The announcement hit like a thunderbolt across every class tier.
"Three-day field survival trial. Mandatory for first-year advancement. Teams of four. Limited gear. Natural monster presence. Starts in 72 hours."
The message was relayed via enchanted scrolls and posted across Lirian Grand Academy's walls.
Most students celebrated.
Others panicked.
Kaleid read the notice once, closed the scroll, and calmly turned to the system.
---
[Field Trial Protocol Detected]
Mode: Survival + Combat Evaluation
> Location: Narlspire Fringe – classified F-Class wild zone
Threat Tier: 2.5
Common Threats: Emberwolves, Mossfang Spiders, Mana Leeches
Rare Threats: ???
Weather Shift Likely: Yes
Scripted Event Probability: 27%
System Support: Partial Prediction Access – ACTIVATED
---
He exhaled slowly.
This wasn't just a camping trip.
> They're testing how we break under pressure. And who breaks others.
---
Later – Academy Courtyard Briefing
Hundreds of students gathered in the cobbled courtyard. Uniforms gleamed, voices buzzed, and magic pulses fluttered like heartbeats in the air.
Faculty stood at the front—Professor Malven among them, along with Serika Drakonheart and several noble observers.
An older instructor—scarred, with a monocle over one eye—stepped forward.
"I am Instructor Grael Vorn," he said flatly. "You may call me Commander during the trial."
He let silence fall like a blade before continuing.
"You will be dropped into the Fringe in random team configurations. Each team will be marked with a rune sigil, linked to your life signs. If your sigil fades, you're eliminated. Period."
No one spoke.
Grael's monocle gleamed.
"There will be no direct interference. No retrieval squads unless fatality is imminent. Survive, adapt, and show your worth."
He stepped aside.
"Dismissed."
---
Dorm – Room 7-C
Terren dropped onto his bed with a groan. "Three days in a cursed forest? No mana tents? No rations?"
Fenrick grinned, unbothered. "Sounds like a vacation. I'll bring my snare runes."
Kaleid said nothing.
He stared out the window at the shimmering forest line just visible in the distance.
---
[System Analysis Active]
Estimated Trial Zones: 6
Optimal Landing Area: Hollow Ridge Basin – Abundant Resources, Moderate Threats
Predicted Monster Routes: Mapping in Progress… 21% complete.
> Advise minimal exposure during night phase. Emberwolves hunt in packs post-sunset.
---
> This is why I needed the system.
While others practiced flashy spells and team combos, Kaleid studied terrain layouts, weak points in common monsters, and mana exhaustion cycles.
He wasn't the strongest.
But he knew how not to die.
---
Rin's Room – Eastern Wing
She opened her door just as he knocked.
"Creepy system-guided prep session?" she teased.
He smirked slightly. "I brought maps."
"Even better."
They spread scrolls across her desk—some sanctioned, others "borrowed" from the enchantment archives.
As they plotted hypothetical routes and fallback shelters, Rin stole glances at him.
"You're… different now," she said softly.
"Since when?"
"Since the beast incident. Since the spar. Since me."
He looked at her. Noticed how her fox ears lowered slightly. How her gaze wasn't just teasing—it was searching.
"…I'm still me," he said.
She smiled.
"Then let me help the real you survive."
---
[Rin Asterwind Bond +1]
[New Passive Buff: Trail-Sync: +5% movement efficiency when navigating together.]
---
The Night Before Deployment
The academy buzzed with pre-trial energy.
Nobles flaunted enchanted armor. Elemental affinity students pre-cast barriers and buffs. Teams trained in mock-duel pits until midnight.
Kaleid sat alone beneath a rune-lit tree in the courtyard, cross-referencing a crude map with his system interface.
Then, unexpectedly—
"Preparing alone?" a familiar voice asked.
Serika Drakonheart stepped from the shadows, arms crossed, her ceremonial sash fluttering in the wind.
He didn't rise.
"I'm preparing with someone I trust," he said.
"Smart answer," she mused, stepping closer.
"You think you'll pass?"
"I think I won't die."
She smirked. "Low bar."
Kaleid finally looked up.
"Is this small talk, or a warning?"
She leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming like molten gold.
"It's curiosity. For now."
Then she turned and vanished, the air around her rippling faintly.
---
[System Alert]
> Target: Serika Drakonheart
Status: Watching
Motivation: Determining if you are prey or rival.
---
Kaleid closed the interface and leaned his head back against the tree.
> Let them come. I'll be ready.
Because unlike them… he had insight.
And insight meant survival.