The lake shook.
And the two giant statues took a step forward.
Just one step...
Yet the water exploded violently around them.
As for Iris...
She raised her magic wand instantly.
Dozens of black circles materialized around her.
Leon, too, dropped into a combat stance.
But his eyes...
Were not on the statues.
They were on Kim.
Because he had noticed something.
Kim hadn't moved.
He hadn't braced for battle.
And he showed no sign of tension.
Instead, he was gazing at the ancient inscriptions as if reading a book.
> "Strange..."
>
Leon whispered.
Normally...
When danger appears.
Everyone looks at the danger.
But Kim...
Was looking at the cause.
And that was a massive difference.
In the next instant—
One of the statues lunged.
BOOM!
A colossal wave of water surged.
And its stone fist turned into a rushing meteor, hurtling toward the group.
Iris leapt backward immediately.
As for Leon...
He unleashed a direct, golden blast of energy.
The power collided with the guardian.
But the result?
It didn't yield a single step.
Leon's eyes widened.
> "This solid?!"
>
Meanwhile, the statue...
Continued its relentless advance.
And right then...
Kim smiled.
He had found the answer.
He finally raised his head.
Then said calmly:
> "Stop attacking it."
>
Everyone turned toward him.
Even the statues.
Iris screamed in anger:
> "Are you insane?!"
>
> "If we don't fight, it will tear us apart!"
>
But Kim didn't care.
Instead, he stepped closer to the stone wall.
And placed his hand over one of the symbols.
Then he said:
> "This isn't a test of strength."
>
> "It's a test of understanding."
>
Silence fell.
As for Leon...
His eyes narrowed.
Then, he began to read the inscriptions himself.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then...
His eyes widened.
> "Damn it..."
>
He understood.
The inscription read:
> "He who raises his weapon against the guardian...
>
Is doomed to fail."
And the next line...
> "But he who understands the guardian's way...
>
Shall be permitted to pass."
Kim smiled.
At last...
He had found the key.
He approached the statue.
With absolute serenity.
To the point that Iris thought he was committing suicide.
As for the guardian...
It raised its colossal fist.
Poised to crush.
But...
Kim didn't attack.
Nor did he defend.
Instead, he bowed.
A very slight, formal bow.
As if greeting someone before him.
And suddenly...
The guardian froze.
Silence engulfed the area.
Then...
It lowered its fist slowly.
And returned to its position.
As for the second statue...
It did the exact same thing.
The stone door trembled.
And the inscriptions began to glow.
Then...
It opened.
BOOM!!!
An ancient current of mana surged from within.
As for Iris...
She was staring at Kim in absolute shock.
> "How...?"
>
He replied calmly:
> "The strong believe that every door can be opened with force."
>
Then he looked into the dark corridor behind the door.
> "And that is why they remain outside."
>
As for Leon...
He began to laugh.
A genuine laugh.
Not sarcastic.
Not arrogant.
But the laugh of someone who thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
> "Crazy."
>
> "You are crazy, Kim."
>
Kim smiled.
But he didn't reply.
Because something else had caught his attention.
Deep inside the corridor.
Far, far away.
There was a faint blue light.
And something...
Waiting.
Something untouched for centuries.
And in the Academy's tower...
Eldar slammed the table suddenly.
Making the rest of the professors jump out of their seats.
His eyes were locked onto the screen.
> "Impossible..."
>
He whispered it slowly.
Because the door Kim had just opened...
Was not part of the exam at all.
Rather, it was a lost site from the ruins of the ancient Academy.
A place everyone believed had vanished hundreds of years ago.
As for Kim...
He had just stepped inside.
> *"While everyone searches for success...
>
The manipulator searches for the path that no one else has seen."*