"To think a princess of Zahard would receive a 13th Month Series despite not being a Ranker?
She's really special... Anaak."
Evan's expression remained serious. He glanced in the direction where Yuri and Lero Ro had headed, keeping his silence intact until he finally chose to follow them.
Without a doubt, Evan lied about not knowing the way. He was aware of the exam and predicted someone would interfere but chose not to act because it would violate the laws of the Tower. Besides, it was the path they had chosen. If the person wasn't worthy, then the outcome would be acceptable. However, the 13 Months shouldn't fall into someone else's hands. Rather, they should be taken for themselves.
Just like Anaak, Yuri not only received the Black March despite not being a Ranker, but she was also privileged to have a Guide because of it. However, there was an exception—for some unknown reason, Anaak Zahard didn't receive a Guide.
If Anaak was taken care of, Evan planned for Yuri to take and hide the Green April. They had a lot of confidence that Yuri would become a Ranker—not just a Ranker, but a top Ranker among High Rankers! That's why, if there was an opportunity to increase their strength and fame, it should be taken.
Anaak, alongside her teammates, was engaged in a fierce fight against one of the monkey's clones.
She had already taken it down, but for some reason, it recovered immediately and attacked them again.
"What is this!?
It's alive and kicking again after we've already taken it down!
Are we supposed to fight it until we're exhausted? "
One of her teammates grumbled. Her body was full of bruises from the prolonged fight.
"What are we supposed to do? It's not like we can leave without taking it down anyway!"
He retorted, wiping the blood from his lips while giving her a sharp glare.
On the other hand, Anaak kept herself composed. She also found it odd that the monkey, on the verge of death, suddenly recovered.
"Is it being controlled... or is someone healing it?"
She mumbled, her eyes darting around as she searched for any hidden individual but failed to notice anything.
"It seems like overpowering it is our only choice..."
Anaak thought. She sighed and gripped her blade tightly.
"I have no choice then... Green April—Ignition!"
"Hmmm... I didn't expect Anaak's team to struggle against this 'dummy.' It seems like she's being held back by her teammates.
She's covering for them—that's the reason she couldn't figure it out instantly. If she had gone all out earlier, it could've been taken down.
But whatever... This is also part of the exam."
Hearing the examiner mumble to himself, the person behind him frowned.
"Huh? Overpowering the dummy?
Isn't that the wrong approach? The more you attack it, the faster it recovers.
So instead of attacking it, just let it attack you! It's not like it can deal a lethal injury—only knock you back," he reasoned.
"That's correct!"
The examiner subconsciously responded and nodded.
"That's the true purpose of the exam.
It requires teamwork, but that's not limited to fighting. Teamwork also includes brainstorming and strategy. Each of them has a different purpose; no one is left out. They must voice their own analysis and combine it together to reach a conclusion."
"But there are some cases where a single person carries the whole team," the person behind him added.
"Yeah... That's an exception. That person has high intelligence and can act independently..."
Upon muttering that, the examiner suddenly realized something.
"By the way... who are you? I'm the only one supposed to observe and monitor this exam."
"Oh? Heh!"
Realizing he had unintentionally blown his cover, the person standing behind him only smirked and introduced himself.
"Hello, mister examiner! My name is Luine from F.U.G. Pleasure to meet you~ hehe..."
"F.U.G.!?"
The examiner's eyes widened, his hands trembling in terror. Who in the world didn't know them? The most dangerous organization in the Tower—opposing Zahard and the Ten Great Families—is trying to overthrow them. It had been going on for centuries.
Subconsciously, he summoned his weapon inventory. Someone from F.U.G. had invaded the examination hall—if he let him do as he pleased, the Regulars and perhaps Zahard's Princess would die here.
He absolutely could not let that happen.
However, before he could draw his needle, Luine took the initiative. He impaled a short dagger-like needle into the examiner's throat, twisting it before giving a sharp wave, beheading him in the process.
The silhouette of Luine became clear as he stepped out of the shadows. Dressed in pure white clothing, he had long white hair, tanned skin, and yellow eyes.
At his waist hung a long sword and a scabbard for a short dagger.
Full name: Arie Von Luine (F.U.G.)
A member of one of the Ten Great Families.
He casually tossed the Ranker's corpse aside and sat down at the observatory.
"Now then... should we release more beasts?"
Somewhere on the second floor, a petite boy with black hair and blue eyes was floating. His pillow stared intently at the person floating not far from him.
"So you're challenging me for my position?"
He asked with a yawn, looking disinterested at the person floating in the distance.
"Hah. Isn't it obvious? Once I've taken care of you, I can take your position and become a Floor Guardian myself," she said.
The speaker was a tall, tanned-skinned woman dressed in military clothing. Her name was Evankhell.
"How boring..." he replied, stretching his hands lazily.
"Orb~!"
A giant orb, five times her size, materialized behind her, blazing with fire. Swinging her sword, Evankhell drew a huge arc of flame extending toward the Floor Master.
Seeing her attack, the Floor Master only let out a short yawn before extending his hand toward it.
"Shinsu Thousand Rose Wave!~"
The shinsu gathered on his palm, forming a small red orb that transformed into thousands of red petals. It fired like a beam, colliding with her attack. Although it nullified Evankhell's flames, the shockwave was strong enough to shake the entire area they were fighting in.
The disturbance didn't go unnoticed except by the Tower Administrator, who was supervising the fight from a distance.
Cheondung noticed it but chose not to act. It was better to find the real exit first; there might be a hidden time limit unknown to them. It was more practical to pass the exam first before paying attention to anything else. However, he didn't completely disregard it either.