In just a few breaths, the exam's previously quiet atmosphere—subdued as it neared its end—transformed dramatically, shifting abruptly from an examination into a battlefield.
Shadow Knights, who had lain in wait for a long time, burst out from every direction, lunging toward the candidates still active. Most weaker examinees were swiftly apprehended without understanding why, but a few suddenly unleashed immense auras, violently clashing with the Shadow Knights.
Clearly, these were the Tower of Chronomancy's infiltrators, planted among the candidates to filter out the weak and select the elite spies.
On the spectator platform, numerous hostile gazes converged upon Gust at its center. Latina's expression was chillingly dark as she asked coldly.
"Master Gust, I don't believe this was part of our original agreement?"
Unexpectedly, Gust chuckled softly upon hearing this.
"You're asking why this wasn't in the original plan?"
His usually severe and rigid elderly face erupted into uncharacteristic laughter, so much so that he had to cover his cheek with one hand and slowly doubled over.
Then silver light enveloped the [Seven-Ring Arcana Mage] from head to toe, and his figure swiftly distorted, transforming instantly into a supremely smug and delighted young woman.
Even contorted in mad laughter, her delicate beauty was undeniable. Her ice-white hair cascaded down her back as she bent forward, spreading like a silver cloak. Her tall, graceful figure was encased in form-fitting silver armor, complemented by knee-high silver boots that accentuated her legs' lethal elegance.
"I'd rather ask you first—did you filthy invaders even get permission from my dear mother before infiltrating our country?"
"It's you, it's you, it's you!"
One examiner suddenly shouted hysterically, as though he'd seen a ghost.
"Silver Reflection, Mithril Dragon Soul… The second princess of the Zijinghua Empire, Quinn Norton!"
Latina's face grew uglier, yet she forced herself to utter the figure's name aloud.
Unlike Linen, who hadn't awakened any draconic blood, his sister—Second Princess Quinn—had demonstrated powerful silver dragon lineage from a young age. Silver dragons were famously masters of illusions and manipulating minds.
Unlike the high-profile Crown Prince or openly enrolled Linen, Quinn had always remained mysterious. No one expected she'd joined the Shadow Knights!
"That's right~"
Quinn stopped laughing maniacally. Surrounded by enemies, she nonetheless regarded them with arrogant contempt. Surveying the numerous high-ring Arcana mages targeting her, not only did she show no panic, but excitement flushed her cheeks.
"My utterly talentless, trashy little brother was useful once again! Thanks to him, we managed to drag out so many rats this time!"
That bastard! He tricked us all!
Doesn't he fear his scandalous words reaching his mother's ears?
A variety of emotions flickered in Latina's eyes, but ultimately, anger at Linen was suppressed. Defeating their immediate enemy was most important.
A magical tome appeared in Latina's palm. Numerous stars blinked in and out around her—this was [Weave Meditation], enabling instant-cast Arcana!
"But according to our intel, Your Highness, you're only at the [Sixth-Ring]."
Arcana light reflected in Latina's eyes.
"How exactly do you plan on facing all of us alone with mere [Sixth-Ring] power?"
In response, Quinn laughed aloud again.
"Who said I'm alone? Aren't you curious about where the real Gust is?"
Latina's heart jolted as horrifying Arcana fluctuations rippled through the air around her.
"[Eight-Ring Arcana—Dimensional Wind Prison]!"
Aged voice reverberating, invisible wind crushed the entire platform into dust.
---
"You're all saying this is my credit? Hey, stop making things up!"
Linen frantically grabbed a passing Shadow Knight, signaling wildly with his eyes.
Hysteria was right there watching! With such a beautiful girl standing beside him, couldn't this guy quickly help Linen grab some heroic points?
The Shadow Knight suddenly had a revelation.
While undercover, he'd personally witnessed this girl and His Highness flirting. His Highness even lost control at one point, pinning her down.
He understood now. His Highness wanted him to assist romantically!
This was familiar territory for him!
