Chapter 185: First Place
Led by Fian, they moved swiftly beneath the trees. Thanks to his training with Madha, Orman had built up enough stamina to keep pace, even weaving smoothly around roots and low branches.
Yuvika, though less accustomed to the forest, relied on her wind-based talent to keep up with the two young men.
Before long, the chatter of other students faded completely, replaced by the rustle of small creatures darting through the branches overhead.
Fian didn’t slow down, and the two behind didn’t question him.
He might only be an E-rank liner, but he was an elf, and maybe because he was friends with people they trusted (Madha for Orman, Gara for Yuvika), they instinctively chose to trust him as well.
The rustle of bushes sounded up ahead. Yuvika and Orman froze, eyes tense, but Fian had already heard the steps.
In fact, he had deliberately guided them toward it, ready to face whatever lay beyond the thicket.
Hop! Hop!
A gray, horned rabbit burst out of the bushes. Then another. And another. Soon, there were too many for Yuvika to bother counting.
Hiiik!
One let out a shrill cry as an ice spike pierced it.The sudden attack riled the others, sending them lunging forward in a frenzy.
There was no time to think. Instinct took over. Each of them moved in their own way, unleashing their talents to drive the beasts back.
Orman slammed his hand down, raising an earthen wall up to their necks, shielding them from the rabbits’ leaps, which barely reached chest height. When the barrier collapsed, the falling soil clouded the air, blinding the creatures for a moment.
That moment was all Fian needed. Ice spikes shot forward, while Yuvika unleashed a burst of wind. Rabbits caught in her jet wind were hurled backward. Some slammed into trees and died instantly from the impact, others hit the ground with bones snapping.
Her talent had always been strong, enough to push heavy objects with her wind. But ever since using the enhance crystal, both the pressure and speed had skyrocketed. Anything struck by her jet wind would be sent flying several meters away.
At home, she’d only had a little time to test her strengthened talent. This was her first real chance to see it in action. And with every strike, her gratitude toward Gara deepened.
When the last of the horned rabbits lay defeated, the three pushed forward again.
But as Yuvika and Orman caught sight of what lay ahead, they both turned sharply to Fian.
This elf... he had led them straight into a gray horned rabbit nest!
...
Meanwhile, back at the academy’s noticed board, a name suddenly flashed onto the ranking list and immediately soared to first place.
Fian.
No family name. No one knew the race. No details at all.
Of course, Gara and Madha exchanged shocked but proud looks, they knew exactly who it was.
Only ten names had appeared on the board so far, meaning the test had only just begun and most candidates were still struggling to adapt to their surroundings.
"Anyone know him? No last name—could he be a demon? Maybe one of those from Palapa Plains?"
"He’s probably cheating. Maybe hired some groups to weaken the beasts, then swooped in for the last hit."
"The Intai birds are watching. If that happened, the staff would know right away, wouldn’t they?"
Debates broke out around the board. To lead the ranking without even a surname was no small matter. No one wanted to believe an ordinary candidate could rise so quickly.
But Gara and Madha didn’t waste time arguing.
Because as the voices around the board grew louder, so did Fian’s score.
From ten point... to thirty.
And soon after, Yuvika’s and Orman’s names appeared in the top ten as well. Yuvika with eighteen points, Orman with thirteen.
"Kevio’s not with them," Madha muttered. Gara gave a small nod.
As time passed, Fian showed no signs of slowing down. Instead, he pulled even further ahead of the others.
Yuvika and Orman had already dropped out of the top ten.
"They’re with Fian, so why’s there such a big gap in their points?" Gara wondered aloud, more curious than expecting an answer.
The woman beside them caught his question. "You know that Fian who’s holding first place?"
Gara nodded. He wasn’t trying to brag, it was just the truth.
"In that case, you should understand. If he’s with others but still racking up points on his own, it means he’s landing most of the kills himself," the woman explained.
Then she went into more detail, "When a group takes down a beast together, the points get split among every member.
Say a team kills ten beasts—if two people are only blocking while one person strikes the final blow, the attacker might get five points while the other two only get two and a half each."
"Makes sense," Gara agreed. "Neither three of them have pure offensive-type talents. But Fian... his experience in the cave before taught him how to turn a defensive-type talent into an offensive one. Orman and Yuvika just aren’t there yet."
The woman smiled knowingly. "Yess. Shifting a talent’s nature like that isn’t impossible—it can even be perfected. My family’s always done it. People call us gifted, but the truth is... it’s all training and hard work."
Gara glanced at her with newfound respect. Maybe there were more sharp-minded people in this world than he’d thought.
And his guess about Fian was dead on.
At that very moment, surrounded by a swarm of gray rabbits, Orman wasn’t doing anything but keeping his earth block barrier up for defense.
Yuvika unleashed jet after jet of water, but her attacks weren’t always fatal. Worse, the longer the fight dragged on, the more exhausted she became. She wasn’t used to battling with this kind of intensity.
Only Fian remained steady—every move fast, precise, lethal. Ice spikes erupted from the ground, nail-like shards rained from the air.
He wielded them as if it were second nature. His training had truly paid off.
Yuvika staggered back behind Orman, too drained to keep going, leaving Fian to shoulder the assault alone.
She and Orman exchanged looks more than once.
He’s a monster... that elf is a monster!
...