Director Tim Ayr was at the peak of his anger when one of the teachers burst in, visibly shaken.
"Who gave this task to the First Prince?!"
"Well… I investigated the matter, and it was one of the teachers who did it…"
"Then dismiss him after punishing him severely! This academy is under my authority! I will not allow such things just because he's a prince or whatever. Even his father, King Jord Joul, wouldn't dare do something this foolish! How could the First Prince—a four-circle mage, even if the circles are fake—cling to a mission I wouldn't assign to a child?! Does he even know what kind of task I gave to Shion Lan?"
The teacher hesitated. "What do you mean, sir?"
"Shion is currently undertaking a mission I wouldn't assign even to graduating students because of how dangerous it is, yet he is performing it perfectly!"
"But sir! What if something terrible happens to him?!"
"This is a dangerous mission—he will get injured, that's certain. But he hasn't backed down. He even faced a level-seven force head-on without flinching—both Wild and the Dark Crow."
"And what did he do, sir?"
"In terms of composure and courage, he has plenty. He isn't reckless. When facing the Dark Crow, he summoned his teacher—the Radiant Star—and killed the Dark Crow in a single strike!"
"The Radiant Star?!"
Rumors had already spread about that legendary figure who transformed Shion from mere 'trash' into a famous academy student. The director continued:
"And now I've received another report on Shion—he's harvesting bark from the cactus groves."
He pulled out the report and opened it.
"Shion left the cactus area an hour ago after provoking the branches and the high-level beasts there. He lured them into the forest where they encountered other creatures, leading to a bloody battle between thorns, fangs, and claws. Shion simply watched, cutting off bark and tossing it onto a beast to attract others, leaving behind a field of blood."
Director Tim nodded in satisfaction.
"These are the types of students I appreciate. I've already sent a request to the king to reward the Radiant Star, and I doubt he will refuse."
"And what about Shion, sir? He's about to complete one of the most difficult tasks in the academy. Won't you say something?"
"I'll promote him to the Noble Division—as he should've been all along. As you know, graduation-type missions like his can raise your rank and evaluation, correct?"
"But I don't think the other nobles will like that…"
"Then let them compete! And if they can't defeat a commoner like him, I'll put them in the General Division."
Tasks that changed divisions couldn't be objected to. The problem was that Shion didn't have the required credits to request such a mission to begin with, since it was still the start of the new academic year.
"But sir, the rules don't allow that. We must do something else to protect Shion from criticism."
"You're right. Then you'll take him in as your personal student. After reviewing his achievements—and since you're a Star-Ranked teacher—Shion can attend the Noble Division."
"…."
The man froze. 'That old fox… did he really trick me? He's making me the one to protect Shion instead of doing it himself?! You—!'
"I'll also double your salary."
"Yes, sir!!"
The teacher left happily due to the raise.
After Shion left the cactus region, he headed to the Wolf Spiders' area. After studying their movements, he set traps, killed them, and collected their legs without any trouble. Although the spiders themselves were overwhelmingly strong for level three, they were easy to handle thanks to the traps.
"And with that, I've completed the mission. Now I need to look for the level-four Golden Serpent."
Xion wasn't in a hurry. After delivering the legs to the new supervisor, he said:
"I still have one day left. I'll search for inspiration in the desert—don't worry, I won't go far."
"Do whatever you like."
This man was the new supervisor assigned to Shion. He was a six-star officer, and at first he thought Shion was arrogant. But after watching his tactical skill and practical choices over the past days—and his honesty about his mistakes when fighting the Dark Crow—he realized Shion had his reasons for everything.
"Who would've expected you to encounter the Dark Crow's offspring to begin with? Anyway, the army benefited from its remains. You'll get your share of the profit—enough to rival the nobles."
"For now, what I need is money and elixirs."
"Your recommendation has already been processed. But tell me—why don't you want to return to the region?"
"Because I'm searching for the Golden Serpent."
"Why?"
"For training. I have the Star Summit art, and I need a difficult opponent who can push me to my limits."
"Fine. I'll watch from afar. As you said, you still have one day."
Following the map, they headed to areas where Golden Serpents were most likely found, leaving the earlier regions behind.
"You're telling me this isn't far?"
