Chapter 35: Entering The Gate
Class A was the first to enter the gate, their confidence displayed through their movements.
Selene Frost entered alone, her facial expression maintaining the same neutral, ice-cold expression she was known for throughout the academy.
Her platinum blonde hair fluttered from the gate’s energy as she stepped through without hesitation.
The other A-Class students followed with confidence radiating from their postures and expressions. For them, this examination was clearly going to be less of a practical exercise, and more of a walk in the park.
Before entering the gate, Glade’s steel eyes met with Draco’s for a brief, intense moment. Despite the distance between them, Draco could clearly read his half-brother’s lips as he whispered something meant only for him.
"Survive... you bastard."
Draco understood the true meaning behind Glade’s words immediately. It wasn’t that his half-brother genuinely cared about his safety or well-being, not at all. Rather, Glade wanted him to survive specifically so he could demonstrate who was superior between them. He wanted the opportunity to show Draco the vast difference in their capabilities and status.
Despite leaving the house, he is still obsessed with proving his dominance. Some people never change.
Draco ignored his egotistical, self-absorbed half-brother and focused his attention back on the instructors as they continued calling out class assignments for gate entry.
The selection process appeared to be random rather than based on class ranking, which meant any group could be called at any moment.
This was also part of the luck that the instructor spoke about. After all, those who entered first started the examination first. Which meant they had more time to study their surroundings and rack up kills before others.
Draco’s E-Class was announced as the third group to enter, causing immediate tension among his classmates.
Being the weakest class in the academy, E-Class students were naturally more frightened than their higher-ranked peers. They stood before the shimmering gate portal, but none stepped forward to enter. The massive opening seemed to intimidate them into paralysis.
Except for Draco, who walked forward and entered without any visible hesitation or concern.
The instructors weren’t particularly surprised by his confidence. While Draco was technically assigned to E-Class, everyone knew he wasn’t truly of their caliber anymore. His B-rank Beastmaster talent had already marked him for transfer to a higher class after this examination was completed.
Seeing him enter the gate so confidently, the other E-Class students who had harbored resentment toward him felt a pang of jealousy. How could someone who had been considered a talentless trash for his entire life suddenly enter a dangerous gate with such self-assurance while they shook with fear?
They hated that Draco surpassed them so quickly. From the bottom to above them in just a moment’s notice.
Some students eventually forced themselves to follow, driven by shame and the fear of being left behind. However, in the end, two people made the decision to drop out of the examination entirely, accepting immediate expulsion rather than face the unknown dangers within the gate.
Inside the gate, Draco immediately began assessing his surroundings.
The environment was dramatically different from the Swift Gate’s rolling meadows.
He found himself in the middle of a dense jungle, with large trees. Everything around him appeared normal at first glance, with no immediately obvious threats or unusual features.
The abundance of trees made it difficult to determine which direction would be most advantageous for hunting. Without clear landmarks or visibility beyond a few dozen meters, Draco decided to scout the area to plan more carefully.
"Zephyr, fly high and scout the area around us," Draco instructed, motioning for his companion to take to the air.
"Give it a thorough scan and let me know what you see. Search for any hills or elevated positions we can use for better scouting."
[Yes, Master!] Zephyr replied enthusiastically, launching himself upward through the canopy.
Zephyr returned after several minutes of high-altitude reconnaissance, providing a comprehensive report of their tactical situation.
[Master, we’re in a massive jungle that spans about two kilometers in each direction. It’s really, really big, and I found a decent-sized hill about half a kilometer to the northeast!]
"Lead the way to that hill," Draco decided immediately. An elevated terrain would provide significant advantages for planning his next moves and spotting both opportunities and threats.
During their journey through the dense jungle, Draco deliberately conserved his mana by not activating any enhancement skills. There was plenty of time remaining in the examination, and he wanted to preserve his resources for actual combat situations rather than simple travel.
He maintained constant vigilance as they moved, his eyes scanning for movement while his ears listened for any sounds that might indicate the presence of beasts or other students. The jungle environment provided excellent cover for ambush predators, making hisy caution essential.
Arriving at the hill, Draco immediately began climbing to gain the high ground advantage he sought. The elevation would allow him to see above the tree canopy and make informed decisions about his next route and hunting targets.
At the summit, he found himself above the jungle’s canopy with a clear view in all directions. The position was exactly what he had hoped for, perfect for planning his strategy.
Suddenly, as he was surveying possible routes and identifying promising hunting areas, a loud, threatening roar erupted from somewhere very close beside him.
Draco immediately spun around to face the source of the sound, his sword already half-drawn from its sheath. What he saw made him instantly understand the type of creatures inhabiting this particular gate.
A large bear with midnight-black fur stood just meters away. Sharp claws, and saliva dripped steadily from its open mouth as it fixed hungry eyes on what it clearly considered prey.
"So... that’s the type of beast in this gate, huh?" Draco muttered, a thoughtful look on his face.
Without hesitation, he activated Zephyr’s evolved Hyper-Sonic skill, feeling the incredible surge of agility flow through his body. His speed doubled instantly, bringing his effective agility to a terrifying 44 points.
The bear lunged forward with surprising speed for such a large creature, but Draco’s high agility allowed him to dodge the initial attack. As he evaded, he simultaneously activated their second shared ability.
[Nano-Vision]
The skill transformed his perception immediately, highlighting potential weaknesses in the bear’s anatomy with glowing indicators that only he could see. The creature’s knees appeared as bright patches, clearly marking them as vulnerable points. Similarly, its ears were highlighted as secondary targets.
"Zephyr, attack the back of its knees!" Draco commanded while positioning himself for a coordinated assault.
[Got it, Master. Time to bring down the big guy!]
Zephyr launched himself through the air at incredible speed, flanking the bear from its blind spot before diving toward the highlighted weakness. His razor-sharp claws struck the vulnerable tendons behind the creature’s knee joint.
The Midnight Bear roared in agony as its leg buckled under the targeted attack, causing it to crash heavily to the ground on its knees.
Already moving to capitalize on the opening, Draco stepped forward and ended the fight with a single, decisive strike. His sword created a beautiful arc through the air before separating the bear’s head from its body in one clean cut.
Slash!
Thud!
The severed head hit the ground, and the massive beast was dead.
[You have killed the common-rank beast, Midnight Bear]
Draco extracted the beast’s core and stored it securely in his examination storage ring. Unfortunately, the bear didn’t produce any additional magical drops, which was somewhat disappointing but not unexpected.
Magical equipment drops don’t come easily.
[Master, that was amazing. We work so well together now.]
"Just the beginning, Zephyr. We have a whole day ahead of us, and I intend to make the most of it."
With their first kill secured and their position established, Draco began planning his next moves for maximising his examination score.