Charlotte paused with the meat halfway to her mouth.

For a few seconds, she said nothing.

Back when she had found Liam unconscious near the ruined clearing and noticed the complete absence of the Berserker’s remains, a part of her had already considered that possibility. It had been the only explanation that truly fit.

Even so, she had forced herself not to fully believe it because accepting that Liam had erased a Sync-class demon by himself sounded absurd even after everything she had seen from him. Charlotte knew Liam was powerful. Everyone did. She knew he was dangerous in a way most students could not properly understand. But killing a Berserker and erasing one so thoroughly that nothing remained were two very different things.

Now Liam had confirmed it with the same tone someone might use to say he had put out a fire.

Charlotte slowly lowered the meat.

"You erased it," she repeated.

"Yes."

She stared at him for another moment, then leaned back slightly as a slow smile crept across her face. "You know, every time I think I have a decent idea of how much of a powerhouse you are, you do something stupidly ridiculous and ruin my scale."

Liam said nothing and continued eating.

Charlotte’s eyes lingered on him, though her thoughts had gone much deeper than her playful tone suggested. A Sync-class demon was still a Sync-class demon. Berserkers might be considered the lowest among the Sync-class species in terms of intelligence and refined abilities, but that did not make them weak.

Even the lowest Sync-class demon stood beyond what most students could realistically handle alone. Their strength, regeneration, instincts, and sheer brutality placed them in a category where survival alone should have been considered impressive.

Yet Liam had not merely survived.

He had killed it.

No, erased it.

Charlotte’s gaze drifted toward the fire for a moment as a thought settled in her mind. Back when older people spoke of dark mages, when history books and fearful accounts described them as existences that stood near the top of the magical spectrum, Charlotte had always understood the words in a distant way.

Dark mages were rare, dangerous, and feared. That much was obvious. But fear often exaggerated things. People turned legends into monsters, and monsters into gods, especially when they no longer existed to defend or explain themselves.

But now, looking at Liam across the fire, battered yet alive after erasing a Berserker, Charlotte wondered if those old accounts had not exaggerated as much as she once assumed.

Maybe this was what they had meant.

Maybe this was why dark mages had been spoken of as being near the peak, just beneath Primordials in terms of potential and threat. Not because they were automatically stronger than everyone else at birth, but because their magic, their biology, their affinity, and their adaptability made them capable of things that looked unreasonable to everyone else.

Liam Hunter was proof of that.

He was built differently.

Not metaphorically.

Literally.

Charlotte’s thoughts lingered there only briefly before she shook them away with a faint smile. "Well," she said, lifting her skewer again, "at least now I know staying near you is still the safest option, even if you are a suicidal lunatic."

Liam glanced at her.

Charlotte grinned. "Don’t look at me like that. I said it with affection. I love it, unfortunately."

Liam gave no response and simply continued eating.

A short while passed before Charlotte spoke again, her tone more casual now. "So now that you’ve finished your suicide mission, what do you plan to do for the rest of the assessment?" she asked. "Because day five is basically over. It’s almost midnight now, which means we only have two days left."

Liam looked toward the crevice entrance for a moment before answering. He had been thinking about that already. His original personal goal had been completed, recklessly and at far greater cost than necessary, but completed nonetheless.

There was no reason to continue forcing dangerous encounters now. His body was still damaged, his reserves were not ideal, and he had already revealed far too much. Continuing to chase danger would not just be foolish. It would be pointless.

"Since you basically saved my life," Liam said calmly, turning his gaze back to her, "I’m willing to proceed with the rest of the assessment however you see fit."

Charlotte blinked.

Liam continued before she could interrupt. "And that doesn’t count as me fulfilling your other request, so I still owe you."

For a moment, Charlotte looked genuinely taken aback.

Then excitement lit up her face almost immediately.

"Oh?" she said, straightening where she sat. "So I get to decide what we do now?"

"Yes."

Charlotte’s smile widened with dangerous delight. "You know, giving me power like this might be the second most reckless thing you’ve done in this assessment."

"The first being?"

"Existing the way you do."

Liam gave her a flat look.

Charlotte waved that away and leaned back with visible satisfaction. "Well, if I’m deciding, then I want to slack off and do absolutely nothing except eat, relax, sleep, and indulge with you for the remaining two days."

Liam’s expression went deadpan.

Charlotte rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine, fine. No indulging. Stars, you’re no fun."

"Doing nothing is fine by me," Liam said.

Charlotte paused, as though she had expected more resistance. "Wait, really?"

"Yes."

Her smile returned instantly. "Great. Then you’re in charge of my hunger for the remaining two days."

Liam shrugged lightly, though the motion still caused the faintest flicker of pain across his face. "Sure."

Charlotte’s excitement increased even more. She took another triumphant bite of meat before pointing the skewer toward him. "You know, I am absolutely going to brag about this when we get back. Sheila and Ariana are going to hear everything. Well, maybe not everything, because some parts are private to my heart and imagination, but definitely enough."

Liam stared at her quietly.

Charlotte grinned through another bite. "What? I survived Nalim, got saved by Liam Hunter, saved Liam Hunter, lived in a secret cave with him, had him dry my hair, and now he’s feeding me for the rest of the assessment. That’s not just survival, bae. That’s an experience."

Liam looked down at the meat in his hand and took another bite without answering.

Charlotte only laughed softly, clearly pleased with herself, while the fire continued to burn between them and the night outside settled deeper over Nalim.