The morning sun crept slowly above the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow across the road. Before long, Rion managed to hail a horse-drawn carriage. The rhythmic clatter of hooves echoed through the silence of a path carved right through the heart of a dense, overarching canopy of trees. Along this road, Rion was making his way toward the capital.
Suddenly, a memory from a few days ago drifted into his mind.
Rion had asked Oliver, "Won't you be there for my exam?"
An unspoken, anxious hope had been veiled in Rion's voice as he posed the question.
Standing before him was Oliver Darren. His face was as serene as ever, his eyes deep, and a faint smile played at the corners of his lips.
After a brief silence, Oliver replied, "Probably not."
"But why?" Rion asked.
Oliver sighed with regret. "An urgent matter has come up, and I must set out today. I don't know how long it will take to resolve. That is why I cannot say for certain whether I will be back in time for your exam."
Then he added,
"But, we shall meet again very soon."
As Oliver spoke those words, a mysterious confidence gleamed in his eyes—a look whose meaning Rion did not understand, nor did he care to try.
The memory faded, and Rion snapped back to reality.
Rising up to touch the sky right ahead of him was a colossal wall.
The Capital.
He had never seen a city of this magnitude before.
Towering stone walls, a massive gateway, and countless flags fluttering in the wind met his eyes. Security at the entrance was tight, with rows of guards standing at attention in polished, gleaming armor.
The moment he passed through the gates, it felt as though he had stepped into an entirely different world.
Multi-story buildings, marble palatial estates, pristine streets, rows of shops, high-end restaurants, magic novelty markets, and weapon smithies—everything was dazzling to the eyes.
The streets were teeming with people. Carriages bustled in every direction. While it wasn't exclusively inhabited by the ultra-wealthy, even the middle-class residents looked well-off, giving the impression that the city was tailor-made only for the rich. The city's sheer opulence was on a completely different level.
Judging by their attire, bearing, and conduct, it was easy to tell that the vast majority here belonged to noble families.
To Rion, who had come from a small, unremarkable village, the sights felt like a dream. He scanned his surroundings, trying to commit every detail to memory.
Just then, his gaze locked onto a street corner.
An old beggar sat on the ground, a weathered wooden bowl placed before him. With trembling hands, he looked up at the passing crowd, silently pleading for help.
But to Rion's astonishment—
No one showed a shred of pity.
Instead, everyone looked at him with disdain, as though the man had committed some heinous crime. Some turned up their noses and walked past, while others cast glances of pure irritation.
As Rion watched the scene unfold in disbelief, a few guards suddenly marched over.
"How many times have you been told not to sit here!" one of them roared.
The beggar tried to speak in a shaking voice, but they gave him no chance. Grabbing his arms roughly, they began dragging him away. The man cast a helpless look around, but not a single soul stepped forward to help.
In an instant, he was swallowed by the crowd and removed from sight.
Rion stood frozen for a moment. Turning to a passerby, he asked, "Why are they taking that man away like that?"
"Begging is forbidden in this city," the man replied
curtly before walking away.
Rion realized then—
The rules of this city were entirely different.
A short while later, he hired another carriage and headed toward the venue of the competition.
Leaving the central hub of the capital behind, the carriage gradually pulled up in front of a massive complex. Even from a distance, an immense crowd could be seen gathering outside.
An intense excitement was written on every face.
Some looked brimming with confidence, while others carried deep anxiety in their eyes.
Silently joining the queue, Rion completed his registration. Shortly after, the entrance gates were shut tight.
The contestants were then led into a colossal arena.
The stadium-like structure hummed with the thunderous chatter of the crowd, composed of spectators and the families of the participants. The competitors themselves were talking amongst each other, adding to the noisy commotion.
Only Rion remained quiet.
He didn't utter a word, choosing instead to observe everyone around him, one by one.
Suddenly...
An invisible, heavy pressure descended upon the entire arena.
Instantly, all chatter died down. Those mid-conversation fell dead silent. It felt as though the very air had grown heavy.
Every eye turned toward the same direction.
With measured, deliberate steps, a middle-aged man walked onto the stage. He wore silver armor, a dark blue cape draped over his shoulders, and possessed a razor-sharp gaze. His sheer presence felt equal to an army of thousands.
He was—
The Grand Commander of the Magic Knights.
By his presence alone, thousands of competitors in the arena were reduced to absolute silence.
He swept his gaze across the crowd and spoke in a deep, booming voice, "Welcome, everyone. Congratulations to all of you for making it this far."
His voice carried perfectly, echoing clearly into every corner of the arena.
"Now, the true test awaits you."
He raised his hand, projecting a massive magical image into the sky. It showed a dense, dark forest.