"Of course! Everything today was entirely thanks to His Highness! Hey, miss over there, you probably didn't know: it was His Highness who risked his life infiltrating enemy ranks, personally executing a traitor within our ranks amidst thousands of foes, which enabled today's flawless trap!"
Linen panicked.
"Wait, wait, that's not what I meant..."
The Shadow Knight vigorously nodded.
"His Highness is incredible! Any woman who becomes his girlfriend would be supremely lucky—totally awesome!"
"Get lost, who told you to say all this nonsense!"
Linen kicked the poor guy away.
He'd only killed that traitor Salion to stop interference from the Shadow Knights, sending a letter to Silva revealing Salion's treachery as an afterthought. How did they dig up so much info?!
Wait… In the original story, the Tower of Chronomancy indeed interfered during the Artifact Specialist Exam. Their success hinged on Instructor Ken disabling the campus's Arcana network from within. Even so, they didn't escape completely, and neither side publicized this secret war.
This meant the Shadow Knights already suspected the examiners but were restrained by their high status and connections, preventing overt action.
When Linen informed Silva about Salion, all they needed to do was check who disabled the Arcana network and interacted with Salion to pinpoint traitors.
In other words… he hadn't posed as a traitorous prince at all. Instead, he'd turned into a hero who reversed the tide of battle!
I'm actually the hero?!
Could something this coincidental really happen?!
He had foreseen everything—but never imagined his simple action would set off such massive butterfly effects.
A horseshoe lost, a kingdom fallen indeed.
Meanwhile, Hysteria—initially filled with anger toward Linen—stood frozen in shock.
When Linen claimed it was all intentional, Hysteria felt as if the sky had fallen.
Yet after hearing the helpful Shadow Knight's exaggerated explanation, she didn't fully understand—but grasped the core message.
Linen hadn't betrayed them!
Regarding his hiding information about the Tower of Chronomancy, Hysteria wasn't actually that bothered. As a princess herself, although casual usually, she understood clearly what was appropriate when state secrets were involved.
If she had been in Linen's shoes, she wasn't sure she'd share the secret either.
Besides, Linen had made up for his concealment with actions.
Hadn't he risked himself to protect Elena from harm, personally joining the exam?
Unexpectedly, Hysteria felt a pang of envy toward Elena. A question arose involuntarily:
If… If I had been the one taking this exam, would this idiot have gone so far to save me?
Just then, a thunderous boom shook half the forest, screams mingled within it.
"[Four-Rings]—no, almost [Five-Ring] Arcana!"
Experienced as she was, Hysteria instantly recognized the destructive aura in that thunderbolt, and Linen's expression darkened.
A [Five-Ring] lightning mage—if he wasn't mistaken, among Latina's followers, only the elder mage Tarn wielded [Lightning Arcana].
In the original, Tarn stayed by Latina's side until pursued relentlessly by the Shadow Knights.
But now, the story had shifted, bringing him to the exam grounds.
In that lightning strike, Hysteria saw Tarn's strength, while Linen read desperation. Clearly, whatever the Tower had planned was utterly ruined, and he—who had severely disrupted their plans—had become the prime target of Tarn's furious vengeance.
Sure, Linen could turn tail right now. Though none among the hidden Shadow Knights matched Ken's high-ring Arcana, they were numerous and fiercely loyal—sheer numbers and loyalty would overcome Tarn eventually.
But Linen couldn't flee. Tarn knew his "true intentions." If Linen disappeared, the one who'd bear everything in his place would be—
"Elena!"
Damn it! If Elena died, wouldn't half his experience channels vanish instantly?!
"Go somewhere safe and wait for me!"
Gritting his teeth, Linen shouted at Hysteria, then rushed toward the lightning storm.
Leaving in a hurry, he missed the complicated emotions flickering in Hysteria's eyes.
He's even willing to throw his life away for Elena?!
What am I thinking?! That idiot Norton is running off to save Elena, yet I'm caught up in these messy thoughts.
This wasn't like her at all.
"I'm going too!"
Shaking off her turbulent thoughts, Hysteria quickly followed Linen's footsteps.
