As the glowing screen faded, Kylen slowly opened his eyes.
The clear sky of Saint Laurent City was gone.
In its place was a dim, oppressive sky, with withered leaves swirling down in the bleak wind.
Everywhere he looked were deep pits and broken trees, a desolate, post-war apocalyptic scene.
Is this… the edge of an abyssal rift?
A faint blue text screen appeared before Kylen's eyes:
[Location: Graystone Gorge]
[Mission Name: The Last Messenger]
[Difficulty: S]
[Background & Mission Introduction: A traitor has emerged among the human defenders at Redrock Fortress. He sold key intelligence to the "Blood-Eating Ant Swarm" and "Withered Vine Treants" two abyssal forces plotting a catastrophe that will sweep through humanity. Your scouting team was completely wiped out; you are the sole survivor.]
[Your mission: safely deliver the intelligence back to Redrock Fortress and identify the hidden mole!]
[Redrock Fortress: An outpost fortress built by humans on the edge of the abyssal rift.]
[Mission Items: 1 x Area Map, 1 x List of Suspicious Personnel, 1 x Abyssal Creature Encyclopedia.]
[Do you accept the mission?]
"I accept," Kylen replied in a low voice.
Avelia's slender eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Graystone Gorge… Such bad luck."
"Oh? Why?"
"Normally, One-Star Contractors are only allowed to operate in relatively safe buffer zones or around Redrock Fortress. Graystone Gorge is off-limits except to Three-Star Contractors or elite Two-Star ones."
Vaguely, Avelia caught a whiff of conspiracy.
"And this mission itself is highly unreasonable. New student tests usually only assign F or E-rank missions.
S-rank missions aren't just extremely difficult; their objectives are often vague too… I really don't know what those old fogeys at the academy are thinking," Avelia mused silently.
Outside the simulation field, the senior students, juniors, and teachers watching the test through the huge glowing screen erupted into an uproar.
"Wait! How could someone get assigned an S-rank mission? This is practically sending him to his death!"
"Dean Seraphina, this isn't right! Shouldn't the Abyssal Rift Simulation Field generate missions based on the participant's strength level?"
Dean Seraphina Ling's brows furrowed.
She was about to speak up and ask when Dean Baron of the Practical Tactics Department cut in first to explain:
"Quiet, all of you! The simulation field system is functioning perfectly!
Look, this student's contracted creature is a high-tier humanoid.
Since it can take such a form, the system naturally judges he has the potential to complete this mission!"
A senior female student couldn't help but complain.
"But this is so unfair! William, who's playing the traitor's side, has a hundred helpers to block him!
Kylen has to complete the mission alone, and he's being chased by the Blood-Eating Ant Swarm and Withered Vine Treants, too! Is this really okay?"
Another senior muttered softly, "I heard William is Dean Baron's nephew. And this Kylen apparently got into a fight with William yesterday…"
"Really?"
"Absolutely! I saw them fight at the academy gate yesterday. Rumor has it the Vander kid… got his lower half crippled…"
"Supposedly over some cheesy love triangle too…"
"Oh—! No wonder! This must be retaliation!"
Gossip spread rapidly, rippling through the crowd like waves.
Baron's face turned somewhat ugly. Damn, Gareth, if you dote on your son so much, don't be so blatant with your tricks!
But he immediately put on a stern expression and snapped in a self-righteous tone.
"Nonsense! I've overseen the simulation field for over ten years, and there's never been a single mistake! Would I bend the rules for some trivial fight between kids?"
"Furthermore, when you face real abyssal battlefields in the future, will you back down from difficult missions? Give up when you're trapped? If everyone acted like that, how did our ancestors build defenses on the edge of the rifts and protect human territory?"
His words were filled with grand righteousness, as if he had no selfish motives at all. The students felt something was off, but couldn't find a way to refute him.
The key issue was that Kylen's mission was far too brutal. Enemies blocking his path ahead, pursuers behind it, was almost a death sentence!
