Terrified. That was the very first conclusion to cross Kim's mind.
The colossal serpent… was not looking at him as prey. Nor as an enemy. Nor even as an examinee who had trespassed into its domain. Rather… it saw him as an entity that simply had no right to exist within this world.
Yet, Kim's expression never altered. He permitted nothing to surface upon his features, merely standing in absolute stillness. A commoner. Ordinary. Exactly as he had done since the moment he arrived in this realm.
As for the serpent… its massive head recoiled by a fraction of a meter. A minute contraction—yet it did not elude Leonhart. Nor did it escape Iris.
Leonhart's eyes narrowed into slits.
> "Strange…"
>
But before he could ponder any further—the serpent erupted. It lunged forward with blinding, cataclysmic velocity toward the congregation.
*BOOM!!*
Water detonated in every direction as everyone leaped backward instantly. Iris unleashed a sequence of obsidian magical circles, while the slender youth whipped out a short dagger.
As for Leonhart… he remained smiling, as though he had been anticipating this cataclysm from the very beginning.
But Kim? He had vanished from the perimeter.
No. Not via supernatural velocity. But because he had moved before anyone else—prior to the strike, prior to the impact, prior to the anarchy. He had simply misread the motion ahead of time.
He was now standing atop a distant, elevated boulder, observing.
In his old world, he had mastered a fundamental axiom:
> *When two monsters engage in a savage duel…*
> *Do not become the third.*
>
Allow the others to deplete their vital reserves first. Only then do you determine your next move.
Leonhart, meanwhile, was now fully engaged in combat. For the very first time, his effortless smile evaporated, and a brilliant, golden mana detonated around his form. His entire arm glowed with blinding radiance, and then—he struck.
*BOOM!!*
The colossal frame of the serpent shuddered violently, causing the eyes of several newly arrived students to widen in sheer disbelief.
> "What is this horrific power?!"
> "He's a monster!"
> "Is he even a student?!"
>
Kim merely watched, absorbing the spectacle.
> *So, this is your baseline.*
>
He systematically archived the data within the recesses of his mind. The output of power. The combat methodology. The reaction times. Everything. Because information… was far more precious than gold.
Suddenly—his gaze locked. For he detected a detail that remained invisible to the others.
The serpent was not truly attacking Leonhart, nor Iris, nor anyone else. It was moving according to a very deliberate geometric pattern. It was guiding them. Herding them away from the lake. Away from the flower.
And away from something else. Something concealed.
Kim smiled. Finally… he had unearthed the authentic catalyst.
While everyone else remained utterly preoccupied with the beast, he began to move with absolute stealth. One step. Then another. Until he arrived at the very lip of the lake.
There, he looked down into the water and flicked a small stone.
*Splash.*
Subtle ripples cascaded outward, and then… an anomaly transpired. The reflection of the sky vanished from the surface of the water, as if a deceptive, illusory layer had been peeled away for a brief heartbeat.
Beneath it lay a door. An ancient, stone portal submerged in the abyssal depths of the lake.
His eyes narrowed.
> "Just as I anticipated."
>
The Black Moon Flower was never the prize; it was merely the bait. The true treasure… resided down below.
At that exact millisecond—Leonhart materialized right beside him. He did so with profound silence, without Kim even sensing his physical approach. He gazed down into the water, and his smile returned.
> "So, you caught sight of it as well."
>
A prolonged, heavy silence ensued for several long seconds. Then, the two turned their heads toward one another.
And for the very first time… each of them smiled.
The smile of an individual who had finally encountered another true player upon the chessboard. Not a subordinate. Not a victim.
A player.
High atop the academy's tower, Elder Eldar was staring intently at the magical display. Then, he began to laugh—a genuine, deep laugh for the first time in years.
> "Fascinating…"
> "Fascinating indeed."
>
> *"While the masses stare blindly at the treasure… the manipulators seek the true reason for its existence in the first place."*
>