After walking through the grand, luxurious corridors of the girls' dormitory…
Lorine never imagined that, after all her long years of life, she would one day find herself walking among girls chatting loudly about endless topics in every corner.
Sometimes, one just wishes there were a mute button for people.
Before entering her room, she recalled her old quarters on the massive military airship. The shame she'd felt tossing and turning there, and how she couldn't even remember when she'd fallen asleep back then.
Let's just say—she slept, somehow.
"And now I'm getting used to girls' rooms… Is that a problem?"
Not really… right?
She placed her ID card on the scanner. A soft click sounded as the lock disengaged.
When she stepped in, the room was completely dark.
She moved through the shadows, eyes searching until she found the light switch. The soft glow revealed a simple, spacious room.
"Not bad, actually."
A wardrobe, a desk, a bed, a large mirror, a big screen, and a private bathroom.
Once inside, she shut the door firmly and locked it behind her.
Her eyes landed on her luggage, neatly placed and waiting for her to unpack.
It had only been about two hours since their arrival from the airship.
The rest of the day was free—until tomorrow's test began.
She should've been organizing her belongings, but honestly, she couldn't stand the sight of all those clothes, makeup, perfumes, accessories, and jewelry.
So, she decided to do the most reasonable thing in her current situation—
ignore everything and go to sleep.
Seriously, who on earth could possibly organize this army of useless stuff that Lorine knew she'd never touch anytime soon?
Sure, sleep sounded like a good option… but it refused to come.
Was she really just going to lie there, staring at the ceiling like an idiot?
"What if I just… organize everything until I collapse? Organize it to absolute perfection."
Perfection was exhausting by nature. To become a symbol of it, you had to waste obscene amounts of time.
Maybe that's exactly what she needed.
Why not make everything look flawless?
So, before committing to the madness, she opened LinkTube, searched "the perfect way to organize everything", clicked on the first video she found, and unzipped her suitcases.
Her hands didn't tremble. She just… started arranging.
Relentlessly.
Until it was perfect.
When she finally finished, drowsiness hit her like a spell.
Six straight hours just to make sure everything was perfect—edges aligned, colors blended, clothes folded with surgical precision.
No dust, no wrinkles, just the faint scent of fabric softener lingering in the air.
Before she even realized it, she'd fallen asleep right there.
The next morning…
She peeled off her sleepwear, took a full shower, and slipped into the academy's formal uniform. Then she stood before the mirror.
"This looks… decent enough."
With her bag slung over her shoulder, she stepped outside, locking the door behind her.
Her footsteps blended with the marching crowd of girls filling the dormitory halls.
Step by step, they all moved together—until she finally reached the grand front gate.
Then, with the rest of the students, she walked into the colossal structure ahead.
She scanned the crowd carefully, but the protagonist was nowhere to be seen.
"It seems he's late… how irresponsible can that man be."
Lauren tried to steady her breathing, glancing toward the female guards clad in full armor, their helmets hiding their eyes.
The gate shut tightly behind them, and they were ordered to follow one of the guides—a man with a face carved from ice. Along both sides of the marching line, guards stood to maintain order.
Then, without warning, the guide suddenly stopped. Everyone froze in confusion.
He knocked twice on a random wall.
In an instant, a massive glowing magic circle flared to life—
And before anyone could react, they were transported.
…
Underground… about fifteen feet below the surface…
In a nearly pitch-black place surrounded by a heavy darkness, the lights suddenly flared to life, calming the panic around Loren.
She looked around and saw Ser Balfard, the Headmistress, Liza, Fiona, and Miralda.
Under their uneasy gazes, Ser Balfard smiled — a cold, unnerving smile — and spread his arms to address the students.
"Welcome, everyone, to the first evaluation test for this year's first-year students…
Loyalty."
He paused for a moment, his voice echoing faintly off the underground walls.
"Now… in this vast world, very few know the true nature of this test."
"The rules are simple. You will each enter a room marked with the number assigned specifically to you."
"Inside, you will find a portrait of the Supreme Ruler of this nation… waiting for you to kneel before it."
"Your evaluation — your rank — will be determined by the number of hours you remain inside. The one who lasts the longest… will be the victor. Good luck."
What does it mean to have loyalty?
What's the point of it? Why live, die, and waste your precious existence for the sake of someone else's life?
Is there any reward after death? No… there isn't.
What's the purpose of kneeling? Really, what is it? We all kneel before those stronger than us — because we're afraid.
So what value does loyalty truly hold?
When Loren was a writer — back when he created this part of the story — he hadn't thought much about it. He just needed something to fill space, so he came up with the "kneeling test" as part of the chapter.
He wrote two quick lines about it and moved on, describing how the hero succeeded by kneeling for five days straight without rest, earning first place.
But according to his original script — to make sure Eleanor, the main heroine of this arc, didn't lose her charm — he gave her second place. He simply wrote that she exited early but still passed.
He hadn't cared much at the time. It was just filler text — meaningless words written to patch an empty scene.
"Damn it… what does this mean now?"
If Eleanor Mathioth was the first to graduate, what did that mean for how this world interpreted the story now?
Loren felt a growing fear of breaking the plot and exposing himself.
He didn't want to lose… but he also wasn't ready to kneel for three days straight in a filthy place like this.
She didn't even have time to think before finding herself inside a room with four white marble walls and a plain tiled floor.
As she looked ahead, the door closed behind her under the supervisor's hand.
On a table in front of her stood a large framed portrait of the Supreme Ruler, dressed in his gold-embroidered uniform, his sharp, arrogant gaze staring directly at her.
A simple wooden box sat on the table beneath the portrait—open, but before she could peek inside, a voice echoed from a speaker fixed in the corner.
It was Sir Balfard.
"The test begins now. Everyone must kneel before I reach one."
"Three."
"This is happening fast."
Lauren dropped to her knees instantly and lowered her head to the floor.
"Two."
"One."
The marathon of kneeling had begun.
An hour later…
"My knees… my knees…"
Eleanor's legs had gone completely numb, her knees throbbing in raw pain. She could no longer endure this position for another second.
She tried using her points to upgrade her body, but it was useless.