"Who is that guy?"
"Are you that much of an idiot not to look at the rankings? He's number 31 of Class A."
"If I kept looking at the rankings, I'd get sad. As long as I don't see them, in my head I'm the best."
"Why did we have to run into the guy who looks like he's reached Second Circle?"
Three students were running, all girls, fleeing from what looked like a massacre behind them. Several students—around ten—were sent flying through the air, all of them new Class C members. Months ago, after that dungeon incident, it had taken time and a lot of dedication from the teachers to get them to the level Class C should have reached by this month. The problem was that after so much effort, they never imagined they'd be so unlucky and get crushed so quickly.
"Leaf Magic: Deep Cut!"
A student sent out several leaves imbued with strong magic—enough to defeat most of Class C. After all, this student was ranked 92. The problem was who he was up against.
"Fireball."
All his leaves were burned, and he just smiled, giving up before being struck and sent flying backward. As the students were defeated, they vanished as a sign they'd been eliminated. A demonic smile appeared on Enrico's face as he noticed the three girls running. One of them, with orange hair, spoke to the girl in front.
"Do something, Sisaka—you're rank 91, right?"
"You're all a bunch of cowards."
"But you were running with us..."
The black-haired girl with tied hair and silver eyes stepped forward, an aura forming in her hand until it shaped into a katana. A girl with yellow hair with some white strands, seeing Sisaka move, didn't want to be left behind.
"I'm going too."
A fireball formed in her hand as she prepared for battle. The last one was about to keep running, but they were all caught off guard by Enrico suddenly appearing among them and delivering a spinning kick that sent them flying. They hadn't lost consciousness, so they weren't eliminated, but he tied all three with a rope he brought. Of course, they could break free easily, but why would they with Enrico staring deep into their eyes?
"Alright, you three will be my subordinates during this competition."
"What?"
"And I won't take no for an answer."
If they refused, they'd be eliminated, but if they stayed, they could at least try to raise their ranks—so they agreed. Once untied, Enrico asked for their names and magic.
"I'm Sisaka Kagetsura from Tsuyokuni, rank 91. My magic is spiritual construct manipulation, and my dream is to get revenge on a certain person."
"I didn't ask for the last part."
Enrico felt he'd heard that last part somewhere before. The fire magic girl stood up, pointing a finger upward energetically.
"My name is Kaela Virossol, rank 100. My magic is fire, and someday I'll be the strongest in the world!"
"Is there a second protagonist or something? And I told you, I only need the name and magic."
"But Sisaka said her goal."
Looking at this girl, the only thing Enrico could think was that she saw Sisaka as a rival. This was strange, and please, he hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. Turning to the last girl with hope in his eyes, he asked her the same thing.
"I'm Erina Montavero, rank 95. My magic is earth."
"Your goal?"
"But you—fine. I want to be rich."
"Thank God."
He put a hand on the girl's shoulder, relieved and thanking God that this wasn't going in the direction he feared—and that he wasn't going to get sued. Well, not exactly similar anyway.
"Alright, I'll call you the Shonen Trio, and don't ask questions about that title. I'm hunting some people, and you're going to help me."
The girls looked at each other, not quite understanding, but nodded—after all, they had no choice. Enrico led them to a specific spot where someone could spot them. At first, they thought it was a trap, especially when a shadow came from above. They saw it was Serenya, a girl they preferred to stay away from, descending in the air as if walking down stairs. Just as they were about to speak, a shout came from below.
"ENRICO, LET'S HAVE OUR REMATCH?"
Kai was quickly climbing the wall with several students who seemed to be from Class D disappearing in the distance. The three were now together—members of the top 4 of Class A, with only Valença missing to complete the four students who had surprised the academy with their rapid growth.
"You found me fast, that's impressive."
"Of course, subordinate. I'm your leader and the one who cares most about you, so I'll always be the first."
Serenya had her usual arrogant lady expression. Kai just watched, wanting to start fighting. Erina stepped closer to them.
"Why do you need our help?"
"Right, I need to explain… Sorry, Kai, but our rematch will have to wait. Don't worry, though—I know it's not just you, but Serenya also wants a rematch against them, right?"
At first, Kai was disappointed, but then he brightened up at her words. Both he and Serenya realized there was only one person who had defeated them in the last few months. They grew serious—except Kai, who was smiling. They were going after Elowyn and her subordinates, and they could hardly wait—especially Kai, who wanted his rematch against Deymon without being at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Elowyn gathered her subordinates around her. She had found them all by luck and would make the most of it. Grark cracked his neck while the elf Thalen stood beside him.
"I'm here because I already made the oath. But didn't you get defeated by Enrico? Why do you keep following Elowyn?"
"Yes, I was defeated by him—but also by Elowyn. I follow the strongest, so I'll follow whoever beats the other in a fight."
That's what he told Enrico when he came to claim his victory. At first, Enrico thought he'd be angry, but instead he agreed and said he'd win completely next time. Grark increasingly hoped Enrico would win—the thought of fighting alongside someone so honorable appealed to him. Looking at Thalen, he felt sorry for him—a boy without the same conviction as an orc, a mere elf forced to follow someone.
Thalen didn't think the same way. He wasn't just forced to follow the princess—he wanted to see if Enrico could truly challenge someone with such great political power. Deymon, Narisse, Velka, Lan, her two subordinates, and two new ones under Elowyn were preparing.
"Alright, with everyone gathered, let's begin our hunt for all of Class A. This time, I want no failures."
Velka raised her hand nervously, hesitant to speak but needing to know to be sure she could win.
"Lady Elowyn, it seems Enrico has reached the Second Circle. Even if we attack him together, we might still be eliminated—especially if he's with that Valença, who also seems to have reached…"
"I don't trust that information much—it came from the girl who's always with him…"
Elowyn looked upward, checking if something was arriving. She had invited someone very important—a risky move, as this was someone she couldn't control.
"But don't worry—I asked for help from someone ranked 10th, who's recently taken an interest in him."
Deymon watched all this, quite irritated. He hoped it was a lie, but it didn't seem so after Elowyn's research. And her words only made it more likely. Noticing a shadow approaching from above, he raised his arms to protect himself. The ground was destroyed, forcing back those who weren't as strong as Lan's subordinates.
"Tell me—have you found that boy? I really want to fight someone already."
They were surprised to see a girl with a well-defined athletic build, tiger ears, and black-striped markings across her body.
"Isn't that Rank 7, Danyana Stormclaw?"
The beastkin girl who had just appeared smiled confidently.