"Well, I planned to search in the normal areas, not special ones like this. I was hoping to encounter one by chance."
The area they reached seemed different from the rest of the desert: golden sand, and the ground slightly lower than the surrounding rises.
"I don't think anything will come close as long as you're nearby. Can you move away a bit?" Shion asked.
"You're only level three—I can't leave you here!"
"I won't die easily. And I believe you received orders, didn't you?"
The supervisor nodded. "Just… don't die, alright?"
"It's fine. I still want to live a good life. To do that, I need to train and grow stronger."
Shion moved around the area, hoping to attract a serpent. As he wandered through the golden sands, some grains shifted from unseen movement. He realized he had succeeded.
"Alright… I'll step into the trap."
He took a few steps to position himself perfectly—and a massive serpent, large enough to swallow a human whole, surged upward.
Shion smiled and slid away to save his life. The serpent struck—but hit only a water clone. Shion leapt from behind and aimed his blade at its eye. The serpent shrieked from the pain.
'Mid-level beasts emit a physical aura, like a tough hide, but they can't cover everything like humans. Hitting the eye requires accuracy…'
Then he paused.
'I've never fought serpents in my life—or in Shi Yun Lan's life either. So why do I have such fighting instincts? It's like I already know its next moves…'
He dodged the serpent's attacks skillfully, slipping past every attempt to coil around him. From afar, the supervisor watched, stunned. Shion moved in perfect harmony, as if the serpent meant nothing to him. The supervisor activated a recording tool—a cube that gathered aura from whatever he saw.
Shion weaved and struck, stabbing the serpent and avoiding its tail strikes. The serpent's aura, its scales' aura, its innate energy—none of it mattered against the activated starry eyes and the water element that ruined the sand, turning it solid enough to prevent the serpent from sliding freely.
Shion controlled the battlefield completely.
At last he said, "I finally have a proper way to defeat you."
He grabbed a vial given to him by the former supervisor—a high-quality elixir from a powerful army officer—and hurled it at the serpent's head. Realizing the value of the elixir, the serpent opened its mouth, trying to swallow the treasure.
When the vial exploded inside its mouth, Shion fired a fireball—one of the first spells he ever learned. When fire met the high-grade elixir, a massive explosion tore through the serpent's head. Its body fell headless to the ground.
Other third-leveled serpents appeared to attack Shion, but the supervisor intervened—only to be shocked when Shion charged into the fight himself.
The sand around them had solidified because of Shion's water element. He didn't care about how many there were.
"This pressure is good for me. I'll use it to train."
The supervisor could not speak. Five serpents attacking one weaker human—and yet he held his ground with ease. The serpents' eyes were gouged out, their bellies slashed, their fangs torn free. Shion was soaked in their blood, silver eyes emotionless, moving with perfect precision.
Whenever he exhausted his strength, he drank another elixir and continued fighting.
Night fell, stars filled the sky, and the number of serpents had reached twenty. Shion—still only level three—looked up at the sky.
"(Stellar Summit: The Star-Forged Body Script)!"
His body erupted with power. Under the starlight, he said:
"Now… let's change techniques."
He remembered the fire arts—using Shi Yun Lan's inherited memories. He sheathed his sword and performed the movements.
"(Burning Fist)."
"(Claws of Flame)."
His right fist ignited, his left hand formed burning claws, and he charged into the serpents. He threw the remaining elixirs onto them and began burning them. They tried to flee, but he didn't allow it.
"(Star Vortex)!"
The swirling vortex activated, trapping them.
"Burn, my stars—burn my enemies!"
Shion hurled his fire techniques into the vortex. The elixir-soaked serpents ignited instantly. Exhausted from earlier combat, they couldn't protect themselves with aura anymore.
The Golden Serpents—known for their incredibly tough defenses—lost their eyes, their will, and were torn apart. Shion looked up at the starry sky with emotionless starry eyes, ignoring the flames around him.
'Shi Yun Lan… who are you? When I fought these serpents, I felt nostalgic—yet not worried. I used these techniques as if I had always known them. Just tell me… who are you?'
"Are you alright?!"
Shion turned to the supervisor, who had finally revealed his worried expression.
"I'm fine… but I think I'll sleep for a while…"
And without another word, Shion collapsed, unconscious.