Silence reigned inside the sanctuary.
Only for a few seconds...
But it was enough.
Leon was staring at Kim.
Iris was looking back and forth between them.
As for Kim...
He was thinking about only one thing.
A mistake.
He had made a small mistake.
True, he hadn't revealed his real strength.
But the mere existence of the sword...
Had drawn the attention of things he didn't want.
And in his old world...
He knew all too well.
> "A small mistake today..."
>
> "Can become a catastrophe years later."
>
Therefore...
He began to plan from that very moment.
How to hide the sword.
How to hide the sanctuary.
And how to hide himself.
Suddenly...
A red light flared above their heads.
Then, a new notification appeared.
*First Exam Concluded.*
*All participants will be teleported in 60 seconds.*
Iris's eyes widened.
> "The exam is over?!"
>
As for Leon...
He laughed.
> "It seems we overdid it a little."
>
But Kim didn't care.
Because he had noticed something far more dangerous.
In the corner of the hall...
There was a cracked wall.
And from behind the crack...
A very weak, black aura leaked out.
So weak that no one but him noticed it.
But to Kim...
It was terrifyingly familiar.
Familiar...
Like an old scent.
Like a memory from another life.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he took a step forward.
Just one step.
The moment he drew close...
The seal on his hand trembled.
*Tsssssh!*
A tiny rift opened in the air.
It flared open for a split second.
And from within...
A voice emerged.
A voice heard by no one but Kim.
> "We are not the first to cross..."
>
He froze.
Then, everything returned to silence.
As for Kim...
He remained standing.
Because those words...
Changed a lot.
If they were true...
It meant there were others.
People who had crossed between worlds before him.
Or perhaps...
Something worse.
Then, the red light vanished suddenly.
BOOM!
The teleportation glow engulfed them.
The sanctuary vanished.
The lake vanished.
And the forest vanished.
Only for everyone to find themselves standing before the colossal gates of the Academy.
Tens of thousands of students were gathered there.
Some were injured.
Some were exhausted.
Some were proud.
But everyone was looking toward the sky.
Because the results were beginning to appear.
Name after name.
Rank after rank.
The numbers kept shifting.
Until the tenth place appeared.
Then the ninth.
Then the eighth.
The tension mounted.
As for Kim...
He stood among the commoners.
His clothes were soiled.
His appearance was ordinary.
No one paid him any attention.
Exactly how he wanted it.
Then the third place appeared.
The second place.
The first place.
And a massive name manifested in the sky.
**Leonhart**
*First Place*
The crowd erupted into applause.
As for Leon...
He merely smiled.
As if he had expected nothing less.
Then, another name appeared.
**Iris Valen**
*Fourth Place*
Iris smiled in relief.
But after that...
Something strange happened.
The scoreboard paused.
Then it began to glow.
Intensely.
An unnatural force.
Even the professors frowned.
Then, a new line appeared.
**Special Evaluation**
Silence fell.
Then a name appeared, completely outside of any ranking.
Just one name.
**Kim**
The entire square froze.
As for Kim...
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Because he didn't like this.
Not at all.
Then the following words appeared.
*Due to unquantifiable circumstances,*
*Student Kim is summoned directly for an interview with the High Academy Council.*
Silence.
Then the entire square exploded into whispers.
Even Leon raised an eyebrow.
As for Eldar...
He stood upon the platform, looking directly down at Kim.
Then he spoke in a voice heard by everyone:
> "Bring the boy."
>
And in that exact moment...
Kim understood something.
The exam was over.
But his real game...
Had just begun.
> *"Hiding among the sheep is easy...
>
The problem begins when the shepherd notices a wolf among them."*