For a new student, this was an impossible task. Dying in the simulation field wouldn't kill him for real, but it would cause severe mental trauma unless Kylen voluntarily gave up the test…
Seraphina Ling's brows furrowed tightly. She spoke up, "In that case, Dean Baron, it's only reasonable if a new student can't complete an S-rank mission.
As long as he performs well enough, we should let him enroll. What do you say?"
Baron shook his head firmly. "No! The rule is clear: only those who complete their mission can enroll. How can we break it for just one person? If he thinks he can't do it, he can choose to give up! We're not forcing him to die!"
Seraphina was left speechless. This was blatant personal retaliation! Giving up the test would ruin his future.
Even if he wanted to apply to other Contract Academies, he'd have to wait a year, and who knew what accidents might happen in that time? But if he kept going, he'd likely suffer severe mental trauma inside!
The Vander family really was too ruthless.
Seraphina quietly sent an order to her contracted creature via a soul link.
A wisp of light separated from the starlit phoenix, carrying a message as it silently flew toward the principal's tower. Investigating a dean required the principal's personal approval.
The students couldn't change Baron's decision. They could only stare nervously at the huge glowing screen in the sky. Suddenly, someone voiced their confusion.
"Hey? Have any of you noticed this junior's humanoid contracted creature… looks kind of familiar?"
Inside the simulation field, within Graystone Gorge.
Kylen quickly read through the mission introduction and Abyssal Creature Encyclopedia, then gently rubbed his brows. "They're definitely targeting me."
Avelia tilted her head. When she saw William's name on the "traitor" list, she immediately understood the Vander family's malicious scheme. This wasn't a mission at all, it was a carefully laid trap.
The mission process was simple and straightforward, with no room for detours.
William and his hundred helpers were tasked with stopping Kylen from returning to the fortress. It didn't take a genius to figure out the Vander family had pulled strings to "severely injure" Kylen openly or force him to give up the test.
Could he avoid it? No. Behind him were the Blood-Eating Ant Swarm (Sequence No. 185) and Withered Vine Treants (Sequence No. 358) in pursuit. A massive catastrophe would swarm and devour him at any moment.
In theory, breaking out of the trap was simple. Kylen just had to defeat those hundred Contractor students alone.
Avelia blinked her beautiful eyes, took Kylen's hand, and her voice carried a hint of concern.
"Do you want me to stay with you… and wait for another chance?" (meaning giving up the test and trying again next year)
A sharp glint flashed in Kylen's eyes. He took Avelia's hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it.
"No need, my Queen. Let all their schemes come at us. Avelia, as long as I'm by your side, even if I face thousands of enemies, I have nothing to fear."
"Mmm~"
Outside the simulation field.
The moment Kylen clearly said the name "Avelia," every student watching in Saint Rose Square froze. Even the instructors in charge of supervision stared wide-eyed in shock.
"Wait… the name he just called was… Avelia? Could it be… come to think of it, why isn't Senior Avelia here to watch today?"
"No way! No way! No way!"
The crowd gasped sharply, their throats bobbing as if they'd realized an incredibly shocking truth.
Saint Rose Square, once noisy beyond belief, fell into dead silence. The stunned crowd's jaws nearly hit the ground.
The silence was shattered, and the square erupted into a deafening commotion like a landslide or tsunami!
"WTF! Could Kylen's contracted creature be… Senior Avelia Selis?!"
"I knew she looked familiar! Look, Senior Avelia has those unique crimson eyes, and Kylen's contracted creature does too!"
"The contrast is so big! I can't believe I didn't recognize Senior Avelia!"
"Hey! You bastard over there! What do you think you're doing to Senior's hand? Do you even have the right to kiss it?!"
"Junior, you've committed an unforgivable sin!"
"Aaaaah! Die! I was worried you were being wronged just now! You might as well stay in there forever!"
"Dean! Principal! We demand an explanation!"
Even Seraphina Ling was stunned.
Avelia Selis, the genius girl who combined talent and beauty, was promoted to Four-Star Contractor within a year of enrollment, and was admired by countless people had actually become Kylen's… contracted creature?
What on earth was going on?!