With the authoritative figures entering the hall and taking their seats, every student's attention shifted toward the stage, and the noise died instantly.

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence as the students waited.

After a while, Headmaster Thion stepped forward and approached the pulpit. He stood before it, his gaze sweeping across the hall, taking in each and every student with quiet scrutiny.

"Good morning, second years," he began, his voice firm and steady. "It is good to see that you have all prepared yourselves well. You seem to have understood Miss Greydon's instructions. Each of you has given thought to what you carry into this test… and that, in itself, shows a level of maturity worth acknowledging."

The praise was unexpected, but none of the students allowed themselves to be swayed by it. They remained composed, their focus fixed on him as they waited for what would come next.

Noticing their restraint, Thion allowed himself a faint smile before continuing.

"Today marks the beginning of your assessment," he said calmly. "As you are already aware, your performance will directly influence your rankings."

He paused briefly.

"And before any of you concern yourselves unnecessarily—there will be no expulsions tied to this test," he added. "There never have been. It has always been a bluff… and your juniors will soon experience that same bluff for themselves."

A few quiet chuckles rippled through the hall as the students recalled how often they had once been threatened with expulsion. Even knowing now that it had never been enforced, the pressure of it had been very real.

"You have already been given the rules and procedures for this assessment," Thion continued. "Which means I have little else to add… other than this."

He paused again, his gaze settling briefly on a single student—though none but him seemed to fully register it.

"Good luck," he said. "You will need it."

His eyes lingered for a fraction longer before he added,

"And make sure you give this your all."

With that, he stepped away from the pulpit and returned to his seat.

Among the students, the one person his gaze had briefly landed on—Liam—remained still, his expression unchanged.

'This is going to be a pain,' Liam thought, already certain he would be placed in a situation that would push him far more than the others.

'But whether I give it my all or not… that's my decision,' he added inwardly. 'Not yours.'

Meanwhile, as the Headmaster took his seat, Mystica, who had been sitting nearby, rose gracefully and made her way to the pulpit.

"Hello there, my little darlings," she said, her tone pleasantly laced with mischief as she smiled. "I hope you're all ready, because the time has finally arrived. I'd advise you to hold onto your belongings… unless you'd like to find yourselves stranded without your supplies."

At that, every student instinctively tightened their grip on their equipment.

"Good," Mystica said with a soft clap of her hands. "Now… brace yourselves. This might feel a little rough."

The next moment, she extended her right hand forward, and a glowing blue circular sigil formed before her palm. In an instant, each student was enveloped in a layer of blue Myst that covered them from head to toe.

"Oh, and one last thing," Mystica added, her smile never fading. "I'd suggest being ready to defend yourselves the moment you arrive in Nalim… or you might not get the chance."

Several students' eyes widened slightly at that warning.

And then—

One by one, in rapid succession, they began to vanish.

Within seconds, all one hundred second-year students disappeared from the hall, leaving only the authoritative figures seated upon the stage.

As the last of them vanished, Mystica snapped her fingers, blue Myst flickering at her fingertips. Instantly, dozens of floating magical screens materialized in the air, each displaying a different student within the realm of Nalim.

"You know, Headmaster," Mystica said casually as she turned and began walking back to her seat, "I have a feeling this is going to be a rather entertaining evaluation. Wouldn't you agree?"

Thion remained composed, not turning his head as she spoke.

"Of course," he replied at last. "Our students have shown remarkable growth over the past three months. I expect nothing less."

Mystica's smile lingered as she settled into her seat, her gaze fixed on a single screen.

'Do entertain me as you always do… my little darling,' she thought.

"Sir," Lucia said quietly from beside the Headmaster, a hint of concern in her voice. "Don't you think it's a bit too extreme… placing him in such a location right from the start?"

"Not at all," Thion answered firmly. "Even if it proves to be too much, we can always extract him if necessary."

He paused briefly before adding,

"So I suggest you set your concerns aside and simply observe, Ms. Greydon. What you are about to witness will be… quite interesting. And if you're not careful, you might miss it in the blink of an eye."

Lucia studied him for a moment, then slowly turned her gaze toward the same screen he was watching.