...
Elsewhere, in the forest, Tarn stood gasping for breath, his robes bloodied and ragged. Teeth gritted, he waved his wand furiously, summoning relentless lightning that crashed down into the surrounding trees, wasting mana recklessly.
He wasn't attacking the Shadow Knights—he was hunting Elena!
The moment the first Shadow Knight had appeared, Tarn had immediately flown toward the prepared teleportation array, intending to activate it and evacuate the candidates who had already passed the exam.
But as expected, the teleportation array's power had been severed, the formation severely damaged. Clearly, the Shadow Knights had been fully prepared; their plan had utterly collapsed!
"It's all Linen Norton's fault! It's all Linen Norton's fault!"
Watching countless Shadow Knights closing in from every direction, Tarn was pushed into madness.
Tarn no longer harbored any hope of escape. This was the Zijinghua Empire's territory, and with the teleportation array lost, there was no way out.
Thus, he chose to exact revenge on the one he hated most!
Everything Linen Norton did was for that girl, wasn't it?
Then even if he had to trade his own life, he'd kill her first!
Though the Shadow Knights weren't afraid of death, they weren't fools either. Seeing Tarn's crazed barrage of Arcana, they wisely chose to avoid direct confrontation.
At first, some knights had tried blocking Tarn, but soon everyone simply avoided him, focusing instead on hunting the remaining infiltrators. Thus, Elena became Tarn's sole, isolated target.
"Was that failed spell just now… a large-scale teleportation?"
"Were the qualified candidates supposed to be teleported away?"
Hidden deep in the woods, Elena also noticed the distinctive silver glow characteristic of [Spatial Arcana]. But before she could confirm anything else, Tarn, cloaked in lightning, came barreling back toward her.
Initially, Elena tried relying on her [Illusion Arcana] to evade, but when lightning shattered her illusions, she realized that she wasn't merely in his way—she was his intended prey.
Though Tarn was significantly drained by the Shadow Knights' assault and the failed teleportation array, and the dense forest enhanced the effectiveness of her illusions beyond expectations, the overwhelming gap between his [Fifth-Ring] and her [First-Ring] Arcana gradually narrowed the distance.
Her mana dwindled, each breath heavier than the last. After forcing herself to conjure another illusion, Elena's vision blurred.
Dazedly, she felt transported back to that classroom building—the day she'd hidden Hysteria away and faced Ken alone.
That time, she hadn't escaped either. Linen had arrived just in time to save her.
But this time, Linen couldn't enter the sealed examination grounds. It seemed her luck had finally run out.
No… Perhaps meeting Linen and Hysteria had already used up all the luck I had.
She stumbled and fell to the ground, her physical and magical strength nearly spent. Even without turning, she felt the horrifying presence rapidly closing in.
Lightning flickered around her. Knowing there would be no miracle, her survival instincts still forced her eyes shut.
I'm so pathetic. Even now, I'm still praying... Linen, I wish you could help me again.
At that very moment, a clear, powerful voice tore through the night, echoing loudly in Elena's ears.
"Get away from Elena!"
A massive [Wind Blade] suddenly surged from the side, aiming straight for Tarn, who dodged hastily. His lightning veered off course.
"Linen Norton!"
Tarn's eyes bulged with fury, his lips curling into a cruel smile.
"Hysteria, take Elena and run first."
Linen sighed as [Chaos Cards] materialized around him.
Forget confessions—at a time like this, getting his precious experience points to safety was paramount.
"What about you? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Though aware this wasn't the time for pointless arguments, Hysteria couldn't stop herself from shouting as she helped Elena stagger away.
Linen didn't turn back. He held a card in each hand.
"I have a plan. Just keep running, and don't look back."
He stepped forward slowly, merging the green and red cards into a single one, speaking with deliberate intensity:
"Remember, without you two, everything I have becomes meaningless."
This time was different from the classroom building.
Even though she was utterly exhausted, teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, Elena heard his words clearly, the image of Linen's figure etched vividly into her mind.