"The first stage will take place in the Neon Forest."
Everyone listened with rapt attention.
"A total of two hundred Red Stones have been hidden across various locations in the forest."
His voice grew firm. "Only those who secure a Red Stone will qualify for the second stage. The rest will be disqualified immediately."
The faces of several contestants turned pale.
The Commander continued,
"The second stage will be direct combat. From the victors, the top one hundred will be chosen."
"Those one hundred will then be divided into six squads and placed under the command of the six Captains of the Magic Knights."
As he finished speaking, he extended both hands forward.
The sky trembled.
A massive silver mirror materialized and slowly floated into the air, drawing murmurs of awe from the crowd.
"Through this Magic Mirror, the Captains will observe the entire competition."
The next moment, the Commander raised his right hand. A massive magic circle flared to life over his palm. Beneath the feet of the contestants, identical magic circles began to glow one by one.
The Commander's grave voice echoed once more—
"Good luck to you all."
"Let the exam... begin!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire arena was engulfed in a blinding white light.
A single heartbeat...
And everyone vanished.
Meanwhile, in the capital's primary observation room, the six Captains of the Magic Knights sat before a massive, floating Magic Mirror.
Four men and two women.
Each of them possessed a terrifyingly dominant aura. Some looked on with interest, some with indifference, while others calmly observed the participants.
Just then, one of the Captains—Allen—fixed his eyes on a specific screen.
Rion's image appeared on the Magic Mirror.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Alen's lips as he murmured softly, "Let's see... just how far you can go, Rion."
In a flash, Rion realized they had arrived.
Around him was a dense, suffocating jungle. Towering trees blocked out almost all sunlight, and the ground was blanketed with dry leaves. In the distance, the eerie cries of strange birds and ominous, menacing growls echoed. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth.
This was—
The Neon Forest.
Rion scanned his surroundings, trying to assess his position.
Suddenly—
*Rustle... Rustle...*
The bushes ahead stirred.
The next second, a massive Spider Beast burst forth. Its eight long legs drove into the ground like sharpened spears. Its pitch-black eyes locked dead onto Rion.
Yet, there wasn't a trace of fear in Rion's eyes.
Instead, a subtle smile played on his lips.
"Looks like luck isn't quite on my side today," he muttered softly.
With that, he drew the sword from his waist—
The Green Sea.
A faint green aura radiated from the blade.
The Spider Beast let out a hideous screech and lunged forward.
But Rion's body seemed to blur, moving like the wind itself.
"Flashy Slash."
A flash of green light.
A single strike.
Then... the Spider Beast's body was cleanly cleft in two, crashing to the ground. The entire sequence hadn't taken even a second.
Rion calmly flicked the blood off his sword and continued walking forward.
After advancing a short distance, Ryon picked up the scent of danger in the air.
Ahead, three contestants—a girl and two boys—were surrounded by a pack of Demonic Wolves.
The girl's name was Alicia. The other two were Gorden and Sam.
They were in terrible shape, fighting desperately for their lives, but they were utterly overwhelmed by numbers. Within moments, their deaths would be certain.
As Alicia fought off one wolf, another lunged straight for her throat from her blind spot.
Alicia closed her eyes, believing her life was about to end right there.
Just then—
A streak of green light sliced through the air.
The next instant, the wolf's head was severed from its body, rolling onto the dirt.
Alicia opened her eyes in astonishment. Standing before her was an unfamiliar young man, a green sword in his hand and a strangely calm look in his eyes.
It was Rion.
"Get back," he said in a calm, steady voice.
Before the words could fully register, another wolf lunged at him. Rion stepped aside effortlessly.
One strike.
Another wolf collapsed to the ground.
What followed was a complete slaughter. Rion's sword seemed to dance through the air. Every strike was flawless; every step perfectly calculated. One after another, the Magic Wolves fell.
In less than a few minutes, the entire pack was annihilated. The area fell silent, heavy with the scent of blood and littered with carcasses.
Alicia, Gorden, and Sam stared at Rion, completely dumbfounded. They had never imagined someone could wipe out an entire pack of Magic Wolves so effortlessly.
Gorden spoke up haltingly, "Thank you... for saving our lives."
But Rion didn't answer. He simply kept his eyes scanning the surroundings, alert.
Something didn't feel right. His combat instincts told him that things shouldn't have ended this easily.
Suddenly...
Two blood-red eyes flared from the shadows of the bushes behind them.
Before anyone could react, a massive, grey wolf lunged with the speed of lightning. Judging by its imposing stature, this was the alpha of the pack.
Rion's attention had been turned elsewhere. He sensed the ambush from behind only at the very last fraction of a second.
The wolf's razor-sharp claws flashed, tearing through the air toward him...