You have advanced: Expert → Master Swordsman.
He opened his eyes slowly. They gleamed like sharpened steel.
> "One step closer."
---
The Next Day – Royal Summons
A golden carriage bearing the crest of the Kingdom of Alarion arrived at the Academy gates.
"Rael of Class C and Eris Windthorne of Class S," a royal knight announced, "you are summoned by His Majesty King Alarion IV."
Rael's eyes narrowed.
"Already?"
Inside the castle, everything dripped with opulence—gold-trimmed banners, mana-forged guards, and chandeliers of crystallized essence.
In the throne room, King Alarion IV waited atop a staircase, a tall figure wrapped in royal crimson with cold eyes that missed nothing.
Beside him stood his royal advisor—an Archmage whose aura made even Eris stiffen.
The King's voice was calm but firm. "Step forward. You are now two of Alarion's chosen. The final heroes."
Eris bowed gracefully.
Rael merely nodded. Enough to be respectful. But not submissive.
Alarion's gaze lingered on Rael.
> "Class C… yet you surpass even nobles. Tell me, boy—what drives you?"
Rael looked up, tone cool and even.
> "The desire to win. No matter the cost."
The King smiled faintly. "Good."
But behind that smile, gears turned.
"This one is dangerous," the King thought. "And potentially… useful."
He waved his hand.
> "You'll be given hero crests and transferred to the Capital Hero Division. A war brews in the northern borders. Rest well. Your real test begins soon."
As Rael and Eris were led out, the King spoke privately to the advisor.
"Dig up everything on the boy. Family. Training. Especially how he killed two nobles."
The advisor nodded.
---
Outside the Castle
Eris walked beside Rael, hesitant.
"Rael… about yesterday. You really don't have to act so cold. You saved me, didn't you?"
Rael smiled faintly, not looking at her.
> "Don't misunderstand."
> "I only saved you because we're friends."
Eris blinked. Then smiled.
"I'll stay as your friend, then."
Rael said nothing. But inside—
> "She might be useful for longer than I thought."
As the castle loomed behind them and the Capital opened before them, the boy from Class C—now a Master Swordsman—stepped forward.
Not as a commoner.
But as a shadow rising behind the light of the heroes.