'Let's see if you can truly live up to the Headmaster's expectations,' she thought.

'Liam Hunter.'

***

Within the realm of Nalim, the second years of the academy began appearing out of thin air, scattered across different zones of the vast and hostile realm.

Most students were fortunate enough to arrive on solid ground. Others were less lucky, finding themselves dropped into shallow streams, muddy marshland, or unstable terrain. And then there were those whose circumstances were far worse from the very beginning.

Among all of them, deep within one of the denser regions of Nalim—where the trees grew unnaturally tall, their canopies woven so thickly together that they swallowed almost every trace of sunlight—a single student appeared far above the ground.

The forest below was massive and ancient, its towering trees twisting upward like dark pillars. The air itself felt wrong there, heavy with distorted Myst that moved in uneven currents, as if the realm was breathing through broken lungs.

And high above that suffocating canopy, Liam materialized in midair.

For half a second, there was only stillness.

Then gravity claimed him.

He began falling.

The wind slammed against his face immediately, sharp and violent, tearing at his clothes and whipping his hair back as he plummeted toward the dark mass of leaves and branches below. With one hand, Liam tightened his grip around the strap of his bag, keeping it close as the rushing air tried to rip it from his grasp.

'How desperate can one get?' he questioned inwardly, raising his free arm slightly to shield his face from the force of the fall.

But it barely helped.

The wind tore around him from every direction, making even breathing feel unpleasant as the canopy rushed closer and closer beneath him.

'Those branches look thick,' he thought, his gaze narrowing through the blur of motion. 'Falling headfirst might cost me later.'

With the dense canopy approaching at terrifying speed, Liam forced his body to curl inward. He hugged his bag tightly against his chest and twisted in the air, turning his back toward the incoming impact.

The next moment, he struck the canopy.

Branches snapped violently beneath him. Thick leaves, twisting vines, and sharp twigs battered against his body as he crashed through layer after layer of vegetation. His training attire tore in several places, thin cuts opening along his arms and legs as the canopy tried to slow him down by force.

For a few brutal seconds, the world became nothing but the crack of breaking wood, the scrape of bark, and the rush of his own descent.

Then he broke through.

Liam twisted his body again, forcing himself to face downward so he could see where he was headed.

And immediately, he realized landing safely was not going to be an option.

Worse than that, staying in the trees wouldn't be an option either.

Below him stretched a dark swamp, its surface thick with black-green water and patches of floating moss. At a glance, it looked calm, almost still. But Liam could tell it was deeper than it appeared. The surface hid too much, and the Myst moving beneath it was foul and unstable.

Around him, woven through the surrounding trees, were countless hostile presences.

Feral.

He could feel them clinging to the branches, coiled among the vines, hidden behind thick leaves. Their predatory intent pressed against his senses from every direction.

And deeper within the swamp below, beneath the still water, something far stronger waited.

That was all Liam needed to understand.

He had been dropped into a hostile zone from the very beginning.

Still falling, Liam took only a few seconds to assess the situation and decide how he would handle it.

'Not that I didn't expect something like this,' he thought calmly, tightening his hold on his bag.

Then, with his free hand, he summoned one of his daggers from the shadows.

The weapon formed smoothly in his grasp, its dark edge immediately igniting with flames. The fire crawled along the blade, bright and fierce against the dimness of the forest.

"So much for not using Myst right away," Liam muttered, shifting the dagger into a reverse grip.

His eyes remained steady as the hostile presences around him began to move.

"Come on out," he said coldly. "I don't have all day."

In the next instant, the surrounding branches, vines, and leaves erupted with movement.

The trees rattled violently as countless serpentine demons burst from their hiding places, their long bodies ripping through the foliage with terrifying speed. Each one stretched no less than thirty meters in length, covered in armored scales that scraped against bark and stone. Their eyes glowed a vicious red, and their mouths opened wide to reveal rows of long, jagged teeth—not made simply to bite, but to tear flesh apart.

They came from every direction.

Some lunged from above.

Others shot out from the sides.

Several uncoiled from branches directly beneath him, rising like living spears through the air.

And all of them were heading straight for Liam.