Chapter 40: Selene Frost.
"Wait! Please!" the archer pleaded, finally able to speak properly again. "We’ll give you anything! Gold, personal equipment, anything!"
The other two students stared at the crushed crystal with expressions of complete devastation, understanding that their academy careers had just come to an abrupt end.
They cursed Draco inwardly with every obscenity they could think of, but none of them dared voice their thoughts aloud. The demonstration of his combat capabilities had made it crystal clear what would happen if they provoked him further.
Even if they tell the instructor I was the one who pressed the emergency crystal, they’ll still be escorted out, Draco thought with satisfaction.
Professor had been very clear about the examination rules, if they can’t defend their own crystal, then it’s their fault.
"An instructor will be here shortly to escort you off the examination grounds," Draco informed them matter-of-factly.
Without looking back or showing any concern for their pleas, Draco turned and walked away from the defeated ambushers. Zephyr flew down to perch on his shoulder, radiating satisfaction with how the encounter had concluded.
[Master, that was incredible! You showed them who’s really in charge! (＾◡＾)]
"Don’t worry about those extras, Zephyr. Now let’s continue our hunt. We have points to accumulate and a gate to explore."
As they departed, Draco could hear the defeated students behind them desperately trying to come up with explanations that might save their academy careers. But their fate was already sealed – within minutes, an instructor would arrive to find four students with obvious signs of combat injuries.
...
Meanwhile...
In another section of the vast gate, Glade Von Ashblade moved through his territory with the confidence of someone who had never doubted his own superiority. His flame-enhanced sword gleamed as he finished dispatching another Midnight Bear, the creature’s fur still smouldering from his fire-based attacks.
But what made his hunting expedition notably different from other students’ experiences was the entourage that had formed around him.
"Excellent work as always, Young Master Glade!" called out a brown-haired student with a C-rank earth manipulation talent. He rushed forward to extract the beast core while Glade cleaned his blade.
"That bear didn’t stand a chance against your superior technique," added a female student, her D-rank wind abilities having provided minor support during the brief combat. "You’re definitely going to place first in this examination."
Three other students nodded enthusiastically in agreement, their expressions showing the eager deference of those hoping to gain favor with nobility. They had naturally gravitated toward Glade shortly after entering the gate, recognizing both his combat capabilities and his valuable family connections.
These fools make useful hunting partners, Glade thought with internal satisfaction as he accepted the extracted core. They handle the menial tasks while I focus on the actual combat.
"Here’s another core for your collection, Young Master," Marcus said, presenting the crystal with obvious reverence. "That brings your total to... how many now?"
"Fifteen cores in just a few hours," Glade replied with obvious pride. "At this rate, I’ll have more points than the rest of that bastard’s class combined."
The group of followers exchanged impressed glances, their admiration genuine despite its calculated nature. They understood that associating with the son of Marquis Lucas could provide significant benefits both during the examination and in their future academy careers.
"Speaking of him," Teresa said with a dismissive laugh, "I can’t believe that bastard Draco is somewhere in this gate too. Can you imagine? He probably thinks his newly awakened, B-rank Beastmaster talent makes him competitive with someone of your calibre."
"Draco?" Marcus scoffed, shaking his head in mock sympathy. "That good-for-nothing couldn’t survive five minutes without his academy instructors watching over him. He’s probably hiding behind rocks, hoping to avoid any real combat."
Another follower, a thin boy named Derek with a weak combat talent, chimed in eagerly. "I heard he was disowned by your family, Young Master Glade. Proves he never deserved the Von Ashblade name in the first place."
"The bastard always was weak," Glade agreed coldly, his steel-blue eyes showing no trace of familial concern. "A late awakening can’t change a lifetime of being pathetic. When this examination is over, everyone will see the true difference between legitimate nobility and pretenders."
The group murmured their agreement, each hoping their loyalty to Glade would be remembered when final rankings were announced. They had calculated that supporting the obviously superior candidate would provide better long-term benefits than trying to succeed independently.
"Should we continue toward the river, Young Master?" Marcus asked deferentially. "Your strategy of controlling the water source has been incredibly effective."
"Indeed. Let’s see how many more cores we can accumulate before any other students figure out where the prime hunting grounds are located."
As they moved toward their next hunting area, the followers continued their chorus of praise and agreement, each trying to outdo the others in demonstrating their usefulness and loyalty to the future Marquis.
...
In a completely different section of the massive gate, Selene Frost moved through the terrain with the lethal grace of a born predator. Her platinum blonde hair caught the strange light as she surveyed a clearing where a pack of six Midnight Bears had gathered around what appeared to be a natural feeding ground.
Six targets. Excellent opportunity to test my area-of-effect capabilities.
Unlike other students who had formed teams or sought safety in numbers, Selene operated with the confident independence that came from possessing an A-rank talent and extensive combat training. Her ice manipulation abilities were particularly well-suited for handling multiple opponents simultaneously.
The bears hadn’t noticed her presence yet, focused as they were on foraging for whatever sustenance the gate environment provided. Their positioning was perfect for what she had in mind – clustered together but not so tightly that her attacks would interfere with each other.
Selene raised her hands and began channeling her mana, feeling the familiar cold energy flowing through her physique. The temperature around her dropped noticeably as moisture in the air began turning into the projectiles she preferred.
With graceful and beautiful movements, she began launching her attack. Sharp, perfectly formed ice shards materialized in the air around her, each one gleaming like daggers as they accelerated toward their targets with lethal precision.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The first shard struck the largest bear directly in the skull, penetrating completely through bone and brain matter before emerging from the other side. The creature dropped instantly, dead before it could even register the attack.
The second and third shards found their marks with equal effectiveness, each one targeting vital areas. Two more bears collapsed as the ice projectiles pierced their hearts and major arteries.
The remaining three bears finally realized they were under attack, but Selene’s assault was already concluding. Her final volley of ice shards struck with the same devastating power and speed as the first, ending the brief combat before the creatures could mount any meaningful defence.
Selene walked calmly among the fallen bears, her expression remaining perfectly neutral as she extracted their cores. Her ice magic had been so precisely controlled that the cores remained undamaged despite the devastating nature of her attacks.
Unlike Glade’s followers or other students who celebrated their victories with obvious emotion, Selene simply stored the cores in her examination ring and began scanning for her next targets. Her approach to the examination was professional, accumulate points efficiently, and avoid any unnecessary early risk.