Sage Institute Main Building, Top-Floor Conference Room.
As the third round of exams progressed, the instructors at the Sage Institute convened once again, just as they had before.
The walls, painted in a minimalist white, seamlessly blended with the smooth marble floor, surrounding the central magical screens that were linked together in a vast display.
At this moment, the instructors were observing, in real time, the first exam featuring Lance and Huberian as examinees, with Flat as their examiner.
“…Their luck is something else.”
“Those two aren’t seriously thinking of taking on Flat, are they?”
The instructors either remained silent or occasionally exchanged a few words.
In the 【Infinite Phantom Canyon】 exam, if examinees failed to evade capture for the full 30 minutes, their only option was to face the examiner head-on.
There had been cases where confident and powerful students chose to directly confront the examiner.
However.Even a fully prepared team of Tier 3 students could only hope to hold off an examiner who was restricted to Tier 4 for a short time.
And every instructor in the room knew—
This particular examiner, Flat Savinson, was exceptionally strong.
A cautious, ruthless battlefield mage.
Even without using magic cards, Flat possessed numerous highly lethal spells and could easily defeat kingdom officers of the same tier.
To put it bluntly, even without considering tier differences, his years of extensive combat experience alone would be enough to crush two freshmen.
Not to mention—he was currently permitted to unleash full Tier 5 power.
The gap between them was simply insurmountable.
“……”
Vice Dean Roan stroked his chin, silently watching the central magical screen’s projection.
He was aware that this entrance exam was tied to the interests of certain high-ranking figures in the kingdom.
An unseen force was manipulating the outcome, ensuring Huberian wouldn’t be allowed to enroll.
After those people had legally leveraged Lance’s performance to increase the difficulty, the only remaining wildcard was Lance’s own "unconventional intelligence."
But even that was now sealed off—trapped in a terrain that left no room for trickery.
Roan couldn’t say whether this was mere coincidence or inevitable fate.
One thing was certain—since the moment these two met, their luck had been utterly miserable.
And the Shadow Realm was no exception.
For those not blessed by fortune, no amount of skill could guarantee survival.
—
A Vast, Endless Grassland.
Dew clung to the tips of the grass, glistening like tiny gemstones.
As a fierce wind swept down from above, the dew scattered like shattered crystal, vanishing into the air.
A Tier 5 examiner could even use wind magic to fly.
Lance and Huberian could already see a tiny black dot in the distant sky rapidly closing in on them.
“…Do you have a strategy?”
Huberian asked.
Lance’s unwavering composure baffled her.
But given the situation, no matter how intelligent Lance was, she saw no way for him to make use of it.
“Nope. There’s no such thing as ‘strategy’ on a plain.”
Lance shook his head.
If even the examiner wasn’t playing fair, what could he possibly do?
Their only choices were an all-out sprint or standing their ground.
“…Do you know anything about the examiner?”
Lance turned to the duke’s daughter beside him.
Earlier, when Theresa had mentioned the name "Flat Savinson" in the exam hall, Huberian had seemed familiar with it.
Since she was from the capital, she probably knew all about its tangled web of nobility and powerful figures.
Huberian nodded.
"Flat Savinson, a viscount. A coward who preys on the weak, a despicable and cunning man, and a lapdog of the faction opposing House Aransal. Ever since my father disappeared, they haven’t stopped coming after me…"
Her silver teeth clenched as she spoke of Flat, her deep-seated resentment clear—this was an old and unrelenting grudge.
"Although he knows a lot of spells, his real strength comes from his overwhelming mana reserves and the ability to combine magic cards into powerful battle formations."
Lance nodded.
“…So, he really is just a sore loser.”
He gazed at Flat, who was closing in at high speed through the sky, and muttered.
In the short time they had been speaking—
Flat had visibly drawn much closer.
A mage using wind magic to fly was far faster than anyone could ever run.
"Can you hold him off for a short time and protect yourself?"
Lance asked, as if confirming one last thing.
Life-saving magic cards were rare, but as a duke’s daughter, Huberian might have one.
“…I can protect myself, but I’m not sure for how long.”
Huberian hesitated for a moment before admitting.
“Then trust me.”
“Our synergy is bad. Your healing magic is useless on me.”
“Relax. After today, you’ll realize—I’m the best support you’ve ever had, synergy or not.”
It was as if they were casually chatting during the final moments before the true exam began.
Their conversation lasted mere seconds.
Flat had already arrived—
He came to a halt in midair, high above them.
From his meteoric approach, he suddenly stopped, hovering in place instead of advancing further.
Because at this distance, he could already launch high-powered spells to obliterate them both.
Floating in midair, Flat looked down at them in silence for a long moment, observing their state.
Far calmer than he had expected.
“You. You can still forfeit.”
Flat raised his hand slightly, pointing past Huberian at Lance.
His tone was low and commanding, as though his words were an indisputable order.
Yet the next second—
He saw Huberian’s eyes flash with vigilance as she stepped forward, firmly positioning herself in front of Lance, shielding him.
From this angle, it would be harder for him to instantly kill Lance.
“…Why would I forfeit?”
Lance tilted his head in genuine confusion.
“……”
Flat tapped his index finger against the air, finding Lance’s presence an annoying obstacle.
He had originally planned to deliver a message to Huberian alone on behalf of his superiors.
But it seemed that before he could do that, there was still a little black rat in the way.
“Did she promise you money, status, or something else?”
Flat’s voice carried a mocking tone as he looked down at him from above.
In his eyes, any reward this powerless duke’s daughter could offer was nothing more than an empty promise.
Unless—
This foolish boy had been seduced by the so-called charms of a duke’s daughter and was helping her because of that.
But once he learned what kind of person she truly was, he would probably be scared out of his wits.
“Hah.”
Lance chuckled at the question, as if he had just heard something utterly ridiculous.
He took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening slightly as he stared up at Flat and asked:
“According to the exam rules, she is my teammate. Rule number 13 explicitly states that I am required to cooperate with my teammate in combat. Are you telling me that, as the examiner, you didn’t even review the rules before coming here?”
The tone was like a superior reprimanding a subordinate during an inspection.
For a moment, Flat, hovering in the air, was completely stunned.