As the group started walking toward the cafeteria, the conversation naturally shifted toward the upcoming practical exam.

Leonard scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "I have no idea what this practical exam might be about."

Beside him, Damien shook his head.

"Me neither."

Noah looked at both of them before clicking his tongue.

"Tch. You people are supposed to be the talents of this generation, and you didn’t even bother searching what the first semester exam was for first-year students last year?"

Kaelan glanced at him calmly.

"I don’t need to do that."

His expression remained completely indifferent. "Whatever they throw at me, I’m ready for it."

Noah nodded. He already understood how these top-ranked students thought.

They were confident in their abilities. Whether it was monsters, survival, or combat, they believed they could overcome it.

Leonard suddenly grinned.

"Of course. I’m the same."

He folded his arms behind his head. "It’s more fun to face the unknown."

Noah sighed. "You battle maniacs."

Then he turned toward Arisha. "What do you think?"

Arisha looked at him.

Or rather, she stared at him.

The kind of stare a wife might give her husband after catching him hiding something suspicious.

Her golden eyes narrowed slightly. "You still haven’t told me what you’re hiding."

Noah immediately looked away. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Hm."

Arisha clearly didn’t believe him.

"But for now, I’ll let it slide."

Then she shifted the conversation.

"Last year’s first semester practical exam was Battle Survival."

Everyone listened.

"All first-year students were placed inside a forest. They had to fight and eliminate each other."

"A battle royale?" Noah asked.

Arisha nodded.

"The last student standing received the highest score and many bonus points."

Noah rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm."

His eyes narrowed.

"This year might be different then."

"Most likely."

Arisha agreed.

Lyria, who had been quietly listening until now, turned toward Noah.

"Do you want to become Rank One?"

Her soft voice carried genuine curiosity.

Damien also raised an eyebrow.

He seemed interested in Noah’s answer.

Before Noah could speak, Emma immediately interrupted.

"Him?"

She pointed at Noah.

"First Rank?"

Emma shook her head.

"That’s impossible."

Noah completely ignored her.

Emma was Damien’s problem. Not his. After all, Damien was the one who spent the most time with her.

Noah thought for a moment before answering.

"Well..."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Not Rank One exactly."

His expression turned serious.

"But I do want to be in the Top Ten."

Lyria smiled gently.

"That’s a nice goal."

"Right?"

Noah nodded.

Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "If it ends up being a battle royale..."

He turned toward Lyria.

A warm smile appeared on his face.

"We’ll fight together."

Lyria blinked.

Noah continued speaking naturally. "I can’t bring myself to harm you."

His voice was calm and sincere. "So let’s form an alliance."

His smile widened slightly. "Together, we can conquer it. It doesn’t matter what kind of exam it is."

His gentle expression and caring voice made the atmosphere strangely quiet.

The rest of the group stared at him. Leonard looked baffled. Emma looked horrified. Kaelan looked mildly impressed.

Damien simply stared in amusement.

Arisha rolled her eyes.A tired sigh escaped her lips.

Meanwhile, Lyria’s cheeks slowly turned red.

She quickly looked away. For some reason, whenever Noah spoke to her like that, she became flustered far too easily.

Just then something happened. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Pinch.

"Owch!"

Noah immediately rubbed the side of his arm.

Arisha had pinched him again.

He turned toward her with disbelief. "Why do you always do that?"

Arisha folded her arms. "Don’t flirt so openly."

Noah looked offended. "I was being sincere."

"That’s somehow worse."

"Tch."

Noah rubbed the sore spot. Then he looked toward Lyria again.

"Fine."

He nodded dramatically. "Next time I’ll flirt with her when we’re alone."

Lyria’s face instantly turned bright red.

"NOAH!"

Without thinking, she punched his shoulder. Unfortunately, the punch contained absolutely no strength.

It felt more like a gentle tap. For a pure and gentle girl like Lyria, she couldn’t hit Noah aggressively using her powers. This was already the limit.

Noah laughed.

Meanwhile Leonard looked envious.

Kaelan couldn’t care less. Emma looked like she wanted to strangle Noah.

Damien sat somewhere between amusement and irritation.

The group continued walking until they finally reached the cafeteria.

Students filled the large hall. The smell of food drifted through the air.

Many tables were already occupied. As Noah searched for a place to sit, his eyes suddenly landed on two familiar figures.

Ragnar and Draven. The two of them were carrying trays piled with food.

However, both looked unusually depressed. Their shoulders drooped.Their faces looked gloomy.

Noah immediately raised a hand.

"Hey, Ragnar! Draven!"

The duo turned around. The moment they spotted Noah, their expressions somehow became even sadder.

Noah blinked. "What happened to you two?"

Ragnar let out a long sigh.

Draven looked toward the ceiling as though questioning life itself. Both of them slowly walked toward Noah and the others.

Whatever had happened, it clearly wasn’t good.

"Noah..." Ragnar looked at him with a tired expression. "You’re asking what happened?"

He pointed at Noah dramatically. "You already know what happened."

A painful look appeared on his face. "All of those written exams..."

Beside him, Draven slowly nodded. His face looked even more miserable. "They were scary..."

He paused. Then he added in a grave tone, "They were scarier than my mother."

The entire group fell silent. Nobody knew what to say to that.

Noah looked at the two of them for a moment. Then he gently patted both of their shoulders. "Don’t worry."

A reassuring smile appeared on his face. "I know you two will pass."

His voice carried confidence. "I believe in you guys."

"N-Noah!"

Ragnar’s eyes trembled. Beside him, Draven also looked touched.

"Noah..."

Ragnar nodded firmly. "Thanks for the encouragement."

Draven placed a hand over his chest. "You are a true friend."

Noah simply smiled. After that, the group collected their food and moved toward a large table.